Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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05/16/2017 – May 16th Release Notes
Living World

  • Moved the Koda’s Blessing achievement from the A Crack in the Ice achievement category into the Rare Collections category.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the bonus from Superior Sigils of Bounty to be removed when weapon swapping.
  • Resurrecting at a checkpoint after the end of the final cinematic in the “Heart of the Volcano” instance will no longer revive players in midair.

General

  • Newly created accounts must wait 72 hours before gems-to-gold transactions can be completed on the currency exchange.

Raids

  • Refined Envoy armor crafting recipes are now account bound.
  • Acquiring a piece of Refined Envoy armor now unlocks the skin for the corresponding Experimental Envoy armor piece.
  • Legendary armor pieces are no longer salvageable.

Items

  • Added several cooking recipes to the rotation of the Pact Supply Network.

Profession Skills
In this update, you’ll see some changes aimed at normalizing how certain types of skills work. Skills that tether players together now apply Revealed to provide a stronger window of opportunity to players who can successfully land them. Skills and traits that previously granted pulsing stability now grant a block of stability up front in order better allow for counterplay through boon removal. Finally, we are increasing the casting time of many skills that apply effects like daze or stun in order to give the player on the receiving end of these skills time to react and defend.
General:
Consumables:
The line of foods that provided bonus damage while moving has been dominating consumable use for all power-based builds. In addition to being significantly more powerful than other foods designed to boost power damage, the “wiggle” strategy to maintain uptime on its effect has a negative impact on the health of the game (and its players). For these reasons, food that increases outgoing damage while moving has had its efficacy reduced by 50%. This affects the following items and their respective feasts:

  • Bowl of Seaweed Salad (10% -> 5%)
  • Bowl of Winterberry Seaweed Salad (10% -> 5%)
  • Swiftly Scrambled Eggs (10% -> 5%)
  • Bowl of Asparagus and Sage Salad (8% -> 4%)
  • Can of Asparagus and Sage Salad (8% -> 4%)
  • Experimental Remnant (8% -> 4%)
  • Cabbage and Chickpea Salad (6% -> 3%)
  • Bowl of Coleslaw (4% -> 2%)

General Continued:

  • Frost Gun: The bundle item obtained from Researcher Bamm in Gendarren Fields has had its skills reworked.
  • Seed Turret: Reduced duration of bleeding to 3 seconds.
  • Take Root: Reduced duration of bleeding to 3 seconds.

Elementalist
In this iteration, there have been a couple of reworks for less-used utility skills and a couple of general quality-of-life changes. In PvP, we’ll be looking to slow down the elementalist’s defensive capability so that it has a few more openings for opponents to pressure them.

  • Obsidian Flesh: The duration of this ability has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.
  • “Wash the Pain Away!”: The cooldown of this ability has been increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP only.
  • Rebound: The base healing of this ability has been increased by 33%.
  • Gale Song: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 40 seconds to 60 seconds in PvP only.
  • Elemental Shielding: The duration of protection this trait applies has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP only.
  • Glyph of Elemental Power: Reduced recharge to 25 seconds. Now gives 5 charges instead of using a 5-second cooldown interval. Decreased duration to 25 seconds. Reduced burning duration to 1 stack for 3 seconds. Changed crippled condition to 1 stack of bleeding for 6 seconds. Changed weakness condition to 4 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds.
  • Arcane Power: The effects of this skill now apply to up to 4 other nearby allies within a range of 240. In addition to its previous effects, each stack of this effect now gives 75 ferocity at level 80.
  • Drake’s Breath: Increased burn duration to 4 seconds and increased damage by 14% in PvE only.
  • One with Fire: Now applies 1 stack of might for all other auras besides Flame Aura.

Engineer
Most of the time, engineers were taking turret skills and never deploying the turret because the Tool Belt skill was too important to be overridden by the detonate turret skill. In this update we are moving the detonate skill to be the flip-over for the turret itself so that the Tool Belt skill is always available even if you deploy the turret. Because many of the overcharge skills weren’t very tactical and much easier to just press on cooldown, we’ve changed these skills to automatically activate the moment the turret is placed instead. Since this means a turret can only be overcharged once per deployment, we’ve reduced the recharge of a few turrets to compensate.

  • Bunker Down: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.
  • Protection Injection: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Med Pack Drop: This skill will now remove all (14) conditions for up to 5 allies upon impact.
  • Bulwark Gyro: The cooldown of this skill has been increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP only.
  • Purge Gyro: The cooldown of this skill has been increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP only.
  • Turrets: Turrets no longer need to be overcharged. Summoning a turret will automatically overcharge it once.
  • Detonate Turret: This skill has been moved off of the Tool Belt skill. It is now the flip skill for the associated turret.
  • Thumper Turret: Reduced recharge to 40 seconds. Overcharge attack now launches foes straight up instead of out of the turret’s attack range.
  • Healing Turret: Fixed a bug that caused this turret to show a water combo field when none was present.
  • Flame Turret: Reduced recharge to 20 seconds.
  • Rocket Turret: Reduced recharge to 40 seconds.
  • Detection Pulse (Scrapper): Fixed a bug that caused the effect from this skill to incorrectly reflect its radius.

Guardian
Quite a few signets have languished for the Guardian for some time, so we took this opportunity to give them a bit more oomph and rework some of their actives.

  • True Shot: The recharge of this skill has been increased from 4 seconds to 6 seconds in PvP and WvW.
  • Wings of Resolve: Base healing of this skill has been reduced by 24% in PvP only.
  • Smite Condition: Damage when the guardian is affected by conditions has been reduced by 21% in PvP only.
  • Test of Faith: Damage of this skill has been reduced by 10% in PvP only.
  • Shield of Courage: Decreased active duration of this skill from 4 seconds to 3 seconds. The cooldown has been decreased from 75 seconds to 60 seconds.
  • Hunter’s Determination: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 60 seconds to 75 seconds in PvP only.
  • Spear of Justice: This skill now applies 6 seconds of Revealed on the initial impact.
  • “Save Yourselves!”: This skill now grants 1.5 seconds of resistance, in addition to the other boons applied.
  • Renewed Focus: The cooldown of this skill has been increased from 90 seconds to 105 seconds in PvP only.
  • Signet of Mercy: Reduced the casting time of this skill from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
  • Wall of Reflection: Reduced the cooldown of this skill from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.
  • Hallowed Ground: Reduced the cooldown of this skill from 60 seconds to 45 seconds. Reduced the pulse amount from 10 to 8, and replaced the boon-duration increase component with retaliation.
  • Signet of Courage: Reduced the cooldown of this skill from 120 seconds to 90 seconds. Reduced the casting time of this ability from 3.25 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
  • Signet of Judgment: Passive now also reduces condition damage by 10%. Reduced radius from 600 to 300. Active no longer inflicts weakness and instead applies 2 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.

Mesmer
In this update, we’re rolling out new attacks for more phantasm skills and looking at enhancements to power-based shatter builds, which have fallen out of favor recently.

  • Tides of Time: The casting time of this skill has been increased from 0.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds.
  • Well of Precognition: The casting time of this skill has been reduced from 0.75 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
  • Continuum Split: The cooldown of this skill has been increased from 90 seconds to 105 seconds in PvP only.
  • Phantasmal Berserker: This skill now fires a boomerang projectile that inflicts 3 stacks of vulnerability for 3 seconds in addition to summoning a phantasm.
  • Phantasmal Swordsman: This skill now performs a sword strike in front of the player when summoning the phantasm. If the sword strike hits you and all Swordsmen currently summoned, gain 8 might for 10 seconds.
  • Phantasmal Warden: This skill now throws an illusionary axe at the target, which immobilizes for 2 seconds in addition to summoning a phantasm.
  • Phantasmal Rogue: This skill now performs an attack that applies 1 stack of confusion and 5 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds in addition to summoning a phantasm.
  • Illusionary Whaler: This skill now fires Siren’s Call projectiles at 3 nearby foes in addition to summoning a phantasm.
  • Illusionary Mariner: This skill now performs an Evasive Strike in addition to summoning a phantasm.
  • Mind Wrack: Increased damage of 2 illusion shatter by 3% per strike. Increased damage of 3 illusion shatter by 4% per strike.
  • Cry of Frustration: Increased damage by 15%.
  • Mental Anguish: Increased bonus damage to 25% base (50% vs. Inactive) in PvE only.
  • Master of Fragmentation: Critical-hit chance bonus for Mind Wrack raised to 25%.
  • Illusionary Reversion: Increased required illusions shattered to 3.
  • Bountiful Disillusionment: Increased might stacks to 5. Increased vigor duration to 8. Increased fury duration to 10.

Necromancer
Our biggest focus in this iteration for necromancers was that of Epidemic, in that its impact is too instant in most PvP scenarios, as well as its heavy toll on our servers. Secondarily, we’ve long felt that the Plague elite was lackluster and was in need of a rework. In addition to a variety of weapon-based quality-of-life changes, we’re excited to see how the skill changes fare over time.

  • Plague Sending: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 30 seconds to 40 seconds in PvP only.
  • Chilling Nova: The damage of this trait has been reduced by 33% in PvP only.
  • “Rise!”: The cooldown of this skill has been increased from 40 seconds to 60 seconds in PvP only.
  • Tainted Shackles: This skill will now apply 5 seconds of Revealed to enemies the first time it successfully hits.
  • Infusing Terror (Reaper Shroud): This skill no longer pulses stability but instead grants 3 stacks for 6 seconds upon activating it. The active form of this skill now reduces incoming physical and condition damage by 20% for its duration.
  • Chilling Victory: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds in PvP only.
  • Plague (Elite): This skill has been reworked and has been renamed to Plaguelands.
  • Plaguelands: This skill creates a 240-radius corrupted area at the necromancer’s initial location for 10 seconds. After 1 second, it pulses damage and conditions in that area for 9 seconds. Each pulse applies a new condition, and each pulse applies all conditions from every pulse before it. Conditions applied (in order) are: bleeding, poison, torment, vulnerability, cripple, weakness, blind, chill, and burning. Recharge is set to 120 seconds.
  • Epidemic: This ability now fires slow-arcing projectiles from its initial target to up to 5 targets in range. Foes hit by the projectiles gain all conditions from the original Epidemic target. Projectile strikes are unblockable but cannot critically hit. Increased radius to 900.
  • Rending Claws: Applies twice as much vulnerability while your target is below 50% health.
  • Ghastly Claws: This skill now deals 1% more damage per stack of vulnerability on the target.
  • Unholy Feast: This skill no longer applies retaliation. It now invokes a secondary AoE strike against foes below 25% health. Fixed skill-fact bugs that showed range instead of radius and did not display the correct number of boons converted.
  • Spiteful Spirit: Updated this trait to clarify that it is no longer casting Unholy Feast.
  • Life Siphon: Gains 20% increased healing if cast while you are bleeding. Deals 20% more damage to bleeding foes.
  • Dark Pact: Increased damage by 20%. Now inflicts 2 stacks of bleeding on you for 10 seconds.

Ranger
Condition rangers have been pretty potent largely on the strength of torch skills and Quick Draw. We’d like to preserve the tactical play of Quick Draw, so we’re nicking bits of burn duration from torch skills at this time. While we’re at it, we’ve taken the opportunity to revisit a few older weapon traits for short bow, axe, and sword to grant them a bit more synergy with the core weapon skill function.

  • Lunar Impact: The amount this skill scales with healing power has been reduced by 20% in PvP only.
  • “We Heal as One!”: Shared regeneration duration has been reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.
  • Resounding Timbre: Regeneration duration of this trait has been reduced from 10 seconds to 4 seconds in PvP only.
  • Ancient Seeds: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds in PvP only.
  • “Strength of the Pack!”: This skill has been reworked and no longer pulses boons on the ranger. When cast, this skill will now apply 10 stacks of stability for 8 seconds, along with 12 seconds of fury and 12 seconds of swiftness.
  • Smoke Assault: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 15%.
  • Bonfire: The duration of burning applied by this skill has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
  • Throw Torch: The duration of burning applied by this skill has been reduced from 6 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Evasive Purity: This trait now removes one damaging condition and one non-damaging condition.
  • Honed Axes: This trait now grants a ferocity bonus whether axe is in the main hand or the off hand.
  • Light on Your Feet: This trait now enhances flanking/behind aspects for short bow skills.
  • Crippling Shot: This trait now immobilizes if you are beside your target, in addition to when you are behind your target.
  • Poison Volley: This trait now has increased effect if you are beside your target, in addition to when you are behind your target.
  • Refined Toxins: Reduced the effective cooldown from 10 seconds to 5 seconds. Reduced the required health threshold from 90% to 75%.
  • Strider’s Defense: This trait no longer has a chance to destroy projectiles on melee attack. It has gained new functionality: when you evade an attack, gain quickness for 3 seconds.
  • Troll Unguent: Reduced total duration of this effect from 10 seconds to 8 seconds. Increased healing per second by 25%. Reduced casting time from 1 second to 0.75 seconds.

Revenant
Some of the core trait lines of revenant have been lacking in either synergy or uniqueness. In particular, the Mallyx legend and the associated corruption trait line aren’t up to snuff. Further exacerbating this, there’s a lack of synergy from other trait lines. As a result, we’ve reworked and tuned up some of the traits in the invocation and corruption lines to offer more to condition-centric revenants. Additionally, we’ve selected a few places to make small effects on condition-applying skills. Lastly, we’re also reworking the Ventari Tablet’s energy expulsion to give it a stronger place in large group support.

  • Misery Swipe: Torment duration has been increased from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Anguish Swipe: Torment duration has been increased from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Manifest Toxin: The number of poison stacks applied has been increased from 1 to 2.
  • Echoing Eruption: This skill is no longer able to multistrike targets. Torment duration has been increased from 6 seconds to 10 seconds. Torment stacks applied have been increased from 3 to 5. This skill will no longer automatically track the revenant’s target and will instead fire the skill forward.
  • Frigid Blitz: This skill now applies the slow condition for 2 seconds in addition to its other effects. The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 12 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Temporal Rift: In addition to its current effects, this skill now applies 3 stacks of confusion for 8 seconds to enemies that are currently using a skill when struck by it.
  • Energy Expulsion: Reduced cost to 10 energy. This skill now consumes all remaining energy when cast and removes a condition from up to 5 nearby allies for every 10 energy consumed (including the casting cost).
  • Ferocious Aggression: This trait now additionally increases condition damage inflicted while under the effects of fury.
  • Incensed Response: This trait now grants might when you gain fury.
  • Fierce Infusion: Reduced the effective cooldown from 20 seconds to 10 seconds, and reduced the duration of fury granted from 8 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Invigorating Flow: Renamed to Rapid Flow. Now grants swiftness in addition to healing when using an energy skill.
  • Venom Enhancement: Reduced the effective cooldown from 20 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Opportune Extraction: This trait now steals a boon once every 10 seconds per target when you apply torment to a target with at least 4 stacks of torment.
  • Yearning Empowerment: Reduced duration increase from 33% to 20%. Torment damage is now increased by 20%.
  • Frigid Precision: This trait has been replaced by Abyssal Chill. Abyssal Chill causes you to inflict torment when you chill a foe.
  • Maniacal Persistence: This trait no longer increases your critical-hit chance. It now lashes out torment at nearby enemies when you gain resistance.
  • Diabolic Inferno: Reduced the effective cooldown on this trait from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Unyielding Anguish: Removed one of the two strikes on initial casting.

Thief
The Daredevil staff functions as a fairly strong AoE weapon, but core thief lacks good ways to deal with large groups, so in this update we’re tuning up the short bow to be a stronger ranged AoE weapon. Additionally, we’re making a small change to Unload to make it more effective as a damage tool when you can ensure that your target will stand still. Finally, we’re also looking at updates to the Deadly Arts line that emphasize poison use to help establish more defined ways to play based on the traits that you select.

  • Pulmonary Impact: The damage of this effect has been reduced by 15% in PvP only.
  • Channeled Vigor: Endurance per tick has been reduced from 20 to 15 in PvP only.
  • Endurance Thief: Endurance gained has been reduced from 50 to 25 in PvP only.
  • Palm Strike: This skill now applies two instances of Pulmonary Impact on a successful hit.
  • Vault: The initiative of this skill has been increased from 5 to 6 in PvP only.
  • Bound (PvP Only): The damage of this ability has been reduced by 24% in PvP only.
  • Body Shot: This skill has been unsplit and now applies immobilize for 1.5 seconds in all game modes.
  • Unload: This skill now refunds 2 initiative if all attacks hit.
  • Trick Shot: Increased number of bounces to 3. Now deals 25% increased damage to poisoned foes.
  • Detonate Cluster: Increased number of bombs to 4.
  • Choking Gas: Increased damage by 200%. This skill now briefly dazes foes with 5 or more stacks of poison every pulse. The same foe cannot be dazed more than once every second.
  • Potent Poison: In addition to its previous effect, this trait now increases the number of stacks of poison applied by other Deadly Arts traits.
  • Panic Strike: In addition to its previous effect, this trait now causes you to apply 1 stack of poison for 4 seconds to foes that you immobilize.
  • Panic Strike: Immobilize duration has been reduced from 2.5 seconds to 1.5 seconds in PvP only.
  • Trapper’s Respite: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to display an incorrect poison duration.

Warrior
For the warrior in this update, we’re looking to tone down some overperforming elements and tune up some underperforming ones. Berserker skills such as Arc Divider and Headbutt were providing too much power for their casting time, while Smash Brawler was just providing too much power overall. In terms of effects, we’re looking at tuning up axe skills and their synergy with other weapons. The Axe Mastery trait has been changed to be friendlier to builds that don’t use axes in both hands, and several axe skills have been tuned up to provide more consistent damage during combat.

  • Shield Bash: The initial casting time of this skill has been increased, moving the skill from 0.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds total.
  • Arc Divider: The casting time of this skill has been increased by 0.25 seconds.
  • Skull Grinder: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 33%. Bleeding has been reduced from 4 stacks for 8 seconds to 3 stacks for 6 seconds. The blast finisher on this skill has been removed. All changes apply to PvP only.
  • Headbutt: The casting time of this skill has been increased from 0.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds. Distance traveled has been increased from 300 to 400.
  • Healing Signet: The passive healing from this skill has been reduced by 10% in PvP only.
  • Endure Pain: In PvP only, the cooldown of this skill has been decreased from 60 seconds to 30 seconds, and the active up-time has been decreased from 4 seconds to 2 seconds.
  • Defy Pain: Active up-time has been decreased from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP only.
  • Bloody Roar: Taunt duration has been reduced from 1.5 seconds to 0.5 seconds in PvP only.
  • Smash Brawler: The cooldown reduction received from this trait has been reduced from 33% to 20%.
  • Eternal Champion: This trait no longer grants pulsing stability but instead applies 3 stacks for 8 seconds when activating Berserk.
  • Powerful Synergy: This trait has been updated to double the effects of all combo finishers.
  • Reckless Dodge: Added missing skill fact for unblockable. Increased damage by 20%.
  • Axe Mastery: Now gives 300 bonus ferocity as long as you have at least one axe equipped.
  • Eviscerate: Now grants 5 stacks of might for 5 seconds if it hits.
  • Decapitate: Now grants 5 stacks of might for 5 seconds if it hits.
  • Double Chop: Increased damage per strike by 7%.
  • Triple Chop: Increased damage per strike by 7%.
  • Cyclone Axe: Now grants 2 seconds of fury per hit in addition to its previous effects. Increased vulnerability applied per hit from 2 to 3 stacks. Updated skill fact to show vulnerability applied per hit rather than total vulnerability for both hits.
  • Throw Axe: Increased damage by 27%.
  • Dual Strike: No longer gives fury. Now gives quickness for 1.5 seconds per strike that hits.

Structured Player vs. Player
We have revised the sigils available in PvP. Players who had a sigil that is no longer available will have their money refunded.
On Hit

  • Sigil of Fallibility: Inflict vulnerability for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 2 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Purging: Remove a condition. (Cooldown: 10 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Revocation: Remove a boon. (Cooldown: 10 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Courage: Gain might for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 2 seconds.)

On Swap

  • Sigil of Agility: Gain 5 seconds of swiftness and 2 seconds of quickness when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 18 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Battle: Gain 4 stacks of might for 5 seconds when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Doom: Your next attack after you swap to this weapon while in combat inflicts poison for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Energy: Gain 25% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Exposure: Your next attack after you swap to this weapon while in combat inflicts 5 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Stagnation: Cripple nearby foes when swapping to this weapon while in combat for 3 seconds in a 240 radius. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Intelligence: Your next three attacks after swapping to this weapon while in combat have a 100% critical chance. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Escape: Remove movement-impairing effects from yourself when swapping to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 18 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Annulment: Your next attack after swapping to this weapon while in combat removes 2 boons from your target. (Cooldown: 18 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Cleansing: Remove 1 condition when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 9 seconds.)

On Interrupt

  • Sigil of Ruthlessness: Gain 5 might for 3 seconds when interrupting a foe. (Cooldown: 3 seconds.)
  • Sigil of Absorption: Steal a boon when interrupting a foe. (Cooldown: 3 seconds.)

Passive

  • Sigil of Compounding: Deal 1% extra damage per condition on your foe.
  • Sigil of Exploitation: Deal 5% extra damage to targets below 50% health.
  • Sigil of Opportunity: Deal 5% extra damage to movement-impaired foes.
  • Sigil of Enhancement: Deal 0.5% extra damage per boon on your yourself.
  • Sigil of Separation: Deal 5% extra damage to targets more than 500 distance away.
  • Sigil of Savagery: +30% stun duration. Deal 3% more damage versus disabled foes.
  • Sigil of Agony: Increased inflicted bleeding duration 25%.
  • Sigil of Smoldering: Increased inflicted burning duration 25%.
  • Sigil of Venom: Increased inflicted poison duration 25%.
  • Sigil of Confusion: Increased inflicted confusion duration 25%.
  • Sigil of Misery: Increased inflicted torment duration 25%.

PvP default builds have been adjusted in consideration of the sigil rework.
World vs. World
General

  • Tactivators and supply depots should now be easier to interact with.
  • Updated the laurel vendor in WvW to include the amulets, trinkets, and rings it was missing.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

  • A new Mercenary Backpack is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 400 gems.
    • For a limited time, a new set of Keepsake weapon skins is available from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket. Black Lion Chest Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.
    • The Balthazar’s Regalia Outfit is on sale with a 30% discount for a limited time at 490 gems, found in the Style category of the Gem Store.
    • This is the last week to purchase the Swarm Logging Flute, the Butterfly Harvesting Flute, and the Firefly Mining Flute.
    • Over the weekend, some of the glider skins and backpack glider combos will be removed from the Gem Store. Get them before they go away!

Improvements

  • The Black Lion Chest has been updated to the Sworn of Balthazar Chest and can be previewed for a full list of its contents.
    • The Zaishen War Paint Kit has been added as the new guaranteed seasonal item. It contains some unidentified dyes, a booster, and a Fire Orchid.
    • The Sworn Zaishen Helm is available as an uncommon drop for the duration of this seasonal change.
    • The Hounds of Balthazar Mail Carrier is available as an uncommon drop for the duration of this seasonal change.

Bug Fixes

  • Audio has been added to the Red Envelope Mail Carrier.

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Regina Buenaobra

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Regina Buenaobra

Content Marketing Lead

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Bug Fix:

  • Fixed a server crash that occurred at the end of ranked PvP matches.
Content Marketing Lead
Twitter: @ArenaNet, @GuildWars2
In-Game Name: Cm Regina Buenaobra

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue that was causing legendary armor to display in combat mode on the Character Select screen.
  • Fixed an issue that was preventing legendary armor from animating in the wardrobe and preview screens.

Skills:

  • Fixed a bug that prevented some traits from correctly applying conditions to world bosses.
  • Fixed a bug in which certain leap finishers would apply conditions for longer than intended.
  • Epidemic: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to affect allies.
  • Healing Turret: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to display the regeneration radius to enemies.
  • Turrets: Added a 0.5-second recharge delay to detonate-turret skills, when a turret is first placed, in order to prevent accidental detonation.

05/16/2017 – Late Notes
Legendary Armor

  • Medium and light armor now has fully covered asura toes, in and out of combat.
  • Fixed an issue with chest-piece sizing on asura and sylvari females.
  • Fixed an issue that allowed legendary armor to be salvageable.
  • Fixed an issue with light female armor for humans and sylvari in which portions of the back of the chest piece would clip.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the tip of the light-armor skirt to clip with the ground.
  • Fixed a clipping issue with medium armor and charr tails.
  • Fixed an issue in which players who unlocked a different class of armor for Refined Envoy than they did for Experimental would not receive the associated Experimental skins.
  • Fixed an issue with the Bobblehead Tonic and Bobblehead Laboratory when legendary armor is equipped.
  • Fixed an issue in which precursor recipes that became available after the first legendary armor set was obtained would not be account bound.
  • Reduced the distance between the left shoulder piece and the player model on medium armor.
  • Fixed an issue in which darker dyes would appear washed out and harder to see on legendary heavy armor.
  • Fixed recipe text on the pop-ups for Gift of Dedication, Gift of Prowess, and Gift of Prosperity.
  • Fixed an issue in which having multiple chronomancers generating clones simultaneously in an instance would cause a drop in performance.
  • Fixed an issue in which the effect from the legendary hammer Juggernaut was not properly applied to legendary armor.

Living World

  • Reenabled problematic fertile soils.
  • Fixed a server crash related to the Wayfarer’s Henge collection.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with single-use Captain’s Airship Passes that caused certain friendly characters in Gendarran Fields to turn hostile.
  • Fixed an issue in which off-hand weapons would appear incorrectly when previewing armor with the Wielded box checked.

(edited by Mark Katzbach.9084)

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Bug Fixes:

  • Skull Grinder: The blast finisher delivered by this attack has been removed, as indicated in the original release note.
  • Infusing Terror (Reaper Shroud): Updated the skill fact to properly indicate a 20% damage reduction rather than 33%.
  • Tainted Shackles: Updated the skill fact to correctly indicate that this skill applies 5 seconds of Revealed when hitting an enemy.
  • Spear of Justice: Updated the skill fact to correctly indicate that this skill applies 6 seconds of Revealed.
  • Alchemical Tinctures: This trait now functions with Toss Elixir X.
  • Elemental Surge: When used with Arcane Power, this trait now considers the caster of the ability as the source when dealing conditions and will apply them based on the caster’s current attunement.
  • Heart of the Volcano instance:
  • Chimney barriers now apply significantly less burning to players.
  • Killing the bosses at the same time no longer results in the strange timing or overlap of VO.
  • Fixed an issue in which VO might stall if the instance owner was transformed.

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

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.
  • In the Heart of the Volcano instance, when playing in a party, characters will now correctly be teleported off the barrier if they land in the center or die before hitting the barrier.
  • Arcane Power: The number of stacks this ability applies has been reduced from 5 to 4.
  • Elemental Surge: The duration of burning this ability applies has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Epidemic: Fixed a bug that caused conditions to not transfer on the fifth missile. The missiles fired from this ability will now pierce targets already struck by the skill. Removed the new functionality that caused condition durations to affect newly transferred conditions.
  • Increased the respawn time on several centaur spawns in Lake Doric.

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

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Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

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Bug Fix:

  • PvP: Fixed a bug in which the missing-items warning would always appear for elementalist and engineer, preventing them from joining parties in Ranked arenas.

Game Update Notes - May 16, 2017

in Game Release Notes

Posted by: Mark Katzbach

Previous

Mark Katzbach

Content Marketing Manager

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Zaishen War Paint Kit to not award dyes in certain areas of the game.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Unbound Magic Harvesting Blast and Unbound Magic Mining Beam to fail underwater.