Map Bonus Rewards are one of the easiest and fastest ways to make gold in Guild Wars 2. This system is often overlooked, probably because it is so poorly explained in-game.
Make Gold with Map Bonus Rewards
Every GW2 map has a system of Bonus Rewards. There are two ways to earn these rewards:
- Good: Participate in events on that map.
- Best: Buy Pact Scout Mapping Materials from Pact Supply Network Agents.
What Are Map Bonus Rewards?
Bonus Rewards are a list of items on a reward track which changes every week. These rewards are scaled to the level of the map. For example, the Bonus Rewards in a starter area map might be a Tier 1 crafting material (Bone Chip) while the Bonus Rewards for a level 80 zone would be a Tier 5 crafting material (Vial of Powerful Blood).
The official wiki has a list of the Bonus Rewards track for each map which is updated weekly.
F2P NOTE: Bonus Rewards are an excellent way to make gold on a free account. They apply to the core Tyria maps, and the rewards can be sold on the Trading Post. Note that you will have to earn Map Bonus Rewards from doing events, as F2P accounts cannot unlock the Pact Supply Network Agent.
Because they are not affected by Diminishing Return (DR), Bonus Rewards are also the best way to farm materials for ascended and legendary crafting.
Good: Earn Bonus Rewards from Participating in Events
Each time you complete an event, you earn a certain amount of points. For each points threshold, the game gives you the next Bonus Reward on the list.
You can see the list of upcoming Bonus Rewards for that map by switching to Map View and mousing over the map’s name.
If your guild has tavern buffs in the guild hall, visit the bartender to get the Map Bonus Reward buff before you set out. Using tavern buffs requires the Heart of Thorns or Path of Fire expansion pack.
Best: Buy Pact Scout Mapping Materials (Doodles)
This method is faster and easier, but it requires the Heart of Thorns or Path of Fire expansion pack, and Level 3 Pact Commander mastery. This unlocks the network of Pact Supply Network Agents. This is one method to exchange karma for gold.
There are six special karma vendors called Pact Supply Network Agent, which sell Pact Scout Mapping Materials. (This terminology is so clumsy that in my guild, we just refer to them as “doodles.”)
The karma vendors move each day. Check the wiki to find today’s location.
TIP: Copy the highlighted row of location codes (“[&BIcHAAA=]”) then switch to Guild Wars 2 and paste it into your chat window. This turns them into clickable waypoint links.
Take your Pact Scout Mapping Materials to the map of your choice. Double-click to consume them in exchange for Map Bonus Rewards.
You can buy a set of six Pact Scout Mapping Materials in about 10 minutes each day. Here’s a wiki page which lists the most profitable Map Bonus Reward map each week. As you can see, some weeks/maps can be extremely profitable!