# Costs & Filters

Areas can be used:

* to mark a section as more costly to traverse than others (e.g. shallow water)
* to prevent certain agents from entering a specific area


![Nav Area impacting agent Pathing behavior 728x334](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/nav-area-impacting-agent-pathing-behavior.mp4)

Nav Area impacting agent Pathing behavior

# Costs

![Agent preferring the cheap area (green) over the expensive area (orange). 728x327](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/agent-preferring-the-cheap-area-green-over-the-expensive-are.mp4)

Agent preferring the cheap area (green) over the expensive area (orange).

![](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/costs-1.png)

![](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/costs.png)

# Filters

By default an agent can traverse any area.

But, you can also specify which areas an agent is allowed to travers and which not.

![Maze made of Forbidden areas, one agent can take shortcuts in the maze. 738x728](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/maze-made-of-forbidden-areas-one-agent-can-take-shortcuts-in.mp4)

Maze made of Forbidden areas, one agent can take shortcuts in the maze.

![Regular Agent](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/regular-agent.png)

Regular Agent

![Shortcutter Agent](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/navigation/navmesh-areas/images/shortcutter-agent.png)

Shortcutter Agent