Guild Wars 2 – Snaff Would Be Proud

This is the first mission for the Asura who chose the College of Statics. You need to head over to the Battleground Plaza to start the instance and start into the story.

Once inside the instance you want to head to the Western edge of the Plaza. You will find your krewe waiting there. It is your college's turn to present their device. Head to the North to claim the VOED then head down the stairs to the East to begin your presentation.

Zojja: “Hello again. I was just admiring your entry. Helping me smash Inquest golems not enough for you, eh? I like an ambitious inventor.”
Hero: “Thanks, but you haven't seen anything yet. My krewe's demonstration is going to blow you and the other judges away.”
Zojja: “Ambitious and confident. Generally, you Statics types are too conservative and deliberate fro my taste, but I think you've got a real shot at this year's Snaff Prize.”
Pokka: “We're up,apprentice. If you can tear yourself away from the founders of this event, the other judges are waiting. We've got a presentation to make.”
Zojja: “Better get moving. On behalf of the judges' panel, and in memory of my beloved mentor Snaff, we're standing by to be blown away. Good luck.”

Head over to the judge's panel and it is time for some banter to be had.

Pokka: “Councillors! For your consideration, it is my pleasure to present my krewe's Snaff prize entry: the Very Old Energy Detector, or VOED. It locates ancient and/or powerful magic, be it manufactured or naturally occurring. If it exists, and it's got magical oomp, the VOED will find it!”
Councillor Flax: “That certainly sounds impressive, but ideas alone will not win you the Snaff Prize. You'll need to demonstrate your device for us.”
Hero: “Of course, Councillor. Just give me a moment with the VOED, and I'll locate the most mind-blowing magical item in the immediate vicinity.”


With the banter finished it is time to start searching for magical sources. Use the first, and only, ability of the VOED to Scan the Area. To the East of the plaza you will find get a reading. After the first ping there will be a marker over the magical item. Claim the egg and bring it back to the Plaza to present it to the Judge's panel. They are not impressed. Kozzak will summon up a mini raptor from the egg. Now use the VOED to track down the next item.

This one is to the North of the Plaza. Dig the item up from the ground. It is revealed to be a statue head. It appears to be a human head. When presented to the judges they are not impressed, especially because of the fact of its human.

Now, activate the VOED again. This time you are drawn to the West of the Plaza. Head on up the stairs and you will find the marked object just a little past them. This final items actually looks like it could do something. Time for another cutscene:
Flax: “You've certainly found something, but is that item anything of consequence?”
Hero: “Hard to say without more extensive research, but it's steeped in magical power. Can't you feel it? It's fairly crackling with arcane energy.”
Flax: “I believe I do feel it, yes. It's hard to deny that artifact's considerable presence. Your VOED may be about to win the Snaff Prize. First, we need to know more. If you could just – hang on. Does anyone else feel that? It's like a highly pressurized wave of ionized particles – a magical storm! What's going on here? What has your device unleashed?”

Energy will crackle from the object. This will spawn an Earth Elemental. Immediately engage it. It will not take too long to bring it down. Pound away on it with the rest of your krewe. It will go down very fast. Let the judges complain, you are the few fighting the elemental. Apparently this has happened for 3 years running now.

Flax: “You idiots nearly got us all killed! The judges are unlikely to weigh in your favor.”
Pokka: “But we just proved how effective the VOED is! The artifact is dangerous, yes, but it's also about as magically robust as they come.”
Zojja: “If entry that nearly killed us were all disqualified, it'd be a pretty lonely contest. The VOED deserves the win.”
Flax: “Very well. For it's novelty, its ingenuity, and its possible impact on locative science, I declare the VOED victorious. Congratulations>”
Hero: “Outstanding! Pokka, I'm getting another signal on the VOED. It's similar to the first, and not too far from here. I'd like to check it out.”
Zojja: “I'd like to accompany you. I'm seeing a lot of potential in this device … and the krewe that made it.”
Flax: “By all means, go. Find this new artifact, render it harmless, and bring it before the council. We want to make you get the credit you deserve.”

Leave the instance and follow the detector over to the Southeast toward the Incomp Optics Lab and the lake in the Metrica Province. There you will find the entrance to the next instance. Once inside you have a few words from your krewe mates and then it is onto the next cutscene:
Pokka: “So glad you could join us, Zojja. The Savant and my entire krewe welcome your input. Krewe! The signal points here, but I don't see anything. Keep looking. As Snaff Prize winners, we are the standard-bearers for the College of Statics.”
Hero: “Kozzak was right: titles come with responsibility. These reading are still I the red. There has to be something here.”
Zojja: “Perhaps we're standing right on top of it. We haven't been on the surface so long we've forgotten how to dig, have we? Not that we'll actually have to dig, mind you. There's bound to be a tunnel or cavern entrance around here somewhere. We just need to find it. And, Savant? Considering the dangerous nature of your last discovery, I recommend we keep our guard up. Shall we proceed? The correct answer is 'Yes,' by the way.”

Head over to the East is the goal now. The question is how you will get over there. Head into the water to the West and dive on down. Defeat the crabs and skales that get in your way. Go down some and turn to the East. There you will find a tunnel underneath the area you just dove in from.

Head into the tunnel and see where it leads. There are 3 Skales waiting to attack you just a little ways inside it. Take them out then continue. Heading down the Northern passage going East will point you into another trio of Skales. Again, there is nothing to bad here. You will encounter a pair of a Skale and a Hermit crab as you get deeper in. Things will continue like this until you surface. Once you do make it to the surface you have some Cave Bats to deal with in addition to the others. Just fight your way toward the back of the cave. Once you make it there you will find the item you are looking for. This, of course, leads to the final cutscene:
Zojja: “We have our item. So, Savant, tell me: what do we have.”
Hero: “I'm not sure. The VOED just tells us where it is and how magical it is. This thing is packed with arcane energy. A cursory visual examination tells me it's part of something larger. Something that was accidently broken or intentionally modular.”
Pokka: “Well, we can't learn any more among these damp, foul-tempered beasts. Let's get the relic back to our lab and run some tests.”
Zojja: “I'll leave it to you. You're not the only ones with big projects that need managing. But if you need more input from me, all you have to do is ask.”

Claim your reward and leave the instance. It is time to move onto the next mission, “Piece Negotiations.”