Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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6/23/15 – June 23 Release Notes
LIVING WORLD
The activity in Lion’s Arch is kicking up a storm of dust and excitement. Finally, the big construction pieces have been dropped in and the residents have returned in force. The buzz of commerce has returned, both fair and illicit. Take this moment to explore the city in all its glory and marvel at its rebirth.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

  • Added an option to lock the ground-target marker at maximum skill range, preventing the marker from being placed out of range.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented players from targeting their nearest enemy if their nearest enemy was behind them.
  • Item tooltips for soulbound items will now display the name of the character they are bound to if it isn’t the current character.
  • Guilds can now store up to 25 each of their guild banner, guild banquet, guild siege, vault transport, and guild world event consumables.

Personal Story
The Personal Story has been restored to its original order and pacing, with minor improvements added.
Chapter 6—A Light in the Darkness
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/A_Light_in_the_Darkness

  • Updated text and VO for multiple characters. Updated sound effects.

Chapter 6—The Priory Assailed (Priory)
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/The_Priory_Assailed

  • Updated VO for Trahearne. Updated sound effects.

Chapter 6—Retribution
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Retribution

  • Updated VO for multiple characters. Revised sound effects.

Chapter 7—Forging the Pact
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Forging_the_Pact

  • Updated text and VO for multiple characters. Updated sound effects. Modified camera flythrough.

Personal Fear Choice: “Letting an innocent die.”+
Chapter 7—Tower Down+
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tower_Down

  • Fixed a bug that caused VO to overlap.

Chapter 7—Breaking the Bone Ship
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Breaking_the_Bone_Ship

  • Modified camera flythrough.

Personal Fear Choice: “Failing my companions.”+
Chapter 7—Shell Shock+
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shell_Shock

  • Fixed a bug that caused VO to play at the wrong time.

Chapter 7—Volcanic Extraction
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Volcanic_Extraction

  • Disabled character greets and increased VO broadcast range.

Chapter 7—Marshaling the Truth
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Marshaling_the_Truth

  • Updated and/or rerecorded VO for Trahearne.

Personal Fear Choice: “Causing the suffering of another.”+
Chapter 7—Striking Off the Chains+
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Striking_Off_the_Chains

  • Revised and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Apatia. Adjusted some character gestures.

Chapter 7—Wet Work
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Wet_Work

  • Revised and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Apatia. Adjusted audio post-processing for largos.

Chapter 7—Willing Captives
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Willing_Captives

  • Revised and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Apatia.

Chapter 7—Intercepting the Orb
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Intercepting_the_Orb

  • Adjusted camera flythrough.

Chapter 7—The Battle of Fort Trinity
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/The_Battle_of_Fort_Trinity

  • Revised and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Trahearne. Improved camera flythrough. Updated sound effects. Fixed cinematic playback audio bug.

Personal Fear Choice: “Letting an innocent die.” (Conclusion)+
Chapter 7—A Sad Duty+
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/A_Sad_Duty

  • Updated conversation text. Revised camera flythrough.

Personal Fear Choice: “Failing my companions.” (Conclusion)+
Chapter 7—Delivering Justice+
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Delivering_Justice

  • Updated VO for Trahearne. Revised scene dialog.

Personal Fear Choice: “Causing the suffering of another.” (Conclusion)
_+Chapter 7—Liberating Apatia+
+http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Liberating
Apatia+

  • Revised and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Trahearne. Updated sound effects.

Chapter 8—Armor Guard
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Armor_Guard

  • Increased VO broadcast range.

Chapter 8—Blast from the Past
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blast_from_the_Past

  • Fixed a scene bug that caused improper character animation.

Chapter 8—Against the Corruption
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Against_the_corruption

  • Rewrote and/or rerecorded multiple lines for Trahearne.

Chapter 8—Romke’s Final Voyage
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Romke%27s_Final_Voyage

  • Fixed cinematic audio and other sound effects. Processed ghost audio. Revised beach scene. Rewrote and/or rerecorded multiple VO lines for Trahearne.

Chapter 8—Victory or Death
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Victory_or_death

  • Converted the Ruined City of Arah (story) dungeon to a Personal Story step that may be completed by 1 – 5 players. Improved or added sound effects and audio zones to multiple encounters. Revised the Ruined City of Arah Dungeon Track to be unlocked by story mode or explorable mode completion. The Master of Arah achievement has been revised to only require explorable mode completion. Modified completion reward.

Items

  • The permanent versions of the Royal Terrace Pass and Captain’s Airship Pass will no longer cause the player to be kicked out of the VIP area when logging in as long as the pass is still in their inventory.
  • Molochev Cocktail has had its burning values reduced.
  • Added a Mystic Forge recipe to change the stats on ascended weapons and armor. The recipe is as follows:
    • Ingredient 1: An ascended weapon or armor piece.
    • Ingredient 2: The exotic insignia or inscription for the desired stats.
    • Ingredient 3: Five globs of ectoplasm.
    • Ingredient 4: An Anthology of Heroes, purchased from Miyani for 10 spirit shards.
    • Result: A piece of ascended gear with the stats of the inscription or insignia of the same type as the piece of gear that went in.
    • Example: Zojja’s Claymore + Knight’s Orichalcum Imbued Inscription + Five Globs of Ectoplasm + Anthology of Heroes = Beigarth’s Claymore
    • NOTE: All upgrades are lost as part of this conversion.

The Build Tab
Upon logging in, you will see that the Skills and Traits section of your Hero panel is now gone. We’ve replaced this with an entirely new Build tab that allows you to view all of your skills and traits in one convenient location. To access the Build tab, open your Hero panel and select the second tab from the top of the far left. Additionally, inside the Build tab there are three larger slots with filled-in or grayed-out backgrounds—these are your specialization slots.
Specializations
Instead of investing trait points across varying trait lines, you now select up to three different specializations depending on your level. Each specialization offers a variety of traits for you to choose from that give you passive abilities that enhance the way you play. By default, you’re given access to a base set of specializations known as core specializations, which you equip by clicking on the left-hand arrow of a specialization slot. Specialization slots unlock at levels 21, 45, and 71. We’ve taken into account the skills and traits that you had currently selected on your character and made an effort to unlock and equip a build similar to what you had been running prior to this release.
Specializations and trait choices are game mode specific. You may select different specialization lines and associated traits in PvE, WvW, and PvP.
The Training Tab
Excluding racial skills, all nonweapon skills (heal, utility, and elite) that appear on the right half of your skill bar—as well as your traits—are now locked inside the new Training tab. To unlock these skills and traits, open up your Hero panel, go to the Training tab, then select a track under Core Skills or Core Specializations. In order to train, you will need to spend hero points (previously skill points) in a selected track. Hero points are earned by leveling up or by completing hero challenges (previously skill challenges) throughout the world. The Training tab is locked until your character reaches level 11. In order to make this change, Antitoxin Spray has been removed from the game.
Core Skills
Core skills are reward tracks of heal, utility, and elite skills organized by skill category. You may start unlocking skills at level 11. Elite skills are unlocked at level 31. Individual skills are locked by default but may be unlocked in the following manner:

  • Step 1: Open your Hero panel and go to the Training tab. The Training tab is the third tab from the top on the far left of the Hero panel.
  • Step 2: Select one of the tracks under Core Skills. Tracks are located on the left side of the Training tab.
  • Step 3: Once you select a track, it will become visible, showing you a circle with all of the selected track’s associated skills.
  • Step 4: In the center of the selected track, there will be a skill, a button that allows you to learn the skill, and a cost (listed in Hero points).
  • Step 5: To learn a skill, click on the Train button and confirm that you’re willing to pay its Hero point cost. Once completed, the next skill in the track will become available. Once all skills in a track have been purchased, the circle will be completed.
  • Optional: To train further into a track, select the reward level that you want and click the Train button.

Core Specializations
Core specializations are an updated version of the previous trait system. All specializations are locked until your character reaches level 21. Individual specializations and their associated skills are locked by default but may be unlocked in the following manner:

  • Step 1: Open your Hero panel and go to the Training tab. The Training tab is the third tab from the top on the far left of the Hero panel.
  • Step 2: Select one of the tracks under Core Specializations. Tracks are located on the left side of the Training tab.
  • Step 3: Once you select a track, it will become visible, showing you a circle with all of the selected track’s associated skills.
  • Step 4: In the center of the selected track, there will be a skill, a button that allows you to learn the skill, and a cost (listed in Hero points).
  • Step 5: To learn a skill, click on the Train button and confirm that you’re willing to pay its Hero point cost. Once completed, the next skill in the track will become available. Once all skills in a track have been purchased, the circle will be completed.
  • Optional: To train further into a track, select the reward level that you want and click the Train button.

Hero points and Spirit Shards
Hero points and spirit shards represent an updated version of the previous skill point system. Hero points are used to unlock traits and skills. Spirit shards are used to purchase vendor items and used with the Mystic Forge. When you log in for the first time, you’ll notice that your character has a quantity of Hero points converted from the previous system. Your character’s Hero points are visible in the Training tab of the Hero panel. You’ll also notice that your character has a number of spirit shards converted from the previous system. Your spirit shards are visible in your character’s wallet. The Wallet button is located in the bottom-left corner of your Inventory panel.
Moving forward, you may earn Hero points by leveling up and completing hero challenges (previously skill challenges). You’ll be able to earn spirit shards through daily achievements, champion loot bags, PvP reward tracks, birthday gifts, and, once you hit level 80, from tomes of knowledge and regular drops from creatures.
Level Reward Changes

  • Base attributes now increase at every level from 2 to 10 and every even level from 12 to 80.
  • Hero points are now earned every odd level from 11 to 80. A total of 398 points are earned through leveling.
  • Weapon skills now unlock by level 8.
  • Underwater weapon skills all unlock together at level 8.
  • Weapon swapping now unlocks at level 10.
  • Skill training now unlocks at level 11.
  • Utility skill slots now unlock at levels 11, 15, and 19.
  • Profession skills unlock at levels 5 (F1),11 (F2),15 (F3),19 (F4), and 31 (engineer F5).
  • The WvW tip has been moved to level 31, but characters may enter WvW at any level.
  • Specialization slots now unlock at levels 21, 45, and 71.
  • Various smaller milestones such as equipment slots, personal story steps, and tips have had their levels updated.

Level Scaling Changes

  • In general, scaling down has been weakened, and scaling up has been increased.
  • Stat scaling now better accounts for level ranges at which equipment begins offering more possible stats (e.g., one-, two-, or three-stat pieces of gear).
  • Rarity scaling now takes into account how close you are to the maximum available rarity when scaling up or down.
  • Some minor “stack on kill” sigils have had their values reduced.

Attribute Point Changes

  • Attribute points on equipment have been increased by approximately 30%.
  • Base attributes at level 80 now scale to 1000 instead of 926.
  • Each profession’s attributes will be updated to have half of their functionality be part of a specialization and half of their functionality be a baseline for that profession (see individual profession notes).

*Condition Updates *
Damaging conditions were all reworked to better ensure damage is properly delivered in large-scale combat. All damaging conditions have been changed to intensity-stacking, and the maximum number of stacks for each damaging condition has been raised to a much larger number that should never be hit under normal circumstances.

  • All damage conditions will now stack up to 1500 times.
  • Bleeding:
    • The formula for this condition has been rescaled to account for the new behavior of damaging conditions and to put more focus on the condition damage stat.
    • New damage over time: 2 + (0.25 * Level) + (0.06 * Condition Damage)
  • Burning:
    • This condition will now stack in intensity. The formula for this condition has been rescaled to account for the new behavior of damaging conditions and to put more focus on the condition damage stat. Creatures that apply burning have been rebalanced to account for this change.
    • New damage over time: 7.5 + (1.55 * Level) + (0.155 * Condition Damage)
  • Confusion:
    • This condition now has two damage components—damage over time, and the damage dealt when an ability completes. The damage has also been normalized between all game modes. The formula for this condition has been rescaled to account for the new behavior of damaging conditions and to put more focus on the condition damage stat. The skill-use damage will also now trigger when the affected target is interrupted during skill activation.
    • New damage over time: 2 + (0.1 * Level) + (0.035 * Condition Damage)
    • New trigger damage: 3.5 + (0.575 * Level) + (0.0625 * Condition Damage)
  • Poison:
    • This condition will now stack in intensity. Poison’s healing reduction will not depend on the number of stacks. Any poison will result in a static -33%, just as it currently does. The formula for this condition has been rescaled to account for the new behavior of damaging conditions and to put more focus on the condition damage stat. Creatures that apply burning have been rebalanced to account for this change.
    • New damage over time: 3.5 + (0.375 * Level) + (0.06 * Condition Damage)
  • Torment:
    • The formula for this condition has been rescaled to account for the new behavior of damaging conditions and to put more focus on the condition damage stat.
    • New damage over time: 1.5 + (0.18 * Level) + (0.045 * Condition Damage)
    • New damage while moving: 3 + (0.36 * Level) + (0.09 * Condition Damage)
  • Vulnerability:
    • This condition was changed so that it not only increases direct damage, it also increases condition damage. Each stack will increase direct damage by 1% and condition damage by 1%.
  • Slow:
    • This new condition is now present on some profession abilities and slows the activation of skills by 50% while active.

*Boon Updates *

  • Quickness: This effect is now a boon.
  • Resistance: This new boon is now present on some profession abilities and causes all conditions currently on your character to be ineffective for its duration.
  • Vigor: The endurance regeneration rate of this effect has been decreased from 100% to 50%.

Boon and Condition Conversion
Boon to condition conversion and condition to boon conversion has been standardized and is functionality changed. Skills that convert boons and conditions now randomly select from all boons and conditions on the target.

  • Boon to Condition Conversion:
    • Aegis converts to 1 stack of burning for 3 seconds.
    • Fury converts to blindness for 5 seconds.
    • Might converts to weakness for 10 seconds.
    • Protection converts to 3 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds.
    • Regeneration converts to poison for 10 seconds.
    • Resistance converts to chilled for 3 seconds.
    • Retaliation converts to 3 stacks of confusion for 5 seconds.
    • Stability converts to fear for 1 second.
    • Swiftness converts to crippled for 10 seconds.
    • Quickness converts to slow for 3 seconds.
    • Vigor converts to 3 stacks of bleeding for 10 seconds.
  • Condition to Boon Conversion:
    • Bleeding converts to vigor for 10 seconds.
    • Blindness converts to fury for 5 seconds.
    • Burning converts to aegis for 5 seconds.
    • Chilled converts to resistance for 2 seconds.
    • Confusion converts to retaliation for 5 seconds.
    • Crippled converts to swiftness for 10 seconds.
    • Fear converts to 1 stack of stability for 3 seconds.
    • Immobilize converts to swiftness for 10 seconds.
    • Poison converts to regeneration for 5 seconds.
    • Slow converts to quickness for 3 seconds.
    • Torment converts to 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds.
    • Vulnerability converts to protection for 3 seconds.
    • Weakness converts to 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds.

Skill Point Conversion

  • Banked skill points on all characters are being converted to the new currency, spirit shards.
  • All of the following repeatable sources of skill points will now give spirit shards:
    • Champion Loot Bags
    • Daily Achievements
    • Story Rewards
  • Players will no longer be able to level a character after 80, but level 80 characters will be able to loot spirit shards from creatures in the world.
  • Tomes of Knowledge will level a character up to 80, but after 80, they will grant a spirit shard.
  • Writs of Experience can no longer be used at level 80. 20 writs can be traded to Miyani for a Tome of Knowledge.

Wallet Updates

  • The wallet has moved from the Hero panel to the inventory.
  • Clicking the wallet button in the lower-left of the inventory will toggle wallet mode on and off.
  • A drop-down at the top of the wallet allows for category filtering to make it easier to find and display specific currencies.
  • In Inventory mode, gold is always displayed in the lower-right with a second, map-appropriate currency. For example, in the Silverwastes, bandit crests are displayed next to gold.
  • The currencies have been added to the wallet. The conversion of the following items to currencies is automatic, but it will require logging in with each character who is carrying the following items in their inventories:
    • Geodes
    • Bandit Crests
    • Pristine Fractal Relics
    • WvW Tournament Claim Tickets
    • Spirit Shards (Formerly Skill Points)

Elementalist
Skills

  • Reduced base attunement recharge from 13 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Reduced base global recharge from 1.65 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
  • Ether Renewal: This ability is now a cantrip. The recharge of this ability has been increased from 15 seconds to 18 seconds.
  • Tornado: This ability is now a cantrip.
  • Whirlpool: This ability is now a cantrip.
  • Soothing Mist: The radius of this trait has been reduced to 600.
  • Fiery Rush: The damage of this ability has been increased by 60%.
  • Ice Bow—Frost Volley: Damage increased by 25%. Vulnerability application of this ability has been increased from 10 seconds to 15 seconds.
  • Ice Bow—Frost Fan: The damage of this ability has been increased by 25%.
  • Glyph of Elemental Power: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 3 seconds when used in fire attunement.
  • Drake’s Breath: Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Burning Speed: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 1.5 seconds per pulse. Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Burning Retreat: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Ring of Fire: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 5 seconds when a foe crosses the threshold.
  • Flamewall: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2.5 seconds per pulse.
  • Flamestrike: Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Dragon’s Tooth: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.
  • Signet of Fire: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 10 seconds.
  • Flame Burst: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 6 seconds.
  • Heat Wave: Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 6 seconds.
  • Cleansing Fire: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 4 seconds.
  • Flame Leap: Increased the burning duration from 7 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Glyph of Storms—Firestorm: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2 seconds.
  • Ride the Lightning: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Magnetic Leap: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Tidal Wave: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Conjure Fiery Greatsword—Fiery Whirl: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Conjure Fiery Greatsword—Fiery Rush: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Conjure Flame Axe—Burning Retreat: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Conjure Flame Axe—Flame Leap: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Conjure Earth Shield—Magnetic Surge: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Fire:
Minor:

  • Empowering Flame: Gain 150 power while in fire attunement.
  • Sunspot: Inflict damage at your location when you attune to fire, and gain 3 seconds of fire aura.
  • Burning Rage: Deal 10% more damage to burning foes.

Adept:

  • Burning Precision: Critical hits have a 33% chance to cause 2 seconds of burning. Burning duration is increased by 20%. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Conjurer: Gain fire aura for 5 seconds when an ally picks up a conjured weapon; conjured weapons have 10 more charges.
  • Burning Fire: Use Cleansing Fire automatically when you have 3 conditions on you. Cantrips grant you 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds when used.

Master:

  • Pyromancer’s Training: Deal 10% more damage while attuned to fire. Fire abilities have a 33% reduced recharge.
  • One with Fire: Fire auras you apply last 33% longer and grant 2 stacks of might for 10 seconds when applied.
  • Power Overwhelming: Gain condition damage based on 10% of your total power attribute.

Grandmaster:

  • Persisting Flames: Executing blast finishers on fire fields grants 10 seconds of fury. Fire fields last 2 seconds longer. Create a lava font at your position when you go down.
  • Pyromancer’s Puissance: Each skill you use while attuned to fire grants you 15 seconds of might. This effect works in combat only.
  • Blinding Ashes: Blind foes for 4 seconds when you burn them. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.

Air:
Minor:

  • Zephyr’s Speed: Move 25% faster when attuned to air.
  • Electric Discharge: Strike your target with a bolt of lightning when attuning to air.
  • Weak Spot: You have a 60% chance to cause 5 seconds of vulnerability to enemies when you critically hit them.

Adept:

  • Zephyr’s Boon: Auras grant fury and swiftness for 5 seconds when applied.
  • One with Air: Gain 3 seconds of super speed when attuning to air.
  • Ferocious Winds: Gain ferocity based on 7% of your precision.

Master:

  • Inscription: Grant a boon associated with your current attunement when you cast a glyph. Glyph skill recharges are reduced by 20%.
  • Aeromancer’s Training: Gain 190 precision while attuned to air. Recharge of air weapon skills is reduced by 33%.
  • Tempest Defense: Surround yourself with a shocking aura for 4 seconds when disabled. Deal 20% increased damage to stunned or knocked down foes.

Grandmaster:

  • Bolt to the Heart: Deal 20% more damage to enemies whose health is below 50%.
  • Fresh Air: Recharge air attunement when you critically hit an enemy.
    • Removed cooldown.
  • Lightning Rod: Disabling an enemy causes them to be struck by a lightning bolt.

Earth:
Minor:

  • Stone Flesh: Gain 150 toughness while attuned to earth.
  • Earthen Blast: Damage foes and cripple them for 3 seconds when attuning to earth.
  • Geomancer’s Defense: You take 10% less damage from foes within a range of 360 from you.

Adept:

  • Earth’s Embrace: Gain armor of earth when struck while below 50% health.
  • Serrated Stones: Bleeding you apply lasts 20% longer. Deal 5% more damage to bleeding foes.
  • Elemental Shielding: Grant 3 seconds of protection when applying an aura to yourself or an ally.

Master:

  • Strength of Stone: Gain condition damage based on 10% of your toughness attribute.
  • Rock Solid: Grant 2 seconds of stability to nearby allies when attuning to earth.
  • Geomancer’s Training: You recover 33% more quickly from chilled, crippled, and immobilized. Earth abilities recharge 33% faster.

Grandmaster:

  • Diamond Skin: Conditions cannot be applied to you when your health is above 90%.
  • Written in Stone: Maintain the passive effects of signets when you activate them. Signet recharges are reduced by 20%.
  • Stone Heart: You cannot be critically hit while attuned to earth.

Water:
Minor:

  • Soothing Mist: You and nearby allies regenerate health while you are attuned to water. Radius 600.
  • Healing Ripple: Heal nearby allies when attuning to water.
  • Aquatic Benevolence: Healing done to allies is increased by 15%.

Adept:

  • Soothing Ice: Gain regeneration and frost aura for 4 seconds when critically hit.
  • Piercing Shards: While attuned to water, your spells deal 20% more damage to vulnerable foes. Vulnerability lasts 33% longer.
  • Stop, Drop, and Roll: Dodge-rolling removes burning and chilled conditions from you and nearby allies.

Master:

  • Soothing Disruption: Cantrips grant you regeneration and vigor for 6 seconds. Cantrips have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Cleansing Wave: Remove a condition from yourself and allies when attuning to water.
  • Aquamancer’s Training: Deal 10% extra damage when your health is above 90%. All water weapon skills have their recharge reduced by 33%.

Grandmaster:

  • Cleansing Water: Remove a condition when granting regeneration to yourself or an ally.
  • Powerful Aura: When you apply an aura to yourself, grant that aura to all nearby allies as well.
  • Soothing Power: The healing effect of Soothing Mist is increased by 200%.

Arcane:
Minor:

  • Arcane Fury: Gain 2 seconds of fury when you switch attunements.
  • Elemental Attunement: When attuning to an element, you and nearby allies gain a boon.
  • Elemental Enchantment: Boon duration is increased by 10%, and attunements recharge 15% faster.

Adept:

  • Arcane Precision: Skills have a chance to apply a condition, based on your current attunement, on critical hits.
  • Renewing Stamina: Gain vigor when you deliver a critical hit. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Arcane Abatement: Take less damage from falling. Create a spell when you take falling damage, based on your attunement.
  • Blasting Staff: The effects of this trait have been added to all staff-skill area attacks by default.

Master:

  • Arcane Resurrection: Your revive speed is increased by 10%. When you revive an ally, you and the revived ally gain an aura based on your attunement.
  • Elemental Contingency: Gain a boon when you are struck, based on your current attunement.
  • Final Shielding: Create an arcane shield when you are struck while your health is below the threshold.

Grandmaster:

  • Evasive Arcana: Create an attunement-based spell at the end of your dodge roll.
  • Cleansing Wave (Evasive Arcana): This ability has been combined between PvE and PvP and now maintains the full healing-power effectiveness in all game modes.
  • Elemental Surge: Based on your current attunement, arcane skills inflict a condition on foes that they hit. Gain 150 more ferocity for 15 seconds when you use an arcane skill. Arcane abilities recharge 20% faster.
  • Bountiful Power: Deal 2% more damage for each boon on you.

Engineer
Skills

  • All skills in the grenade kit have had their range updated from 1200 to 900.
  • All grenade skills now throw 3 grenades by default.
  • Poison Grenade: This skill has been redesigned. It will no longer leave pulsing poison fields. The impact of the grenades will now each poison nearby foes for 8 seconds.
  • All kit backpacks were removed and replaced with a weapon that your character holds to distinguish the kit you are currently using.
  • Med Kit has been updated and now includes the following skills:
    • 1) Med Blaster: Heal allies with a wave of healing energy. Heals more for each boon on that ally.
    • 2) Throw Bandages: Throw out a bandage pack that heals, applies regeneration, and removes a single damage condition.
    • 3) Throw Stimulant: Throw out a stimulant that heals, grants fury, and removes a debilitating condition (weakness, blind, or vulnerability).
    • 4) Throw Accelerant: Throw out an accelerant that heals, grants swiftness, and removes a movement-impairing condition (immobilized, chilled, or crippled).
    • 5) Throw Antidote: Throw out an antidote vial that heals, cures a condition, and applies resistance.
  • Engineers gain F5 tool belt skills at level 31. The F5 tool belt skills are linked to your elite skill.
  • Mortar has been converted into a kit and now has the following skills:
    • 1) Mortar Shot: Launch an explosive round from your mortar, damaging foes in the target area.
    • 2) Poison Gas Shell: Launch a mortar round that spreads poisonous gas in an area.
    • 3) Endothermic Shell: Launch a mortar round that chills foes in the target area.
    • 4) Flash Shell: Launch a phosphorous mortar round that burns brightly at the impact point.
    • 5) Elixir Shell: Launch a mortar round that heals allies in the target area.
    • F5) Orbital Strike: Call down energy from the sky to blast an area.
  • Supply Crate has been converted into a turret and now has the following skills:
    • Supply Crate: Request a supply drop of turrets.
    • Overcharge Supply Crate: Overcharge supply crate’s turrets.
    • Med Pack Drop: Call down a supply drop of med packs into a target area.
    • Detonate Supply Crate Turrets: Detonate your supply crate turrets.
  • Added an Elixir X tool belt skill:
    • Toss Elixir X: Toss your Elixir X, transforming enemies at the location into moas.
  • Poison Dart Volley: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Fumigate: Increased the poison duration from 1 second to 2 seconds per pulse.
  • Incendiary Ammo: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.
  • Timed Charge: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 4 seconds.
  • Fire Bomb: Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Flame Jet: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2 seconds.
  • Blowtorch: Burning has been increased to 3, 2, or 1 stack of burning (5 seconds) based on range (200, 400, or 600 respectively).
  • Napalm: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2.5 seconds.
  • Rocket Kick: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 5 seconds.
  • Overcharged Shot: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Jump Shot: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Retreating Grapple: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rocket Boots: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rocket Kick: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Static Shock: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Healing Turret—Regenerating Mist: Recharge reduced from 25 seconds to 21 seconds.
  • Med Kit—Bandage Self: Recharge reduced from 20 seconds to 17 seconds.
  • Elixir H—Toss Elixir H: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Bomb Kit—Big Ol’ Bomb: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Elixir Gun—Healing Mist: Recharge reduced from 40 seconds to 35 seconds.
  • Elixir B—Toss Elixir B: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Elixir C—Toss Elixir C: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Elixir R—Toss Elixir R: Recharge reduced from 120 seconds to 100 seconds.
  • Elixir S—Toss Elixir S: Recharge reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.
  • Elixir U—Toss Elixir U: Recharge reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.
  • Flamethrower—Incendiary Ammo recharge reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.
  • Personal Battering Ram—Launch Personal Battering Ram: Recharge reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
  • Rocket Boots—Rocket Kick: Recharge reduced from 20 seconds to 17 seconds.
  • Slick Shoes—Super Speed: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Mine—Mine Field: Recharge reduced from 20 seconds to 17 seconds.
  • Utility Goggles—Analyze: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Grenade Kit—Grenade Barrage: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Tool Kit—Throw Wrench: Recharge reduced from 20 seconds to 17 seconds.
  • Flame Turret—Throw Napalm: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Harpoon Turret—Harpoon: Recharge reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Net Turret—Net Attack: Recharge reduced from 45 seconds to 38 seconds.
  • Rifle Turret—Surprise Shot: Recharge reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Rocket Turret—Rocket: Recharge reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Explosives:
Minor:

  • Evasive Powder Keg: Create a bomb when you dodge.
  • Steel-Packed Powder: Your explosions cause 5 seconds of vulnerability.
  • Explosive Powder: Explosions deal 10% more damage. Your turrets explode, dealing damage and knocking back nearby foes when destroyed.

Adept:

  • Grenadier: Increases your throw velocity of grenades by 100%. Increases the blast radius of grenades by 60.
  • Explosive Descent: You take 50% decreased damage from falling. When you take fall damage, you release a barrage of grenades.
  • Glass Cannon: Deal 5% increased damage while above 90% health.

Master:

  • Aim-Assisted Rocket: You have a 33% chance when striking a foe to target them for a seeker rocket. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Shaped Charge: You deal 5% increased damage to foes affected by vulnerability.
  • Short Fuse: Your bombs explode faster, and bomb skills recharge 20% faster.

Grandmaster:

  • Siege Rounds: Orbital Strike hits an additional time one second after the first strike. Mortar Kit ability effects last 40% longer.
  • Shrapnel: Your explosions have a 15% chance to cause 12 seconds of bleeding and 2 seconds of crippled.
  • Thermobaric Detonation: Evasive Powder Keg is now a blast finisher.

Firearms:
Minor:

  • Sharpshooter: Your critical hits have a 33% chance to cause 3 seconds of bleeding.
  • Hematic Focus: You have a 10% increased chance to critically strike foes affected by bleeding.
  • Serrated Steel: Bleeding you apply lasts 33% longer.

Adept:

  • Chemical Rounds: Your pistol skills have 50% increased condition duration.
  • Heavy Armor Exploit: Your critical hits have a 50% chance to grant you 3 seconds of swiftness and cause 3 seconds of vulnerability.
  • High Caliber: You have a 10% increased chance to critically strike nearby foes.

Master:

  • Pinpoint Distribution: You gain 10% of your precision attribute as condition damage.
  • Skilled Marksman: You attack 10% faster with a rifle or harpoon gun, and those skills recharge 20% faster.
  • No Scope: Your critical hits on nearby foes grant you 4 seconds of fury. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.

Grandmaster:

  • Juggernaut: Gain a stack of might for 15 seconds and a stack of stability for 3 seconds every 3 seconds.
  • Modified Ammunition: Deal 2% additional damage per condition on your foe.
  • Incendiary Powder: Your critical hits inflict 4 seconds of burning. Burning you apply lasts 33% longer. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.

Inventions:
Minor:

  • Cleansing Synergy: When you use a healing skill you emit a cleansing pulse to nearby allies, removing a damaging condition from them. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Heal Resonator: When you use a healing skill you grant 6 seconds of regeneration to nearby allies.
  • Energy Amplifier: While under the effects of regeneration you gain up to 250 healing power.

Adept:

  • Over Shield: Shield skills recharge 20% faster and grant 4 seconds of protection to nearby allies.
  • Automated Medical Response: All heal skills recharge when you are struck while below the health threshold.
  • Autodefense Bomb Dispenser: Drop a smoke bomb when you are disabled. This trait has a 30-second internal cooldown.

Master:

  • Experimental Turrets: Turrets apply boons to allies around them every 10 seconds.
  • Soothing Detonation: When you combo a blast finisher nearby allies are healed.
  • Mecha Legs: Your movement speed is increased by 25%. The duration of crippled, chilled and immobilized on you is reduced by 33%.

Grandmaster:

  • Advanced Turrets: Turrets receive 33% less damage. Turrets reflect missiles for 4 seconds after they’re created.
  • Bunker Down: When you critically hit, create a mine and a med pack (approximately 500 healing and 4 seconds of regeneration) at your location. This trait has a 2-second internal cooldown.
  • Medical Dispersion Field: You heal nearby allies for 12% of the amount you are healed. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.

Alchemy:
Minor:

  • Hidden Flask: Drink an Elixir B when struck while below 75% health.
  • Transmute: Incoming conditions are converted into boons. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Alchemical Tinctures: Elixirs remove a condition from affected allies. Boons you apply last 20% longer.

Adept:

  • Invigorating Speed: When you gain swiftness, you also gain 6 seconds of vigor. This trait has a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Protection Injection: Gain 3 seconds of protection when you are disabled. This trait has a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Health Insurance: While using Med Kit, your outgoing healing to others is increased by 15%.

Master:

  • Inversion Enzyme: Elixir Gun abilities which remove conditions now convert them into boons instead.
  • Self-Regulating Defenses: When struck below 25% health, you consume an Elixir S.
  • Backpack Regenerator: While using a kit, you passively recover health.

Grandmaster:

  • HGH: Elixirs grant 2 stacks of might for 20 seconds, and their other effect durations are increased by 20%. Elixirs also have a reduced recharge.
  • Stimulant Supplier: Drop a stimulant when you use a heal skill. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Iron Blooded: Incoming damage is reduced by 2% for every boon on you.

Tools:
Minor:

  • Optimized Activation: Using a tool belt skill grants 2 seconds of vigor.
  • Mechanized Deployment: Your tool belt skills recharge 15% faster.
  • Excessive Energy: Deal 10% more damage while your endurance is above 90%.

Adept:

  • Static Discharge: Discharge a bolt of lightning when you activate a tool belt skill.
  • Reactive Lenses: When blinded or disabled, you activate utility goggles.
  • Power Wrench: Tool kit skills recharge 20% faster and deal 10% more damage. Turret repairing abilities are 100% more effective.

Master:

  • Streamlined Kits: Equipping a kit creates an attack or spell and grants you 20 seconds of swiftness. This trait has a 20-second internal cooldown.
  • Lock On: Striking a foe in stealth analyzes them, revealing them and inflicting them with 10 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds. This trait has a 20-second internal cooldown.
  • Takedown Round: Striking a foe above 50% health places a delayed explosive at their location. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.

Grandmaster:

  • Kinetic Charge: After evading a strike, the next tool belt skill you use is recharged instantly. This trait has a 40-second internal cooldown.
  • Adrenal Implant: Endurance regeneration is increased by 50%.
  • Gadgeteer: Gain static charges when struck. At 5 charge levels your next gadget skill use is overcharged and recharges 50% faster.

Guardian
Skills

  • Healing Breeze: This ability is now a shout and has been renamed “Receive the Light!” It maintains the same cast time and radial effects, but it will now be affected by shout-modifying traits and items.
  • Tome of Courage: This ability has been replaced by a new ability, Signet of Courage.
  • Signet of Courage—Passive: While in combat, heal allies around you every 10 seconds. Active: Fully heal nearby allies. Cooldown: 180 seconds.
  • Tome of Wrath: This ability has been replaced by a new shout, “Feel My Wrath!”
  • “Feel My Wrath!”: Grant fury for 10 seconds and quickness for 5 seconds to nearby allies. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
  • Litany of Wrath: Reduced the casting time of this ability from 0.75 seconds to 0.25 seconds.
  • Virtue of Justice: The recharge of this ability has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. The radius of the active portion from this ability has been reduced from 1200 to 600.
  • Virtue of Resolve: The recharge of this ability has been reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds. The radius of the active portion from this ability has been reduced from 1200 to 600.
  • Virtue of Courage: The recharge of this ability has been reduced from 90 to 75 seconds. The radius of the active portion from this ability has been reduced from 1200 to 600.
  • Wrathful Grasp: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 5 seconds.
  • Zealot’s Flame: Increased the burning duration from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.
  • Zealot’s Fire: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.
  • Judge’s Intervention: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.
  • Purging Flames: This skill now applies 3 stacks of burning for 5 seconds.
  • Virtue of Justice—Passive: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2 seconds.
  • Leap of Faith: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Mighty Blow: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Shield of Absorption: This skill’s recharge has been reduced from 30 seconds to 24 seconds.
  • Shield of Judgment: This skill’s recharge has been reduced from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Zeal:
Minor:

  • Zealot’s Speed: Create a symbol of wrath when you are struck while below the health threshold.
  • Symbolic Exposure: Symbols apply 3 seconds of vulnerability to foes per hit.
  • Symbolic Power: Symbols have 10% increased damage and have a 33% chance to burn enemies for 1 second.

Adept:

  • Wrathful Spirit: Aegis grants 3 seconds of retaliation when it ends.
  • Fiery Wrath: Damage against burning foes is increased by 7%.
  • Zealous Scepter: While wielding a scepter, gain 10 seconds of might when your passive Virtue of Justice effect triggers.

Master:

  • Binding Jeopardy: Immobilizing or blinding a foe also applies 3 seconds of vulnerability to them.
  • Zealous Blade: Greatsword attacks deal 5% increased damage and heal the guardian. Greatsword skills have a 20% reduced recharge.
  • Kindled Zeal: Gain condition damage based on 10% your power attribute.

Grandmaster:

  • Expeditious Spirit: Spirit weapons burn foes for 3 seconds when they strike. Spirit weapon summon and command skills have a 20% reduced recharge.
  • Shattered Aegis: When aegis you applied blocks an attack, it damages nearby foes.
  • Symbolic Avenger: You deal more damage to enemies standing in your symbols.

Radiance:
Minor:

  • Justice Is Blind: When activating Virtue of Justice, nearby foes are blinded for 3 seconds.
  • Renewed Justice: Justice is renewed when you kill a foe.
  • Radiant Power: Attacks against burning foes have a 10% increased chance to critically hit.

Adept:

  • Inner Fire: Gain fury for 8 seconds when you strike a foe that has 3 or more stacks of burning. This effect has a 10-second cooldown.
  • Right-Hand Strength: Critical hit chance with one-handed weapons is increased by 15%. Sword abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Healer’s Retribution: Gain retaliation for 5 seconds when using a heal skill.

Master:

  • Wrath of Justice: Striking an enemy with Virtue of Justice’s active effect triggers Signet of Wrath’s active ability.
  • Radiant Fire: Gain Zealot’s Flame when you critically hit an enemy. Burning duration to enemies is increased. Torch abilities recharge 20% faster.
  • Retribution: Gain 10% increased damage while under the effects of retaliation.

Grandmaster:

  • Amplified Wrath: Burning damage is increased by 15%. Blocking an attack burns the attacker for 2 seconds. This effect has a 1-second internal cooldown.
  • Perfect Inscriptions: Gain light aura for 3 seconds when activating a signet. Signets recharge 20% faster and have 20% increased passive effects.
  • Radiant Retaliation: Retaliation damage scales from condition damage instead of power.

Valor:
Minor:

  • Valorous Defense: Gain aegis for 5 seconds when you are struck while below 50% health.
  • Courageous Return: Virtue of Courage is fully recharged when you revive an ally or when you rally. This effect has a 30-second internal cooldown.
  • Might of the Protector: Gain 2 stacks of might for 15 seconds when you block an attack. This ability has a 1-second internal cooldown.

Adept:

  • Strength of the Fallen: Lose 1 condition every 10 seconds. Health degenerates 33% more slowly while downed.
  • Smiter’s Boon: Smite conditions when you use a healing ability.
  • Focus Mastery: Gain 4 seconds of protection when using a focus ability. Focus abilities have a 20% reduced recharge.

Master:

  • Stalwart Defender: Gain 180 additional toughness while wielding a shield. Shield abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Strength in Numbers: Nearby allies gain up to 150 bonus toughness, based on your effective level. Radius of 600.
  • Communal Defenses: Grant 5 seconds of aegis to allies when you block an attack.

Grandmaster:

  • Altruistic Healing: Applying a boon to allies also heals you.
  • Monk’s Focus: Using a meditation skill heals you and grants 4 seconds of fury to allies in a radius. Meditation skills have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Retributive Armor: Gain up to 250 bonus toughness (based on effective level) when blocking an attack. Gain ferocity based on 13% of your current toughness.

Honor:
Minor:

  • Vigorous Precision: Gain 5 seconds of vigor when you deliver a critical hit. This effect has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Selfless Daring: The end of your dodge roll heals nearby allies.
  • Purity of Body: Your Virtue of Resolve passive effect also regenerates endurance by 15%.

Adept:

  • Invigorated Bulwark: Gain increased healing power worth up to 50 attribute points (based on effective level) for a period of time each time you block an attack while wielding a mace. Stacks up to 10 times. Mace abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Protective Reviver: Activate a shield of absorption when you begin reviving an ally. Upon successful revival, you and each ally gain aegis, protection, and regeneration for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 24 seconds.
  • Protector’s Impact: Create a symbol of protection when you take falling damage. You take 50% less damage when falling.

Master:

  • Honorable Staff: Boon duration is increased while wielding a staff. Staff abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
  • Pure of Heart: Aegis heals when it blocks an attack.
  • Empowering Might: You and nearby allies gain 5 seconds of might when you land a critical hit.

Grandmaster:

  • Pure of Voice: Allies affected by shouts have 1 condition converted into a boon. Shout abilities have their recharges reduced by 20%.
  • Writ of Persistence: Symbols last 2 seconds longer, are larger, and heal allies.
  • Force of Will: Your vitality is increased by up to 300 points, based on effective level. Healing effectiveness to other allies is increased by a percentage of your vitality. You gain 1% per 100 points of vitality (including base vitality).

Virtues:
Minor:

  • Inspired Virtue: Virtues apply the following boons to allies when activated:
    • Virtue of Justice: 3 stacks of might for 5 seconds.
    • Virtue of Resolve: 5 seconds of regeneration.
    • Virtue of Courage: 5 seconds of protection.
  • Virtue of Retribution: Gain retaliation for 3 seconds when you activate a virtue. Retaliation you apply lasts 25% longer.
  • Power of the Virtuous: Deal 1% extra damage for each boon you have. Virtues recharge 15% faster.

Adept:

  • Unscathed Contender: Deal 20% more damage while under the effects of aegis.
  • Retaliatory Subconscious: Gain 3 seconds of retaliation and 4 seconds of aegis when stunned, dazed, knocked back, pulled, knocked down, sunk, floated, launched, taunted, or inflicted with fear.
  • Master of Consecrations: Consecrations last 20% longer and have 20% reduced recharge.

Master:

  • Supreme Justice: Virtue of Justice causes burning with 3 strikes instead of 5. When activating Virtue of Justice, burning duration is increased by 1 second.
  • Absolute Resolution: Activating Virtue of Resolve removes 3 conditions from nearby allies. Virtue of Resolve’s passive effect is stronger.
  • Glacial Heart: Critical hits with the hammer chill enemies for 3 seconds. Hammer abilities have 20% reduced recharge.

Grandmaster:

  • Permeating Wrath: Virtue of Justice’s passive effect no longer only burns your target, but also burns the area around your target each time it activates.
  • Battle Presence: Nearby allies gain Virtue of Resolve’s passive effect.
    • This trait no longer functions if Virtue of Resolve is on cooldown.
  • Indomitable Courage: Activating Virtue of Courage breaks stun and grants 3 stacks of stability for 4 seconds to affected allies. Virtue of Courage’s passive effect triggers every 30 seconds, down from 40 seconds.

Mesmer
General

  • Phantasm damage has been increased by 15%.
  • Summoned clones will now show your equipped off-hand weapon.
  • Fixed a bug in which underwater clones did not show tridents.
  • Fixed an issue where the Illusionary Rogue’s attack was being listed as “Smoke Bomb” in the combat log. It is now referred to as “Shadow Assault.”

Skills

  • Mesmer skills that create bouncing projectiles will now have them bounce one additional time.
  • Reduced the recharge on glamour skills by 20%.
  • Using any shatter skill now creates the shatter effect on you as well by default.
  • Mantras now give 600 toughness while channeling them.
  • Manipulation skill range has been increased to 1200.
  • Pistol skills used by you and your illusions have had their range increased to 1200.
  • Mind Wrack: Reduced the recharge from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
  • Cry of Frustration: Reduced the recharge from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Diversion: Reduced the recharge to 38 seconds. It now shows the number of targets dazed (1) when untraited.
  • Distortion: Reduced the recharge to 50 seconds. When affected by traits such as Maim the Disillusioned and Illusionary Retribution, this skill now strikes 1 target.
  • Chaos Storm: Increased poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Confusing Images: Added one additional strike to this skill. Strikes from this skill now display an additive total rather than individual hits. This skill now activates 50% faster.
  • Ether Clone (Scepter skill 1, chain 3): Adjusted the timing of this attack to flow better with the other attacks in the chain. The projectile is now launched sooner, but the attack has slightly longer aftercast. The number of clones generated per second by this chain is unchanged.
  • Feedback: This skill now requires a target. This change addressed an issue that allowed this skill to be cast at an unspecified location if the player did not have a target.
  • Ineptitude (Trident skill 2): This skill has been renamed to “Blinding Tide.”
  • Illusionary Defender: Updated the description of this skill to more accurately convey that it also absorbs damage directed at allies. Functionality has not been changed.
  • Illusionary Leap: Increased the delay before the clone is summoned by about 0.25 seconds to allow players to start casting this skill while moving within range and not have it fail. The speed of attack of Illusion has been increased by about 0.35 seconds to allow for better tracking against moving targets.
  • Mass Invisibility: This skill is now classified as a manipulation.
  • Mimic: Updated functionality of this skill. This skill now causes the next utility-slot skill you use within 10 seconds to recharge in 1 second. Increased recharge to 90 seconds.
  • Mirror: This skill is now classified as a manipulation and has a unique mirror enhancement that can be applied by traits.
  • Polymorph Moa: This skill has been renamed to “Signet of Humility” and is now classified as a signet skill. Its passive effect reduces the duration of stun, daze, fear, and taunt by 20%. Its active effect remains unchanged.
    • Polymorph Moa—Kick: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
    • Polymorph Moa—Flee: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Phantasmal Mage: Instead of inflicting confusion on foes and granting retaliation on allies, this phantasm now inflicts 1 stack of burning for 6 seconds on foes and grants 3 seconds of fury to allies. Removed undocumented condition removal from this phantasm.
  • Portal: Attempting to create a second portal entrance while you have an active portal will destroy the active portal.
  • Signet of Illusions: Reduced recharge to 60 seconds. This skill now specifies which skills it recharges.
  • Signet of Inspiration: Reduced recharge of this skill to 30 seconds. The passive effect of this signet now grants 5 seconds of swiftness plus one other random boon every 10 seconds. It no longer grants swiftness as one of its random boons.
  • Signet of Midnight: The passive effect of this signet now grants 20% condition duration instead of 10% boon duration.
  • Spinning Revenge (Trident 3): This skill now applies chaos armor to you when cast.
  • Time Warp: This skill is now classified as a glamour. It now pulses 1 second of slow every second on foes in the affected area, in addition to its previous effect of quickness on allies.

(edited by Mark Katzbach.9084)

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Domination:
Minor

  • Illusion of Vulnerability: Interrupting a foe inflicts 3 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds.
  • Dazzling: Dazing a foe inflicts 5 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds.
  • Fragility: Deal 0.5% more damage to foes for each stack of vulnerability on them.

Adept:

  • Confounding Suggestions: Increases daze and stun duration on foes by 25%. When you would daze a foe, you stun them instead, with a 5-second internal cooldown. Fixed a bug that caused this trait to not update the skill facts for the racial skills Technobabble and Raven Shriek.
  • Empowered Illusions: Your illusions deal 15% more damage.
  • Rending Shatter: Shatter skills inflict 1 stack of vulnerability for 8 seconds on foes they hit.

Master:

  • Shattered Concentration: Shatter skills remove 1 boon from foes they hit.
  • Blurred Inscriptions: Reduces recharge of signet skill by 20%. Gain distortion and remove 1 condition when you use a signet.
  • Furious Interruption: Gain quickness for 3 seconds whenever you interrupt a foe. This trait has a 5-second internal cooldown.

Grandmaster:

  • Imagined Burden: Reduces recharge of greatsword skills by 20%. Gain 2 stacks of might for 5 seconds whenever you or an illusion uses Spacial Surge. All of your other greatsword skills inflict crippled for 2 seconds upon hit.
  • Mental Anguish: Shatter skills deal 15% more damage. This bonus damage is doubled on foes that are not activating skills.
  • Power Block: Interrupting a foe inflicts damage and causes weakness for 5 seconds. Additionally, if the interrupted skill has a recharge time greater than 0, it is put on a 15-second recharge.

Dueling:
Minor:

  • Critical Infusion: Gain vigor for 5 seconds when you critically hit.
  • Sharper Images: Your illusions inflict 1 stack of bleeding for 5 seconds when they critical hit.
  • Master Fencer: Gain fury for 5 seconds when striking a foe below 75% health. This trait has a 5-second internal cooldown.

Adept:

  • Phantasmal Fury: Your phantasms gain 10 seconds of fury every 10 seconds.
  • Desperate Decoy: Cast Decoy when you are struck while below 50% health. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus provided by Illusionist’s Celerity.
  • Duelist’s Discipline: Pistol skills recharge 25% of their full recharge when you interrupt a foe. Pistol attacks from you and your illusions have a 33% chance to inflict 2 stacks of bleeding for 5 seconds.

Master:

  • Blinding Dissipation: When using a shatter skill, blind foes around you for 3 seconds.
  • Evasive Mirror: Whenever you successfully evade an attack, gain a projectile-reflecting barrier for 1.5 seconds. This trait has a 1.5-second internal cooldown.
  • Fencer’s Finesse: Reduces recharge of sword skills by 20%. Whenever you or an illusion hits with a sword attack, you gain a stack of Fencer’s Finesse that grants 15 ferocity for 6 seconds (maximum 10 stacks).

Grandmaster:

  • Harmonious Mantras: Mantra skills can be activated 3 times before needing to be channeled again. Whenever you use a mantra skill, gain a stack of Mantra Strength for 8 seconds, which increases your damage by 4% per stack (maximum 5 stacks).
  • Mistrust: Whenever you interrupt a foe, inflict 2 stacks of confusion for 6 seconds to foes in a radius around your target.
  • Deceptive Evasion: Whenever you use a dodge roll, you create a clone.

Chaos:
Minor:

  • Metaphysical Rejuvenation: Gain regeneration for 10 seconds when you are struck while below 75% health. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Illusionary Membrane: Gain protection for 3 seconds whenever you gain regeneration. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Chaotic Persistence: Each unique boon on you increases the duration of your outgoing condition and boon duration by 3%.

Adept:

  • Descent into Madness: Take 50% less falling damage. Cast Chaos Storm when you take falling damage. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus provided by Chaotic Dampening.
  • Illusionary Defense: Each active illusion you control reduces incoming damage to you by 3%.
  • Master of Manipulation: Reduces recharge of manipulation skills by 20%. Gain Mirror for 2 seconds whenever you activate a manipulation skill.

Master:

  • Mirror of Anguish: If you are inflicted by a crowd-control effect, you inflict the same effect on your opponent, with a 60-second internal cooldown. Added taunt to the list of crowd-control effects that trigger this trait.
  • Chaotic Transference: Gain condition damage equal to 10% of your toughness.
  • Chaotic Dampening: When you gain Chaos Armor, you also gain protection for 5 seconds. While you have Chaos Armor, your staff and trident skills recharge by 5% of their full recharge every second.

Grandmaster:

  • Chaotic Interruption: Whenever you interrupt a foe, you inflict immobilized on them for 2 seconds and gain 5 stacks of might for 10 seconds. Additionally, you inflict a second random condition on your foe and apply a second random boon to yourself. Removed might as an option for the second random boon.
  • Prismatic Understanding: Stealth applied by your mesmer skills lasts 100% longer. Additionally, every second you are in stealth, you randomly gain aegis, might, protection, regeneration, or swiftness.
  • Bountiful Disillusionment: Whenever you use a shatter skill, you gain 1 stack of stability for 5 seconds. Based on the shatter used, allies around you can gain might, vigor, fury, or regeneration.
    *
    Inspiration:*
    Minor:
  • Mender’s Purity: Whenever you use a healing skill, you cast Power Cleanse. This trait benefits from Harmonious Mantras.
  • Inspiring Distortion: Whenever you grant distortion to yourself, you also grant it to nearby allies for 1 second. This trait has a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Healing Prism: Each illusion you control grants you 100 healing power. Whenever you heal yourself, you heal nearby allies for a small amount.

Adept:

  • Medic’s Feedback: Revive allies 10% faster. When you start reviving an ally, cast Feedback. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus provided by Temporal Enchanter.
  • Restorative Mantras: When you finish preparing a mantra, you heal allies around you.
  • Persisting Images: Phantasms you summon spawn with retaliation for 6 seconds and have 20% more health.

Master:

  • Warden’s Feedback: Focus weapon skills reflect projectiles and have their recharge reduced by 20%.
  • Restorative Illusions: Using a shatter skill removes 1 condition from you and heals you based on the number of illusions shattered.
  • Protected Phantasms: Newly summoned phantasms gain distortion for 1 second. When you use a shatter skill, all illusions gain protection for 2 seconds.

Grandmaster:

  • Mental Defense: Whenever you successfully block or evade an attack, cast Phantasmal Defender on your attacker. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus provided by Illusionist’s Celerity and Persistence of Memory.
  • Illusionary Inspiration: Phantasms grant 3 seconds regeneration to allies near them every 3 seconds. If you have any boons when you summon a phantasm, you cast Signet of Inspiration. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus provided by Blurred Inscriptions.
  • Temporal Enchanter: Glamour skills last an additional 2 seconds. When you first create any glamour, nearby allies within the glamour radius gain 2 seconds of super speed and 3 seconds of resistance.
    *
    *
    Illusions:
    Minor:
  • Illusionary Retribution: All shatter skills inflict 1 stack of confusion for 4 seconds when they hit.
  • Illusionist’s Celerity: Reduces recharge of illusion-summoning skills by 20%.
  • Master of Misdirection: Confusion you inflict lasts 33% longer. Reduces recharge on shatter skills by 15%.

Adept:

  • Compounding Power: Deal 3% increased damage and gain 50 condition damage for each illusion you control. Fixed a bug that caused this trait to be nonfunctional while downed.
  • Persistence of Memory: When a phantasm shatters, all phantasm skills have their recharge reduced by 2 seconds.
  • The Pledge: Torch skills remove 1 condition from you when activated. While you are in stealth, torch skills recharge 1.5% of their maximum recharge every second.

Master:

  • Shattered Strength: Gain 1 stack of might for 10 seconds per illusion when you use a shatter skill.
  • Phantasmal Haste: Phantasms’ attack skill recharge is reduced by 20%, causing them to attack more often. Fixed a bug that caused this trait to have no effect on some phantasms.
  • Maim the Disillusioned: Shatter skills inflict 2 stacks of torment for 6 seconds on foes they hit.

Grandmaster:

  • Ineptitude: Inflict 1 stack of confusion for 4 seconds whenever you blind a foe. When successfully blocking or evading an attack, your attacker is blinded for 3 seconds, with a 10-second internal cooldown per foe.
  • Master of Fragmentation: Enhances the effect of shatter skills. Mind Wrack has a 10% increased critical-hit chance. Cry of Frustration inflicts crippled for 3 seconds on struck foes. Diversion hits up to 5 targets. Distortion reflects projectiles.
  • Malicious Sorcery: Reduces recharge of scepter skills by 20%. Increases attack speed by 15% while wielding a scepter.

Necromancer
General

  • Traits that previously referred to Death Shroud now refer to the more ubiquitous Shroud.
  • Traits that previously referred to specific skills available while in Death Shroud now refer to specific skills as Shroud Skill 1, Shroud Skill 4, etc.
  • Blood Magic traits that siphon health now heal through shroud. Additionally, siphon damage and healing from traits is now called out in the combat log.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the values for skill facts showing the damage of siphon effects to be slightly off from their actual values.
  • The effects of siphoning skills and traits have been increased by 20%.
  • Added new on-hit effects for jagged horrors to make it more clear when their attacks are connecting.
  • Life force maximum increased by 15%.
  • The starting heal skill for necromancers is now Consume Conditions.

Skills

  • Focus skill range increased to 1200.
  • Well skills now use ground targeting by default. When used underwater, wells cast at the player’s location.
  • Minion skill recharges have been reduced by 20%.
  • The area of mark skills has been increased to 240. Mark skill recharges have been reduced by 20%. Mark damage has been increased by 10%.
  • Necrotic Traversal: Increased the poison from 1 stack for 5 seconds to 3 stacks for 6 seconds. .
  • Fetid Ground: Increased the poison duration from 3 seconds to 5 seconds per pulse.
  • Plague: Increased the poison duration from 1 second to 2 seconds per pulse.
  • Chillblains: This skill now applies 3 stacks of poison for 5 seconds. Fixed an issue in which this skill would not display a combo ring.
  • Dark Water: This skill now applies 2 stacks of poison for 6 seconds.
  • Death Curse: Increased the poison duration from 6 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Signet of Spite: Increased the number of poison stacks from 1 stack for 10 seconds to 2 stacks for 10 seconds.
  • Corrosive Poison Cloud: Increased the number of poison stacks from 1 stack for 3 seconds to 3 stacks for 3 seconds.
  • Flesh Golem—Charge: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Blood Is Power: This skill now applies 8 stacks of might for 8 seconds to nearby allies.
  • Consume Conditions: This skill is now considered a corruption skill and applies 10 stacks of vulnerability to you for 4 seconds after use. Increased recharge to 30 seconds.
  • Epidemic: With the changes to condition stacking, Epidemic now only applies up to 25 stacks of any given condition. Increased recharge to 20 seconds.
  • Lich Form: This skill is now considered a spectral skill and grants 15% life force when it ends. Reduced duration of this skill from 20 seconds to 15 seconds.
  • Life Blast/Plague Blast: Fixed a bug that caused the projectiles fired from these skills to not deal damage to the caster if they were reflected.
  • Signet of Vampirism: Healing from the active portion of this skill will now heal players while in shroud.
  • Plague: This skill is now considered a corruption skill and applies 1 stack of bleeding for 2 seconds every second it is active on you.
    • Removed extraneous poison skill facts from Withering Plague, Plague of Darkness, and Plague of Pestilence.
  • Plague Signet: Reduced recharge to 30 seconds. Reduced number of conditions transferred by the active component to 5 (previously all).
  • Rending Claws: The animation for this skill no longer hides your off-hand weapon.
  • Signet of the Locust: Reduced recharge to 30 seconds. Increased range to 600.
  • Signet of Undeath: This skill now has a small strike of damage to foes within its area of effect.
  • Spectral Walk: This skill can no longer be activated while in midair.
  • Unholy Feast: Instead of removing a boon, this skill now converts a boon to a condition on struck foes.
  • Mark of Blood: This skill has been combined and now applies 2 stacks of bleeding for 8 seconds in all game modes.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Spite:
Minor:

  • Reaper’s Might: Shroud skill 1 grants 1 stack of might for 15 seconds.
  • Death’s Embrace: Increases damage while downed by 25%. Striking foes below 33% health inflicts 1 stack of vulnerability for 5 seconds.
  • Siphoned Power: Striking a foe below 50% health grants 2 stacks of might for 10 seconds. Internal cooldown: 1 second.

Adept:

  • Spiteful Talisman: Reduces focus skill recharges by 20%. Increases damage to foes with no boons by 5%.
  • Spiteful Renewal: Striking a foe below 25% health consumes a condition from you and heals you when the condition is removed. Internal cooldown: 5 seconds.
  • Bitter Chill: Inflicting chill on a foe also inflicts 3 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds.

Master:

  • Chill of Death: Cast the focus skill Spinal Shivers when attacking a foe below 50% health. This trait now benefits from the recharge bonus of Spiteful Talisman.
  • Rending Shroud: While in shroud, apply 3 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds to foes around you.
  • Unholy Fervor: Reduces recharge of axe skills by 20% and deals 10% more damage to vulnerable foes.

Grandmaster:

  • Signets of Suffering: Reduces recharge of signet skills by 20%. Signets grant 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds on casting and convert up to 2 boons on affected foes to conditions.
  • Close to Death: Damage you deal to foes below 50% health is increased by 20%.
  • Spiteful Spirit: Entering shroud casts the axe skill Unholy Feast. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus of Unholy Fervor.

Curses:
Minor:

  • Barbed Precision: Critical hits have a 33% chance to inflict bleeding. The duration of your applied bleeding stacks is increased by 20%.
  • Furious Demise: When you enter shroud, gain fury for 5 seconds.
  • Target the Weak: Your critical-hit chance is increased by 2% for each condition on your target. Additionally you gain condition damage equal to 13% of your precision.

Adept:

  • Terrifying Descent: When you take falling damage, inflict fear for 1 second on nearby foes. Reduces fall damage by 50%.
  • Plague Sending: When you have 3 or more conditions on you, your next critical hit casts Plague Signet on your target. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus of Signets of Suffering.
  • Chilling Darkness: Blinding a foe inflicts chill on them for 2 seconds.

Master:

  • Master of Corruption: Reduces recharge of corruption skills by 33%, but causes corruption skills to apply additional conditions to you when cast. Condition applied varies per skill.
  • Path of Corruption: Shroud Skill 2 converts boons on struck foes to conditions.
  • Terror: Causes fear to deal damage per second, scaling with your condition damage stat. Damage is increased against foes that have at least one other condition on them.

Grandmaster:

  • Weakening Shroud: Critical hits inflict weakness for 5 seconds. When you enter shroud, cast Enfeeble on nearby foes (Enfeeble is functionally identical to the dagger skill Enfeebling Blood). Internal cooldown: 10 seconds.
  • Parasitic Contagion: You are healed for 10% of your outgoing condition damage.
  • Lingering Curse: Gain 150 condition damage while wielding a scepter. The base duration of all scepter conditions is increased by 100%.

Death Magic:
Minor:

  • Armored Shroud: Gain 180 toughness while in shroud.
  • Soul Comprehension: Increases life force gain from nearby deaths by 20%. Fixed a bug that caused this trait to affect all life-force gain instead of only life-force gain from deaths.
  • Beyond the Veil: When you exit shroud, you and all your minions gain protection for 3 seconds.

Adept:

  • Flesh of the Master: Minions have 50% more health and grant you 20 toughness for each one you control. All your minions are destroyed if this trait is reassigned while you have active minions.
  • Shrouded Removal: Remove a condition when you enter shroud and every 3 seconds that you remain in shroud.
  • Putrid Defense: Poisoned foes deal 10% less damage to you.

Master:

  • Necromantic Corruption: Increases minion damage by 25%. Every 10 seconds, your minions will take one condition from you. Minions transfer conditions when they hit with attacks—this can only occur once every 10 seconds per minion.
  • Reaper’s Protection: If you are inflicted with a crowd-control effect, you inflict fear for 2 seconds on nearby foes. Added taunt to the list of crowd-control effects that trigger this trait. Internal cooldown: 60 seconds.
  • Deadly Strength: Gain power equal to 7% of your toughness. If you are in shroud, this value is doubled.

Grandmaster:

  • Death Nova: Minions explode in a cloud of poison when they die. This effect also occurs if you are downed. When you kill a foe, summon a jagged horror—this effect can only occur once every 15 seconds.
  • Corrupter’s Fervor: Whenever you apply a condition to a foe, gain a stack of Corrupter’s Fervor for 8 seconds, granting 30 toughness and 2% reduced incoming condition damage per stack (maximum 10 stacks).
  • Unholy Sanctuary: Heal every second while you are in shroud. If you would take fatal damage and you have at least 10% life force, you enter shroud instead. Internal cooldown: 30 seconds.

Blood Magic:
Minor:

  • Mark of Evasion: Cast Mark of Blood when you dodge roll. Internal cooldown: 8 seconds.
  • Vampiric: You siphon health with your attacks. Your minions siphon health and give it to you.
  • Last Rites: Gain increasing healing power based on how low your health is. Other allies near you do not bleed out while downed (combat only).

Adept:

  • Ritual of Life: Revive allies 10% faster. When you start reviving an ally, cast Well of Blood. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus of Vampiric wells.
  • Quickening Thirst: Reduces recharge of dagger skills by 33% if used while you are over 75% health. Move 25% faster while wielding at least one dagger.
  • Blood Bond: When you inflict at least 4 stacks of bleeding to a single target, cast Lesser Signet of Vampirism on them. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus of Signets of Suffering.

Master:

  • Life from Death: When you exit shroud, you heal and partially revive allies around you.
  • Banshee’s Wail: Reduces recharge of warhorn skills by 20% and increases effect durations for warhorn skills by 50%.
  • Vampiric Presence: You and allies near you siphon health with attacks (combat only). This effect stacks with the siphoning granted by Vampiric.

Grandmaster:

  • Vampiric Rituals: Reduces recharge of well skills by 20%. Wells siphon health for you every pulse and grant protection to allies when cast.
  • Unholy Martyr: When you first enter shroud, and every few seconds afterward, remove conditions from nearby allies. Whenever a condition is drawn in this way, gain 10% life force. Fixed a bug that caused this trait to function inconsistently with multiple allies.
  • Transfusion: Shroud Skill 4 heals and partially revives nearby allies. Additionally, you teleport up to 5 nearby downed allies to your location while channeling this skill.

Soul Reaping:
Minor:

  • Gluttony: Increases life force gain from skills by 10%.
  • Last Gasp: When you take damage while below 50% health, cast Spectral Armor on yourself. This trait benefits from the recharge bonus of Spectral Mastery.
  • Strength of Undeath: Increases maximum life force pool by 15%. While above 50% life force, you deal 5% additional damage.

Adept:

  • Unyielding Blast: Shroud Skill 1 pierces and inflicts 2 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds to targets it hits. Increased number of targets pierced from 4 to 5.
  • Soul Marks: Mark skills are now unblockable and generate 3% life force when triggered.
  • Speed of Shadows: Increases movement speed while in shroud by 25%, and decreases recharge of shroud by 30%.

Master:

  • Spectral Mastery: Reduces recharge of spectral skills by 20%, and increases duration by 50%. Additionally, when you activate a spectral skill, you gain 5% life force.
  • Vital Persistence: Life force drains 50% slower while in shroud, and the recharge of shroud skills is reduced by 15%.
  • Fear of Death: Fear duration is 50% longer. When you are downed, inflict fear on foes around you for 1 second.

Grandmaster:

  • Foot in the Grave: When you enter shroud, gain 1 stack of stability for 3 seconds and break out of stun.
  • Death Perception: While you are in shroud, you have an additional 50% critical-hit chance.
  • Dhuumfire: Shroud Skill 1 inflicts 1 stack of burning for 3 seconds when it hits.

Ranger
General

  • All ranger pets now gain an additional 150 power, vitality, toughness, and precision at level 80.
  • Ranger Longbow skill range is now 1500.
  • All ranger longbow skills have had their velocity increased 100%.
  • All ranger traps now have a 0.5 second arming time.
  • All ranger traps now have a trigger radius of 180 and an effect radius of 240.

Skills

  • Stalkers Strike: This skill now applies 3 stacks of poison for 8 seconds.
  • Poison Volley: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Serpent’s Strike: Increased the number of poison stacks from 1 stack for 6 seconds to 2 stacks for 6 seconds. Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Viper’s Nest: This skill now applies 3 stacks of poison for 5 seconds every pulse. The pulse strike damage on this skill has been increased.
  • Flame Trap: Increased the duration from 1 second to 2.5 seconds per pulse.
  • Spike Trap: Now has a knockdown component on initial trap trigger. Bleeding stacks increased to 6 and duration increased to 6.25 seconds. Crippled duration increased to 2.66 seconds.
  • Frost Trap: Trap duration once triggered has been decreased from 5 seconds to 3 seconds. The chill duration per pulse has been increased to 3 seconds. This skill has gained a pulse damage component.
  • All ranger spirits have had their chance-on-hit effects increased to 75%.
  • The recharge of all nonelite ranger spirits has been reduced to 20 seconds.
  • All ranger spirit’s active abilities have had their maximum targets increased to 5.
  • All ranger spirit’s active abilities are more potent and sacrifice the spirit.
  • Water Spirit: The casting time from the water spirit’s active ability has been removed.
  • Sun Spirit: This spirit’s boon now applies 2 stacks of burning for 3 seconds. The activate ability now inflicts 3 stacks of burning for 5 seconds and its bind duration has been increased to 8 seconds.
  • Frost Spirit: The activate ability now initially inflicts 3 seconds of chill.
  • Storm Spirit: The activate ability now inflicts a 3-second daze.
  • Throw Torch: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 6 seconds.
  • Bonfire: Increased the burning from 1 second to 3 seconds per pulse.
  • Swoop: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Kick: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Pounce: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Hornet Sting: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Monarch’s Leap: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Ink Blast: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Dart: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Guard! no longer has a casting time.
  • Quickening Zephyr: Healing is no longer reduced by 50%. Gain super speed in addition to quickness when activating this ability.
  • Lightning Reflexes: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • We Heal as One!: This skill is now a shout skill.
  • Rampage as One: This skill is now a shout skill and has been renamed to “Strength of the Pack!”
  • Troll Unguent: This skill is now a survival skill.
  • Healing Spring: This skill is now a trap skill and is triggered by allied players entering it.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Marksmanship:
Minors:

  • Opening Strike: Cause 5 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds with your first strike upon entering combat.
  • Alpha Training: Your pets gain Opening Strike.
  • Precise Strike: Your opening strike always critically hits.

Adept:

  • Enlargement: When your health drops below 50%, you cast Signet of the Wild.
  • Predator’s Instinct: Apply 10 seconds of crippled to foes below 50% when you strike them. This trait has a 30-second internal cooldown.
  • Clarion Bond: Cast Call of the Wild when you swap pets.

Master:

  • Brutish Seals: Activating a signet grants 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds to you and your pet. Your signets gain 20% recharge reduction.
  • Steady Focus: Deal 10% increased damage when at full endurance.
  • Moment of Clarity: When you interrupt a foe, you and your pet’s next attacks deal 150% more damage. Your daze and stun durations are increased by 100%.

Grandmaster:

  • Predator’s Onslaught: You and your pet deal 10% increased damage to foes affected by disables or movement-impairing abilities.
  • Remorseless: Regain opening strike whenever you gain fury. Your opening strike deals 25% more damage.
  • Lead the Wind: While wielding a longbow, your attack speed is increased by 10% and your arrows pierce. Longbow and harpoon-gun skills recharge 20% faster.

Skirmishing:
Minor:

  • Tail Wind: Gain 9 seconds of swiftness by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9-second internal cooldown.
  • Furious Grip: Gain 5 seconds of fury by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9-second internal cooldown.
  • Hunter’s Tactics: Increase your chance to critically strike by 10% when attacking from behind or the side.

Adept:

  • Sharpened Edges: You and your pet have a 66% chance to cause 3 seconds of bleeding when you critically strike.
  • Primal Reflexes: When you successfully evade an attack, gain 5 seconds of vigor. This trait has an 8 second internal cooldown.
  • Trapper’s Expertise: Boons and conditions caused by your traps last 60% longer. Your traps recharge 20% faster, and your offensive traps inflict 2 seconds of crippled.

Master:

  • Spotter: Nearby allies gain up to 150 precision.
  • Strider’s Defense: Your melee attacks have a 25% chance to destroy projectiles. Your sword skills recharge 20% faster.
  • Hidden Barbs: Bleeding you cause deals 33% more damage.

Grandmaster:

  • Quick Draw: Combat only. Upon swapping weapons, your next ranger weapon skill used has 66% reduced recharge. This trait has a 9-second internal cooldown.
  • Light on Your Feet: After dodging, your damage and condition duration is increased by 5% for the next 4 seconds. Short-bow skills recharge 20% faster and pierce.
  • Most Dangerous Game: While your health is below 50%, you gain a stack of might for 8 seconds every second.

Wilderness Survival:
Minor:

  • Natural Vigor: Increases your endurance regeneration by 20%.
  • Companion’s Defense: Combat only. You and your pet gain 2 seconds of protection when you dodge roll.
  • Bark Skin: You take 33% less damage and your pet takes 50% less damage while your health is above 90%.

Adept:

  • Soften the Fall: You take 50% less damage from falling. When you take falling damage, you create muddy ground.
  • Oakheart Salve: Gain 5 seconds of regeneration when you suffer from bleeding, poison, or burning. While under the effects of regeneration, you take 5% less damage. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Expertise Training: Your pet gains up to 300 condition damage based on level and their conditions last 20% longer.

Master:

  • Ambidexterity: Gain up to 150 condition damage when wielding a torch or dagger. Your torch and dagger skills recharge 20% faster.
  • Refined Toxins: While you are above 90% health, your strikes inflict 6 seconds of poison. While your pet’s health is above 90%, its strikes inflict 6 seconds of poison. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Shared Anguish: Incoming disables (stun, taunt, daze, knockdown, knockback, pull, sink, float, fear, or launch) are transferred to your pet. This trait has a 60-second internal cooldown.

Grandmaster_:_

  • Empathic Bond: Pets take 3 conditions from you every 10 seconds.
  • Wilderness Knowledge: Survival skills have 20% reduced recharge, grant 6 seconds of fury, and remove 2 conditions.
  • Poison Master: When you swap pets, your pet’s next attack will inflict 2 stacks of poison for 8 seconds. Your poison damage is increased by 25%.

Nature Magic:
Minor:

  • Rejuvenation: When you receive damage while below 50%, gain 6 seconds of regeneration. This trait has an 18-second internal cooldown.
  • Fortifying Bond: Any boon you gain is shared with your pet.
  • Lingering Magic: Boons you apply last 20% longer. Boons your pet applies last 50% longer.

Adept:

  • Bountiful Hunter: You and your pet deal 1% more damage per boon on you.
  • Instinctive Reaction: When your health drops below 50%, gain 3 seconds of quickness. Gain 7% of your healing power as power.
  • Allies’ Aid: When you begin reviving an ally, you use “Search and Rescue!” on them. You gain 10% increased revive speed.

Master:

  • Evasive Purity: Dodging removes blindness, crippled, and poison from you. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Vigorous Training: Your pets grant 6 seconds of vigor to allies near them when you swap pets.
  • Windborne Notes: Call of the Wild also grants 10 seconds of regeneration. Your warhorn skills recharge 20% faster.

Grandmaster:

  • Nature’s Vengeance: Each of your spirits pulses 1.25 seconds of a particular boon every 3 seconds. Your spirits gain 100% increased health. The range of spirit-activated abilities is increased by 50%.
  • Protective Ward: When you receive damage, inflict 6 seconds of weakness on foes near you and gain 4.75 seconds of protection. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Invigorating Bond: Your pet’s Command skill (F2) also heals allies in an area around them. This trait has a 20-second internal cooldown.

Beastmastery:
Minor:

  • Pack Alpha: Your pet gains up to 150 power, precision, toughness, and vitality, and their skills recharge 20% faster.
  • Loud Whistle: While your health is above 90%, your pet deals 10% more damage. Your pet swap recharges 20% faster.
  • Pet’s Prowess: Your pets move 30% faster and gain up to 300 ferocity.

Adept:

  • Go for the Eyes: Your pet gains up to 300 toughness. Your pet’s Command skill (F2) causes 5 seconds of blindness to foes around it.
  • Companion’s Might: Your critical hits grant 5 seconds of might to your pet. Critical strikes from your pet’s basic attack cause 6 seconds of bleeding.
  • Resounding Timbre: Your shouts apply 10 seconds of regeneration and 10 seconds of swiftness to nearby allies. Your shouts recharge 20% faster.

Master:

  • Wilting Strike: Your pet inflicts 4 seconds of weakness when you activate its Command skill (F2).
  • Two-Handed Training: Greatsword and spear damage is increased by 5%, and those skills recharge 20% faster. Greatsword and spear hits have a 50% chance to gain 3 seconds of fury. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Natural Healing: Your pet gains natural health recovery and their healing power is increased by up to 450.

Grandmaster:

  • Beastly Warden: Your pet’s Command skill (F2) causes 2 seconds of taunt to foes around it. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Zephyr’s Speed: Combat only. When you swap pets, you and your pet gain 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds and 3 seconds of quickness.
  • Honed Axes: Gain up to 150 ferocity while wielding an axe in your main hand. Winter’s Bite now inflicts its effects in an area at your target’s location.

Pets

  • Juvenile Forest Spider—Deadly Venom: Increased the poison duration from 6 seconds to 12 seconds.
  • Juvenile Carrion Devourer:
    • Poisonous Cloud: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
    • Twin Darts: Increased the poison duration from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.

Thief
General:

  • Steal: This ability has now been split between F1 and F2. The steal button remains at its default F1 position, whereas stolen items are now located in the F2 slot. Stealing while the F2 slot is filled will overwrite the currently existing stolen item if the slot already has an item in it.
  • Steal has had its base range increased from 900 to 1200.
  • Steal recharge has been reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.

Skills

  • Haste: This ability no longer removes endurance. Gain fury in addition to quickness when activating this ability.
  • Withdraw: This ability is now a trick. Increased the recharge of this ability from 15 to 18. Healing (both base and healing power) coefficients have been increased by 10%.
  • Dagger Storm: This ability is now classified as a trick.
  • Hide in Shadows: This ability is now classified as a deception.
  • Thieves Guild: This ability is now classified as a deception.
  • Tripwire: This trap no longer deals strike damage, which would previously bring the thief out of stealth.
  • Needle Trap: This trap no longer deals minimal strike damage, which would previously bring the thief out of stealth.
  • Cloak and Dagger: This ability has been combined and its damage normalized. Damage of this ability has decreased by approximately 17% in PvE and increased by 25% in PvP.
  • Combined Training: This effects of this trait have been included by default on all dual-wield skills. All skills categorized as dual-wield have received a 5% damage increase.
  • Residual Venom: The effects of this trait have been included by default on all venom skills. All venoms now naturally have one additional charge.
  • Basilisk Venom: Stun duration reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second.
  • Devourer Venom: Immobilized duration reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second.
  • Needle Trap: Increased the poison duration from 6 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Lotus Strike: Increased the poison duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.
  • Venomous Knife: This skill now applies 2 stacks of poison for 8 seconds.
  • Escape: Increased the poison duration from 1 second to 2 seconds. Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Serpent’s Touch: This skill now applies 2 stacks of poison for 10 seconds.
  • Choking Gas: Decreased the poison duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
  • Disabling Shot: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Flanking Strike: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Heartseeker: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Withdraw: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Roll for Initiative: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.

Thief Stolen Bundles

  • Healing Seed (stolen from rangers): The duration of this ability has been reduced from 10 seconds to 5 seconds. Pulses now occur every 1 second, down from every 2 seconds.
  • Skull Fear (stolen from necromancers): The duration of fear has been reduced from 3, 2, and 1 seconds to 2, 1.5, and 1 seconds, respectively.
  • Mace Head Crack (stolen from guardians): The duration of daze from this ability has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Deadly Arts:
Minor:

  • Serpent’s Touch: Stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison for 10 seconds. Your attacks while in the downed state apply 2 seconds of poison.
  • Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when you poison them.
  • Exposed Weakness: Deal 10% more damage if your target has a condition.

Adept:

  • Dagger Training: Dagger attacks have a 33% chance to poison enemies for 2 seconds.
  • Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing. This attack cannot critically hit enemies.
  • Trapper’s Respite: Drop a needle trap when you heal. This effect has a 10-second internal cooldown.

Master:

  • Deadly Trapper: Traps cause 5 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds to enemies affected, while granting you 5 stacks of might for 8 seconds. Trap recharges are reduced by 20%.
  • Panic Strike: Striking a foe that is below the health threshold immobilizes them for 2.5 seconds. This trait has a 20-second internal cooldown.
  • Revealed Training: Gain up to 200 extra power while you are revealed, based on current level.

Grandmaster:

  • Potent Poison: Poison you apply has a 33% increased duration and deals 10% more damage.
  • Improvisation: One random skill category is immediately recharged when you steal. You can use stolen items twice.
  • Executioner: Deal 20% extra damage when your target is below the health threshold. (Formerly Critical Strikes)

Critical Strikes:
Minor:

  • Keen Observer: Critical-hit chance is increased by 5% while your health is above the 90% threshold.
  • Unrelenting Strikes: Gain fury for 4 seconds when striking a foe whose health is below 50% health. This effect has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Ferocious Strikes: Critical damage is increased by 10% to foes above the 50% health threshold.

Adept:

  • Side Strike: Gain 7% bonus critical-hit chance when hitting a foe from behind or the side.
  • Signets of Power: Activating a signet grants 5 stacks of might for 10 seconds. Signet recharges are reduced by 20%.
  • Flawless Strike: Critical damage is increased by 7% when your health is above the 90% threshold.

Master:

  • Sundering Strikes: Critical hits have a chance to cause 6 seconds of vulnerability. (Formerly from Deadly Arts)
  • Practiced Tolerance: Gain ferocity based on your precision at a rate of 10%.
  • Ankle Shots: Critical hits with pistols and harpoon guns have a 60% chance to inflict crippled on foes, with an 8-second cooldown. Pistol and harpoon-gun attacks deal 10% increased damage to crippled foes.

Grandmaster:

  • No Quarter: Landing a critical hit while under the effect of fury extends the duration of fury by 2 seconds (this effect has a 2-second internal cooldown). Gain up to 250 ferocity (based on level) while under the effects of fury.
  • Hidden Killer: Gain 100% bonus critical-hit chance while in stealth.
  • Invigorating Precision: You are healed for 15% of outgoing critical-hit damage.

Shadow Arts
Minor:

  • Merciful Ambush: Stealth yourself and your target for 3 seconds when reviving an ally. You revive allies 10% faster. (Formerly Adept Trickery)
  • Meld with Shadows: Stealth from your abilities lasts 1 second longer.
  • Resilience of Shadows: Stealth effects that you apply reduce incoming attack damage by 25%. (Formerly Shadow Arts Grandmaster)

Adept:

  • Last Refuge: Use Blinding Powder when you are struck while below 25% health.
  • Concealed Defeat: Create a Smoke Screen when downed. Deception abilities recharge 20% faster. (Formerly Adept Critical Strikes)
  • Shadow’s Embrace: Remove 1 condition every 3 seconds while in stealth.

Master:

  • Shadow Protector: When you grant stealth to an ally, they gain 3 seconds of regeneration. This effect no longer has an internal cooldown.
  • Hidden Thief: Gain stealth for 2 seconds when stealing from an enemy (automatically affected by Meld with Shadows).
  • Leeching Venoms: Siphon life from your foes when triggering a venom. This can only occur once per strike. Gain 2 stacks of might for 20 seconds when activating a venom.

Grandmaster:

  • Cloaked in Shadow: Gaining stealth blinds nearby foes for 5 seconds. Release a blinding powder when you take falling damage. You take 50% less damage from falling.
  • Shadow’s Rejuvenation: Regenerate health and initiative while in stealth.
  • Venomous Aura: When you use a venom skill, you apply the effect to all nearby allies as well. Venom recharges are reduced by 20%.

Acrobatics:
Minor:

  • Expeditious Dodger: Gain 2 seconds of swiftness upon dodging.
  • Feline Grace: Gain 2 seconds of vigor upon successfully evading an attack. This effect has a 1-second internal cooldown.
  • Endless Stamina: The effects of vigor on you are enhanced by 50%.

Adept:

  • Fleet Shadow: Move 50% faster while in stealth.
  • Vigorous Recovery: Gain vigor for 5 seconds when using a healing skill.
  • Pain Response: Gain regeneration for 10 seconds and remove damaging conditions when struck while below 75% health.

Master:

  • Guarded Initiation: Remove vulnerability, weakness, and slow from yourself when striking an enemy while above the 90% health threshold.
  • Swindler’s Equilibrium: Successfully evading an attack while wielding a sword recharges steal by 1 second. This effect has a 1-second internal cooldown.
  • Hard to Catch: Break stun and refill endurance when you are disabled (stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, fear, taunt, or launch).

Grandmaster:

  • Assassin’s Reward: Heal yourself whenever you use a skill that uses initiative. Heal yourself for each point of initiative spent.
  • Upper Hand: Gain one initiative when you evade an attack. This effect has a 3-second internal cooldown.
  • Don’t Stop: The effects of crippled and chilled on you are reduced by 50%, meaning your movement is decreased by 25% and 33% respectively, rather than 50% and 66%. If you would become immobilized, you are instead crippled for 4 seconds. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

Trickery:
Minor:

  • Kleptomaniac: Stealing grants you 2 initiative.
  • Preparedness: Increases maximum initiative by 3.
  • Lead Attacks: Increases damage by 1% per initiative. Steal recharges 15% faster.

Adept:

  • Uncatchable: Leave behind caltrops when you dodge.
  • Flanking Strike: Gain haste when attacking a foe from behind or the side.
  • Thrill of the Crime: When you steal, you and all nearby allies gain fury, might, and swiftness for 10 seconds.

Master:

  • Bountiful Theft: Stealing grants you and all nearby allies vigor. You rip boons from your target and grant them to nearby allies.
    • This trait now affects the slow and resistance boons.
  • Trickster: Reduce recharge on tricks. Tricks remove 1 condition when used.
  • Pressure Striking: Enemies you interrupt are inflicted with 3 stacks of torment for 5 seconds.

Grandmaster:

  • Quick Pockets: While in combat, gain 3 initiative when swapping weapons.
  • Sleight of Hand: Daze enemies for 1 second when stealing. Steal’s recharge is reduced by 20%.
  • Bewildering Ambush: Stealing also applies 5 stacks of confusion for 5 seconds.

Warrior
General

  • Using a burst skill for your equipped weapon will now set the recharge of all adrenaline tiers of that burst skill.
  • The recharge of all burst skills has been reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Starting PvE heal has been changed to Mending.

Skills

  • Longbow weapon skill range has been increased to 1200.
  • Burst skill recharge has been reduced to 8 seconds.
  • Fan of Fire: Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 2 seconds.
  • Combustive Shot: Increased the burning duration from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Whirlwind Attack: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rush: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Earthshaker: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Savage Leap: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Tsunami Slash: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Bull’s Charge: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Kick: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rampage: This skill is now a physical skill. Decreased the pulsing stability from 3 stacks for 3 seconds to 2 stacks for 3 seconds.
  • Rampage—Kick: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rampage—Dash: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Rampage—Seismic Leap: Movement-speed adjustments no longer affect the intended travel distance.
  • Shield Stance: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to show 2 icons for the block effect when affected by traits.
  • Defiant Stance: Decreased the recharge from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
  • Charge: Decreased the number of targets from 10 to 5.
  • Healing Surge: This skill is now a shout and has been renamed to “To the Limit!”
  • “To the Limit!”: Heal yourself, and regain all adrenaline. Up to 5 allies within a radius of 600 gain 25 endurance.
  • Frenzy: Removed the drawback from this skill. This skill now grants 5 stacks of might.
  • Healing Signet: Activating this signet now grants 6 seconds of resistance.

Traits (This system has undergone significant changes. The following traits are a full representation of the new core specialization lines.)
Strength
Minor

  • Reckless Dodge: Deal damage to foes at the end of your dodge roll.
  • Building Momentum: Burst skills restore 15 endurance if they hit.
  • Stick and Move: Deal 10% more damage while your endurance is not full.

Adept

  • Death from Above: Falling damage reduced by 50%. When you take falling damage launch foes away from your point of impact.
  • Restorative Strength: Gain 5 stacks of might for 6 seconds when you use a healing skill.
  • Peak Performance: Reduces the recharge of physical skills by 20%. Physical skills deal 10% more damage for each bar of adrenaline you have accrued.

Master

  • Body Blow: Stuns, dazes, knockbacks, and knockdowns inflict weakness for 3 seconds and 2 stacks of bleeding for 6 seconds.
  • Forceful Greatsword: Reduces the recharge of greatsword and spear skills by 20% and increases damage of greatsword and spear skills by 10%. Additionally when you land a critical hit with these weapons you gain 1 stack of might for 5 seconds.
  • Great Fortitude: Gain vitality equal to 10% of your power.

Grandmaster

  • Berserker’s Power: Gain a 10%, 15%, or 20% damage boost for 10 seconds after using a burst skill based on how much adrenaline was spent.
  • Distracting Strikes: Interrupts inflict 4 stacks of confusion for 8 seconds.
  • Axe Mastery: Recharge on axe skills is reduced by 20% and gain 150 ferocity for each axe you are wielding. When you critically hit with an axe, you gain 2 additional adrenaline.

Arms
Minor

  • Precise Strikes: Your critical hits have a 33% chance to inflict 1 stack of bleeding for 4 seconds.
  • Rending Strikes: Your critical hits have a 33% chance to inflict 1 stack of vulnerability for 8 seconds.
  • Bloodlust: Deal 5% additional damage to bleeding foes. Bleeding you inflict lasts 33% longer.

Adept

  • Berserker’s Fury: Gain 2 adrenaline every 3 seconds while in combat. Striking a foe below 25% health grants fury for 5 seconds (with a 10-second cooldown).
  • Signet Mastery: Reduces recharge on signet skills by 20%. When you activate a signet, gain a stacking 100 precision benefit for 1 minute (maximum 5 stacks). Striking a foe below 50% health activates Signet of Might.
  • Opportunist: Immobilizing a target grants fury for 10 seconds. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.

Master

  • Unsuspecting Foe: Gain 50% increased critical-hit chance against stunned foes.
  • Deep Strike: Fury you apply also grants 150 condition damage.
  • Blademaster: Reduces recharge on sword skills by 20%. Sword skills have a 20% increased critical hit chance against bleeding foes.

Grandmaster

  • Burst Precision: Burst skills have a 100% critical-hit chance.
  • Furious: Gain 1 additional adrenaline when you critically hit. Additionally, you gain 10 seconds of Furious Surge whenever you critically hit which increases condition damage by 10 per stack (maximum 25 stacks).
  • Dual Wielding: Increases attack speed by 15% while wielding a sword, axe, or mace in your off-hand weapon.

Defense
Minor

  • Thick Skin: Gain 120 toughness while you are above 90% health.
  • Adrenal Health: Heal every 3 seconds based on your current adrenaline level.
  • Spiked Armor: Gain 150 toughness while you have retaliation. Suffering a critical hit grants you retaliation for 5 seconds. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.

Adept

  • Shield Master: Reduces recharge on shield skills by 20%. Blocking an attack grants 1 stack of might for 8 seconds. If you block a missile attack, you reflect it instead.
  • Dogged March: Chilled, crippled, and immobilized have their durations reduced by 33% when applied to you. Gain regeneration for 3 seconds whenever one of these conditions is applied to you. This trait has a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • Cull the Weak: Deal 5% more damage to weakened foes. Striking a foe without weakness that is below 25% health inflicts weakness on them for 3 seconds.

Master

  • Defy Pain: Cast Endure Pain if you take damage while below 25% health. This trait benefits from the duration bonus provided by Last Stand.
  • Armored Attack: Gain power equal to 10% of your toughness.
  • Sundering Mace: Reduces recharge on mace weapon skills by 20%. Mace skills apply 5 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds whenever they hit a foe that is dazed, launched, knocked down, or stunned.

Grandmaster

  • Last Stand: Gain vigor for 6 seconds whenever you activate a stance. Stance durations last 25% longer. If you are affected by a crowd-control skill, cast Balanced Stance.
  • Cleansing Ire: Gain 1 adrenaline whenever you are hit. Remove 1 condition per bar of adrenaline spent when activating a burst skill.
  • Rousing Resilience: Gain 1000 toughness for 8 seconds and heal yourself whenever you break out of a stun.

Tactics
Minor

  • Determined Revival: Gain 400 toughness while reviving an ally.
  • Reviver’s Might: When you successfully revive an ally, nearby allies gain 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds.
  • Inspiring Presence: Might you apply grants 10 healing power per stack.

Adept

  • Leg Specialist: Inflicting crippled on a foe also inflicts immobilized for 1 second, with a 5-second internal cooldown.
  • Quick Breathing: Reduces the recharge of warhorn skills by 20% and causes warhorn skills to remove 1 condition from affected allies.
  • Empowered: Deal 1% additional damage for each boon on you.

Master

  • Shrug It Off: Cast “Shake It Off!” when you have at least 1 condition on you. This trait benefits from the bonuses provided by Vigorous Shouts.
  • Burning Arrows: Reduces recharge of longbow skills by 20%. Dual Shot inflicts 2 stacks of burning for 1 second.
  • Empower Allies: Nearby allies gain 150 power (combat only).

Grandmaster

  • Powerful Synergy: Whenever you activate a leap finisher, it activates twice.
  • Vigorous Shouts: Reduces recharge of shout skills by 20%. Shouts heal allies in their radius and grant you 5 adrenaline.
  • Phalanx Strength: Whenever you give yourself might, you also apply 1 stack of might for 6 seconds to nearby allies.

Discipline
Minor

  • Versatile Rage: Gain 5 adrenaline when you swap weapons.
  • Fast Hands: Reduces recharge of weapon swap by 5 seconds.
  • Versatile Power: Gain 2 stacks of might for 10 seconds whenever you swap weapons (combat only). Burst skill recharge is reduced by 15%.

Adept

  • Crack Shot: Reduces recharge of rifle and harpoon gun weapon skills by 20%. Rifle and harpoon gun shots pierce.
  • Warrior’s Sprint: Move 25% faster while wielding melee weapons. Using a movement skill removes the immobilized condition.
  • Vengeful Return: The Vengeance downed skill will cause you to rally you if you kill a foe while it is active. When you rally, you regain 25% additional health and 100 endurance.

Master

  • Inspiring Battle Standard: Banners apply regeneration for 3 seconds every 3 seconds to allies in their radius while they are active.
  • Destruction of the Empowered: Deal 3% additional damage to foes for each boon they have on them.
  • Brawler’s Recovery: Remove 1 condition whenever you swap weapons (combat only).

Grandmaster

  • Merciless Hammer: Reduces recharge of hammer weapon skills by 20%. Hammer skills deal 20% more damage to stunned, dazed, knocked down, or launched foes.
  • Heightened Focus: Striking a foe below 50% health grants quickness for 4 seconds. This trait has a 15-second internal cooldown.
  • Burst Mastery: Burst skills deal 7% more damage. Regain 3, 7, or 10 adrenaline when using a burst skill based on the amount of adrenaline spent.

Structured Player vs. Player
World vs. World
BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

  • For one day only, the White Feather Wing Backpack is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 500 gems.
  • The new Gallant weapon set is available at Black Lion Weapons Specialists for the limited-time price of one complete Black Lion Claim Ticket from a Black Lion Chest. Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.
  • The Black Lion Chest has been updated.
    • The Toy Miniature Egg has been added as an uncommon drop, which contains one random miniature from sets 1, 2, or 3.
    • Raven and Parrot mail carriers have had their rarity increased.
  • The Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™ Deluxe upgrade is available in the Upgrades category of the Gem Store for 2400 gems. This is only available to players who have already purchased the standard version of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

Improvements

  • Black Lion Weapons Specialists in home cities and trading outposts have been simplified and will now only show the four most recent weapon sets.
    • Additional weapon sets can be viewed and purchased by visiting the vendors inside the new Black Lion Vaults in Lion’s Arch.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug in which the animation for the Black Feather Wings Backpack caused them to appear too rigid.

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed a server crash.
  • Fixed a client crash.

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Gaile Gray

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Gaile Gray

ArenaNet Communications Manager

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Bug Fixes:

General

  • Fixed a bug in which received whispers were not displaying properly in the chat window.
  • Seraph guard: Removed the conversation option that points to profession trainers, as they no longer exist.
  • Fixed a bug that caused bandit crests to drop at inappropriate rates from Mordremoth’s champion during the Breach events.
  • Fixed a crash that occurred in PvP when attempting to spectate other players.
  • Minor traits will no longer appear locked when logging in to PvP for the first time after the update.

Professions

Guardian

  • Glacial Heart: Added a skill fact for reduced recharge. Fixed a bug so that this will correctly apply the reduced recharge to hammer skills.

Mesmer

  • Maim the Disillusioned: Reduced the torment from 2 stacks for 6 seconds to 1 stack for 6 seconds.

Necromancer

  • Signets of Suffering: This trait will now only grant might when a signet is successfully cast.

Ranger

  • Instinctive Reaction: Added a health-threshold skill fact.

Thief

  • Don’t Stop: This trait no longer grants stability when revealed is applied.
  • Backstab: This will now only apply revealed when you hit a foe.
  • No Quarter: Instead of extending the duration of a single stack of fury, this trait will now apply its own stacks of fury to avoid allowing fury to reach unintended durations.

Warrior

  • Berserker’s Power: You are now required to hit with the burst skill. This will trigger in the same way as the trait Cleansing Ire.
Gaile Gray
Communications Manager
Guild & Fansite Relations; In-Game Events
ArenaNet

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Bug Fixes:
General

  • Fixed server crashes.
  • Fixed a crash involving the WvW Spring 2014 Tournament ticket mail.
  • Fixed a bug that caused bonus chests awarded from some events to display incorrect descriptions.
  • Fixed a bug in PvP in which profession, level, and health information for some party members displayed incorrectly.
  • Fixed a bug that caused some skills to affect more targets than intended.
  • Warden: Removed a conversation option that referenced profession trainers that no longer exist.

Professions

Engineer

  • Shrapnel: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from functioning properly with all of the Elite Mortar Kit skills.
  • Streamlined Kits: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait’s recharge from triggering properly when equipping Elite Mortar Kit.
  • Mortar Shot: Reduced the damage by 28%.
  • Automated Medical Response: This trait now correctly recharges Med Kit’s Bandage Self skill.

Guardian

  • Inner Fire: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to trigger only at 3 stacks instead of 3 or more stacks.

Mesmer

  • Chaotic Dampening: Reduced the recharge reduction percent of staff skills per pulse of chaos armor from 5% to 2%.
  • Power Block: Reduced the damage on interrupt by 17%.

Necromancer

  • Vampiric Presence: Fixed this trait to use the necromancer as the source of the life steal.

Ranger

  • Quick Draw: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from working properly with Swoop.
  • Two-Handed Training: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from working properly with Swoop.
  • Water Spirit—Aqua Surge: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.
  • Sun Spirit—Solar Flare: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.
  • Stone Spirit—Quicksand: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.
  • Frost Spirit—Cold Snap: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.
  • Storm Spirit—Call Lightning: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.
  • Spirit of Nature—Nature’s Renewal: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from properly recharging when used.

Thief

  • Hidden Thief: This trait now applies 3 seconds of stealth rather than firing blinding powder.

Game Update Notes - June 23, 2015

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

Bug Fixes:

World Bosses

Karka Queen: The Armored effect will also decrease condition damage per stack as well as physical damage.

The following world bosses have had their health doubled and can now be critically hit:

  • Great Jungle Wurm
  • Fire Elemental
  • Shadow Behemoth
  • Tequatl the Sunless
  • Claw of Jormag
  • Amber Great Jungle Wurm
  • Crimson Great Jungle Wurm
  • Cobalt Great Jungle Wurm
  • The Shatterer
  • Inquest Golem Mark II

Professions

Mesmer

  • Healing Prism: Increased the base healing by 200%. Added a 10-second internal cooldown.

Ranger

  • Clarion Bond: Added a 30-second recharge to the skill Call of the Wild, which is triggered by this trait.