Tips and Maps for 100% Tyria Exploration (No Map Checks)

Trying to help out with a couple of the bonus areas recently mentioned...

Ruins of Surmia: It's been awhile since I did this, but I'm pretty sure I know the trick for getting past the gate. When you take the bonus quest from the NPC, four Ember Bearers appear. Instead of killing them, stay out of their aggro range and let them pass. Follow them and they'll slowly make their way to the gate, which will open when they get there. You can then go ahead and kill them, explore the area and get the bonus.

Dunes of Despair: With the help of another forum member (Aldready Dead Lich) I recently cleared this area. Here's the deal with the SW fort: although the bridge is up, you can cross it as if it were down! All you have to do is run straight at it; don't approach from an angle or you'll get caught on an invisible corner.

The trouble is getting over there. Your best case scenario would be to stand on the far northern wall of the main fort without putting the ghost on the platform and drawing the nearby boss over to you with a bow. Kill him and use Necrotic Traversal to get out of the fort without starting the timer. Then stir up some scarabs, get them over to the wall, kill them and let the rest of your party teleport over using their corpses. To do all this, of course, everyone in your party will need to have NT. That and a heck of a lot of patience.

Lacking that, you can always do it the "normal" way: put the ghostly hero on the platform, start the countdown timer and wait until the gates open. This puts the ghost at risk of being killed if he's left alone, of course, and the mission ends if he dies. You'll almost certainly have to have the rest of your party stay and defend the ghost while you make a break for it (meaning you'll be on your own getting past the bowmen guarding SW fort). The best time to make your break is right after you take down the first wave of serpents.

This is a mapping expedition that calls for human companions; henchmen probably won't cut it. If you're doing it the "normal" way, I would also suggest bringing sprint skills plus anything that will help you soak up a lot of damage (you won't have time to fight on your way to the fort - you'll have to sprint past all enemies). If you choose to undertake this little quest, I wish you the best of luck - this is without a doubt one of the most difficult areas to map in the game. Make sure you come prepared! They mean the gate that the bearers come from, not the gate they pass through on their way to the temple

Dunes of Despair: With the help of another forum member (Aldready Dead Lich) I recently cleared this area. Here's the deal with the SW fort: although the bridge is up, you can cross it as if it were down! Argh, now you tell me! And here I was already ralleying my guildies for this... Thanks, heading there right now.

About Surmia, zeroxy is right. What you describe there is the normal way of doing the mission bonus. We were discussing about the gate where the Ember Bearers come from, which doesn't open (Although I still have to check whether it maybe opens together with the other gates, when the bearers reach ther destination. Though it's unlikely, would be possible.).