The Eye of the North expansion for Guild Wars introduced two new races, the Norn and the Asura. Players who purchased the pre-release pack were able to play Eye of the North during Sneak Peek weekend, as a final test before the expansion was released.

The only main quests you could take on during Sneak Peek weekend were Norn quests. Since most people will encounter Norn first, we’ll cover them in this article.

The Norn are giant Viking-like warriors who live in the Far Shiverpeaks. Compared to your character, they are around 8-9 feet tall. They are skilled hunters who have a close relationship with nature, with the ability to transform into giant bears in battle.

In each explorable area in Eye of the North, Shrines of Resurrection are scattered across the landscape. Next to each of these shrines are NPCs, who will give you a bonus of 1 reputation point for each creature you kill.

This feature was first introduced in Guild Wars: Nightfall, as a way to progress through various new titles that had been introduced. Building on this idea, in Eye of the North you can also get random bonuses and an increase in the number of reputation points for each kill.

Along with Norn comes Norn Title Track, which is used to gain access to Norn NPCs, their quests, and special Norn abilities. Until you reach rank 1, you will not be able to talk to any Norn NPCs at any outposts. At Rank 3, you can have Norn NPCs craft consumables for you. At rank 4, you can use Norn Weapon Crafters, and at rank 5 you can use Norn Armor Crafters.

Norn Reputation Points are earned by completing norn quests, dungeons and quests, and by killing creatures in explorable areas while under the blessing of the norn hunting party, which is given by norn NPCs near resurrection shrines.

Since the Norn are suspicious of strangers, whenever you speak to a new Norn NPC, they will challenge you to single combat. Only once you’ve defeated them (a relatively easy task with a party of 8 people) will they talk to you.

Once you have the blessing of the Norn Hunting Party, you will receive a Norn Reputation Point for each creature you kill. After 25 kills, you’ll gain a random bonus, which can range from short-term buffs to strength or abilities, to additional bonus points as you continue to defeat monsters.

The chat area will tell you each time you’ve killed 5 other monsters, giving you a running total. For every multiple of 25 kills, you can talk to a new Norn NPC, who will give you a random bonus. This ranges from additional reputation points, limited time bonuses, or an increase in the level of your Norn hunting party, which awards more reputation points per kill.

It is important to note that you can only get reputation points and bonuses from NPCs once. Once you’ve talked to an NPC, they won’t give you any more bonuses. Keep an eye on the map to keep track of where you’ve traveled: Shrines of Resurrection appear on your map, and you can travel back to them to collect NPC bonuses.

One of the best random bonuses an NPC can give is Strength of the Norn, which is an enchantment spell that lasts 60 seconds. When active, you gain +100 health, and after the 60 seconds are up, heal yourself for 100 health.

For each level of the blessing of the norn hunting party, you receive an additional reputation point per kill. For example, Norn Hunting Party Level 3 adds an additional 3 reputation points per kill.

Norn NPCs in towns and outposts will only give certain quests and quests if you have reached a certain rank in the Norn title path. As you progress, it’s worth revisiting outposts to see if any NPCs have any new dialogue available.

The new races in Eye of the North, and the associated title and bonus tracks, add another level of depth and involvement to the expansion. Players eager to prove their skill and unlock exciting new missions.