Wurm (species)

Wurms are gigantic worm-like creatures that burrow in the ground and come out to strike at the unexpecting adventurers. Wurms generally do not appear on the radar until a player aggros them; then they will invoke a tremor that will knockdown that target and all surrounding allies. They will then come out of the ground to attack their target. If the target tries to move, they will do the same maneuver again.

Wurms are first encountered as Sand Wurms in the Crystal Desert (where players are sometimes warned about their presence by bleached bones or by seeing them devour other creatures at a distance). They are then found in the Southern Shiverpeaks and the Ring of Fire Islands. Most Wurms have high armor ratings and continuous health regeneration, and some Wurms are known to have unusually high health totals compared to other creatures of the same level. There are also Junundu wurms exclusive only to Guild Wars: Nightfall, which swallows its user and allows them to transverse across areas deemed unsafe for travel like The Desolation.

There are two general categories of Wurms, burrowing wurms and stationary wurms. Burrowing Wurms are incredibly persistent in following their prey. Despite their panic-inspiring stage entrance, great damage and thick armor, a party has a much better chance standing its ground and attacking than trying to out run a Wurm. They will follow for a very long time. All stationary wurms have some form of ranged attack, either the Wurm Siege monster spell or a regular projecticle attack.

Tip: Even though their appearance will often cause their victim to run around and try to shake them off his/her tail (especially true for fragile spell-casters), it is best if that prey stops and receives healing. Constant running will cause the Wurm to continuously burrow then knockdown party members as it pops up, which means monks trying to heal the victim and elementalists trying to nuke the Wurm will keep getting interrupted.

For a list of all Wurms in the game see: Category:Wurms

Trivia
Sand Wurms may be inspired by the giant Sand Worms of the Dune series.