Game Release Notes - November 7, 2017

Living World

• As the gates to the Mad Realm fade, Halloween is drawing to a close. Finish your investigations and barter your Candy Corn Cobs, because the festival will end for the year on November 8 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC -8).

World Polish

Crystal Oasis

• Fixed a bug that allowed the choya pinata to be defeated after "[bonus] Stop the choya pinata before it gets away!" failed.

Domain of Vabbi

• Fixed a bug in which the Mastery-point djinn in the Brand would create multiple shield pylons.

Lion's Arch

• Fixed a bug that enabled certain NPCs to wander up onto the dais with the Black Lion Traders, making them more difficult to interact with.

General

• Some new collection achievements for Path of Fire™ skins have been added.

• Consumable karma bonuses that drop from Path of Fire events are now automatically used when entering your inventory. Old copies will have to be used manually but will no longer drop.

• Rewards for several major events in Path of Fire have been overhauled, including Serpents' Ire and Junundu Rising.

• Right-clicking a bouncy chest will automatically take the contents if there is no selectable item for most achievements and reward tracks.

• Fixed a bug in which several ascended-armor recipe books offered exotic-weapon crafting recipes.

• Moved the Halloween achievement Lunatic's Fashion to the Fashion category so that it will be available while the Halloween festival is inactive.

• Several items can no longer be used in combat, by level-1 characters, or in the tutorial instances, as they can block player progress through the personal story.

  • This includes the Lily of the Elon Pass, the Spearmarshal's Plea, and Portal Scrolls to Central Tyria.

• Pulsing Brandsparks can now be crafted by all crafting disciplines.

• The Primeval Steward in the Crystal Highlands now offers some additional crafting recipes, and some older items have had their costs rebalanced.

• A useless item called "Black Diamond," which was not actually used in crafting recipes, has been removed from loot tables and replaced with the useful crafting material of the same name.

  • The old item, as well as the account-bound Brandspark Jewel and Sunset Jewel items, can be traded with some vendors in the Free City of Amnoon in exchange for the useful Black Diamond crafting material.

• Chests, including Buried Treasure and Superior Buried Treasure, have had some rewards changed.

• Fixed bugs preventing some of the collectibles related to the Funerary weapon and armor collections from awarding the right materials:

  • The monster-specific Elegy Mosaics now can be consumed for a single Elegy Mosaic currency.

  • Charged gems for the "Glorify the Golden Heart" collection now give 20 trade contracts when consumed.

• The material for crafting ascended Funerary weapons and armor has been added. You can find the new Intact Mosaic item wherever Elegy Mosaics can be earned: legendary bounties, Superior Buried Treasure, and certain large-scale events throughout the Crystal Desert.

• Renown merchants throughout the Crystal Desert have new recipes available.

• Priory Researcher Elisa now has new recipes available.

• Removed the ability to sell Piles of Elonian Trade Contracts to vendors.

• Scribing recipes for Path of Fire matrices now use 50 regular QuartzCrystals instead of 1 Charged Quartz.

• Fixed a bug with the animation speeds of the Mini Springer Mount.

• Fixed a bug with the Marshal's stat combination (Power, Healing, Condition Damage, and Precision), which should now provide appropriate stats when selected or used in ascended-quality gear.

Fractals

• Fixed a bug in which Corporeal Reassignment would sometimes not properly trigger in the final boss fight of Shattered Observatory.

Personal Story

"The Sacrifice"

• Enabled stricter enforcement of rules regarding player and NPC mounting in the climax of this instance to prevent potential stalls.

"Beast of War"

• Sohothin skills will now remove stealth from the player.

• Players joining their friends can now earn the rewards for completing the chapter.

Items

• Updated art on the Shackles of Madness gloves to improve their chain physics.

Profession Skills 

General:

Several new enemies in Path of Fire have attacks that can launch the player into the air, so with this update we are changing several stun-break skills to be usable while in the air. Certain types of skills, such as shadowsteps and skills that summon creatures, are exempt from this change, as allowing them to be used in the air would create undesirable gameplay behaviors.

• Stun-Break Skills: Many stun-break skills have been reviewed and are now able to be used in midair. Stun breaks that could result in undesirable behavior are not able to be used in midair.

• Taunt: This condition now has a proper conversion and will transform into 2 seconds of resistance. Keep in mind that stun breaks take priority over condition conversion.

• Superior Rune of the Firebrand: Fixed a bug that caused the rune to indicate condition duration instead of condition damage.

• PvP: Added Path of Fire elite specialization runes to PvP.

• Rune of the Guardian: This rune now has a 2-second internal cooldown.

• Barrier: The duration before decay begins has been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds. The time for the barrier to decay has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds.

Elementalist:

The weaver's sword has been underperforming a bit when compared to several of the core elementalist weapons, so we're tuning up several sword skills in this update to put their damage numbers in a better position. Additionally, Conjure Earth Shield is being updated to be a source of barrier, which we felt would be a good thematic fit for the earth skills it provides. Lastly, we'll be looking to tone down a few builds that increase damage exponentially against larger targets.

• Skills

  • Polaric Slash: The casting time and aftercast of this skill have been reduced by 0.24 seconds.

  • Crystalline Strike: The casting time and aftercast of this skill have been reduced by 0.24 seconds.

  • Fire Swipe: The casting time and aftercast of this skill have been reduced by 0.24 seconds.

  • Clapotis: The casting time and aftercast of this skill have been reduced by 0.24 seconds.

  • Flame Uprising: Increased the physical damage for the initial impact of this skill by 50%.

  • Cauterizing Strike: Increased the base physical damage of this skill by 20%. Increased the damage against burning foes by 14%.

  • Pyro Vortex: This skill now pulses every 0.33 seconds, down from 1 second. Increased the number of pulses from 3 to 6.

  • Fiery Greatsword—Flame Wave: This skill now allows other skills to be cast during its animation.

  • Fiery Greatsword—Lesser Fiery Eruption: The cooldown of this passively activated skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.

  • Conjure Earth Shield: This conjured weapon now utilizes a new enhancement, Tectonic Shift, which grants barrier every second it is active.

  • Conjure Earth Shield—Stone Sheath: This skill now applies 2 seconds of Tectonic Shift in addition to its current effects when successfully blocking an attack. The physical damage of this skill has been increased by 100%.

  • Conjure Earth Shield—Magnetic Surge: The physical damage of this skill has been increased by 100%. In addition to its current effects, the beginning of this skill now grants Magnetic Aura to the user for 4 seconds.

  • Conjure Earth Shield—Magnetic Shield: This skill now applies 2 seconds of Tectonic Shift in addition to its current effects for each enemy struck by the attack. The casting time of this skill has been reduced by 0.4 seconds.

  • Conjure Earth Shield—Crippling Shield: This skill now deals double damage and inflicts 2 stacks of bleeding for 10 seconds (per target) if the user is under the effects of barrier.

  • Conjure Earth Shield—Shield Smash: Increased the physical damage of this skill by 17%.

  • Conjure Frost Bow—Ice Storm: Against nonplayer enemies, this skill now has a 0.25-second cooldown on each enemy, during which the enemy cannot be struck again by the skill.

  • Arcane Power: Reduced the number of stacks applied to allies from 4 to 2. The user of this skill retains 4 stacks on casting.

• Traits

  • Final Shielding: The skill fired by this trait has been renamed to Lesser Arcane Shield.

Engineer:

Engineer updates are focused around the holosmith and improving the synergy of the Photon Forge mode with other skills. To that end, the sword is seeing some improvements to smooth out rotations and to make heat stocking more valuable. Additionally, several holosmith skills are gaining combo finishers to synergize with core engineers' variety of fields.

• Holosmith Rewards: Updated available stat combinations to use Berserker, Marauder, and Marshal options. This change will reset your current shoulder pieces and weapons and will require you to reselect your stat preference.

• Skills

  • Sun Edge/Sun Ripper/Gleam Saber: Removed heat bonuses that increased critical-hit chance. Added a new heat bonus that increases damage by 10% while above 50 heat and 20% while above 100 heat.

  • Gleam Saber: Increased damage by 10%.

  • Refraction Cutter: Increased blade projectile damage by 25%. Projectiles fired by this skill are considered projectile finishers. Increased projectile width and effect size.

  • Radiant Arc: Reduced casting time by 0.1 second. Reduced aftercast by 0.1 second.

  • Holo Leap: The swiftness or superspeed applied by this skill is now applied at the end of the leap rather than at the start.

  • Photon Blitz: This skill is now a 20% chance projectile finisher.

  • Holographic Shockwave: This skill is now a blast finisher. This skill will now go on interrupt cooldown instead of full cooldown if it is interrupted before the shock wave is created.

  • Coolant Blast: This skill is now a blast finisher. Chill duration increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.

  • Cauterize: Increased number of conditions removed from 2 to 3. Conditions removed while above 50 heat increased from 4 to 6.

  • Photon Wall: Reduced aftercast by 0.25 seconds.

• Traits

  • Crystal Configuration: Storm: Projectiles fired by this trait are now 20% chance projectile finishers.

  • Solar Focusing Lens: The effect granted by this trait now also increases the outgoing damage of your next few attacks by 10%.

  • Photonic Blasting Module: Increased damage by 25%.

  • Vent Exhaust: Increased damage by 120%. Lowered burning stacks from 3 to 1. Increased burning duration from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.

Guardian:

For this update, we are focusing on the usability of firebrand mantras, which we feel are currently underperforming. By increasing the radius of these skills, we hope that they will be easier to use to support parties in conjunction with the existing tome skills. A few firebrand traits are also having their internal cooldowns adjusted to better synchronize with each other.

• Firebrand Rewards: Updated available stat combinations to use Viper, Trailblazer, and Marshal options. This change will reset your current helm pieces and weapons and will require you to reselect your stat preference.

• Skills

  • Firebrand tome skills now set each other on a 0.5-second cooldown uponequip.

  • Mantras: Fixed a bug that prevented proper resetting of mantra chargeswhile mounted.

  • Mantra of Flame: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

  • Mantra of Lore: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

  • Mantra of Liberation: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

  • Mantra of Potence: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

  • Mantra of Solace: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

  • Mantra of Truth: Increased the range of this skill from 300 to 450. Increased the radius of this skill from 120 to 180.

• Traits

  • Healer's Retribution: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from granting retaliation when using Mantra of Solace's active skills: Restoring Reprieve and Rejuvenating Respite.

  • Liberator's Vow: Reduced the internal cooldown on this trait from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.

  • Stalwart Speed: Increased the internal cooldown on this trait from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.

  • Quickfire: Reduced the stacks of Ashes of the Just granted by this trait from 2 to 1. Reduced the internal cooldown on this trait from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.

  • Retribution: Fixed a bug that was erroneously displaying increased damage on sword and spear attacks.

Mesmer:

Today's mesmer update is focused around the Mirage's Axe. We've cleaned up several bugs and animation hang-ups that could cause the weapon to feel less smooth than intended. Additionally, we are adding camera refocusing to skills that shadowstep you to points around your target. These skills will attempt to face your camera behind your character after the shadowstep occurs so that it's easier to keep focus on your target.

• Mirage: Added new UI effects to indicate when Mirage Cloak is active.

• Skills

  • Axe Autoattack: Fixed a bug that could cause skills used in the middle of the attack sequence to have a noticeable delay before activating.

  • Lingering Thoughts: Lowered aftercast by 0.1 second. Fixed a bug that caused this skill to show an incorrect casting time. Added a 0.25-second recharge between uses of this skill to prevent accidental double use.

  • Axes of Symmetry: This skill will now rotate the camera to face your target after the shadowstep. This skill now performs a range check before casting. Shortened maximum distance to target after shadowstep by 20%.

  • Illusionary Ambush: Increased Mirage Cloak duration to 1 second to be consistent with other skills. This skill now takes into account your currently wielded weapon when determining maximum shadowstep distance from the target. Updated minimum and maximum distances from target for random shadowstep calculations. This skill will now rotate the camera to face your target after the shadowstep.

  • Imaginary Axes: Increased seek distance for the follow-up attack by 20%. Increased stacks of confusion for the player version of this skill from 1 to 2 (clones still apply 1 stack). Increased damage by 20%. This skill no longer requires you to face your target.

  • Phantasmal Berserker: Reduced casting time from 1 second to 0.75 seconds.

  • Chaos Vortex: Increased projectile speed by 25%. Increased projectile damage by 20%. Removed confusion and torment conditions. This skill now inflicts bleeding (2 stacks for 6 seconds), burning (1 stack for 3 seconds), and vulnerability (3 stacks for 5 seconds).

  • Jaunt: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from being recognized as an elite skill for the purposes of some rune effects.

• Traits

  • Mirrored Axes: Fixed a bug that prevented clones from generating the bonus axe.

    • Phantasmal Seeking Axe: Increased seek distance for the follow-up attack by 20%. Increased damage by 33%. Reduced angle variance.

    • Phantasmal Spinning Axe: Increased torment duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Increased damage by 33%.

  • Sand Shards: Fixed the incorrect skill facts to show the actual value of 3 stacks of bleeding for 4 seconds.

  • Desert Distortion: Fixed a bug that prevented mirrors from spawning if Distortion was activated while jumping.

Necromancer:

The reaper specialization from Heart of Thorns™ is seeing a few significant changes in this update, primarily centered around Reaper's Shroud. We drastically increased the damage of all shroud attacks while simultaneously increasing the rate at which life force is lost while in shroud. These changes are aimed at allowing the reaper to output more damage at the cost of some defense. In conjunction with these changes, we are also revisiting some underperforming shroud-based traits to focus their power into specific high points centered around entering or leaving shroud.

• Skills

  • Blood Is Power (World vs. World): This skill's PvP split has been extended to WvW and will now use the lower 20-second cooldown.

  • Deathly Chill (World vs. World): This skill's PvP split has been extended to WvW and will now apply 1 stack of bleeding for 8 seconds upon chill application.

  • Manifest Sand Shade: Fixed a bug that could cause this skill's targets to be lost due to proximity between shades or the casting scourge. Made back-end changes to increase the priority of shade visibility.

  • Nefarious Favor: Fixed a bug that could cause this skill's targets to be lost due to proximity between shades or the casting scourge.

  • Sand Cascade: Fixed a bug that could cause this skill's targets to be lost due to proximity between shades or the casting scourge.

  • Garish Pillar: Fixed a bug that could cause this skill's targets to be lost due to proximity between shades or the casting scourge.

  • Desert Shroud: Fixed a bug that could cause this skill's targets to be lost due to proximity between shades or the casting scourge. Increased the damage inflicted per strike of this skill by 25%. Increased the duration of torment inflicted on each pulse of this skill from 2 seconds to 4 seconds in PvE.

  • Reaper Shroud: Increased life-force consumption rate from 3% per second to 5% per second.

    • Life Rend: Increased damage by 25%.

    • Life Slash: Increased damage by 30%.

    • Life Reap: Increased damage by 25%. Reduced life-force gain per hit from 2% to 1.5%.

    • Death's Charge: Increased damage by 25%.

    • Soul Spiral: Increased damage by 40%. Reduced poison duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds. Reduced number of whirl finishers on this skill from 6 to 4.

    • Executioner's Scythe: Increased damage by 33% on targets above 50% health. Increased damage by 30% on targets below 50% health. Increased damage by 28% on targets below 25% health.

  • Fading Twilight: Increased damage by 8%.

  • Sand Swell: This skill can no longer be canceled by other skills before the portal is created. Fixed an issue where the displayed casting time did not reflect the actual casting time.

  • Chilling Scythe: Increased damage by 21%.

• Traits

  • Reaper's Onslaught: Recharge reduction on shroud skills is now calculated per target hit by Life Reap.

  • Rending Shroud: This trait has been renamed to Awaken the Pain. This trait grants 5 might for 5 seconds when entering shroud and causes might on you to grant 40 power and 20 condition damage per stack at level 80.

  • Reaper's Might: Fixed a bug that was preventing this trait from properly granting might on use of scourge shroud skills.

  • Dhuumfire: Fixed a bug that was preventing this trait from properly inflicting burning on use of scourge shroud skills.

  • Unyielding Blast: Fixed a bug that was preventing this trait from properly inflicting vulnerability on use of scourge shroud skills.

  • Spiteful Spirit: The attack caused by this trait now converts 2 additional boons on targets below 50% health.

  • Unholy Martyr: This trait's functionality has changed. It now causes the necromancer to draw up to 5 conditions from 5 allies within a range of 600 to themselves when entering shroud. When exiting shroud, the necromancer consumes up to 3 conditions, converting each condition into 7% life force.

  • Signets of Suffering: This trait now grants the passives for all equipped signets while in shroud, regardless of whether those signets were on recharge prior to entering shroud. Removed 20% recharge reduction. This trait now causes all signets to recharge by 4% each second that shroud is active.

  • Plague Sending: This trait has had its functionality changed. It now causes your first strike after entering shroud to transfer two conditions to your target.

Ranger:

In addition to improving the reliability of some of the new Path of Fire pet attacks, we also did a pass on the soulbeast stances, which we felt needed a bit more tuning. Core ranger is also seeing an increase in the number of targets affected by spirits, which we hope will help ease the burden for raid groups feeling they need to always take two rangers in every group for full coverage. Finally, we are making a big change to Grace of the Land and moving its unique enhancement to be a standardized might gain instead. This trait has been too dominant even after earlier reductions and is providing too much bonus damage to a group from a specialization that is otherwise focused around healing and support. Coupled with changes to the warrior's Phalanx Strength and the deadeye's Fire for Effect traits, we'd like to see more professions that are capable of providing significant amounts of might in group settings.

• Soulbeast Rewards: Updated available stat combinations to use Marshal, Viper, and Marauder options. This change will reset your current glove pieces and weapons and will require you to reselect your stat preference.

• Skills

  • Beastmode: Mounting while merged will now preserve your state as having been merged so that when you dismount you will instantly reenter Beastmode. Fixed a bug that would temporarily stow a ranger's pet if downed when in the middle of merging.

  • Call of the Wild: This skill now grants its unblockable enhancement to a ranger in Beastmode.

  • Bonfire: Reduced the duration of burning from 2.5 seconds to 2 seconds.

  • Whirling Defense: Increased damage by 15%.

  • "Guard!": This skill now grants its enhancements to a ranger in Beastmode.

  • "Search & Rescue!": Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from pulling an ally to you and reviving them while in Beastmode.

  • Sharpening Stone: Decreased the duration of bleeding applied from stacks of this skill from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.

  • Water Spirit: Increased the number of targets affected by the Water Spirit from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Frost Spirit: Increased the number of targets affected by the Spirit of Frost from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Sun Spirit: Increased the number of targets affected by the Sun Spirit from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Stone Spirit: Increased the number of targets affected by the Stone Spirit from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Storm Spirit: Increased the number of targets affected by the Storm Spirit from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Spirit of Nature: Increased the number of targets healed each interval from 5 to 10 targets.

  • Seed of Life: Decreased the base heal value of this skill by 18.5%. Increased the healing scaling of this skill by 21.5%.

  • Griffon Stance: Reduced the cooldown of this skill from 45 seconds to 40 seconds. Increased the might granted from evading a strike from 1 stack to 2 stacks.

  • Vulture Stance: Increased the rate your strikes can trigger the hit effects from this skill by 100%. Reduced the duration of might and poison from 6 seconds to 4 seconds. Removed the health threshold component of this skill; this skill now grants might and inflicts poison each strike.

  • Moa Stance: Added regeneration for 8 seconds to the boons granted by this skill. Increased the duration of Moa Stance's effect from 8 seconds to 10 seconds.

  • One Wolf Pack: Increased the rate at which you could cause additional strikes by 100%. Reduced the delay before the additional strike lands from 1 second to 0.5 seconds. Reduced the damage of strikes from this skill by 10%.

• Pets

  • Rock Gazelle—Headbutt: This skill now moves toward the target during the attack, allowing the pet to track the target better.

  • Rock Gazelle—Charge: Reduced the activation period of this skill by 0.5 seconds and increased the movement speed so that it more frequently travels the indicated range of 900. The gazelle will now move through targets and may hit up to 3 in one charge.

  • Rock Gazelle—Kick: This skill has been sped up considerably and will now start its attacks beginning at 0.5 seconds.

  • Iboga—Consuming Bite: This skill now moves the iboga toward its target and recovers considerably faster between attacks.

  • Wilting Strike: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from affecting the F2 skills of the rock gazelle, iboga, and jacaranda.

• Traits

  • Pack Alpha: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from affecting the F2 skills of pets from the Path of Fire region.

  • Unstoppable Union: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from stun breaking when activating Beastmode.

  • Oppressive Superiority: Clarified the description of this trait to explicitly call out the percentile comparison for its bonuses.

  • Leader of the Pack: This trait now increases the duration of stance enhancements applied to the ranger using a stance skill by 50% in addition to its previous effects.

  • Verdant Etching: Decreased the base heal value of the skill activated by this trait by 18.5%. Increased the healing scaling of the skill by 21.5%.

  • Grace of the Land: This trait no longer grants a unique enhancement. It now grants 4 stacks of might for 8 seconds to up to 10 allies in the area of your Celestial Avatar skills.

Revenant:

The off-hand sword weapon for the revenant had a bit of an identity crisis. While the main-hand sword is primarily an offensive weapon, the off-hand feels like it's trying to be both a defensive and utility weapon at the same time. We're reworking both skills on this weapon to be more accurately positioned as an offensive power option for the off-hand slot. We also took a hard look at the Invocation trait line and removed several of the harder-to-use traits based on energy thresholds. We've replaced them with new traits that reinforce the themes of energy management and legend swapping to strengthen the themes of this line.

• Renegade Rewards: Updated available stat combinations to use Celestial, Viper, and Grieving options. This change will reset your current helm pieces and weapons and will require you to reselect your stat preference.

• Skills

  • Duelist's Preparation: This skill is no longer available on the revenant's off-hand sword.

  • Shackling Wave: This skill has been reworked and will now deliver up to 5 strikes to random enemies in the area in addition to its initial impact. Immobilize duration has been reduced to 1 second and is increased by 1 second to all targets per target struck. Base damage of this skill has been reduced by 20%. Bonus strikes are equal to 25% of the initial impact each. The cooldown of this skill has been set at 15 seconds, while the energy cost is set at 10.

  • Grasping Shadow: This skill has been renamed to Deathstrike and has a reworked functionality. Activating this skill will now shadowstep the revenant toward their target, up to a range of 600 away, and deliver a strike that chills and slows the foe for 3 seconds while gaining fury. If this attack successfully lands, the revenant will immediately deliver a second attack that deals large damage. The cooldown of this skill is 20 seconds, with the energy cost being 20 as well.

  • Bloodbane Path: Increased the duration of bleeding per strike inflicted by this skill from 7 seconds to 8 seconds.

  • Sevenshot: Increased the duration of torment inflicted per arrow from 4 seconds to 7 seconds.

  • Spiritcrush: Increased the duration of burning inflicted per interval from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Increased the duration of slow inflicted per interval from 1 second to 1.5 seconds.

  • Heroic Command: Increased the base might granted by this skill per stack of Kalla's Fervor from 1 to 2 stacks.

  • Orders from Above: Increased the duration of alacrity granted by this skill per interval from 1 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

  • Echoing Eruption: Decreased the amount of torment inflicted by this skill from 5 stacks for 10 seconds to 4 stacks for 8 seconds. Fixed a bug that was causing inconsistency with moving toward your target. Fixed a bug that could cause attacks from multiple revenants using this skill to miss a target.

• Traits

  • Lasting Legacy: This trait no longer increases your maximum potential stacks of Kalla's Fervor. It now increases the effect of Kalla's Fervor from 30 ferocity and 2% condition damage to 50 ferocity and 3% condition damage, and increases the might granted from Heroic Command per stack of Kalla's Fervor from 2 to 3.

  • Radiant Revival: Fixed a bug that caused the effect applied by this skill to use the wrong icon.

  • Charged Mists: This trait has been reworked. It now grants 25 extra energy to your new legend when you invoke while at or below 10 energy.

  • Shrouded Mists: This trait has been reworked and renamed Song of the Mists, and it causes invoking a legend to cast a skill based on the legend you are invoking. This trait has swapped positions with Roiling Mists.

  • Equilibrium: This trait has been reworked and renamed Spirit Boon and grants a legend-specific boon to yourself and nearby allies when you invoke a new legend.

  • Cruel Repercussion: This trait has been reworked and renamed to Forceful Persistence, and it causes you to deal 7% increased damage while maintaining an upkeep skill. Herald upkeep skills grant a 2% bonus but can be stacked. This trait has swapped positions with Cleansing Channel.

  • Incensed Response: Increased might stacks from 2 to 5. This trait now requires you to be the source of fury in order to gain might.

Thief:

This update for the thief is focused mostly around the deadeye specialization and fixing bugs that were hindering them from reaching their full potential. Fire for Effect has also been simplified slightly, as we felt the range restriction on the second set of might and short radius on might application made this trait difficult to use. This improvement, along with the changes to the warrior's Phalanx Strength and the druid's Grace of the Land, should offer multiple professions the opportunity to grant group might. One important balance change in this update is the change to Unhindered Combatant. While thieves, and by extension daredevils, are intended to be slippery combatants, the escape potential for this trait was a little too high.

• Skills

  • Deadeye Stolen Skills: These skills can now be used while jumping or during skills that jump into the air. Fixed a bug that allowed stolen skills to be wasted by casting them on targets other than your mark. Stolen skills will now always be cast on your mark even if your mark is not your current target.

  • Rifle: All rifle skills that fire projectiles will now attempt to face the target before determining if they should activate.

  • Death's Retreat: Updated the description to indicate that this skill shadowsteps away from your current target. Improved the reliability of shadowstep in areas with complex terrain.

  • Death's Judgment: This skill now only deals its bonus damage to your marked target. Updated skill description.

  • Free Action: This skill can now be used to cancel Kneel if the player is sent airborne by an enemy skill. Fixed a bug that could cause this skill to not remove all instances of the listed conditions.

  • Cursed Bullet: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from working with the Rending Shade trait. Boon steal from Rending Shade occurs before boon corruption.

  • Bandit's Defense: The recharge of this skill has been increased from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.

  • Binding Shadow: This skill now performs a range check before activating. Removed range and line-of-sight restrictions from the delayed attack.

  • Shadow Meld: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from being recognized as an elite skill for the purposes of some rune effects.

• Traits

  • Expeditious Dodger: Swiftness granted by this trait will now occur at the end of the dodge.

  • Unhindered Combatant: Breaking inhibiting conditions with this trait now causes the thief to lose all endurance regeneration for 4 seconds. Direct endurance gains will still apply the full amount. Swiftness granted by this trait will now occur at the end of the dodge.

  • Improvisation: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from working with ammo skills. It now restores 1 use to affected skills.

  • Renewing Gaze: Updated the text description for clarity.

  • Don't Stop: Removed the erroneous cooldown skill fact.

  • Perfectionist: Updated the description to clarify that boons are only gained when reaching full malice stacks. Gaining malice while at full malice stacks will not trigger this trait. Removed internal cooldown.

  • Fire for Effect: Added a 1-second internal cooldown to this trait. This trait now grants might around the player and the marked target regardless of distance, but it can only grant might to the same target once per activation of the trait. Might applied has been reduced from 10 stacks for 15 seconds to 8 stacks for 12 seconds. Increased might application radius from 240 to 360.

Warrior:

Axe is a warrior weapon that is perhaps more damage focused than any other weapon in the game. However, in some cases it was actually a damage loss to use certain skills. The axe enhancements in this update are intended to make sure that every skill can be a damage increase over autoattacking to properly position the axe as a damage weapon for warriors. We are also normalizing the functionality of Berserker's Stance and Balanced Stance to be shorter with stronger effects, in order to prevent long stretches of stability and resistance chaining. Finally, we are making a reduction to the might duration of Phalanx Strength. This trait is a core component of many raid groups, but we feel that with the increased prevalence of other might sources, the power of this trait needed to come down a little bit in order to allow other options to be considered. We'll be monitoring them all closely and tweaking where necessary.

• Skills

  • Cyclone Axe: The physical damage of this skill has been increased by 33%.

  • Throw Axe: This skill now deals 50% more damage if the target is below 50% health, or 100% more damage if the target is below 25% health.

  • Whirling Axe: The physical damage of this skill has been increased by 33%.

  • Throw Bolas: Reduced the ammunition recharge of this skill from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.

  • Balanced Stance: Reduced duration from 8 seconds to 4 seconds. Reduced stability duration from 3 seconds to 1 second. Reduced effect application interval from 3 seconds to 1 second. This skill now makes you immune to critical hits.

  • Berserker's Stance: Reduced duration from 9 seconds to 4 seconds. Increased adrenaline gain per pulse from 3 to 7. Resistance per pulse has been reduced from 3 seconds to 1 second. Reduced recharge from 60 seconds to 30 seconds. Fixed a consistency issue where effect application would sometimes be delayed.

  • Natural Healing: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to remove an incorrect number of boons. Also fixed an issue in which this gave fewer stacks of Attacker's Insight than intended when removing multiple boons.

  • Decapitate: Fixed a bug that caused the shock wave from this skill to fail if the initial attack killed the target. Fixed a bug that caused the shock wave to deal less damage than listed. Fixed a bug that caused the shock wave from this skill to hit fewer than 5 targets.

  • Throw Axe: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to not update its ammo recharge skill fact when equipped with the Axe Mastery trait.

  • Winds of Disenchantment: This skill now has an alternate effect when used by enemies.

  • Full Counter: Increased recharge from 8 seconds to 12 seconds in PvP and WvW only.

• Traits

  • Peak Performance: This trait no longer increases the damage of physical skills, but instead increases the warrior's strike damage by 33% (10% in PvP) for 5 seconds whenever a physical skill is used.

  • Phalanx Strength: Might duration granted by this trait has been reduced from 6 seconds to 4 seconds.

  • Revenge Counter: Reduced the number of conditions transferred from 5 to 3 in PvP and WvW only.

Structured Player vs. Player

Season 9 starts today!

Players ranked Platinum 2 (1,600) and above can no longer duo-queue in Ranked matches while seasons are active.

The following amulets have been added:

• Avatar

  • Power, Precision: 1050

  • Healing, Vitality: 560

• Grieving

  • Power, Condition Damage: 1050

  • Precision, Ferocity: 560

• Harrier

  • Power: 1200

  • Healing, Concentration: 900

• Marshal

  • Power, Healing: 1050

  • Precision, Condition Damage: 560

• Swashbuckler

  • Power, Precision: 1050

  • Condition Damage, Vitality: 560

• Wizard

  • Power, Condition Damage: 1050

  • Vitality, Precision: 560

The following runes have been added:

• Weaver

• Holosmith

• Firebrand

• Mirage

• Soulbeast

• Deadeye

• Renegade

• Spellbreaker

World vs. World

General

• Proofs of Heroics and Testimonies of Heroics can now be used in the PvP lobby.

• Oil pot range is now 800.

Eternal Battlegrounds

• Ogrewatch Cut has had a large revision.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE

New Items and Promotions

• For a limited time, a new set of Shifting Sands weapon skins are available from the Black Lion Weapons Specialist for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket. Black Lion Chest Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.

• For a limited time, the new Reforged Warhound mount skin is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 2,000 gems.

• The Black Lion Stables are pleased to open their doors and offer new mount adoption licenses. Each license will allow you to claim a random mount skin from the Black Lion Stables, and they are available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 400 gems each.

Improvements

• The Black Lion Chest has been updated to the Mysterious Sands Chest and can be previewed for a full list of its contents.

  • The Black Lion Material Bag returns with the Black Lion Material Bag: Elona. It has been added as the new guaranteed item.

  • The new Wild Magic Backpack Glider Combo is available as an uncommon drop for the duration of the Mysterious Sands Chest.

  • The Fallen Balthazar Package remains available as an uncommon drop for the duration of the Mysterious Sands Chest.

  • The Ley-Line Weapon Collection is now available as a rare drop for the duration of the Mysterious Sands Chest.

  • The Dreamthistle Weapon Collection is now available as a super-rare drop for the duration of the Mysterious Sands Chest.

• For a limited time, the Maguuma Series 1, Living World Season 1, and Dragon Minion miniature collections are available when using Black Lion Miniature Claim Tickets. Black Lion Chest Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.

• Exclusive hair colors, eye colors, and accessory colors are now sorted by hue when using a Total Makeover Kit or Self-Style Hair Kit.

 MAC CLIENT

• Fixed a bug involving character portraits going missing from several UI elements.

• Fixed a bug affecting Intel HD Graphics 3000 hardware that could cause crashes in certain circumstances.

• Fixed a bug that could cause certain UI views with many elements (such as the Guild Decorations view) to crash.