Tips for Vanquishing

I don't know if this is the proper section for this topic, if it isn't please move it to the right one.

I recently started Vanquishing, but I find it hard to find a good route. It takes me 2 hours to Vanquish a map (Barbarous Shore for example). Basically what I do is go around the map, hugging the wall and then zig-zag through the inner parts of the map. Is that the most efficient way to do it? Alot of times I come in areas where I've previous been, making me think that's a waste of time.

Thanks for reading.

If you are hugging all the walls and uncovering the map, you are doing Cartography. It is also great to do your Vanquishing at the same time. Vanquishing is killing every monster in the map in Hard Mode. Also, another great thing to do with this is to do your Skill Hunter Title at the same time as well. Here are a few nice guides:

http://www.guildwiki.org/Grandmaster_cartography_guide

http://www.guildwiki.org/Vanquisher

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Legendary_Skill_Hunter

Yea I do this when I vanquish, I find it to be the best way especially because I'm doing carto at the same time, also if you're not doing carto I think hugging the walls is the best way so you won't aimlessly walk around, it just seems more organized.

I think vanquishing is always going to feel a bit like that, but 2 hours does seem a bit long for the specific area you mentioned (but not too long). I think some things might make it feel like less a waste of time: Do the cartography titles if you aren't already doing them (and I suggest with Texmod, there are many places I would not have gotten if I didn't have texmod running). Secondly bring something like Fall Back to help with walking over places you've already been.

Also to me, your way doesn't seem the most efficient. I would say it's better to zig zag from side to side, cutting through the middle each time. But that's just me, I think it depends a lot on the area too.

If you look at the map on wiki ahead of time, it's usually possible to find a route which minimizes repeat coverage. It sound like you're also doing cartographer. I might be just me, but I like to vanq first and then, when the zone is clear, go and scrape the little bits I missed. That way you don't need to waste time and have your minions die of while you scrape. Plus its a lot easier to run through an empty zone (bring some cupcakes or a run skill to make it faster).

I have the legendary cart title and when I did all continents I did it the same way. I cleared the edges first and then just zig zag back and forth through the middle. I thought that worked well because in some zones they have some small areas on the edges that you can miss and then zig zagging made it easy to pick up any left over patrols. In some zones that is where you waste a ton of time trying to find the last couple groups. Depending on the zone size and amount of foes average time for me is 45-90 minutes.

I also generally circle the zone and clear the outside areas and then go through the middle and kill everything in there. I tend to find that going this way I don't waste time at the end trying to hunt down that last mob that's hiding somewhere, and it's easier to catch wandering patrols.

I usually try to find a fairly circular route that results in as little back tracking and zig zagging as possible. Generally, most vqs seem to be around the 30-40 min mark for me in tyria atm. The most annoying thing is the one or two maps when anet though a single patrol of 2 enemies across the whole map was a good idea, but at least its a rare occurrence. I already have cart though, so if you don't it'd be best to try and cover as much as possible the first time through and scrape the last little bits at the end.

Taking the best route through an area depends on the area. In most places, I do the big circle around it and then go further in and circle the middle. But in a lof of areas, I've found there are other methods that work better. In Lahtenda Bog, for example, I divide that into 4 quarters and cover them one at a time.

Just study the area before you go to vanquish it. Find out what shrines give which bounties in Nightfall (Makes SS & LB titles easy-peasy), where the bosses are, and sort out the general paths through the area to plan your route.

after doing legendary VQ/carto on my monk and half on my war, my personal preference is to load texmod (if you have/want it ) and look at the area, if you dont need much carto just VQ it and get the spots you need, if you need a lot of edges, go round the outside (hug 1 wall and eventually you will circle the whole map) then fill in the middle.

my personal advice would also be NOT to do skill hunter. All it does is gimp your bar (putting 2 or 3 slots into caps) and although yes, it saves you coming back, in some areas it can be annoying, although i did do all my VQ before 7heros which now makes the player unnecessary. I did vq/carto and then did legendary skill hunter inthe space of 3 days in normal mode. get 1 of each prof skill tome and just cap down the list (last skill or most difficult, such as one that is annoying to find, Maw for FoC for example, use the tome) and you will have vq/carto/skill in no time.

VQs should take around an hour each (or less for small ones)or you are doing PVE wrong. only giant maps with spread out mobs (proph </3 ) are the ones which take up to 2 hours. Dont waste time with con sets/pcons or anything thats just lazy, a decent 7hero setup can do pve for you.

another HUGE timesaver is caravan vanquishing, abuse this to get big party sizes and roll through a whole section, although sometimes it takes like 6 hours (yak's bend -> all ascalon, for example) it saves you grief/time in the long run

Bring two heroes with fall back at 6/8 attributes, youd be surprised how much it speeds it up

Thanks everything for the tips. They will certainly help me out.
I don't have carto as of yet. Wasn't intending on getting it anytime soon, but I might aswell do it while Vanquishing. Although the focus is more on Vanquishing then on Cartographer.

When I first heard about the cartographer title, my thought was, "I'll never do that... so not my thing." I also thought I'd never do vanquisher, actually.

Now, I actually enjoy vanquishing... especially with the addition of the Zaishen Vanquish. Cartographer still doesn't strike me as "fun" all by itself, but I do find it fairly easy to work on that in conjunction with doing my vanquishing. I really can't imagine completely clearing an area and NOT taking advantage of the fact that I can then do all of my mapping without interference.

I know a lot of people map while they're vanquishing, scrape the walls as they go through killing stuff. That doesn't work for me... I don't like building up an army of minions and having them die because I'm moving so slow. I do as Captain Bulldozer does... I go around killing everything in the area, and then when I'm done I scrape as needed.

I also try to plan my route ahead of time if it's a place with bounty shrines, like in Nightfall. I look at the map of the area on Wiki, figure out how I can get all of the bounties in the most efficient manner. It does drive me a bit batty that there are some areas where you can't even get to the bounty without killing a bunch of the plants/insects/whatever that the bounty is for, first. But ah well... can't have everything. LOL

i usually do it the other way around, i vanquish everything first in the middle, then circle my way around the map for cartography. its usually bc then i dont have to pay much attention to anything when i'm mapping. i suppose 2 hours is about right for bigger areas. i never really know how long it takes bc i wander off in the middle of vanquishing half the time

As you make better builds, especially now with 7 heroes, your average VQ time should be around 30-45 minutes. There are only a few areas that should take longer than an hour (Snake Dance and Varajar Fells for example), and several that can be done within 30 minutes.