Game Update Notes: March 19, 2024

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

03/19/2024—March 19 Release Notes

Note to users of third-party programs: The game may not launch or work properly after we release a new build if you use a third-party program, due to possible incompatibilities. ArenaNet cannot offer support if a third-party modification breaks, interferes with, or prevents you from playing Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2. Our policy regarding third-party programs can be found here.

General

• Added new custom postprocessing options to the Graphics Options menu. This allows new, finer control over what postprocessing effects are active.
• Optimized loading times between starting the game and getting to the character selection screen. Load times are improved by approximately 3 seconds, depending on your hardware configuration.
• Updated 11 item converters to use the vendor interface, allowing these to draw directly from players' banks in addition to their inventories:
  • Candy Corn Gobbler
  • Herta
  • Mawdrey II
  • Princess
  • Star of Gratitude
  • Sentient Aberration
  • Sentient Anomaly
  • Sentient Oddity
  • Shards of Glory Converter
  • Memory Gobbler
  • Spearmarshal's Plea
• Fixed an issue that could cause fashion prompts during the April Fools' fashion shows in Lion's Arch to end if the show went for long enough.
• Prospective contestants will now be moved to the audience area between fashion shows.
• Cheering skills in fashion shows now grant the contestant on stage an escalating amount of approval from the judges based on the skill used.
• The Noblesse Oblige Mastery, which increases revive speed and removes downed penalties on a successful revive, will no longer remove downed penalties in Strike Mission and raid challenge mode encounters. This will help maintain the intended difficulty level of these encounters by reinstating some penalties for ignoring encounter mechanics.

Amnytas

• Moved the Starlight Lantern from inside the Great Debate Hall to outside the Great Debate Hall.
• Removed the experience and karma consumables from the silver map meta-event progress chests awarded during the Defense of Amnytas meta-event. The rewards have been adjusted to compensate for this change.

Inner Nayos

• Moved a Greater Arcane Chest in Nyedra, Dreamer's Sanctum, to a location where players would not get stuck.
• Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause hylek to join the Kryptis.

Strike Missions

Temple of Febe Challenge Mode

We reduced the overall enemy health of the Temple of Febe Challenge Mode to make the fight accessible to more players. We will be monitoring the Strike Mission to ensure that this brings it to the desired level of challenge, and we are ready to make more changes if it still remains more difficult than intended. To give players the ability to experience and try to defeat the fight in its original form, we have added an option to the challenge mote to activate a legendary challenge. Players who had defeated Cerus before this change, or players who defeat him with the legendary challenge mode active, will earn a new Legendary Conqueror of Cerus title to demonstrate this feat.

• Changed the empowered Envious Gaze skill to not steal quickness and alacrity.
• Fixed an issue that could cause projectiles to be obstructed when attacking an embodiment in the split phase if that embodiment was active during the phase transition.
• Fixed an issue in which selecting an option from the challenge mote did not reset the encounter if the event was already in progress.

Cosmic Observatory Challenge Mode

• Fixed an issue that could cause the Precision Anxiety achievement to be rewarded even if the entire party did not meet the requirements.

Structured Player vs. Player

• A new achievement category, Profession Achievements, has been added to the PvP section of the Achievements panel.
• New tiers of champion Profession Achievements have been added to the Profession Achievements category in the PvP section, each with a new title. Players can progress these achievements with their current PvP ranked wins by traveling to the Heart of the Mists.
• A new achievement named True Dragon has been added. Players who are PvP Rank 469 or higher will complete this achievement upon entering the Heart of the Mists.

World vs. World

• Nine new tiers of the Realm Avenger achievement have been added to the WvW section of the Achievements panel. Each tier comes with a new variant of the Ultimate Dominator title that reflects the number of players that you've defeated (e.g., Ultimate Dominator II). Players can progress these new achievements with their current kill counts by traveling to Eternal Battlegrounds, Alpine Borderlands, or Desert Borderlands maps.
• The Siege Disabler trick has been updated and renamed to Siege Disruptor. Siege Disruptors will now reduce outgoing siege damage by 66%, and they will cause affected siege devices to take 66% increased damaged for the duration. Golems will still have their skills disabled for the duration.
• We're modernizing the loadouts of keep lords with the addition of a new healing skill that aids objective defenders in combat, giving the lord a more active role in battle. Keep lords in Alpine Borderlands and Eternal Battlegrounds will now have a channeled healing skill at 75% and 25% health thresholds. Their defiance bars will only be available at these health thresholds and can be broken in order to prevent the skill from being fully channeled. We will be closely monitoring player feedback to determine if the skill should be introduced to castle and tower lords as well.
• New 24, 28, and 32 slot bags can be purchased from outfitters in WvW. These bags have also been added to the Ascended League Vendors in PvP.

Items

• Removed the April Fools' event requirement from the Chatoyant Elixir.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Expedition Cape to not have an upgrade slot.
• The items needed to progress the Astral Ward Arsenal achievement sold by the Heroics Notary vendor no longer require the player to type out the name of the items to safely discard them.

Profession Skills

General

New Changes

• Relic of Fireworks: Fixed an issue that could cause some projectile skills to not trigger this relic.
• Relic of Ice: This relic can now only strike the intended missile targets. Reduced the power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5 in WvW only.

Elementalist

This release includes some updates to arcane skills. Arcane Blast and Arcane Wave have a bit too much overlap with each other, and we wanted to give Arcane Wave a more unique identity by adding a movement component. We've also reworked and renamed the Elemental Surge trait, giving it some more powerful bonuses to individual skills instead of all of them inflicting bonus conditions.

New Changes

• Pistol: Fixed an issue that caused skills to not properly use legendary weapon effects. Elemental bullets are no longer lost when using a conjured weapon or while gliding.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Water Trident: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.25 in PvP and WvW.
• Updraft: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to display a warning area for allies.
• Flame Uprising: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to inflict less burning than intended in PvP and WvW.
• Polaric Leap: Reduced the cooldown from 15 seconds to 12 seconds in PvP and WvW.
• Earthen Vortex: Reduced the cooldown from 18 seconds to 15 seconds in PvP and WvW.
• Rust Frenzy: Players can now move while casting this skill.
• Arcane Brilliance: This skill now grants additional healing when used as a combo finisher.
• Arcane Power: This skill no longer grants bonuses to allies. This skill now grants a flat amount of ferocity for 5 seconds instead of the ferocity bonus being linked to the critical-strike stacks. Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Arcane Wave: This skill now leaps to the targeted area before dealing damage and now dazes enemies that it strikes. Reduced the range from 900 to 600. Reduced the attack radius from 360 to 240. Increased the power coefficient from 0.6 to 1.7 in PvP and WvW. Reduced the ammunition recharge time from 30 seconds to 25 seconds in PvE only.
• Elemental Surge: This trait has been renamed to Arcane Lightning. This trait no longer causes arcane skills to inflict conditions and instead enhances each arcane skill as follows:
  • Arcane Brilliance: Grants protection to the user.
  • Arcane Wave: Immobilizes enemies that it strikes.
  • Arcane Shield: Grants stability to the user when the shield expires.
  • Arcane Power: Grants additional critical-strike stacks to the user.
  • Arcane Blast: Blinds enemies that it strikes.
• One with Air: Increased the superspeed duration from 1.5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP. This trait still grants a reduced superspeed duration in PvP when the Fresh Air trait is equipped.
• Aquamancer's Training: Increased the outgoing healing modifier from 15% to 20%.

Tempest

New Changes

• Tempestuous Aria: Lowered the condition-damage increase from 10% to 5% in PvE only.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• "Wash the Pain Away!": Increased the radius of the first pulse from 180 to 240 and the radius of the second pulse from 240 to 360.
• Lucid Singularity: This trait now applies might instead of alacrity in PvP and WvW.
• Elemental Bastion: Increased the healing coefficient from 0.8 to 1.0 in WvW only.

Weaver

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Bolstered Elements: This trait now causes stances to grant protection instead of barrier.

Engineer

In this update, we've made improvements to power-based holosmith builds in PvE to make them a bit more competitive, alongside some reworks of less-used traits in the inventions specialization and some minor improvements to rifle in PvP.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Glue Shot: Increased the cooldown from 12 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased the power coefficient from 1.5 to 2.5 in PvE only.
• Blunderbuss: Reduced the cooldown from 8 seconds to 6 seconds in PvP only.
• Jump Shot: Reduced the cooldown from 18 seconds to 16 seconds in PvP only.
• Gleam Saber: Reduced the cooldown reduction from 3 seconds to 1 second.
• Refraction Cutter: Reduced the cooldown from 9 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only.
• Radiant Arc: Reduced the cooldown from 14 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only. Increased the power coefficient from 1.8 to 2.5 in PvE only.
• Med Blaster: This skill can now autoattack allies. Increased the angle of the skill.
• Bandage Blast: Increased the missile velocity and the angle of this skill. Fixed an issue that caused missile angles to be incorrect when shooting at allies with full health.
• Infusion Bomb: Fixed an issue that caused the boons from this skill to have a lower duration than intended in PvE.
• Grenade Barrage: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from triggering Relic of Fireworks.
• Automated Medical Response: This trait has been reworked. Grant regeneration to nearby allies when you use your healing skill's toolbelt skill.
• Mecha Legs: This trait has been reworked. Gain resistance on dodging.
• Bunker Down: This trait now triggers when disabling an enemy instead of when critically striking. The mine now spawns at the enemy's location instead of near the player. Reduced the internal cooldown from 4 seconds to 1 second. Increased the mine power coefficient from 0.77 to 0.95. The bandage now cleanses a condition, and its base healing has been increased from 502 to 598.

Holosmith

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Laser Disk: Increased the damage bonus when above 100% heat from 10% to 50% in PvE only.
• Blade Burst: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only.
• Photon Wall: Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 25 seconds in PvE only.
• Launch Wall: Increased the damage increase when above 100% heat from 10% to 50% in PvE only.
• Particle Accelerator: Increased the power coefficient from 0.7 to 1.0 in PvE only, and increased the damage increase when above 100% from 20% to 50% in PvE only.
• Prismatic Converter: This trait now triggers when swapping from Photon Forge to a kit.
• Solar Focusing Lens: This trait now triggers when swapping from Photon Forge to a kit.

Mechanist

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Mechanical Genius: Reduced the recharge penalty for Mech Command skills when far away from the mech from 50% to 20%. 

Guardian

The guardian changes for this update are focused on improving some underutilized skills and traits for both core guardian and willbender.

New Changes

• Symbol of Ignition: Reduced the burning duration from 2 seconds to 1 second in PvE only.
• Through the Heart: Increased the bleeding duration from 6 seconds to 8 seconds in PvE only.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Zealot's Defense: You can now move while using this skill. Adjusted the projectile behavior to interact better with gaps in terrain.
• "Feel My Wrath!": This skill now grants superspeed in addition to its other effects.
• Vigorous Precision: This trait now triggers when dodging instead of when critically striking and no longer has an internal cooldown. Reduced the vigor duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
• Focus Mastery: Protection from this trait will now apply when Shield of Wrath expires instead of when it activates.
• Redemption: Increased the duration of Lesser Litany of Wrath from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
• Glacial Heart: This trait no longer chills and damages enemies that you disable and instead heals the user when disabling, immobilizing, or chilling an enemy.

Willbender

New Changes

• Flash Combo: You now gain access to Repose as long as you complete the skill, even if you do not land all five hits. Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.3 to 0.4 in WvW and PvP.
• Repose: This skill is no longer an attack. This skill now heals and removes conditions from you after shadowstepping back to your original position.
• Heaven's Palm: This skill now evades attacks and finishes your targeted foe if they are downed and no other enemies are nearby. You can now move while using this skill.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Roiling Light: Increased roll distance from 300 to 450. Reduced roll duration from 0.75 seconds to 0.5 seconds. 
• Quick Retribution: Increased range from 300 to 450.
• Deathless Courage: This trait no longer removes aegis from Courage triggers, reduces the duration of courage, or causes enemy deaths to increase the duration of Courage. This trait now grants the guardian strike damage and condition damage reduction while Courage is active.

Mesmer

We made some adjustments to mesmer support builds in WvW in the January update, but it's clear that they're still a bit stronger than we'd like them to be, and we're making additional changes to reduce their effectiveness. We've also made some small improvements to power-based mirage builds in PvE.

New Changes

• Dazzling: Fixed an issue that caused this trait to not affect certain stuns.
• Dimensional Aperture: Fixed an issue that could allow multiple people to take the portal.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Null Field: Reduced the field duration from 5 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only. Reduced the number of pulses from 6 to 3 in WvW only.
• Mantra of Concentration: Increased the cooldown from 15 seconds to 25 seconds in WvW only.
• Power Break: Reduced the stability duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW only.
• Desperate Decoy: This trait has been reworked. Gain vigor when you evade an attack.
• Master Fencer: This trait now gives increased personal fury duration.
• Chaotic Transference: Reduced the shared chaos aura duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only.
• Temporal Enchanter: This trait no longer increases the duration of glamour skills.
• Sympathetic Visage: This trait no longer affects nearby allies and only pulls conditions from the player.

Chronomancer

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Well of Precognition: This skill now grants allies 3 stacks of stability for 5 seconds on its first pulse.

Mirage

New Changes

• Sand through Glass: This skill no longer creates a mirror and now grants Mirage Cloak at the end of the evade.
• Effervescence: Fixed an issue that prevented clones from healing with this skill.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Phantom Razor: Increased the power coefficient from 0.8 to 1.0 in PvE only.
• Split Surge: Increased the power coefficient from 0.45 to 0.85 in PvE only.
• Mirage Thrust: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 3.0 in PvE only.
• Dune Cloak: This trait has been reworked. Gain Mirage Cloak when you shatter 2 or more clones.

Virtuoso

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Sword of Decimation: This skill now applies its bonus damage and inflicts additional defiance damage on defiant foes.
• Infinite Forge: This trait now refunds two blades after casting a Bladesong skill with 5 blades in addition to its previous effect.

Necromancer

Support scourge in WvW also received a hit to power in the January update with the change to Transfusion, but we feel that the build is still overperforming, so we're increasing the cooldown of some of its barrier sources to make them a bit less potent. We've also tuned up power-based harbinger builds in PvE to bring them more in line with other DPS builds.

New Changes

• Satiate: Reduced the health cost from 8% to 5% of base health in WvW and PvP.
• Gorge: Reduced the health cost from 12% to 8% of base health in WvW and PvP.
• Hungering Maelstrom: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to be unaffected by quickness and slowness.
• Gormandize: Reduced the health cost from 8% to 5% of base health in WvW and PvP.
• Consume: Reduced the health cost from 10% to 5% of base health in WvW and PvP.
• Lesser Spinal Shivers: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to deal more damage than intended in PvP.
• Transfusion: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from healing the user when they are a harbinger.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Plague Signet: This skill no longer passively transfers conditions from nearby allies to the user and instead grants reduced incoming condition damage to the user.
• Signets of Suffering: This trait now also causes signet skills to steal life from enemies they strike.
• Well of Power: Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP and WvW.

Scourge

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Serpent Siphon: Increased the cooldown from 20 seconds to 30 seconds in WvW only.
• Sandstorm Shroud: Increased the cooldown from 30 seconds to 35 seconds in WvW only.
• Sand Cascade: Increased the cooldown from 12 seconds to 18 seconds in WvW only.
• Desert Empowerment: This trait now grants vigor instead of alacrity in PvP and WvW.

Harbinger

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Vile Vials: This trait has been reworked. This trait now causes elixir skills to grant protection. This protection can be shared with Twisted Medicine.
• Wicked Corruption: Increased the damage modifier per blight stack from 0.5% to 1% in PvE only. Increased the critical-strike damage modifier from 10% to 12.5% in PvE only.
• Cascading Corruption: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.5 in PvE only.

Ranger

Condition-based druid has been overperforming in PvP, and we've brought down some of its defensive tools with the goal of making it a bit easier to take down. We're keeping an eye on the strength of Evasive Purity, but we want to see how the reductions to Healing Spring and Glyph of the Stars impact the build's susceptibility to conditions before making further adjustments. We've also made a few improvements to the wilderness survival specialization to make it a more appealing defensive option for power-based builds as well as condition-based builds.

New Changes

• Evasive Purity: This trait has been reworked. Cleanse a condition when you dodge. Heal if you cleansed a condition this way.
• Force of Nature: Reduced the outgoing damage bonus from 25% to 10% and reduced the outgoing healing bonus from 25% to 10% in PvE only.
• Flourish: Reduced the initial power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.85 and the delayed power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.275 in PvE only.
• Wild Strikes: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.85 and the final power coefficient from 2.0 to 1.7 in PvE only.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Wild Swing: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.5 in PvE and from 0.8 to 1.1 in WvW and PvP.
• Overbearing Smash: Reduced the casting time of the second hit by 0.2 seconds.
• Unleashed Overbearing Smash: Reduced the casting time of the second hit by 0.2 seconds.
• Savage Shock Wave: Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.2 to 0.45 in WvW and PvP.
• Thump: Increased the radius from 180 to 240.
• Unleashed Thump: Increased the radius from 180 to 240. The first enemy struck by this skill will grant a greater number of boons.
• Healing Spring: Reduced the duration from 10 seconds to 5 seconds and reduced the pulse interval from 2 seconds to 1 second. Reduced the number of conditions cleansed per pulse from 2 to 1 in WvW and PvP.
• Refined Toxins: This trait has been removed and replaced with Survival Instincts. Gain increased outgoing strike damage and reduced incoming strike damage. Increased outgoing strike damage when above 50% health and increased incoming strike reduction when below 50% health.
• Empathic Bond: This trait has moved to the master tier, replacing Shared Anguish. This trait now cleanses conditions when swapping pets instead of when using a Beast skill.
• Carnivore: This trait has been added to the grandmaster tier slot previously held by Empathic Bond. Steal health from enemies when you or your pet disables them.

Druid

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Grace of the Land: This trait now applies might instead of alacrity in WvW and PvP.
• Natural Balance: This trait no longer reduces incoming strike damage. This trait now grants boon duration.
• Glyph of the Stars: Increased the cooldown of this skill from 48 seconds to 60 seconds in WvW and PvP. Reduced the number of conditions cleansed per pulse from 2 to 1 in WvW and PvP. Reduced the revival percentage from 12% to 8% in WvW only.

Untamed

New Changes

• Rampant Growth: This skill now tracks the intended target better.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Unleashed Ambush skills will no longer be automatically used when autoattack is enabled.
• Unnatural Traversal: This skill now grants quickness instead of might. Increased the vulnerability stacks applied from 2 to 10.

Revenant

Our major initiative for revenant in this update is a rework for the legendary renegade stance. While the stance is actively used in PvE modes, it has struggled to exist in a healthy state in competitive modes due to the underlying mechanics. Our goal for this rework is to reduce some of the visual clutter and increase the counterplay of many of these skills, while still maintaining its viability in PvE. Soulcleave's Summit will still have a potentially long duration due to being an upkeep skill, but the other legendary renegade stance skills have all been adjusted to have more immediate impact, granting an immediate effect on summon and having quicker secondary skills instead of long channels. These skills can also quickly combo with a mechanic that we're calling Band Together: using a skill other than Soulcleave's Summit will cause your next renegade stance skill to activate instantly with a bonus effect.

New Changes

• Hammer Bolt: Reduced the casting time by approximately 0.4 seconds. Reduced the power coefficient from 1.35 to 0.9 in PvE and from 0.633 to 0.5 in WvW and PvP.
• Blossoming Aura: Reduced the final power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5 in WvW and PvP.
• Otherworldly Bond: Reduced the initial damage increase from 10% to 5% and the bonus increase from 5% to 2.5% in WvW and PvP.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Energy Expulsion: Lowered the stability duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW only. Increased the cooldown from 2 seconds to 15 seconds in WvW only.
• Serene Rejuvenation: Reduced the Energy Expulsion resistance duration from 4 seconds to 2.5 seconds in WvW only.
• Drop the Hammer: This skill now has a shorter casting time to summon the mist hammer, which still strikes after a delay. This skill now also recharges Coalescence of Ruin if it hits.

Renegade

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Legendary Renegade summons are no longer targetable.
• Soulcleave's Summit: Reduced the casting time from 1 second to 0.5 seconds. Reduced the energy cost from 10 to 5. Reduced the energy upkeep cost from 6 to 5. In addition to its current effects, Lieutenant Ofela Soulcleave will now strike nearby enemies and heal nearby allies whenever another warband member is summoned.
• Breakrazor's Bastion, Darkrazor's Daring, Razorclaw's Rage, and Icerazor's Ire have been reworked. These skills will now grant an initial effect when summoned, then they perform a new skill. Activating these skills also triggers Band Together.
• Band Together: Your next Legendary Renegade skill activates instantly and is enhanced. Activating a Legendary Renegade skill in this way does not trigger Band Together again.
• New skill behavior is as follows:
  • Breakrazor's Bastion: Grants resolution to nearby allies when summoned, then performs a skill that heals nearby allies with three small pulses and one large pulse. The final pulse grants resolution to nearby allies and additionally grants barrier to nearby allies when enhanced.
  • Darkrazor's Daring: Grants protection to nearby allies when summoned, then performs a skill that dazes nearby enemies. This skill also grants resistance to nearby allies when enhanced.
  • Razorclaw's Rage: Enhances nearby allies' attacks with bleeding when summoned, then performs an attack that inflicts bleeding on enemies in the area. This attack also inflicts torment when enhanced.
  • Icerazor's Ire: Inflicts vulnerability on nearby enemies when summoned, then performs an attack that throws three projectiles at nearby enemies, inflicting torment, vulnerability, and immobilize. These projectiles also inflict chilled when this skill is enhanced.

Vindicator

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Imperial Impact: This skill no longer extends boons on allies. Increased the protection duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds in PvE and from 0.5 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW. Increased the might duration from 9 seconds to 10 seconds in PvE and from 5 seconds to 8 seconds in PvP and WvW. Increased the might stacks from 2 to 3 in PvP and WvW.

Thief

Quickness deadeye was significantly overtuned when it was introduced but got brought down a bit too far from that point. This update includes a few tune-ups for the build's damage to hopefully bring it more in line with other options. We've also made usability improvements to some traits in the critical strikes and daredevil specializations along with some minor improvements to acrobatics.

New Changes

• Meld with Shadows: Reduced the superspeed duration from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds when the Silent Scope trait is equipped in PvP only.
• Shadow's Rejuvenation: Reduced the initiative gain on enter from 2 to 1 when the Silent Scope trait is equipped in PvP only.
• Death's Retreat: Increased the initiative cost from 6 to 7 in PvP only.
• Death's Advance: Increased the initiative cost from 4 to 5 in PvP only.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Double Tap: This skill now pierces.
• Three Round Burst: This skill now pierces.
• Tactical Strike: This skill now dazes for 1 second instead of blinding when striking from the front. Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.33.
• Larcenous Strike: Increased the power coefficient from 1.3 to 1.4 in PvP and WvW.
• Shadow Portal: This skill no longer breaks stun.
• Keen Observer: Reduced the health threshold from 75% to 50% in PvE only. This trait now gives base critical chance that is increased above the health threshold.
• Twin Fangs: Reduced the health threshold from 90% to 50% in PvE only. This trait now gives base critical damage that is increased above the health threshold.
• Deadly Aim: This trait no longer reduces damage and now increases damage from pistol and harpoon gun attacks by 10%.
• Vigorous Recovery: This trait has been reworked and renamed to Pumping Up. Gain might when you dodge.
• Upper Hand: This trait now additionally restores initiative when you dodge.

Daredevil

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Havoc Specialist: This trait now gives a flat damage bonus when your endurance is not full instead of scaling with remaining endurance.

Deadeye

New Changes

• Malicious Tactical Strike: This skill now dazes for 1 second instead of blinding when striking from the front. Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.33.
• Malicious Cunning Salvo: This skill can no longer consume malice when recalled.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Stolen Skills: Increased the power coefficient from 0.5 to 1.25 in PvE only.
• Shadow Meld: Reduced the count recharge from 45 seconds to 25 seconds in PvE only.
• One in the Chamber: Increased the damage bonus from 10% to 25% in PvE only.
• Mercy: Increased the ammunition count from 1 to 2 in PvE only.
• Collateral Damage: Increased the damage coefficient from 1.5 to 2.5 in PvE only.

Warrior

In this update, we've tuned up a few of the warrior's lesser-used options in competitive modes. We'll also be keeping an eye on how support builds perform with the introduction of the staff and may rework some underutilized traits in a future update to give them additional tools if necessary.

New Changes

• Inspiring Whirl: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to center its attack around your target.
• Line Breaker: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to grant fewer unblockable stacks than intended.
• Bullet Catcher: Fixed an issue that could cause this skill to be canceled early.
• Path to Victory: Fixed an issue that could cause the level 2 and level 3 versions of this skill to heal for more than intended.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Arcing Slice: Increased the power coefficient from 1.213 to 1.36 in PvP only. The power coefficient when striking a low-health target is unchanged.
• Hundred Blades: Increased the power coefficient per strike from 0.35 to 0.4 in PvP only. Increased the final strike power coefficient from 0.8 to 1.0 in PvP only.
• Rush: This skill now tracks moving targets better.
• Savage Leap: Increased the power coefficient from 1.15 to 1.35 in PvP and WvW. Reduced cooldown from 8 seconds to 7 seconds in PvP and WvW.
• Final Thrust: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.5 in PvP and WvW. The power coefficient when striking a low-health target is unchanged.
• Last Stand: Increased the base barrier from 1,715 to 1,960.

Berserker

New Changes

• Slicing Maelstrom: Increased the power coefficient from 1.25 to 1.5 in PvP only. Reduced the aftercast of this skill by 0.9 seconds.

(March 19 Balance Update Preview)

• Wild Blow: This skill is now unblockable and inflicts dazed instead of knockdown. Increased the power coefficient from 0.01 to 1.7 in PvP and WvW.
• Rupturing Smash: Increased the power coefficient from 1.14 to 1.3 in PvP only.
• Skull Grinder: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.33 in PvP and WvW.

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Game Update Notes: March 19, 2024

03/19/2024—Late Notes

World Polish

Amnytas

• Fixed an issue that allowed players to summon all six guardians before attacking Nourys, the Eyes of the Abyss, and prevented the Defense of Amnytas meta-event from progressing during the final phase.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Weekly Seitung Province Jade Treasury Recovery achievement to be awarded upon completing any event in the map.

Inner Nayos

• Fixed an issue that prevented the defeat of Nereidum, Chosen of Charybda, and Vespera, Scribe of Charybda, from progressing the Envious Reprieve achievement.

General

• As mentioned in the main release notes, players who have previously defeated Cerus in the Temple of Febe Strike Mission's challenge mode before the changes to the encounter or those who defeat him with the legendary challenge mode active will earn a new title, Legendary Conqueror of Cerus, to demonstrate this feat. Players who accomplished this before this release may appear to have lost credit for the Legendary Temple of Febe achievement, but this achievement credit will be restored the first time they enter Lion's Arch, the Temple of Febe Strike Mission, or any Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure open-world map.
• Fixed an issue that prevented certain French player and NPC lines from playing during the Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure story.

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue that could prevent Cerus’s Embodiments from appearing during the Temple of Febe Strike Mission challenge mode.
• Fixed an issue that caused the player population limit in guild halls to be lower than intended.

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue that caused the Candy Corn Gobbler to have different randomization rates and effect durations from its previous version.
• Darkrazor's Daring: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from inflicting bonus defiance damage in PvE.
• Symbol of Ignition: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to inflict more burning than intended in melee range.

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Bug Fixes:

• Vigorous Precision: Removed the unintended internal cooldown.
• Fixed an issue that prevented the Artisan of Arms special objective in the Wizard's Vault from synchronizing with the Artisan of Arms achievement's progress counter. The special objective will now progress as intended when a player defeats an enemy under the conditions required for the Artisan of Arms achievement. Players affected by the synchronization issue may observe that they complete the Artisan of Arms achievement before completing the Wizard's Vault special objective, but they will complete the objective upon defeating the remaining required enemies with their new weapon.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Malicious Shadows from applying the Empowered effect after reaching Cerus in the Temple of Febe Strike Mission.
• Breakrazor's Bastion: Fixed an issue that caused this skill's effects to apply at the player's location rather than the summon's location.
• Fixed a server crash.

[Spectral Spiral.6109]

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue that caused the “Defeat the Champion Avatar of Envy” event in Nyedra Surrounds to start with a 15-second timer.
• Adjusted Knaebelag the Terror's defiance bar to its intended value.
• Coalescence of Ruin: Fixed an issue that could cause this skill's effect to appear underneath the player.
• Thump: Fixed an issue that caused this skill to have a greater range than intended.
• Eternal Oasis: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from converting conditions.
• Icerazor's Ire: Fixed an issue that caused conditions inflicted by this skill to be sourced incorrectly.
• PvE reward container preview text listings no longer display erroneous probability rates.

 

[Spectral Spiral.6109]

Bug Fix:

• Fixed an issue that prevented the following achievements from completing when the player accomplished their objectives:
• Reconquer the Crash Site Climb (Weekly)
• Reconquer the Hidden Depths (Weekly)
• Reconquer the Retrospective Runaround (Weekly)
• Revenge of the Vinewrath (Weekly)

[Spectral Spiral.6109]

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue that could prevent players from completing achievements when the Mouth of Mordremoth was slain in Dragon's Stand.
• Fixed an issue that prevented the Defeat the Claw of Jormag World Boss or Complete Events in Frostgorge Sound objective in the Wizard's Vault from being fully completed by defeating the Claw of Jormag.