GW2 The Long Way Around achievement guide with detailed description and video walkthrough. The Long Way Around is an explorer achievement introduced with the Halloween patch for an activity in Straits of Devastation. The activity itself is largely risk free as there are no mobs around but there is a timer on it and it can be quite annoying/frustrating (achievement originally discovered by Taeril)
To start off, head to Fort Trinity in Straits of Devastation and swim to the open left of it. You will want to search around the location indicated on the map for a cave entrance.
Note: Apparently on some worlds you don’t have to mess with the datapads and can swim through a gap on the top left of the force field to get the achievement.
Once inside, you need to find the location of the six Asuran Data Pads and be familiar with their locations. You cannot interact with them if you have the Corruption buff on you from the Risen Hands and fish corpses around the water. You need to disable all six data pads within a time limit of \~ 10 minutes before reset. This goes a lot easier and faster with a friend or two.
Here is a video to help you familiarize with the location of the six data pads. ( Tip: hold down left ctrl to easily find the data pads).
1 & 2
Look to your left from the entrance, Data Pad 1 is on the wall to your left and Data Pad 2 is just above it
#3
Look to below you and to the right after 1& 2, there is data pad 3
#4
Past #3, you will see a bunch of fish corpses on the left wall, data pad #4 is right there!
#5
#5 is at the back and probably the hardest one to reach without getting the Corruption buff. You will want to start off with this one first so that the timer starts with this datapad as the others are a bit easier to reach.
#6
#6 is to the left of \$5, near the dome/barrier for the final part of the puzzle.
After activating all 6, the barrier at the end opens up and you can swim inside for your achievement.
Strategy
You will need to 1) avoid the stuff that Risen Hands through at you, 2) Don’t run into any Fish corpses 3) Deactivate all 6 pads within 10 minutes of the deactivation of the first pad. If you get the corruption buff on you, you will be unable to deactivate any pads and need to swim back to entrance to talk to the NPC to clean it off.
Make sure you get Pad #5 first as it is the hardest to reach and can take a while before you successfully deactivate it.
Archived Disqus comments
Sümmus
When i did it there was a way ont the left of the barrier which didn’t need any activation of pads.
nightrunner
Darn! Shld hv read tis guide & the comments before spending 1hr+ swimming ard like a lunatic! The shortcut which is at top left of the barrier still exists as of 31 Oct 12
Word
November 11th. Still works.
tdemis
confirmed…you dont need to actiovate the panels
Squishy
OMG it’s true T-T so much pain and suffering for nothing!!!!
Stoon
Top left of the force field in the rocks surrounding it there is a hole u can swim through without doing the puzzle. good as of Oct. 30
saschi123
Look this is the easy way for this -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diR1urDAeas&feature=youtu.be
Catherine Fowler
TY for this video link! It’s still good as of July 19th, 2013 XD Saved us soooo much headaches. Gotta love round about ways in the environment or map holes. LOL
Dreams of Ice Cream
OMG I love you! Thank you so much. Still there on DR as off 16 Jan 2014.
Bob
Shortcut is still there, as of 9 November
kwelyn
16/03/2013 shortcat still available
Reannu
short cut still working as of 13. april 2013 🙂
Haro
shortcut still working, i think thats why they call it the long way around tho
Mordja
6/25/13 Still working.
Atos
7/11/13 still working 😀
korval
7/13/2013 short cut still available. Took me literally 15 seconds to finish this. The easiest Explorer achievement yet.
Lestat
7/21/2013 shortcut is still available and I dont think that this will ever close 😉
Haira
27 july 2013… still working
Ryan
Yep, shortcut still works as of July 29 2013
Ducheznie
August 19 shortcut still working
Yew
great, lucky i read the comment and found shortcut 😛 still working
Stoom
Shortcut still works on NSP as of Sept. 1/13
Hardlydan
Shortcut works on HoD Sept. 2 2013.
Talara
As of September 8, 2013, the shortcut still works in Kaineng \^\^ Quickest achievement ever.
Jack Rulez
As of 10/11/13 shortcut works in Desolation
Zkullzy
05.01.2014, still works in Desolation.
Baldur.The…
09.01.2014, Still works on Deso
Baldur.The…
Oh, and on FSP
Jow
14.01.14, still works in SoR
Marsel Davis
Shortcut still works on Elona Reach (EU) (see video below)
partypooper
Still possible to wim there 6 / 3 – 14. I reported it so get it while it is hot!
Ferozstein
28-03-14, still works on Desolation.
Iverek
29-03 still works on SFR
Felicity
They seem to have fixed the glitch..
Felicity
Nevermind, still working on SFR! 🙂