Greetings Legends. We have found our way to another Friday Feature! And with that, we find ourselves heading not only into the weekend, but directly into a new Friday Feature! It is the way!
The "way" is precisely what we are covering today. No, not the Mandalorian Way but the way around the galaxy. Waypoints! So why don't you join us for a journey into this core system that is in place to make sure you never get lost on your adventures and can always find your way back home when you are done.
Waypoints are named markers that are stored in your characters datapad. They contain precise X, Z and Y coordinates relative to a planet/zone they are linked up with. Take a moment to process that mouthful. Then we'll break it down further before expanding the topic to show the many ways they can be customized and shared. Ready? Okay then; let's take an even closer look.
Where are Waypoints Stored?
All waypoints are stored in your datapad. Press the (default) K key to open up your datapad and look for the "Waypoints" tab. You can store up to 250 waypoints!
Each waypoint uses an icon that matches the planet it is tagged to. Two waypoints might have the exact same coordinates but are for different planets!
Three checkboxes along the bottom of the datapad provide filtering.
- Only show waypoints on current planet - hides all waypoints that are not tagged to the planet you are on
- Activate a single waypoint at a time - activating a waypoint will deactivate any/all previously activated waypoints
- Show waypoint indicators on the screen - display arrow(s) in the center of your screen that point in the general direction of the waypoint(s). This option is also available in the Options panel under the "Interface" section.
Go ahead and configure these as you please for now. You can always come back later and adjust them to your liking.
| NOTE: While in your datapad, you may also have seen the POI tab. Were you to look at that, you might think these are also waypoints. And... you would be correct! This tab of the datapad has a pre-configured list of waypoints that are hardcoded to specific points of interest for your current world. They can be toggled on and off just the same as those on the Waypoints tab. The checkboxes on the Waypoints tab also affect the POI waypoints (except for the "only show waypoints on current planet", of course). |
Since we mentioned the "waypoint indicators" in the previous section, let's talk about the other ways you can see a waypoint in action while outside of the datapad.
In addition to the waypoint indicators that you toggle in the datapad, you can also turn on waypoints on your overhead map, planetary map and through an on-screen waypoint monitor.
Waypoints on the Overhead Map
In your options panel (O key by default), go to "Interface". Look for "Overhead Map Options" and then toggle on/off "Show Waypoints". When this is "On", you will see an waypoints as part of your map overlay. (M key by default). You cannot interact with the waypoints through this interface.
Waypoints on the Planetary Map
In your planetary map (V key by default), all active waypoints are shown like map markers that point to the keyed location. In the bottom right, there is a checkbox that turns on/off all waypoints. When in the "on" position, you will see all waypoints. When "off", only the waypoint(s) you have active for this planet will be visible. You can activate, deactivate or destroy waypoints through this interface.
Waypoints on the On Screen Monitor
In your options panel (O key by default), go to "Interface". Look for the Onscreen Waypoint Monitor option. Turning that on creates a list of active waypoints on your screen with the name, distance and an indicator arrow that points toward the waypoint. You can deactivate waypoints through this interface.
Now that you know where waypoints are stored and how to configure their views, let's actually create a waypoint so you can better understand them.
Waypoints can added to your datapad in numerous ways. Let's first focus on creating them manually as that will serve as a good foundation.
Creating a Waypoint by Typing
Become familiar with the two main ways to manually create a waypoint: /wp and /waypoint. (You can shorten /waypoint to just /way. But at that point, why not just learn /wp for the most keystroke-efficient manner?) From here on out, we'll use the /wp version.
- To quickly create a waypoint where you are currently located, just type /wp
- If the waypoint you want to store is at a different location on the same planet, type in the x and y coordinates as follows: /wp X Y
- If the waypoint is on a different planet altogether, just add in the planet name as follows: /wp planet X Y
Each of these will create an entry in your datapad (unless it is full). Go ahead and create a waypoint and see. You may need to change your checkbox views if you created a waypoint on a different planet.
| NOTE: When entering in the X and Y coordinates, you may optionally include the Z index (height). This number is placed BETWEEN the X and Y. In short, when the server sees three numbers, it reads the second as Z and the third as Y. The Z coordinate is not as critical, but could come in handy when creating waypoints for those skyscraping towers of Bespin. Just remember: if you see three numbers, the middle one is for the height. |
Creating a Waypoint through the Planetary Map
You can also create a waypoint through the planetary map. Hit V (by default) and use the right hand side interface to "find a location". As an example, click on the "Starport" node. This will display all of the starports on the current planet. Right click on any of the starport map icons and select "Create Waypoint". A waypoint will be added to your datapad with a name that matches the map pin. Convenient!
Other Methods of Creating a Waypoint
There are other methods to getting a waypoint added into your inventory. Some examples include the "Create Waypoint" button in the bazaar/vendor search. You may also receive an in-game mail with a waypoint attached. We'll take a look at this case later.
You may also automatically receive a waypoint when placing a structure, starting a certain quests, using a /findfriend command, or while running a treasure map.
Those of you with keen eyes may have noticed something when we covered waypoint creation from the planetary map. The waypoints came in with a name! It's not magic at all. You, too, have the power to make this happen with your waypoints. You can do so when you first create the waypoint or even edit any waypoint you already have in your datapad. You can also change the COLOR of the waypoint. Let's look at these useful options.
Naming a Waypoint at Creation Time
When creating a waypoint, you can name it while entering in the coordinates (and optional planet name).
- Just type in /wp X Y My Waypoint
- Anything entered after the coordinates is read into the datapad as its label.
- You can combine some of the creation tips with the following format: /wp planet X Z Y label
Feeling "waypoint powerful" yet? You should be!
Naming a Waypoint at After Creation
You can later go back and edit any waypoint in your datapad. Open it up, right click on any waypoint and select "Set Name". This will open an input box where you are prompted to enter a new name for the waypoint label.
Coloring a Waypoint
Waypoints can be given a color at either creation time or by editing it through the datapad.
- To add a color at creation time, just type /wp x y color
- To change a color of an existing waypoint, open your datapad, right click a waypoint and select "Set Color"
- Valid colors are BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, PURPLE, WHITE and YELLOW.
You could use colors to categorize waypoints such as shops, harvesters, or your own points of interest. The limit is your imagination!
You can also share your created waypoints with your friends, guildmates or customers. And when you no longer need a waypoint, it's a simple matter to delete it from your datapad forever!
Sharing a Waypoint
While you could simply tell someone what the coordinates of a waypoint are, you might want to send it to them over an in-game mail.
- Create a new mail message and fill out the details as you normally would.
- Then, open up your datapad, go to the waypoint tab and drag over a waypoint to the attachments section of the mail message.
- When the recipient opens the mail, they can save the attachment which places the waypoint directly into their datapad.
They can then customize, manage, or even share the waypoint just as if they had created it on their own.
Deleting a Waypoint
When you want to free up space or if a waypoint is no longer valid, you can delete it from your datapad.
- From your datapad, right-click a waypoint and select "Destroy".
- After confirming the deletion, the waypoint is removed and instantly frees up a spot in your limit of 250.
Some waypoints are automatically cleared up such as when re-deeding your structures. Others will need your attention, such as those created via the bazaar or others that you manually created or were given over mail.
We hope this feature has given you new ideas about how to locate and navigate to different locations in the galaxy. From custom naming and color coding, you have a lot of power over your waypoints. You'll be able to see them on the planetary or overhead maps, on the radar, or directly on your screen with arrows or the monitor.
The galaxy is huge but you'll never lose your way by managing your waypoints. For even more specifics, look at the official Legends wiki
here.
Thanks for reading and May the Force Be With You! It is the way!
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