Author: Thomas

Most people call me Thomas, which is the name I chose when I joined the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) in 1984. I have lived in Caid and the West, and in Northshield since 2013. Over those years I've held almost every local office in the SCA, spent three years as the Baron of Lyondemere, and written some songs you may have heard. Mundanely I'm retired and I live in Burnsville MN. I spend my days working on music, playing Guild Wars 2, listening to audio books, and generally keeping myself out of trouble.

Some Completely Unsolicited Advice about Jumping Puzzles

Just as background, yes, I’ve done them all, and yes, I’m a Mesmer.

I understand that jumping puzzles are not for everyone, and that’s okay. It’s not my intention to change anyone’s mind about JPs. I also know that most advice on how to complete these puzzles involves some variation on “find a mesmer to port you,” and while that may work for some, it doesn’t work for others. My goal is to explain to people who are not fans of JPs, but may need to do them for various reasons, how they can reduce their stress levels and complete these puzzles on their own. If that’s you, read on. If not, feel free to scroll on by.

NOTE* The only thing I’m going to assume you already have is the level 3 Gliding mastery LEAN TECHNIQUES. This is required in some JPs, such as “Skip up the Volcano” aka Chalice of Tears.

Part One: BlishHUD

Why do you need BlishHUD? You need it because it’s going to provide you with useful tools, not just for JPs, but for many other aspects of the game. How much of that to use is up to you, but for our purposes here we will be using the pathing module and Tekkit’s All-In-One Marker pack. This is going to give us a trail to follow in the JPs.

Some of you may have heard of Blishhud, others of GW2 TAcO. These are allowed addons that use the ArenaNet provided API and DO NOT VIOLATE GW2’s terms of service. We’re using BlishHUD instead of TAcO because BlishHUD is still in active development by its community and GW2 TAcO is not.

How to Set Up BlishHUD

BlishHUD https://blishhud.com/

Yes, I know that can be daunting for some people, but there is so much benefit that it is worth the time. Follow the install instructions on the site and you should be fine.

Next we need to install the PATHING module from the Module Repo. Do this by launching GW2, then LEFT CLICK on the ROBOT ICON to open the setting window.

  1. LEFT CLICK on Module Repo. Scroll down until you find the PATHING MODULE. Click Install.
  2. LEFT CLICK ON Manage Modules, then click on PATHING, then click the ENABLE MODULE button. An icon of a TOWER with a line pointing up should appear next to the the BlishHUD icon.
  3. RIGHT CLICK the TOWER icon and select DOWNLOAD MARKER PACKS.
  4. Scroll down until you find TEKKIT’S All-In-One then click Download. Check the “Keep Updated” box. Close the window. You should see a processing indicator for a few moments. Congratulations, you’re done with the hard part.
  5. LEFT CLICK on the Pathing Icon, this will open a cascading menu. Check the box marked ALL MARKERS, then TEKKITS GUIDES, then go to the bottom where it will say something like “18 Are Hidden” and click that.

DON’T PANIC! Yes, your screen is full of trails, icons, and signs. It’s mind boggling. UNCHECK EVERYTHING!

I leave “Map Enhancement” checked because it shows the portals between zones (but only the zone you’re in) on the map. You can make your own choice about that.

Part Two – Prototype Position Rewinder

Yes, you can do JPs without this, but the goal here is to make doing them less stressful, and this is the #1 quality of life item in the game. It’s purchased for 175,000 Karma and 75 Difluorite Crystal from Hafren in Sandswept Isles. How are you going to get the Difuorite Crystals? You’re going to farm them using BlishHUD.

  1. Go to Sandswept Isles. This is important, because BlishHUD will hide things from you that don’t apply to the zone you’re in.
  2. LEFT CLICK the pathing module check the boxes for SEASON 4>SANDSWEPT ISLES>DIFUORITE CRYSTALS.
  3. Uncheck everything except DIFUORITE CRYSTALS.
  4. Follow the trail, harvesting the crystals as you go.
  5. Rinse and repeat until you have 75 crystals.
  6. Go to ANNIOGEL ENCAMPMENT WAYPOINT and complete “Help the Olmakhan slow the Inquest’s expansion” to get access to the heart vender.
  7. Buy the Prototype Position Rewinder.

Congratulations! You now have the most useful tool for JPs in the game.

Part Three – Use the GW2 Wiki

  1. Go to https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Jumping_puzzle and find the entry for the puzzle you’re going to do.
  2. READ THE DESCRIPTION and the Walkthrough.
  3. READ IT AGAIN.

The biggest cause of stress is the unknown. The more you understand about the JP the less stressful it will be.

Part Four – Get Hopping

Okay, now you have a path to follow, a position rewinder to save your ass if you fall, and a description of the JP so that you know what to expect. I hope that having these tools will make the JPs less stressful, and that even if you never enjoy them, you’ll be able to do them and get your reward.