Junundu

A group of Junundu.

Concept art by Matthew Barrett.

“

Colossal wurms roam the sulfurous wastelands of the Desolation. These burrowers tunnel through soft soil with amazing alacrity. Elonians know them by their more formal name: the Junundu. According to historians, the undead lord Palawa Joko commanded these wurms to patrol his kingdom, but the junundu’s inability to tunnel through solid rock limited their usefulness. Myths tell of great heroes using junundu to travel across the wastelands, covering vast distances safe from the sulfuric clouds. More recent accounts describe devastating wails and thunderous attacks that shake the very earth and topple buildings in their wake.

According to legend, Junundu society is developed enough that they act in service to a queen mother: a subterranean monstrosity called Aijundu. Lurking below, Queen Aijundu patiently waits for foolish surface-dwellers who would dare to cross her apocalyptic domain. As long as wind shifts the desert sands, some say, she will lie beneath it...waiting.

— The Guild Wars Nightfall Manuscripts

Junundu are wurms that are not highly sentient, and are capable of traveling through the sulfurous Desolation. They can be tamed in the Gate of Desolation mission, allowing humans to traverse the otherwise deadly wasteland.

The Junundu have two sexes; the females are larger than the males. The largest dominant female is the Queen, and has her own harem of males which are her territory. Once the Queen becomes old or weak, another large female can challenge and take over as the Queen.

Skills

Concept art by Matthew Barrett.

See also: List of temporary skills#Desert Wurm

1. Junundu Strike
2. Junundu Smash
3. Junundu Bite
4. One of the following:
   • Unknown Junundu Ability (elite)
   • Junundu Siege (elite)
5. Junundu Tunnel
6. One of the following:
   • Junundu Feast
     • Blinding Breath
     • Burning Breath
     • Choking Breath
7. Junundu Wail
8. Leave Junundu

The Junundu skills will replace all skills of the character inside, except Signets of Capture. The Signets of Capture will still be usable inside the wurm (and the corresponding wurm skill will not be). When capturing a skill while riding a Junundu, the newly captured skill will be replaced by the corresponding Junundu skill. As a result, players cannot use any skills other than Junundu skills while riding a Junundu.

Notes

• Junundu are summoned by using a Wurm Spoor. You cannot do this if there are foes in a certain radius of the spoor.
• While riding the Junundu, characters get the Desert Wurm disguise, making them immune to the Sulfurous Haze environment effect and knock downs.
• Junundus have 3,000 health and 60 energy regardless of the level, profession, or equipment of the character controlling it. Characters in Junundu form have 22 less armor rating against elemental damage; they may also have a decreased armor rating against physical damage.
  • Only bonus modifiers (inscriptions, weapon modifiers, weapon upgrades, insignias, and runes) affect the maximum health and energy, not the base bonuses on staves and focus items or base energy bonuses on armor. However, switching between weapon sets or re-equipping an armor piece that has a rune applied affects the maximum health and energy of the wurm.
  • Upon entering a Junundu, the effects of enchantments, preparations, stances, and certain consumables are removed; however, Armors of Salvation, Grails of Might and Essences of Celerity will remain active. Skills, weapon spells and shouts in effect aren't affected. You can also keep hold of what you are carrying (bundle items).
  • In Junundu form, the character's primary attribute is reduced to zero.
  • The Junundu has the same energy regeneration of the character inside. Equipped items with energy regeneration -1 will affect the Junundu.
  • A Junundu's regular attacks do a fixed amount of armor-ignoring damage, based on weapon type:
    • Swords, hammers, and axes do 55 damage per hit.
    • Daggers do 40 damage per hit with a chance to double strike.
    • Scythes do 35 damage per hit and can hit one adjacent secondary target.
    • Bows do 40 damage per hit and have a ranged attack; range varies with bow type.
    • Spears do 55 damage per hit and have a ranged attack.
    • Wands and staves do 40 damage per hit and have a ranged attack.
  • If your weapon's damage has a specific type, the Junundu's weapon is the same. For example, wielding a weapon that deals holy damage causes your Junundu to deal double damage against undead on normal attacks.
  • If your weapon has a Vampiric or Zealous modifier on it, you will continue to gain its benefit (Life Draining or 1 energy gain per hit) and drawback (health regeneration -1 or energy regeneration -1).
• Since they give constant health and armor rating, wurms make a great way to power-level heroes.
• Pets still gain experience normally even if they die when their owner enters the Junundu.
• If there's a Signet of Capture on your skill bar, it doesn't get replaced by the Junundu skill in that slot; avoid covering slot 7, Junundu Wail (your only resurrection skill). If you do bring a Signet of Capture, replace Unknown Junundu Ability (if you don't have Junundu Siege yet) or Leave Junundu. Regular skill slot swapping doesn't change which Junundu skill is replaced.
  • When taking a Signet of Capture, enter the Junundu and just read your skill bar for any skills you wouldn't mind replacing. If so, just leave the Junundu again and adjust your skill arrangement in the Skills and Attributes Panel.
• Death Penalty does not affect the wurm, but remains on the character inside after leaving the wurm.
• Junundu cannot tunnel through rocky terrain. Trying to do so will cause the wurm to release the character controlling it, as if the skill Leave Junundu was used.
• The Junundu is used for the challenge mission Remains of Sahlahja.
• The effects of Junundu Tunnel will be retained for the remainder of its duration after leaving the Junundu while under its effects.
• Your base health and energy will be set based on the weapons and armor you have equipped when you enter the Junundu; therefore, changing armor or weapons after entering can modify the Junundu's base health.

Bug.Sometimes heroes and henchmen will exit their Junundu in the Sulfurous Haze, killing themselves and preventing their resurrection through Junundu Wail.

Bug.Heroes using a form might not take on the Junundu appearance (the Junundu skill bar will still take place).

Bug.Although none of the Junundu's skills are spells, using Junundu Feast without a target gives the message "Invalid spell target."

Trivia

• Junundu models respond to some emote commands:
  • /dance : The Junundu wiggles from side to side.
  • /sit or /afk : The Junundu burrows in the sand.
  • /stand : Just the /sit animation backwards.
  • /roar : The Junundu performs the Junundu Wail animation (though not as high), and sometimes with sound.
• Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, Dune, which highly influenced many subsequent works in the genre, bears some resemblance to Junundu and parts of the Desolation.