The death rule

Death costs you a little experience and nothing else. The same rule applies everywhere: the open world, the campaign, maps and pinnacle fights.

What you lose

10% of the experience needed for your current level. If you are partway through a level, this can bring your bar down, but it never takes a whole level away.

What you never lose

Equipment, backpack contents and gold. Nothing drops from you.
Spell ranks, spell experience and learned spells.
Passive points, glyphs, runes and flasks.
Quest items, such as shards, Seals and the Shardbreaker Mark.

Where you wake up. In the temple of your last hub (in the tutorial, in Gullrest Camp) (Hubs and waypoints). Inside a map you can walk back in through the portal while entries remain; a map allows six entries in total (The map device). In a party, death does not remove you from the party (Parties).

Tutorial death. The scripted death in the Wrackline's death bay is the same rule, shown once on purpose: you lose a little experience and no item (The Wrackline and Gullrest Camp). Hardcore characters are the exception to the rule, see Hardcore and Solo Self-Found.

Why it works this way. The game wants you to take risks with bosses and strong monsters. A failed attempt costs a little time, never your hard-won items. The maps and Writs you spend are the real price of a failure (The map device, Pinnacles and Writs).

PvE only. In season 1 monsters are your only opponents.