Guild Wars 2

General:

• Alacrity now grants 200 to all stats, and speeds up skill recharge by 150%.
• Fixed a bug that prevented random number generation from being affected by wishful thinking.
• Random number generation is no longer random. It is now seeded by account name.
• We have added a Gem Store item that will allow you to change your account name for the low, low price of 2,000 gems. There is no limit on the number of purchases.
• If you plant Caladbolg in the Grove, you will gain a new Mini Trahearne Backpack. With careful feeding and attention, he will grow up to accompany you on your adventures.
• Additional beard skins can be unlocked after purchasing Wide Rim Glasses and Shoulder Scarf from the Gem Store.
• Sylvari now regenerate 1% of their health in sunlight. Requires water.

Elementalist:

• Fire Attunement now sets the caster on fire until water attunement is cast.

Engineer:

• A new bomb cannot be placed until all existing bombs have exploded.

Guardian:

• Reduced longbow skill range to 600. Increased range of projectiles fired by shield skills to 1,200 to compensate.
• Morality system added for guardians. Failing to remain virtuous will cause you to lose access to your Virtue skills.

Mesmer:

• Due to time fluctuations, Alacrity can no longer be applied to chronomancers.
• The following mesmer weapons can now only be wielded in the off hand: sword, scepter, staff, and greatsword.

Necromancer:

• Minion skills now require corpses. Flesh Golem requires multiple corpses to cast.
• Fixed a bug that allowed professions other than necromancer to talk to ghost NPCs.

Ranger:

• Ranger pets now require food. Failing to feed your pet will cause them to leave your kennel.
• Rangers can now dual-wield short bows.

Revenant:

• The Legendary Assassin Stance skill Phase Traversal now creates a portal that other players can use to follow you.
• Fixed a typo: “Facet of X” has been changed to “Faucet of X.” The functionality of this skill has been updated to reflect its fixed name.

Thief:

• Stealing from NPCs will now aggro town guards if you are seen.
• Shadowstepping no longer functions in areas with no shadows.

Warrior:

• Warriors can now triple-wield weapons by slotting a third weapon into their helmet slot.
• Phalanx Strength now applies Fury, Regeneration, Protection, Aegis, Resistance, Vigor, Swiftness, Quickness, Alacrity, Spotter, Stealth, Super Speed, and Fire Attunement in addition to Might.

Raids
General

• Infantile mode is now available for all raids. Bosses have 50% reduced health and outgoing damage. Loot from the boss chests consists of two blues and a green.
• Elementalists now gain a -20% outgoing damage enhancement when setting foot in a raid, until they leave.

Spirit Vale:

• The Vale Guardian now splits into six colors instead of three.

Salvation Pass:

• Slothasor is tired of the constant interrupts from his naps and will now enrage, dealing 500% outgoing damage each time he wakes up.

Stronghold of the Faithful:

• Glenna insists she is not your puppy and will now sometimes refuse to follow players.

Bastion of the Penitent:

• The Mursaat Overseer now has new chess pieces added to its encounter.
  • Jade knights will instantly stomp any player that is downed.
  • Jade bishops will dash in unpredictable diagonal patterns across the room, claiming all tiles in their path.

Lion’s Arch Aerodrome:

• The trading-post merchant has been crushed by boxes again. Look for his return when his lawsuit against the Black Lion Trading Company inevitably ends in dismissal.
• The technician in the Special Forces Training Arena has finished collecting her data and as such does not require adventurers’ aid. She has left the zone and will no longer spawn golems. She was last heard muttering something about DPS meter elitism.

Fractals

PvP

• Extended our dishonor system to anyone who says “get good” in chat.
• If a thief kills another thief, they receive 5 minutes of dishonor.

WvW

• Now when ArenaNet claims an objective, all players inside the objective are invulnerable.
• World-linked all worlds in NA to Blackgate and every world in EU to Far Shiverpeaks.
• Killing members of Yak’s Bend will now count toward the Yakslapper title.
• The tides have risen in the Eternal Battlegrounds. All combat is underwater.
• The team that controls Stonemist may now send invaders into other worlds’ dungeons and raid instances. Invaders will be represented by a red glow.
• Epidemic target cap is now unlimited in WvW.
• Siege adjustments:
  • Removed trebuchets.
  • Removed catapults.
  • Removed shield generators.
  • Removed ballistas.
  • Removed siege golems.
  • Halved damage on flame rams.
  • Doubled damage on arrow carts.

05/03/16 – May 03 Release Notes

GENERAL

• The expiration of open-world maps when new builds are released now permits players to remain in open-world maps for two hours. Previously, players were kicked after one hour.
• Fixed a bug that caused some UI elements to be blurry. This was very noticeable on the PvP league division UI and the compass.
• Fixed a bug in which achievements that progressed from the same action as their prerequisites would sometimes receive an extra point when unlocking. This caused players to gain extra progress for the division-crossing PvP league achievements.
• Faction Provisioner markers no longer stick to the edge of the compass in Heart of Maguuma maps.
• The compass in Black Citadel, Divinity’s Reach, and Hoelbrak now includes the option to change floors to Tyria’s upper level, surface, and underground to aid navigation to different levels of other maps.
• The Basic Magnetite Exchange Operative in the Lion’s Arch Aerodrome now correctly sells Chests of Medium Coats.
• “Torn from the Sky”: Fixed a bug that caused a stall when players collected turret parts.
• Magic energy has been surging around the ley lines.

PROFESSION SKILLS

Mesmer

• Signet of Humility: Reduced the moa transform duration of this skill from 10 seconds to 6 seconds. The defiance-bar damage has not been changed.

Revenant

• Rite of the Great Dwarf: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to reduce damage additively rather than multiplicatively while under the effects of a trait.
• Surge of the Mists: Reduced the damage of this skill by 15%.

Thief

• Unload: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to apply 5 seconds of might instead of the intended 8 seconds of might.

STRUCTURED PLAYER VS. PLAYER

Dishonor

• Players will be considered disconnected until they finish loading. This prevents some cases where players see teammates who are gone for longer than 2 minutes but still lose progress for the match.

Polish

• Player profession markers on the compass will now always layer above secondary objectives.

WORLD VS. WORLD
General

• Reduced the duration of Chilling Fog from 1 minute to 30 seconds.
• Reduced the duration of Emergency Waypoint from 1 minute to 30 seconds.
• Reduced the duration of stealth applied by Cloaking Waters from 1 minute to 15 seconds.
• Reduced the duration of Airship Defense from 3 minutes to 2 minutes.
• Reduced the damage of Airship Defense explosions by 20%.
• Added a red-ring indicator that now appears 1 second before an Airship Defense explosion triggers.
• Removed experience gain for crafting siege weapons.

Eternal Battlegrounds

• Halved the number of ambient creatures (deer, drakes, wolves, etc.).
• Disabled the “Thin the local mosquito population” event.
• Disabled the periodic dolyak caravan ambushes.

Alpine Borderlands

• The Alpine borderlands map has been rotated back into play.
• Updated map content to be consistent with existing WvW maps.
  • Sentries now detect and mark enemy players on the map.
  • Original resource nodes have been removed. Resource synthesizer nodes now exist inside objectives.
  • Objectives now have capture-point decals.
  • Objective lords now have health scaling.
  • Objectives now upgrade based on dolyak caravan deliveries.
  • Objectives now support the updated guild-claiming and guild-objective upgrades systems.
  • Disabled Commander Siegerazer’s breakout events.
  • Cultural armor vendors have been added at the team citadel areas.
  • Dolyak caravans now jog rather than walk.
  • Dolyak caravans now gain the Protected Caravan effect when allied players are nearby.
  • Players can no longer rally by killing basic creatures.
  • Halved the number of ambient creatures (deer, drakes, wolves, etc.).

Desert Borderlands

• The Desert borderlands map has been rotated out of play.
• Camps: Reduced the number of base guards from 4 to 3.
• Camps: Base guards are now a combination of both scouts and guards.
• Camps: Guards have been moved inside the capture circle.
• Southeast Camp: Fixed a bug in which the guards weren’t sharing hate properly.
• North Camp: The capture point’s size has been increased, and it is now rectangular.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE

New Items and Promotions

• For a limited time, Boxes o’ Fun are stuffed with temporary travel toys for the first two minutes after appearing. This may be canceled by the owner. Boxes o’ Fun are located in the Toys category of the Gem Store for 80 gems each.
• A new Macaw Wings Glider Combo is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 700 gems.
• A new Blue Shift Dye Kit with 9 exclusive colors is now available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.

Improvements

• Travel toys (the Magic Carpet, the Riding Broom, and the Sonic Tunneling Tool) will now restart automatically when moving outside of combat if the player hasn’t used the stop skill or changed maps.
• The Box o’ Fun’s celebration mode now grants both dance and fireworks together instead of separately.
• The Box o’ Fun now grants the owner an adjustment tool immediately if the owner is not holding any other bundles.
• The Box o’ Fun no longer knocks down the owner when granting an adjustment tool.

03/16/15 – March 16 Release Notes
Release Notes:
NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT

• Streaming Client Beta: Added -StreamingClient flag to allow downloading while playing Guild Wars 2. See our blog post for more information.
• The number of votes required to kick a party member has been increased to 50% of the party. As an example, in parties of five, three votes will be required.
• WvW map completion is no longer a requirement for a character to achieve World Completion, and these maps no longer award map completion rewards.
• New camera settings in the General Options panel:
  • Added a Field of View slider.
  • Added a Zoom Sensitivity slider, which controls how quickly zooming in and out occurs.
  • Added a Collision Sensitivity slider, which controls how readily the camera will ignore obstructions between itself and your character.
  • Removed the Position slider.
  • Added a Horizontal Position slider, which controls how much the camera is shifted to the left or right of your character.
  • Added a Vertical Position slider, which controls how much camera height increases as you zoom out.
  • Added an Enable First-Person Camera check box. To enter first-person mode, zoom in again while at minimum camera zoom.
  • Added an Adjust Camera to Character Height check box. When unchecked, the camera will be placed at the same height regardless of your character size.
  • Added a Restore Defaults button.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
World Polish

• Gendarran Fields
  • Adjusted the number of scaling spawns for the “Prevent the centaurs from capturing Nebo Terrace” group event to be less punishing for large groups.
  • Adjusted the start timing of the “Reclaim Nebo Terrace from the centaurs” and “Rescue the captured townspeople from the centaurs” events.
  • Increased the damage dealt by the catapults of Nebo Terrace to creatures. This does not apply to champion creatures.

General

• Added a flashing effect when hovering over map legend icons to indicate incomplete POIs, vistas, tasks, skill challenges, and waypoints.
• Fixed an issue in which some windows weren’t responding to the Enter and Escape keys.
• Added the Black Lion Trading Company icon to e-mails from the Black Lion Trading Company.
• Added a prompt to verify self-demotion within in a guild.
• Fixed some instances of players being capable of shadowstepping to unreachable locations.
• Fixed an issue in which players could take repeated falling damage when running down steep inclines.
• Changed the Guild Roster location text to function the same way as the Contacts panel.
• Stability: This boon has been changed from a duration stack type to an intensity stack type. Crowd-control effects will remove one instance of stability apiece each time they are applied. Each ability and trait has been adjusted to apply a certain number of stacks. All instances of stability not listed in these release notes will remain at one stack.
• Mordrem Wolf: Significantly reduced critical-hit damage.
• Jungle Tendril Root: Removed several evasion frames from the Burrow skill animation. Burrow should now make the Jungle Tendril Root emerge directly below the target.
• Added chat logging to indicate who is kicking whom in parties and who is leaving.
• Added a feature in chat that properly indicates when a player has been removed from a party instead of indicating that all other players left the party.
• Updated chat text to indicate that players who are kicked or leave the party are no longer in the party instead of always indicating that player left the party.

Items

• Rune of Vampirism: The fourth bonus (steal life when using a healing skill) of this rune set will now function properly after resurrection.
• Rune of Scavenging: The fourth bonus (steal life when using a healing skill) of this rune set will now function properly after resurrection.
• Mini Kasmeer Meade is now compatible with the Mystic Forge.

Profession Skills
Elementalist

• Lightning Flash: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Tornado: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Whirlpool: This ability now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Armor of Earth: This cantrip skill now grants 10 stacks of stability on use.
• Earth’s Embrace: This cantrip reactive skill now grants 10 stacks of stability on use.

Engineer

• Toss Elixir B: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability to allies.
• Elixir X—Tornado: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Elixir X—Rampage: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration. Swiftness is now applied every 3 seconds for a 3-second duration. Leaving this transformation no longer removes swiftness.
• Elixir X—Whirlpool: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Elixir X—Plague: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Mortar: While controlling the mortar, this skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

Guardian

• Flashing Blade: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Judge’s Intervention: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Merciful Intervention: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• “Stand Your Ground!”: This skill now grants 5 stacks of stability to nearby allies.
• Indomitable Courage: This trait now grants 3 stacks of stability to nearby allies. Duration has been increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
• Tome of Courage: This skill now grants 3 seconds of protection every 3 seconds. Protection and stability are no longer removed when the player stops using Tome of Courage.
• Tome of Wrath: This skill now grants 3 seconds of retaliation every 3 seconds. Retaliation and stability are no longer removed when the player stops using Tome of Wrath.
• Elite Focus: This trait now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds to Tome of Wrath and Tome of Courage.
• Hallowed Ground: Increased the duration of stability that this skill grants from 1 second to 2 seconds.

Mesmer

• Phantasm Skills: These skills now correctly show their back items with the phantasm effect.
• Blink: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Mantra of Concentration: This mantra now applies 3 stacks of stability to nearby allies each time it is activated.

Necromancer

• Life Leech (Downed State): Updated the skill facts of this ability to be accurate.
• Flesh Wurm: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Plague: This ability now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Lich Form: This ability now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

The following necromancer traits will now remain active when the necromancer enters the downed state:
Death Magic:

• Minion Master
• Flesh of the Master
• Death Nova
• Necromantic Corruption
• Deadly Strength

Blood Magic:

• Bloodthirst
• Vampiric Precision
• Vampiric Master
• Vampiric Rituals
• Vampiric

Curses:

• Withering Precision
• Barbed Precision

Soul Reaping:

• Master of Terror

Spite:

• Training of the Master
• Chill of Death
• Close to Death

Ranger

• Hide in Plain Sight: This trait now uses a normalized version of stealth and will no longer reveal the ranger if they move.
• Rampage as One: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3 second duration. In addition, fury and swiftness are granted for 3 seconds on the same 3-second interval.
• Stability Training: This trait now grants 5 stacks of stability for 3 seconds when triggered.
• Signet of the Wild: This skill now grants 5 stacks of stability for 8 seconds when activated.

Thief

• Infiltrator’s Arrow: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Infiltrator’s Signet: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Infiltrator’s Strike: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Shadowstep: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Shadow Escape: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Steal: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Dagger Storm: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

Warrior

• Rampage: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration. Swiftness is now applied every 3 seconds for a 3-second duration.
• Balanced Stance: This stance now grants 5 stacks of stability.
• Last Stand: This trait now grants 5 stacks of stability when triggered.
• Dolyak Signet: This signet now grants 10 stacks of stability.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• The new Shadow weapon set is available from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for the limited-time price of one Black Lion Claim Ticket. Tickets and ticket scraps can be found in Black Lion Chests. Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.
• Three new faces for each race are available exclusively in Total Makeover Kits, found in the Services category of the Gem Store for 350 gems.

The forum specialist program was announced to the whole forum via this post in the News and Announcements section and more than adequate time was given for applications to be sent in.

Now, we are not having a discussion on how you feel about who was chosen, because he has yet to have the time to submit a single report yet. If you feel disregarded, blame the others who do post here for not submitting an application.

Now, the WvW forum is not to discuss the merits of this program or those who have been chosen to represent each game mode. If you had been paying attention, you would notice that Marmatt is attempting to reach out and work with the players who do post here, despite the less-than-warm welcome that he has been greeted with.

Consider that he is a volunteer and is acting as a forum specialist in his own free time and of his own free will. To me, that means something. To me, this means that he’s committed to our goal of improving communication between players and the development team. If you think he doesn’t know enough about the game mode to accurately represent your interests, then talk to him. Explain your passions and why you feel the way you do. You might be surprised at how receptive he is.

Now, this is the last time I’m explaining this. We’re not having more threads about Marmatt or why he was chosen and not somebody else who may not have submitted an application. Instead, try working with him, and if you want to apply in the future, keep your eyes on the areas where we make forum-wide announcements.

We are serious about communication, but there appear to be a lot of people who would rather complain about communication than actually attempt to communicate.

joshc.3129:

How many times now has Anet said they have no plans to bring GW2 to consoles?

Let’s add one more to the tally.

We currently have no plans to port Guild Wars 2 to console.

Bug Fix:

• Fixed a bug in which the “Help Scholar Blix clear the tunnel” event in Cursed Shore would restart too soon.

June 17 Content Release Notes
BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
New World Event Times
In consideration of player feedback, several changes have been made to the rotations to make the players’ favorite world bosses more accessible.

• Low-Level Rotation—The four world events in this rotation will continue to activate 15 and 45 minutes past the hour, regardless of other rotations.
• Standard Rotation—The six world events in this rotation will continue to activate on the hour and 30 minutes past the hour. This rotation is now independent of all other rotations. The TBD event slot has been removed.
• Hardcore Rotation—The three world events in this rotation now activate more frequently, at the following times:
  • 03:30 PST / 10:30 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 04:30 PST / 11:30 UTC – Tequatl
  • 05:30 PST / 12:30 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm
  • 08:00 PST / 15:00 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 09:00 PST / 16:00 UTC – Tequatl
  • 10:00 PST / 17:00 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm
  • 11:00 PST / 19:00 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 12:00 PST / 20:00 UTC – Tequatl
  • 13:00 PST / 21:00 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm
  • 16:00 PST / 23:00 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 17:00 PST / 24:00 UTC – Tequatl
  • 18:00 PST / 01:00 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm
  • 19:00 PST / 02:00 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 20:00 PST / 03:00 UTC – Tequatl
  • 21:00 PST / 04:00 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm
  • 23:00 PST / 06:00 UTC – Karka Queen
  • 24:00 PST / 07:00 UTC – Tequatl
  • 01:00 PST / 08:00 UTC – Great Jungle Wurm

World Polish

• Sparkfly Fen
  • Fixed an issue that caused Tequatl to fly away and never return if he burned too quickly during his vulnerable phase.
• Claw Island
  • Areas and points of interest, once they are discovered, will remain revealed when viewed from other maps.
• Frostgorge Sound
  • Fixed a bug with the Rebel Isaak renown region for rewarding too much renown when defeating dredge. Renown rewards will now be in line with other renown hearts.

General

• Waypoints and markers visible on maps different from the player’s current map are now always displayed as uncontested. When teleporting to a waypoint on a different map, if that waypoint is contested in the destination map copy, the player will be redirected to the nearest uncontested waypoint.

Items

• Sclerite Karka Shells purchased from rewards vendors at the Festival of the Four Winds can now be properly used at the Mystic Forge to create an ascended back-piece item.

World vs. World

• All players who qualified for rewards from the Spring 2014 Tournament have been given 100 additional WvW Tournament Claim Tickets.
• World vs. World Spring 2014 Tournament placement achievements and associated tournament chests have been redistributed.
• The Battle Historian’s Tournament Rewards tab has been re-enabled.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• For two weeks, all Black Lion Chests will contain a guaranteed bonus Dragon Coffer. Black Lion Chest Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.
• Dragon’s Jade weapons can now be purchased from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for the introductory price of 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket for the next four weeks. Black Lion Claim Tickets and Ticket Scraps can be found inside Black Lion Chests.
• Total Makeover Kits and Self-Style Hair Kits now have additional exclusive hair colors and eye colors. Kits can be found in the Services category of the Gem Store for 350 and 250 gems respectively.

Improvements
Custom Arena Starter Kits and Custom Arena Time Tokens have been removed from the Gem Store and have been added to a vendor near the PvP browser in the Heart of the Mists.

• The cost of Custom Arena Starter Kits has changed from 1600 gems to 200 gold.
• The cost of Custom Arena Time Tokens has changed from 150 gems to 2 gold.
• Existing Custom Arena Starter Kits and Time Tokens will continue to work normally.
• Boost Enchantment Powder now also converts Killstreak Experience Boosts to Enchanted Reward Boosts.
• Enchanted Reward Boosts can now be used to grant Killstreak Experience Boosts.

nothing.7941:

DevonCarver.5370:

The area we added to Obsidian Sanctum was in progress prior to the incident mentioned above

lol, I’m not buying that.

Much like science, you don’t have to believe it for it to be true.

May 20 Content Release Notes
LIVING WORLD
Festival of the Four Winds
Scarlet Briar’s attack devastated Lion’s Arch, but Tyria’s best and brightest are rallying to support the stricken city. The Zephyrites and Queen Jennah will both offer their finest festival amusements to boost morale and offer support. Visit Labyrinthine Cliffs and experience the rush of Aspect movement skills, take part in the Sanctum Sprint, or enjoy one of the brand-new events; then take a hot-air balloon to Divinity’s Reach and enjoy the reopened Crown Pavilion, including a new version of the Queen’s Gauntlet, the Boss Blitz.
Join Braham, Rox, Marjory, Kasmeer, Taimi, and Scruffy as they enjoy the festivities and usher in the return of Lion’s Arch services!
Story
The Zephyrites have returned to Labyrinthine Cliffs in their large-sailed flying ships to support Lion’s Arch in its time of need. Although Lion’s Arch suffered a devastating blow as a result of Scarlet’s nefarious plans, Captain Ellen Kiel of the Captain’s Council is grateful to see the Zephyrites return with their generous offer of materials and moral support. And to help reinvigorate trade and provide some joy to its citizens, the Zephyrite Master of Peace and Queen Jennah of Kryta are hosting a festival to honor Lion’s Arch. Join Kiel and the adventuring group of Rox, Braham, Marjory, Kasmeer, and Taimi in Lion’s Arch at the Claw Island Portage Waypoint to meet the Zephyrite leader and kick off the start of the festival.
Labyrinthine Cliffs
Players can travel to Labyrinthine Cliffs to partake in all of the fun and excitement of the festival by speaking to the transport facilitator in Lion’s Arch, or by hopping in a hot-air balloon in Divinity’s Reach. Once there, players will find the exhilarating Aspect movement skills perfected by the Zephyrites, enabling them to dash, leap, and tether to all corners of the map.

• The Zephyrites and the strange denizens of the bazaar have not been idle since the last time the Zephyr Sanctum was docked. Players can participate in an all-new scavenger hunt for sky crystals, with new, harder-to-access locations.
• Two of the locals, Barkeep Ixcic and Trader Owens, have also put together two brand-new events designed to delight the entire bazaar!
• Players can participate in the Sanctum Sprint, a competitive race of up to 12 participants, where they’ll need to use Wind, Sun, and Lightning movement skills to complete the course.
• Players interested in the competitive use of the Zephyrite fighting skills can join the Aspect Arena PvP activity.

The Crown Pavilion
The Crown Pavilion in the human city of Divinity’s Reach has once again opened its gates. Join the golem Heal-o-Tron in assisting the city of Lion’s Arch. Donate enough money and he’ll kick off the all-new Boss Blitz in the trenches of the Pavilion. The champions are back and have learned a whole new set of skills. The faster players can slay the mighty champions, the greater the rewards. But beware! The champions are sharing the secrets of their training with each other. As each one is defeated, others increase their power!
The Queen’s Gauntlet
Enter the Queen’s Gauntlet to battle mighty representations of humanity’s most vicious enemies.

• Face increasingly difficult challenges in single combat against a variety of unique bosses.
• Take a risk with special gambit conditions to earn even more prestigious rewards.
• Each entry and gambit costs 1 Queen’s Gauntlet Entrance Ticket.
• Earn a new title for defeating Liadri: “The Blazing Light”.

Lion’s Arch
Some of the Captain’s Council still oversee the refugee camps at the Vigil Keep, Durmand Priory, and Stormbluff Isle, while the rest have returned to Lion’s Arch. As a result, most of the services that were previously relocated at the Vigil Keep have returned to Lion’s Arch, and the balloons of Kryta that connected the refugee camps have departed. Several access services have also relocated.

• Coriolis Plaza, in the Eastern Ward, is the new home to the asura gates connecting all the major cities of Tyria.
• Asura gate connections to the Mists have been reestablished at Fort Marriner.
• The Consortium operations have moved to Postern Ward, including access to Fractals of the Mists and Southsun Cove.
• A new rope bridge helps connect the Eastern Ward to Postern Ward and its recently added portal to Lornar’s Pass.

Merchants have also returned to Lion’s Arch, creating new locations from which to sell their goods.

• Players can find that the bank and trading post have reestablished their services at the Canal Ward, flanking the exit to Gendarran Fields.
  • These commerce services have set up additional outlets for banking and trading at Fort Marriner as well as at the Eastern and Western Wards.
• Crafting disciplines, along with the Mystic Forge, have been relocated to the Western Ward.
  • Fort Marriner and Postern Ward also have crafting services.
• Guild services can be found at the Trader’s Forum.
• The activities director can be found at the Grand Piazza.

Returning citizens and visitors are advised to take care among the wreckage of the Breachmaker, whose debris is embedded throughout the city and beneath the waters of Sanctum Harbor.
Rewards

• Participating in festival content will earn players festival tokens, which can be spent at the festival reward vendor in the Labyrinthine Cliffs for a wide array of returning rewards from the first season of Living World content.
  • Examples include the Hot Air Balloon Souvenir from Queen’s Jubilee, the Gift of Candy Corn from Blood and Madness, and the Fervid Censer from the Secret of Southsun.
• All activities and events in Labyrinthine Cliffs and the Crown Pavilion have a rare chance of dropping a Favor of the Bazaar or Favor of the Pavilion, respectively. Combining one of each will yield a Favor of the Festival, which can be used to purchase two new rewards—a Mini Panda or an Endless Dolyak Calf Tonic—from the reward vendor. Alternately, a Favor of the Festival can be used to purchase one of the returning Sovereign weapon skins from a vendor in the Crown Pavilion.
• The Zephyr Sanctum Supply Box traders have returned, once again giving players the opportunity to obtain quartz and recipes for Celestial armor in Labyrinthine Cliffs. The boxes now also have a chance to contain a set of rare returning rewards from season one, such as an Air-Filtration Device from the Nightmares Within or a Wind Catcher Skin from the original Bazaar of the Four Winds.
• Standing with the supply box traders near the docks in the Labyrinthine Cliffs is an asuran merchant who accepts spare piles of Blade Shards in exchange for Equipment Bags, each containing a piece of masterwork or better gear.
• Participating in festival content will also earn players Queen’s Gauntlet Entrance Tickets, which can also be purchased in the Crown Pavilion. Winning fights in the Queen’s Gauntlet will award players with Gauntlet Chances, which have a rare chance to drop a further set of rare returning rewards, such as a monocle from the Sky Pirates of Tyria. Furthermore, Gauntlet Chances have a very rare chance to drop a recipe for crafting the new Chaos of Lyssa ascended back piece.

Achievements

• Completing the Festival of the Four Winds meta-achievement will yield a bounty of festival tokens, as well as a single guaranteed Favor of the Festival for players to spend as they please.
• Players who didn’t complete the Queen’s Gauntlet achievements from the original Queen’s Jubilee release have another chance to do so.
  • Those champions who can best the epic final fight of the gauntlet will also be rewarded with a new title: “The Blazing Light.”
• The Festival of the Four Winds achievement Aspect Arena Regular is returning with previous progress saved and five new achievement points added.
• Added two more achievements to the daily achievement category.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

• The in-game clock’s server time feature is now displayed in UTC time and is now much more accurate to the server’s actual time. Daily resets will now occur at midnight as it appears when the clock is set to server time.
• Guild “Last Online” times will no longer display as over 100 years ago if the system clock is behind the server.
• Flame Legion Blademaster:
  • Shield Bash: Fixed an animation bug that caused NPCs using this skill to slide about awkwardly.
• Blast Finisher:
  • Area Healing: Increased the culling priority on this combo’s effect. Reduced the size of the wave effect by 25%.
• Waterfalls everywhere have undergone audio redesign.
• Added messaging to clarify when PvP reward tracks were getting capped.
• Fixed a bug that was causing the Delete button in the Mail UI to show up as “Delet.”
• Fixed a bug that was causing party members’ blue location dots to persist after they log out.
• Precision Adept Trait 5: This trait has been moved from Bloodtide Coast map completion to the defeat of Sharky the Destroyer in Arca Lake of the Harathi Hinterlands.
• Precision Adept Trait 6: This trait has been moved from Fireheart Rise map completion to the defeat of Captain Jayne in the Brigantine Isles of Gendarran Fields.
• Toughness Adept Trait 6: This trait has been moved from Iron Marches map completion to the defeat of the giant blood ooze in the Challdar Gorges of Bloodtide Coast.
• Vitality Adept Trait 5: This trait has been moved from Timberline Falls map completion to the defeat of Gargantula, the spider broodmother in the Wynchona Woods of Harathi Hinterlands.
• Vitality Adept Trait 6: This trait has been moved from Mount Maelstrom map completion to the defeat of the krait witch of Nonmoa Lake in Timberline Falls.
• Profession Adept Trait 5: This trait has been moved from Sparkfly Fen map completion to the defeat of the Champion Ice Wurm at Venison Pass in Lornar’s Pass.
• Profession Adept Trait 6: This trait has been moved from Frostgorge Sound map completion to the defeat of Lord Ignius the Eternal of Lornar’s Pass.
• Profession Adept Trait 13: This trait is now awarded upon preventing the statue of Lyssa from being retaken by the Risen, as well as defeating the corrupted high priestess of Lyssa.
• Skill description damage indicators are now much more accurate for damage influenced by all types of owned minions.
• Gadgets can no longer be the target of stealth.
• Stability: Updated the description to include “pull” in the list of things that are ignored.
• The Great Jungle Wurm in Caledon Forest no longer does full damage to itself from reflected projectile attacks. A certain number of the projectiles are no longer reflectable.
• Fixed an issue that prevented new enemies from spawning at the Renown Heart to “Kill the ghostly spiders and shadow fiends attacking loggers” in Iron Marches.
• Fixed several issues in the event chain regarding the necromancer, Bria, in Iron Marches.

Guild Content
Guild Challenge Success and Reward Sharing

• Guild Challenge success and rewards functionality has been brought in-line with other mission types.
  • Mission rewards are no longer limited to the triggering guild. All participants with the mission active will receive commendation rewards upon success.
  • Upon success, participants from non-triggering guilds with the mission active will be prompted with the option of accepting mission success. This prompt is currently limited to guild members with “Mission Control” permissions.
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to log into the treasure room of Angvar’s Trove.

Events
Champion Event Conversion on Starter Maps
Many champion events in the starter maps have been converted into veterans. This change is being made to ensure new players focus on learning the core game experience. The following events are affected:

• Plains of Ashford
  • Defeat the Flame Legion Shaman.
  • Defeat the Ascalonian soldier, Ivor Trueshot.
  • Defeat the Ascalonian soldier, Armsman Pitney.
  • Defeat the Ascalonian soldier, Farrah Cappo.
  • Defeat the Ascalonian soldier, Horace.
  • Defeat the disturbed shade of Grazden the Protector.
• Caledon Forest
  • Locate and kill the transformed krait witch.
  • Defeat the Risen monstrosity.
  • Defeat the krait neoss that’s strengthening Slaver’s Deeps.
  • Defeat the jungle troll champion.
• Metrica Province
  • Defeat the giant ooze at Doctor Bleent’s camp.
  • Defeat the Imbued Mark I Golem.
  • Defeat the enlarged Inquest agent.
  • Defeat the champion spider queen near the Muridian Uplands.
  • Defeat the champion troll near the Luminates Plant.
• Queensdale
  • Destroy the wasp queen.
  • Eliminate the bandit lieutenant.
  • Slay the enraged champion cave troll.
  • Hunt and slay the giant boar.
  • Liberate Shaemoor Garrison. (Removed a champion Tamini chieftain that spawned at certain scaling.)
  • (Converted the elite forest spider in the Queen’s Forest to veteran.)
• Wayfarer Foothills
  • Kill the dredge commissar overseeing the mine.
  • Kill the Son of Svanir and his corrupted wolf pack.

Dungeons
Fractals of the Mists
Underground Facility Fractal
Based on the recent Collaborative Development Initiative (CDI), we’ve revisited the dredge factory fractal with intent to improve the overall experience. Too many dredge at high scales caused the play experience of this fractal to suffer both in terms of length and difficulty. With these two things in mind, we’ve redesigned a few core encounters in the instance to ease the burden of these symptoms.

• Pressure Plates
  • Removed scaling spawns. A set number of dredge will now spawn at each key location in this puzzle regardless of scale.
• Bomb Path
  • Removed scaling spawns.
  • Introduced a stealth mechanic: All players, regardless of profession, will now be able to acquire stealth to complete this puzzle. Beware the dredge security countermeasures!
• Turret Path
  • Removed scaling spawns.
  • Turrets will now fire in set patterns to discourage pesky players from progressing further into the facility.
• Rabsovich Encounter
  • Removed additional spawns as a requirement for completion of the event.
  • Reduced Rabsovich’s health by 15%.
  • Rabsovich now appropriately telegraphs his shock wave attack.

Dungeon General

• Adjusted the drop rates for ascended weapon and armor boxes in higher-level fractals; drop rates now scale better with each fractal level.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to damage the Thaumanova Anomaly from below its platform.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to engage Bloomhunger from a spot that the boss could not see.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to attack Rabsovich without taking damage.
• Fixed a bug in which some krait would block player progress by pathing outside the map and becoming unreachable.
• Fixed a bug in which players could avoid combat by standing on certain terrain in the Ascalon fractal.

Items

• The ascended back piece Light of Dwayna can now be infused in the Mystic Forge.
• The ascended back piece Shadow of Grenth can now be infused in the Mystic Forge.
• Lunaria, Circle of the Moon (Infused): Increased the stats by 2 to match the stats of the non-infused version.
• Solaria, Circle of the Sun (Infused): Increased the stats by 2 to match the stats of the non-infused version.
• Sigil of Fire: Increased the culling priority on this sigil’s effect. Reduced the size of the flame effect by 20%. Fixed a bug that caused the size of the flame to rapidly scale up with monster size.
• Sigil of Water: Fixed a bug in which the superior and major versions of this sigil had a longer cooldown than intended. Fixed a bug that caused this sigil’s effect to be centered around the player with an incorrect radius, rather than around the target.
• Rune of Balthazar: Fixed a bug on the 6-piece bonus that caused the burning effect to go through blocks and evades.
• Major Rune of Scavenging: Fixed a bug that caused the 3-piece bonus for this rune to grant 50 condition damage instead of 30.
• Major Rune of the Afflicted: Fixed a bug that caused the 3-piece bonus for this rune to grant 50 condition damage instead of 30.
• Major Rune of the Privateer: Fixed a bug that caused the 3-piece bonus for this rune to grant 39 power instead of 30.
• Major Rune of the Mad King: Fixed a bug that caused the 3-piece bonus for this rune to grant 35 power instead of 30.
• Accessories no longer show stat suffixes.
• Sigils: Duration-increase sigils now have their full benefit when starting a PvP match, rather than needing to weapon swap to receive the bonus.
• Exotic dungeon-reward weapons and armor are now account bound on acquire and soulbound on use. This does not affect any weapons and armor players currently have, only newly created items.
• The legendary greatsword Eternity:
  • Added a new projectile replacement effect.
  • Added new weapon-drawing effects.
  • Enhanced the footfall effects.
  • Enhanced the drawn-state effects to further distinguish it from the legendary greatswords Sunrise and Twilight.

Profession Skills
Human

• Avatar of Melandru—Oakheart Swipe: Added a skill fact for number of targets.

Elementalist

• Added a skill fact for number of targets for skills that strike more than one enemy. (Underwater skills not included in this update.)
• Phoenix: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to occasionally hit a target multiple times when a large group of enemies were stacked together.
• Evasive Arcana: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from working under water.
• Vigorous Scepter: Added a combat only skill fact.
• Evasive Arcana: Added a combat only skill fact.
• Arcane Abatement:
  • Healing Wave: Renamed the water skill for this trait to Cleansing Wave for consistency.
  • Cleansing Wave: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill’s visual effect from playing.
• Rock Barrier: Updated the skill description and buff description to clarify that this skill no longer uses rock charges.
• Rock Barrier—Hurl: This skill no longer triggers full recharge for Rock Barrier when the last rock is fired. Instead, the skill begins its recharge when the skill begins.
• Magnetic Aura: Added a protection skill fact when traited with Elemental Shielding. Added fury and swiftness skill facts when traited with Zephyr’s Boon.
• Frost Armor: Added a protection skill fact when traited with Elemental Shielding. Added fury and swiftness skill facts when traited with Zephyr’s Boon.
• Fiery Greatsword:
  • Fiery Rush: Updated the damage skill fact to display a more accurate estimate of the damage dealt.
• Arcane Wave: Added a skill fact for number targets: 5.
• Arcane Shield:
  • Added a skill fact for number of targets: 5.
  • Changed the radius skill fact to an explosion radius skill fact.
  • The explosion portion of this skill is now referred to as Arcane Shield, rather than Arcane Wave.
• Meteor Shower: Added a toughness increase skill fact when traited with Obsidian Focus.
• Cone of Cold: Added a toughness increase skill fact when traited with Obsidian Focus.
• Stone Shards: Added a toughness increase skill fact when traited with Obsidian Focus. Fixed a bug that prevented Zephyr’s Focus from working with this trait.
• Cleansing Fire: Added skill facts for conditions removed (3) and number of targets (5).
• Glyph of Renewal: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to be ground targeted while under water. This skill now revives allies in an area around the player when cast under water. (Exact effect depends on current elemental attunement.)
• Conjure Earth Shield: Fixed an issue in which the conjured shield wouldn’t appear at the targeted location, but at a random offset instead.
• Tempest Defense: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Fire Shield: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to apply the fire aura in a smaller radius than expected when traited with Powerful Aura.
• Soothing Mist: Changed the description to clarify that it also affects allies.
• Powerful Aura: Updated the description of this trait to clarify that the shared auras only apply when the source is a weapon skill.
• Added a skill fact for number of targets to all elementalist skills that affect multiple targets but were missing them.
• Magma Orb: Added an explosion damage skill fact.
• Tidal Wave: Removed an erroneous wave damage skill fact.
• Sunspot: Fixed a bug that caused the damage skill fact for this trait to be inaccurate.
• Electric Discharge: Fixed a bug that caused the damage skill fact for this trait to be inaccurate.

Engineer

• Turrets: Fixed a bug that caused turrets to display incorrect damage facts.
• Inertial Converter: Added a recharge trait fact.
• Poison Grenade: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Grenade Barrage: Fixed a bug that caused the skill fact for the untraited version of this skill to display an incorrect explosion radius.
• Toss Elixir U: Added a duration skill fact. Fixed a bug that prevented this toolbelt skill from activating Static Discharge.
• Elixir Gun—Fumigate:
  • Fixed a bug that caused this skill to hit 8 times instead of 5 when under water.
  • This skill now functions correctly with Deadly Mixture.
  • Fixed the skill fact so that it is now accurate when traited with Deadly Mixture. (This previously indicated 10 times the intended damage.)
• Bunker Down: Fixed a bug that caused the damage skill fact to scale incorrectly when Explosive Powder was traited.
• Shrapnel Grenade: Fixed a bug that caused the skill facts to behave oddly when the Grenadier and Shrapnel traits were equipped.
• Rifled Turret Barrels: Fixed a bug that caused several turrets to lose the extra range granted by this trait when reverting to their basic attacks after an overcharge.
• Flame Turret: Fixed a bug that caused the attack range skill fact for this turret to be incorrect when Deployable Turrets was traited.
• Net Turret: Fixed a bug that caused the attack range skill fact for this turret to be incorrect when Deployable Turrets and Rifled Turret Barrels were traited.
• Elixir X: Updated the skill facts.
  • Plague (Underwater): Fixed the incorrect duration value.
  • All transforms: These skill facts now properly update when traited with Potent Elixirs.
• Autodefense Bomb Dispenser: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Blowtorch: This skill now lists the maximum number of targets that it hits.
• Booby Trap: This skill now functions with the Steel-Packed Powder and Shrapnel traits.
• Floating Mine: This skill now functions with the Steel-Packed Powder and Shrapnel traits.
• Detonate Rifle Turret: Fixed this skill’s damage skill fact when Explosive Powder is traited.
• Box of Nails: The visual effect of this skill now only lasts for 4 seconds to match the actual damage effects of the skill.
• Shrapnel Grenade: Increased the culling priority on the explosion effect. Reduced the size of the explosion effect by 20%.
• Flash Grenade: Increased the culling priority on the explosion effect.
• Freeze Grenade: Increased the culling priority on the explosion effect.
• Scatter Mines: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from benefitting from the Shrapnel trait. Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from benefitting from the Steel-Packed Powder trait and the Forceful Explosives trait.
• Static Discharge: Fixed a bug that caused the damage skill fact for this trait to be inaccurate.

Guardian

• Added a skill fact for number of targets for skills that strike more than one enemy.
• Tome of Wrath—Smiter’s Boon: Rescaled the size of the targeting icon to match the area the skill affects. Fixed a bug that caused the skill to grant boons to a wider angle than intended.
• Tome of Courage—Protective Spirit: Rescaled the size of the targeting icon to match the area the skill affects. Fixed a bug that caused the skill to grant boons to a wider angle than intended.
• Battle Presence: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to only work on allied guardians 50% of the time.
• Signet of Mercy: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to be ground targeted while under water. This skill can now revive an ally in an area around the player (radius of 240) while under water.
• Retaliatory Subconscious: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Signet of Resolve: Updated the description and skill facts to be more clear. Skill facts will now update when Perfect Inscriptions traited.
• Healing Breeze: Added a skill fact to display the amount that it heals per pulse to allies.
• Added a number of targets skill fact to all AoE guardian skills that were missing them.
• Mighty Blow: Increased the culling priority on the impact effect. Reduced the size of the impact effect by 10%.
• Zealot’s Defense: Updated the description of this skill to clarify that it doesn’t block projectiles, but rather destroys them.

Mesmer

• Added a skill fact for number of targets for skills that strike more than one enemy.
• Time Warp: Added a skill fact for number of targets: 5. Added a skill fact for pulses: 11.
• Mass Invisibility: Added a skill fact for number of targets: 10.
• Mantra of Recovery: Added a description to the Power Return buff granted by this skill.
• Phantasmal Mage: Fixed an incorrect number of bounces skill fact. This skill bounces 2 times (hits 3 targets).
• Phantasmal Disenchanter:
  • Fixed an incorrect number of bounces skill fact. This skill bounces 4 times (hits 5 targets).
  • Fixed a bug that caused this skill to fail to hit its fifth target.
  • Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Magic Bullet: Updated the skill facts.
  • Added a skill fact for number of bounces: 2.
  • Updated the skill facts to show increased bounces when traited with Illusionary Elasticity.
  • Added a skill fact to show the confusion duration on the fourth target when traited.
• Mirror of Anguish: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers. Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from working under water.
• Phantasmal Swordsman: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator. (Separate from the general fix to minion skill damage.)
• Illusionary Mariner: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Illusionary Whaler: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Phantasmal Duelist: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Phantasmal Rogue: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Phantasmal Defender: Updated the skill facts to have the appropriate damage indicator (separate from the general fix to minion skill damage).
• Illusionary Riposte: Changed the blocking skill fact and the buff gained while blocking to display the correct duration.
• Chaos Armor: Increased the culling priority on this effect.
• Far-Reaching Manipulations: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to reduce the cooldown of Arcane Thievery by 5 seconds.

Necromancer

• Added a skill fact for number of targets for skills that strike more than one enemy.
• Spectral Wall: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Reaper’s Protection: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Signet of Undeath: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to be ground targeted while under water. This skill now revives allies in an area around the player (240 radius) while under water.
• Reaper’s Touch: Corrected the skill fact to indicate that this skill has 4 bounces (5 hits).
• Wicked Spiral: Updated the skill fact to show that this skill hits 6 times in succession.
• Life Leech: Updated the skill fact to show that this skill hits 20 times in succession.
• Well of Blood: Fixed a bug that caused an unusual blue visual effect to occur on the necromancer after casting this spell.
• Summon Blood Fiend: Fixed a bug that caused an unusual blue visual effect to occur on the necromancer after casting this spell.
• Death Perception: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from updating the critical chance display in the Hero panel.
• Reaper’s Mark: Updated the fear duration on the skill fact to accurately reflect the boost from Master of Terror.
• Summon Flesh Golem: Updated the damage skill facts to scale with Training of the Master.
• Charge: Updated the damage skill facts to scale with Training of the Master.
• Life Blast (Underwater): Enabled Dhuumfire with this skill. Added a healing skill fact when traited with Renewing Blast.
• Reaper’s Touch: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to have a larger bounce range than intended when the necromancer did not have the Spiteful Talisman trait.
• Well of Suffering: Fixed a bug that caused the kills from this skill to count towards the Sword Master achievement.

Ranger

• Signet of the Hunt: Reduced the duration of the Attack of Opportunity buff to 30 seconds to match the skill’s recharge.
• Shared Anguish: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Hide in Plain Sight: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Malicious Training: Pet condition skills will now have a blue tint to indicate when this trait is equipped. The pet still needs to be in combat in order to receive bonus condition duration.
• Signet of Renewal: The active buff of this skill will now have the correct icon and description.
• Entangle: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from working with Survival of the Fittest.
• Spirit of Nature: Updated the interval skill fact from 3 to 1.
• Companion’s Defense: Added a combat only skill fact.

Ranger Pets

• Ranger pet special (F2) skills are now significantly more responsive.
• Blue Jellyfish—Chilling Whirl: Fixed a bug with the damage and chill facts to display the proper amounts. Added a number of targets skill fact.
• Rainbow Jellyfish—Chilling Whirl: Fixed a bug with the damage and chill facts to display the proper amounts. Added a number of targets skill fact.

Thief

• Resilience of Shadows: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to display the trait facts for Venomous Aura.
• Shadow Shot: Updated the description to specify that only the first part of the attack is unblockable.
• Hard to Catch: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Concealed Defeat: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Smoke Screen: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Nine-Tailed Strike: Decreased the initial multi-hit strike damage by 38% to match the intended skill fact numbers. Increased the final strike damage by 100%.

Warrior

• Signet of Stamina: Added a passive endurance regeneration skill fact and a conditions removed skill fact.
• Signet of Rage: Added a passive adrenaline skill fact.
• Dolyak Signet: Added a passive toughness skill fact.
• Deep Strike: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to grant players the bonus from Signet of Might when they had Healing Signet equipped.
• Flurry: Updated the skill fact on the level 3 adrenaline skill to display the proper number of hits.
• Last Stand: Updated the description of this trait to indicate “pull” in the list of triggers.
• Mariner’s Frenzy: Updated the skill fact to better indicate the actual damage dealt at the end of the skill.
• Tremor: Added a number of targets skill fact.
• Heightened Focus: The bonus critical chance provided from this trait will now correctly display on the Hero panel.

World vs. World

• Fixed a bug in which Ballista Mastery V wasn’t working while operating a superior ballista.
• Updated the text for WvW-related daily achievements.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• New Phoenix weapon skins are available at the Black Lion Weapons Specialist for the introductory price of 1 Black Lion Weapon Ticket for the next four weeks. Black Lion Weapon Tickets can be found in Black Lion Chests.
• Three new faces have been added for every race and gender and are available exclusively in Total Makeover Kits that can be purchased for 350 gems from the Services category of the Gem Store.
• The Bazaar Quaggan Mini Pack has returned for a limited time. Poowulpi the Persnicketous, Peggellegg the “Pirate”, and Kookoochoo the Incredulous can be purchased for the total price of 500 gems in the Toys category.
• This week only, a cute Mini Piglet is available in the Toys category for 400 gems.

Improvements

• Kill streak boosts have been redesigned (and had their icon changed). The boost now lasts for one hour and adds kill streak bonuses separately. Kill streaks last 60 seconds from the most recent kill and stacks 10% bonus experience (up to a maximum of 100% bonus experience). Kill streaks can be restarted as often as necessary within the hour.
• Transmutation Crystals in the player’s inventory can now be double-clicked in groups of 25 and 5 to speed up placing them in the wallet.
• Spider Tonics—Costume Brawl: The Web skill description has been corrected to indicate cripple instead of knockdown. The target ring has been reduced in size as the skill does not have an AoE component.
• Trait NPCs in the Havoc’s Heir airship and the Royal Terrace will now sell trait books.

Maaaamaaaaaa! Just killed a warband! Put my hammer against their heads, took a swing and now they’re dead.

pdavis.8031:

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality.

Feedback such as “fire this person” or “get better at writing” are not helpful or useful to us. If you wish to provide constructive criticism and feedback, I strongly recommend reading this thread which details how to give good, constructive feedback that is useful both to the development teams and in discussions here on the forums.

We want to let you know that the ability to build your precursor will not be in our upcoming Feature Pack. The way progression and rewards work in Guild Wars 2 have changed quite a bit since we initially talked about that feature, and our main horizontal progression systems are about to get some additional updates in the upcoming feature pack. Because of that, we are looking into several ways to integrate building your precursor into our new updated reward and progression systems we’re working on, which is requiring additional development time and iteration. As always, we’ll share details on this system once it’s far enough along in production we’re ready to discuss it.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a triggering issue that prevented events from restarting.
• Fixed a crash with the Looking for Group UI.
• Fixed a server crash.
• Fixed a scripting issue that caused escort events to become stuck.
• Fixed a bug in which achievements were using incorrect numbers for tracking.
• The asura gate from Fort Trinity in Vigil Keep now correctly allows players to exit the gated area by approaching the door.
• The permanent Captain’s Airship Pass item has had its rarity increased to rare.
• Fixed an issue in which the Powerful Potion of Slaying Scarlet’s Armies was causing players to take additional damage from Scarlet’s forces.
• The inventory window no longer slowly grows when opened and closed repeatedly.
• Adjusted the timing of some conversations in the refugee camps so that players may view them easier.
• Fixed an issue in which the Citizens Saved counter would not reset when reentering Lion’s Arch.
• Adjusted the point at which the miasma will overcome players and send them to adjacent maps.
• Fixed the Obsidian Sanctum exits so they bring players to the Mists asura gates in Vigil Keep.
• Changed the internal check for viewing the attack cinematic to be per character instead of per account. This is to help any alternate characters that may end up in the wreckage of Lion’s Arch after the invasion.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Flute items from being playable after a five-second pause.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that caused inventory bags to start in the collapsed state.
• Fixed a bug in which the pirate in Crusader Xutt’s escort event would perpetually remain in the game, causing the escort to stall on all future attempts.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the powder keg counter for the cobalt great jungle wurm encounter to decrement incorrectly.
• Fixed a bug that was preventing players from being invited to PvP rosters.
• Fixed a server crash.

The Community Team recognizes that many of you wish to have their feedback heard and acknowledged. While we cannot reply to every thread on the Guild Wars 2 forums, we felt it would be helpful both to you and us to supply this guide on how to give thoughtful, well-presented and constructive feedback. Feedback presented in accordance with these guidelines will allow the developers more insight into your thoughts and opinions. It helps keep your threads on-topic and more likely for the Development Teams to be involved. It is also important to note that when you create a feedback thread, you should take some ownership on helping keep it clean. You should report posts which are off-topic, derailing, or disruptive, so the Moderation Team can help keep it clean for you.
When writing feedback, keep these few considerations in mind at all times:

• Ask yourself: “How can I make this content *_better_?"*
• Consider: How have you seen this particular problem solved in other games?
• Consider: How do you think this particular element or aspect of the game could be improved?
• Tell us why: If we ask a specific question, don’t just answer it—tell us why you answered that way.

By considering these points, your feedback will always be focused on providing solutions to problems, not simply focusing on the problems that you find. This is the heart of what we’re looking for from your feedback, and what will best result in change to the game!
Additionally – and almost as important as what you are writing – it is important to recognize how you are delivering your feedback. Your strongest points will be lost if they are lost in the tone or delivery of the post. To help you along this process (and help you get your feedback noticed by the developers who can actually make the changes), we’ve provided a few helpful guidelines below for writing GOOD feedback and some warnings about what to avoid.

Using Feedback for Good

Steering Clear of the Dark Path

There is no need to feel hurt about the reception of your feedback. Your feedback is given due consideration, but that doesn’t mean your proposals will always be accepted. The final call is ArenaNet’s, and if your idea doesn’t exactly mesh with the rest of the game, or if there just isn’t enough time, don’t let this discourage you from providing feedback in the future. If you receive a response to your feedback from other players that you consider rude or offensive, please use the report flag to alert the moderation team of the post.

Hey all, this was an unintended change. This will be reverted back to the way it used to be in a future hotfix (but not today, sorry).

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

We’re currently looking into a bug related to WvW. Until this issue is resolved, we have suspended WvW matches to investigate and resolve it. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Player vs. Player

• Fixed a bug that prevented the endurance meter from correctly displaying a player’s endurance.

World vs. World

• Fixed a bug that allowed the Iron Hide buff to persist after a player stopped using a flame ram.
• During game updates, World vs. World players are now able to continue playing until the new update is available.

Balance, Bug-Fixing, Polish

• Fixed various crash bugs.

LIVING WORLD
Super Adventure Box: Back to School
Moto is back with the next installment of his hit entertainment-education hybrid. Find him in Rata Sum and hop into his newly renovated hub map to party up and party down! This time, players will explore three sprawling zones in the Mountain World. Get ready to get wet in the rough and tumble Rapids! Learn the way of the assassin in ancient temples precariously perched on the Pain Cliffs! And prepare to be challenged while venturing through the puzzles, traps, and inclement weather of Storm Top, where players will find their toughest foe yet: the STORM WIZARD!
But for those who find all of that too easy, Moto has devised the most heinously difficult challenge the world of Tyria has ever seen. For players swimming in extra lives and continue coins, activate Tribulation Mode and try to defy Moto’s capricious and unfairly invisible instant-kill traps—but be prepared for death around every corner! Tribulation Mode will be available for both worlds, and special color variants of the Super skins await those who have the skill and tenacity to overcome.
And finally, for those who don’t enjoy jumping challenges, there’s Infantile Mode, which allows players to easily traverse Moto’s world by walking over beautiful rainbow bridges.
Achievements

• All World 1 achievements have returned, and all-new World 2 and Tribulation Mode achievements have been added.

Rewards

• Collect Bauble Bubbles to complete the blue Super skin weapon set. Gather ingredients in World 1 Tribulation Mode to create green Super skins or World 2 Tribulation Mode to create yellow Super skins.
• Also available from Moto: Mini Moto! And keep a lookout for Princess Miya outfit pieces randomly dropped in the world. Who knows…maybe putting the pieces on Mini Moto in the Mystic Forge will make Mini Princess Miya!
• Players can only receive rewards from dig spots and the reward chests found at the end of each zone once per account per day.

At the Gem Store

• A new trio of minis is available: Super Yeti, Super Raccoon, and Super Banana. Combine them with a continue coin in the Mystic Forge to create the magical Mini Assassin.
• Back by popular demand: the Super Adventure Box o’ Fun! Players can now bring the spirit of SAB with them wherever they go.
• The Super Explosive Finisher has been upgraded to be permanent. Players can now keep the warmth of this bombastic PvP fun close to their hearts forever.
• Tired of scrounging baubles to buy continue coins? The Infinite Continue Coin is the perfect solution. Never worry about running out of lives in SAB again!

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Changes to Crafting

• Weaponsmith, Huntsman, and Artificer can now be leveled to a rating of 500.
• Crafting experience for all disciplines has been updated to accommodate leveling to a rating of 500. As part of this, the total amount of leveling experience that comes from leveling a crafting discipline now requires leveling all the way to a rating of 500.
• New ascended material refinement recipes now unlock at a rating of 450.
• Ascended inscription recipes are available for purchase at all master craftsmen and require a rating of 500 to craft.
• Ascended weapon recipes are available for purchase at all master craftsmen and laurel vendors and require a rating of 500 to craft.
• Crafting discoveries for exotics have been reset to allow for rediscovery that gives bonus experience and facilitates leveling to a rating of 500.
• Some of the new crafting recipes, including those for Ectoplasm Refinement, have cooldowns that must elapse before they can be crafted again.
• There is a new collection in the bank that holds ascended crafting materials.
• The wood cost on crafting staff shafts has been reduced from 6 to 4.

Changes to Rewards

• Drips of Liquid Karma from champion loot bags have been replaced with Piles of Bloodstone Dust.
• Open world bosses, temple bosses, WvW keeps, and castles now drop Dragonite Ore in addition to their regular loot, which can only be earned once per day per location.
• Dungeons, minidungeons, jumping puzzles, WvW camps, and towers now drop Empyreal Fragments in addition to their regular loot, which can only be earned once per day per location.
• Daily and monthly achievement rewards now include Essence of Luck. To offset this, the amount of karma earned from daily and monthly achievements has been reduced.
• Event failure no longer rewards karma in order to encourage players to succeed at events.
• Liquid Karma dropped from dungeon end chests have been replaced with Empyreal Fragments.
• Ascended weapons can now drop anywhere ascended materials or other ascended items can be found.
• Loot dropped by the Karka Queen has been improved; she also has a chance to drop Settler’s inscriptions.
• Sentinel’s inscriptions can now be purchased from the guild vendor.
• Salvaging exotic items now produces Globs of Dark Matter.
• Salvaging fine and masterwork items now produces Essence of Luck.
• Salvaging Globs of Ectoplasm now produces Essence of Luck.

Changes to Account Magic Find

• There is now a luck progress bar for account magic find in the Achievements panel. Consuming Essence of Luck will incrementally fill the progress bar. When the bar is filled, the player’s account bonus to magic find will be permanently increased by one percentage point.
• All existing players have been sent mail with enough Essence of Luck to increase their account magic find to 20%.
• Weapons, armor, and trinkets that had a magic find stat combo have been flagged as account bound and Soulbind on Use. These items will now allow double-clicking to permanently change the stat combo. Items that were already Soulbound to a character will continue to be bound to that character. This is a one-time ability, and the options are dependent on where the item was acquired. All trading post listings for these items have been cancelled and the items returned to the poster.
• Infinite Light, Immobulus, The Crossing, The Mad Moon, Arachnophobia, Cooguloosh, and Seasatchel will all allow their stats to be permanently chosen as a one-time ability but not become account bound.
• All existing crafting recipes that produced items with Explorer’s stats now produce Assassin’s stats (Precision, Power, Critical Damage).
• All existing crafting recipes that produced items with Pillager’s stats now produce Hunter’s stats (Precision, Power).
• All existing item drops with Traveler’s stats now drop Dire stat items (Condition Damage, Toughness, Vitality).
• The Wayfarer’s stat combo has been retired from the game and is no longer available.
• Copper, silver, gold, and platinum doubloons now give boon duration instead of magic find.
• Rune of the Pirate now grants power instead of magic find.
• Rune of the Traveler now grants all stats, condition duration, boon duration, and movement speed.
• Rune of the Noble now grants condition damage and might duration.
• Rune of the Scavenger now grants condition damage and life steal.
• Sigil of Luck now grants a random boon on kill.

Changes to Legendary Weapons

• Legendary weapons now have increased stats to keep them in line with the new ascended weapons as “best in slot” items.
• Legendary weapons now have functionality to allow their inherent stat combo to be changed to any other stat combo when out of combat.
• The Bifrost: Updated the effects and texture to be more detailed and vibrant, enlarged the footfall effects, and added a new projectile.
• Adjusted the position of the golden arrow on Kudzu and updated the effects on the Kudzu projectile.
• Meteorlogicus: Updated the texture, effects, and animations; added a day/night cycle for the effects; and added a new footfall effect.
• Frostfang now has larger, more impressive footfall effects.
• The Juggernaut, Bolt, Incinerator, and Rodgort now have larger footfall effects.
• Quip now has more impressive footfall effects.
• Updated the texture and effects on The Moot.
• Updated the effects on The Minstrel to be larger, more impressive, and more frequent.
• Updated the pommel on Eternity and added a unique footfall effect.
• Added a new footfall effect to The Dreamer.
• Added a new projectile to Frenzy.
• Added a new skill effect to Howler.
• Updated the effects and texture on Kraitkin.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

• The amount of karma granted from consumable karma items has been increased. Karma boosts no longer affect the amount of karma gained from consumable items.
• Training manual text descriptions have been updated to be clearer.
• Fixed a bug with Tears of Itlaocol mini dungeon that would prevent one of the puzzle patterns from displaying.
• Fixed an issue where the incorrect artwork would display when previewing armor that had been transmuted.
• Fixed a bug where confirming a transfer to an overflow shard opened the currency wallet.
• Optimizations in the audio engine have been made which reduces the issues of audio loading slowly at map load and audio drop outs during scenes involving many players and sound effects.

Living World

• Several Clockwork creature invasion locations have been adjusted so creatures do not spawn in the terrain
• Fixed an issue where Twisted Watchwork Portal Devices failed to work properly when the player only has one.

Personal Story

• “Retribution”: Reduced difficulty of the Risen Plaguebearer.
• “Critical Blowback”: Reduced difficulty of Admiral Feiste Bakkir.

Items

• The Mystic Forge recipes for The Mad Moon, Arachnophobia, and The Crossing have been temporarily disabled. They will be updated and return at Halloween.
• The Miniature Yellow Moa is once again only available via Moa Racing.

Profession Skills
Guardian:

• Protector’s Strike: This skill will now trigger if an attack is blocked while the guardian is in midair.

Necromancer:

• Grasping Dead: This skill now applies two stacks of bleeding instead of three (PvP only).

Ranger:

• All spirits can now be launched, knocked down, and knocked back.
• Storm Spirit, Frost Spirit, Sun Spirit, Stone Spirit, and Spirit of Nature will now begin their recharge when the spirit dies instead of when the spirit is summoned.
• Storm Spirit, Frost Spirit, Sun Spirit, and Stone Spirit: Recharge has been reduced from 60 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Spirit of Nature: Recharge has been reduced from 240 seconds to 180 seconds.
• Solar Flare: Fixed a bug so this skill no longer applies a duplicate infinite duration blind.

World vs. World

• The WXP Booster has been changed to be account bound rather than soulbound.

Gem Store

• Mini Hylek Amini from set 2 is now the advertised red skin color instead of green.
• Corrected Mini Hylek Cuicani from set 2 to look like Cuicani instead of Amini.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• A three-pack of minis from Super Adventure Box World 2 is available in the Minis category for 500 gems. Players can get their own Super Raccoon, Super Yeti, and Super Banana minis. Combine them with a continue coin (purchased from Moto outside the Super Adventure Box) in the Mystic Forge to receive the special Mini Super Assassin. Available until September 30.
• The Infinite Continue Coin is now available in the Upgrades category for 600 gems. This super-useful coin can be used an unlimited number of times to gain 10 lives at the Super Adventure Box “Game Over” screen. Available until September 30.
• Permanent Super Explosive Finisher is now available in the Upgrades category for 600 gems. This finisher creates a Super Bomb explosion to be used in PvP and WvW. Available until September 30.
• The Transmutation Splitter is now available in the Consumable category for 300 gems each, 5 for 1350 gems, or 25 for 6000 gems. Transmutation Splitters will return the two current source items from any transmuted item and will also return an applied upgrade separately. All items returned from splitting a transmutation are soulbound. Items using a skin will return a base item with the original appearance. Another Transmutation Stone will be required to reapply the skin.

Bug-fixes, Balance, and World Polish

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to kill some allied NPCs that should not be killed.

Living World

• Fixed a Spanish localization issue for the Scarlet’s Playhouse instance.

PvP

• Fixed a bug which could cause secondary objectives to remove the markers of allied players from the map.

General

• After a game update, players will be allowed to remain in public maps associated with the previous build for up to one hour.

LIVING WORLD

• Watchwork boxes awarded from the Queen’s Gauntlet no longer contain coins.
• Players will now receive a daily reward for each Queen’s Gauntlet fight completed.
• Each Queen’s Gauntlet fight now has an event UI containing the boss’ health and the fight timer.

The culling settings are universal between WvW and PvE, unfortunately they were inadvertently not re-labeled for this update.

The settings to change your culling are labeled as “WvW Character Limit” and “WvW Character Quality”.

Sorry for the confusion. We’ve made the appropriate teams aware of this.

Queen’s Jubilee

• Queen’s Gauntlet: Adjusted the rewards given for defeating Subject 7, the veteran ooze.
• Queen’s Gauntlet: Fixed issue where Subject 7’s Oozes would not despawn after a fight in certain circumstances.

WvW

• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented loot from dropping off players in WvW.

General

• Fixed the “Daily Karma Spender” achievement.
• Fixed a crash bug.

Performance

• Fixed a bug that would cause some maps to take longer to load than was necessary.

Queen’s Jubilee

• Changed the options offered by the Fight Manager in the Queen’s Gauntlet:
  • The options now display the fights you’ve unlocked as opposed to the fights you’ve beaten.
  • By default, they will display the Halmi fight, the first fight.

UI

• Clicking “OK” in the overflow pop-up notification no longer causes the Wallet panel to open.

World Versus World

• WvW jumping puzzles now correctly award Badges of Honor.

Performance

• Fixed an effect loading bug.
• Set the Effect LOD option to be enabled by default.
• Fixed a crash bug.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

Even if it doesn’t (and it might), I’ll willingly drag stuff to my char to throw into the wallet just to get it out my hair! Gosh, I’m so happy about that! If its actually a wallet, and doesnt have the 250 stack limit…I may die of happiness.

It will not have the 250 stack limit. Currencies in the wallet will act the same as karma and gold do currently.

June 25 Content Release Notes
LIVING WORLD
Sky Pirates of Tyria
Attention: the skies of Tyria have turned treacherous. A new breed of pirates is descending upon Tyria! Lethal and precise, they strike from above like a bolt of lightning. The Lionguard knows little about them, but this violent faction was behind the attack on the Dragon Bash effigy ceremony and is responsible for a growing swath of murders. With help from citizens like you, we thwarted their plot to usurp a seat on the Ship’s Council, but the Lionguard will not rest. Today, all who read this are deputized to join me in discovering the Aetherblades’ secret headquarters and bringing these killers to justice.
—Captain Ellen Kiel of the Ship’s Council
Aetherblade Retreat

• A secret entrance to an Aetherblade hideout has been discovered in Lion’s Arch behind the waterfall by the Diverse Ledges. A Lionguard is stationed outside of the entrance to easily route players to Inspector Kiel, who is gathering a squad to infiltrate the secret Aetherblade lair. This is a challenging story dungeon designed for parties of five that takes the fight to the Aetherblades. Players will encounter swarms of Aetherblade cutthroats, the devious asura engineer Frizz, and ultimately, Captain Mai Trin and her hard-hitting first mate Horrik.

Open World

• Heralds in all the major cities have been notified of the disturbances caused by the Aetherblade pirates.
• Dragon Bash continues. The Lionguard vows to protect the city during the festival, despite the Aetherblade threat. All Dragon Bash activities (except the fireworks show) will remain available until the last day of the festival. This includes, for those who haven’t played it, the single-player living story that starts with the Memorials on the Pyre instance.
• In honor of the release of the new Guild Wars 2 novel, Sea of Sorrows, follow the footsteps of Lion’s Arch’s founder Cobiah Marriner to a dozen locations across the city and Orr; each location contains a plaque detailing its significance to the historical figure. Talk to the NPC by the Cobiah Marriner statue for more information. For additional information, his journey can be followed in the Sea of Sorrows novel.
• There are widespread reports that Aetherblades are tampering with the hologram projectors across Tyria. Approach them with caution.
• Aetherblade pirates have been spotted guarding caches in select mini-dungeons and jumping puzzles across Tyria. Pirates have also been spotted around the Obsidian Sanctum jumping puzzle in the Mists.
• The familiar face of Lady Kasmeer Meade can be found in the Grand Piazza enjoying the Dragon Bash festivities.
  
  Achievements
• A new category of Sky Pirate achievements has been added covering the Aetherblade Retreat mini-dungeon and the appearance of the Aetherblade Caches.
• A new meta-achievement, Against the Aetherblades, has been added, which requires players to complete 12 of 20 of the previous achievements.
• The History Buff achievement has been added to the Explorer category for the Sea of Sorrows scavenger hunt.
• The Not So Secret jumping puzzle achievement will become available July 2nd and will be a permanent addition.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
World vs. World

• Mortar Mastery has been added to the Ranks and Abilities tab.
  • Increases blast radius on all skills.
  • Increases fire field duration.
  • Reduces recharge on all mortar skills.
  • Increases damage on all mortar skills.
  • New Skill: Mortar Barrage
    • Launches a barrage of rounds that pushes back foes where they land.

AoE Looting

• Players can now loot all creatures and loot chests dropped by creatures in a small radius with a single interact.
• This feature can be used by either:
  • Selecting a new “AoE Loot On Interact” option, which will use the same key binding as the “Interact” key but will only trigger the AoE Loot functionality while none of the forms of the interact dialog are visible.
  • Creating a new key binding named “AoE Loot” under the “Miscellaneous” section of the key bindings tab on the options panel.
• Important notes:
  • The radius of AoE Looting is equal to that of a skill with a 900-unit range.
  • The AoE Looting functionality can only be triggered once per second.
  • Once the player’s inventory has filled up or the player becomes encumbered, AoE Looting cannot be triggered again until space has been cleared in the inventory. If the player’s inventory fills up while processing an AoE Loot request, it will finish processing all items so that any stackable items will still be looted.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
World Polish

• Blazeridge Steppes
  • Fuming soldiers around Foewatch will now repeat their lines in a timely manner.
• Bloodtide Coast
  • Phill the Fisher has grown tired of being attacked by drakes and is now retired. Other lesser-skilled fishermen have moved in to take his spot.
• Brisban Wildlands
  • The UI displayed during the fight between the skritt and the bandits at Plunder Hold has been cleaned up.
  • The “Skritt to be revived” counter in the event to help Tromgi’gark and Wenski will now reset properly during repeated runs of the event.
  • The Heart of the Terebinth now appears as a visible spirit and is a karma merchant instead of a coin merchant.
• Caledon Forest
  • The “under construction” icon from the event where players return escaped experiments to Zaxis has been removed.
• Fields of Ruin
  • When attacking Foulbear Kraal, Iron Legion engineers will now defend themselves if an enemy gets too close.
  • Watchman Brikken now has a “thank you” conversation when the player’s helped to secure Tyler’s Bivouac.
• Gendarran Fields
  • The giant skelk scavenger in the Bloodfields now hates centaurs.
• Harathi Hinterlands
  • Ulgoth the Modniir is now more aggressive about attacking ranged enemies.
  • Fixed a silver ore node that was failing to spawn.
• Malchor’s Leap
  • The black crocus node that was floating above the terrain has been removed.
  • The aetheric interrupter at the Cathedral of Zephyrs will no longer be visible before Historian Vermoth builds it.
  • Players will no longer get stuck when using the Union Waypoint.
• Mount Maelstrom
  • The difficulty level of the event where players defend Quandry Scratch has been reduced when fewer participants are involved.
• Queensdale
  • Added some additional staging when Charice and her Seraph guard spawn and prepare the carnival caravan.
  • Skelk in the Scaver Plateau are now hostile to Seraph guards in the region.
  • Chloe in the Shire of Beetletun carnival will only ask players near her to participate in the Moa or Man? game rather than asking random players on the map.
• Straits of Devastation
  • The largos Azzan no longer has “Veteran” displayed in front of his name.
  • Risen mines and rotmouths in the Strait of Sacrilege will no longer be visible outside of their associated events.
• Wayfarer Foothills
  • Ulfred’s attempt to fool the grawl has been divided into two events: collecting magical ice for him and defending him while he sculpts the ice.

General

• A more appropriate error message now appears when a player attempts to invite another player who is in too many guilds.
• Players who have never obtained a Tome of Influence or Black Lion Chest guild influence item will now properly see the item’s name in the guild history list instead of “ENCRYPTED_STRING”.
• Guild ranks displayed in the promotion context menu are now sorted by rank, rather than order of creation.
• The issue with target selection that occurred when not moving the cursor has been fixed

Dungeons
General

• Zojja now uses similar skills in dungeons that she does in personal story steps.

Ascalonian Catacombs

• The ghost transformation no longer locks out utility and elite skills for some medium armor characters.

Twilight Arbor

• Additional turrets that spawn further out from the Nightmare Tree have been added.

Sorrow’s Embrace

• Improved the teleport effect for Tazza.

The Ruined City of Arah

• Korga the Mighty’s leash range has now been reduced.
• Fixed an exploit where Korga the Mighty could be safely attacked from max range.

Fractals of the Mists

• Cliffside: Cultists will now respawn if the instance is reset by a party wipe.

Personal Story

• General: Fixed an issue that prevented some Risen enemies in the story from using the same animations as their open world counterparts.
• “Forewarned is Forearmed”: Added some safety checks to prevent the story step from stalling.
• “Track the Seraph”: Adjusted levels of Lionguard to make them the same as the open world and reduced the difficulty of the final abomination attack.

Profession Skills
General

• Weakness: Changed from 50% fumble on regular attacks to 50% fumble on all attacks. Now only stacks up to 5 times (still stacks duration).
• Torment: Added a new condition called Torment. This does damage every second (75% of bleeding) and double damage to foes that are moving (150% of bleeding). Stacks intensity.
• Fixed confusion to no longer fire extra times on skills due to hidden script actions.
• Battle Standard, Spirit of Nature, Gathering Plague, Vortex, Morph Tuna, Time Warp, Mass Invisibility, Purifying Blast, Whirlpool, Murky Water, and Undercurrent have had their underwater aftercast reduced by 1.1 seconds.
• All elite player transforms (racial and profession) now have a 1-second cooldown on leaving them. This was done to prevent unintentionally leaving through double-clicking.
• Mistfire Wolf: This elite now has a 150-second recharge (down from 240), and can now be cast while moving. This pet’s health has been increased by 100%.
• White Raven, Rainbow Jellyfish, Black Moa, and Black Widow Spider have had their health updated to match the other pets of their type.
• Blindness: Fixed an issue that caused blind to be removed when an attack was used while not in range of any targets.

Elementalist:

• Arcane Wave: This skill now hits 5 targets instead of 6.
• Signet of Air: This skill is now a stun breaker. Increased the cooldown to 30 seconds.
• Lightning Flash: This skill is no longer a stun breaker. Increased damage by 50%. Reduced the cooldown to 40 seconds.
• Cleansing Fire: This skill is no longer a stun breaker. Decreased the recharge to 40 seconds.
• Glyph of Elemental Power: This skill is now a stun breaker.
• Gust: This skill now passes through enemies, striking multiple foes in a line.
• Windborne Speed: Reduced the aftercast by .2 seconds.
• Chain Lightning: Reduced the aftercast by .1 seconds.
• Static Field: Reduced the aftercast by .3 seconds.
• Eruption: Reduced the cast time from 1.8 seconds to 1.2 seconds.
• Unsteady Ground: Increased the duration from 9 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Shockwave: Reduced the aftercast by .3 seconds.
• Lava Font: Reduced the cast time from .36 seconds to .2 seconds. Reduced the aftercast from .34 seconds to .2 seconds.
• Meteor Shower: Reduced the cast time from 4.2 seconds to 3.8 seconds.
• Water Blast: Reduced the aftercast by .1 seconds. Increased the size of the effect to more accurately show the area healed.
• Geyser: Reduced the cast time from 1.1 seconds to .6 seconds. Reduced the aftercast from .25 seconds to .2 seconds.
• Frozen Ground: Reduced the cast time from .36 seconds to .2 seconds. Reduced the aftercast from .34 seconds to .2 seconds.
• Healing Rain: Reduced the aftercast by .3 seconds.
• Gale: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds.
• Flamewall: Reduced the cast time from 1.1 seconds to .6 seconds. Reduced the aftercast from .25 seconds to .2 seconds.
• Freezing Gust: Reduced the aftercast by .35 seconds.
• Shatterstone: Reduced the aftercast by .75 seconds. This skill now shows its cast time and cast bar correctly.
• Tornado: Reduced the cooldown to 150 seconds.
• Phoenix: Doubled the velocity. Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Meteor Shower: Increased the size of the area that each meteor strikes. This ability has been optimized. As a result, no functionality has been changed, but the amount of meteor effects has been reduced. Previously, extra meteor effects that didn’t actually do any damage would play. We now only display the meteors that deal damage on impact.
• Magma Orb: Increased the damage by 33%.
• Ice Wall—Detonate: Increased the chill duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
• Forked Lightning: Increased the damage by 33%.
• Electrocute: Increased the damage by 50%. Increased the recharge from 5 seconds to 12 seconds. This skill now applies 5 stacks of vulnerability for 6 seconds.
• Murky Water: Reduced recharge from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.

Air Magic

• Arcane Lightning: This trait now grants a non-stacking 10% bonus critical damage for 15 seconds after using an arcane utility skill.
• Grounded: This trait has been merged with Tempest Defense.
• Tempest Defense: Reduced the internal cooldown from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. Damage to stunned and knocked down enemies is increased by 20%.
• New Grandmaster trait – Fresh Air: Critical strikes will now recharge Air Attunement. This effect can only occur once every 5 seconds.

Arcane

• Windborne Dagger: Movement speed in combat is increased by 15% for wielding a main-hand dagger, 10% for an off-hand dagger, with 25% total for both.

Earth

• Obsidian Focus: Increased toughness while channeling, from 170 at level 80 to 300 at level 80.
• Salt Stone: This trait has been merged with Stone Splinters.
• Stone Splinters: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier. It now deals 5% bonus damage to bleeding opponents and increases outgoing bleeding duration by 20%.
• Rock Solid: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• New Grandmaster trait – Diamond Skin: 10% of total toughness is now converted into condition damage.

Fire

• Lava Tomb: This trait’s internal cooldown has been reduced to 10 seconds. Damage from Lava Font is increased by 33%. Damage dealt while in the downed state is increased by 33%.
• Persisting Flame: Updated this trait to also allow blast finishers to give fury (10 seconds) as well as might.

Water

• Bountiful Power: Damage increase per boon on the elementalist has been reduced from 2% to 1%.

Engineer:

• Jump Shot: Increased the radius of the second attack from 120 units to 240 units.
• Jump Shot: Decreased the aftercast on this skill so that other skills can chain off of it more easily.
• Jump Shot: Cleaned up the movement on this skill so that it will more accurately move to the target location.
• Tool Kit: Smack and Whack now each apply 2 stacks of vulnerability instead of 1 stack.
• Rocket Boots: This trait now shoots the player forward and doesn’t inhibit the player. Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds. This trait is no longer a stun breaker.
• Rumble: This ability now breaks stuns. Added 1 second of stability.
• Static Shield: The Static Shield buff is now removed if the player cancels this skill. The buff is no longer removed when the player blocks a melee attack. The stun duration has been reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second.
• Throw Shield: Projectiles from this skill no longer passes through walls.
• Blowtorch: Reduced the aftercast from .65 seconds to .4 seconds.
• Fixed an issue that allowed engineers to execute back-to-back heals by using the underwater transition.
• Elixir X: Reduced the cooldown to 105 seconds.
• Elixir U: Reduced the cooldown to 50 seconds.
• Launch Ice Mortar: Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds.
• Launch Personal Battering Ram: Reduced the recharge to 15 seconds.
• Personal Battering Ram: Reduced the recharge to 25 seconds.
• Analyze: Reduced the recharge to 30 seconds.
• Throw Napalm: Increased the burn duration to 5 seconds.
• Harpoon (Harpoon Turret—Tool Belt): Decreased the cooldown to 10 seconds. Increased the damage by 25%.
• Surprise Shot (Rifle Turret—Tool Belt): Increased the damage by 33%.
• Rocket (Rocket Turret—Tool Belt): Decreased the cooldown to 30 seconds.
• Elixir U: This ability now functions correctly with Potent Elixirs.
• Elixir R: This skill is no longer a stun breaker. Decreased the cooldown to 30 seconds.
• Super Speed: This skill now breaks stuns.
• Slick Shoes: The effect for this skill now actually displays.
• Grenade Kit: This kit no longer destroys itself 6 minutes after being equipped.
• Net Turret: Fixed an issue where spamming Net Turret would allow it to fire the electrified net three times in a row.

Alchemy

• Acidic Coating: This trait now applies blind instead of poison to the target for 3 seconds, on a 10-second recharge.
• Backpack Regenerator: This trait has been reworded so that it doesn’t imply that it adds the regeneration boon. This now scales with healing power from 125 to 192 (1500 healing power).

Explosives

• Acidic Elixirs: This trait now removes a boon when they land, in addition to dealing damage.
• Autodefense Bomb Dispenser: The internal cooldown of this trait has been reduced to 30 seconds.

Firearms

• Knee Shot: This trait has been merged with Sitting Duck.
• Sitting Duck: Inflicting immobilize on an enemy also cripples them for 5 seconds and applies 5 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds. This effect can only occur once every 5 seconds.
• Fireforged Trigger: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.
• Juggernaut: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• Coated Bullets: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• Napalm Specialist: This trait has been moved to the Grandmaster tier. The duration of burns that the player applies has been increased by 33%.
• New Grandmaster trait—Modified Ammunition: Damage is increased by 2% per condition on the target, when wielding a pistol or rifle.

Inventions

• Stabilized Armor: Reduced the damage by 20% when the player is knocked down or stunned.
• Elite Supplies: This trait now improves mortar range.

Tools

• Always Prepared: This trait now only drops bandages when the engineer is downed (10-second cooldown). Damage while downed is increased by 25%.
• Packaged Stimulants: This trait now improves the effectiveness of the thrown medkit by 25%.
• Scope: Critical chance is increased by 10% when the distance to the target is greater than 600.
• Leg Mods: The duration of crippled, chilled, and immobilized has been reduced by 33%.
• Armor Mods: This trait will now grant aegis for 5 seconds when critically hit. This effect has a 25-second internal cooldown.
• Inertial Converter: This trait now functions with the underwater versions of Toss Elixir B and Toss Elixir H.

Guardian:

• Orb of Wrath: Increased the projectile speed of this skill by 30%.
• Wrathful Strike: Increased the might duration from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
• Signet of Judgment: This ability now breaks stuns. Increased the cooldown to 30 seconds.
• Shield of the Avenger: Command: This ability now breaks stuns.
• Chains of Light: This ability now deals a small amount of damage.
• Signet of Mercy: Reduced the cooldown to 150 seconds.
• Bane Signet: Reduced the cooldown to 40 seconds.
• Purifying Blast: Fixed the skill fact damage amounts.
• Refraction: Decreased the cast time from 1.3 seconds to .5 seconds.
• Tome of Wrath: Smiter’s Boon: This trait now applies to the caster as well.
• Sanctuary: Fixed an issue where Consecrated Ground was also reducing the cast time of this skill.
• Virtue of Justice: Updated the skill fact to correctly display the actual burning duration when the skill is activated.
• Tome of Courage: Protective Spirit: This trait now applies to the caster as well.
• Tome of Courage: Pacifism: Daze duration has been increased to the 3 seconds listed in the tooltip.

Honor

• Pure of Heart: This trait now heals for its base amount +25% benefit from healing power, up from 10%.

Radiance

• Blind Exposure: Vulnerability caused by this trait has been increased from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Radiant Fire: This trait now grants a 20% bonus to burning duration, in addition to reducing the torch skill recharge by 20%. Fixed the description text to indicate the accurate recharge reduction.

Valor

• Glacial Heart: This trait now applies 5 seconds of chill on a critical hit with a 100% activation rate (up from 4 seconds on a 50% rate). This effect’s recharge has been reduced from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Mace of Justice: This trait now grants up to 250 healing power while wielding a mace.

Virtues

• Shielded Mind: Courage now breaks stun for up to five allies when activated, instead of just the guardian.

Zeal

• Wrathful Spirits: This trait now increases damage dealt by spirits by 50% (up from 10%).
• Scepter Power: This trait has been increased from 5% bonus damage to 10% bonus damage.
• Zealous Blade: This trait has been merged with Greatsword Power and is now labeled as a Tier 2 trait.
• New Tier 3 trait—Kindled Zeal: 10% of the player’s power is now converted into condition damage.

Mesmer:

• Mind Spike: Reduced the base damage by 20%. This skill does an additional 50% damage to targets with no boons.
• Mind Stab: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds.
• Illusionary Counter: This skill damage has been reduced to 50% of what it was. It now applies 5 stacks of torment for 8 seconds.
• Magic Bullet: Reduced the aftercast by .2 seconds.
• Into the Void: This skill now has a 1-second recharge before it can be used after placing Temporal Curtain.
• Signet of Illusions: Clones and phantasms will now gain the passive effect of this signet when they are created, rather than a few moments after creation.
• Siren’s Call
  • Bleed duration for players: Reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second.
  • Bleed duration for clones: Reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second.
• Feigned Surge: Increased the damage by 33%.
• Ineptitude: Fixed an issue that allowed this skill to be cast at infinite range.
• Illusionary Leap: Fixed an exploit that allowed for more clone generation than intended.
• Signet of Midnight: Increased the blind duration to 5 seconds. Decreased the cooldown to 30 seconds.
• Illusion of Life: Fixed an issue so that Far-Reaching Manipulations no longer reduces the cast time of this skill.
• Blurred Frenzy: This is now evasion instead of immunity. This means it will be affected by retaliation. Increased the cooldown to 12 seconds.
• Signet of Illusions: Decreased the bonus hit points to clones and phantasms to 50%.
• Split the hit point values of clones and phantasms by game type:
  • Increased the phantasm base hit points by 55% in PvP and WvW.
  • Increased the phantasm base hit points by 270% in PvE.
  • Decreased the clone base hit points by 25% in PvP and WvW.
  • Increased the clone base hit points by 28% in PvE.
• Polymorph Moa:
  • Claw: This skill now jumps towards the target as it hits, and the animation was amended.
  • Kick: This ability is now a ground-targeted leap skill that damages and cripples enemies for 3 seconds where the player lands. Decreased the recharge to 4 seconds.
  • Peck: This ability now moves towards the target between each attack. Increased the damage by 10%. Decreased the recharge to 4 seconds.
  • Screech: This ability now damages and weakens foes for 3 seconds in a 300 radius. Lowered the cast time to 1.5 seconds. Decreased the recharge to 4 seconds.
  • Flee: Smoothed the animation and reduced the aftercast.
• Polymorph Tuna:
  • Chomp: This ability now cripples for 3 seconds.
  • Frenzy: Increased the damage by 10%.
• Phantasmal Berserker: Fixed an issue that was causing the damage from this summoned phantasm to not display. Updated the berserker’s attack to make it more reliably hit a static target with all 4 of the attacks.

Chaos

• Prismatic Understanding: This trait now pulses once every second while stealthed.
• Bountiful Interruption: This trait has been moved to the Master tier. In addition to granting a random boon on interrupt, this trait will also grant 5 stacks of might.
• Chaotic Interruption: This trait has been moved to the Grandmaster tier. This ability now immobilizes the player’s target and randomly applies blind, cripple, or chill.

Domination

• Halting Strike: Damage dealt when interrupting enemies has been increased by 500%.

Dueling

• Protected Mantras: This trait now grants up to 400 toughness while channeling (up from 250).
• Furious Interruption: This trait now grants 3 seconds of quickness when interrupting a foe. This effect can only occur once every 15 seconds.
• Vengeful Images: This trait now only applies retaliation for 5 seconds when they are created and does not persist after that.

Illusions

• Imbued Diversion: This trait now allows Diversion to daze 5 targets (up from 3). In addition, the daze radius has been increased to 360 (up from 240).
• Illusionary Retribution: Moved to the Adept Minor trait.
• Shattered Strength: Moved to the Master Minor trait.
• Illusionists Celerity: Moved to the Grandmaster Minor trait.

Inspiration

• Malicious Sorcery: This trait grants up to 200 condition damage while wielding a scepter (based on level), up from 50.
• Compounding Celerity: Movement speed per active illusion has been increased to 10%, allowing for 30% movement speed when three illusions are active.
• Shattered Conditions: This trait now removes one condition from all allies around the mesmer.

Necromancer:

• Putrid Curse: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
• Necrotic Bite: Increased the life force gain from 4 to 6.
• Corrupt Boon: Reduced the maximum amount of boons converted to 5.
• Spectral Wall: Normalized the amount of protection gained to 5 seconds for allies. Replaced the vulnerability with a 1-second fear when enemies try to cross the wall. Added 4% life force gain on hit. Increased the recharge to 45 seconds. Reduced the base duration to 5 seconds and 7.5 seconds while traited with Spectral Attunement.
• Wail of Doom: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Well of Power: This ability now breaks stuns. Added 1 second of stability. Reduced the cooldown to 50 seconds.
• Well of Corruption: Reduced the cooldown to 40 seconds.
• Well of Darkness: Reduced the cooldown to 50 seconds.
• Well of Suffering: Reduced the cooldown to 35 seconds.
• Unholy Feast: This ability now removes 1 boon from each target hit.
• Spectral Armor: Reduced the recharge to 60 seconds.
• Signet of Spite: Now applies 2 stacks of bleeding for 10 seconds, blind for 5 seconds, cripple for 10 seconds, poison for 10 seconds, 5 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds, and weakness for 10 seconds. Reduced the recharge to 60 seconds.
• Death Shroud: No longer removes the Spectral Armor buff.
• Death Shroud: No longer removes the Spectral Walk buff.
• Signet of Undeath: Increased the cast time to 3 seconds.
• Locust Swarm: Increased the radius to 210. Increased the animation size to better reflect its attack area.
• Grim Specter: This ability can now be cast while moving.
• Rigor Mortis: This ability is now instant.
• Necrotic Grasp: Increased the projectile velocity by 10%.
• Consume Conditions: This skill now consumes torment.
• Chillblains: This ability now has the appropriate cast time when traited with greater marks.
• Putrid Mark: This ability will now transfer blind to enemies it strikes, instead of missing.
• Deathly Swarm: Increased the projectile velocity by 30%.
• Crimson Tide: The bleed duration has been increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds.
• Deadly Catch: The cripple duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.
• Wicked Spiral: The vulnerability duration has been increased from 6 seconds to 10 seconds per hit.
• Deadly Feast: The duration of feast has been increased from 6 seconds to 8 seconds.
• Death Shroud: Bone Fiend and Shadow Fiend now regenerate outside of combat.
  • New ability #5 – Tainted Shackles: This skill tethers all enemies within a 600 range, constantly dealing torment to them over time. At the end of the cast, Dark Binding immobilizes all affected enemies still within the radius.
  • Life Blast: This skill now scales based on range instead of amount of life force. At more than 600 units, this skill’s low value has been increased by 43%; at less than 600 units, this skill uses the old high value. Range has been increased to 1200.
  • Doom: This skill now scales based on range. If more than 600 units, it will apply 1 second of fear; If less than 600 units, it will apply 1.5 seconds of fear. This ability now lists the damage it deals to enemy targets.
  • Life Blast (Underwater): Decreased the cast time and reduced the aftercast.
• Ghastly Claws: Increased the life force gain from 8 to 10.
• Feast of Corruption: Increased the life force gain from 2/condition to 3/condition.
• Necrotic Grasp: Increased the life force gain from 3 to 4.
• Shadow Fiend Haunt: Increased the blind duration to 5 seconds.
• Dark Path: Fixed an issue where the chill duration did not match the tooltip.
• Reaper’s Touch: Fixed an issue so that it now applies the vulnerability before the damage. Updated the tooltip to state the correct amount of vulnerability.
• Grim Specter: This skill is now unblockable.

_Blood Magic _

• Dagger Mastery: This trait now grants a 20% recharge reduction.
• Vampiric: This trait now scales up 6 additional points with power for its damage and healing for its healing per attack.

Curses

• Withering Precision: This trait now applies 5 seconds of weakness on critical hits. This effect can only occur once every 20 seconds.
• Terror: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• Focused Rituals: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.

Death Magic

• Death Shiver: Vulnerability applied every 3 seconds while in Death Shroud has been increased to 3 stacks for 10 seconds (up from 1 stack).
• Death Nova: Minions now deal damage when Death Nova is triggered.

Soul Reaping

• Speed of Shadows: This trait now increases movement speed by 25% while in Death Shroud.
• Decaying Swarm: This trait has been removed.
• Near to Death: This trait has been moved to the Master tier. This trait now reduces the cooldown by 30% instead of 50%.
• New Grandmaster trait—Deathly Perception: Players have a 50% greater critical chance while in Death Shroud.

Spite

• Signet Power: This trait has been merged with Signet Mastery.
• Signet Mastery: This trait now recharges signets 20% faster and grants 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds on signet use.
• Axe Training: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• New Grandmaster trait—Dhuumfire: Players can inflict burning to opponents for 4 seconds on critical hit. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

Ranger:

• “Protect Me”: This ability now breaks stuns.
• Splitblade: Reduced the aftercast from .4 seconds to .2 seconds.
• Pet leash range increased to 2000 units.
• Path of Scars: This skill now pulls enemies on the return flight.
• Long Range Shot: Reduced the aftercast from .5 seconds to .25 seconds. Increased the arrow speed by 15%.
• Rapid Fire: Reduced the initial cast time by .4 seconds. Increased the arrow speed by 15%.
• Point Blank Shot: Increased the arrow speed by 15%.
• Barrage: Increased the cripple duration by 50%.
• Stalker’s Strike: This skill no longer loses evade duration when traited with Off-Hand Training. It now strikes targets more reliably in melee. It now functions with Off-Hand Training in PvE.
• Crippling Talon: This skill now functions with Off-Hand Training in PvE.
• Muddy Terrain: Decreased the duration from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. Increased the cripple duration per pulse from 1 second to 2 seconds. Decreased the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Lightning Reflexes: The travel distance for this skill has been halved when underwater.
• Man O’ War: The base recharge has been increased from 18 to 25.
• Counterstrike: The base recharge has been increased from 15 to 20.
• Swirling Strike: Increased damage by 33%.
• Crossfire: Decreased the range to 900.
• Poison Volley: Decreased the range to 900.
• Quick Shot: Decreased the range to 900. Increased the damage by 14%.
• Crippling Shot: Decreased the range to 900. Increased the damage by 14%.
• Concussion Shot: Decreased the range to 900. Increased the damage by 14%. Reduced the aftercast by .25 seconds.
• Spirit-activated skill range increased from 180 to 240 (360 when traited).
• Call Lightning: Increased the damage by 150%.
• Solar Flare: Decreased the cast time from 1.7 seconds to .5 seconds.
• Counterstrike: Fixed an issue with this ability that caused it to go on interrupt recharge when pressed twice rapidly to use Counter Throw.
• Thunderclap (Downed Skill 2): Fixed an issue that caused this ability to have infinite range.
• Winter’s Bite:. Fixed an issue so that it now chills for 3 seconds (as listed in the tooltip) instead of 2 seconds.

Pets

• Armor Fish: Bite: Reduced the damage by 50%.
• Bird: Slash: Increased the damage by 15%.
• Eagle: Lacerating Slash: Reduced the damage by 50%.
• Raven: Blinding Slash: Reduced the damage by 34%.
• Canine: Bite: Reduced the damage by 27%.
• Devourer: Twin Darts: Reduced the damage by 20%.
• Drake: Bite: Reduced the damage by 27%.
• Insect Swarm: This skill can no longer fire behind the drake.
• Drake: Lightning Breath: Reduced the damage by 17%.
• Feline: Maul: Reduced the damage by 50%.
• Jaguar: Stalking: Critical chance increase while in stealth reduced to 25%.
• Jellyfish: Tentacle Slash: Increased the damage by 50%.
• Jellyfish Blue: Chilling Whirl: Decreased the damage by 33%.
• Moa: Peck: Reduced the damage by 7%.
• Pig: Jab: Reduced the damage by 25%.
• Shark: Bite: Increased the damage by 10%.
• Spider: Spit: Increased the damage by 10%.

Beastmastery

• Instinctual Bond: This trait has been swapped with Zephyr’s Speed. Quickness has been increased to 3 seconds.
• Stability Training: This trait now causes the pet to ignore the incoming crowd control skill as well as granting stability. This has a 10-second internal recharge.

Marksmanship

• Keen Edge: This trait now activates when the player strikes a target whose health is below 50%, instead of when the player’s health reaches 75%.
• Beastmaster’s Might: This trait now grants 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds.
• Spotter: This trait has been increased from 70 precision to 150.

Nature Magic

• Vigorous Spirits: This trait has been merged with Spiritual Knowledge.
• Spiritual Knowledge: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.
• Evasive Purity: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• New Grandmaster trait—Nature’s Voice: Shouts apply 10 seconds of regeneration and swiftness to allies in a 360 radius.

Skirmishing

• Companion’s Might: This trait now grants 5 seconds of might to the player’s pet (up from 1 second).

Wilderness Survival

• Peak Strength: Damage bonus when the player’s health is above 90% has been increased from 5% to 10%.
• Healer’s Celerity: This trait now increases revive speed by 10%. Swiftness granted on revival has been increased from 3 seconds to 15 seconds.

Thief:

• Lotus Strike: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
• Shadow Trap: Increased the recharge to 45 seconds.
• Destroy Shadow Trap: This ability now teleports the thief back to the trap location when it is destroyed. Added range skill facts. This skill now breaks stuns. Using this skill puts Shadow Trap on recharge.
• Shadow Pursuit: This ability now grants fury and 10 stacks of might for 5 seconds along with stealth when used to teleport to the enemy who triggered Shadow Trap. This ability now breaks stuns. Using this skill puts Shadow Trap on recharge.
• Death Blossom: This trait now costs 4 initiative.
• Body Shot: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds. Decreased the vulnerability duration to 3 seconds. Increased to 10 stacks for vulnerability.
• Pistol Whip: Decreased the time between the stun and the sword flurry.
• Scorpion Wire: Decreased the aftercast by .2 seconds. Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds.
• Signet of Malice: Increased the base heal by 33% of the passive ability.
• Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds.
• Cluster Bomb: Decreased the range set from 1200 to 900.
• Larcenous Strike: Increased the initiative cost to 2.
• Nine Tailed Strike: Increased the initiative cost from 3 to 5.
• Shadow Assault: Increased the initiative cost from 5 to 7.
• The Ripper: Increased the bleed duration from 5 seconds to 7 seconds.
• Deadly Strike:. Increased the damage from 1 to 1.2.
• Skale Venom: Replaced weakness with torment.
• Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3.
• Shadow Return (Infiltrator Strike Toggle): This skill is no longer a stun breaker.
• Withdraw: The travel distance underwater has been cut in half to match the land distance.

Acrobatics

• Assassin’s Retreat: This trait now grants 10 seconds of swiftness when players kill a foe. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.
• Pain Response: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Hard to Catch: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.

Critical Strikes

• Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds.
• Signets of Power: The 5 stacks of might that this trait grants have been increased to 10 seconds.

Deadly Arts

• Corrosive Traps: This trait now grants 5 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds (up from 5 seconds).
• Sundering Strikes: Vulnerability caused by this trait has been increased from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Panic Strike: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target.

Shadow Arts

• Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
• Slowed Pulse: The effect of this trait now occurs if the player has 2 or more stacks of bleeding.
• Shadow Protector: This trait has been changed to apply 10 seconds of regeneration when the players stealth them. This effect will not occur if the ally already has regeneration on them.

Trickery

• Merciful Ambush: This trait now grants 2 seconds of stealth to players and their allies when beginning a revive.
• Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200).
• Ricochet: The chance to bounce for this trait has been increased from 25% to 50%.
• Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%.
• Instinctual Response: This trait now properly blinds enemies struck by the feathers. Increased the radius from 120 to 180.
• Bountiful Theft: This trait will now trigger before Sleight of Hand.

Warrior:

• Tremor: Increased the projectile velocity by 33%.
• Axe Chain: Moved the damage more toward the end of the chain without reducing overall DPS.
  • Chop: Reduced the damage by 9%.
  • Double Chop: Reduced the damage by 12%.
  • Triple Chop: Reduced the damage of the first two hits by 20%. Increased the damage on the final hit by 75%.
• Final Thrust: This skill has been moved to slot #3. Now it does more damage and extra damage versus foes whose health is below 50%.
• Hamstring: This skill has been moved to the end of the skill chain. Reduced the cripple duration to 1 second.
• Savage Leap: This skill now applies 3 seconds of cripple.
• Leg Specialist: This trait now has an internal cooldown of 5 seconds.
• Skull Crack: Increased the stun duration from 1, 1.5, 2 to 1, 2, 3. Increased the damage by 50%.
• Endure Pain: Reduced the recharge from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
• Stomp: This ability now breaks stuns. Added 1 second of stability. Reduced the cooldown to 45 seconds.
• Dolyak Signet: This is now an instant stun breaker.
• Throw Bolas: Reduced the aftercast by .3 seconds.
• Kick: Doubled the damage.
• Berserker’s Stance: Increased the recharge to 60 seconds. Reduced the duration to 4 seconds. This stance now reduces incoming condition duration by 100%, so only modified conditions can get through.
• Balanced Stance: This now also applies swiftness.
• Dual Strike: Reduced the aftercast from .5 seconds to .25 seconds.
• Whirling Axe: Reduced the aftercast by .2 seconds.
• Rush: Reduced the aftercast by .2 seconds. The transition between the run and swing portion has been smoothed out for hitting moving targets.
• Hammer Shock: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds.
• Staggering Blow: Reduced the aftercast by .25 seconds.
• Backbreaker: Reduced the aftercast by .25 seconds.
• Crushing Blow: Reduced the aftercast by .2 seconds.
• Brutal Shot: Reduced the aftercast by .3 seconds.
• Rampage: Reduced the cooldown to 150 seconds.
• Brutal Shot: This skill now adds 5 stacks of vulnerability (up from 1). The duration of vulnerability applied changed from 15 seconds to 5 seconds.
• Knot Shot: Reduced the recharge from 25 seconds to 15 seconds.
• Untraited Longbow: Increased the range from 900 to 1000.
• Riposte: When players block an attack from range, it no longer cancels the blocking.
• Whirling Axe: Increased the damage by 50% in PvP only.
• “Fear Me!”: Reduced the recharge to 60 seconds.

Arms

• Deep Strike: This trait now scales with level rather than granting a flat bonus.
• Furious Speed: Players gain 10 seconds of swiftness on critical hits. This effect can only occur once every 15 seconds.
• Opportunist: This trait grants 10 seconds of fury when players immobilize a target. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.
• Furious: This trait has been updated to indicate that triple adrenaline is rewarded on critical attacks.
• Last Chance: Reduced the recharge to 45 seconds (down from 60 seconds).

Defense

• Defy Pain: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. This trait will now have a 4-second duration, 5 seconds when traited with Sure-Footed.
• Vigorous Return: This trait now grants an additional 100% endurance when players rally.
• Sundering Mace: Fixed an issue causing this trait to apply weakness on mace critical strikes.
• Embrace the Pain: This trait has been merged with a new Master tier trait, Cleansing Ire.
• Cleansing Ire: New Master tier trait with the following effects: Gain adrenaline when hit. Remove a condition for every bar of adrenaline spent.
• Shield Master: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.
• Adrenal Health: This trait now scales with healing power:

Discipline

• Burst Recharge: The Discipline trait line no longer improves burst damage. It now decreases burst cooldown by 1% per point in Discipline.
• Warrior’s Sprint: Increased the movement speed from 10% to 25%.
• Sharpened Axes: Reduced the axe skills by 20% in addition to increasing adrenaline with axe critical hits.
• Vigorous Focus: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.
• Destruction of the Empowered: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• Heightened Focus: This trait has been moved to the Grandmaster tier and grants 5%, 10%, and 15% critical chance based on adrenaline level.
• Burst Mastery: This no longer reduces burst cooldown. It now increases burst damage by 10%.

Strength

• Physical Training: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
• Dual Wielding: This trait has been moved to the Adept tier.
• Berserker’s Power: This trait has been moved to the Grandmaster tier. Damage bonus has been increased to 5%, 10%, and 15% based on adrenaline level.
• Berserker’s Might: This trait now passively builds 2 strikes of adrenaline every 3 seconds, while the players are in combat.
• Distracting Strikes: This trait now applies 4 stacks of confusion for 8 seconds upon interrupting an enemy.

Tactics

• Burning Arrows: Reduced the recharge of longbow abilities by 20% in addition to dealing 10% bonus damage against burning foes.
• Desperate Power: Increased the threshold of this trait, dealing 20% additional damage while the player is below 50% health instead of below 25%.
• Empower Allies: This trait has been increased to 150 points of power.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Fixed an issue where PvP Apprentice and Chainmail items would salvage into PvE materials.
• Added the Rawhide Armor set to the Deer rank chests.
• Updated several spectator camera locations, in various maps.
• Updated kill notifications to show defeats and used brighter team colors.
• Spectators can reliably use the Escape menu now.

World vs. World

• Mesmers can no longer create clones of siege golems.
• The buff Guard Leech, acquired from rank 10 of Guard Killer, now adds 20 power and 20 condition damage per stack.
• Supply caravan ambushes now provide 10 WXP when killed.
• Omega Siege Golems now correctly require 150 supply to be built.
• Cannon skills now show the correct skill facts when upgraded via Cannon Mastery.
• Ballista skills now show the correct skill facts when upgraded via Ballista Mastery.
• The Outmanned buff is now hidden from enemies.
• Superior siege weapons now correctly indicate the damage from their skills in their skill facts.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• Aetherblade Armor Skins have been added to the Gem Store in the Style category for 800 gems each. Light, medium, and heavy versions, each with their own unique design, are available. Please remember that each class can only equip one armor weight and to check the character’s armor class before purchasing.
• The new Plush Tybalt Backpack Cover can now be obtained through the Black Lion Chest. This adorable backpack cover is modeled after the character Tybalt and can be applied to any backpack. Players can open Black Lion Chests using the Black Lion Chest Key found in the Gem Store under the Consumable category.
• Now players can start their own custom PvP arena with the Custom Arena Starter Kit available in the Gem Store in the Services category for 1600 gems each. Each Custom Arena Starter Kit contains one arena and 30 days of active time. Anyone can add additional time to the arena with the Custom Arena Time Token, which is also available in the Services category in packages of 5 for 150 gems or 20 for 480 gems.

Improvements

• Most items in the Gem Store are now available to be purchased as a gift. Gifting allows players to purchase an item with gems but have it delivered to one of their friends. Simply select the orange gift box icon next to the price of the gift item and follow the on-screen instructions.
• The drop chances in the Black Lion Chest have been adjusted so there is a greater chance to receive a plush backpack cover item with each key. However, backpack covers are still a rare drop from the Black Lion Chest.

Bug-fixes

• Fixed a bug with Rich Dragon Coffers where recipes were not included in the drop table. There is now a rare chance to receive the Dragon’s Revelry Starcake recipe. Dragon’s Revelry Starcakes give a 30 minute buff to all armor stats, Magic Find, and experience from kills.
• All players that purchased a Rich Dragon Coffer before the fix above was added will receive 1 Dragon’s Revelry Starcake recipe via in game mail as compensation. This compensation is scheduled to be delivered in a few days.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH

• Fixed a client crash during combat while transforming.

Living World

• Dead players will no longer be left out when their team scores the win in Dragon Ball.
• Tigg has become wise to attempts to rig his races! He has made the Moas more determined than ever to avoid this corruption!
• Fixed a bug on the PvP version of the Dragon’s Jade weapons which disabled the upgrade slot.
• The mystery Moa is now counted as part of The Winner’s Circle Achievement.
• “Delete Me” Achievement Category has been… deleted.
• Food consumables will no longer affect players in Dragon Ball.
• Fixed a bug where achievements were not being properly rewarded for activities.

WvW

• Fixed an error that prevented the World Ability Point reset from taking effect. Players with spent world ability points have had their points refunded.

Greetings Citizens!

In an effort to allow for more general World vs. World discussion to thrive and simultaneously provide a space for match-up threads to continue, we have created this, your World vs. World match-up subforum. Please keep all match-up threads in this subforum and keep your posts respectful and polite.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH

• Fixed the Heralds so they will tell the tale of Southsun Cove.
• Fixed a bug causing waypoints on Southsun Shore to remain locked when they shouldn’t be.
• Fixed issues that were potential causes of server latency in Crab Toss.
• Fixed Cragstead and North Nolan Hatchery to appear in their post-Flame and Frost states.
• Flame and Frost’s Victory Bonfires in Lion’s Arch, Hoelbrak & Black Citadel will remain until May 28th. Interacting with them will allow A Rallying Flame to be completed.
• Fixed a bug with Dodge roll where it could get stuck in the queue and unintentionally execute after a stun or immobilize.
• Collision has been updated on the World vs. World Burning Oil Pot. Players will once again be able to burn the enemies at the gate.
• Fixed a bug with the animation with Sclerite Karka Shell.
• Fixed a bug with missing upgrade slots on PvP Sclerite weapons.

Optimizations

• We’re rolling out our first set of optimizations. This is the first in many steps involved in helping resolve issues with “skill lag.” Some players will experience a slight improvement in skill lag issues with large groups of players, while some players may also experience a slight raise in their FPS.

Profession Skills
Engineer

• Fixed a bug which disabled certain traits from functioning correctly. This includes Rifled Turret Barrels, Metal Plating, and Autotool Installation.

World vs. World

• Arrow Cart: Arrow cart damage vs. other siege weapons has been reduced to 50% of its current damage.

LIVING WORLD
The Secret of Southsun
The refugees from Flame & Frost who were resettled at Southsun Cove are up in arms over the restrictive residency contracts that prevent them from leaving. Tensions are high, and settlers are brawling with Consortium guards. What’s worse, the island’s local wildlife has been agitated and is even more aggressive and territorial than usual.
The Lionguard’s Inspector Kiel has been charged with quelling the violence so it doesn’t interfere with the upcoming Dragon Bash festival in Lion’s Arch. Kiel takes her job seriously, so she’ll need help from players and Researcher Levvi to keep everyone on the island safe from the local wildlife and each other.

Southsun Cove

• The Consortium has created a new exotic resort for those looking to get away for a while. Lord Faren and Lady Kasmeer are currently there on vacation.
• New settlements have been created for refugees coming in from Lion’s Arch.
• Animals on Southsun Cove are becoming increasingly aggressive.
• Settlers and tourists have wandered too far from the camps and need assistance getting back to safety.
• Researcher Levvi is looking for brave adventurers to help survey the island and recover samples to determine the cause of the native creatures’ increased aggression.
• Tensions between settlers and Consortium members have led to confrontation that may require mediation.
• The new Crab Toss activity is now available at Sawtooth Bay in Southsun Cove. Players can win karka shells, passiflora, tonics, and more.
• Southsun Supply Crates will drop rarely from creatures during the Secret of Southsun event. These crates contain Southsun crafting materials and a chance at a wide variety of items, such as shoulder skins, new boosts and convenience items, and a rare chance at new weapon skins and minis. Southsun Supply Crates can also be purchased from the Black Lion Trading Company (see below for more info).
• Blooming Passiflora are now growing on the island.
• The larger veteran and champion karka now have a guaranteed drop chance for karka shells upon defeat.
• All players who enter the island for the duration of the event are scaled up to level 80. This content is available from May 14 to June 4.

Guild Content

• Six Guild Trek locations have been added to Southsun Cove.

Achievements

• Added new living world achievements to Southsun Cove: “Consortium Rewards Club Member,” “Southsun Settler Supporter,” “Southsun Sightseer,” “Southsun Volunteer Fieldwork,” “Southsun VIP Meet and Greet,” and more.
• Added new achievements for Crab Toss activity: “Crab Toss Participant,” “Crab-Carrying Competitor,” “Crabtacular!,” “Crabgrabber,” and “Crab Toss Champion.”
• Players who complete 25 of the Secret of Southsun achievements will earn the “Southsun Stalwart” meta-achievement. This achievement awards players with a Sclerite Karka Shell back item and the title of “Southsun Stalwart.” The Southsun Stalwart meta-achievement covers the entire event’s content, some of which is not accessible until the next release.
• A new title, “Crab Toss Champion,” has been added for players who win a game of Crab Toss.
• A new title, “Crabgrabber,” has been added for players who steal 100 crabs during games of Crab Toss.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
World vs. World

• Obsidian Sanctum, the jumping puzzle in the Eternal Battlegrounds, has been moved to its own WvW map.
  • Entering the puzzle will take players out of the Eternal Battlegrounds.
  • Leaving will take players back to Lion’s Arch.
• Added a new vendor: “Traps and Tricks Outfitter.”
• Traps have been added as a new purchasable consumable utility item. Two unique variants are available.
  • When placed, traps last for one hour.
  • Players may only have one of a given trap type deployed at a time.
  • Traps will disappear when a player leaves the map.
  • Traps are sold by the vendor for 15 badges and 525 karma; they will stack to 250 and are account-bound.
  • It takes a 4-second channel to place at feet.
  • Placing a trap uses very short-range ground targeting to assist in orientation.
  • Placed traps have a 600×90 rectangular trigger area; only enemies can trigger them.
  • Once triggered, traps affect up to 20 enemies within a range of 1200.
  • Traps cost 10 supply to place.
• Supply Removal Trap
  • Removes 5 supply from enemies affected by the trap.
• Stealth Disruptor Trap
  • Removes stealth from enemies and reveals them for 30 seconds, preventing stealth.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

• A Commander’s map pings and strokes are now visible to members of their squad.
• Fixed several shadowstep bugs that let players teleport through WvW gates and exploit various dungeons.
• Fixed a bug that caused some items to lose their functionality after a player has gone into a downed state.

Events

• Malchor’s Leap:
  • Pact cannons near the Shelter Docks are now fully operational.
  • The Inquest Ornithologist has been upgraded to a champion, as befits her Group Event status.
• Metrica Province:
  • Minor UI changes were made to the Mark II golem event.
• Mount Maelstrom:
  • The Branded ogre in the Infinity Coil complex is now properly imprisoned in his cage.
• Sparkfly Fen:
  • Added a skill to the seaweed-mine bundle.
• Timberline Falls:
  • Fixed a stalling bug in the event “Protect krewe leader Dobbs as the krewe clears the excavation site.”
• Wayfarer Foothills:
  • Dredge soldiers outside Molensk are no longer rooted in place.

Personal Story

• “Down the Hatch”:
  • Fixed a rare stalling bug at the end of the story step.
• “The Ghost Rite”:
  • Fixed the player’s camera position while transformed.

Structured PvP

• Reverted a change to PvP dailies that increased their difficulty.
• Reworded some custom arena tooltips to be less confusing.

Profession Skills
Warrior

• Leg Specialist:
  • This trait will no longer function with the Burning Oil siege weapon in WvW.
• Healing Signet:
  • Updated skill facts to show the passive effect and accurately display the healing value for the active effect.

Elementalist

• Dragon’s Claw:
  • Fixed an exploit that caused this skill to fire at increased rates.

Engineer

• Kit Refinement:
  • The cooldown icon will now display correctly when this trait is used with Flamethrower.

Elementalist

• Shocking Aura:
  • This skill’s icon on the buff bar now displays the same icon as the skill itself.

Ranger

• Fixed a bug that caused the projectile speed of the following axe skills to be 75% of their intended speed:
  • Ricochet
  • Splitblade
  • Winter’s Bite
  • Path of Scars
• Juvenile Rainbow Jellyfish now uses a unique model.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• You can now purchase the Southsun Supply Crate in the Consumable category of the Gem Store for 1 for 150 gems or 10 for 1200 gems. These special crates contain Southsun crafting materials and a chance at items such as shoulder skins, new boosts and convenience items, and a rare chance at new weapon skins and minis. The Southsun Supply Crates will only be available until June 10. The Southsun Supply Crates will also be a limited-time rare drop off the creatures on the island during this time.
• The Consortium Swim Speed Boost is now available in the Boost category of the Gem Store for 1 for 50 gems or 5 for 200 gems. This boost will increase your swim speed by 15% for 1 hour. This boost is not useable in PvP.
• To celebrate spring, the Gem Store is making one miniature baby animal available each week for the month of May. This week’s adorable addition is the Mini Moa Chick, which is now available in the Minis category of the Gem Store for 400 gems each.
• How to Dance, Volume 1 is now available in the Services category of the Gem Store for 400 gems. This book can be used to gain access to three different dance moves and a skill that will allow you to invite others to participate in your dance party.

Build 4/30/13 April Content Update Release Notes
LIVING STORY
Flame & Frost: Retribution
In secret foundries deep beneath the Shiverpeaks, the Molten Alliance forges deadly new weaponry that combines the fiery power of the Flame Legion with the iron might of the dredge. There, Alliance weaponsmiths test their creations on innocent captives, perfecting their cruel technology until it is ready to unleash on all of Tyria.
In the last chapter of the Flame and Frost series, you’ll strike at the heart of the Molten Alliance with your comrades, Rox the charr and the norn Braham. Take the battle into the enemy’s weapons facilities and defeat a final hybrid menace unlike any Tyria has ever seen!
Molten Weapons Facility

• The Vigil has pinpointed the first of what may be several entrances to the weapons facilities where the Molten Alliance has been creating their fearsome technologies.
• The Molten Weapons Facility is a level-80 single-path dungeon experience where players fight alongside Rox Whetstone and Braham Eirsson.
• All players who enter are scaled up to level 80.
• Entrances to the Molten Weapons Facility change over time as new locations are found.
• Information on the map where the dungeon is located is in the Living World UI on the top right of the screen.
• A wide variety of new and unique rewards are available by defeating the challenging encounters within.
• This content is available from April 30 to May 12.

Achievements

• New achievements have been added to the Living Story category: “Rage Against the War Machine,” “Avenger of the Dispossessed,” “A Rallying Flame,” and “Alliance Breaker.”
• Completing the meta-achievement for Flame and Frost, “Alliance Breaker,” awards you a Fused Gauntlet Ticket. Use this item to exchange it for your choice of Fused Gauntlets, a unique exotic item. Completion of this achievement requires all of the other Flame and Frost achievements except “A Rallying Flame.”
• A new title, “Avenger of the Dispossessed,” has been added for players who see Rox and Braham’s stories to completion.
• The final Flame and Frost achievement, “A Rallying Flame,” is not available until the conclusion of the story arc.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Structured Player vs. Player

• Custom arenas!
  • Soon, you’ll be able to host private matches, hone your skills, and build your own community in rentable custom PvP arenas!
  • Initially, renting a custom arena will be available on an invitation basis, but custom arena play and spectator mode will be available to all PvP players.
  • Once this feature leaves beta, the ability to run a custom arena will be available to any player as a gem purchase.
• Spectator mode!
  • View any non-tournament match in real time from several fixed camera locations or from the perspective of players in the match.
  • Inspect the statistics, equipment, traits, and skills of players you are watching.
  • If spectator mode is enabled on an arena, players can select which team they are on when the map begins.
• Map pings and drawing now work for your team instead of only your party.
• Clicking the score UI at the top of the screen opens the scoreboard.
• The PvP browser now provides filtering options and favorites for custom arenas.
  World vs. World
• Added the following rare weapon skin sets to the Weapon Master:
  • Aureate
  • Flame
  • Verdant
  • Norn
• Added new abilities:
  • Arrow Cart Mastery
    • Increase range on all arrow-cart skills.
    • Increase damage on all arrow-cart skills.
    • Increase effectiveness of applied conditions.
    • Increase radius on all arrow-cart skills
    • New skill (slot 4): Toxic Unveiling Shot. Removes stealth and applies poison to targets.
  • Guard Killer
    • All Guard Killer bonuses now also apply to enemy lords and supervisors.
    • 7% damage to guards, lords, and supervisors.
    • Gain endurance after killing guards, lords, and supervisors.
    • 10% damage to guards, lords, and supervisors.
    • Add 1 stack of Guard Leech on killing a guard, lord, or supervisor.
      • Guard Leech: Gain health when attacking guards, lords, or supervisors.
• Added the following guild siege weapons as rewards for completing guild missions:
  • Trebuchet
  • Ballista
  • Arrow cart
  • Catapult
• Added WvW Rank progress to the WvW Dashboard UI (see top center of the screen while in WvW).
• Siege weapons provide World XP when destroyed.
• Siege weapons placed by Commander Siegerazer and Commander Siegecrusher now provide XP and World XP when destroyed.
• Players now receive World XP for repairing gates and walls in WvW.
• Players now receive World XP for defending supply dolyaks from ambushes in WvW.

Guild Content

• Moved guild-mission information from Upgrades to its own tab.
• Guild treks now award influence on successful completion:
  • Tier 1 awards 400 influence.
  • Tier 2 awards 500 influence.
  • Tier 3 awards 700 influence.
• Added 30 new guild-trek targets across Tyria.
• Added a new guild rush near Talabaroop Waves in Frostgorge Sound.
• Added new guild banner back-slot items to the guild commendation vendor.
• Half-Baked Komali’s fire shield now applies vulnerability to attackers instead of might and stability to herself.
• Reduced the possible spawning area and count of Sottz the Scallywag’s barrels.
• Sottz the Scallywag no longer despawns too fast after being discovered.
• Sottz the Scallywag’s barrels can no longer be destroyed by players who do not have him targeted by their current mission.
• “Hiding” bounty targets will now appear when a majority of their spawn locations have been searched.
• “Ambushing” bounty targets such as Big Mayana will no longer despawn as fast as standard targets.
• Corrected the Guild Truncheon’s price from 3 gold + 7 commendations to 3 gold + 5 commendations.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH

• World PolishBloodtide Coast:
  • Fixed an errant UI marker during the event to destroy Psylithium Generators.
  • Living Covington pirates no longer respawn while players are helping Bill and Hekja fight Risen pirates.
• Brisban Wildlands:
  • On completion of the skritt/bandit event, the crate vanishes, preventing a bug during repeated runs of the event.
• Caledon Forest:
  • The event to slay the Risen drake broodmother is now correctly marked as [Group].
  • The great jungle wurm can no longer be killed before its event starts. Increased the scaling cap on the wurm.
• Cursed Shore:
  • Reduced density of spawns in the event to collect glands for Merla.
• Diessa Plateau:
  • Fixed an event-progression issue with the Cattlepult.
• Dredgehaunt Cliffs:
  • Fixed tooltips for the jotun greatsword environment weapon.
• Fields of Ruin:
  • Fixed a stall in the “Assist the Foulbear Kraal” event.
  • Messenger Laren and her bodyguards now revive each other between fights.
  • Speaking to Legionnaire Riptooth now correctly starts the Bloodgorge Watch event.
• Fireheart Rise:
  • Made some polish changes to the Vidius Castrum event chain.
  • All NPCs in the Battle of Buloh Crossing can now be revived and will revive each other.
  • Brakkurn and Jhalles are now marked by Protect NPC markers during their event to repair machinery.
  • Haki Wolfwatcher stops announcing that the gates of the Citadel of Flame are open when they are not.
  • Increased toughness of Agent Marrick’s pack marmox.
  • Players can now use the cannon in the siege of Vidius Castrum without being kicked off.
  • The monstrous tar elemental now has standard event UI.
• Frostgorge Sound:
  • Icebrood no longer clump up during their attack on the Moshpoipoi if they have no nearby targets.
• Iron Marches:
  • Fixed an event-progression issue with Victurus the Shattered.
• Lion’s Arch:
  • Map-marker tooltips for asura gates now state their destinations.
• Malchor’s Leap:
  • Reduced the creatures in the “Kill the Corrupted High Priestess” event at high scales.
  • Adjusted the spawn density and respawn rate in the Bauxite Alchemicals plant.
  • Collecting spectral weapons and omnomberries for Byanca now uses standard collection UI.
  • NPCs in the Dwayna Temple events can now revive each other.
  • Reduced range of the Risen catapult near Doric’s Waypoint so it cannot knock players into Bloodtide Coast.
  • Skills for the spectral jammer environmental weapon now display the correct tooltips.
• Metrica Province:
  • Collecting eggs for Plink now correctly starts the subsequent event even if the collection is done solo.
  • Fixed an event-progression issue with LUM0009 golems.
  • Added additional event UI to the Imbued Mark I Golem event.
  • Minor UI adjustment for the Luminates Plant event.
  • Reduced the contribution required to earn a silver or gold medal in the fire elemental event.
  • Researcher Orl is now correctly identified as a karma merchant.
• Mount Maelstrom:
  • Added additional UI for the event to prevent the Inquest from contaminating the Whitland Flats.
  • Added an overhead marker to the bosses in the Terror 7 event chain.
  • Fixed a UI bug in the “Toil for the Coil” meta-event.
• Plains of Ashford:
  • Roefire Hauntclase appears as a vendor only when he has something to sell.
• Queensdale:
  • Fixed an event-progression issue with Sister Brenda.
  • Reviving Moa Trainer Kappa now correctly updates her event UI.
• Sparkfly Fen:
  • Adjusted levels of some spawns near Brooloonu Waypoint to better match the area’s level.
  • Adjusted the UI for the Swampwatch events.
  • Fixed a possible stall in the “Defend Shorewatch from the Risen” event.
  • The steward who becomes a (normal) merchant after the Ocean’s Gullet event no longer appears as a karma merchant.
• Straits of Devastation:
  • Fixed an event-progression issue with the Pact escort to Temple of Balthazar.
  • Reduced the respawn rate of enemies around Agent Raia.
  • Replaced a couple of underwater Risen giants with sharks.
• Timberline Falls:
  • Dobbs and his krewe now revive each other between fights.
  • Fixed a minor display bug in the “Assist Dobbs in the ruins” meta-event.
• Wayfarer Foothills:
  • Bolt throwers used by the Sons of Svanir no longer trap players who destroy them if they are standing on the thrower.
  • Bear Shaman Marge is now always responsive during her skill challenge.
  • Increased max event scale for the Svanir Shaman Chief in the Frozen Maw meta-event.
  • It is now possible (but difficult) to catch kegs thrown by Volden.
  • The roadblock built by the Sons of Svanir outside Hoelbrak is now attackable from either side.
  • Players can no longer get stuck in snow-leopard form after leaving the Snow Leopard Shrine area.

General

• Added increased scaling to several new events.
• Instances now display an exit even if players have completed their personal story.
• Reduced the chatter frequency of player characters.
• Fixed mouse-based target selection while using the “look behind” key.
• An error message now appears for disconnections during character creation.
• Fixed a progress-blocking issue in dungeon-related Explorer achievements.
• Updated the number of tiers on the Centaur Slayer and Zhaitan’s Bane achievements to be consistent with other achievements in the Slayer category.
• Updated Drake Slayer achievement tiers to match other achievements in the Slayer category.
• Players cannot use transformation tonics when already in a transformation, and leaving these transformations has a 3-second cooldown.
• Blowout effect: Renamed to Launch.
• Summoned creatures and pets can no longer draw aggro from enemies that have not already aggroed on their master.
• Adjusted ranger pet AI when fighting enemies in PvE. Melee pets now attempt to move behind enemies as long as they are not actively being targeted by the creature.
• Retaliation now has its own iconic damage floater.
• Hero Panel now displays magic find.

Dungeons

• Ascalonian Catacombs:
  • Players can no longer fall through the map when standing above graveling burrows when they appear in the Ascalon Catacombs dungeon.
  • The Lovers can now be knocked back consistently.
• Honor of the Waves:
• Andal the Thug’s skill that buffs Oolon and Poroo now matches the visual effects.
• The Ruined City of Arah:
• Warden Illyra now looks correct when she carries a Risen chicken.

Fractals

• Mossman no longer becomes unresponsive in combat.
• Cliffside: Players can no longer exploit the final boss by keeping him stunned in an emote loop.

Personal Story

• “Among the Kodan”: Boosted the power of the Overminer’s Boomstick (but only when used by a player).
• “Armor Guard”: Pact soldiers now revive each other. Tegwen’s behavior is now consistent.
• “Deadly Force”: Fixed a bug when using the Ghostbore cannon.
• “Don’t Leave Your Toys Out”: Adjusted difficulty. The charr now revive each other.
• “On Red Alert”: All of the Priory Novices are now using the correct voices.
• “The Championship Fight”: Players are no longer blocked if they ask Eir to wait a minute before proceeding.
• “The Sad Tale of the Ravenous”: Adjusted story-step difficulty.
• “The Stone Sheath”: Increased size of the escape region so it is not possible to accidentally run past it.
• “Through the Looking Glass”: Adjusted timing of the subtitles to match the spoken VO.
• “Untamed Wilds”: Increased scaling to keep the story step challenging for multiple players.
• “Where Life Goes”: The NPCs in the story step can now revive each other and be revived by players.
• “Ships of the Line”: Goop dropped by the oozes now time out and disappear after 15 seconds, preventing the hold from filling with infinite goop.
• “What the Eye Beholds”: Fixed a possible stall if the player talked to Trahearne during the testing process.

Items

• Corrected Rune and Sigil tooltips to say “chill” instead of “freeze” or “frozen.”
• Sigil of Water: Tooltip now correctly states % Chance on Critical instead of just % Chance.
• Time remaining on buffs now display with increased resolution.
• Bolt, Incinerator, Rodgort, and Frostfang now have a base elemental damage type. Note: This is a visual change only.
• PvP: Weapon-upgrade bonuses no longer disappear when players die while transformed.
• Updated many item icons.

Profession Skills
Elementalist

• Comet skill: Blast finisher now occurs at the comet’s location rather than at the elementalist’s location.
• Conjure Flame Axe skill: Updated the Flame Leap skill fact to display the proper burning duration.
• Rock Blade skill: Projectiles now correctly hit targets up to the intended 1200 range.
• Mist Form skill: Activation now locks heal, utility, and elite skills.
• Ride the Lightning skill:
  • Increased recharge increased 20 seconds to 40 seconds.
  • Recharge is now halved if the player strikes a foe.
  • Reduced the range to 1200 from the previous (hidden) 1550.
• Signet of Earth skill: Passive stat bonus increased by 100%.
• Signet of Fire skill: Passive stat bonus increased by 100%.
• Glyph of Elemental Power skill: Added a skill fact to indicate the percent chance.
• Signet of Restoration skill: Reduced the passive healing by 18% in PvP.
• Cleansing Water trait: Can now trigger only once every 5 seconds (only in PvP).
• Glyph of Storms skill: Increased duration of Lightning Storm by 50%, Ice Storm by 50%, Firestorm by 25%, and Sandstorm by 11%.
• Glyph of Lesser Elementals skill: Increased the health of summoned elementals by 33%.
• Glyph of Elementals skill: Increased the health of the summoned elementals by 33%.
• Conjure Fiery Greatsword skill: The Fiery Rush skill no longer consumes a warrior’s adrenaline pool.
• Swirling Winds skill: No longer destroys unblockable missiles.

Engineer

• Flame Turret skill: Now has the proper recharge when the Deployable Turrets trait is equipped.
• Static Shot skill: Changed the maximum targets skill fact to number of bounces to better indicate its actual effect.
• Elixir U skill: Now always applies quickness correctly.
• Reserve Mines trait: Updated description to be more accurate.
• Elixir S skill: Activation now locks heal, utility, and elite skills.
• Incendiary Powder trait:
  • Increased burning duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Increased internal cooldown from 3 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Increased activation chance from 33% to 100%.
• Cloaking Device trait: Increased cloaking duration from 2 seconds to 5 seconds. Added internal cooldown of 25 seconds.
• Regenerating Mist skill: Reduced Healing Turret Toolbelt skill recharge from 60 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Healing Turret skill:
  • Reduced the deployed heal by 50%.
  • Healing range is now 2520-3270.
  • No longer applies 2 stacks of regeneration every time the turret fires. Now applies 3 seconds of regeneration every 3 seconds.
  • No longer passively creates a water field.
  • Normalized the ranges of all aspects to 480 (previously 240, 360, or 480).
• Cleansing Burst skill:
  • Reduced Healing Turret overcharge skill recharge from 60 seconds to 15 seconds
  • Now heals as much as deploying does.
  • Healing range is now 2520-3270.
  • Now applies 5 seconds of regeneration.
  • Removes 2 conditions when activated.
  • Now deploys a 3-second water field.
  • Normalized the ranges of all aspects to 480 (previously 240, 360, or 480).
• Glue Shot skill: Added an unblockable skill fact to this skill to represent its actual nature.
• Elixir X skill: No longer fails if the player is in midair when it activates.
• Kit Refinement trait: Now displays on the player’s buff bar when it is out of cooldown.
• Low Health Response System trait: Now has a 10-second recharge.
• Thumper Turret skill: Updated skill facts to reflect cripple while Deployable Turrets is equipped.
• Toss Elixir U skill: No longer destroys unblockable missiles.
• Picking up a turret no longer triggers effects from the Accelerant-Packed Turrets and Shrapnel traits.
• Elixir U skill:
  • Increased duration by 1 second.
  • When gaining Haste, players now take regenerate endurance at 50% effectiveness (increased from 0%) when under the effects of this skill.
  • When gaining Frenzy, players now take 25% more damage (reduced from 50%) when under the effects of this skill.

Guardian

• Perfect Inscriptions trait: Recharges can no longer be refreshed.
• Wrath skill: Updated the damage skill fact to indicate that the damage is done incrementally during the skill’s channel.
• Pure of Voice trait: Now properly converts fear.
• “Hold the Line!” skill: This shout now converts a condition only if the Pure of Voice trait is equipped.
• Bane Signet skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Signet of Mercy skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Signet of Wrath skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Hammer of Wisdom skill: Increased health of this summoned spirit by 25%.
• Shield of the Avenger skill: Increased health of this summoned spirit by 14%.
• Healer’s Retribution trait: Now functions with racial healing skills.
• Sanctuary skill: No longer destroys unblockable missiles.
• Shield of Absorption skill: No longer destroys unblockable missiles.

Mesmer

• Reduced mantra cast times from 3.25 seconds to 2.75 seconds.
• Confounding Suggestions trait: Now functions with the Chaos Storm and Counter Blade skills.
• Clones wielding a spear underwater now execute the full spear combo.
• Mirror Blade skill: Added an unblockable skill fact.
• Into the Void skill: Updated description to be more accurate (“Temporal Curtain”).
• Mind Stab skill (one-handed sword combo): Renamed to Mind Spike.
• Arcane Thievery skill: Now correctly transfers the boons removed from enemies and the conditions removed from the mesmer.
• Moa Morph skill: Can be used while moving.
• Moa transform flee: Reduced run distance and reduced cooldown from 15 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Blinding Befuddlement trait:
  • Increased duration of applied confusion from 1 second to 4 seconds.
  • Can now trigger only once every 5 seconds on any target that is blinded by the mesmer.
• Signet of Domination skill: Passive power increase now scales from 20-180, up from 10-90.
• Illusion of Life skill: Players can no longer circumvent the vengeance properties. Increased cast time by 0.5 seconds.
• Distortion skill: No longer allows capture of control points in all formats or communing in PvP.

Necromancer

• Well of Corruption skill: Updated damage skill fact to indicate the correct number of attacks.
• Well of Suffering skill:
  • Updated damage skill fact to indicate the correct number of attacks.
  • Updated the number of attacks to be consistent when affected by Focused Rituals.
• Spinal Shivers skill: Updated damage facts to indicate damage dealt based on boons removed.
• Signet of Spite skill: Updated the skill facts to indicate the passive effect of this skill. Increased the passive power boost by 100%.
• Corrupt Boon skill: No longer causes odd interactions with Aegis. Now unblockable.
• Epidemic skill: Now unblockable.
• Flesh Wurm minion: Increased health by 25%.
• Flesh Golem minion: Increased health by 25% and toughness by 10%.
• Lich Form skill: The Grim Specter skill now strips boons from enemies and conditions from allies when it reaches its target point instead of only when the missile hits a target.

Ranger

• Tail Wind trait: Now has an internal cooldown of 9 seconds.
• Furious Grip trait: Now has an internal cooldown of 9 seconds.
• “Guard” skill: Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 15 seconds.
• “Sic ’Em” skill: Reduced cooldown to 40 seconds from 60 seconds.
• Lightning Reflexes skill: Reduced cooldown from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
• Signet of Stone skill:
  • Reduced cooldown from 120 seconds to 80 seconds.
  • Increased passive toughness by 100%.
  • Now allows capture of control points in all formats and communing in PvP.
• Signet of the Wild skill: Reduced cooldown from 120 seconds to 60 seconds and duration from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.
• Spiritual Knowledge trait: Increased activation chance from 15% to 35%.
• Swoop skill: Corrected the damage indicated in the skill fact.
• Increased health of all non-elite spirits by 60%.
• “Search and Rescue” skill:
  • Increased cooldown from 85 seconds to 180 seconds in PvP.
  • No longer revives defeated allies.
• Point Blank Shot skill: No longer has an increased cast time when the Eagle Eye trait is equipped.
• Quickening Zephyr skill:
  • Increased duration by 1 second.
  • Players are now healed at 50% effectiveness (increased from 0%) when under the effects of this skill.

Pet Attributes

• Adjusted health and/or armor of ranger pets:
  • Ursine pets: health increased from 26,000 to 29982; armor is now 2061 (up 687). Polar bear’s power now matches that of all other bear pets.
  • Dogs: health increased from 13,000 to 14,868; armor is 2061 (no change).
  • Cats: health increased from 13,000 to 14,868; armor is 1374 (no change).
  • Devourers: health increased from 11,089 to 14868; armor is 2748 (no change).
  • Birds: health increased from 11,894 to 14,868; armor is 1374 (no change).
  • Drakes: health increased from 11,683 to 22,425; armor is 2061 (no change).
  • Spiders: health increased from 18,646 to 22,425; armor is 1374 (no change).
  • Pigs: health increased from 20,538 to 22,425; armor is now 2061 (up 687).
  • Moas: health increased from 16,781 to 22,425; armor is 1374 (no change).
  • Armor Fish: health increased from 16,781 to 22,452; armor is now 2748 (up 343).
  • Jellyfish: health increased from 11,089 to 22,425; armor is 1374 (no change).
  • Shark: health increased from 13,000 to 22,425; armor is now 2061 (up 687).

Canine Skills

• Intimidating Howl skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Regenerate skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Howl of the Pack skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Chilling Howl skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Terrifying Howl skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

Drake Skills

• Lightning Breath skill: Reduced cast time from 2.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds. The lightning from this attack no longer tracks targets.
• Fire Breath skill: Reduced cast time from 2.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Insect Swarm skill: Reduced cast time from 2.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Frost Breath skill: Reduced cast time from 2.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

Feline Skills

• Icy Pounce skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
• Rending Pounce skill: Reduced cast time from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

Jellyfish Skills

• Immobilizing Whirl skill: Now sticks on its target instead of passing through.
• Chilling Whirl skill: Now sticks on its target instead of passing through.
• Poisoning Whirl skill: Now sticks on its target instead of passing through.

Thief

• Skills that must be performed from stealth are now labeled as “Stealth Attack.”
• Vigorous Recovery: Improved accuracy of description.
• Cloak and Dagger skill: Now functions with the Hidden Killer trait.
• Needle Trap skill: Removed the duration skill fact as being misleading.
• Shadow Shot skill: The projectile portion is now unblockable.
• Choking Gas skill: Added an Unblockable skill fact to reflect functionality.
• Flanking Strike skill:
  • Now evades and delivers one strike instead of delivering two attacks.
  • Removed boon removal.
  • Reduced initiative cost from 4 to 3.
  • Now toggles for 5 seconds to a second skill, Larcenous Strike, if the attack hits an enemy.
  • Improved reliability of flanking strike.
• Larcenous Strike: Deliver a quick strike that steals up to two boons from an enemy. Costs 1 initiative.
• Larcenous Strike, Stab skills: Reduced aftercast by 0.5 seconds.
• Mug trait: Can no longer critically hit. Now heals the thief from a range of 1980 health to 2700 health.
• Leeching Venoms trait: Increased the damage scale from power by 33%. Increased range from 325-400 to 325-425.
• Signet of Agility skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Assassin’s Signet skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Revealed effect: Reverted duration to 3 seconds in PvE.
• Trick Shot skill: First arrow is no longer heat-seeking.
• Smoke Screen skill: No longer destroys unblockable missiles.
• Haste skill:
  • Increased duration by 1 second.
  • Players now regenerate endurance at 50% effectiveness (increased from 0%) when under the effects of this skill.

Warrior

• Arcing Arrow skill: Added a radius skill fact. Removed the burning skill fact on the traited version because it did not actually burn.
• Fan of Fire skill:
  • Updated the cast time and aftercast to match other fan skills.
  • Reduced cast time by 0.5 seconds and aftercast by 0.5 seconds.
• Earthshaker skill:
  • Fixed the attack radius to correctly match the ground targeted decal radius.
  • Added a radius skill fact.
  • Fixed the damage displayed in the skill fact at zero adrenaline to be consistent with the skill at all adrenaline levels.
• Throw Boulder skill: Added a knockdown skill fact.
• Call to Arms skill:
  • Now a blast finisher.
  • Updated the radius skill fact to be consistent with the skill’s effects.
  • Removed extraneous 500-millisecond aftercast.
• Added new Adept major trait, Defense (II): Dogged March—Incoming immobilize, chill, and cripple conditions are reduced by 33%. Gain 3 seconds of regeneration when you are crippled, chilled, or immobilized. This effect can trigger only once every 10 seconds. This trait replaces Turtle’s Defense.
• Quick Bursts and Adrenal Reserves traits: Combined into one trait, Burst Mastery (XI).
• Added new Grandmaster major trait, Discipline (XII): Destruction of the Empowered—Damage is increased by 3% per unique boon on the warrior’s target.
• Endure Pain skill: Players can now capture points while under its effects.
• Leg Specialist trait: No longer functions when controlling turrets such as the WvW Arrow Cart.
• Brutal Shot (Rifle) skill: Increased vulnerability duration from 10 seconds to 12 seconds. Increased vulnerability stacks from 5 to 8.
• Signet of Fury skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• Signet of Might skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%. The new active is the player’s next 3 attacks are unblockable. This effect lasts for 10 seconds.
• Dolyak Signet skill: Increased passive stat bonus by 100%.
• “On My Mark!” skill: Now uses its actual range instead of infinite range. Increased the range of the shout from 900 to 1200.
• Frenzy skill:
  • Increased duration by 1 second.
  • Players now take 25% more damage (reduced from 50%) when under the effects of this skill.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Minimap icons for team members now show their profession icon instead of a dot.
• Updated requirements for PvP daily achievements.
• Heart of the Mists:
  • The PvP locker now has a tab for back-slot items.
  • Glory vendors now sell PvP guild banner back-slot items.
  • Added new Fused Gauntlets to the Match Win Reward Chest.
  • Players can now use transformation tonics here.
  • PvP Steady weapons are now Basic rarity and have had their damage increased.
• Spirit Watch:
  • Ride the Lightning distance is reduced by 40% while carrying the orb.
  • Tornado move speed is now correctly reduced while carrying the orb.
  • The orb is dropped if the orb carrier uses an invulnerability skill.
  • The orb now spawns 10 seconds after match start instead of immediately.
  • Increased altar commune time from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Fixed multiple locations where teleport skills would fail for no visible reason.
• Minimap and Party UI now display all allies on map.
• Kill Spam now displays all kills on map.

World vs. World

• Updated confusion and retaliation effects to do the same damage as they do in sPvP.
• Added a buff to display time remaining before siege weapons are destroyed from inactivity.
• Siege sites are now destroyed 2 minutes after being placed if they receive no supply.
• Increased arrow-cart damage:
  • Increased Fire damage by 80%.
  • Increased Fire Crippling Arrows damage by 17%.
  • Increased Fire Barbed Arrows damage by 60% and increased the Bleed duration to 15^^seconds.
• The “under attack” notice at objectives now displays 30 seconds after it is first attacked. Does not affect waypoint usage.
• Siege weapon blueprints are now account-bound instead of soulbound.
• Killing a supply dolyak now awards 3 points to the team that lands the deathblow.
• Righteous Indignation now ignores damage from all sources.
• Players can now deploy siege sites on enemy walls.
• Siege weapons can no longer be built in no-siege areas.
• Increased radius of cannon basic shot from 240 to 360.
• Lotus Poison (thief minor trait, 15 in Deadly Arts) no longer applies to a trebuchet’s poison shot.
• Frost Spirit (ranger utility skill) no longer applies 10% damage buff to siege weapons.
• Increased boon resistance of siege golems so players can’t apply swiftness to them with increased boon duration.
• Picking up supply while holding more than current capacity (due to a capacity buff going away) no longer reduces the supply down to current capacity.
• WvW dialogue will now reopen to the last-viewed page.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• You can now purchase Braham and Rox’s weapon skins in the Gem Store! Braham’s Mace and Shield and Rox’s Short Bow and Quiver are each available in the Style category for 600 gems. Apply each skin to any weapon of the same type to change its appearance. Skins can either be applied to a PvE item or added to your PvP locker for use in the Mists.
• There is now a rare chance to get the Cheetah Charr or Killer Whale Quaggan backpack covers from the Black Lion Chest. Black Lion Chest Keys can be obtained from the Gem Store in the Consumable category for 1 for 125 gems or 5 for 450.
• To celebrate spring, the Gem Store will make available one miniature baby animal each week for the next 5 weeks. The first of these adorable additions is the Mini Hippo Calf, which is now available in the Minis category of the Gem Store for 400 gems each.
• The Sonic Tunneling Tool can now be purchased from the Style category of the Gem Store for 250 gems each. This neat piece of tech lets your character move just under the surface instead of running. Simply equip the item in the toy slot of your town clothes and use the skill to start tunneling. The item does not change obstacles, and entering combat makes you resurface.

Improvements

• A pack of 8000 gems can now be purchased through the Gem Store. Select Get Gems in the upper-left corner of the Gem Store to start the gem-purchase process.
• Dancing Spirit skills now have a 2-second recharge time.
• Increased duration of summoned Merchant Express and Trading Post Express NPCs from 5 minutes to 15 minutes.
• Increased duration of spawned Boxes o’ Fun from 10 minutes to 15 minutes.
• Backpack straps that come with backpack skins no longer require typing the name to delete them.
• Boxes o’ Fun now drop from the Black Lion Chest.
• Reduced the drop rate of Name Change Contracts from the Black Lion Chest to reduce duplication.

Bug Fixes

• All sell listings are now shown for Instant Buy on the Trading Post, instead of only the 20 lowest prices.
• An active customer-support link now appears when attempting to purchase gems fails.
• The Cook’s Boots town clothes items no longer look corrupted when worn by a charr character.

In an effort to make sure the integrity of the leaderboards remains, we will be removing all free trial weekend accounts from the leaderboards starting May 1st. Leaderboard data will disappear for free trial weekend players that do not upgrade. However, players that upgrade their trial accounts at a later date will reappear on the leaderboards with all of their previous stats. This is a policy that we have set in place to avoid cluttering the leaderboards, but also allow trial players the opportunity to keep the statistics they worked hard to achieve.

• Changed Sonic Periscope blowout effect to a knockback to reduce the amount of stunned time. The knockback effect will not affect areas level 15 or below.

Alt+F4 is the universal keyboard shortcut to close a program. Your friend lied to you.

Build 2/26/13 February Content Update Release Notes
LIVING STORY
Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm
The situation is getting worse for the citizens of Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. Volunteers are helping to ease the burden, but more refugees are hobbling down from the Shiverpeaks. The storm there is gaining momentum, but the forces of good are beginning to rally. They’re sending their heroes to defend the land and its inhabitants. Someone must hold back the gathering storm.
In “Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm,” the second installment in this four-part series, the stakes are raised, and battles rage, in the foothills of the Shiverpeaks.

Achievements

• Two new achievements, The Gathering Storm and Lost and Found, have been added to the Living Story category.

Events

• The refugees’ oppressors are becoming more aggressive and have shown their faces in Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. The refugees need qualified adventurers even more!

General

• Camps in Hoelbrak and the Black Citadel have become crowded. As a result, the refugees have begun moving on to Lion’s Arch.
• Refugees arriving in Lion’s Arch have lost on the road precious objects from their homes. The objects will be difficult to find, but the refugees are more likely to tell their stories to the helpful adventurer who recovers their possessions.
• All content from “Flame and Frost: Prelude” continues, and the Refugee Volunteer achievement can still be earned.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Achievements

• You can now select the five daily achievements from a list that you will complete to receive the daily reward.
• You can now select which achievements are tracked on the right hand side of the screen through the Achievement tab on the Hero panel.
• The amount of experience given for completion of daily and monthly achievements has been increased.
• Added new daily achievement types.
• Added new rewards to the laurels vendors in all major cities.

Ascalonian Catacombs Explorable

• Many of the encounters in the Ascalonian Catacombs Explorable have been revamped, including all three final boss fights.

Event Scaling

• A new test version of our advanced event scaling algorithm has been applied to four high-level, regularly played events to help us monitor the feasibility of this system in the live environment. This new scaling algorithm dynamically increases the difficulty of events by using the current system of increasing the difficulty of existing creatures, while also adding a new system that substitutes creatures of lower difficulty with different creatures as the event scales up. If successful, this system will be slowly extended to other events across the game during 2013.

Item Preview

• Item preview is now available on the Trading Post. Simply right-click the item you want to preview and then select Preview. The preview panel will open, showing your character with the item equipped.
• When previewing weapons, you may now choose to show the weapon stowed, wielded, or by itself. Use the check boxes at the bottom left of the preview panel to change the view.

Guild Content – Read more about Guild Content updates in the recent blog post.

• New guild upgrades are available.
• The guild mission system has been implemented and includes the ability to earn merits.
• Added new Guild Bounty, Guild Trek, Guild Rush, Guild Challenge, and Guild Puzzle mission types.
• Added new personal rewards for participating in guild missions. These rewards can be purchased with commendations.
• Banner art on existing guild upgrades has been updated.

Structured Player vs. Player – Read more about the new Structured PvP map in the recent blog post.

• A new map, Spirit Watch, is available.

Reward Updates

• Credit for killing creatures is now easier to receive in situations when many players are attacking a single target.
• Increased the loot rewards on many world boss chests, including the chests in Orr temples and the dragon chests.
• Fixed a bug on certain world boss chests that was causing them to drop fewer rewards than intended. These chests can now only be looted once per day, to encourage players to fight multiple bosses and spread out across the world.
• Introduced five new stat combos on Ascended Rings and Amulets, which can be found in the usual locations for these items.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
World Polish
General

• Updated skillsets for several krait and undead creatures to make them more entertaining to fight.
• Daily achievement tracker now preserves expansion state.
• Changed the way monsters react to players using stealth.
• Eased the restrictions on global leash time.
• Fixed a bug that caused loot chests to spawn incorrectly during group play. Loot chests are now created for items of rarity “rare” and above.
• Fixed a bug where equipment would be destroyed when the player unequips it while encumbered.
• Fixed an error in the Mystic Forge recipes for the exotic level 80 Berserker and Rampager heavy armor box crafting recipes.
• Fixed a bug where backpack pieces on players in transformations would render at an incorrect location.
• Fixed most cases of a bug where players would be stuck auto-running when attempting to pick up a bundle.
• Carmel, the karma merchant in Mount Maelstrom, now sells armor of levels appropriate for the region.
• Added recipes to craft armor boxes and satchels for the Apothecary’s and Giver’s armor sets.
• The door blocking access to the cabbage farm in Harathi Hinterlands should no longer block access when opened.
• Fixed a bug that was causing display issues with rotational achievements.
• The achievement tracker now has an updated UI and behaves differently.
• Lesser air elementals now have legs and a tail.
• Added support for positional audio with the Mumble voice-chat application.

Events

• Bloodtide Coast: Healing turrets created by Lionguard Scratchblade now vanish after 60 seconds.
• Diessa Plateau: Added more fixes to the cowapult to keep it from becoming permanently unusable.
• Queensdale: Fixed a bug in the “Shadow Behemoth” meta-event where the portals could become untargetable.
• Malchor’s Leap: Fixed the event “Destroy corrupted eggs and stop the spread of Risen drakes” so that, after the event is successfully completed, the eggs will no longer respawn until the event restarts.
• Harathi Hinterlands: Fixed a bug in the event “Defend the skritt thieves while they steal harpy eggs” so that skritt thieves are now resurrectable, and the event should restart correctly after success or failure.
• Spears wielded by corrupted Sons of Svanir will no longer persist in the world after the Sons die underwater.
• Timberline Falls: Fixed a bug in the “Partake in the moot” region so that passed-out drunks should no longer enter a comatose state where they ignore being splashed by water.
• Wayfarer Foothills: Fixed a blocking bug in “The Frozen Maw” meta-event where Scholar Brogun could die between events.
• Plains of Ashford: Fixed a blocking bug in the “Kill the Separatists before they destroy the Iron Barracuda” event.
• Fixed three blocking issues with the Temple of Balthazar escort event chains in Straits of Devastation.

Dungeons
Ascalonian Catacombs

• Improved the skills on the hidden cave troll boss.
• Additional ghostly allies will now join Kholer during his encounter.
• Removed breeders from the possible graveling burrows spawns during Hodgins’ search for the first scepter.
• Rebalanced the graveling dungeon army to make them more interesting and fun to fight.
• Revamped the Ghost Eater fight to include Detha’s traps.
• Revamped the Colossus Rumblus fight to give him new skills and abilities.
• Revamped the Howling King encounter and made changes to his army.
• Adjusted the health of dungeon creatures and bosses.
• Explorable mode: Fixed a trap in the hallway from the room with the spider queen to the central chamber so that the trap will now turn off properly.

Caudecus’s Manor

• Story: Added a waypoint toward the end of the dungeon.

Citadel of Flame

• Added safety nets to the lava fields around Tribune Burntclaw and around Magmacyte that will teleport players who die from lava exposure to a safe location.

Crucible of Eternity

• Added a safety net for players who die in lava at the boss fight with the Evolved Destroyer so that they will be teleported to a safe location to be resurrected.
• Laser grid will no longer hurt dead players, allowing them to resurrect at the nearby shrine in safety.
• Explorable: Fixed a bug where thieves and mesmers could teleport through closed doors and trigger events prematurely.

The Ruined City of Arah

• Explorable: Reduced the amount of healing Simin does while she is stealthed.
• Fixed a bug with Giganticus Lupicus resetting combat immediately after players stealth.
• Story: Fixed an issue where creatures would not spawn during the fight with Zhaitan.

Twilight Arbor

• Explorable: Added and modified existing waypoints.
• Explorable: Removed a branch that players could stand on to exploit the final boss.

Sorrow’s Embrace

• Story: Players will now teleport to a safe location if they die in lava.

Honor of the Waves

• Explorable: Fixed an issue where Honor’s Claw would repeat himself when speaking of his lost sons. He has since overcome his grief and will carry on to the fight against the minions of Jormag without stuttering.

Personal Story

• “Deeply Tangled Roots”: Fixed a bug where the final scene was not changing based on player choice.
• “Source of Orr”: Fixed a blocking bug if players killed the Eye while it was trying to teleport away.

Items

• Updated the Superior Rune of the Soldier’s sixth bonus to properly remove a condition from allies affected by the shout.
• Updated the Superior Rune of the Rata Sum’s fifth bonus to correctly give 90 precision.
• Updated the Superior Rune of the Pack’s third bonus to correctly give 50 power.
• Added a 40-second recharge to the skill given by the Depleted Power Crystal item sold in Caledon Forest.
• Transmuted items can now be dyed back to their original colors.
• Black Peppercorns no longer drop from Mature Herb and Verdant Herb nodes.
• The Caudecus’s Manor vendor in Lion’s Arch now correctly offers the Major Rune of the Noble.
• The Charged, Hard, Warm, and Cold Potions are no longer Soulbound on acquire.
• Renamed rare armors from Dungeon reward vendors to appropriately reflect their models.
• Increased the drop rate of Passion Flowers from Passiflora Vines.
• Hovering over a currency icon within vendor UI will now identify that currency.
• Fixed a number of Mystic Forge recipes that had a chance of returning nothing. Zommoros apologizes for his thievery.
• The Extended Potion of Ghost Slaying recipe now makes the correct potion.
• Increased the stat bonuses on Ascended all-stat items.
• Updated numerous item icons.
• Increased the drop rate of exotics in the profession gear boxes sold by laurel vendors.
• Ranger gear boxes no longer drop rifles.
• Food items that give special bonuses upon a critical hit now have an internal cooldown before they can produce the special bonus again.

Profession Skills
General

• Using stealth no longer resets NPC aggression tables.
• Reduced the number of maximum of stacks of Retaliation allowed to five (was 25). Duration still stacks.
• Cleaned up hit detection for melee attacks targeting inanimate objects.
• Fixed a bug where players would sometimes become rooted after cancelling meteor shower, healing rain, or similar skills.
• Signets will no longer lose their passive effects when changing slots on the utility bar.
• Frost Aura: Incoming damage is reduced by 10% while under the effects of this aura. Enemies are only able to be chilled by this aura once per second. This affects all frost auras.
• Flame Aura: In addition to the burning condition, this aura now grants 10 seconds of might each time the player is struck. This aura can activate only once per second. This change affects all flame auras.

Elementalist

• Comet: This ability’s strike now occurs faster upon casting.
• Evasive Arcana: The spell cast while in water attunement has been split between PvE and PvP. This spell’s effectiveness with the healing attribute has been reduced by 50% while in PvP.
• Flame Shield: This skill now lasts 5 seconds instead of 3.
• Flame Wall: The combat region for combo interactions has been increased.
• Glyph of Elemental Harmony: This healing skill now grants three stacks of might when used in fire attunement instead of one.
• Ride the Lightning: This ability’s recharge has been increased to 20 seconds.
• Shocking Aura: Updated this ability to indicate its cooldown on stunning enemies.
• Stoning: This ability’s projectile speed has been increased by 22%.
• Static Field: This field will now properly stun enemies that cross it rather than merely dazing them.

Engineer

• Stow Med Kit: Now works in PvE.
• Elixir U: Quickness is now consistent at 5 seconds.
• Acid Bomb: This ability is now a blast finisher at the start of the ability.
• Super Elixir: Now detonates properly underwater.
• Super Elixir: Increased impact base healing as well as scaling with healing power by 100%. Increased base heal multiplier by 50% and healing power scaling by 100%.
• Flame Blast: This ability is now able to be detonated by a secondary ability.
• Flame Blast Detonate: This new ability will detonate the napalm ball that is launched by Flame Blast.
• Air Blast: This ability now extends burning duration of enemies that are already burning by 2 seconds.
• Flame Jet: This ability now deals an extra 10% damage to burning enemies.
• Pry Bar: Increased the number of confusion applications from three to five and increased duration of confusion from 3 to 5 seconds.
• Tool Kit: Abilities that heal turrets have had their potency increased by 100%.
• Kit Refinement: This trait now has an internal cooldown of 10 seconds globally for Flamethrower, Elixir Gun, Grenade Kit, and Tool Kit.

Guardian

• Pure of Voice: This trait has been fixed to always properly convert conditions into boons.
• Smite: Now displays a radius skill fact.
• Empower: This ability now casts faster. Fixed a bug that caused this skill to heal twice.
• Healing Breeze: Angle of this ability has been increased so that allies are easier to hit.
• Hold the Line: This shout’s range has been reduced to 600, making it consistent with other shouts. It now properly affects allies within its full radius.
• Line of Warding: This ability’s animation has changed and can now be cast while on the move.
• Orb of Light: This ability now heals allies it passes through.
• Orb of Light Detonate: Increased this ability’s scaling with healing power by 50% and reduced its level scaling by 20%.
• Shield of Absorption: Added a skill fact to the healing portion of this ability.
• Symbol of Wrath: Increased the size of the combo field on this ability to cover the whole visual area.
• Bow of Truth: The health of this spirit has been increased by 30%.
• Hammer of Wisdom: The health of this spirit has been increased by 33%.
• Sword of Justice: The health of this spirit has been increased by 30%.
• Shield of the Avenger: The health of this spirit has been increased by 30%.

Mesmer

• Illusionary Counter: The range of the reactive part of this ability is now consistent with its indicated range.
• Mesmer Portals can no longer be interacted with when there is an obstruction between them and the player.
• Mind Stab: This skill will now hit up to three targets.
• Illusionary Riposte: The reactionary strike that occurs when this skill blocks an attack now has the correct distance of the ability instead of half the distance. Added a ranged fact to this skill.
• Mirror: This healing skill now applies reflection for 2 seconds instead of 1.
• The Prestige: This ability is no longer channeled and will automatically detonate 3 seconds after the ability is used.

Necromancer

• Bloodthirsty: This trait now functions with the Vampiric Rituals and Vampiric Master traits.
• Flesh of the Master: This trait now properly affects Jagged Horrors.
• Ghastly Claws: Damage from this ability has been increased by ~10%.
• Locust Swarm: The radius of this ability has been increased by ~16% and now has the range of a normal melee ability.
• Mark of Revival: This trait now functions with the Greater Marks trait.
• Minion Master: This trait now affects Mark of Horror from the necromancer’s Lich Form.
• Necromantic Corruption: This trait now functions with Bone Fiend, Shadow Fiend, Flesh Wurm, and Jagged Horror.
• Protection of the Horde: This trait now functions with Jagged Horror minions.
• Rending Claws: Vulnerability application from this ability have been increased from 5 seconds to 7 seconds.
• Spectral Wall: This skill’s combo field will now appear where the wall is instead of on top of the necromancer.
• Spinal Shivers: This ability now deals bonus damage for each boon that it removes. One boon removed deals 50% extra damage, two boons deals 100% extra, and three boons removed will grant an extra 150% damage to the ability.
• Chill of Death: This trait now deals bonus damage for each boon that it removes. One boon removed deals 50% extra damage, two boons deals 100% extra, and three boons removed will grant an extra 150% damage to the ability.
• Spiteful Vigor: This trait now functions with racial abilities Prayer to Dwayna and Healing Seed.
• Summon Blood Fiend: This minion’s healing effect has been increased by ~80%.
• Weakening Shroud: This trait now applies two stacks of bleeding to be consistent with the Enfeebling Blood weapon skill.

Ranger

• Guard: Pets will no longer guard areas that should be inaccessible to them.
• Crippling Talon: Cooldown of this ability has been reduced from 18 seconds to 15 seconds.
• Empathic Bond: Fixed a bug that wouldn’t apply transferred conditions to pets. This trait now transfers three conditions to the ranger’s pet every 10 seconds rather than all of them.
• Hawk and Eagle now have their own unique icons instead of sharing one.
• Path of Scars: This ability’s damage has been normalized between traited and non-traited versions. Damage has been increased by 85% when not traited.
• Icy Screech: The White Moa activated ability now applies 3 seconds of Chill, and the skill fact has been updated appropriately.

Thief

• Basilisk Venom: Enemies affected by this ability will now indicate it in their boons and conditions bar.
• Cloak and Dagger: The player can no longer use this ability stack stealth by attacking WvW walls.
• Shadow Shot: This ability now allows the player to move while executing dagger strike portion of the ability.
• Venomous Aura: Activating a venom skill with this trait equipped will now briefly display an indicator ring around the thief.
• Withdraw: This ability now scales 20% better with healing power. Base healing per level has increased by 10%.
• Ankle Shots: This trait now applies a full 3-second cripple.

Warrior

• Vigorous Shouts: This trait has been fixed to properly affect allies within a range of up to 600.
• Updated shouts to display the out-of-range indicator if your target is out of range.
• Last Stand: Added a cooldown to the trait’s description.
• Impale: This ability’s cooldown has been reduced to 15 seconds.
• Pin Down: This ability now applies bleeding to targets that it hits.
• Players wielding Banner of Defense, Discipline, Strength, and Tactics will now strike up to three targets with their Stab ability.
• Smoldering Arrow: This ability is now a full projectile finisher.
• Burst Skills: Damage tooltips now properly reflect equipped weapon damage.
• Vengeance: Controlling a turret while using this ability will no longer prevent camera reset on death.

Racial Skills

• Sylvari: Seed and Turret abilities can now be used in conjunction with one another.
• Asuran Power Suit: This skill will no longer incorrectly remove other transforms from the player.

Structured Player vs. Player
Structured PvP Tournament Changes

• Two-team quick tournaments no longer cost tickets.
• Tournament tickets are no longer needed and can be exchanged at the ticket merchant in the Heart of the Mists. The ticket merchant is located next to the Tournament Master.
• There is now a “Join Solo” button in the tournament browser that automates a single-player tournament entry.

Other Changes

• Changed the default PvP builds for new characters.
• Changed the PvP daily and monthly achievement rewards to include Arcane Slivers, Crystals, and Orbs instead of Tournament Tickets.
• Changed the PvP locker to also store Valkyrie’s Jewels, the remaining rank finisher consumables, and PvP Hall of Monuments reward items.
• Changed gold tournament chests to include several new PvP weapons.
• Fixed an issue that could cause PvP glory rank vendors to not offer PvP Trident Tokens.
• Fixed an issue that could cause several PvP weapons to display the wrong weapon skin.
• Fixed an issue that could cause projectiles to sometimes bounce off capture points.
• Temple of the Silent Storm: Changed Commune to interrupt on teleport, stealth, or invulnerability.
• Temple of the Silent Storm: Fixed a bug that would prevent damage from interrupting the last few seconds of Meditation on Tranquility.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Changed gates to hide their name plates when they are destroyed.
• Raid on the Capricorn: Fixed a bug that would prevent players from earning Skirmisher points.
• Heart of the Mists: Added a Ticket Merchant for exchanging unused Tournament Tickets.
• Party members on opposite teams will no longer be able to see each other when invisible.

World vs. World

• Fixed safety areas that extended too far, which could result in some players keeping their no siege/determined buff.
• Changed the orange swords combat marker to show only if more than 25 people are in combat in the area.
• Fixed a bug with Durios Gulch that could cause guards to spawn on the wrong team.
• Fixed a bug on all Hills Keeps that could cause guards to spawn on the wrong team.
• Fixed an issue that allowed NPCs with Righteous Indignation to still take condition damage.
• Removed the ability to use many karma related items in WvW.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items

• The Plush Charr Backpack Cover is now available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 300 gems each. This backpack cover can be applied to any PvE backslot item, or it can be converted to a permanent PvP item. This backpack cover also comes with a basic backslot item with no stats that the Plush Charr Backpack Cover can be applied to.
• Added the Pink Quaggan Backpack Cover and the Tiger Charr Backpack Cover to the Black Lion Chest at a rare chance. These rare variations are available only through the Black Lion Chest. Black Lion Keys are needed to open chests and can be acquired from the Gem Store in the Consumable category.

Improvements

• Nine new hair colors and six new eye colors are now available through the Total Makeover Kit and the Self-Style Hair Kits. These new hair and eye colors are winter-themed and are available only through these kits, which can be acquired from the Gem Store in the Services category. The new colors are marked with a star and can be applied to any race’s hair.
• The celebration mode of Evon Gnashblade’s Box o’ Fun now has a chance to give the Dancing Spirit buff. This buff grants the character temporary access to three short dances. These dances will take up the utility slots on the skill bar, and when they are activated, your character will perform some new dance moves. The Dancing Spirit buff lasts 10 minutes, but entering combat removes the buff.
• Spawning Evon Gnashblade’s Box o’ Fun immediately equips you with an adjuster bundle to allow you to pick a mode. If you lose the bundle, interact with your Box o’ Fun twice quickly to return it.
• Listings for new items will now show up in the Promotions tab in the Gem Store and are now marked with a blue exclamation-point icon.
• Listings for limited-time items will now show up in the Promotions tab in the Gem Store and will show how much time is left to purchase them.
• Sale items will now show how much time remains before the sale ends.

Bug Fixes

• Sylvari who use the Total Makeover Kit can now adjust their glow.

Profile Page Updates

• The “See all messages by User” page design has been updated
• Added a link to user profile pages to show posts a user has +1’d, ordered such that top-most is most recent vote
• Added a link to user profiles to show highly rated posts ordered descending by score
• Both links above are disabled by default and can only be enabled by setting a preference in profile settings

The +1 System

• Added a icons that indicate popular posts based on +1 score
  • Popularity is divided between popular and very popular and by thread or forum-wide
• Changes to the +1 Button
  • The size has been increased
  • Grayed out state more visible and prevalent after a reload

Miscellaneous

• The reply box has been removed for locked topics
• Added the forum category to the breadcrumbs
• ‘Ignore posts by this user’ has been temporarily removed.

Bug Fixes

• HTML codes are no longer shown in topic titles in the title bar of the browser

LIVING STORY
Flame and Frost: Prelude
A mystery presents itself in this first entry in a multipart Living Story series. What could be causing such discord in the foothills of the Shiverpeaks? All those poor homesteaders and ranchers displaced with nowhere to go calls into question if the storms could be that bad—or if there’s something more sinister stirring up the flame and frost. The ground is shaking, and the sky is falling in northern Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. Norn and charr refugees, crawling from the wreckage of their homes, are fighting their way to shelter in Hoelbrak and the Black Citadel. Many are in shock and wounded; most have only what they can carry on their backs. A call has gone out for volunteers to assist them in their time of need, when the environment itself seems to have become their enemy.

Achievements

• A new Living Story achievement category has been added, which will contain a series of achievements specific to the storylines unfolding in Tyria.
• The first Living Story achievement, Refugee Volunteer, has been added. Players who complete this achievement by playing the Flame and Frost: Prelude content will be rewarded with the Volunteer title. They will also receive a karma reward via in-game mail.
• More achievements will be added as the Living Story continues to unfold.

Events

• New Living Story events have been added to Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau.

Heralds

• Starting shortly after the January 28^th^ update, heralds will begin appearing in cities across Tyria. Their task is to keep adventurers apprised of the events currently underway that are driving the Living Story forward. Be sure to check in with them if you need direction.

Other Content

• Persistent world content related to the story of the refugees has been added to Wayfarer Foothills, Diessa Plateau, the Black Citadel, and Hoelbrak. This content will continue to change and evolve as the story unfolds, so be sure to keep checking back.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Daily/Monthly Achievements
Rewards
A new currency has been added: the laurel. Players earn one laurel for completion of the daily achievement category and ten laurels for completion of the monthly achievement category. This new currency can be spent at laurel vendors in all of the major cities to obtain over 90 items, including:

• A new category of infusion, the utility infusion
• Ascended amulets
• Crafting starter kits
• WvW blueprints
• Obsidian shards
• New boosters, advanced harvesting tools, and crafting trophy bags
• A new, unique miniature: Goedulf, the mythical wolf-cub spirit that protects lost norn children
• A new, unique miniature: Chauncey von Snuffles III, who placed second in the Divinity’s Reach Fanciest Cat competition

UI

• Achievement tracking UI has been added to provide at-a-glance information on daily and monthly achievements as well as quick access to the achievements panel.

Achievements

• New daily achievements have been added.
• Daily achievements now rotate on a daily basis.
• Daily achievements now only have a single tier.
• The number of achievement points awarded for daily achievements has been adjusted.

Dungeons

• Polished dungeons and removed the ability to use waypoints while any player is in combat.

Dynamic Leveling

• Attribute calculations for dynamic level scaling have been rebalanced. In general, this means weaker when adjusted down, stronger when adjusted up. Rewards when adjusted down have been increased to compensate. It is now possible to receive your own level of loot from any level of enemy.

Fractals of the Mists

• Players can now reconnect to the Fractals of the Mists if they are disconnected.
• Players can now connect to a fractal map even if they are not part of the original group that created the fractal instance.
• Players can revive at a checkpoint in fractal maps if the entire party is out of combat.
• Players are no longer prevented from entering fractal maps. The difficulty of the fractals is shared, and players will receive rewards based on their “reward level.”
• Reward level increases as players complete fractal rounds.
• If players have a higher reward level than the current fractal difficulty, they will receive bonus karma at the end of a round. However, item rewards are set to the minimum of the fractal scale and reward level.
• Daily Fractals of the Mists bonus chests are awarded after defeating the kraken. The rewards are now based off of the minimum of the player’s reward level or current fractal scale.

Guesting

• Players may now log in to a world other than their home world as a guest.
  • On the character select screen, click the “World Selection” button.
  • Choose a world you would like to guest on and click the “Guest” button.
  • Select any of your characters and select “Play” to log in to the world you chose as a guest.
• Guesting has some limits and restrictions:
  • You may only guest on worlds in the same region as your home world. Players on American home worlds cannot guest on European worlds or vice versa.
  • You may not participate in World vs. World for any guest world. If you choose to enter World vs. World, you will be moved back to your home world. Only changing your home world using a world transfer can change your World vs. World participation.
  • You are only eligible to guest on 2 different worlds at a time. Each time you guest on a world, that world becomes available to play on for the next 24 hours. After 24 hours, you may choose to guest on a different world. You may log in to any active guesting world as many times as you wish with no restriction.
  • Guesting on worlds that are full or highly populated increases your risk of being put into an overflow map.
  • While guesting, all guild influence earned will be applied to your home world, and you will only have access to your home world guild benefits, including the guild vault.

World Transfer Fee

• It now costs a gem fee to transfer your home world.
• Gem fees for world transfers are based on the population of the world you are transferring to.
• Each account is still limited to one transfer every 7 days.
• Players still cannot transfer to servers that are “Full.”

Orr

• The Risen creatures all across Orr have had their population density adjusted.
• Areas, chests, and merchants in Orr now offer better rewards.
• See “World Polish – Orr” below for more details.

UI Improvements

• Changes have been made to the attributes section of the hero panel to cleanly display more information.
• Several PvP dialogs no longer take UI focus away from chat when opening.
• Players can once again preview armor and weapons that cannot be equipped by their character.

Structured Player vs. Player
January 28th – February 4th Is Temple of the Silent Storm Week

• Instead of 3-round paid tournaments, there will be a 1-round match between 2 teams on the Temple of the Silent Storm map.
• The price for entry will be 3 tickets per player.
• Rewards for the test will be reduced from the normal paid tournaments.
• After the game is finished, both teams will be returned to the lobby, where they can reenter the tournament queue.
• To participate, go to the PvP lobby and speak to the Tournament Master.
• At the end of this period, the Temple of the Silent Storm map will be added to the tournament rotation.
• Skillbars now have team-colored backgrounds in sPvP.

World vs. World

• Character load times in WvW have been improved through the use of preloaded placeholder models.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
Dungeons
General

• Fixed a bug where creatures in dungeons were no longer becoming invulnerable to players they couldn’t reach.
• Updated the costs of several dungeon reward items to be consistent with their costs in other dungeons. These include leggings, chestpieces, and shoulder armor from Ascalonian Catacombs; tridents and assorted armor pieces from Sorrow’s Embrace; and focuses from Caudecus’s Manor.

Fractals of the Mists

• Swampland fractal: The tripwires have been rebuilt to reflect their names. Several have been lifted out of the ground and made more visible.
• Fractal Marshes: The traps in the first area now scale with the difficulty scale of the fractal.
• Fractals: Added day or night time to specific fractals. Day and night do not cycle.
• Underwater Fractal: The Jelly boss will no longer try to devour NPCs like pets and minions before they try to eat players. If no players are around, it will eat NPCs.
• Fixed various exploits and minor bugs.

Ascalonian Catacombs

• Story—The Lovers: Reduced health for both bosses and damage from Ralena.
• Story—Coffin Intro: Additional coffins cannot be interacted with once the boss shows up.
• Story—Ranger: Damage has been reduced for the trap skill.
• Story: Some enemy group compositions have been altered.
• Story—Adelbern: Reduced damage and modified his melee attack.
• Explorable—Detha’s Chain: Decreased the recharge time for cannons in the final event and modified their attacks.
• Explorable—Detha’s Chain: Adjusted the respawn rate of the groups at the “Defend Detha and her traps” event.

Arah

• Story: Reduced most veterans to regular strength during the ship events.
• Story: Attacking dragons have reduced damage and no longer knock back on their flyover barrages.
• Story: Zhaitan’s acid pools do less damage.
• Explorable: Fixed issues that may have prevented events from starting or ending properly across all paths in the dungeon when an NPC was potentially dying, reviving, or being interacted with.
• Explorable—Seer Path: In the Dwayna fight, the sparks will now target players primarily, and their attacks have been adjusted in a way that should make them chase the player as initially intended.

Citadel of Flame

• Story: The Baelfire fight now has a safety net in case players fall off. If players die in a dangerous area, their body is teleported to a safe location for players to revive.
• Story—Forgefire Armory Boss: This boss’s damage has been reduced.
• Story—Bolok Barracks Boss: The group composition of the reinforcements summoned by Bolok Barracks boss has been modified.
• Explorable—Magg’s Chain: The event to defend Magg while he plants a bomb has been rebuilt.
• Explorable—Magg’s Chain: The respawn rate of creatures in the magma field has been adjusted.
• Explorable—Rhiannon’s Chain: The torch event at the start has been adjusted to only require 3 torches instead of 5; enemy groups have also been adjusted accordingly.

Sorrow’s Embrace

• Explorable—Inquest Path: The infinitely spawning waves have been adjusted to no longer spawn when fighting with the golem miniboss. They will continue once the golem event completes. The group compositions were also adjusted to add more variation.

Crucible of Eternity

• Explorable—Evolved Destroyer: This enemy’s health has been reduced. The time window before the shield turns back on has been increased.
• Explorable—Subject Alpha (All): The enemy’s health has been reduced.

Twilight Arbor

• Explorable: Leurent’s Elite Guard shields have been fixed so they no longer deal damage after they disappear.
• Explorable—Leurent Boss Encounter: The group composition has been adjusted.
• Explorable—Worm Boss: Spit puddles have reduced damage, but more puddles are created with each attack.

Honor of the Waves

• Explorable: Aldus Stormbringer adds are no longer veterans and have adjusted respawn times.
• Explorable: Aldus’s invulnerability shield now properly decrements to melee and area attacks.
• Updated the effect for the Cone of Cold skill used by Controller Andal to match the area affected by the skill when he turns.

World Polish – Orr
General

• Uncontested waypoints have been added to Cursed Shore and Straits of Devastation. Players that have already achieved map completion will retain it without having to discover these new waypoints.
• Updates have been made to the small statues to the human gods throughout Orr.
  • New map icons to indicate the location and status of the statues have been added. Mousing over the icon will display more detailed information.
  • The visual effect surrounding each of the god statues has been updated to be more noticeable and to more accurately reflect the range of its influence.
• Various Risen creatures have had their animations and size updated.
• The music that plays during key events that take place at the Orrian temples to the gods and the Gate of Arah has been updated.
• The difficulty of events to claim and defend the Orrian temples and the Gates to Arah will now scale to accommodate a larger number of players.
• The visual impact of taking control of the Orrian temples has been increased.
• Various Risen creatures have had their skills adjusted to use fewer crowd-control skills.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the “Arah Waypoint” from updating properly when the gate to Arah was open in Cursed Shore. This also caused the Arah dungeon marker to erroneously display as contested. The gate to Arah should only be closed when the events leading up to it are active.

Events

• Grenth Temple Chain
  • “Use portals to fight shades, slay the Champion Risen Priest of Grenth, and protect Keeper Jonez Deadrun.”
    • Clarified event text to provide more guidance on event mechanics.
    • Updated enemy waves that appear when the priest reaches certain life totals.
    • Added several new abilities to the Champion Risen Priest of Grenth.
    • Fixed an issue that would cause enemies to stop spawning if waves were killed in the wrong order.
    • Adjusted enemy wave compositions, start locations, and respawn times.
    • Adjusted the stacks of corruption that enemy shades apply to players during the fight.
    • Updated the visual appearance of the portals to Grenth’s domain and the effect applied to players who step in.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the Risen Priest of Grenth from attacking properly during the event “Stop the Risen Priest of Grenth from retaking the Cathedral of Silence.”
  • Fixed a bug that would cause Pact troops to stall at points in the event chain.
• Dwayna Temple Chain
  • Adjusted the difficulty of the events that take place inside of the temple.
  • Updated the skills for the Risen Priestess of Dwayna.
  • Updated the skills for the Statue of Dwayna.
  • Adjusted the terrain within the Cathedral of Zephyrs.
  • Added a boss camera during the fight with the Statue of Dwayna.
• Melandru Temple Chain
  • Updated the Risen Priest of Melandru’s skill set.
  • Updated the music that plays during the boss fights.
  • Adjusted the terrain inside the Cathedral of Verdance to allow for better creature and player movement.
  • Added more noticeable environmental effects to the temple’s contested and uncontested states.
  • Updated the participation rewards for the event “Defend the Pact interruptor from Risen attacks” to be more consistent with holdout events at other temples in Orr. Players who participate will earn three times the normal event rewards.
• Lyssa Chain
  • Adjusted the difficulty of the events to take over and defend the Cathedral of Eternal Radiance.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the force field surrounding the Risen Priestess of Lyssa from resetting properly.
• Balthazar Chain
  • Adjusted the strength of the Risen Priest of Balthazar’s skills.
  • Adjusted the number and compositions of enemies that appear during events to take over and defend the Cathedral of Silence.
• Promenade Chain
  • Updated the participation rewards for the event “Ensure that the Pact holds the Gates of Arah” to be consistent with the holdout events at other temples in Orr. Players who participate will earn three times the normal event rewards.
  • Fixed a bug in the event “Aid the Pact soldiers around the airship wreck” that would cause the event to restart prematurely.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the Risen High Wizard to not flee after successfully defending the Pact camp at the Gates of Arah.
• The Gladiator Chain
  • Adjusted the start and restart conditions for the event chain.
  • Adjusted the difficulty scaling of the events.
  • Added visual effects to the event area and Risen creatures featured in the event.
• Changed the starting condition and location of the event “Kill the Risen broodmother.”

Items & Rewards

• A new Orrian Jewelry Box has been added to karma vendors across Orr.
• The item “Heavy Moldy Bag” has been updated to drop more frequently.
• Various Risen creatures have had their loot tables updated to provide more varied crafting materials.
• The karma vendors featured in temple chains offer new exotic wares.

World Polish – Other
General

• Fixed the descriptions for some armorsmithing packs that stated an incorrect level for the armor contained within the pack.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Mystic Forge to give inappropriate rewards when given level 80 masterwork swords.
• Updated the Moa Tonic’s Screech skill description to correctly show only one daze stack.
• Bandithaunt Caverns: It’s no longer possible to create an infinite number of bombs in the caves.
• Locking your Windows User Account will no longer result in the Guild Wars 2 launcher being invisible.
• Trait buffs are no longer reapplied after being resurrected while in a transformation that disables traits.
• Renown regions now reward karma upon completion.
• The contacts list has been significantly improved to enhance performance in crowded maps and for players with many followers and friends.
• Loot interactions now take higher priority than mesmer portals.
• Fixed a bug that could cause rectangular skills to fail to hit the correct targets.
• Fixed a bug that could cause chain skills to sometimes interrupt dodge rolls.
• Fixed a bug that could cause projectiles to sometimes disappear if passing through a field that had expired.
• Fixed a bug that allowed skills that steal or remove boons to manipulate effects that they were not intended to be able to affect.
• Weapons now continue to grant bonus stats while bundles are equipped.
• Bundles from player skills (engineer kits, elementalist conjured weapons, warrior banners) now have base damage that is consistent with the highest rarity weapons available at the level of the player.
• WvW & PvE: Our culling system has been updated to use affinity culling, which favors allowing players to see important enemies regardless of the local player population density.
• Lionguard Lyns has returned to Lion’s Arch but no longer has Black Lion Keys available. Donations toward the rebuilding of Lion’s Arch will continue to be accepted until late February, at which time Lionguard Lyns must return to her normal Lionguard duties. Liquidate those Captain’s Commendations while you can.
• Golem in a Box has been updated to have a 20-second recharge and has been disabled in WvW.
• In PvE, if a player is awarded loot by killing a creature and the loot is of uncommon rarity or higher, a chest will appear that contains the loot that would previously have been on the corpse. If the rarity of the loot on the creature is lower than uncommon, the loot will remain on the creature’s corpse.

Events

• Fixed a bug that could cause events around Eldvin Monastery to not run properly in Queensdale.
• Fixed a bug that could prevent the event to fight the Shadow Behemoth from starting in Queensdale.
• Frostgorge Sound—“Claw of Jormag” Event: Fixed a case where the ice shield would not appear correctly.
• Blazeridge Steppes Event: The ogre beastmaster in Sootpan Kraal now heals a limited amount each fight.
• Master Engineer Steelclaw in the Fields of Ruin now uses a consistent gender for her scenes/greets.
• Diessa Plateau: Fixed a bug that prevented players from using the cattlepult if a cow wandered too far away, blocking the betting minigame.

Personal Story

• Fixed Zojja and other NPCs having invisible headgear in cinematics.
• “Armor Guard”: Fixed errant minimap marker.
• “A Tangle of Weeds”: Increased the size of the instance so it’s much harder for the lich to fear players out of the map.
• “Volcanic Extraction”: NPCs are now more durable.
• Norn Chapter 3: Fixed an issue where the wrong cinematic was playing.
• “A Sad Duty”: Strengthened the Pact defenders.
• “Suspicious Activity”: Fixed a minor cosmetic bug.
• “A Grisly Shipment”: Playing the story step with party members no longer prevents progression.
• “Source of Orr”: Fixed an issue that could prevent progression after defeating the Eye of Zhaitan.
• “Fixing Blame”: Warmaster Gurnn should now start his cinematic correctly.
• “On Red Alert”: Fixed an issue that could prevent progress if the player bypassed part of the story step.
• “Romke’s Final Voyage”: Fixed an issue that could prevent progress when playing the story step with party members.
• “A Sparkling Rescue”: Zojja will now help players in combat.

Skill Challenge

• The terror of Ancient Shark Pistrix and his gang of “landsharks” has finally come to an end. Players will now interact with the corpse of Pistrix in his cave in Sparkfly Fen to complete this skill challenge.

Items

• Fixed a bug that prevented Endless Halloween Tonics from being listed on the Trading Post.
• All Halloween tonics have a two-second cooldown for removal.
• Fixed an issue where some rebreather models would cause light armors to display incorrectly.
• Transmuting weapons now preserves the higher rarity of the two items.
• Sigil of Doom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Sigil of Intelligence: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Sigil of Leeching: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Life-stealing food buffs based on critical hits no longer affect gadgets.
• A Mystic Forge recipe has been added to upgrade the Triforge Amulet to an ascended version with a utility infusion slot.
• The Orichalcum vein in Southsun Cove is now a regular vein instead of a rich vein.

Profession Skills
General

• Cancelling executing skills that have no recharge via the [Escape] key or stowing weapons will now trigger a 0.5-second cooldown for that skill.
• Gadgets placed by players (such as turrets) will now apply boons and conditions based on those players’ stats. Those conditions and boons will not be reduced to level-1 values when the triggering gadget is destroyed.
• Updated skill facts.

Elementalist

• Fixed a bug that caused several spells, including Tornado, Arcane Shield, and most frequently Whirlpool, to sometimes fail to display any graphics.
• Arcane Power: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Arc Lightning: Fixed a bug which would cause this skill’s animation effects to continue playing after the skill ended.
• Evasive Arcana: This trait no longer enables players to break knockback effects.
• Glyph of Renewal: Increased this skill’s cast time while underwater from 1 second to 3.5 seconds.
• Ice Spikes: This skill now appropriately displays area-of-effect rings.
• Rock Spray: Skill facts for this skill now display the proper distance and bleed damage.
• Vapor Form: This skill will no longer allow players to rally off of kills that grant zero experience. This skill will now also properly restore death state on completion.

Engineer

• Removed collision from engineer turrets that were causing player pathing issues.
• Elixir X: Fixed a bug where this skill’s tooltip did not reflect the cooldown reduction from Fast-Acting Elixirs.
• Hair Trigger: Fixed a bug which prevented this trait from working correctly for some skills.
• Healing Turret: Fixed issues with this skill’s description when the Deployable Turrets trait was equipped.
• Incendiary Ammo: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.Reinforced Shield: Fixed a bug which prevented this trait from reducing Static Shield’s cooldown if the Throw Shield skill was activated.
• Reserve Mines: This trait’s area-of-effect rings now display the appropriate area that they can be triggered at.
• Speedy Gadgets: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from reducing the cooldown of Throw Mine.
• Toss Elixir S: This skill will no longer remove transforms from players.

Guardian

• Absolute Resolution: This trait now functions with Battle Presence.
• Battle Presence: This trait no longer misses pulses or spams “immune” text.
• Empower: This skill now appropriately applies might for 10 seconds.
• Selfless Daring: This trait no longer enables players to break knockback effects.
• Shield of the Avenger: Fixed the damage displayed in this skill’s Command variant.
• Spirit weapons are now susceptible to attacks.
• Sword of Justice: Fixed the damage displayed the descriptions for this skill and its Command variant.
• Sword Wave: This skill is now able to strike gadgets that are low to the ground.
• Zealot’s Flame: Added burning information to this skill’s description.

Mesmer

• Cleansing Conflagration: This trait should now remove a condition at the beginning of The Prestige instead of at the end of the skill.
• Duelist’s Discipline: This trait no longer reduces damage dealt by the Illusionary Duelist.
• Illusion of Life: This skill should no longer allow players to rally off of creatures that grant no experience.
• Portal Exeunt: Updated the skill fact of this skill to reflect the actual duration. Also added a description to the Portal Uses marker.

Necromancer

• Fixed a bug that caused some minions to be overly aggressive.
• Mark of Evasion: This trait no longer enables players to break knockback effects.
• Necrotic Traversal: Fixed a bug which caused this skill’s descriptionto display an incorrect amount of poison damage.
• Spinal Shivers: Fixed a bug which caused this skill to enter its full cooldown if used when facing away from the target.

Ranger

• Fixed a bug where aquatic ranger pets could sometimes get on land.
• Drake Pet: This pet will now activate its Tail Swipe skill on a regular basis, and the casting time of that skill has been reduced by 1.25 seconds.
• Entangle: This skill’s bleed effects now properly scale with condition damage and duration.
• Sharpening Stone: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Opening Strikes: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.

Thief

• Leeching Venoms: This trait no longer affects gadgets.
• Shadow Refuge: Added a radius skill fact to this skill’s description.
• Smoke Screen: This skill’s blinding pulse no longer follows the thief.
• Spider Venom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Devourer Venom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Ice Drake Venom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Skale Venom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Basilisk Venom: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.
• Assassin’s Signet: The number of uses on this skill’s effect will now decrease if an attack lands or if the attack is negated by Blind, Block, Evade, Obstructed, or Invulnerable.

Warrior

• Arcing Slice: Updated this skill’s description to correctly state the boon it applies.
• Banner of Strength: This skill’s descriptions have been updated.
• Banner of Discipline: This skill’s descriptions have been updated.
• Banner of Tactics: This skill’s descriptions have been updated.
• Empowered: This trait should now appropriately increase damage for the Stability boon.
• Reckless Dodge: This trait no longer enables players to break knockback effects.
• Vengeance: This skill is no longer able to rally a player off of kills that grant zero experience.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Legacy of the Foefire: Fixed a bug that prevented certain melee skills from hitting the front red/blue base gates.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Fixed a bug that allowed friendly and enemy projectile skills to penetrate the red/blue base gates.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Red/blue keep NPCs have been modified to avoid spawning before the match start countdown begins.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Red/blue lords have been modified to remove up to 3 conditions at the beginning of their heal skill.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Red/blue guards and casters have been modified to engage enemies when the lord enters combat.
• Battle of Kyhlo: Fixed a bug that could cause the repair kit to disappear after switching teams.
• Heart of the Mists: Two unused glory vendors have been removed.
• Fixed trebuchets not being targetable by ranged attacks after being repaired.

World vs. World

• Siege is no longer usable while inside a WvW jumping puzzle.
• Multiple areas have had their terrain adjusted to prevent players from bypassing gates and walls to get into objectives.
• Superior siege will now be saved properly when maps restart.
• In WvW, different types of loot chests will replace the bag drop depending on loot rarity. Players should now see bags for loot that is lower than uncommon rarity and chests for loot that is uncommon rarity or higher.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items

• Plush Quaggan Backpack Cover is now available in the Gem Store for 300 gems in the Style category. This adorable skin can be applied to any back-slot item, but it also comes with a basic back-slot item with no stats in case you don’t have one.
• The Riding Broom is now available in the Gem Store for 250 gems in the Style category. Simply equip this toy and activate its skill to ride the broom. Riding the broom does not provide a speed bonus.

Improvements

• Evon Gnashblade’s Box ‘o Fun has been revamped and is now available in the Consumable category for the new low price of 1 for 80 gems or a bundle of 5 for 320 gems. The revamped design offers more control over what effect the box has on those that interact with it.
• All weapon and armor skins now have the option to be converted to PvP skins. When activating a skin you will be given the choice to either apply the skin to a PvE item or convert the skin to a PvP-only item. Either action will consume the skin. This change applies to all unused weapon and armor skins in the game, regardless of when the skin was first released.

As some of you may be aware, we have recently had a rash of gold sellers spamming your forum inboxes. In an effort to halt this activity, we will be implementing new limitations on private messaging. From this point onward, players will have to wait 72 hours from their first forum login before they are able to send a private message on the forums.

We have blocked all the accounts involved and this new limitation will prevent gold sellers from abusing our forum systems in the future.

Thank you for your understanding.

The infraction system is a simple system. Infractions that do not include points (known as zero-point infractions) serve as friendly reminders to follow the Code of Conduct you agreed to abide by when your account was created. Infractions with points are more serious and start a tally on your account. When that tally reaches a certain threshold of points, a suspension is given. Higher number plateaus result in suspensions of ever-increasing durations, eventually resulting in a permanent ban from the forums. With the exception of banned accounts, infraction points eventually expire.

There are a number of reasons we do not list out every detail about the infraction system we have. The main reason is that such knowledge could be used to manipulate the system. Players could abuse their fellow players for X amount of posts and then stop to wait until an infraction point on their account expired before they started in again. Using this manner, a person could avoid any real punishment.

The other reason ties into why we don’t allow discussion of moderation on the forums, even when the originating request of such a discussion is a genuine desire for knowledge. Believe it or not, some players would use it as bragging rights. Players would push the system to the edge to ensure they got to behave however they wished without facing any consequences. This simply will not be allowed to happen.

Rest assured though, it takes far more than a single minor infraction to result in a temporary suspension. It takes even more to have your forum privileges permanently revoked!

So how do you avoid getting infractions? It’s pretty simple really. Be sure to review the Code of Conduct and follow those rules. If someone violates those rules, rather than doing the same and getting yourself into trouble, simply report the post or thread in question so the Community team can investigate it.

It really is as simple as that! If you have any questions or concerns about any forum moderation action taken, please send an email to forums@arena.net.

Thanks!