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Nolani Academy

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This is a mission entry. For information on the outpost, see Nolani Academy (outpost).
Nolani Academy
Campaign Prophecies
Region Ascalon
Type Cooperative
Party size 4
Duration Medium
Preceded by Ruins of Surmia
Followed by The Way is Blocked

Sneak out of Nolani Academy and destroy the besieging Charr. Help Rurik push to Rin and sound the horn Stormcaller.

Contents

[edit] Mission information

[edit] Objectives

Return Prince Rurik south of the Wall to safety.

[edit] Walkthrough

Unless you have a strong party the Charr will completely overwhelm you if you pull the lever and open the front gate. Instead, head out the northeast corner of Nolani Academy and make your way south. Eventually your path will lead you to the Wall, but you cannot pass through the gate here yet. Instead, continue on and start heading north towards the rear the of Charr force that is attacking Nolani.

If doing in the traditional approach (following the red path on the map around to the rear of Charr forces), you must be careful with the boss at the front gate, because sometimes killing the boss causes the gate to open and the remaining Charr to rush in at Prince Rurik. If you don't act quick and he dies, you fail the mission and have to start all over. It is best to pull and kill the mobs on left and right first before attacking the middle mob with the boss.

After you defeat the Charr forces, Rurik will open the front gate of Nolani and come out to greet you. Follow him back to the wall where he will order the gate to be opened.

After the cinematic, follow Rurik and keep him protected until he reaches the top of the hill where the Stormcaller horn is located. After the cinematic, follow Rurik down the hill and engage the Charr (make sure you follow Rurik, even if you need to wait for him; if you engage the Charr ahead of him, and he ends up attacking a different mob once he finally moves, he will quickly die fighting by himself, causing you to fail the mission). Towards the back of the ruins, you will come across the Charr boss Bonfaaz Burntfur. Kill him to complete the mission.

[edit] Alternate strategy

Alternate path after first cinematic

Important note: The following strategy may be simpler for hard mode players who have trouble keeping Rurik alive. This can be done in normal mode, but must be done quickly, as it depends on the party reaching the final boss before Rurik reaches Stormcaller. If Rurik reaches Stormcaller before the party kills Bonfaaz Burntfur, they will be teleported back to the mission's regular path after the cinematic. In hard mode, Rurik takes longer to reach Stormcaller, giving the party plenty of time.

When the mission begins, head through the eastern gate and complete the bonus if needed. Circle around the Academy, rescuing Ascalonian soldiers and clearing out Charr forces. Players in hard mode will have an easier time of protecting Rurik if they kill all the Charr between the wall and the Academy.

Once the Charr are gone, Rurik will join you for the trek to the wall. Once the first cinematic is completed, do not follow him. Instead, turn right and follow the nearly empty path south (see map).

When approaching the ruins of Rin, the mobs from the main path are visible on the radar, but your objective is the small Charr mob to the right, just past the archway (usually made up of a Charr Ashen Claw and one or two Charr Hunters). Quickly eliminate them, keeping close to the wall to avoid aggroing the other groups. There is enough space to do this safely, even with a minion master.

Just around the curve, you will see Burntfur standing by himself. As mentioned above, parties must kill him before Rurik reaches Stormcaller, but a 4-person party (especially with a minion master or a spirit spammer) can easily take down the lone Charr boss and jump-start the end of the mission.

[edit] Bonus

The bonus can be attained relatively early in the mission. When traveling south just after leaving Nolani, look for a small path to the east. At the end of this path is Watchman Pramas; talk to him and he will give you the bonus and drop the Tome of the Fallen (point 1).

Carry the tome along with you during the mission until you pass the wall. Instead of heading north towards the rear of the Charr force attacking Nolani Academy, keep heading west. You will come across a graveyard filled with hostile Spirits of the Fallen. Be wary when fighting these, as they are relatively powerful and can easily overwhelm your party if you engage too many at once. Instead, attack them piecemeal; have a party member pull a few away from their main group and lure them towards your party where you can safely kill them. Keep doing this until they are all dead. While you're attacking the spirits, beware of hidden devourers that can pop-up and join the fight.

After the spirits are dead, continue through the graveyard until you come across a pedestal. Place the tome on the pedestal and talk to the Old Ascalon Spirit who appears (point 2). Any spirits still remaining will disappear, and the bonus will be complete.

  • Placing the tome will not complete the bonus objective. To get credit, you need to talk to the Old Ascalon Spirit who will appear after you place the tome.
  • Holy damage is very effective against the Spirits of the Fallen when completing the bonus.
  • When completing the bonus, several of the spirits will not move to attack you, even when in aggro range; they only attack if you are within melee range. Use this to your advantage and take them out with ranged attacks and spells; however, they will move if attacked by AoE spells, but will move back to their original location after the spell is over.
  • A devourer boss in the northeast corner by the cemetery can provide a recharge for your party's Resurrection Signets. But be careful; several Carrion Devourers will popup when you attack. It may be best to pull the boss from its original location.

[edit] Hard mode

  • Be sure to talk to the lone Flaming Scepter Mage at the start of the mission to have him follow you and help out.
  • Exploring side trails will reveal allied ranger NPCs with Dual Shot (you will encounter both groups when doing the bonus: an Ascalon Ranger and Warmaster Casana are on the long path at the beginning, and three Lost Soldiers near Gargoyles, next to the graveyard). They will follow and help you. Using enchantment or weapon spells on them or skills like Barbs on the foes can also help.
  • After reaching the gate at the beginning, 5 Charr Axe Fiends and a Charr Flame Wielder will charge towards Rurik and the Flaming Scepter Mages. Take them out fast and watch out for Rurik. He's not going to follow you and will from now on run his path towards Rin. Try to pull aggro before he does after the second cut scene, as he will otherwise pull two groups with about 9 Charr.
  • If repeating the mission because of trouble keeping Rurik alive after the second cinematic, try following the alternate strategy.

[edit] NPCs

[edit] Allies

Humans

Ghosts

[edit] Foes

Charr

Devourer

Elemental

Gargoyle

Ghost

[edit] Bosses

Charr

Devourer

Elemental

[edit] Objects

  • Lever (opens front gate of the Academy, letting the Charr in)
  • Tome Pedestal

[edit] Dialogue

Prince Rurik: "The Charr archers have us pinned down. You'll need to sneak out the path to the east and ambush those Rangers. I'll stay here to help the mages hold the defenses. you must hurry. We can't hold out here for long."

After freeing the Academy:

Prince Rurik : "We push on, to Rin! Bring the mages. Their homecoming is overdue."

Receiving bonus objective:

Watchman Pramas: "I took the Tome of the Fallen from the graveyard. The captain ordered me. But I didn't know it was cursed! Now the spirits of those who lost their lives on the Wall are roaming free! Please. Take it back to the graveyard for me."

Warmaster Casana: "I got separated from my party on a scouting mission beyond the Wall."

Warmaster Casana: "I didn't think I'd make it back alive by myself."

Bonus completion:

Old Ascalon Spirit: "These spirits are at peace because of you. They gave their lives protecting the Wall. The story of our destruction was foretold long ago. Our names might as well have been written in the Flameseeker's Prophecies. Heed the words of the prophet. The sons of Ascalon must not die in vain."

[edit] Cinematics

For more information, see Nolani Academy (cinematics)

[edit] Cinematic 1

Ascalon Watchman: "Prince Rurik! What are you doing out here?"
Prince Rurik: "Open this door! You will let us through!"
Ascalon Watchman: "But sir, the king swore death if the door was opened."
Prince Rurik: "And I swear death if you don't stand aside this instant!"
Ascalon Watchman: "Yes, my prince."
Prince Rurik: "I defend Ascalon against another Charr invasion, and my father trifles with doors."
Ascalon Watchman:"You'll speak to the king, won't you? You'll tell him I had no choice ?"
Prince Rurik: "By Balthazar's beard! Rin burns! I told the king the Charr would not be held for long. We must go to Horn Hill! Only Stormcaller can save the city now."

[edit] Cinematic 2

Prince Rurik: "Praise be to Dwayna if this works."

[edit] Cinematic 3

Prince Rurik: "Trumpets! The king must be near. The fall of Rin will have darkened his heart. Hail King Adelbern!"
King Adelbern: "Rise, my son. you have done well. The discovery of Stormcaller is surely a sign of victory."
Prince Rurik: "It is a powerful weapon, but I fear not powerful enough. The Charr have amassed an army of many thousands."
King Adelbern: "You overestimate these beasts, Rurik. Do not be afraid."
Prince Rurik: "I am not afraid, father. I have seen them in battle. Rin has been destroyed! It would be wise to escape while we can. We should make for Kryta and rebuild our strength. Not wait here for death."
King Adelbern: "I will never allow Ascalons to live in the shadow of the Krytans! It is Rin that will be rebuilt. And you will learn your place."
Prince Rurik: "You have grown proud, Adelbern of Ascalon...proud and foolish!"
King Adelbern: "You would dare call your king a fool? I will hear no more. I banish you from Ascalon! You are no longer my prince, and you are no longer my son!"
Prince Rurik: "People of Rin! Your king will lead you to death. If you wish to see better days, if you wish to live, then leave the beasts behind and follow me over the Shiverpeaks. We make for Kryta and a new life, free of the Charr."

[edit] Notes

  • Complete exploration of this mission contributes approximately 1.0% to the Tyrian Cartographer title. Take Rurik all the way to Bonfaaz Burntfur, where Rurik will stop running, giving you the time needed to explore.
  • In the beginning, you can speak to one of the Flaming Scepter Mages to get him to follow you; he is a useful ally to have.
  • Ascalon Prisoners, if saved, will follow you if talked to. Just a little extra firepower to finish up the mission.
  • If your party is powerful enough, you can pull the lever to open the front gate and fight the Charr that swarm in; however, this is only recommended for characters with high levels.
  • Characters from other than the Prophecies campaign will not receive any reward for completing this mission on normal mode.
  • After the mission, you will be transported to Yak's Bend.

[edit] Trivia

  • Right in front of the main gate of the academy there is a burning statue in a crater. The statue looks like a titan.
If you choose to open the gate at the beginning of the mission, there is a small chance most of the Charr will vanish.
If you choose to open the gate at the beginning of the mission, there is a small chance that some groups of Charr will attempt to invade the academy from the back. Travel time will be around 4 minutes in hard mode, longer in normal mode.
Sometimes if you open the gate before letting Prince Rurik finish his speech, he will be frozen and will have to restart the mission.

Prophecies missions
The Great Northern Wall » Fort Ranik » Ruins of Surmia » Nolani Academy » Borlis Pass » The Frost Gate » Gates of Kryta » D'Alessio Seaboard » Divinity Coast » The Wilds » Bloodstone Fen » Aurora Glade » Riverside Province » Sanctum Cay » Dunes of Despair and Thirsty River and Elona Reach » Augury Rock » The Dragon's Lair » Ice Caves of Sorrow » Iron Mines of Moladune » Thunderhead Keep » Ring of Fire » Abaddon's Mouth » Hell's Precipice

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