Guild Wars maps have always been a major component of the game. From the huge continent maps through to the explorable area maps, they are a key part of the game for any player. When playing through the Guild Wars storyline, the map will show a red arrow, indicating the direction you need to travel in to complete your current quest goals. Within the map, green dots are allies or friendly NPCs, and red dots are groups of enemies.

When playing in a party with others, it's important to remember that the map can be drawn on with the mouse. Holding the mouse button down and moving the mouse will draw a white line, that will show up on the map of other players in your party. In this way you can highlight particular enemies or traps, or show which direction the party needs to take. You can also double click on the map to highlight a specific point for your party - useful in pointing out bosses or major goals.

When your party leader targets a specific enemy (using CTRL-double click when targeting) this will be highlighted on the map with a flashing red dot. You will also see a speech bubble appear above the party leader announcing that they have targeted this specific enemy. This can be used to point out a key enemy or boss that needs to be taken out quickly or avoided. Calling targets in this way is also used to direct the attacks of your henchmen and heroes.

Eye of the North, the first expansion to Guild Wars, introduced dungeons, requiring some changes to the Guild Wars map interface. When entering a dungeon, the map is shown in complete darkness. By exploring the dungeon you gradually reveal the full map, including icons marking stairs, bosses, and dungeon keys. You can also collect dungeon maps which will reveal the entire dungeon level, including all items. These are often found near dungeon entrances, or a dungeon boss, and can hugely speed up your progress.

Guild Wars dungeons can be tricky, especially as some require puzzles or mini-quests to be complete before you can advance to the next level. Thankfully there are many websites with Guild Wars maps, along with dungeon guides and walkthroughs.

Reading and using the Guild Wars map is a major key to success when playing the game with other players. However, even when playing alone, with NPC henchmen or heroes, being able to use the map to plan your progress will ensure your success when working through those tricky quests.