Run

Running is when one or more players lead other players to areas in the game that would otherwise be unreachable, or at least very difficult to reach, for the other players. The runner runs past all enemy mobs and through zones until the destination is reached. The players being run generally need take no action. A run differs from a ferry in that runs take players to locations that can be reached physically - albeit through hazards - rather than through special access areas.

Motivation
Enemies in Guild Wars move as fast as player characters, if not faster. Pursuing foes cannot be shaken off simply by trying to run away at normal speed (see aggro). Eventually, players will be forced to fight back or heal themselves unless the player manages to zone. Therefore, most runners use skills that increase movement speed, like Sprint, "Charge!", or Storm Chaser that allows the player to evade enemies.

When runners reach the entrance to the next area and pass through (i.e. zone), all party members (whether killed or sitting at the other end of the area) are moved to the next area. If all other party members are already dead, a runner only has to run "close enough" to the other end of an area to resurrect at the closest resurrection shrine. This is risky and should never be counted on.

For lower-level players, running provides access to crafters and skill trainers who sell powerful items and skills not otherwise available to them, potentially paying for things they could have acquired for free by playing the game sequentially. More importantly, players escorted to more advanced areas of the game gain little experience, both in terms of how to play the game as well as actual experience points for their character. Players that are run through several areas and skip numerous missions and quests, may be surrounded by others who have much higher levels. Generally speaking, parties are not interested in grouping with players that are too low-level to be of much use, making it difficult for them to adventure further. Players who find their characters too low in level in a certain area may seek a power leveling service.

Players can also run to complete certain quests or missions (e.g. deliver an item or perform infusion) without fighting monsters along the way.

Professions
Runners often choose warrior as their primary profession with monk or ranger as their secondary profession. These characters can use Sprint, have the highest armor rating, can wear absorption armor and runes, and can heal themselves. Monk/Rangers using Spell Breaker and Ranger stances, as well as Dervishes using Vow of Silence, are also popular profession combinations for running. It is however quite possible to do some runs with other professions, which can be useful for moving your own characters through Tyria. The Ranger's additional armor against Elemental damage helps in many places. There are also quite a few Ranger Assassin runners that use the Ranger stances such as Escape with the Assassin's Dash and Death's Charge. Another popular combination for Southen Shiverpeak runs is a Dervish with an Assassin secondary, combining Vow of Silence with Death's Charge and Dash.

Common Runs
Running isn't as common in Factions as it is in Prophecies because in Cantha most locations have a gate guard at the entry who will only let you pass if the player speaking to him has a specific quest. This requires that the player being run makes it to the gate guard, meaning they have to run themselves and survive, which voids the entire purpose of being run. One popular run is from The Marketplace to Kaineng City for Canthan born characters, but it's a trivial run with no real threat.

Some popular runs are:
 * The Droknar Run
 * From Lions Arch to Sanctum Cay, Beacon's Perch or Temple of the Ages.
 * From Bergen Hot Springs to Temple of the Ages or Beetletun, or vice versa
 * From The Amnoon Oasis to Augury Rock (see The Amnoon Oasis to Augury Rock)
 * From Augury Rock to the mission locations in the Crystal Desert, see the Ascension guide
 * From Henge of Denravi to Maguuma Stade
 * From Thunderhead Keep to Marhan's Grotto
 * From Iron Mines of Moladune to Copperhammer Mines
 * From Copperhammer Mines to Granite Citadel
 * From Piken Square to Yak's Bend
 * From Yak's Bend to Beacon's Perch
 * From Beacon's Perch to Gates of Kryta or Lion's Arch
 * From Ascalon City or Piken Square to Lion's Arch (combining several of the preceeding runs into one quicker process)
 * From Cavalon to Bai Paasu Reach, Eredon Terrace, Breaker Hollow, Jade Flats (Luxon) and Aspenwood Gate (Luxon)
 * From House zu Heltzer to Aspenwood Gate (Kurzick), Saint Anjeka's Shrine, Lutgardis Conservatory, Brauer Academy and Jade Flats (Kurzick)

Payment
Experienced players often require payment from others to run them. Weaker players or players not interested in playing the PvE campaign often offer payment in popular running locations like Beacon's Perch, Droknar's Forge and Augury Rock.

There is little consistency regarding the price of runs or where and when a payment should be made/taken. Players seeking runs are at the mercy of the runners available at that particular outpost and at that particular time. A run is only "worth" what people are willing to pay for it.

Whether hiring another player to run you, or running a group of players yourself, you should watch out for scams. Keep the following points in mind when you decide to charge/pay for a run:

Runners

 * Asking players to pay "on arrival" is inviting the opportunity to be scammed. Insist that players pay in the explorable area prior to the destination.  Once you have reached an outpost, there is no incentive for the player to pay.
 * It is also possible to take a player's armor as collateral, given that it is customized on purchase and therefore not useful to the runner. However, runes can be salvaged from customized armor!

Players seeking runs

 * Do not pay up front for a run. If you pay up front, the runner has no incentive to run you to your destination.  Insist that payment be made in the explorable area prior to the destination, or if possible, at the destination.
 * Familiarize yourself with the going rates for a run to your destination. If you've regularly seen a run priced at 1000 gold, do not pay 3000 for it.
 * "Guaranteed arrival" and "pro-runner" are subjective terms that shouldn't be taken literally. A runner may be very skilled at making a particular run, but do not pay more just because arrival is purportedly "guaranteed."
 * Beware of claims that a particular run now costs more because the running build was nerfed. Check the game updates to see if a build has been rendered less effective.

Running skills
Here's a list of the most common skills used in a running build with a short description of why they're useful for running.

Movement speed
Shouts:
 * "Charge!" (Elite, affects ALL allies within earshot)
 * "Fall Back!" (Also heals while moving)
 * "Lead the Way!" (Duration based on allies nearby)
 * "Make Haste!" (Target other ally)
 * Godspeed (While under the effect of an Enchantment)

Enchantments:
 * Armor of Mist
 * Burning Speed (Beware of the burning effect taking some of your health)
 * Windborne Speed
 * Flame Djinn's Haste (Damages adjacent foes)
 * Storm Djinn's Haste (Beware of energy loss)
 * Illusion of Haste (After this wears off, you will be Crippled)
 * Featherfoot Grace (Conditions expire 50% faster)

Stances (only one stance may be active at a time):
 * Battle Rage (Elite, requires adrenaline)
 * Bull's Charge (Elite)
 * Charging Strike (Elite)
 * Enraging Charge (Ends and gives you adrenaline if you attack)
 * Rush (Requires adrenaline)
 * Sprint
 * Escape (Elite)
 * Dodge
 * Storm Chaser (May also be used to generate energy for other skills if running through an elemental area ie: The Shiverpeak Mountains)
 * Zojun's Haste
 * Run as One (Affects you and your pet)
 * Dash
 * Dark Escape
 * Harrier's Haste
 * Pious Haste
 * Enchanted Haste
 * Whirling Charge

Forms (only one form may be active at a time):
 * Avatar of Balthazar (Elite)

More skills can be found on the movement speed quick reference, although the skills listed here are specifically for running.

Other skills
Here are some other potentially useful skills for running. Many areas include monsters with damaging attacks, knockdown, hexes, etc. that all need to be countered or negated in order to complete a run.

Anti-knockdown Skills:
 * Balanced Stance
 * Fleeting Stability

Skills which negate/prevent damage:
 * Mist Form
 * Vow of Silence
 * Shadow Form
 * Spell Breaker

Defensive Skills:
 * Bonetti's Defense
 * Defensive Stance
 * "Shields Up!"
 * Whirling Defense
 * Swirling Aura

Healing skills:
 * Watchful Intervention
 * Mending
 * Divine Intervention
 * Death's Charge
 * Heart of Shadow
 * Mystic Regeneration
 * Healing Signet
 * Watchful Spirit
 * Restful Breeze

Skills which provide extra health/armor:
 * Endure Pain
 * Defy Pain (Elite, requires adrenaline)
 * Signet of Stamina
 * Feigned Neutrality
 * Avatar of Balthazar
 * Vital Boon
 * Conviction

Anti-hex:
 * Pious Restoration
 * Inspired Hex
 * Revealed Hex
 * Hex Breaker
 * Smite Hex
 * Holy Veil

Skills
The cooldown on "Charge!" is 20 seconds so with a high Tactics attribute there will only be a 9-10 second gap before you can use it again. Using a stance during "Charge!"'s downtime will usually allow for continuous running (25% movement increase). Using "Charge!" and two stances will allow for continuous 25% movement increases with alternating 33% increases in speed.

Of the list above, Sprint, Enraging Charge, "Charge!" and Storm Chaser are the ones most favored by runners for a couple reasons:
 * They last at least 10 seconds (if the linked attribute is high enough) which is adequate for dodging groups and gaining distance quickly.
 * They are shouts or stances, which do not have an activation time. This means a character can use them on the fly while running without stopping. While Armor of Mist is a spell that lasts longer and increases speed more than Sprint, it requires runners to stop and cast it for two full seconds, which often allows monsters to surround them.  Unless this is cast before getting into the threat range of a mob, this is usually fatal.

Note: Dodge is often used by those who use Storm Chaser as an extra boost after Storm Chaser wears off to get past the really long gauntlet of foes that are sometimes encountered. Similarly, Charge! is often used in conjunction with Sprint to allow the player to quickly outpace pursuing foes. Dodge also represents an obvious choice for Ranger primary runners since the duration can be increased with Expertise and it adds +33% speed instead of +25%.

Warming up:
Many runners activate some sort of healing regeneration (typically Mending for monks or Troll Unguent for rangers) for a healing boost just before encountering a group of foes. This helps to combat the health degeneration often inflicted on runners by enemy mesmers and other occasional attacks that hit a runner. Elementalists may also start with either Windborne Speed or Armor of Mist, which allows them to save the stances or shouts (which don't require any activation time) for when they're actually surrounded by foes. Beware of mesmers with Shatter Enchantment when using enchantments such as Mending. These will make casting the enchantment a waste of energy and health. Using Watchful Spirit can also be used as it always gives 2 pips of regeneration and requires no investment in the Divine Favor attribute. Some runners may also chose to use Signet of Stamina for the additional health throughout the run.

Tip: Dying while others run you offers a convenient way to watch the runners and see how they do what they do. Simply click on the surviving runner's name in the Party List and observe. You can see what skills they're using if you watch the bar at the center of the top of the screen. Be sure to check with your runner prior to dying, as some runs, particularly in missions, require payment shortly before completion.

Additional notes

 * For Running guides see Guides
 * "Run" is occasionally used in a broader sense to refer to a single trip through a mission, explorable area, or quest, such as a "farming run".