Pre-Searing guide

NOTE
editing in progress! please don't muck with anything in this or sub-sections for awhile! lots of cutting and pasting to do..

Welcome to the new player's guide! This guide is intended to walk you through pre-Searing Ascalon, starting from character creation and ending when joining the Ascalon Academy.

Please note that spoilers abound in the text ahead! While Guild Wars is not dependent upon storyline for gameplay, and the story in Pre-Searing Ascalon is almost non-existant, you have been warned.

Article Groups

 * Roleplaying Character Creation: This is your first step in Guild Wars.
 * Academy Training Quests: A series of quests for new characters that reward starter skills.
 * Academy Skill Quests: Assigning a second profession and gaining more skills for primary and secondary.
 * Pre-Searing Side Quests: Myriad optional quests for additional experience and items.

Side Quests
The following quests are entirely optional. It is highly recommended that at least your first character do these quests; they will give you the experience necessary to survive after joining the Academy. However, they are all entirely up to you, and have no bearing whatsoever on the rest of the game.

Across the Wall

 * Quest Giver:	Torin the Gate Guard
 * Location:	Lakeside County
 * Description:	Open the gate by having one party member stand in front of the closed gate door while the other party member opens it by pulling lever on top. Once gate is open run through before it closes.  Once in the Northlands the lost ranger is hiding in a rubble building on the left near the Gate. Lead him the short distance back to the gate.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Bandit Raid

 * Quest Giver:	Baron Egan
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Reward Giver:	Devona (Ashford Village)
 * Description:	Find the Ashford strongbox slightly north of the fields in the west side of Ashford Village clear out some of the bandit raiders and bring the strongbox back to Devona in Ashford Village.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Charr at the Gate
Meet Rurik and his party outside Ascalon City and follow them to the gate. Defeat the charr party and talk to Rurik for Reward.
 * Quest Giver:	Prince Rurik
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Description:	The Charr have broken through the gate and it is up to you and Prince Rurik to stop them.
 * Reward:	200 XP

Charr in the Catacombs
Munne will direct you to talk with the necromancer Oberan the Reviled deeper in the catacomb. Oberan will give you a sharp Charr Tooth, give the tooth to Prince Rurik.
 * Quest Giver:	Prince Rurik
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Description:	Head over to Ashford Abbey and speak with Brother Mhelno who then directs you to Necromancer Munne at the entrance to the Catacombs.
 * Reward:	250 XP, 100 Gold

The Charr Threat

 * Quest Giver:	Devona
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Reward Giver:	Sir Tydus
 * Description:	Talk to Devona about the Charr Threat, she will ask you to deliver a message for Brother Mhenlo. Receive the message from Brother Mhelno in Ashford Abbey and deliver it to Sir Tydus in Ascalon City.
 * Reward:	250 XP

A Gift for Althea

 * Quest Giver:	Captain Orsic
 * Location:	Lakeside County
 * Description:	Talk to Captain Orsic after he has had a short talk with Prince Rurik. Head to Ashford Village to find a Beautiful Feather near Alison the tanner.  Head to the mill area by Miller Upton near the water you should find a beautiful shell that contains a Beautiful Pearl. Head to the farm fields west of Ashford follow the path north through the bandit raiders and look for a chest inside the chest is an Beautiful Pendent. Bring all three items to Captain Orsic for reward.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Gwen's Flute

 * Quest Giver:	Gwen
 * Location:	Lakeside County
 * Description:	Head south east over the river and recover Gwen's Broken Flute. Return it to Gwen. After completing this Gwen can follow you around and occasionally heal for 20 points. You also have the option of buying her a new flute for 20 gold and a little girl's cape for 200 gold additionally you can give her Red-Iris flowers. Give her enough items and she will eventually give you the quest item tapestry shard
 * Reward:	250 XP

The Hunter's Horn

 * Quest Giver:	Chantelle the Troubadour
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Reward Giver:	Aidan (Wizard's Folly)
 * Description:	Get the Hunters horn from the Troubadour in Ashford Village head up the road to Wizard's Folly. Head south east through the east forest till you come upon a river and a fishing village, from the Fishing Village head Northeast till you get to Regent Valley once in Regent Valley follow the river east to a small pond. The Healing spring will be here you might need to hold down ALT to see the healing spring click on the healing spring to purify the horn. Once the horn is purified and the quest log updated return to the fishing village and find Aidan the ranger slightly southeast of the village.
 * Reward:	500 XP

Little Thom's Big Cloak

 * Quest Giver:	Alison the Tanner
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Reward Giver:	Little Thom (Barradin Estate)
 * Description:	Find a bear skin in either Regent Valley or Wizard's Folly (Game Suggest Regent but more bears in Wizard's Folly). Take the Bear skin back to Alison to turn into a Cloak.  Deliver the Cloak to Little Thom at Barradin's Estate
 * Reward:	250 XP

Opposition to the King

 * Quest Giver:	Devona
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Description:	Head to Green Hills County and talk to 3 of the following 5 people; Farrah Cappo, Grazden the Protector, Kasha Blackblood, Little Thom, or Duke Barradin.
 * Reward:	500 XP

The Orchard

 * Quest Giver:	Mary Malone
 * Location:	Regent Valley outside Fort Ranik
 * Description:	Mary Malone needs someone to retrieve her basket of apples that she dropped when she got ambushed by spiders. Head south from Fort Ranik till you see a road to the east. Head down that road to the apples. Kill any River Skales and Spiders on the path from Mary Malone to the basket of apples. Once you pick up the basket more spiders will appear and attack. Return the Apples to Mary for Reward.
 * Reward:	250 XP

The Poison Devourer

 * Quest Giver:	Baron Egan
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Reward Giver:	Brother Mhelno (Ashford Abbey)
 * Description:	Baron Egan will ask you to find a poison stinger from a Plague devourer. Head south over the river towards the east side of Lakeside county there is a small path through a valley inside the valley is a devour cave. Standing outside the cave is the egg hunter Fadden Hathorn. At the very end of the Cave is a Poison Devour who drops one Poison Stinger for one party member when killed. Bring the stinger to Brother Mhelno for reward.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Poor Tenant

 * Quest Giver:	Namar
 * Location:	Far West side of Ascalon City
 * Reward Giver:	Miller Upton (Ashford Village)
 * Description:	Miller Upton in Ashford will ask you to lure some bees over a bridge. Pick up the massive honeycomb and walk into the water. The bee Locations are right off the shore in the water, in the middle of the island, and behind the mill. Walk to the bee Location with the honeycomb and the bees will follow. Zooming all the way out on your mouse wheel and having an almost directly overhead view will make seeing the bees easier.  When you have 3 bee swarms, head over the bridge and Drop the Honeycomb when you quest log is updated. Return to Miller Upton for reward.
 * Reward:	500 XP

The Prize Bull

 * Quest Giver:	Pitney
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Description:	Talk to Pitney to get the Prize Bull Quest. Head down into the Catacombs from Ashford Abbey head down the right path till you climb down some stairs into a big rectangular room with a few skeletons in it. Head to the end of the room and take the second right into a cavern full of spiders keep heading down this path till you get to the hallway where Oberan the reviled is. Right before Oberan's hallway take a left and head straight down that path and up a flight of stairs. This should take you to the candleroom where the prize bull lays dead in the middle of the room. Return to Ashford Village and tell Pitney of the sad news.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Rites of Remembrance

 * Quest Giver:	Necromancer Munne
 * Location:	Catacombs Ashford Abbey Entrance
 * Description:	Talk to Munne to get the candles then enter the Catacombs and head to the left (The same area you have to go for a Monk's Mission) light the 4 candles here and return to Munne for a Reward.
 * Reward:	250 XP

The Rogue's Replacement

 * Quest Giver:	Old Mack
 * Location:	Lakeside County
 * Description:	After killing the Rogue Bull in "A Mesmer's Burden" quest, Old Mack will talk to Lady Althea and demand compensation. Old Mack will ask for a devour egg to grow as a replacement pet. Get a Large Devour Egg from Fadden Hathorn by leading him to the 3 nests in the Devour Cave and give it to Old Mack.
 * Reward:	250 XP

Tithe for Ashford Abbey

 * Quest Giver:	Devona
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Description:	Get the Tithe from Grazden the Protector in Green Hills County and deliver it to Devona.
 * Reward:	250 XP, 1 Skill Point

Trouble in the Woods

 * Quest Giver:	Royal Herald
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Reward Giver:	Devona
 * Description:	After doing a few quests for Sir Tydus a Royal Herald will tell of trouble with Grawls near Ashford. Head over to Ashford and help Devona. Talking to Devona about trouble in the woods will make her run over the bridge to the road to Regent Valley where a small army of Grawls is coming to attack Ashford. Defeat the Grawls and talk to Devona for XP
 * Reward:	500 XP

The True King

 * Quest Giver:	Duke Barradin
 * Location:	Barradin's Estate
 * Reward Giver:	Lord Darin (Fort Ranik)
 * Description:	Deliver a message from Duke Barradin to Lord Darin in Fort Ranik
 * Reward:	750 XP

The Wayward Wizard

 * Quest Giver:	Sandre Elek
 * Location:	Ascalon City
 * Description:	Talk to Sandre Elek in Ascalon city to learn of her brother who has run off to join the royalist Faction. Head to Foible's Fair and talk to Ralena Stormbinger to learn of his current *Location: in the Western woods of Wizard's folly.  Leave Foible's Fair head west into the woods keep heading west on the road till you see Orion Elek.  Talk to Orion and return to Sandre for reward.
 * Reward:	250 XP

The Worm Problem

 * Quest Giver:	Pitney
 * Location:	Ashford Village in Lakeside County
 * Description:	Accquire a Large Devourer Egg from Fadden Hathorn and give it to Pitney. Follow Pitney to the fields plagued by worms. Pitney will use the egg to lure the Worm Queen out from hiding.
 * Reward:	250 XP