Spoilers! Faster travel around the Gianthold wilderness is available by speaking to Narkonk. (Note that the shrines near the Prison of the Planes (northwest) and near the Doomed Brother (south) are not shown.)
Frozen crystals, lava, and upturned rock formations still reveal the devastation caused by the ancient war between the giants and the dragons.
The main story arc, The Reaver's Bane, is bestowed by Cydonie, Agent of Argonessen in the west side of the Marketplace when your character reaches level 10. Upon receiving this quest, Thaden the Farshifter can then transport you to the Gianthold - a small city zone. From there you are able to enter the Ruins of Gianthold zone.
The farshifter in Gianthold, Narkonk, can teleport you to the Heroic/Epic version of three faction locations: Storm's Eye (far west), Storm's Heart (south-central), or Storm's Fist (far east) (shown in aqua on map, above). This can save a lot of running time when getting to far away quests.
You can only be shifted to a location that you have already found (by walking there).
The Icon for this NPC is a yellow X instead of the green "star" typically used to port to a different zone.
Using the NPC gives you the normal quest entry dialog box, allowing you to choose the usual options.
In addition to the pre-req, pre-raid, and raid quests, there are a number of quests located within the Wilderness Adventure Area. These quests are granted when you approach their entrance, and the end reward for the quest is given by various NPCs located within the Gianthold city zone.
The walk-up quests located within the wilderness area are:
Slay 10 Storm's Heart soldiers: 565 XP = 56.5 xp/kill
Slay 25 Storm's Heart soldiers: 766 XP = 51.07 xp/kill
Slay 50 Storm's Heart soldiers: 1,045 XP = 41.8 xp/kill
Slay 100 Storm's Heart soldiers: 1,560 XP = 31.2 xp/kill
Slay 200 Storm's Heart soldiers: 2,515 XP = 25.15 xp/kill
Slay 400 Storm's Heart soldiers: 4,405 XP = 22.03 xp/kill
Slay 750 Storm's Heart soldiers: 7,395 XP = 21.13 xp/kill
Slay 1,500 Storm's Heart soldiers: 15,390 XP = 20.52 xp/kill
Slay 3,000 Storm's Heart soldiers: 31,195 XP = 20.8 xp/kill
Note: Enemies, except Jariliths, found on the small rise Northeast of the Gate of Shavarath do not count toward slayer totals. This includes instances of enemies (eg: Gold Concord Wizard) that are counted elsewhere in the Ruins.
Find the Fields of Immolation:A giant sacrificed to time. A field where many were sacrificed to fire. I can’t believe... we did such a thing. There must be retribution.
Find the Gate of Shavarath:I have seen creatures from the battleground of Shavarath pour from this gateway. Were they sent here as punishment? This land is a place of battle and torment, too.
Find Crystal Spin Peak:When I first saw this charred and barren landscape, I could not imagine how it came to be. Only later would I see the truth. This land was crushed by me and mine.
Find the Aurum Supply Depot:I do not like this place. I saw a strange relic in those ruins once, and it has troubled my dreams since.
Find Gnoll's Breath Ridge:Was I here before? More troubling: If so, what blood dripped from my sword? What warlike fever burned in my brow?
Find Bleeding Rock Falls:My mind was very clouded when I first arrived. I touched this lava before understanding that it burned. A small, painful lesson. Unlike my fellow giants, I learn from my lessons.
Find the Beast And The Brothers:All this hate and anger, it still burns within all my kind. The best solution, the only solution, is the one I see before me. Death to us all.
Find the Brother Who Holds The Horn:A brother fighting a dragon. Both petrified in the service of history. Who is the hero, and who is the enemy, I wonder?
Find the Doomed Brother:Be at peace, my kin, for my actions will wipe away all our pain.
Find the Father Victorious:Who is this giant, what is his story? Did he remember his childhood, his friends, did the lust for blood and war consume his thoughts as well?
Find Storm's Heart Summit:My memory is gone, but my path ahead is clear. I will destroy this wretched world, and with it all who bring about suffering.
Find the entrance to the Crucible:How regal this dragon looks. How base is my reflection in its side. Would that I could bathe myself in fire here. This pain I feel would wash away along with my flesh.
Find the entrance to the Prison of the Planes:An ancient observatory from the giants of old. What secrets does it keep? What lies in its depths?
Find the entrance to the Madstone Crater:This is a place to avoid. The crater here will drive you mad, and only death will bring peace.
Find the entrance to the Aurum Lair:The long history of giantkind is told in these statues. They are eroded, as are we. We have become wicked and worthless, this world would be better off without us.Audio says:...history of mankind is told...
Find the entrance to the Hobgoblin Lair:I rested for the night here when I first arrived. I see the hobgoblins have fortified this area, and put it to good use.
Find the entrance to the Minotaur Lair:A maze of ledges and rock. This land is steeped in mystery. Who created such a place, and why?
Find the entrance to the Orc Lair:This hideaway may keep the Orcs safe, but there is no land big enough for my kind. Our safety must be carved out by sword and blood. What blood have I shed? My memories are lost...
Find the entrance to the Rakshasa Lair:I once saw a strange creature carry someone inside here. It had a tiger face, full of hatred.
Find the entrance to the Troll Lair:I see the terror of our history when I look upon this battlefield. Giants have done great evil. I feel it in my gut. I fear we will do evil again, if we are not stopped.
In addition, just beyond the exit from Feast or Famine via the hunting party passage, you will once again hear the Stormreaver: What was this place before we scorched the earth with our hatred? I don’t remember my old thoughts, but see clearly what we’ve done. This must end.
Triggering this dialogue is not required to complete the Explorer objective.
If you can get to the Orc Quarter without going through Feast or Famine (see Loot for more details), the dialogue can be triggered by approaching the passage exit to the East.
At the end of Feast or Famine, if you take the passage used by the hunting party optional, you will exit to the Orc Quarter where there is a locked chest on the South side of the central campfire. Kill every mob to spawn a party including an Orc Huntmaster adjacent to the chest. Upon spotting you, the Huntmaster will declare, "They have come for our hoard, kill them now!" You need only kill the Huntmaster to unlock the chest.
You can also reach the Orc Quarter with sufficient Jump and Abundant Step or similar (see note on Epic Ruins of Gianthold map). After your jump, trigger initial mobs to spawn by approaching the passage exit to the East.
To get to this platform, go to the upper Zakya camp West of the Rakshasa Lair by jumping up via the crystals or taking the long way around, then jump clockwise from ledge to ledge and drop down to the platform. The jumping may be easier if you first kill the Zakya Cult Archers on the ledges, pillars, and platforms.
Bug: Cyclone The DiminishedBug: Druuhl The UnderpoweredBug: Squall The Impotent
On the small rise Northeast of the Gate of Shavarath, where there is often a Stormsworn Sky Knight and one other giant, a locked chest can very rarely appear along with three Aurum gathered around a campfire.
The chest unlocks when the Aurum are defeated.
The Aurum camp appears with no chest more often, although still quite rarely.
Bug: At this same location, Cyclone, Druuhl, and Squall from this area's epic version can spawn at CR 1 with their usual cohort (at ~CR13) and drop a zone appropriate (level 13) chest that counts toward the Epic chest's ransack tally.
Relics Rare Encounter chests all yield one random ancient relic:
...after 15 minutes and when the site is unobserved, the campfire and chest (opened or not) are removed and the site nearly always spawns a new
standard encounter (2 giants)
non-standard encounter (unverified)
bugged Epic rare encounter (unverified)
Note: after 15 minutes, everyone may need to move away for ~30 seconds to trigger the spawn
>> more info: it appears that everyone must be far enough away that they can no longer see the site, even if the view to it is unobstructed, for the usual dead-things-fading-away period of ~25 seconds to allow the spawn to occur)
This heroic level area saw some changes with U17 (Feb of '13).
New shrines were added in some areas, such as near the Entrance to the Troll Lair.
Minor terrain changes, though they are mostly cosmetic. The usual paths did not change.
Monster spawns were changed, with a general increase in counts and locations. In some cases, such as near active rare encounters, respawning seems to happen until the rare is killed.
The farshifter in Gianthold, Narkonk, could now teleport you to the Epic or the Heroic version of the three faction locations: Storm's Eye, Storm's Heart, or Storm's Fist.
These are not the same as the old purple diamond locations, which have been removed from the map.
Requires access to adventure pack
