LIVING WORLD
The worst has happened: Mordremoth brought down the Pact fleet. Despite high hopes, the assault on the Elder Dragon was a categorical failure. Pact soldiers—the dead, the injured, and the lost—scattered as they fell screaming from the sky. Although they’re trying to reform groups and assist one another, it’s a greater challenge than any they’ve ever faced. During the day, they scramble to establish a foothold both on the jungle floor and in the canopy; at night, they struggle just to survive against attacks by hostile hylek, aggressive beasts, unpredictable sylvari, and the burgeoning Mordrem Guard. Resident allies are few and far between. The jungle has never been a more dangerous place. On top of this, there’s still the mystery surrounding the dragon egg, a beacon of hope for you and your allies, stolen from you by one of your own, the sylvari Caithe. What is her plan? Has she lost her way? And how will you ever secure the egg amid all this calamity in the heart of Mordremoth’s domain?
Halloween: Shadow of the Mad King
Come join us in celebrating Halloween—you can play Mad King Says with old Mad King Thorn, jump to the top of the Mad King’s Clock Tower, battle in the labyrinth, or fight Mad King Thorn himself. You will also see doors appearing and trick-or-treat bags dropping all around Tyria.
Parts of Lion’s Arch and the Heart of Mists have been decorated.
Trick-or-Treat Bags now have a chance to drop all over Tyria.
The Trick-or-Treat Bag tables have been updated.
Maize Balm now only affects 1 target instead of 3.
Maize Balm now only has 1 charge rather than 3.
The Candy Corn vendors found in Lion’s Arch have been updated with new items.
There is a new Shadow of the Mad King meta-event, and there are new daily achievements.
NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Adventures
Adventures are repeatable, single-player challenges with leaderboards. Compete against your friends and guildmates for bragging rights. Check out https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/adventuring-forth/ for more information.
Defiance
The defiance effect has been replaced with the defiance bar. Creatures that previously used the defiance effect will now have the defiance bar. Control-type attacks will now decrease the defiance bar and stun the enemy once the bar is depleted.
Revenant
The revenant is the ninth profession for Guild Wars 2 and is added for all players who own Heart of Thorns™. Revenants are heavily armored masters of the Mists with abilities that allow them to harness and manipulate energy in order to perform immense attacks. They invoke powers from legends of the past to dominate foes and unleash chaos on the field of battle. Revenants utilize a new resource (energy), which is their connection to the currently invoked legend. Energy is used to fuel all of their skills.
Skills
Legendary Assassin Stance Skills:
Enchanted Daggers: Summon enchanted daggers that will attack as you attack, siphoning life from targets hit.
Riposting Shadows: Evade back quickly through the Mists, removing debilitating conditions.
Phase Traversal: Step through the Mists to your target. Your next few attacks can’t be blocked.
Impossible Odds: Empower yourself with Shiro’s speed and quickness to quickly take out enemies.
Relinquish Power: End the Impossible Odds skill.
Jade Winds: Call upon the Jade Wind to turn nearby enemies into jade, stunning them for a short duration.
Legendary Demon Stance Skills:
Empowering Misery: Heal yourself. Heal more for each condition currently applied to you.
Pain Absorption: Grant resistance to yourself and nearby allies. Absorb conditions from those allies, gaining additional resistance per condition.
Banish Enchantment: Deal damage, apply confusion, and remove boons from your foe.
Unyielding Anguish: Leap toward the targeted area, creating a demonic field that torments and chills foes.
Embrace the Darkness: Summon the power of the legendary demon to transform into a powerful avatar. Increase all attributes, and pulse torment to nearby foes.
Resist the Darkness: End Embrace the Darkness early.
Legendary Dwarf Stance Skills:
Soothing Stone: Heal yourself and remove conditions. Gain retaliation for each condition removed.
Inspiring Reinforcement: Create a stone road that damages and weakens foes as it’s created. Once it’s created, it will pulse, granting stability to allies.
Forced Engagement: Launch a chain at your target. When the chain connects with a foe, it slows and taunts them.
Vengeful Hammers: Invoke hammers to circle around you, damaging foes.
Release Hammers: Release the hammers to end Vengeful Hammers.
Rite of the Great Dwarf: Channel the power of the Rite of the Great Dwarf to turn yourself and nearby allies to stone to reduce incoming damage.
Legendary Centaur Stance Skills:
Project Tranquility: Project Ventari’s tablet into the world. The tablet will heal allies near it every few seconds. The tablet will disappear if you move outside the tether distance.
Ventari’s Will: Will the tablet toward the target location. As the tablet moves, it will heal allies it passes through.
Protective Solace: Summon a protective barrier around the tablet that destroys enemy projectiles.
Diminish Solace: Collapse the protective barrier that formed around the tablet.
Natural Harmony: Collect energy, pulling it into the tablet to build up its power. After a short delay, the energy will be released, healing nearby allies.
Purifying Essence: Remove conditions from allies near the tablet, and heal them for a small amount per condition removed.
Energy Expulsion: Force energy to erupt from the tablet, knocking back nearby foes and leaving behind energy fragments that heal allies.
Sword (Main-Hand) Skills:
Preparation Thrust: Stab your foe with your sword, inflicting vulnerability.
Brutal Blade: Slice Foes, damaging them and inflicting vulnerability.
Rift Slash: Slash foes, creating a rift on them that explodes for additional damage after a short delay.
Precision Strike: Strike nearby foes with precision, sending out blades that damage and chill them.
Unrelenting Assault: Shadowstep and unleash fierce attacks on nearby foes. Gain might each time you damage a foe.
Sword (Off-Hand) Skills:
Duelist’s Preparation: Assume a defensive stance, blocking incoming attacks.
Shackling Wave: Slice through the air, sending a wave of energy from the Mists toward your foe.
Grasping Shadow: Stab your foe, connecting them to you. Shadowstep backward and pull them toward you.
Mace (Main-Hand) Skills:
Misery Swipe: Swing your mace at your foe.
Anguish Swipe: Sweep your mace back for a second blow.
Manifest Toxin: Deliver a crushing blow that sends toxic energy chaining to enemies behind each target.
Searing Fissure: Smash your mace into the ground, causing flames to erupt from the Mists.
Echoing Eruption: Leap at your foe and deliver a massive attack that cascades outward. Each attack area is a blast finisher.
Axe (Off-Hand) Skills:
Frigid Blitz: Hurl your axe at your target, damaging and chilling the foes the axe passes through. When the axe reaches your target, shadowstep to it and deliver a large blow.
Temporal Rift: Slice into the Mists, creating an unstable rift. After a short duration, this rift will collapse in on itself, pulling in enemies.
Hammer Skills:
Hammer Bolt: Hurl your weapon at enemies, striking foes in its path.
Coalescence of Ruin: Slam the ground with your hammer, creating a cascading eruption of energy.
Phase Smash: Leap through the Mists to the target area. When you land, damage and chill foes in an area, and then teleport back to your previous location.
Field of the Mists: Create a field from the Mists that blocks incoming projectiles in front of you.
Drop the Hammer: Summon a massive hammer from the Mists to strike the ground.
Staff Skills:
Rapid Swipe: Swipe your staff at your foe.
Forceful Bash: Bash your foe with your staff.
Rejuvenating Assault: Cleave foes around you with your staff, creating healing orbs for you and your allies.
Punishing Sweep: Sweep your staff at your foe. Gain access to Debilitating Slam if your foe is using a skill when struck.
Debilitating Slam: Imbue your staff with mist energy and slam it down, damaging and dazing nearby foes.
Warding Rift: Create a rift from the Mists, warding you from attack. While the rift is open, projectiles will hit nearby foes, blinding them.
Renewing Wave: Send out a wave of mist energy that heals and removes conditions from allies.
Surge of the Mists: Charge forward, knocking back enemies that cross your path.
Harpoon Skills:
Spear of Anguish: Throw a mist spear toward your foe. Inflict increasing durations of torment the farther away your foe is from you.
Rapid Assault: Rapidly strike foes in front of you, inflicting vulnerability.
Venomous Sphere: Launch a sphere outward from the Mists. The sphere will attack nearby foes as it travels, poisoning them.
Frigid Discharge: Detonate the sphere to cause it to explode, damaging and chilling foes.
Igniting Brand: Throw your spear at your foe. Upon impact, damage your foe and connect to them through the Mists. While the connection is active, it will apply burning.
Devour Brand: Step through the Mists toward the branded foe, dealing damage in an area to nearby foes.
Rift Containment: Create two rifts, one above and one below your target. After a short delay, these rifts will create a barrier from the Mists, preventing foes from crossing.
Specializations
Devastation
Minor:
Mutilate Defenses: Striking a foe gives you a chance to apply vulnerability.
Targeted Destruction: Deal increased damage to targets with vulnerability.
Focused Siphoning: When you strike foes that have vulnerability, siphon life from them.
Adept Tier:
Ferocious Strikes: Gain increased ferocity while dual-wielding weapons.
Vicious Lacerations: When you attack while wielding a sword, gain a stack of vicious laceration. This can be stacked up to five times.
Malicious Reprisal: When one of your attacks is blocked, your next attacks will be unblockable.
Master Tier:
Jade Echo: Use Jade Winds when you are downed. Deal increased damage while downed.
Jade Winds: Call upon the Jade Wind to turn nearby enemies into jade, stunning them for a short duration.
Nefarious Momentum: Gain might when using assassin stance skills.
Assassin’s Presence: Increase the ferocity of nearby allies.
Grandmaster Tier:
Swift Termination: Increased damage to targets below the health threshold.
Dismantle Fortifications: Skills that disable foes (stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, fear, launch, or taunt) remove an additional stack of stability.
Assassin’s Annihilation: Siphon life from foes when hitting a foe from behind or the side.
Corruption
Minor:
Rampant Vex: Critical hits have a chance to cause torment.
Opportune Extraction: Striking a foe gives you a chance to remove a boon from that foe.
Yearning Empowerment: Torment lasts longer.
Adept Tier:
Replenishing Despair: Incoming conditions provide you a small amount of healing.
Demonic Defiance: Using a Legendary Demon Stance skill grants resistance for a short duration.
Venom Enhancement: When you apply torment, also apply poison. Poison lasts longer.
Master Tier:
Bolstered Anguish: Increased damage for every condition currently on you.
Frigid Precision: Chance to chill your foe when you land a critical hit.
Spontaneous Destruction: Use Banish Enchantment when striking a foe that has boons equal to or greater than the threshold.
Banish Enchantment: Deal damage, apply confusion, and remove boons from your foe.
Grandmaster Tier:
Diabolic Inferno: Burn nearby foes when using an elite skill.
Maniacal Persistence: Increase your critical-hit chance every few seconds. This bonus is reset when you land a critical hit.
Pulsating Pestilence: Chance when struck to copy all conditions currently on you to nearby foes for a few seconds.
Retribution
Minor:
Enduring Recovery: Chance when struck to gain endurance.
Unwavering Avoidance: Gain stability after you dodge.
Determined Resolution: Take reduced damage below the health threshold.
Adept Tier:
Planar Protection: Create a field of the Mists when you take damage from falling. Take less damage from falling.
Dome of the Mists: Create an area that blocks projectiles and weakens foes.
Close Quarters: Foes that strike you from farther away than the range threshold deal less damage.
Improved Aggression: Taunted foes deal less damage to you. Taunt has an increased duration when applied to nonplayer characters.
Master Tier:
Eye for an Eye: When disabled by a foe with stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, taunt, float, fear, launch, or sink, taunt that foe for a short duration and gain protection.
Retaliatory Evasion: Gain retaliation after you dodge.
Dwarven Battle Training: Chance on hit to apply weakness to your foe. Incoming weakness applied to you has decreased effectiveness.
Grandmaster Tier:
Empowering Vengeance: Gain might when struck while under the effects of retaliation.
Versed in Stone: Chance when struck to use Rite of the Great Dwarf. Rite of the Great Dwarf also reduces incoming condition damage.
Rite of the Great Dwarf: Channel the power of the Rite of the Great Dwarf to turn yourself and nearby allies to stone to reduce incoming damage.
Steadfast Rejuvenation: Chance when struck to heal yourself.
Salvation
Minor:
Disarming Riposte: Striking a foe while they are using a skill blinds them.
Hardened Foundation: Gain toughness based on a percentage of your healing power.
Serene Rejuvenation: Increase healing to allies.
Adept Tier:
Nourishing Roots: Grant regeneration to allies near Ventari’s tablet.
Blinding Truths: Blind nearby foes when you use a healing skill.
Tranquil Balance: While above the health threshold, healing to allies is increased.
Master Tier:
Tranquil Benediction: The healing orbs that you create while wielding a staff will now grant swiftness and regeneration when picked up by allies.
Eluding Nullification: Dodge rolling removes a condition from nearby allies.
Invoking Harmony: Healing done to allies is increased for a short duration after invoking a legend.
Grandmaster Tier:
Selfless Amplification: Increase outgoing healing, based on a percentage of healing power.
Natural Abundance: Create energy fragments around Ventari’s tablet when using a Legendary Centaur Stance skill.
Momentary Pacification: Daze nearby foes when using an elite skill.
Invocation
Minor:
Invoker’s Rage: Gain fury when you invoke a legend.
Ferocious Aggression: Deal increased damage to targets while you have fury.
Empty Vessel: Invoking a legend will now break stuns.
Adept Tier:
Cruel Repercussion: When one of your attacks is negated, your next attack will deal bonus damage.
Cleansing Channel: Invoking a legend removes a condition.
Fierce Infusion: Using a healing skill grants you fury.
Master Tier:
Equilibrium: Invoking a legend triggers a burst from the Mists that heals allies if your energy is below the threshold or damages foes if your energy is above the threshold.
Invigorating Flow: Heal yourself when you use a skill that has an energy cost.
Incensed Response: Gain fury when you break out of a stun.
Grandmaster Tier:
Roiling Mists: Critical-hit chance has increased effectiveness when you are under the effect of fury.
Charged Mists: Gain might when you use a skill that drops your energy below the threshold.
Shrouding Mists: While your energy is above the threshold, your outgoing healing is increased. While your energy is below the threshold, incoming damage to you is reduced.
Elite Specializations
Elite specializations are a new way to advance your profession if you own Heart of Thorns. They allow you to specialize your profession to gain access to a new weapon, new skills, and new traits that you didn’t have before, opening up new playstyles and build options. Each elite specialization also provides a unique profession bonus, such as a new profession mechanic skill, a new way to use your current profession mechanic, and generally new ways to interact with the world.
Elite specializations can only be slotted into the bottom specialization slot for professions. Only one elite specialization can be selected at a time.
Elite specializations cost hero points to unlock, similar to other specializations. These hero points are spent in the profession reward tracks to incrementally gain access to the pieces of the elite specialization.
Fully unlocking an elite specialization costs 400 hero points.
Hero challenges in the jungle region reward 10 hero points for each challenge instead of 1.
When selecting an elite specialization, your profession icon will change to represent the choice to other players in the world.
Heart of Thorns introduces one new elite specialization for every profession.
Berserker
With Heart of Thorns, warriors can now become berserkers capable of channeling their adrenaline to enter a berserk mode. While enraged, they gain access to new primal burst skills, replacing standard burst skills with new enhanced abilities. Further complementing the berserker’s new mode are rage skills, which offer new ways to gain adrenaline, ensuring that flying into a frenzy is never far away.
Torch (Off-Hand) Skills:
Blaze Breaker: Smash your torch into the ground, creating a deadly shock wave that conditions foes.
Flames of War: Cleanse conditions and become a mobile fire field that burns nearby foes. When the field expires, it explodes, damaging foes and burning them again.
Rage Skills:
Blood Reckoning: Heal yourself and gain increased critical-hit chance. Critical hits heal for a percent of their damage and grant bonus adrenaline.
Wild Blow: Lash out with a critical attack that launches your target. Your target flies backward with such force that they knock back other foes in the way. Gain bonus adrenaline if this move hits.
Shattering Blow: Summon a rock in front of you, and then shatter it to gain adrenaline and send rock fragments at all foes in front of you, inflicting bleeding. The shock wave produced by this attack reflects projectiles.
Sundering Leap: Leap to a location and gain adrenaline. When you land, deal damage and inflict conditions on all foes in the area.
Outrage: Break out of stun and gain adrenaline for each foe near you.
Head Butt: Stun your target. Stun yourself. Gain adrenaline if you hit.
Primal Burst Skills:
Decapitate (Axe): Leap at your foe with a powerful attack. Foes behind your target also take damage.
Arc Divider (Greatsword): Deliver a circular attack to foes around you, creating a violent shock wave that damages foes. Deal more damage to foes with low health.
Rupturing Smash (Hammer): Jump to the targeted location and slam your hammer down, creating a deadly chain of earthen shock waves that immobilize foes.
Burning Shackles (Harpoon Gun): Fire a fast, forceful shot that immobilizes and burns foes.
Scorched Earth (Longbow): Fire a burning shot into the ground that creates a trail of flaming destruction.
Skull Grinder (Mace): Unleash a powerful skull strike that dazes your target and inflicts multiple conditions.
Gun Flame (Rifle): Fire a fast, flaming shot that explodes on the first foe it hits, interrupting foes in the area.
Wild Whirl (Spear): Strike all foes around you, burning and pulling them in.
Flaming Flurry (Sword): Lash out with a flurry of strikes that destroys projectiles and shoots fireballs at foes in front of you.
Berserker Traits:
Minor:
Primal Rage: Gain access to berserk mode and primal bursts.
Always Angry: Your first strike when entering combat generates extra adrenaline. Always Angry refreshes whenever berserk mode ends.
Fatal Frenzy: Gain boons when activating berserk mode.
Adept Tier:
Smash Brawler: Reduces recharge on primal burst skills and berserk mode.
Last Blaze: When you use a rage skill, set nearby foes on fire.
Savage Instinct: Activating berserk mode breaks stuns and removes conditions.
Master Tier:
Blood Reaction: A percentage of precision is given as a bonus to ferocity. This bonus is doubled in berserk mode.
Heat the Soul: Reduces recharge on torch skills. Gain condition damage while wielding a torch.
Dead or Alive: Taking fatal damage while in berserk mode ends berserk but heals you.
Grandmaster Tier:
Bloody Roar: Taunt and bleed enemies when you activate berserk mode. Gain fury for each foe you taunt.
King of Fires: Increases the duration of burning you apply. Critical hits against burning foes spread burning to nearby foes.
Eternal Champion: Gain stability while in berserk mode. Gain stability when you break out of stun.
Chronomancer
Those who choose the path of the chronomancer gain new abilities that allow them to rend both space and time. Being able to use both a shield and new wells, their skill set focuses on past versus future and fast versus slow as key themes. Chronomancers also gain access to Continuum Split/Shift, as well as the new alacrity effect that speeds up skill recharges rather than slowing them down.
Shield (Off-Hand) Skills:
Echo of Memory: Block incoming attacks for a short duration. If this skill fully channels, summon a phantasm that slows enemies and grants alacrity to allies. If an attack is blocked, Deja Vu is usable for a short time.
Deja Vu: Block incoming attacks for a short duration. If the skill fully channels, summon a phantasm that slows enemies and grants alacrity to allies.
Tides of Time: Launch a wave of temporal energy that damages, stops enemies it passes through, and applies effects to allies. The wave then returns to you. Touching the returning wave reduces the recharge of this skill.
Well Skills:
Well of Eternity: Create a well that rewinds time, removing conditions from allies. When it expires, the well heals all allies in the area.
Well of Precognition: Creates a well that gives allies the ability to see the future and evade all incoming attacks. When the well ends, allies within the well regain endurance.
Well of Calamity: Create a well that rends time, damaging, weakening, and crippling foes in the area. When the final pulse of Well of Calamity triggers, it deals massive damage to foes in the area.
Well of Recall: Creates a well that steals memories from foes, damaging and chilling them. When it expires, it restores memories to allies, speeding their skill recharge.
Well of Action: Create a well of delayed time, damaging and slowing foes. When the well expires, time snaps back, granting quickness to allies.
Gravity Well: Create a powerful well that warps space in an area, knocking down, floating, and pulling foes caught in its event horizon. When it expires, foes still inside the well take heavy damage.
Continuum Split/Shift:
Continuum Split: Destroy all illusions and create a rift in the space-time continuum. When it expires, you will revert back to this point with your previous health, endurance, and skill recharges. Duration increases per illusion shattered.
Continuum Shift: Revert back to the previous timeline. Your health, endurance, and cooldowns are reverted to their previous states. You are transported back prematurely if the rift is destroyed.
Chronomancer Traits:
Minor:
Time Splitter: Gain access to Continuum Split/Shift, which allows you to revert to an earlier point in time.
Flow of Time: Gain alacrity for each illusion you shatter.
Time Marches On: Move 25% faster. The duration of incoming movement-impairing conditions is reduced by 25%.
Adept Tier:
Delayed Reactions: Interrupting a foe slows them.
Time Catches Up: Activating a shatter gives your illusions superspeed.
All’s Well That Ends Well: Wells grant alacrity to allies when they end.
Master Tier:
Danger Time: Gain additional critical-hit chance against slowed enemies.
Illusionary Reversion: Shattering at least two illusions generates a clone.
Improved Alacrity: Alacrity applied to you lasts longer.
Grandmaster Tier:
Lost Time: Gain a charge each time you score a critical hit. After enough charges, your next hit will slow your target.
Seize the Moment: Gain quickness for each illusion you shatter.
Chronophantasma: Your phantasms are resummoned after the first time they are shattered.
Daredevil
Training in the path of the daredevil does not come easily, but those who dare are rewarded with the reserves that will help them endure as they enter the jungle. Specializing as a daredevil will allow you to wield a staff as a melee weapon and utilize hand-to-hand combat styles with the physical skill category. Additionally, you’ll gain access to a third endurance bar and be able to greatly modify the effects of your dodge ability.
Staff Skills:
Hook Strike (Stealth Attack): Attack your foes with stealth, knocking enemies down.
Staff Strike: Strike your enemies with your staff.
Staff Bash: Swing your staff a second time, striking multiple enemies.
Punishing Strikes: Whirl your staff around, striking nearby enemies and reflecting missiles.
Weakening Charge: Deliver multiple strikes, weakening foes.
Debilitating Arc: Strike enemies in front of you and roll backward, breaking immobilizing effects.
Dust Strike: Sweep the ground, blinding enemies in front of you.
Vault: Leap toward your destination, damaging foes upon impact.
Physical Skills:
Channeled Vigor: Channel your energy to gain endurance and health per pulse. Heal for more if your endurance is full.
Fist Flurry: Strike your enemy multiple times. If all attacks hit, gain access to Palm Strike.
Palm Strike: Strike your foe once to deal massive damage and stun them, marking your target with a Pulmonary Impact.
Bandit’s Defense: Briefly block incoming attacks. If you block an attack in melee range, retaliate and knock enemies down.
Impairing Daggers: Fling multiple daggers at a single enemy, inflicting conditions.
Distracting Daggers: Equip daggers that can be thrown to interrupt enemies and increase the cooldown of abilities interrupted.
Distracting Dagger (Throw): Fire a dazing dagger at your enemy. If this ability interrupts a skill, that skill’s recharge is increased.
Impact Strike (Combo): Strike your enemy and stun them.
Uppercut: Deal a heavy blow with your fist, sending enemies flying.
Finishing Blow: Deal a downward strike on your foe. Downed enemies struck with this ability are finished.
Dodge Skills:
Impaling Lotus: Evade attacks and hurl damaging daggers, dealing multiple conditions to enemies.
Dash: Remove conditions and gain swiftness, and then rush forward and evade attacks.
Bound: Leap into an area, and deliver a massive blow to enemies.
Daredevil Traits:
Minor:
Physical Supremacy: Gain access to the physical skill category. Your maximum endurance threshold is increased.
Driven Fortitude: Gain health when you successfully evade an attack.
Endurance Thief: Gain endurance when you successfully steal from an enemy.
Adept Tier:
Havoc Mastery: Deal increased damage to enemies within the range threshold.
Weakening Strikes: Inflict weakness on enemies you critically hit.
Brawler’s Tenacity: Gain endurance when you first activate a physical skill. Physical skills have reduced cooldown.
Master Tier:
Staff Master: While wielding a staff, gain endurance for each initiative point spent. Deal bonus damage when your endurance is not full while wielding a staff.
Escapist’s Absolution: Remove a condition whenever you evade an attack.
Impacting Disruption: Enemies that you interrupt suffer a Pulmonary Impact.
Grandmaster Tier:
Lotus Training: Your dodge ability now uses Impaling Lotus, firing daggers at nearby enemies. Gain increased condition damage for a period of time after dodging.
Impaling Lotus: Evade attacks and hurl damaging daggers, dealing multiple conditions to enemies.
Unhindered Combatant: Your dodge ability is replaced by a long-range dash that removes inhibiting conditions and grants swiftness when you dodge. Damage against you is reduced for a time after you dodge.
Dash: Remove conditions and gain swiftness, and then rush forward and evade attacks.
Bounding Dodger: Your dodge ability is replaced by Bound, dealing damage to the area after you evade. Physical damage is increased for a period of time after you dodge.
Bound: Leap into an area, and deliver a massive blow to enemies.
Dragonhunter
As dragons continue stirring in the land of Tyria, guardians have been honing their light into a physical nature sharp and deadly enough to pierce scales. The dragonhunter specialization will look to viciously purge the lands of dragons and their ilk, with longbow and traps now at hand. As their prowess with light has increased, they are able to physically manifest their virtues into the world.
Longbow Skills:
Puncture Shot: Fire an arrow that can bounce to enemies behind your target. If an arrow hits a second target, all enemies struck are crippled.
True Shot: Charge up energy, creating a powerful attack that pierces through enemies.
Deflecting Shot: Fire a missile that blinds enemies and destroys projectiles. Destroying a projectile increases damage dealt.
Symbol of Energy: Symbol. Fire a slow, arcing arrow that explodes on impact to burn targets and sear a symbol of energy into the ground.
Hunter’s Ward: Form your arrows into a barrier, and deal damage at the location.
Trap Skills:
Purification: Heal yourself and imbue your light into a trap. Enemies that trigger this trap are damaged and blinded as the light returns to you for a second heal.
Test of Faith: Lay a trap that creates a ring of weapons that punishes enemies that attempt to cross their threshold.
Fragments of Faith: Lay a trap that deals damage and unleashes multiple fragments into the area when triggered. Each fragment grants aegis to allies who do not already have aegis.
Procession of Blades: Set a trap that whirls around and damages enemies when activated.
Light’s Judgment: Lay down a trap that creates an area of pure light that reveals enemies and pierces their armor.
Dragon’s Maw: Lay a trap that pulls enemies and creates a barrier that holds them in.
Virtue Skills:
Spear of Justice:
Passive: Burn foes every few attacks.
Active: Hurl a spear of light that passes through foes. Enemies struck become tethered and receive burning periodically.
Hunter’s Verdict: Pull all enemies tethered by the Spear of Justice to you, breaking the link. This ability’s recharge is separate from that of Spear of Justice.
Wings of Resolve:
Passive: Regenerates health.
Active: Leap to a target area, healing allies in the area.
Shield of Courage:
Passive: Grants aegis periodically.
Active: Create a shield in front of you that blocks projectiles for you and your allies. Grant aegis to nearby allies.
Dragonhunter Traits:
Minor:
Virtuous Action: The guardian’s resolve has further increased, allowing virtues to be manifested as physical aspects.
Defender’s Dogma: Blocking an attack causes justice to reach its maximum charge.
Pure of Sight: Deal bonus damage to enemies beyond the range threshold.
Adept Tier:
Piercing Light: Traps daze enemies when activating and have reduced recharge times.
Dulled Senses: Enemies you knock back are crippled. Enemies you cripple are also inflicted with vulnerability.
Soaring Devastation: Wings of Resolve delivers an attack upon landing.
Master Tier:
Hunter’s Determination: Gain aegis and drop a Fragments of Faith trap at your location when you are inflicted with stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, taunt, float, fear, launch, or sink.
Zealot’s Aggression: Deal extra damage to crippled enemies. Justice’s passive effect cripples enemies.
Bulwark: Shield of Courage is larger and lasts longer.
Grandmaster Tier:
Hunter’s Fortification: Remove conditions when blocking attacks. Receive less damage when you have no conditions on you.
Heavy Light: Longbow arrows knock back when enemies are within the range threshold. Gain stability when you knock an enemy back.
Big Game Hunter: Striking an enemy tethered by your Spear of Justice causes vulnerability and increases damage dealt.
Druid
Rangers entering the ancient Maguuma Jungle may attune to the long-dormant forces of Tyria to become druids capable of channeling the might of the heavens, mending allies and daunting enemies. By gaining access to the staff weapon and glyphs, these masters of support bolster their allies with mystical insight into the natural world. Their new profession mechanic allows them to accumulate astral force to become a celestial avatar, a paragon of reactive recovery and strong sustainability in a dangerous world.
Staff Skills:
Solar Beam: Fire a concentrated beam of light, damaging the targeted foe and healing allies inside of the beam.
Astral Wisp: Send a wisp to attach to your foe. While attached, it will circle the foe, healing allies it passes through.
Ancestral Grace: Become a wisp of natural energy, traversing to the target location. When you reach the target, heal nearby allies.
Vine Surge: Send forth vines that immobilize enemies and cleanse conditions from allies.
Sublime Conversion: Summon an energy barrier that causes enemy projectiles to heal upon impact.
Glyph Skills:
Glyph of Rejuvenation: Heal yourself and nearby allies.
Glyph of Alignment: Damage and impair foes, or heal and remove conditions from allies.
Glyph of Equality: Daze foes or break stun for allies.
Glyph of Empowerment: Empower the outgoing damage or healing of your allies.
Glyph of the Tides: Draw your enemies in or knock them away.
Glyph of Unity: Use nature energy to connect to foes or allies.
Celestial Avatar Skills:
Cosmic Ray: Call down energy onto the targeted area to heal allies.
Seed of Life: Summon a seed that heals and cleanses nearby allies of conditions when it blossoms.
Lunar Impact: Call down a massive lunar beam to heal allies and daze foes.
Rejuvenating Tides: Gather tidal force to rapidly heal nearby allies.
Natural Convergence: Channel your celestial powers, pulsing cripple and slow. Once the channel ends, any foes still within its radius will be trapped by a black hole, immobilizing them.
Druid Traits:
Minor:
Celestial Being: Gain access to glyphs. You can become a celestial avatar once you gain enough astral force. Generate astral force by healing allies and damaging foes.
Live Vicariously: When you heal an ally, you are also healed.
Natural Mender: Increase outgoing healing whenever you heal another ally.
Adept Tier:
Druidic Clarity: Becoming a celestial avatar removes conditions from you.
Cultivated Synergy: Using a heal skill heals allies around you and your pet.
Primal Echoes: Reduces recharge of staff skills. Daze nearby foes when you swap to staff.
Master Tier:
Celestial Shadow: Grant superspeed and stealth to nearby allies when leaving celestial avatar form.
Verdant Etching: Reduces recharge of glyphs. Activating a glyph skill plants a seed.
Natural Stride: Reduces duration of movement-impairing conditions. Your movement speed is increased as long as you have none of these conditions.
Grandmaster Tier:
Grace of the Land: Allies you heal with celestial avatar abilities gain increased damage.
Lingering Light: Healing an ally causes their next attack to heal them and blind their target.
Ancient Seeds: Striking a stunned, dazed, knocked down, or launched foe summons roots to entangle them.
Herald
The herald brings access to the legendary dragon Glint into the revenant profession. Equipping the herald elite specialization will allow the revenant to equip the shield weapon and Legendary Dragon Stance skills. Legendary Dragon Stance skills utilize the energy upkeep mechanic for revenant, such that all of them have an upkeep part of the skill that provides benefits to allies in an area. All Legendary Dragon Stance skills also have an active part that utilizes facets of the dragon to perform devastating attacks.
Shield (Off-Hand) Skills:
Envoy of Exuberance: Send the energy of Glint toward the target area, granting protection to allies before releasing a burst of energy that heals allies and granting protection again when it returns to you.
Crystal Hibernation: Channel a shield from the Mists to protect you, blocking attacks and regenerating health.
Legendary Dragon Stance Skills:
Facet of Light: Place the facet of light on yourself to grant nearby allies regeneration every few seconds.
Infuse Light: Consume Facet of Light to heal yourself and invert all incoming strikes into healing for a short duration.
Facet of Darkness: Place the facet of darkness on yourself to grant nearby allies fury every few seconds.
Gaze of Darkness: Consume Facet of Darkness to reveal the area around you, pulling foes out of stealth and blinding them.
Facet of Elements: Place the facet of elements on yourself to grant nearby allies swiftness every few seconds.
Elemental Blast: Consume Facet of Elementals to cover the target area in magical dragon breath.
Facet of Strength: Place the facet of strength on yourself to grant nearby allies might every few seconds.
Burst of Strength: Consume Facet of Strength, damaging nearby foes and causing vulnerability. Facet of strength will be disabled while this skill is recharging.
Facet of Chaos: Place the facet of chaos on yourself to grant nearby allies protection every few seconds.
Chaotic Release: Consume Facet of Chaos, releasing chaotic winds damaging and knocking back foes while granting superspeed to allies. Facet of Chaos will be disabled while this skill is recharging.
Facet of Nature:
Facet of Nature: Place the facet of nature on yourself to grant nearby allies naturalistic resonance every few seconds to increase outgoing boon duration.
One with Nature: Consume Facet of Nature to unify with the other facets, gaining the boons they apply. Facet of Nature will be disabled while this skill is recharging.
Herald Traits:
Minor:
Crystal Harbinger: You can now use Legendary Dragon Stance skills and gain access to Facet of Nature.
Vigorous Persistence: Gain increased endurance regeneration while you have an active upkeep skill.
Envoy of Sustenance: Increased boon duration.
Adept Tier:
Swift Gale: Gain superspeed when you successfully break a stun.
Radiant Revival: Place infused light on an ally while you revive them.
Hardening Persistence: Gain toughness for each point of upkeep you are currently using.
Master Tier:
Bolster Fortifications: Grant protection to nearby allies when using a healing skill.
Shared Empowerment: When you apply a boon to an ally, also apply might to nearby allies.
Harmonize Continuity: When you successfully stun break, you also stun break nearby allies.
Grandmaster Tier:
Elder’s Force: Increased damage per boon on you.
Soothing Bastion: Activate Crystal Hibernation when struck while below the health threshold. Using a shield skill increases boon duration.
Crystal Hibernation: Channel a shield from the Mists to protect you, blocking attacks and regenerating health.
Enhanced Bulwark: When stability is applied to you, gain an extra stack.
Reaper
An inexorable force on the battlefield, the reaper empowers itself enough to wield a cleaving greatsword to harvest its foes. Slow and hard-hitting, these deadly combatants call out the impending doom of their enemies with piercing shouts. Upon accumulating sufficient life force, they can enter the reaper’s shroud, a deadly form that grants them a dark scythe of malevolent energy and the abilities to match it. Capable of heavily afflicting their victims with chill and other conditions, the reaper wades into melee receiving and dealing blows knowing nothing can save its foes!
Greatsword Skills:
Dusk Strike: Cleave foes in front of you.
Fading Twilight: Cleave foes in front of you again.
Chilling Scythe: Strike foes, and chill them.
Gravedigger: Perform a huge swing that deals heavy damage. Recharges faster if it hits a downed or low-health foe.
Death Spiral: Conjure a drill of dark energy on your blade, and rend the armor of foes in front of you.
Nightfall: Call down a growing column of shadows that damages and conditions foes with every pulse.
Grasping Darkness: Conjure claws of darkness from the shadows to attack foes, applying a condition to them and pulling them to you. Gain life force for each struck foe.
Shout Skills:
“Your Soul Is Mine!”: Heal yourself, gain life force, and strike foes around you, absorbing additional life force from each foe struck.
“You Are All Weaklings!”: Damage foes around you, and gain boons. Inflict conditions on struck foes, and gain boons per foe struck.
“Suffer!”: Damage foes around you, and chill them. Transfer conditions to each foe you strike.
“Nothing Can Save You!”: Damage foes around you, converting their boons into vulnerability. Your attacks become unblockable for a short time. The duration increases based on the number of foes struck.
“Rise!”: Damage foes around you. Summon a shambling horror plus additional horrors near each enemy struck. Shambling horrors absorb damage for their master as long as they are attacking, but they lose health over time.
“Chilled to the Bone!”: Freeze all enemies around you, inflicting conditions on them. Gain boons for each foe you freeze.
Reaper Shroud:
Life Rend: Cleave foes in front of you. This skill inherits traits from life blast.
Life Slash: Cleave foes in front of you again. This skill inherits traits from life blast.
Life Reap: Cleave foes around you, gaining life force for each foe struck. This skill inherits traits from life blast.
Death’s Charge: Slide forward, destroying projectiles in your path. Blind foes at your destination. This skill inherits traits from dark path.
Infusing Terror: Shroud yourself with dark armor that grants stability every second. You may shatter this armor to inflict fear on foes around you.
Soul Spiral: Spin and damage nearby foes, applying a condition each strike. This skill inherits traits from life transfer.
Executioner’s Scythe: Deliver a powerful overhand strike to stun a single target. Deals more damage the lower health the target is. Leaves behind a field of ice.
Reaper Traits:
Minor:
Shroud Knight: Death shroud is replaced with reaper’s shroud, which has more melee-oriented skills.
Shivers of Dread: Whenever you inflict fear, you also chill.
Cold Shoulder: Chill lasts longer, and chilled foes deal less damage to you.
Adept Tier:
Augury of Death: Reduces recharge of shouts. Your shouts siphon health and gain additional recharge reduction for each foe they hit.
Chilling Nova: Critical hits against chilled foes cause an explosion that chills adjacent foes.
Relentless Pursuit: Reduces duration of movement-impairing conditions. Additional reduction while in reaper’s shroud.
Master Tier:
Soul Eater: Reduces recharge on greatsword skills. Gravedigger steals health if it hits.
Chilling Victory: Striking a chilled foe grants might and life force. Single attacks can activate this trait more than once before recharging.
Decimate Defenses: Striking a foe with vulnerability increases your critical-hit chance.
Grandmaster Tier:
Blighter’s Boon: Gain life force when you gain a boon. If you are in reaper’s shroud, gain health instead.
Deathly Chill: Chill deals damage, with additional damage to foes below the health threshold.
Reaper’s Onslaught: Attack faster while in reaper’s shroud. Killing a foe while in shroud reduces recharge of all shroud skills.
Scrapper
With Mordremoth’s awakening, engineers that discover the wreckage of the Pact fleet can choose to learn the ways of the resourceful scrappers. These masters of improvisation gain access to the mighty hammer while crafting utilitarian gyros to accomplish all manner of arduous tasks. A pinnacle of their craft is the function gyro, capable of restoring health to waning allies and dealing the coup de grâce to lingering foes. They bring a bruising style of lockdown and negation melee to the engineer.
Hammer Skills:
Positive Strike: Smack your hammer into your foe while empowering yourself.
Negative Bash: Slam your hammer into your foe to leave them vulnerable.
Equalizing Blow: Bring down your hammer on your foe.
Electro-whirl: Spin around, reflecting missiles and hitting enemies.
Rocket Charge: Dash forward with a rocket-charged hammer to damage enemies.
Shock Shield: Magnetize your hammer, blocking attacks while striking foes in front of you.
Thunderclap: Ionize an area, bringing down the power of lightning to stun foes and damage them over its duration.
Gyro Skills:
Medic Gyro: Deploy a medic gyro to heal nearby allies.
Bulwark Gyro: Deploy a bulwark gyro to apply Watchful Eye to nearby allies.
Purge Gyro: Deploy a purge gyro to remove conditions from you and your nearby allies.
Shredder Gyro: Deploy a shredder gyro to whirl at a target location, striking foes and using combo fields.
Blast Gyro Tag: Hurl a tracking dart for your blast gyro to seek out and detonate at.
Sneak Gyro: Deploy a sneak gyro to provide stealth to nearby allies.
Function Gyro:
Capable of finishing foes and reviving allies for you, this handy little invention allows the scrapper to fully engage its enemies.
Scrapper Traits:
Minor:
Function Gyro: You gain access to the function gyro, which can finish a foe or revive an ally for you at range.
Decisive Renown: When you successfully revive an ally or finish an enemy, you grant boons to nearby allies.
Impact Savant: The duration of your outgoing stuns is increased, and the duration of stuns applied to you is decreased.
Adept Tier:
Shocking Speed: Using a leap finisher or blast finisher in a lightning field applies superspeed around you.
Stabilization Core: When a function gyro is activated, you and the function gyro gain stability.
Recovery Matrix: Using your heal skill temporarily reduces damage you receive.
Master Tier:
Rapid Regeneration: Rapidly regenerate health while affected by swiftness or superspeed.
Expert Examination: Stunning or dazing a foe applies vulnerability and weakness to them.
Mass Momentum: Gain power based on your toughness. Gain might while you have stability.
Grandmaster Tier:
Adaptive Armor: Gain stacking toughness when struck. Reduce incoming condition damage.
Final Salvo: Gyros grant superspeed and create a lightning field when destroyed.
Perfectly Weighted: Hammer skills deal increased damage. Evading an attack grants stability.
Tempest
Wielding an off-hand warhorn and utilizing shouts, tempests blast out elemental power to support allies at close range and deal constant damage to enemies. Tempests will be able to overload their attunements at the penalty of recharge in order to deliver high-pressure sustained damage, control, and healing to nearby areas.
Warhorn (Off-Hand) Skills:
Fire:
Heat Sync: Give stacks of might to yourself, then spread boons you have to allies.
Wildfire: Release a fiery torrent that burns enemies that stand in its field.
Water:
Tidal Surge: Send out a tidal wave that regenerates and heals allies, then knocking enemies back.
Water Globe: Blast out a watery orb that heals allies as it travels.
Air:
Cyclone: Blast out a cyclone that pulls enemies toward its location and grants swiftness to allies it affects.
Lightning Orb: Launch an orb of lightning that fires projectiles at nearby foes.
Earth:
Sand Squall: Apply protection to you and your allies, and then increase the duration of all boons currently existing on you and your allies. Gain magnetic aura.
Dust Storm: Summon a dust storm that inflicts bleeding and blindness.
Shout Skills:
“Wash the Pain Away!”: Mists billow out of the player, healing allies that are in range.
“Feel the Burn!”: Heat waves blast out from the player, causing damage and granting fire aura to allies.
“Flash-Freeze!”: Unleash a torrent of ice on enemy locations, chilling those who cannot escape. Grant frost aura to allies in range.
“Eye of the Storm!”: Imbue your voice with the element of air, massively increasing speed and breaking stun for nearby allies.
“Aftershock!”: Call upon the earth to cripple and immobilize foes in the area around you. Allies in the initial blast gain a magnetic aura.
“Rebound!”: Shout and infuse your allies with arcane energy. Allies who would take lethal damage while this is active ignore the deathblow and are healed instead. If the effect expires naturally, grant an aura based on your current attunement.
Overload Skills:
Overload Fire: Unleash all flames you’ve accumulated, searing enemies and strengthening allies. Finishing the cast leaves a tornado behind. Using this skill causes the attunement to have a longer recharge.
Overload Water: Create a surge of accumulated water magic, healing and cleansing allies. When the cast ends, heal the area and apply regeneration. Using this skill causes the attunement to have a longer recharge.
Overload Air: Use your air magic to summon a nimbus that repeatedly strikes nearby enemies. When this ability is complete, imbue your allies with electricity and create a lingering static region that strikes enemies at the same interval. Using this skill causes the attunement to have a longer recharge.
Overload Earth: Ride your stored earth magic around, granting protection to other allies you move over and crippling enemies, and then deliver a final immobilizing blast of power to the area, leaving behind a dust cyclone that delivers the same effects as the overload. Using this skill causes the attunement to have a longer recharge.
Tempest Traits:
Minor:
Singularity: Attain elemental singularity by remaining in an attunement for a period of time. Upon attaining singularity, you may overload the attunement to your vicinity.
Speedy Conduit: Gain swiftness when overloading an attunement.
Hardy Conduit: Gain protection while overloading an attunement.
Adept Tier:
Gale Song: Trigger “Eye of the Storm!” when a foe attempts to control you by stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, fear, taunt, or launch.
Latent Stamina: Apply vigor in a radius when attuning to water. Granting vigor to allies also restores a portion of endurance.
Unstable Conduit: Overloading an attunement grants an aura based on the element you’re attuned to when the ability is completed.
Master Tier:
Tempestuous Aria: Allies affected by your shouts gain might. Enemies are affected by weakness.
Invigorating Torrents: Auras you apply also grant regeneration and vigor.
Harmonious Conduit: Gain stability when beginning an overload. Upon successfully completing an overload, gain increased damage for a period of time.
Grandmaster Tier:
Imbued Melodies: While wielding a warhorn, your boon duration is increased. Use Sand Squall when struck while below the health threshold.
Lucid Singularity: Remove and gain massive resistance to movement-impeding conditions while overloading your attunements.
Elemental Bastion: Auras you apply will heal allies. Apply a frost aura to yourself and nearby allies when struck while below the health threshold.
New Hero Challenges in Magus Falls
Forty new hero challenges have been added as part of Heart of Thorns.
Each challenge rewards 10 hero points but is also much more difficult than Central Tyrian challenges.
The 15 new event-based hero challenges will also provide a daily reward for replaying them.
Additionally, all event-based hero challenges can be retriggered, even if they have already been completed.
Mastery System
The Mastery System is now available for all players who own Heart of Thorns and have at least one level 80 character. You can learn more about the Mastery System here: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/reimagining-progression-the-mastery-system/
The Mastery tab has been added to the Hero panel. The Mastery panel can also be accessed by clicking on the experience bar at the bottom of your screen on a character that is level 80.
To unlock the Mastery System, complete the first story step of Heart of Thorns, “Torn from the Sky.”
Once the Mastery System is unlocked on your account, any level 80 character can make progress on Masteries by earning experience and Mastery points.
Two Mastery regions have been added: Central Tyria and Heart of Maguuma. Each region has several Mastery tracks under it that can be trained by earning experience and Mastery points in that region.
Central Tyria is made up of Ascalon, Kryta, the Shiverpeak Mountains, Orr, the Maguuma Jungle, the Magumma Wastes, and Southsun Cove.
Heart of Maguuma is made up of the new area released with Heart of Thorns, Magus Falls.
To unlock a Mastery ability, you must first train the Mastery by filling the experience bar. You can then spend Mastery points to unlock the ability for your account.
Experience earned in a region will be applied to training Masteries from that region. If experience is rewarded through a reward chest, that experience will be applied to the region it was earned in, not the region the chest was opened in.
Nameplates have been changed to display Mastery rank for characters that are level 80. Mastery rank represents all the Mastery points you have used to unlock Mastery abilities on your account.
Some old achievements have had Central Tyria Mastery points added to their rewards. For players who’ve already completed these achievements, the points will be awarded retroactively upon logging in.
New achievements have been added to existing content in Central Tyria, awarding Mastery points.
Legendary Weapon Crafting
Precursors for all legendary weapons can now be crafted through a process involving earning Central Tyrian Masteries, completing item collections, and using new crafting recipes. More details about this system can be found here: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/a-legendary-journey/
There are now three unique skins associated with each precursor weapon. These skins are unlocked at each precursor step of the legendary crafting journey.
All existing precursor weapons have had their skins updated to be the one awarded for the final precursor tier created through legendary crafting. Players that already have a precursor weapon skin unlocked will now have all three tiers of that precursor’s skins unlocked in their wardrobe.
Precursor weapons that were released with the launch of Guild Wars 2 in 2012 can still be obtained through random loot drops, the Mystic Forge, or by purchasing them from other players on the trading post. Acquiring a precursor weapon in any of these ways will unlock all three tiers of that precursor’s skins in your wardrobe.
Ascended Salvaging
Dark Energy and Stabilizing Matrices are new materials needed for crafting legendary gear. These materials are obtained by salvaging ascended gear.
Ascended gear can only be salvaged using an ascended salvage tool. Ascended salvage tools can only be used to salvage ascended gear.
Ascended salvage tools can be purchased from the Mistlock Observatory for gold and fractal relics or from laurel vendors for gold and laurels.
Map Bonus Rewards
A new reward system has been added to most maps, which will award various crafting materials as a bonus for playing in that map. These bonuses are given for participating in events and other content such as open-world minidungeons or jumping puzzles.
When you earn a map bonus reward, it will be delivered directly to your inventory upon event completion.
The map-specific rewards in Dry Top and the Silverwastes that were awarded after completing events have been updated to use the new map bonus reward system. You will no longer receive a reward chest that must be clicked to open for completing events in this map; the rewards will be delivered directly to your inventory upon event completion.
The rewards available each week for a map are displayed in the map’s tooltip on the world map, and the current bonus items you can receive are displayed on the world map screen along with the map completion.
Guild Halls
The Guild panel has been overhauled.
The methods of representing, standing down, creating a guild, and leaving a guild have all been streamlined.
Editing your guild emblem can now be accomplished by clicking your emblem in the main Guild panel.
Your guild now has a level, displayed in your Guild panel. Guild experience is acquired from purchasing upgrades. As your guild level rises, new upgrades will be available for purchase in your guild hall.
Reference the guild guide to learn about how the entire guild system has evolved and how you can move toward obtaining or building your guild hall at the current moment.
The Guild Initiative Headquarters in Lion’s Arch is now open to guilds.
Have a ranking member of your guild with the Purchase Upgrades permission speak to the guild registrar to unlock your grandfathered upgrades in the new progression. You’ll also be rewarded with one or more guild hall decorations to commemorate your mastery of the old guild system.
Guild upgrades* *are now purchased from proprietors—special NPCs in the Guild Initiative Headquarters and in guild halls. Speak with the notary at the Guild Initiative Headquarters to start purchasing new upgrades.
Influence has been retired but can still be spent at certain vendors in the Guild Initiative Headquarters and in the guild hall to give a small boost to progress through the new guild system.
Guild Missions* *are now rerolled weekly and are available from the overhauled Missions tab on your Guild panel.
Merits have been retired. The first successful completion of a mission for a given guild each week will reward the guild with favor, a new currency needed to obtain a guild hall and purchase most upgrades therein.
The first time you personally complete a given mission succesfully each week, you’ll earn personal rewards.
Puzzle and challenge missions are now instanced.
New Player vs. Player and WvW missions have been added.
Obtaining a guild hall requires your guild to complete a guild expedition.
Speak to the explorers in the Guild Initiative Headquarters to fund an expedition to your chosen guild hall.
Find your way to the hall in the jungle.
Fight off the Mordrem infesting the area to claim your guild hall.
Choose to claim one of two guild halls: the Gilded Hollow or the Lost Precipice.
Restore the buildings in your guild hall to gain access to many new upgrades.
The tavern offers upgrades relating to socialization and boons.
The mine* *allows your guild to generate aetherium, a new currency you will need for most of the available upgrades.
The workshop unlocks the new scribing crafting discipline, allowing you to craft consumables for your guild.
The market houses upgrades that unlock a number of new guild-exclusive merchants, including the basic guild-decorations merchant.
The war room contains upgrades that unlock and populate the new World vs. World guild claiming system.
The arena, when fully restored, serves as a combat sandbox for your guild.
Players can speak with the master scribe at a guild hall’s workshop to train as a scribe, a new crafting discipline.
Scribes can craft a small selection of personal boosts and a progression of scribe back items, but primarily scribes craft consumables for their guilds.
Recipes for guild consumables must first be unlocked through purchase of the appropriate upgrade from the various proprietors in the guild hall. Once the recipe for a consumable’s schematic is unlocked, scribes can use scribing stations in the guild hall to craft those schematics. Crafted schematics do not go into the scribe’s inventory like normal crafted items; they are directly deposited to the guild’s aetheric assembly device for assembling into actual guild items.
Players with the proper permission can manage the guild’s assembly queues from the assembly device, also located in the workshop. Each schematic takes a set amount of time to be fully assembled for use by the guild. There are separate queues for PvE and WvW consumables.
When the assembling process for a consumable is complete, it can be accessed from the appropriate category on the Storage tab of the Guild panel. PvE consumables include items familiar to existing players, such as banners and banquets. WvW consumables include new improvements and tactics for use in WvW (see “WvW Guild Objective Claiming Overhaul” below for more information). Finally, decorations and arena obstacles are for use in decorating the guild hall and the arena.
The assembling process for an item can be completed early by spending resonance, a new resource owned by the guild. Resonance can be obtained by purchasing it from the resonance technician by the assembly device for either gold or Crystalized Resonance—an item that players will occasionally be awarded for completing guild missions.
Guild halls can be adorned with decorations.
Basic decorations can be purchased from the basic-decorations vendor.
Special materials found through a range of different elements of gameplay can be used through scribing to transform basic decorations into more varied and lavish decorations.
Owners of the Ultimate or Deluxe editions of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns may redeem their Mordremoth’s Bane Guild Decoration token at the guild decoration trader in a guild hall. Note that doing so will donate the chosen decoration to that guild, so consider your choice before making it.
Further information on the guild hall system and its attendant changes are available from the following articles:
Guild hall system overview: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/welcome-to-guild-halls/
Guild expeditions:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-halls-taken-from-the-enemy/
Changes to guild system currencies: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/rethinking-guilds/
Guild mission changes:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-mission-changes-and-improvements/
New guild progression:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/building-your-guild-hall/
Scribing and decorations:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-halls-from-pen-to-production-to-placement/
Guild Teams
Guild teams are a new feature that allows guilds to create teams that can participate in PvP.
Guild team functionality is located in a new tab on the Guild panel called the Teams tab.
Teams have unique names within the guild.
Up to 5 guild members can be added to a team by someone with the Team Administrator permission or by a team captain.
There can only be one team captain.
Teams have their own set of PvP statistics and matchmaking rating.
Parties with at least 3 people from the same guild team will be prompted when joining Unranked or Ranked Arena as to whether they’d like to represent that team.
More information is available here: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/introducing-pvp-guild-teams/
Scribe
Guild Halls: From Pen to Production to Placement: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-halls-from-pen-to-production-to-placement/
The ninth crafting profession is now available, the scribe.
Scribing goes to level 400.
Scribe trainers become available in a guild hall.
Scribes use pigments to make inks for their creations. Pigments can be found on plant-harvesting nodes throughout Tyria and can be salvaged from dyes.
Scribes primarily craft items for their guild.
Guild Consumables: Guild banners, guild siege blueprints, and world event tokens will now be crafted via scribes.
WvW Claiming Consumables: Scribes craft the upgrades used to claim and improve WvW objectives.
Decorations: Scribes can refine purchased decorations and create a few from scratch.
Scribes can also craft items that anyone will find useful.
Consumables: Scribes can craft and sell scrolls that give several new utility effects.
Stations: Feeling generous? There are placeable utility stations so each of the new consumables can be shared with a group.
Sigils: Scribes can craft three new and exclusive sigil sets.
Finally, scribes can do some crafting just for themselves.
Refinement: Scribes can refine all raw materials.
Backpacks: Scribes can craft for themselves an exclusive set of 6 new backpack skins.
PvP League System
Ranked queue is being prepared for the upcoming PvP Leagues season.
See Introducing PvP Leagues for more information: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/introducing-pvp-leagues/
New PvP Game Mode: Stronghold
The new game mode Stronghold is coming to PvP.
The first map being introduced for the new game mode is Battle of Champion’s Dusk.
Access to the new game mode DOES NOT require access to Heart of Thorns expansion content.
For more information, see Stronghold: Battle of Champion’s Dusk: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/stronghold-the-battle-of-champions-dusk/
PvP Mist Champions
Mist Champions have been added to the PvP build UI.
Mist Champions can be summoned in the new game mode, Stronghold.
Mist Champions are unlocked by completing Mist Champion reward tracks.
All players have Turai Ossa as a default Mist Champion.
Grymm can be unlocked by everyone.
Nika requires Heart of Thorns to unlock.
Future Mist Champions will require Heart of Thorns to unlock.
For more information, see Meet the Mist Champions: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/meet-the-mist-champions/
PvP Expansion Reward Tracks
The final reward on a jungle rank reward track is a new jungle-themed rank finisher for that rank.
The final reward on the final rank reward track is the Mordrem Dragon Finisher, which is an entirely new finisher made for Heart of Thorns.
Jungle rank reward tracks require access to Heart of Thorns expansion content.
Completing Mist Champion reward tracks will unlock the associated Mist Champion.
Bonus Mist Champion mini reward tracks are unlocked after completing the corresponding Mist Champion reward track.
PvP jungle map reward tracks will be for those who own Heart of Thorns.
Players will need to complete the one-time Verdant Brink Reward Track to unlock the one-time Auric Basin Reward Track.
Players will then need to complete the one-time Auric Basin Reward Track to unlock the one-time Tangled Depths Reward Track.
Once players complete the one-time Tangled Depths Reward Track, the repeatable Magus Falls Reward Track will become available.
Each track yields the corresponding jungle map’s currency as well as some new armor and weapons skins.
For more information, see PvP Reward Tracks: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/pvp-reward-tracks/
WvW Desert Borderlands Map
The new WvW desert Borderlands map replaces the current alpine Borderlands map.
Access to the new Borderlands DOES NOT require access to Heart of Thorns expansion content.
For more information, see Essential Elements of the New Borderlands: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/essential-elements-of-the-new-borderlands/
WvW Guild Objective Claiming Overhaul
The guild claiming feature was updated to give guilds a more important presence in WvW.
Upgrade your claimed camps, towers, keeps, and castle with an all-new guild upgrade system.
For more information, see Guild Objective Claiming in World vs. World: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-objective-claiming-in-world-vs-world/
For even more information, see World vs. World Guild Objective Claiming Deep Dive: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/world-versus-world-guild-objective-claiming-deep-dive/
WvW Objective Upgrading Overhaul
WvW objectives now upgrade automatically over time.
The new WvW objective UI can be accessed by clicking on any WvW objective map marker or by speaking to an objective quartermaster.
Read more details at Upgrading World vs. World Upgrades: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/upgrading-world-vs-world-upgrades/
WvW Siege Weapon: Shield Generator
The shield generator is intended to fulfill a support and control role.
Use of shield generators requires access to Heart of Thorns expansion content.
WvW Ability Line: Shield Generator Mastery
Upgrade your shield generator with additional bonuses, like the ability to negate arrow-cart damage!
This ability line requires access to Heart of Thorns expansion content.
BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
Profession Skills
General:
Movement skills such as the warrior’s Savage Leap will no longer be affected by animation speed changes from quickness or slow.
Player-owned minions will now take 95% reduced damage and condition duration from nonplayer attacks that do not specifically target them. When the attack specifically targets the minion, then it will deal full damage and condition duration.
Updated all profession impact and instant effects to play at a faster speed to reduce the time that they linger in order to help minimize their visual-effects noise.
Elementalist
Glyph of Storms—Ice Storm: Fixed a bug that caused all impacts to fall within a smaller than intended radius when casting this skill.
Glyph of Storms—Lightning Storm: Fixed a bug that caused all impacts to fall within a smaller than intended radius when casting this skill.
Persisting Flames: Updated the description of this trait to indicate that it affects weapon-skill abilities only. No functionality has changed.
Burning Fire: Fixed an issue that prevented this trait from removing the whole stack of conditions. Fixed a bug that prevented this trait’s cooldown from being reduced with Soothing Disruption.
Engineer
Bandage Self: Fixed a bug in which this ability was not being affected by the trait Mechanized Deployment.
Bomb Kit: Fixed an effect issue so that placed bombs are now slightly offset in order to better match their animations.
Cleansing Burst: Fixed a bug that was preventing Automated Medical Response from affecting this ability.
Reactive Lenses: Fixed a bug that was preventing this trait from working on knockdowns and knockbacks.
Shaped Charge: Increased damage dealt to targets afflicted by vulnerability from 5% to 7%.
Super Elixir: This ability is now affected by Alchemical Tinctures.
Guardian
Smite: Fixed a bug that caused all impacts to fall within a smaller than intended radius when casting this skill.
Mesmer
Temporal Curtain: Increased the height of the spell by 22% to better interact with the Warden’s Feedback trait.
Into the Void: Fixed a bug with this skill so that it will properly pull up to 600 range and properly pull to the wall location instead of sometimes past it.
Signet of the Ether: Fixed a bug that could cause this signet to heal dead players.
Fencer’s Finesse: Fixed a typo in the description text.
Blinding Tide: Fixed a bug in which an incorrect number of targets displayed in the skill fact.
Phantasms: Fixed a bug in which incorrect damage values displayed in the skill facts.
Illusionary Whaler: Increased the damage of this phantasm by 53% to put it in line with other phantasms.
Mantras: Fixed a bug that prevented the toughness granted by channeling a mantra from scaling properly with your effective level.
Swap: Removed undocumented stun-break effect from this skill to match its intended functionality.
Necromancer
Corrosive Poison Cloud: Fixed an issue that allowed this ability to block unblockable attacks.
Corrupter’s Fervor: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from functioning while downed. The toughness granted by this effect now scales with your effective level.
Spiteful Spirit: Reduced the recharge on this trait to match the recharge reduction on Unholy Feast.
Death Shroud: Shroud now counts as a weapon swap for the purposes of sigil upgrades that activate when swapping weapons.
Well of Corruption: Added a missing skill fact for life-force gain per hit.
Wells: Fixed an issue that prevented necromancer wells from appearing with the ground-targeting icon when they were brought up in the utility selection window.
Rending Curse / Putrid Curse: Updated these skills with new icons.
Ranger
Spirit of Nature: The healing from this minion now scales with 15% of its master’s healing power. The radius of effect increased from 240 to 1000 in order to match the radius of other spirit skills. Decreased the base heal value by about 35%.
“Sic ‘Em”: The effect from this ability is no longer removed when you give your pet another command.
Juvenile Brown Bear: This pet will now use its F2 skill, Shake It Off, without closing on enemies first.
Juvenile Murellow: Increased this pet’s F2 skill, Poison Cloud, to apply 4 seconds of poison instead of 2 seconds. Increased this pet’s underwater F2 skill, Poison Maul, to apply 12 seconds of poison instead of 6 seconds.
Instinctive Reaction: Removed a duplicate skill fact from this trait’s description.
Lead the Wind: Fixed a bug so that this trait no longer has its piercing information displayed on short-bow skills.
Hilt Bash: Fixed a bug that prevented this ability from striking a foe near the maximum range.
“We heal as one!”: Updated this skill to include a hard limit to its stacking boon copy. Its boon copy is no longer stack limited.
New juvenile pets can be found by owners of Heart of Thorns in the jungle region.
Bristleback: Native to the jungle of Maguuma, this prickly fellow is covered in daggerlike spines. Bristlebacks frequently sharpen their spines by shifting them together like whetstones before firing them at predators.
Electric Wyvern: Crackling with lightning, this young wyvern is bold and aggressive, often launching headfirst to bowl past its enemies.
Fire Wyvern: Searing eyes sparkle to convey the danger this wyvern represents, whether on land or in the air.
Smokescale: Shifting smoke veils this stealthy and deadly creature, granting it its name.
Tiger: The regal tiger is secure in its supremacy of the jungle, yet ever ready to unleash its fury upon any who would challenge it.
Thief
Death Blossom: Extended evasion by 200 miliseconds toward the beginning of the ability.
Vital Shot: Fixed a bug that caused this ability to gain increased attack range when traited with Ankle Shots.
Shadow Shot: Fixed a bug that caused this ability to gain increased attack range when traited with Ankle Shots.
Flanking Strikes: This trait is no longer doubly reduced by Trickster.
World Polish
Lion’s Arch:
Evon Gnashblade has commissioned new jump pads in Lion’s Arch to make the travel time between the bank/Mystic Forge and the trading post shorter.
Mount Maelstrom:
Due to the weight of players, boxes surrounding the Golem Mark II have collapsed. Workers have carted their remnants away.
General
An option to enable mentoring mode has been added to the party window . This mode is only available for players who have trained Pact Mentor ability from the Pact Commander Mastery track.
New NPCs have been added to some maps, selling new and old recipes for karma. These NPCs are only accessible to players who have trained the Supply Line Network ability from the Pact Commander Mastery track.
New vendors and NPCs have been added to the Mistlock Observatory, accessible to players with various abilities from the Fractal Attunement Mastery track.
New Mystic Forge recipes have been added.
The autoloot toggle in the General Options tab in the Options panel has been renamed and had its text clarified.
A new loot option to disable the area-loot functionality of the Advanced Logistics ability from the Pact Commander Mastery track has been added to the General Options tab.
The chat channel Game Messages has been divided into categories to allow showing only certain messages. The new category Contacts has been turned on by default.
World-completion UI will now only show on the world map when the player is in a map that contributes toward world completion.
Action Camera mode, which turns mouse look on and uses crosshair-based targeting, has been added as an option. Use the new Toggle Action Camera keybind under the Camera category to activate it.
A new ground-targeting option, Snap Ground Target to Current Target, has been added under the Combat/Movement category. This will place the ground target marker at your current target’s position.
A new targeting option, Allow Skill Retargeting, has been added under the Combat/Movement category. This will allow skills to be retargeted while they are executing.
Event participation can now time out due to inactivity. If you stop completing objectives in an event, you will eventually receive a message that you are no longer participating in that event, and you will not receive rewards when the event completes. If you begin participating again before the event ends, you will regain your previous participation level immediately.
An entire stack of luck can now be consumed buy right-clicking the stack and selecting Consume All.
Laurel vendors’ Experience Boost and Item Boost durations have been reduced from 60 minutes to 30 minutes per laurel.
Dungeons
Dungeon rewards have been rebalanced to more accurately reflect the time needed to complete them. Experience and gold awarded for completing a dungeon have been reduced.
Fractals
General:
A fractal run now consists of 1 fractal island instead of 3 islands and a boss island.
Fractals will now always be the same island for a given scale. They will no longer be random.
Increased the maximum fractal scale from 50 to 100.
Rewards for completing fractals have been reworked. A new Fractal Encryption box has been added to each island’s reward chest.
New mistlock instabilities have been added to the schedule.
A new legendary journey has been added to obtain a precursor for the fractal legendary backpack.
Scaling and agony formulas have been updated.
Fractal achievements have been moved to a new category in the Achievements tab.
New fractal achievements have been added.
New daily achievements have been added to the Fractal category for completing different difficulty tiers of fractal runs as well as a daily recommended fractal.
Fixed a bug that caused some chests to show “Unknown” as their name.
Added a new effect on some bosses as they cast skills that inflict the agony condition.
Added a new effect when a player is struck by or suffering from the agony condition.
Fractals with randomly split routes are now consistent based on the current fractal scale.
Added an NPC to the Mistlock Observatory who will teach players about the agony condition once they begin encountering it.
Aetherblade:
Fixed some issues with Kiel’s behavior during this fractal.
Reduced the number of veteran enemies during some events.
Captain Mai Trin Boss:
Fixed some bugs that allowed players to rejoin the fight against Mai Trin after logging out.
Fixed a bug that would allow Kiel to resurrect downed players outside of Mai Trin’s room.
Thaumanova Reactor:
Turrets in the test lab now disable when that collider is turned off.
The cooling rod in the test lab has been moved to a more visible location.
Shields now despawn if removed from the test lab.
Snowblind:
The Son of Svanir Shaman’s ice storm attack will now end sooner if he is slain during its casting.
The Ice Elemental boss encounter will now reset if the party is defeated by it.
Uncategorized:
Fixed bugs that prevented Old Tom from properly resetting after a party is defeated by it.
Removed a cinematic that played after the Raving Asura was defeated.
Solid Ocean:
Added an initial agony condition pulse when the Jade Maw encounter begins.
Jade Maw is now immune to life steal.
Molten Furnace:
Added a tooltip to steam vents suggesting that players can block them.
Increased the delay between falling rocks during the tunnel drill event.
Aquatic Ruins:
Reduced the hit points of the Jellyfish Beast.
Swampland:
The time limit to collect wisps has been updated based on the fractal scale.
Walls that rise to block players from returning the wisps now rise when the event begins rather than rising as players approach.
The Mossman can no longer be kited into the water.
Cliffside:
Increased the distance at which the hammer can be charged by the death of cultists.
Added a displaced researcher who can aid players who have lost or misplaced their hammer.
Increased respawn times on cultists during some events.
The Archdiviner has remodeled a portion of his room to prevent players from hiding from him on top of a rock.
Urban Battleground:
Removed respawning behavior from some enemies.
Fixed a bug that caused enemy siege equipment throughout the fractal to show an “Obstructed” warning on any ranged attack.
Updated the icon on one of Captain Ashym’s effects.
Underground Facility:
Victims of the Superheated skill now take increased damage from conditions in addition to increased damage from normal attacks.
Personal Story
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a display bug with the Story Journal that was dropping completed story steps from view.
Items
Players may now start a scavenger hunt in the Auric Basin that leads to a new item that consumes Bloodstone Dust.
To sync armor crafting with weapon crafting, and to help maintain the value of leather, masterwork, rare, and exotic inscriptions will now be crafted with patches made from leather and cloth.
To account for the added leather cost, the amount of cloth required to make an insignia is reduced.
New trophies and rare trophies are being added to the game.
Trophies: Added fossils and thorns.
Rare Trophies: Added evergreen and Mordrem, all tiers, slivers through lodestones.
Marauder and Crusader stats can now be crafted for use in PvE and WvW. The insignia recipes can be purchased from armor crafting trainers (armorsmith, tailor, and leatherworker) and are created with thorns and fossils.
New materials available:
Flax: Flax harvesting nodes are found throughout Magus Falls and give flax seeds, flax fibers, and flax blossoms.
Flax seeds can be processed into linseed oil, which is used in scribe crafting and for making oiled weapon and armor components.
Flax fibers are used in scribe crafting.
Flax blossoms are used in jeweling.
Jungle Plants: Jungle plant harvesting nodes found throughout Magus Falls yield cassava roots, allspice berries, and Maguuma lily blossoms.
Cassava root can be processed into cassava flour and can be used along with allspice berries for new cooking recipes.
Maguuma lily blossoms are used in jeweling.
Mussels: Mussels are found in the water in Magus Falls and yield mussel meat, mother of pearl, and freshwater pearls.
Mussel meat is used in new food recipes.
Mother of pearl is used in crafting decorations.
Freshwater pearls are used in jeweling.
New Jewels: There are a number of additional new jewels added to existing harvesting locations, including:
Burl.
Moonstone.
Agate.
Ebony.
New stat combinations:
Six new stat combos are available in Heart of Thorns.
All have four stats and have boon duration or condition duration (or both!).
All are obtained from playing in the various Magus Falls maps.
The new recipes use oiled weapon components to craft.
Oiled weapon and armor components crafting recipes have been added.
To protect against the harsh jungle environment, new stat combos require an oil treatment.
All exotic components now have an oiled version that requires linseed oil to craft.
Example: Combine an oiled orichalcum sword blade, oiled orichalcum sword hilt, and trailblazer’s inscription to create a trailblazer’s sword.
New currencies have been added to the wallet. There are 3 new currencies, one for each of the maps in Magus Falls. They can be used to purchase new rewards in each of these maps:
Verdant Brink: Airship Parts
Auric Basin: Lumps of Aurillium
Tangled Depths: Ley-Line Crystals
Added the new scribe crafting profession.
New world boss chest art has been added. Tequatl and the Triple Trouble world boss chests have new updated art. These new chests can be obtained as trophies for decorating guild halls.
Two new armor sets are available. They come in all three weight classes.
Bladed armor can be acquired by playing in Verdant Brink.
Leystone armor can be acquired by playing in Dragon’s Stand.
A new crafted weapon set, the Auric set, has been added.
Recipes to craft this set are purchased for aurillium.
Tradable ingredients to craft these weapons can be earned by playing in Auric Basin.
A new dropped weapon set, Reclaimed, has been added.
There is a chance to loot a Reclaimed weapon from any defeated enemy in Magus Falls.
Two new purchasable weapon sets, Chak and Plated, have been added.
Chak weapons can be purchased for ley-line crystals in Tangled Depths.
Plated weapons can be purchased for jungle map currencies and reclaimed metal plates in Dragon’s Stand.
Reclaimed plates have a chance to be salvaged out of reclaimed weapons.
The Machined weapon set has been added.
Once a Plated weapon skin is obtained, it unlocks a collection to upgrade into the upgraded Machined version of that weapon.
Elite specialization rewards have been added.
Spending the first points in an elite specialization rewards a new, unique weapon usable by that specialization.
This weapon unlocks a collection to build an upgraded, ascended version of that weapon.
Completing a heroic specialization grants a new, unique piece of armor and unlocks the ability to craft a new rune set for the specialization.
Revenant rewards have been added.
Completing a base specialization on a revenant unlocks a collection to craft one of the pieces of Mistward armor.
Collecting the full Mistward armor set grants the title Mistwarden.
Map completion rewards have been added to Dry Top, the Silverwastes, and Southsun Cove.
Some minor tweaks have been made to salvage tables to normalize output across all levels, and a small reduction has been made on tier 5 metal, leather, and wood, as well as a reduction on tier 6 leather and cloth.
Refining thick leather now results in 4 thick leather sections instead of 3.
Refining hardened leather now results in 3 hardened leather sections instead of 2.
Food effects that affected condition damage have had their effects reduced.
Food effects that granted life stealing on critical hits have had their internal cooldowns updated from 1 second to 2 seconds.
The Jar of Harpy Pheromones can now be used in fractals and dungeons.
Significantly reduced the amount of damage done by the Throw Jar skill provided by the Jar of Harpy Pheromones.
World vs. World
WvW ability lines have been rebalanced.
For more information, see Upgrading World vs. World Upgrades: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/upgrading-world-vs-world-upgrades/
All characters have had all spent WvW ability points refunded.
The number of available points is account based (equal to your WvW rank), but each character can spend them differently.
Most WvW lifetime achievements have been updated to have lower requirements or new titles.
Arrow carts (all types) now require 10 more supply to build and have new, custom line-of-sight calculations.
Normalized the cost of guild siege weapon supply. These now have the stats of a superior siege weapon but the supply cost of a standard siege weapon.
Players can no longer rally off of basic creatures in WvW—only veteran rank or higher.
Objective bosses now have health scaling based on the number of allied and enemy players in the area.
Many WvW items can now be salvaged.
Exotic gear purchased from vendors in WvW that cost both Badges of Honor and gold can now be salvaged for some Badges of Honor and the upgrades that were added to that piece of gear.
Equipment purchased with Tournament Tickets yields standard exotic salvage materials.
Supply depots are now marked on the map.
Sentries will now mark enemy players on the map for 30 seconds.
Keeps will now mark enemy players within their perimeter for the first 5 minutes after being flipped.
Added a new way to obtain hero points from playing WvW!
Earn Proofs of Heroics from WvW rank-up chests.
Trade in Proofs of Heroics at new Heroics Notaries for Notarized Scrolls of Heroics.
Consume Notarized Scrolls of Heroics to automatically complete random hero challenges around the world.
Reduced Edge of the Mists rewards.
Reduced event karma, gold, experience, and world experience by 25%.
The number of Badges of Honor awarded for capturing an objective has been reduced to be consistent with other WvW maps.
The chests that spawned on objective capture containing badges and ascended materials have been removed.
The Badges of Honor and ascended materials are now dropped by the objective’s boss instead.
Fixed a bug that allowed waypoints to be available for a few seconds between repel events.
Fixed an exploit that allowed siege golems to wield bundle items.
Placing siege equipment now shows a preview in-world where it will go and allows rotating the direction in which the siege will be deployed.
BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions
The Crystal Arbiter Appearance Pack contains an exclusive new outfit and matching glider, as well as your first chance to get an Immortal weapon skin. You’ll also get 5 Flame Dye Kits and a Total Makeover Kit to look your absolute best with special hairstyles and colors. The total package is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 2000 gems.
The Bat Wings Glider Combo is now available in the Style category of the Gem Store. Unlock a giant set of bat wings for your backpack and a matching Bat Wings Glider for 700 gems total.
A new set of Improvised weapon skins is available from the Black Lion Weapons Specialist for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket.
A new Character Jump Start super-value package is available for one week, containing everything you need to equip a single character for extended play, including four bag slots, a Copper-Fed Salvage-o-Matic, harvesting, logging, and mining R-tron tools, transmutation charges, and experience scrolls. Buy it for one character or split the goods across your account—it’s over 40% savings either way.
Improvements
Black Feather Wings Backpack and White Feather Wings Backpack owners can receive a free matching glider by equipping the backpack and talking to any map scout in Verdant Brink.
Black Lion Chests have been updated. Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.
The drop rate of finisher unlocks has been made more rare.
Mist Champion skin unlocks have been added to the uncommon and rare drops.
Bug Fixes
Old characters that had dyed town clothes equipped prior to the wardrobe system will now be able to properly preview dyes in the wardrobe.
Fixed an issue that was preventing VO from sometimes playing during cinematics.
Restored over 50 VO files that had issues during processing.
NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT
Enhanced Squad UI
Squads will now have access to squad markers.
Squad markers can be placed on a location in the world as well as on targetable items, players, and NPCs.
There are eight marker types, each of which has a unique color and symbol.
See the Squad section of the Control Options menu [F11] for key bindings related to placing and removing markers.
A new Groups category has been added to the General Options menu [F11]. This contains the following options:
Select whether to show all commander tags.
Use the Simple Party UI (moved from User Interface options).
Clear all squad markers regardless of key binding as opposed to having to clear location and target markers separately.
Squad Commanders can now appoint lieutenants to take care of administrative tasks. Lieutenants will have the authority to perform the following tasks:
Invite and dismiss players.
Arrange subgroups (except for moving the commander or other lieutenants).
Broadcast messages.
Place and remove squad markers.
See the chart attached to the bottom of this post for a comparison of the actions available to commanders, lieutenants, and squad members.
In the chat channel filter list, a new check box for Squad messages has been added to the Game Messages Options. Checking this box will allow informational messages relating to the squad, such when a lieutenant is promoted or a marker is placed, to show up in your chat panel.
See attached table for details
Gliding in Central Tyria
Gliding is now enabled in Central Tyria. Gliding masteries earned in Heart of Thorns will function in allowed Central Tyrian maps:
Gaining the Basic Gliding Mastery now allows for the glider to be used in Central Tyria as well as Heart of Maguuma maps.
All cities and open-world maps have gliding enabled. Specific areas will still prevent glider use in order to limit exploits.
Gliding remains disabled in dungeons and story instances in Central Tyria.
Gliding remains disabled in all PvP and WvW maps, except for the Heart of the Mists.
Lunar New Year
Come celebrate the Year of the Monkey in Divinity’s Reach!
Lunar New Year festivities have returned with the wily and curious monkey.
Collect and open lucky envelopes to earn essences of luck, delicious foods, fireworks, valuable items, and a chance to find the new Monkey Lantern backpacks.
Speak to Phaedra in the Crown Pavilion to purchase very valuable Divine Lucky Envelopes.
Trade extra essences of luck in to Fion in your guild hall to purchase Red Lantern decorations.
Red Lanterns can be used by scribes to craft six additional festive decorations.
Bash and kick your way to victory in the Dragon Ball Arena!
Speak to Finolla in the Crown Pavillion to enter the arena and prove your mettle.
Win rounds to earn Tokens of the Dragon Ball Champion that can be used to purchase extra Divine Lucky Envelopes.
Festivities are scheduled to end February 9.
Eldvin Monastery Brew of the Month Club
A new item collection has been created for Tyrian beer lovers to enjoy! Speak with Master Brewer Desch Metz at the Eldvin Monastery in Queensdale to join the Eldvin Monastery Brew of the Month Club. Once a month, when visiting a major city, club members will receive a package in the mail containing that month’s finely crafted brew. After collecting all twelve brews, club members will receive a title, a backpack skin, and a guild decoration in recognition of their devotion to the craft.
BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
World Polish
Tangled Depths:
Fixed a bug that allowed veteran chak to spawn under level 80 in the event “Clear the chak out of the beetle larvae feeding grounds.”
Fixed a bug that prevented the bat matriarch from turning hostile in “Kill the champion bat so Nokta can return his pets to camp,” which blocked the event.
General
Supporting your allies will now contribute toward earning rewards for killing enemies and damaging event bosses. The actions listed below now cause a percentage of the target ally’s damage dealt for the next several seconds to also count toward your participation. In addition to that, damaging an enemy’s defiance bar will also grant you some participation toward receiving rewards from that enemy. In order to discourage AFKing with boon-applying auras, you must still be actively attacking targets to receive rewards from them.
Applying boons to an ally (small percentage).
Removing conditions from an ally (small percentage).
Reviving an ally (large percentage).
Healing an ally (percentage scales based on how much healing is given).
Added a Show All Usable Objects check box to the General Options tab of the options panel.
Added new optional key bindings under Control Options—Targeting:
Toggle Autotargeting: Turn skill autotargeting on or off.
Disable Autotargeting: Turn skill autotargeting off while the key is held down.
Toggle Snap Ground Target: Turn snap ground targeting for ground-targeted skills on or off.
Added a new optional key binding under Control Options—Camera:
Disable Action Camera: Turn action camera off while the key is held down.
Fixed incorrect art used by the Arena category button in the guild storage panel.
Changed some map bonus rewards to provide a more straightforward method of acquiring many types of cloth and leather crafting materials.
Fixed an issue with skill retargeting that allowed players to retarget a finisher skill to another enemy and cause the skill to fail.
Fixed an issue that prevented player minions from damaging treasure mushrooms.
Adjusted the score threshold for the Haywire Punch-o-matic Battle adventure in Tangled Depths from 230 to 200. The timer for completion has also been increased from 2:00 to 2:30.
Pact Supply Network merchants now clearly state which Mastery is needed to access their wares.
Fractals
The fractal scale can now be set inside Mistlock Observatory by interacting with the control panel near the entrance.
The daily fractal achievements will be displayed instead of daily achievements when in the Fractals of the Mists.
The next tier of fractal difficulty scales can be selected 5 levels earlier in Looking for Group (Y).
Increased the deactivation timer on the Reflecting Crystals in the Solid Ocean fractal from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
Fixed a bug that caused the Grawl Shaman in the Volcanic fractal to be immune to control effects.
Fixed a bug that caused a “world is full” message to be incorrectly displayed.
Fixed a bug that caused the Jellyfish Beast in the Aquatic Ruins fractal to remove agony resistance from players when eating them.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to duplicate Reflecting Crystals in the Solid Ocean fractal.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to duplicate Infused Stones in the Volcanic fractal.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to skip the Molten Effigy boss in the Molten Boss fractal.
Fixed an issue in which players could stand on the roof of the Mossman’s hut to avoid damage in the Swampland fractal.
Boss Resets
The Jellyfish Beast’s health now resets when it goes out of combat in the Aquatic Ruins fractal.
Old Tom’s health now resets when he goes out of combat in the Uncategorized fractal.
The Thaumanova Anomaly’s health now resets when it goes out of combat in the Thaumnova Reactor fractal.
Mossman’s and Bloomhunger’s health now resets when they go out of combat in the Swampland fractal.
Raids
Increased the quantity of magnetite shards awarded for failed boss attempts and successful boss kills in Spirit Vale.
Items
Auric sharpening stones no longer use name confirmation to delete.
Predator IV—Assassinate Captain Wiley: Defeating Captain Wiley will now give credit even when not part of the event.
Fixed various text on legendary collection collectibles.
The Oni Blade can now be obtained from the Mystic Forge.
Ydalir: The icy dragon scale sold by Rojan now sells for the correct amount of karma.
The Preserved Queen Bee no longer shows icy effects.
Hope IV—Enraged Spider Queen’s Venom: Fixed a bug that could cause the spider queen to not always appear.
Using the Gift of Magnanimity will now properly deliver the Gift Tree to the user’s home instance. Players who didn’t have the tree delivered when they used it will have the tree there now.
Achievements related to Grawnk are once again able to be completed outside of Wintersday if they were started during Wintersday.
Profession Skills
General:
Vigor and other endurance-regeneration effects (such as traits) now stack up to a maximum of 100% bonus regeneration rate.
Attuned and Infused Attuned trinkets are now salvageable.
“Finish Them” Finishers: The stomping effect will no longer be time-scaled through effects like quickness and slow.
Reviving: Reviving characters will no longer be affected by time-scaled effects like quickness and slow.
Quickness and slow will no longer affect most defensive abilities. Abilities that are offensive and defensive simultaneously (such as Blurred Frenzy or Pistol Whip) will still be affected by time scaling for the time being.
Each profession has had their default ground-target decal interchanged with a new profession-specific decal.
Elementalist
Diamond Skin: This trait now removes conditions when you are struck while above the health threshold. The health threshold has been reduced from 90% to 75%. This effect has a 1-second internal cooldown.
Churning Earth: Reduced the casting time of this skill from 3.25 seconds to 2 seconds.
Auras: The durations of all skill-activated auras have been reduced to 4 seconds.
Powerful Aura: The durations of auras this trait applies have been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
Elemental Bastion: The duration of the frost aura this trait applies has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
Unstable Conduit: The durations of each aura applied by this trait have been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
Fire Shield: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 40 seconds to 25 seconds.
Rock Barrier: Reduced the aftercast delay of this skill by 0.6 seconds.
Rock Barrier—Hurl: The damage of the rocks thrown has been increased by 10%.
Shatterstone: Reduced the time for this skill to explode from 2 seconds to 1 second. Increased the recharge from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
Gale: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 40 seconds. This attack is now unblockable. The skill facts have been updated to correctly display the knockdown duration difference between PvP (1 second) and PvE (2 seconds).
Fresh Air: In addition to its current attunement recharge, this trait will now grant a ferocity bonus of up to 250 points (based on level) for 5 seconds when attuning to Air.
Lightning Rod: The attack that this trait produces will now trigger after a target has become disabled rather than simultaneously.
Tempest
Overload Earth: Fixed a bug that caused this overload to deliver extra protection per pulse rather than the intended 1 second per pulse. Fixed a bug that caused the lingering damage to follow the elementalist around after the overload had completed.
Lightning Orb: Updated the skill fact to indicate the correct damage per strike. Increased the launch radius for missiles from 300 to 360.
Engineer
Health Insurance: The outgoing healing of this trait has been increased from 15% to 33%.
Automated Medical Response: The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 90 seconds to 120 seconds.
Autodefense Bomb Dispenser: The recharge of this trait has been reduced from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
Over Shield: The radius of this trait has been increased from 240 to 360.
Soothing Detonation: The healing contribution of this trait has been increased by 100%.
Medical Dispersion Field: The radius of this trait has been increased from 240 to 360.
Power Wrench: The recharge reduction of this trait has been increased from 20% to 33%.
Takedown Round: The damage of this trait has been increased by 33%.
Scrapper
Rocket Charge: The recharge of this skill has been increased from 10 seconds to 12 seconds.
Sneak Gyro: This skill’s recharge has been increased from 20 seconds to 40 seconds.
Expert Examination: Fixed an issue that prevented this trait from functioning with gyro explosions.
Stabilization Core: This trait has been merged into Final Salvo.
Perfectly Weighted: This trait is now on the adept tier. Decreased the stability granted by this trait from 2 stacks to 1 stack.
New Trait—Applied Force: Gain quickness when you gain might above the threshold.
Guardian
Zealous Scepter: Increased the might gain from this trait from 1 stack for 10 seconds to 2 stacks for 10 seconds when justice is triggered.
Wrathful Spirit: Increased the retaliation gain from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
Stalwart Defender: Increased toughness gained when wielding a shield from 180 toughness to 240 toughness.
Invigorated Bulwark: Increased the duration of this effect from 10 seconds to 30 seconds.
Protective Reviver: This trait now also increases the revive speed of the guardian by 10%.
Smite Condition: Increased the number of conditions removed from one to two.
Contemplation of Purity: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 60 seconds to 40 seconds.
Bane Signet: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.
Signet of Judgement: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
Sanctuary: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 120 seconds to 90 seconds.
Dragonhunter
Wings of Resolve: This skill is no longer affected by movement-altering effects, such as cripple and swiftness. It also no longer queues and will activate immediately when possible.
Test of Faith: The initial damage of this skill has been reduced from 66% of the trap’s full damage to 50%, for a damage reduction of 25%. Updated the effects of this trap to cull less frequently.
Dragon’s Maw: Increased the barrier radius from 90 to 120. Reduced barrier duration from 6 seconds to 4 seconds. Updated the effects of this trap to cull less frequently.
Procession of Blades: Updated the effects of this trap to cull less frequently.
Piercing Light: The daze duration of this trait has been reduced from 1 second to 0.5 seconds. The daze from this trait is no longer unblockable when used with Test of Faith.
Mesmer
Feedback: This skill is now ground targeted and no longer requires a target.
Mental Defense: The cooldown on this trait is no longer affected by Signet of the Ether.
Ether Clone: This skill no longer generates a clone if the player has the max number of illusions. It instead applies 2 stacks of torment for 5 seconds.
Chaos Armor: This skill no longer blinds enemies. It will instead apply weakness to them for 3 seconds. The applied duration for swiftness and confusion has been increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
Chaotic Dampening: The duration of protection has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
Duelist’s Discipline: The chance to bleed has been increased from 33% to 50%. Bleed duration has been increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds.
Restorative Mantras: The healing attribute scaling of this trait has been increased by 400%. The healing from this trait will now be listed in the combat log.
Furious Interruption: The cooldown of this trait has been reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
Evasive Mirror: The duration of this trait has been increased from 1.5 seconds to 2 seconds.
Mistrust: The number of confusion stacks this trait applies has been increased from 2 to 4.
Malicious Sorcery: The attack speed increase from this trait has been increased from 15% to 20%.
Bountiful Disillusionment: The duration of resistance applied in a radius has been reduced from 5 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
Temporal Enchanter: The duration of resistance granted by this trait has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
Chronomancer
Well of Precognition: This well no longer grants invulnerability. It instead grants 3 seconds of aegis with every pulse.
Alacrity: The effects of this buff have been reduced from 66% recharge reduction to 33% recharge reduction.
Necromancer
Dark Pact: This skill now also converts up to 2 boons into conditions along with its innate effects.
Putrid Curse: This skill now also converts up to 1 boon into conditions along with its innate effects.
Corrupt Boon: This skill now converts up to 3 boons into conditions. The recharge of this ability has been reduced from 40 seconds to 15 seconds.
Enfeebling Blood: This skill now converts up to 1 boon into a condition.
Weakening Shroud: The effect triggered off of this trait now converts up to 1 boon into a condition.
Leeching Bolts: Projectiles created from comboing with Dark fields will now heal through your shroud.
Spiteful Spirit: This trait’s recharge has been removed. The attack from this trait is now referred to as “Spiteful Spirit” in the combat log instead of “Unholy Feast,” and its particle effects have been updated.
Chilling Darkness: The internal cooldown on this trait has been reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
Unyielding Blast: This trait no longer adds piercing.
Life Blast / Plague Blast: These skills now pierce by default.
Chilling Nova: Fixed an issue that prevented this trait from firing when jumping or underwater.
Soul Spiral: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from triggering whirl finishers while underwater.
Reaper
Chilling Nova: Reduced the recharge from 10 seconds to 8 seconds. Fixed a bug that caused the nova to have a smaller than intended radius.
Ranger
Healing Spring: Fixed an issue that allowed this skill to double-activate the healing spring.
Nature’s Vengeance: The boons granted by this trait now use the ranger’s boon duration.
Hidden Barbs: This trait’s increase to bleeding damage has been increased from 20% to 33%.
“Search and Rescue”: This skill has been reworked. It now commands your pet to teleport a nearby fallen ally to your location and then begin reviving them while granting regeneration to allies.
“Guard!”: This skill has been reworked. It now commands your pet to guard nearby allies, taking a portion of the damage directed at them and granting you might.
“Protect Me!”: This skill has been reworked. It now breaks stuns on allies, grants you protection, and causes the next foe to attack you to be taunted by your pet.
Resounding Timbre: Increased the radius affected by this trait from 360 to 600.
Instinctive Reaction: Increased the attribute contribution from healing power to power from 7% to 13%.
Primal Reflexes: Increased the duration of vigor applied by this trait from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
Expertise Training: Increased the condition duration aspect of this trait from 20% to 33%.
Vigorous Training: Increased the duration of vigor applied by this trait from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
Strider’s Defense: This trait’s chance to destroy projectiles while executing a melee attack has been increased from 25% to 50%.
Honed Axes: The ferocity bonus this trait grants has been increased from 150 to 250.
Predator’s Onslaught: Increased this trait’s damage bonus toward inhibited targets from 10% to 15%.
Fixed a bug that could cause the pet selected during character creation to be replaced by a river drake upon log-in if the original selected pet was nonamphibious and the character had not unlocked any other underwater pets.
Revenant
Preparation Thrust: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 11%.
Brutal Blade: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 20%.
Rift Slash: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 10%.
Unrelenting Assault: The number of attacks this skill makes has been reduced from 7 to 5. The damage of each strike has been increased by 10%. The strikes from this skill are no longer affected by animation time-scale, as quickness provided no benefit and slow would cause the attack to never hit.
Precision Strike: This skill has been reworked and will now always fire three projectiles at up to three targets. If fewer than three targets are available, the remainder of the projectiles will be launched at the available targets. The chill duration has been reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
Coalescence of Ruin: The recharge of this skill has been increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds. Enemies are now able to be struck by this ability only once every 0.5 seconds.
Unwavering Avoidance: This trait now has a 5-second internal cooldown.
Herald
Crystal Hibernation: The base healing per level from this skill has been reduced by 36%. This affects Soothing Bastion as well.
Facet of Light: Activating this facet is no longer instant and now has a casting time of 0.25 seconds.
Thief
Withdraw: The healing values of this skill have been increased by 10%.
Double Strike: This skill’s damage has been increased by 42%.
Lotus Strike: This skill’s damage has been increased by 29%. The attack point has been increased by 0.06 seconds and the aftercast delay has been reduced by 0.35 seconds.
Shadow Shot: This skill will now trigger Assassin’s Reward correctly, even if it misses.
Shadow Strike: This skill will now trigger Assassin’s Reward correctly, even if it misses.
Slice: The attack point of this skill has been increased by 0.16 seconds.
Slash: Reduced the aftercast delay of this skill by 0.1 seconds.
Crippling Strike: Increased the attack point of this skill by 0.08 seconds. Reduced the aftercast delay of this skill by 0.48 seconds.
Basilisk Venom: While under the effects of this venom, your attacks are unblockable.
Hidden Thief: This trait now grants 50% bonus movement speed while in stealth.
Fleet Shadow: This trait has been renamed to Instant Reflexes. This trait no longer grants bonus movement speed while in stealth and will instead grant the thief evasion for 2 seconds when struck while under 50% health, with an internal cooldown of 40 seconds.
Feline Grace: This trait’s vigor duration has been increased from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
Pain Response: This trait now also removes torment in addition to its current removals.
Guarded Initiation: This trait now removes confusion in addition to its current removals. The health threshold has been reduced from 90% to 75%.
Swindler’s Equilibrium: This trait now also grants 5% bonus damage to sword and spear attacks.
Assassin’s Reward: This trait’s base healing per level has been increased by about 50% and its healing power contribution has been increased by 70%.
Upper Hand: This trait now grants regeneration for 6 seconds when the initiative regain occurs.
Daredevil
Driven Fortitude: The healing from this trait will now appear in the combat log.
Staff Strike: This skill’s damage has been increased by 36%.
Staff Bash: This skill’s damage has been increased by 16%.
Punishing Strikes: This skill’s damage has been increased by 44%.
Debilitating Arc: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from functioning with Assassin’s Reward.
Bandit’s Defense: This skill no longer delivers a kick when you first block an attack. After blocking an attack, you will now gain access to a second ability, Reflexive Strike, for 6 seconds.
Reflexive Strike: Deliver a massive kick that knocks enemies down.
Warrior
Added a 2-second grace period between exiting combat and the start of adrenaline decay.
Mending: This skill’s healing value per level has been increased by 25%. Healing power contribution has been increased by 20%. Fixed a bug that indicated that this ability removed 2 conditions when it actually heals 3.
Healing Signet: The passive healing based on level from this signet has been increased by 5%.
“To the Limit!”: This skill’s healing value per level has been increased by 40%.
Throw Axe: The aftercast delay of this skill has been reduced by 0.5 seconds. The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
Cyclone Axe: This skill’s damage has been increased by 57%.
Dual Strike: This skill’s damage has been increased by 33%.
Whirling Axe: The PvP and PvE versions of this skill have been remerged, resulting in a 52% damage increase in PvE areas.
Pommel Bash: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Crushing Blow: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds and its damage has been increased by 20%.
Final Thrust: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Fierce Blow: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. Its weakness duration has been reduced from 8 seconds to 4 seconds.
Hammer Shock: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 12 seconds to 10 seconds.
Staggering Blow: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 20 seconds to 18 seconds.
Backbreaker: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
Crack Shot: This trait no longer grants piercing to rifles or harpoon guns. This trait now grants bonus adrenaline when striking enemies with the base skills of these weapons.
Aimed Shot: This skill now applies 5 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds to struck enemies. The damage of this skill has been increased by 28%.
Volley: This skill now pierces by default.
Brutal Shot: This ability will now roll the warrior backward (about 400 distance) when the shot is fired. This ability now immobilizes struck enemies for 1.5 seconds.
Kill Shot: This skill now pierces by default.
Repeating Shot: This skill now pierces by default.
Forceful Shot: This skill now pierces by default.
Split Shot: Fixed a skill fact bug that indicated this ability only pierced with Crack Shot.
Berserker Stance: This skill now grants resistance for 3 seconds every 3 seconds instead of preventing conditions from being applied to you. Its duration has been increased to 9 seconds.
Adrenal Health: The passive healing based on level from this trait has been increased by 15%.
Berserker
Scorched Earth: Enemies are now able to be struck by this skill only once every 0.5 seconds.
Outrage: This skill now grants 5 adrenaline when activated and 2 bonus adrenaline for each nearby foe.
Shattering Blow: This skill now blocks all attacks for its duration and grants 2 stacks of stability for 2 seconds. Its adrenaline gain has been increased to 10.
Wild Blow: Increased adrenaline gain to 10 and moved adrenaline gain to occur on activation rather than on hit. Removes blind and weakness before the attack hits. Increased secondary knockback radius from 180 to 240.
Sundering Leap: This skill now grants 10 adrenaline when activated and an additional 20 adrenaline if it hits any target.
Blood Reckoning: This skill’s functionality has changed. When activated, this skill heals for a small amount (3,230 at level 80 with 0 healing power), grants 10 adrenaline, and recharges all burst skills. For 5 seconds afterward, 10% of all outgoing damage is converted to healing. Reduced recharge from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
Headbutt: Increased range to 300.
King of Fires: This trait’s functionalty has changed. It now gives fire shield on a critical hit (15-second internal cooldown). Using berserker skills detonates any fire shield currently applied, inflicting 3 stacks of burning for 3 seconds to nearby foes. Increases outgoing burning duration by 33%.
Savage Instinct: The conditions removed by this trait have been increased from 1 to 2.
Structured Player vs. Player
Changed matchmaking to use games played per arena instead of rank. For example, matchmaking in Unranked Arena will consider total Unranked games played.
Changed matchmaking to not consider rating deviation. Deviation is still used when updating ratings as part of the Glicko algorithm.
Changed matchmaking to have a smaller fixed starting rating search range instead of using rating deviation.
Changed matchmaking to use inflated party ratings when scoring potential rosters against each other. Inflated party rating is still used when collecting the initial roster list.
Changed matchmaking to favor queue time less. This prevents other scoring factors from being obscured.
Changed matchmaking to not favor rosters with unique professions and instead disfavor rosters with duplicate professions. This prevents other scoring factors from being obscured.
Changed default rating to a lower value to account for the removal of deviation adjustments in matchmaking.
Fixed a bug in matchmaking in which rosters could be skipped when forming teams.
Fixed a bug in matchmaking in which guild teams were not properly favored to play against each other.
Fixed a bug in Ranked Arena matches in which players who never connected show as amber division on the scoreboard.
Fixed a bug in which players would unintentionally get dishonor.
Forfeits are reenabled. Losing a game in which a teammate received dishonor will result in a forfeit. Players partied with the dishonorable player receive a desertion on loss, but they will not get dishonor.
PvP Equipment
Sigils
Removed the Sigil of Demon Summoning.
Changed the Sigil of Energy (for PvP only) to grant 5 seconds of vigor on weapon swap (on the same 9-second cooldown) instead of giving 50 endurance.
Runes
Removed the Rune of Mercy.
Removed the Rune of Durability.
Amulets
Removed the Celestial Amulet.
Removed the Sentinel Amulet.
Removed the Settler Amulet.
Removed the Soldier Amulet.
Added four new PvP amulets:
Mercenary’s Amulet
1050 Power
1050 Condition
560 Toughness
560 Vitality
Sage’s Amulet
1050 Power
1050 Condition
560 Healing Power
560 Vitality
Paladin’s Amulet
1050 Power
1050 Precision
560 Toughness
560 Vitality
Mender’s Amulet
1050 Power
1050 Healing Power
560 Precision
560 Vitality
New Mist Champion: Tybalt Leftpaw
Tybalt joins the other Mist Champions as a new defensive hero who protects his allies with resistance and damages his enemies with poison.
War Cry
Apple Drop—Drops apples around allies on the map that, when picked up, remove a condition and apply the resistance boon for a short duration
Passive
An Apple a Day—Tybalt will apply resistance to all allies around himself for a short duration and also drop apples around allies that will remove a condition and apply the resistance boon for a short duration.
Elite
Rotten Apple—Tybalt drops a poisonous apple on all enemies’ heads in the lord room, stunning and poisoning them for a short duration. The skill guarantees 20% damage to the lord when used.
World vs. World
Automatic Upgrade Update
The Secured, Reinforced, and Fortified objective upgrade levels now occur after having delivered or received a certain number of dolyak caravans rather than being timer driven.
This change was made to increase the importance of both maintaining allied supply lines and denying enemy supply lines.
The dolyaks required are 20/40/80 dolyaks for secured/reinforced/fortified respectively at all objective types.
Camps upgrade when caravans are delivered to another objective. Towers, Keeps and Castles upgrade when caravans arrive at their objective.
Points per Kill
Each enemy player killed in WvW now grants 1 point of War Score to your team.
This change was made in order to allow players who focus primarily on killing enemy players to contribute more to the team’s overall success.
Points are awarded for kills and stomps equally.
Any team who has tagged the kill will get a point. For example, if the red and blue teams have both tagged a green player, and the green player dies, both the red team and the blue team will get 1 point.
Reduced Rally Cap
The number of players who can rally off a single kill has been reduced from 5 to 1.
This change was made to give smaller groups more of a fighting chance against larger groups and to make WvW combat have less sudden power swings in general.
Rally priority will be proximity based. The nearest valid rally target will be rallied.
Combat Revive Change
Players will no longer be able to revive defeated players while in combat. They will still be able to revive downed players.
This change was made to lower the staying power of large groups. If a player is eliminated from the fight, they stay eliminated until either the fight concludes or the player uses a waypoint and runs back.
General
Catapults, Superior Catapults, and Guild Catapults have had their supply costs reduced by 10.
Fixed a bug that caused the Packed Dolyaks upgrade to sometimes deliver 3 supply shipments instead of 2.
Items sold by the Heroics Notary no longer cost Badges of Honor.
Many superior siege weapon blueprints sold by the Heroics Notary have had their Proof of Heroics costs increased.
The Sabotage Supply guild improvement effect is now visible to the friendly team after it has been activated.
Added in-game (on-ground) animated capture progress visual effects for capture locations.
Fixed a few bugs that prevented proper repel event credit being given for repairing reinforced gates.
The announcement that displays when a guild claims an objective is now only displayed for players near the objective rather than map-wide.
Updated capture point boss and quartermaster placement to address the odd instances where the characters could get out of position over time.
Fixed an issue that could cause Keep and Tower walls in the Eternal Battlegrounds to enter a state in which they could not be damaged.
The “Leave the Mists” button no longer functions when dead or in combat.
Desert Borderlands
Fixed a bug with flickering and phantom walls.
Northwest Tower: Repositioned a floating mortar.
Northeast Tower: Reinforced Walls are now properly labeled.
North Keep: Fixed an issue that caused one of the East Keep guards to appear in and contest this keep.
North Keep: Fixed a bug that was causing the earth turrets to stay on even if a team lost control of the shrines.
West Keep: Updated guard patrol paths to stay near the middle of the keep.
West Keep: Champion Terza Bowsahr is now immune to lava.
West Keep: Repair and Banker NPCs now appear when the keep upgrades.
Camp Northwest: Fixed the Recruit Patrol upgrade guards so they will now appear and patrol properly.
Citadel: Fixed a bug with supplies that could cause supplies to not be subtracted from storage when players picked them up.
Citadel: The supply drop airship art in desert borderlands will now properly sync with team color for the green and blue teams.
Citadel: Fixed a bug preventing many of the Master Crafter NPCs from appearing.
Oasis Event: Reduced the number of Power Cores required to turn in from 20 to 12.
Oasis Event: Removed the map-wide ping when a new Power Core appears or is picked up.
Fixed bugs preventing Repair, Banker and Merchant NPCs from showing up at the correct upgrade tiers at towers and keeps.
Eternal Battlegrounds
Veloka Slope Tower: Fixed a bug preventing the Tower Lord’s health from scaling properly.
Stonemist Castle: Removed a vulture raptor that was floating above the castle.
Guild Claiming
Guild Banners: Defiance bar regeneration has been slowed, and the cooldown has been greatly reduced, allowing the bar to be broken much more often.
Guild Banners: Profession skills like the mesmer’s Continuum Shift skill can no longer be used while carrying a banner.
Guild Banners: The player’s model is now scaled up by 20% while carrying a banner.
Airship Defense: This tactic’s damage has been reduced by 33%.
Chilling Fog: Fixed a bug where the effect tooltip was missing the effect name.
Turtle Banner
Shell Shock: This skill’s tooltip now displays its radius. The radius has been reduced from 360 to 300.
Shell-ter: This skill’s duration has been reduced from 8 seconds to 6 seconds. The maximum number of targets has been reduced from 20 to 10.
Saved by the Shell: This skill’s duration has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds.
Shell Wall: This skill’s duration has been reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
Bomb Shell: The protection and stability durations on this skill have been reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds. Its radius has been reduced from 600 to 450.
Dragon Banner
Dragon’s Might: This skill’s tooltip now shows the correct damage per strike. Enemies standing between two attack regions will no longer be struck twice.
Dragon’s Blast: This skill’s damage has been reduced by 40%.
Dragon’s Wings: This skill no longer deals damage.
Dragon’s Breath: This skill’s duration has been reduced from 15 seconds to 8 seconds. Its damage has been reduced by 40%. Its distance has been reduced from 2,000 to 1,800. Enemies standing between two attack regions will no longer be struck twice.
Centaur Banner
Stampede of Arrows: This skill’s damage has been reduced by 20%. Enemies standing between two attack regions will no longer be struck twice.
Spiked Barricade: This skill’s duration has been reduced from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. Its immobilized duration has been reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds. This skill is now usable while moving and should trigger more accurately when an enemy touches the spike ring.
Guilds
Trophy decorations for Mordremoth, the Shatterer, Tequatl the Sunless, the Chak Gerent, Triple Trouble, and the raid bosses have been added to the guild decoration vendor and scribe.
Essence of Light now is dropping correctly.
The Thorny Jack-o’-Lantern decoration can now be removed.
The Simple Shelf decoration is now using a different model than basic shelf.
World Bosses
The Shatterer
Fixed a bug that allowed the Shatterer to be permanently blinded, blocking progress for a Legendary Journey and an achievement.
The Shatterer now has its own achievement category.
Added a new “Branded Backpiece” as a meta-achievement reward.
The Shatterer’s daily chest now has two guaranteed rare items instead of one.
Collectibles for new guild-hall trophy decorations have been added to the chest
Claw Strike “Impale” waves go 360 degrees around the Shatterer’s claw impact, instead of only in a forward angle to mitigate safe zones on the sides of the dragon.
Healing Pulsating Crystals are now indestructible until the defiance bar is broken.
Healing Pulsating Crystals now heal the Shatterer for for more health per pulse.
There is now a longer delay between when the Shatterer enters this phase and when it starts regenerating.
Shard Storm phase is now preventable by breaking the Shatterer’s defiance bar.
If successfully broken, the Shatterer will fall to the ground and become vulnerable for a short time.
Shard Storm summons more Branded, strikes more points, and extends to the siege weapon areas.
Increased the number of projectiles, widened the firing angle and extended the range of the Shatterer’s Crystal Fire attack.
Expanded the Exploding Crystal patterns to remove safe zones near the Shatterer’s feet.
Crystal Imprisonment will no longer hit stealthed players.
The Shatterer’s Shattering Roar attack now seconds as a call for reinforcements.
A Branded lieutenant will show up with some allies on the right and left sides of the Shatterer. These Branded will attack toward the siege weapons.
The Shatterer’s Shattering Roar now taunts players.
The Shatterer’s Imprisonment Crystals now cause area damage to players if not destroyed before the Shatterer roars.
Reduced the freeze duration of Imprisonment Crystals from 20 seconds to 5 seconds, allowing entrapped players to break themselves out of their own prisons.
Reduced the health and defense of Imprisonment Crystals, making it easier to break them prior to the Shatterer roaring and the area damage.
Improved Mortars and Turrets.
Mortars now use ground targeting.
Improved Mortar Healing Rounds.
Leaves behind med kits in addition to the initial splash heal.
Applies 4 seconds of protection to allies within the initial splash-heal radius.
Mortars now turn 400% faster.
Attempting to fire at an invalid target no longer activates the recharge on the turrets.
Increased the firing angle of turrets from 45 degrees to 90 degrees.
Increased the attack rate of turrets by 33%.
Added control effects to artillery and to turrets so they can contribute to breaking defiance bars.
Turret 1 Attack:
Increased stun duration from knockback from 1 second to 2 seconds.
Increased damage.
Turret 2 Attack:
Shrapnel Blast now creates a bleeding and crippling field.
Mortar Attack:
Now causes knockdown.
Enabled gliding in the map and added launch pads that launch you into the air and give you a “bomber” bundle item
Drop Bombs:
Damage and knock down foes.
Drop Med Kits:
Grant healing and protection.
Leaves behind med kits for players to pick up.
Consume Med Kit:
Self-heal that grants regeneration.
BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions
Every Black Lion Chest includes a bonus Personalized Homemade Lucky Envelope.
Added rare drop stronghold champion skins: Elite Glorious Tybalt, Steampunk Tybalt, and Orrian Armor Tybalt.
Returned Lunar New Year seasonal items to the Gem Store:
Red Lantern Kite in the Toys category for 250 gems.
Crimson Lion Dye in the Special category for 125 gems.
Confetti Mail Carrier in the Account Upgrades category for 300 gems.
To celebrate gliding in Central Tyria, we’ve returned the following glider combo packs:
Black Wings Glider Combo in the Style category for 700 gems.
White Wings Glider Combo in the Style category for 700 gems.
Bat Wings Glider Combo in the Style category for 700 gems.
HEART OF MAGUUMA—REWARDS AND EXPERIENCE
The rewards in the Heart of Thorns™ maps have had a significant rebalance focused on providing more frequent rewards while playing through all content on these maps. Many of these changes were made in concert with the map event structure changes, but general changes were also made that will make exploration and solo play in the map more rewarding. Finally, some new rewards were added for both veteran and new explorers of Maguuma.
Experience from killing creatures has been increased by 50%.
Events in the Heart of Thorns maps are no longer subject to diminishing returns for their rewards.
In the portions of the Heart of Thorns maps that no longer use the map-wide progress bar (“Securing Verdant Brink,” “Defending Tarir,” “Advancing Across Tangled Roots”) have had rewards added to the individual events. These give experience points, map currencies, keys to map chests, and other goodies.
Rewards that now come from individual events have been rebalanced and consolidated into a smaller number of bags, reducing the number of inventory slots that players’ loot takes up during these event chains.
All maps should give more of their appropriate currencies and keys for completing event chains, and new chests will appear while completing an event chain.
New items have been added for defeating map bosses, offering players a choice of items including ascended crafting materials, currencies for collections, and other valuable goods.
Mastery vendors across the maps have acquired new souvenirs for heroes to purchase. Players can now take home their own Exalted Chest, Crystallized Supply Cache, and Airship Cargo into their home instances. These can be opened once per day and come with 3 keys.
Adventures are easier to access, easier to complete, and have increased experience rewards.
HEART OF MAGUUMA—MAP CHANGES
We revamped map event rewards, splitting rewards out of many meta-event chains into their individual events to free players from feeling trapped by map cycles or by the progression state of the map they’re placed in. We revisited the events and rewards in the Maguuma Jungle maps to allow for greater single-player accessibility and progression while still allowing for key bigger moments in which players can join up and work together toward map-wide objectives. Players will now be rewarded more often from events as they explore the jungle, and they should find it easier to complete the map-wide events with organization.
Verdant Brink
Events
The daytime map reward structure has changed. Rewards during this phase will be given out incrementally through events instead of through a map-wide progress bar.
All waypoints during the “Night and the Enemy” meta-event will be available by default. Previously, the number of waypoints available depended on the progression of each hub during the daytime period.
Completing the nighttime phase at the highest security level will now award the player their choice of equipment from the Bladed armor set.
Reduced the number of items required to complete the “Salvage damaged armaments to build bombs” event, and the number of items required now scales based on the number of participants.
Reduced the number of items required to complete the “Salvage supplies from the Ordnance Corps airship wreckage” event, and the number of items required now scales based on the number of participants.
Replaced the enemies that would leave the event area and become difficult to find in the “Escort rescued nobles to the Pact crash site” event.
Reduced the number of items required to complete the “Salvage scrap from the crashed Pact airship for Bongo to reinforce the outpost” event, and the number of items required now scales based on the number of participants.
Increased the speed at which Skybreaker plants bombs in the “Keep enemies away from Skybreaker while she plants explosives” event.
The champions in the “Kill the rampaging Mordrem” nighttime events have been changed to veterans.
The “Clear hostiles from the nobles’ crash site” event no longer begins if the map initializes at night. This event also now fails at night.
The “Clear hostiles from the Ordnance Corps outpost” event no longer begins if the map initializes at night. This event also now fails at night.
The “Destroy the Mordrem breachers to cut off enemy reinforcements” event no longer begins if the map initializes at night. This event also now fails at night.
Laranthir and the Pale Reavers are removed at dawn.
The “Defeat the Mordrem invaders to clear the village” event no longer begins if the map initializes at night. This event also now fails at night.
The “Clear the Pact Camp of Mordrem” event no longer begins if the map initializes at night. This event also now fails at night.
Added repeatable veteran Mordrem kill events to the Jaka Itzel and Pact Encampment outposts.
Itzel hunt events are now set to repeat after the outpost is completed.
Added repeatable survivor-rescue events to the Pact Encampment outpost after the outpost is completed.
Added repeatable corrupted tendril events to the Pact Encampment outpost after the outpost is completed.
Added veteran events around the Noble Ledges area.
Added veteran events around the Broken Bluffs area.
Added veteran events around the Dry Step Mesas area.
Reduced warm-up timers on repeatable events around the Broken Bluffs area.
Waypoints
Jaka Itzel Waypoint will no longer become contested at any point. It has been moved to a safer spot in the Itzel village to accommodate this change.
Faren’s Flyer Waypoint will no longer become contested at any point. It has been moved very slightly to accommodate this change.
Mellaggan’s Valor Waypoint will now only become contested when events pass through its area.
Shrouded Ruins Waypoint will now only become contested when events pass through its area.
General
Decreased enemy spawns in a few choke-point areas that line up with some of the more heavily traveled roads.
Chests awarded by bosses defeated in canopy events have had their models changed and no longer require crowbars.
Adjusted the distribution of Airship Cargo for changes to the meta-event cycle.
Added NPCs near the two Itzel mastery vendors to show off the Bladed armor set.
Added an NPC near the Nuhoch mastery vendor to show off the Chak weapon set.
Hero Challenges
Coztic Itzel Belongings: Adjusted the Precision Strike skill so that the third hit does not do enough damage to down a lightly armored character.
Coztic Itzel Belongings: Adjusted the Spread Shot skill so that all five projectiles cannot hit a single person.
Security Console: Fixed an issue with the Launch Fist skill that caused the targeted players to be pulled regardless of where they were in relation to the fist. This skill now only pulls players in the area the fist travels in front of the golem.
Bug
Fixed a bug that prevented Axemaster Gwyllion’s stealth effect from being removed if his defiance bar was broken.
Auric Basin
Events
When the “Trial by Fire” meta-event begins, Exalted Armor Challenges now always start at the maximum number of armors available. Exalted Armor Challenges will not start if a new map starts during this time.
Participating in the Exalted Armor Challenges during the “Trial by Fire” meta-event now awards personal participation toward the global map progress.
The following events now give an increased amount of player participation toward the map:
The “Destroy the vines blocking Tarir’s entrance” event
The “Defeat the mustering Mordrem before the attack on Tarir begins” event
The “Slay the octovine!” event
Event rewards for slaying the octovine are now given all at once instead of individually. Participating in one “Slay the octovine!” event now gives improved rewards, but players will only be eligible for this reward once.
The “Defending Tarir” event reward structure has changed. Rewards during this phase will now be given out incrementally through events. Small Exalted Chests can now be found near outposts and pylons after they’ve been activated.
Patrolling vinetooth events have been added near Northwatch Descent, Westwatch Patch, Bristleback Chasm, and Southwatch Creep.
Added twelve spring-purification events to Maguuma Shallows, Weeping Glade, and the Falls.
The Maguuma Guardian effect is now a duration effect that increases three minutes for each Maguuma spring cleansed. The three springs in the “Destroy the vinewraths and their Mordrem infestation so Scholar Keenwit can complete the druid ritual” event in the Maguuma Shallows also count toward the effect duration.
Added “Defeat the mustering Mordrem before the attack on Tarir begins” events outside each city gate during the “Trial by Fire” meta-event.
Any veteran Mordrem Guard who survive these events will then move to join the guards at city gates for the “Battle in Tarir” meta-event.
Added three stealth target events near the Falls, Burnisher Quarry, and Bristleback Chasm.
The “Destroy the vines blocking Tarir’s north/south/east/west entrance” events are now correctly marked as group events.
The event creature scaling has been toned down for the “Protect skritt foragers as they return with supplies from the jungle” event.
Waypoints
Northwatch Waypoint, Westwatch Waypoint, and Southwatch Waypoint have been moved slightly and will now remain uncontested.
General
Adjusted the Inner Chamber point of interest so it can now be discovered from outside the entry door.
The AFK timer for enchanted armors now will not begin until the “Battle in Tarir” meta-event has started.
The boundary for enchanted armor around Northwatch Descent has been extended to include the road leading down by the Suspicious Orichalcum Node Hero Challenge.
Added a warning message to help instruct players in enchanted armor to turn back once they’ve reached a boundary.
The Inner Chamber can now be accessed by anyone who has completed the Exalted Markings Mastery training.
Added NPCs near the Itzel mastery vendor to show off the Bladed armor set.
Added an NPC near the Nuhoch mastery vendor to show off the Chak weapon set.
Added 12 hidden chests, bringing the total to 24 in the map.
Hero Challenges
“Hero Challenge: Defeat the Tarnished Sage” has been moved into an open room beneath Tarir.
Bugs
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the failure message to appear when the “Battle in Tarir” meta-event was completed successfully.
Fixed a bug that caused the mushroom transform to be removed when players were hit by the octovine’s poison attack.
Fixed an overabundance of pocket raptors near Maguuma Shallows.
Fixed hidden chests to spawn correctly at Griffonfall, Burnisher Quarry, and Weeping Glade.
Fixed a visual seam in the world map along the south edge of Auric Basin in the zoomed-out view of the Tyria (Surface) level.
Tangled Depths
Events
Changed the “King of the Jungle” meta-event reward structure (during the build-up period to the chak gerent). Rewards during this phase will be given out incrementally through events instead of through a map-wide progress bar.
Decoupled the chak gerent lanes from the building phases and removed the corresponding bonuses, with the exception of the jumping mushrooms in the Nuhoch Lane and the bonus eggs in the Ogre Lane.
Revisited participation awards for the chak gerent fight to reflect overall changes to the map-wide progress structure. Players who have participated from the start of the chak gerent phase will now reach the 100% goal, and the potential of lane hopping to boost players’ participation percentage has been removed.
The chak gerent now takes increased damage when its defiance bar is broken.
Adjusted the difficulty of events in the chak gerent lanes to account for the lack of lane bonuses.
Added several new events after the outpost building phase for more solo content.
Adjusted the balance of the “Protect the newly hatched beetle larvae until they reach a stable population” event.
Adjusted the balance of the “Defend the beetle larvae as they search for a place to metamorphose” event.
Revisited the flow of the champion events after building phases.
Fixed a bug in the “Draw the shielded golem’s fire while Agent Zildi reprograms it” event that awarded participation to anyone nearby even when the event wasn’t active.
Fixed the scaling of the chak in the “Join Shrael Backstab on his recon mission” event.
Adjusted the requirements for the event participation thresholds (bronze, silver, gold) for the “Join Shrael Backstab on his recon mission” event.
Fixed a scaling issue with the “Kill nearby mushrooms to provide the Nuhoch’s beetles with food” event.
Fixed a scaling issue with the “Lure the beetles near mushrooms to calm them by releasing spores from nodules” event. More bait sticks have also been added to this event.
Adjusted how players receive participation as well as the requirements for the event participation thresholds (bronze, silver, and gold) for the “Protect Zildi while she hacks the defense matrix” event.
Changed the range at which the “Collect spore samples and turn them in to Kott’s Assistant” event broadcasts. The timer on this event has also been increased.
General
Chak goop now no longer affects player speed if that player has the Nuhoch Alchemy Mastery.
Added NPCs near the Itzel mastery vendor to show off the Bladed armor set.
Added NPCs near the two Nuhoch mastery vendors to show off the Chak weapon set.
Fixed some hostility issues with the natural creatures.
Doubled the number of Crystallized Supply Caches on the map.
Changed the lane defender achievements to award achievements without regard to which stage the gerent was killed in.
Bugs
Fixed several vistas to properly display on the upper level of the world map.
Added an icon to the chak gerent boss chest.
Fixed a bug that would sometimes remove the visual cues for the chak gerent’s skill effects.
Fixed a bug that prevented the bonus chest for the “Collect chak eggs so the ogres can research them” event from appearing.
Dragon’s Stand
Events
Increased the timer after victory from 15 to 25 minutes.
A new reward item, available once per day, has been added to Mordremoth’s cache.
General
The Juvenile Electric Wyvern pet is now available from the Wyvern Nest after players take control of the Central Advance Camp.
The Juvenile Tiger is no longer hidden in an area that can only be accessed once the Mouth of Mordremoth has been defeated.
Noxious pods now have a glow that is visible through terrain.
All areas the Blighting Trees previously blocked until the boss’s defeat are now unlocked.
The Whispers Keeper at the Pact Base Camp now has access to the full services that his counterpart on Mordremoth’s Vantage has.
The Whispers Keepers now also sell boxes for each of the Leystone armor pieces in exchange for Ley-Line Crystals, Piles of Auric Dust, Airship Parts, and Crystalline Ore.
Added NPCs near the map currency vendor to show off the Leystone armor set.
Noxious pods now spawn near the forward camps and advance camps when they are captured by allied forces. Additional pods will become available for each additional group of allies that the players obtain.
HEART OF MAGUUMA—ADVENTURES
Adventures are now unlocked more often. They have more forgiving time limits and allow players to more easily reach bronze, silver, and gold completion. They also give more experience for reaching those completion tiers.
Unlocking and Accessing Adventures
The Tendril Torchers and Salvage Pit adventures in Verdant Brink have both been altered to stay unlocked during the entire daytime period.
The Shooting Gallery adventure in Verdant Brink has been altered to be unlocked during most of the day, except when the following events move through the space:
The “Defend the Pact encampment against hylek attacks” event
The “Salvage scrap from the crashed Pact airship for Bongo to reinforce the outpost” event
The “Help Faren train to be a swordsmaster” event
All adventures in Auric Basin will now remain unlocked except during the “Battle in Tarir” meta-event.
The Beetle Feast and Scrap Rifle Field Test adventures in Tangled Depths will now remain available when the chak gerent isn’t present.
Time Limits
Bugs in the Branches: Added 5 seconds to the time limit.
Shooting Gallery: Added 30 seconds to the time limit.
Fallen Masks: Added 15 seconds to the time limit.
On Wings of Gold: Added an updraft near Northgate to make it easier to reach the adventure.
A Fungus Among Us: Changed the time required to achieve a gold ranking to 1 minute and 25 seconds.
The Floor Is Lava?: Added 15 seconds to the time limit.
Haywire Punch-o-Matic Battle: Added 5 seconds to the time limit. Also added a world-map marker in Tangled Depths.
Sanctum Scramble: Changed the time required to achieve a gold ranking to 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
Scrap Rifle Field Test: Added a world-map marker in Tangled Depths.
Rewards
Adventures now give increased experience in their daily bronze, silver, and gold rewards.
ACHIEVEMENTS
We overhauled daily achievements, adding new, specific Heart of Thorns dailies for those who own the expansion, plus new jumping puzzle, minidungeon, and dungeon path dailies to the regular rotation. These changes—plus the addition of a new flat gold reward for completing the Daily Completionist achievement—should encourage players to explore a wider variety of content.
Completing the daily meta-achievement now additionally rewards players with 2 gold.
New daily achievements have been added to the rotation:
Heart of Thorns Dailies: Specific dailies for Heart of Thorns will only appear in a player’s rotation if they own the expansion. The following dailies have a chance to replace similar dailies currently in the rotation:
Daily Verdant Brink Event Completer
Daily Auric Basin Event Completer
Daily Tangled Depths Event Completer
Daily Dragon’s Stand Event Completer
Daily Heart of Maguuma Miner
Daily Heart of Maguuma Lumberer
Daily Heart of Maguuma Forager
Daily Heart of Maguuma Vista Viewer
Earn bronze or better in these adventures:
A Fungus Among Us
Beetle Feast
Bugs in the Branches
Drone Race
Fallen Masks
Flying Circus
Haywire Punch-o-Matic Battle
On Wings of Gold
Sanctum Scramble
Scrap Rifle Field Test
Shooting Gallery
Tendril Torchers
The Floor Is Lava?
The Ley-Line Run
Complete daily jumping-puzzle achievements:
Antre of Adjournment
Behem Gauntlet
Branded Mine
Buried Archives
Chaos Crystal Cavern
Coddler’s Cove
Conundrum Cubed
Crash Site
Craze’s Folly
Crimson Plateau
Dark Reverie
Demongrub Pits
Fawcett’s Bounty
Goemm’s Lab
Grendich Gamble
Griffonrook Run
Hexfoundry
Hidden Garden
King Jalis’s Refuge
Loreclaw Expanse
Morgan’s Leap
Only Zuhl
Pig Iron Quarry
Professor Portmatt’s Lab
Scavenger’s Chasm
Shaman’s Rookery
Shattered Ice Ruins
Skipping Stones
Spekk’s Lab
Spelunker’s Delve
Swashbuckler’s Cove
The Collapsed Observatory
Tribulation Caverns
Tribulation Rift
Under New Management
Urmaug’s Secret
Vizier’s Tower
Wall Breach Blitz
Weyandt’s Revenge
Complete daily minidungeon achievements:
Bad Neighborhood
Don’t Touch the Shiny
Forgotten Stream
Forsaken Fortune
Goff’s Loot
Grounded
Magellan’s Memento
Rebel’s Seclusion
Ship of Sorrows
Tears of Itlaocol
The Long Way Around
Vexa’s Lab
Windy Cave
Complete 1 explorable path from a dungeon:
Ascalonian Catacombs
Caudecus’s Manor
Twilight Arbor
Sorrow’s Embrace
Citadel of Flame
Honor of the Waves
Crucible of Eternity
The Ruined City of Arah
Collections for the unique weapons for each specialization now require bronze in the requisite adventure instead of silver.
A new repeatable dungeon achievement has been added. See the Dungeons section below.
DUNGEONS
We increased dungeon rewards, including both gold and tokens. We chose to use a repeatable achievement to deliver gold rewards, as it encourages completing multiple dungeon paths while allowing dungeon runners to play as many dungeons as they like when it’s convenient for them, rather than tying players to a daily reset.
Added a new repeatable achievement for completing 8 unique dungeon paths. Completing this achievement will award players with 5 gold and 150 tokens from the dungeon of their choice.
Dungeon tokens given in the daily bonus chest awarded the first time each dungeon path is completed have been increased from 40 to 80 tokens.
All Aetherblade weapons now drop much more frequently from the chest that is awarded after defeating the Clockheart boss at the end of the Aetherblade path of the Twilight Arbor explorable-mode dungeon.
FRACTALS OF THE MISTS
Ad Infinitum
Players are now able to complete the quest to obtain Ad Infinitum, the legendary backpack! Once they have crafted Unbound, they can speak to Kelvei to unlock the fourth collection and start the last part of the journey.
Fractal Tiers
We are changing the way that we break up fractal scales into tiers.
Casual tier has been renamed Initiate tier.
Core tier has been renamed Adept tier.
Elite tier has been split into Expert tier and Master tier.
Initiate tier now covers scales 1 – 25, Adept tier covers scales 26 – 50, Expert tier covers scales 51 – 75, and Master tier covers scales 76 – 100.
Tiers in the Looking for Group UI have been updated to reflect these changes.
Achievements
We have created a new set of daily achievements inside of fractals that will replace the old dailies. These new daily achievements are designed to encourage players to complete fractals appropriate to their skill level by giving them cumulative rewards for completing fractals at higher scales.
Each day there will be 3 recommended islands given to players, with each island having daily achievements for completing it at or above scale 1, at or above scale 26, at or above scale 51, and at or above scale 76. Players will be awarded the daily achievement for that recommended island when completing it at that scale or higher. As an example, if one of the recommended islands is Uncategorized, players can complete Uncategorized at scale 62 to attain the achievements for completing it at or above scale 1, 26, and 51 in a single run. The achievement for scale 76 or above will remain locked unless players complete Uncategorized at either scale 79 or 91. The following changes were made to fractal achievements:
Retired the existing Daily Fractal Adept, Veteran, and Champion achievements.
Created new Initiate, Adept, Expert, and Master daily island achievement tiers.
Completing a high-tier daily island achievement will also award players the corresponding lower tier achievements.
Adjusted the drop rates of the daily achievement chests.
Preexisting Veteran Chests of the Mists and Champion Chests of the Mists have retained their old drop rates as the drop rates of the new chests are radically different.
Renamed the Elite Veteran Fractal Hero and Elite Master Fractal Hero achievements for scales 51 – 75 and 76 – 100 to Fractal Expert and Fractal Master.
Retired the existing Core Fractal Hero and Casual Fractal Hero achievements for scales 1 – 20 and 21 – 50.
Created new Fractal Initiate and Fractal Adept achievements for scales 1 – 25 and 26 – 50.
UI
We have made some quality-of-life improvements to several fractal UI elements.
The Fractals of the Mists UI’s scale selection is now a drop-down list that includes the fractal scale, name, and suggested agony resistance.
The Fractal Transit Query UI from the Mistlock Observatory now has a “Yes” and “No” option.
Mistlock Instabilities
At higher fractal scales, players suffer from Mistlock Instabilities—effects that increase the challenge of a given fractal. Unfortunately, many of the current instabilities are frustrating rather than fun, so we’re making several balance changes to remove the biggest pain points when playing with these instabilities.
Boon Fumbler: This instability has been replaced with Lethargic, which reduces endurance regeneration by 50%.
No Pain, No Gain: This instability now grants a specific set of boons when enemies are hit, and it has a 20-second cooldown. The boons applied are protection, 3 stacks of stability, and 10 stacks of might, each with a duration of 20 seconds.
Last Laugh: Improved the visibility of the warning circle that appears before the explosion.
Afflicted: This instability now only applies damaging conditions (bleeding, burning, torment, confusion, and poison). The duration of the applied conditions has been adjusted for balance.
Boon Thieves: Enemies now steal up to 5 boons at once. This instability has a 20-second cooldown.
Social Awkwardness: This instability is now only active while in combat.
Aetherblade
Added gadget markers to trap disablers.
Fixed several blocking issues that could prevent the fractal from progressing.
Aetherblade Boss
Fixed a bug that prevented First Mate Horrik from properly vocalizing “Aye, aye, Captain” when given orders.
Aquatic Ruins
Fixed an issue with bosses resetting before the party was defeated.
Cliffside
Cliffside has long been one of the more lengthy fractals, so a prime focus of this update was to rework it to have better pacing while also changing some of the mechanics to be more engaging or less unfair at higher scales. With this release, Cliffside should be less tedious and include improvements on the things that make it unique.
Pacing Changes
One of the more notable changes is that we have removed the boss fight at the beginning—because why fight the Archdiviner twice? We have also changed the layout of the map so that players can ascend to the top faster. In addition, the wind and explosive traps can now be disabled, much like the traps in the Aetherblade fractal, and the checkpoints are more forgiving. The various seal events will also progress faster now?—particularly the arm seal event, which was notoriously difficult at higher scales. We made the following changes to Cliffside’s pacing:
Replaced the first Archdiviner fight with a simple kill event.
Created new, shorter paths through the fractal.
Reduced the number of hits required for the chest seal to 5 and changed the mechanics to promote movement.
Added the ability to disable wind and explosive traps.
Added another hammer-giving NPC after the wind traps.
Reworked checkpoints to reduce the time players spent running after defeats.
Removed the superfluous fifth strike from the last seal.
Made a change so that there are always 5 chanters for the arms event instead of scaling with the fractal scale.
The hammer now inflicts 40% damage to seal health instead of 35% for the arms event.
Made a change so that falling off of a trap does 75% health damage instead of 100%.
Missing with the hammer’s Seal Breaker skill no longer consumes the skill.
Archdiviner Boss Rework
Before now, as players increased in fractal scale, the combat mechanics for the Archdiviner remained about the same. Enemies gain more health and do more damage, but fundamentally fighting the boss at scale 7 was no different from fighting him at scale 94 if we ignore instabilities. This kind of difficulty progression is rather dull and is not what we envision for fractals.
For this reason, the final fight with the Archdiviner has received a major rework. He has had his health greatly reduced, and he now has new abilities that enable or increase in difficulty at higher scales. For instance, he has a new cone area-of-effect attack that can be broken, which gives players less time to stun him as the scale increases. We also improved some of his old abilities, such as changing his cage ability to be a delayed area-of-effect attack that increases in radius with scale. This makes the fight much more engaging and requires both melee and ranged players to pay attention and dodge effectively, particularly at the highest scales. The Archdiviner is merely the first boss to receive a rework, and we plan to extend this sort of difficulty scaling to more fractal bosses in the future. We’ve made the following change to the Archdiviner boss fight:
Greatly reduced the Archdiviner’s health.
Difficulty now increases at higher scales via harder mechanics.
Added a conic hammer slam attack that scales in speed at higher difficulties.
Made the defiance bar only active during the conic attack and Corrupted Ground area-of-effect attack.
Added a rush/teleport attack at scales 25 – 100 that is active throughout the fight.
Added a projectile-blocking wall (which reflects at scales 51 – 100) that is active for the first 50% of health.
At scales 51 – 100, the Backbreaker heavy attack replaces the basic attack for the last 50% of health.
At or above scale 76, the Archdiver turns into a demon avatar at 25% health, an alternate form of the revenant’s Embrace the Darkness legendary demon stance.
Added a permanent protection effect at 50% health to partially compensate for his reduced health.
Added a permanent swiftness effect at 25% heath.
Reduced the seal stun time from 5 seconds to 1 second.
Reduced the difficulty of the second cultist wave after missing with the cultist’s hammer.
The Archdiviner now also joins the fight if players attack the initial four cultists.
Changed the cage attack to create an area-of-effect circle that can be dodged so players can avoid being caged.
Removed the Nova bright area blast attack that applied reflect.
Increased the pull attack’s projectile damage.
The cages now apply torment.
Miscellaneous Changes
Another big problem point is that the cultist hammer’s mechanic was quite confusing to many players, who would avoid the hammer because they didn’t understand how it worked. Now the hammer will display a marker over the head of any player who picks it up, which will change color and blink as the hammer corrupts them. This allows all players to visually see the danger of the hammer without watching effect bars, and it also makes it easy for the party to tell who has the hammer. We made several miscellaneous changes:
Added a blinking hammer marker when the player is holding the hammer.
Added a pick-up marker to the hammer.
Removed point animation from some NPCs.
Added a map marker indicating the direction to the “Destroy the final seal” event after the “Break the arm seals” event is completed.
Changed the hammer corruption so that it constantly increases while the hammer is equipped and constantly decreases when it’s not equipped.
Braziers now apply constant burning that can be cleared.
Renamed Novice to Fanatic.
Fixed the reset for the arm seal event.
The cages during the boss fight have had their health increased but now take damage from conditions and critical hits.
Changed the audio for the seal bubble shields.
Molten Boss
The Champion Molten Effigy is no longer immune to certain control effects and now has a slightly tougher defiance bar to compensate.
Molten Furnace
The thermal core has had its health increased but now takes damage from conditions and critical hits.
Invisible gadgets in the drill tunnel can no longer be attacked.
Snowblind
Increased the visibility of the lightning strike locations during the ice elemental encounter.
Solid Ocean
Added a checkpoint and made player recovery after falling off platforms more forgiving.
Removed the 30-second wait at the end of the fractal.
Swampland
Bloomhunger is no longer immune to certain control effects.
Increased the Mossman’s size by 25%.
Fixed a bug in which the Mossman’s basic cleave attack would miss players who were standing above him.
Thaumanova Reactor
Reduced the number of portals that appear.
The portals and dormitory gates have had their health increased but now take damage from conditions and critical hits.
Fixed the vomit ability to correctly show the vomit effect in the fire room.
Added markers over the cooling rods to prevent them from being lost.
The final chest can now be autolooted.
Added a checkpoint near the walkway console.
Uncategorized
The power source has had its health increased but now takes damage from conditions and critical hits.
Added a defiance bar to Old Tom.
Fixed a bug that prevented Old Tom from dropping loot.
Underground Facility
The Dredge Power Suit and Rampaging Ice Elemental bosses now take additional condition damage while superheated.
The Superheated skill now prevents the bosses from clearing conditions when they attempt to heal.
Rabsovich can no longer be damaged before he appears.
Players no longer have to target the Reinforced Door to damage it with the Dredge Mining Cannons.
Urban Battleground
Siege weapons have had their health increased but now take damage from conditions and critical hits.
Volcanic
The molten boulders that appear in this fractal can no longer be targeted.
Renamed the molten boulders’ attacks from “Slick Shoes” to “Fire Trail” and “Crush.”
Fixed a bug that caused the grawl shaman to be immune to control effects.
The bonus chest for saving all four prisoners from the grawl shaman can now be autolooted.
General Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that prevented the Mist Offensive Potion from increasing outgoing condition damage.
Fixed a bug that prevented the Mist Defensive Potion from reducing incoming condition damage.
Fixed a bug that caused the Anguished Tear of Alba to only apply its effects for 30 minutes instead of 1 hour.
Fixed a bug that caused the Anguished Tear of Alba to apply a stack of the Mist Defensive Potion effect.
LEGENDARY JOURNEY—CHUKA AND CHAMPAWAT
Every true hunter is responsible for the lives they take. Embark on a hunt for the two great tigers Chuka and Champawat and build the legendary short bow that bears their names.
A new legendary journey is now available:
Speak to Grandmaster Craftsman Hobbs in Lion’s Arch to begin a great hunt for a pair of legendary tigers rampaging through Tyria.
Completing this journey will reward the short-bow precursor Tigris and the ability to create the legendary short bow Chuka and Champawat.
A new achievement has been added to the exploration category—Spirit of the Tiger. Seek out tiger dens throughout Tyria and earn the Mini Tiger Spirit.
The Mini Tiger Spirit is required to complete this legendary journey, but the Spirit of the Tiger achievement is available to everyone.
LEVEL-80 BOOST
A new Level-80 Boost consumable has been added to the game for all players who have purchased or will purchase Heart of Thorns. All Heart of Thorns owners will receive a Level-80 Boost consumable. In addition, this item will automatically be delivered in a one-time, free Shared Inventory Slot, which will not count toward the Gem Store limit of shared inventory slot purchases. Because so much of our Heart of Thorns content is for level-80 players, we want everyone to be able to experience this content as soon as possible. Furthermore, we want players to be able to experiment at their own pace and make sure the character they are boosting is the one they really want to permanently boost to level 80. With this in mind, we have included a trial mode in the Level-80 Boost that players can use on any character below level 80.
For any characters that are not yet level 80 that players would like to try the Level-80 Boost on, they can simply double-click the Level-80 Boost item in their inventory to receive the option to enter the trial mode for the Level-80 Boost. Upon beginning the trial, players’ characters will be placed in the Silverwastes, where they will be able to interact with other level-80 players and join them in the Silverwastes meta-events and exploration for an unlimited amount of time! Until a player commits to being level 80 permanently on any character, removes the boost, or attempts to leave the Silverwastes, they will be able to play as long as they desire while they decide if they enjoy how their profession plays at level 80.
We want this consumable to be convenient and fun for players, and we’ve made it so players can use the item as many times as they want until they find the character they’re are happiest with and commit to making it permanently level 80. Players who make new characters for this boost will be able to use it the moment they finish the tutorial for their race. Players who have been leveling but haven’t reached level 80 yet can use this boost immediately! For those who are level 80 already who may not want another max-level character, there will be no trial, but instead they will have the option to consume the boost to receive the Level-80 Boost Package and equipment.
If a player should decide to undo the Level-80 Boost and leave the trial mode, their character will be returned to its original level with its previous gear equipped. Any specializations, skills, and utilities reset to their former selections and the player will be teleported to their home city. If they should decide to make the boost permanent, any restrictions they faced while in the trial will be instantly lifted, the Level-80 Boost item will be consumed, their trial equipment will be replaced by a permanent set of exotic equipment that shares the same qualities as their trial gear, and a Level-80 Boost Package filled with rewards will be placed in their inventory. They will now be able to take full advantage of Heart of Thorns as a level-80 character. Any characters still in the Level-80 Boost trial when the boost is made permanent on another character will be returned to their home city with the character’s original gear and equipment when they log in with the characters still in trial mode.
Receiving the Level-80 Boost Item
The Level-80 Boost item will be automatically granted to all current Heart of Thorns owners and to any future players who upgrade to Heart of Thorns as part of their purchase.
The Level-80 Boost item delivered to Heart of Thorns owners will be delivered directly to a new, one-time, free Shared Inventory Slot.
The Level-80 Boost item for Heart of Thorns owners cannot be moved from the free Shared Inventory Slot it was delivered in until it has been consumed by the player, making the boost permanent.
This shared inventory slot does not count toward a player’s allowed purchase limit of Shared Inventory Slots from the Gem Store.
Using the Level-80 Boost Item on Characters below Level 80
Players can double-click the Level-80 Boost item to select the option to begin the Level-80 trial for the active character.
Players can use the boost to begin the level-80 trial on any character under level 80.
Players cannot use the Level-80 Boost item while they are in the tutorial for their race.
Using the Level-80 Boost Item on Characters Already at Level 80
Level-80 characters who use this item will not be able to enter the Level-80 trial but will instead be given the option to consume the Level-80 Boost to instantly be granted the permanent rewards.
These are the same rewards given to those who use the trial option and then make the boost permanent (see “Making the Level-80 Boost Permanent” below).
Boosting Multiple Characters with the Level-80 Boost
A single Level-80 Boost item can be used to put any number of the player’s characters into a level-80 trial, but only one character can consume the item and make the boost permanent.
When the player logs in to one of their other characters that is in a level-80 trial after consuming the item, that character will be reverted and teleported to their home city per the effects of undoing the boost (see “Undoing the Level-80 Boost Trial” below).
During the Level-80 Boost Trial
Once the Level-80 Boost trial is activated, the character will be sent to the Silverwastes and will begin a conversation with Quartermaster Criswell, who has been assigned the task of guiding those undergoing the Level-80 Boost trial.
Quartermaster Criswell has been coached to provide the player with assistance with the Level-80 Boost trial.
Quartermaster Criswell has been authorized to replace players’ trial equipment if they delete it.
Quartermaster Criswell will only offer this service to those who are active in the trial.
Quartermaster Criswell has been authorized to assist players in obtaining a level-80 build balanced for survivability and damage.
Quartermaster Criswell will provide this service to all Heart of Thorns adventurers in the Silverwastes—regardless of whether they have used a Level-80 Boost—provided they already have their basic trait and skill lines unlocked.
Equipment held by the character prior to the boost trial will be placed in a Package of Old Equipment for safekeeping until the player undoes the boost or commits to making the boost permanent.
There is no time limit on the trial; players will be able to play in the Silverwastes until the Level-80 Boost item has been consumed and the player has committed to making the boost permanent.
Characters using the Level-80 Boost trial will have certain restrictions that will only exist while the trial is active:
They will not gain level experience.
They will not be able to activate Hero Challenges.
They will not be able to access their Story Journal.
They will not be able to apply transmutations to their armor.
They will not be able to travel to or queue for WvW or sPvP without making the boost permanent for their character.
They will not be able to use items to teleport out of the Silverwastes without making the boost permanent for their character.
They will not be able to leave the Silverwastes without making the boost permanent for their character.
Undoing the Level-80 Boost Trial
Characters who enter the Level-80 Boost trial can undo the boost by double-clicking on the Level-80 Boost item in their inventory and selecting the option “Undo Boost.” They can also access this prompt by attempting to leave the Silverwastes. This will only affect the currently active character. The following occurs when a player undoes the Level-80 Boost trial:
All equipment granted by the Level-80 Boost trial will be removed.
They will be restored to the level and build they had prior to activating the Level-80 Boost trial on that character.
All of their prior equipment will be automatically reequipped.
They will be returned to their home city.
They will keep any equipment and/or items they have collected during the trial.
Characters will retain any waypoints, vistas, and points of interest they have unlocked.
Making the Level-80 Boost Permanent
Players in the Level-80 Boost trial who double-click on the Level-80 Boost item and select the option to consume it will be given the choice to make the boost permanent. They can also access this prompt by attempting to leave the Silverwastes. Players who make the Level-80 Boost permanent receive the following benefits:
Waypoints on their character will be unlocked for Gate Hub Plaza (Lion’s Arch), Dry Top Entry (Dry Top), Arundon (Frostgorge Sound), and Fort Trinity (Straits of Devastation) if they haven’t unlocked them previously.
The equipment provided during the trial will be transformed into a full set of permanent equipment.
They will be granted a Level-80 Boost Package, which will replace the Level-80 Boost item in their inventory (see “The Level-80 Boost Package” below).
The Level-80 Boost Package
The Level-80 Boost Package chest can be moved freely around the player’s inventory.
The Level-80 Boost Package chest grants the player several items to help on the journey through Tyria and beyond:
4 15-slot Leather Bags
An Orichalcum Harvesting Sickle
An Orichalcum Logging Axe
An Orichalcum Mining Pick
A Mystic Salvage Kit
5 Teleport to Friend consumables
1 Celebratory Dye Pack
1 Dye Pack
1 Celebration Booster
A stack of 25 food and 25 utility consumables
2 Gold
LOOKING FOR GROUP
The Looking for Group (LFG) tool has been updated to handle groups larger than five members and to be better equipped to respond to the ever-evolving needs of players. Efforts were made to support current player use cases as well as make it more clear which of the broad categories is most appropriate to list an advertisement under. Additionally, players can rely on description searches to help more postings get exposure. Moving forward, we are open to the idea of more granular subcategories and will continue to monitor LFG use.
Added many new categories and subcategories in the Looking for Group tool.
Open World:
Central Tyria—Parties
Central Tyria—Squads
World Bosses
Verdant Brink
Auric Basin
Tangled Depths
Dragon’s Stand
Achievements:
Achievement Hunters Central
Story Journal:
My Story
Heart of Thorns
Living World
Mentoring:
Adventurer’s Guild
World vs. World:
Squad Play
Party Play
Raids:
Forsaken Thicket (Looking for Group)
Forsaken Thicket (Looking for More)
Role-Play:
Fountain of Rurikton
Player vs. Player, Fractals of the Mists, and Dungeon LFG categories are unchanged.
Squads can now be advertised in LFG.
Squads can be merged with other squads. Be aware that merging a squad with another already-listed squad will relinquish any leadership rights players have over their current squad.
Only the commander of a squad can list, merge, and invite from the LFG tool. If a player is in a squad lacking a commander, all members can list, merge, and invite from the LFG tool.
Parties can be invited to squads. Party members who join the squad will leave their party.
Players must select a subcategory before advertising or searching.
Subcategory icons have been added to differentiate the type of LFG postings.
While advertising, players may now look through other LFG category listings. For example, while advertising in Achievement Hunters Central, players can check the listings in Adventurer’s Guild.
The following table shows the results of various joining options:
Advertising Party	Advertising Squad
User Joining	User joins party.	User joins squad.
Party Joining	Party joins party (if there is room).	Party joins squad (if there is room).
Squad Joining	Squad leader (and members with permission) invites the party members to the squad.	Squad joins squad (if there is room, and with proper permissions).
Parties
A new party icon has been added so individuals in single-person parties can tell that they are in a party.
Squads
Subgroup members will now sort by commander first, then lieutenants, then profession, with their local tile taking the highest precedence of the aforementioned sort orders.
Squad-member tool tips will now behave as party-member tool tips do, giving full information about the member.
PvP
Our primary goal for this off-season was to update existing Conquest maps, most notably Spirit Watch and Skyhammer. We’re releasing these two maps with “Beta” tags, as we felt that the changes to these maps were substantial enough to change their overall gameplay, and we would like the community to play a role in evaluating these changes before we decide to keep any or all of the updates for next season.
Existing Map Changes
We had a different set of goals and updates for each map, so let’s go through each of them individually.
Spirit Watch
Goal: Make Spirit Watch a more viable competitive map.
With the help of our most competitive players, as well as the rest of the PvP community (many of whom have expressed that Spirit Watch is actually quite close to be “Ranked Ready”), we determined that we could potentially make Spirit Watch a more viable Ranked map by making some adjustments to its secondary mechanic, the Spirit Orb.
Secondary Mechanic Changes: The Spirit Orb
We’ve made a change to the first orb spawn time so that it happens much later than the current Spirit Watch timings, and we’ve also changed how fast the orb respawns once it’s successfully captured. These changes bring the orb more in line with some of our other secondary map mechanics, as part of the reason for these changes is to place further emphasis on the main focus of the map—capture-point combat. Since the number of times the orb will spawn has been reduced, we also wanted to make sure that it had the potential to act more like a periodic swing mechanic. As such, we’ve also increased the number of points that the orb is worth. We also wanted to establish consistency for all professions that carry the orb so that no one profession is better at running it than others. Certain professions have had an unfair advantage as orb carriers in the past, while other professions have had no clear skill advantages when holding the orb whatsoever. Therefore, we’ve added some restrictions to the orb to put all carriers on an equal playing field. This will also place a heavier emphasis on relying on allies to protect and support the orb runner in order to make a successful capture.
Change Summary
Changed the initial spawn time of the Spirit Orb from 10 seconds to 2 minutes.
Changed the Spirit Orb respawn time from 10 seconds to 2 minutes after every successful capture.
Changed the amount of points that the Spirit Orb awards from 15 points to 25 points for a capture point that your team doesn’t control and from 30 points to 50 points for a capture point that your team does control.
Added a transform to the Spirit Orb that locks out profession skills for the orb carrier.
Added superspeed to the list of effects that cannot be applied to an orb carrier.
Skyhammer
Goal: Address problems with map layout and rework the secondary mechanic.
Skyhammer has long been subject to several frustrating elements and a rather unfairly omnipresent secondary mechanic. With the help of player feedback, we’ve identified the areas that could use some improvement, so we’ve also made a number of changes to Skyhammer this off-season to try to fix some of the more glaring issues with the map.
Layout Changes
While allowing players to fall or be knocked off of the edge of the map was originally intended to be a strategic element of gameplay on Skyhammer, in reality it ended up doing a much better job of forcing players to spend a large portion of the match at the bottom of the canyon with the sand wurms. Several professions have traditionally been better suited than others at forcing players in uncontrollable directions, so matches on Skyhammer have typically been decided not by player skill or coordination but by which team simply had more control effects at their disposal. As such, we’ve ultimately decided to make changes that prevent players from being able to fall off the map (except on the Skyhammer platform, so players should still watch their step up there).
Secondary Mechanic Changes: The Skyhammer Platform
One of the other problem areas of Skyhammer was the Skyhammer mechanic itself. The platform was hard to control unless players played a specific build, it was very easy to use once players owned it, and it was also present throughout the entire duration of the match. We really wanted to address the problem of the Skyhammer mechanic being a persistent threat by turning it instead into a temporary event that happens periodically throughout the match. This allows us to bring the Skyhammer in line with other more balanced secondary Conquest mechanics. Rather than feeling obligated to deal with the Skyhammer at all times, players can decide to address it when it _actually _becomes available and then return to focusing on capture points once the event ends.
Change Summary
Created a barrier around the edge of the map to prevent players from falling or being knocked off.
Removed many of the destructible ground panels on the map.
Removed the majority of jump pads from the map and rearranged several remaining ones to key locations.
Adjusted the environment and pathways around Point B.
Reworked the Skyhammer secondary mechanic:
The Skyhammer now becomes available at specific intervals—3 minutes into the match, 6 minutes in, 9 minutes in, and 12 minutes in.
The Skyhammer platform has been redesigned and fitted with several breakable objects that provide temporary cover.
The Skyhammer is now acquirable by capture points, not by gadget interactions.
Upon a successful capture, the Skyhammer will fire once on all three capture points for the capturing team and then become unavailable for a while, damaging any enemies in the blast and neutralizing any capture points that that team doesn’t already own.
Skyhammer blasts can still be dodged by players.
Legacy of the Foefire
Goal: Reduce the effectiveness of “lord rushing.”
We believe that the lords on Foefire have been a bit too effortless as a secondary mechanic in Conquest, so we wanted to adjust the difficulty of attacking an enemy lord in order to make it more challenging.
Secondary Mechanic Changes: Guild Lords
We’ve made several changes to increase guild-lord survivability and give defending teams a better chance of stopping lord rushes. This makes it so that lords can’t simply be soloed or killed instantly by large groups and also ensures that attackers will need to use a finisher on the lord or bleed them out to finish the job. It also gives the defending team a chance to use resurrection skills to get the lord back into the fight. Additionally, we’ve made it so that you’ll no longer be able to pull a single guard without also pulling the entire lord room.
Change Summary
Added a defiance bar for both lord NPCs (stunning a lord now requires breaking the defiance bar).
Added a downed state for both lord NPCs.
Added an area-of-effect knockback skill for lords in the downed state.
Changed the hate table for NPCs in the lord room so that they all respond when one is attacked.
Forest of Niflhel
Goal: Make minor improvements to the secondary mechanic.
The goals for Forest are relatively minor, as Forest is one of our more well-received maps at the moment.
Secondary Mechanic Changes: Chieftain Utahein and Svanir
We’ve changed the times for when Svanir and Chieftain Utahein first appear on the map to encourage teams to focus more on capture points during the early parts of the match.
Change Summary
Changed the initial time before Chieftain Utahein and Svanir appear from 10 seconds to 1 minute.
Build Diversity
During the last off-season, we made several changes to PvP equipment, including removing some amulets and runes as well as adding a handful of new ones. This off-season, we’re also adding a couple of new four-stat amulets to the PvP Build panel (for free).
Change Summary
Sigil of Nullification:
Reduced the internal cooldown from 10 seconds to 5 seconds.
Added two new amulets:
Destroyer:
1050 Power
1050 Precision
560 Ferocity
560 Condition Damage
Demolisher:
1050 Power
1050 Precision
560 Ferocity
560 Toughness
Stronghold
Beginning with the first time that the channel points for the Mist Champions are available on both sides of the map, Mist Champions will now arrive with a +50% health and damage effect that stacks in intensity each subsequent time a Mist Champion is summoned (up to three stacks maximum, so 50%, 100%, and 150%), as well as a +20% movement-speed effect (which does not stack in intensity with each new summoning).
Spectator
Spectator-mode polish improves the viewing experience by removing clutter from the screen and creating consistency across machines:
Titles are now hidden while in spectator mode.
Guild tags are now hidden while in spectator mode.
Clone and minion nameplates are now hidden while in spectator mode.
Player nameplates have an increased size in spectator mode and will truncate when they’re too long.
Party names and health bars scale up based on resolution.
All player names show through walls in spectator mode.
A handful of options are now forced in spectator mode:
Free Camera: ON
Camera Shake: OFF
Disable Area of Effect Rings: ON
Show Ally Names: ON
Show Enemy Names: ON
Show All NPC Names: ON
Show Simple Condition Floaters: OFF
Quality of Life
There have been some long-standing quirks in PvP that have been cleaned up in a quality-of-life pass to create a more enjoyable experience:
Removed loading screens when respawning.
Ally names now show through walls at a low opacity.
Players are no longer teleported after the spawn doors close when the countdown begins if they are already inside the base. A small effect plays when cooldowns are reset.
Fixed a bug in Temple of the Silent Storm in which Meditation of Tranquility prevented capture points from changing color.
RAIDS
Raid Lobby
In order to streamline the raiding experience and help prevent overcrowding in Verdant Brink, we’ve added a raid lobby to the Lion’s Arch Aerodrome in Fort Marriner. Players can find the following inside the lobby:
Raid portals to each of the current raid wings:
Spirit Vale
Salvation Pass
Bank access
Trading Post access
A repair anvil
A laurel vendor
A basic magnetite vendor who sells boxes of ascended gear
A portal to a newly developed Special Forces Training Arena instance for damage-per-second (DPS) training
Special Forces Training Arena
To help players learn more about their classes and the damage output they are capable of, we’ve built an instance that is accessible from the raid lobby in which players in a raid squad can make the following adjustments:
Add or remove DPS training golems. These golems will report an individual player’s DPS for every 20% of health damaged, as well as report total damage done and the time since the player first attacked the golem.
Add or remove boons and certain profession-specific effects on themselves.
Add or remove any condition to a spawned DPS training golem.
Reset their cooldowns.
Additionally, squad leaders will be able to make these adjustments:
Add or remove boons and certain profession-specific effects on their entire team at once.
Reset the cooldowns of their entire team at once.
Toggle on or off a pulsing damage field that inflicts 2% total damage per second to all players in the immediate area.
General Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that caused map streaming UI to incorrectly appear when players attempted to enter a raid instance while in the defeated state.
SCRIBING
Adjustments have been made to generally lower the cost of scribing and improve the process of leveling scribing. To achieve this, many scribing recipes have been simplified to reduce the need to make multiple tiers of materials or to reduce the number of materials needed, and some rare items have had their drop rates adjusted to increase supply. Assembly times have also been significantly reduced, and new sources of Resonating Slivers have been added. The following changes have been made:
Adjusted the drop rate for Ascalonian Lumber Cores, Alpine Lumber Cores, Krytan Lumber Cores, Coastal Lumber Cores, and Arid Lumber Cores so that they drop more often.
Modniir Battle Hymns are now a guaranteed drop when players have Uzolan’s Mechanical Orchestra collection.
Resonating Slivers now drop from all dailies and have a chance to drop from ore resource nodes in the guild hall and in WvW.
Guild missions now give more Resonating Slivers and 20 more silver.
Adjusted all WvW schematics so that they only use Resonating Slivers instead of the higher tiers of resonating items (cores, lodestones, etc.).
Adjusted all sandpaper to only require 10 piles of coarse sand to create.
All ink sets no longer require the previous tier of ink sets to craft.
All sheets of paper only require 1 pulp instead of 5 to create.
All blotting powders only require slivers to create instead of the higher tiers of resonating items (cores, lodestones, etc.).
All finishing kit costs have been reduced. It will now only require 1 vial of linseed oil and 1 sandpaper to create finishing kits.
Several decorations require fewer materials to bring down their costs.
Added new recipes:
Globe of Whispers
Boxes of scribing supplies that can only be crafted once:
Box of Initiate Scribing Supplies
Box of Apprentice Scribing Supplies
Box of Journeyman Scribing Supplies
Box of Adept Scribing Supplies
Box of Master Scribing Supplies
Added mast poles to the Guild Trader on the Scribe Materials tab.
All basic decorations are available from Cullen as soon as the Guild Workshop is made.
The decorations vendor in the Guild Market now sells all decorations for 24 silver instead of 50.
All assembly times have been reduced to 30 seconds, with the exception of Super Adventure Box decorations.
Resonance vendors have been removed.
Guild missions no longer award resonance.
Shards of Crystallized Resonance can now be sold to a vendor.
The crafting level requirement to refine linseed oil has now dropped from 400 to 0.
Bug Fixes
Players will now see the quantity of decorations they currently own in the recipe list in the Production tab in crafting stations.
The Assembly Device nameplate is now displayed appropriately.
The Bag of Educational Supplies tool tip now appropriately lists what it contains.
WvW—WORLD LINKING (Beta)
In order to achieve more balanced team sizes in World vs. World, most worlds will be linked in WvW with one other world, creating a combined world with a boosted population. Beginning at reset this Friday, this process won’t modify the original worlds or transfer any players. It simply unifies them together to play in WvW. Worlds that have been paired up will display with a plus sign to the right of the world’s name in the WvW panel. Players will also be able to roll the mouse over a world name to see which additional worlds are currently a part of that team.
Since we’re significantly shaking up existing team membership, we’ll be resetting matchmaking data. This means there’ll likely be a lot more variation in matchups for the next several weeks. It’s also worth noting that the new world groupings aren’t necessarily permanent. We have the option to link different worlds together as populations shift over time.
We’re releasing world linking as a beta feature and asking the WvW community to test it on the live servers.
WvW—REWARD TRACKS (Beta)
Reward tracks have been added to World vs. World. These are nearly identical to the reward tracks you find in PvP, except that some rewards have been adjusted to be geared toward WvW players. One of the tracks offers players a chance to earn the new WvW-exclusive Triumphant armor set! Also, once the reward tracks feature exits beta testing, the Gift of Battle legendary crafting component will no longer be available as a vendor purchase and will be earned via its own reward track.
Unlike PvP reward tracks, which are advanced at the end of a match, WvW reward tracks will be advanced at the end of each scoring tick. These happen at 15-minute intervals. The amount of reward-track progress at this time is determined by your participation level. As players do things to help their worlds succeed, they will increase their participation level and earn more reward-track progress at each scoring interval.
Lastly, it’s often brought up that some roles—like scouting and defending—are difficult to reward. It’s fairly common in organized groups to kick back some gold to your scouts and defenders at the end of the night. We’ve leveraged our squad system to solve this problem; for every five people in your squad, your commander will be able to assign one person to share squad participation. These players will no longer earn their own participation, but will instead earn participation based on the actions of the rest of the squad. This frees them up to man the defenses of an objective, seek out the enemy, or do any number of other tasks that are important but don’t see a ton of action, and they still earn a portion of the participation that the troops they are supporting earn.
WvW—PROVISIONS MASTER
This new ability line improves a player’s ability to gather loot and grants access to the wares of the Permanent Portable Provisioner.
Provisions Master I: This allows players to purchase a Permanent Portable Provisioner from any WvW outfitter. This item allows players to purchase siege-weapon blueprints from anywhere in WvW.
Provisions Master II: This allows players to purchase tricks and traps from the Permanent Portable Provisioner.
Provisions Master III: This allows players to also purchase food and utility consumables from the Permanent Portable Provisioner.
Provisions Master IV: This teaches players to automatically pick up loot from fallen foes.
Provisions Master V: This increases the number of Badges of Honor players find when they loot fallen foes.
WvW—BORDERLANDS
The Desert borderlands map layout has been updated with a large number of adjustments to improve navigation and create better spaces for fighting, especially around the three keeps.
General
Barricades have been removed entirely.
Added hay bales in some locations to negate falling damage when players land on them.
Fire Keep
Reduced the number of fireball turrets in and around the keep.
The lord room now has more of the lava covered and additional bridges leading into it.
Widened many of the pathways outside the keep, leaving less lava exposed.
Opened new routes leading to the keep.
It is now easier to navigate around the outside of the keep due to the removal of some barriers.
Half of the sand dunes above the keep have been removed.
Moved some creatures, like the Veteran Sand Wurm, to compensate for this change.
Air Keep
Reduced the number of wind turrets in and around the keep.
Changed many locations that were accessed via jump pads to be sloped terrain or staircases instead.
Added additional staircases leading up to the lord room.
Improved the layout of certain walls that were difficult to defend.
Widened many of the bridges outside the keep.
Opened new routes leading to the keep.
It is now easier to navigate around the outside of the keep due to the removal of some barriers.
The bamboo bridge area south of the keep has been simplified, and the terrain has been raised.
Earth Keep
Added additional staircases leading up to the lord room.
Widened the canyons outside the keep.
Removed many of the teleporters that were in the canyons.
WvW—SKILL BALANCE
The following changes were made largely to improve balance in WvW. These changes are also mirrored in their respective profession skills sections.
Stability
Stability: The frequency at which stability can be removed by control effects has been increased from 0.05 seconds to 0.75 seconds. A brief effect will now play on the character when stability is removed via control.
This change will ensure that there is at least a minimum duration of immunity to control, without being as binary (on or off with no middle ground) as it was when the boon stacked duration. While this change is primarily targeted toward WvW, it does also carry a positive note for the PvP and PvE game types as well. We’ll continue to monitor the effectiveness of this and address it where appropriate.
Player Walls and Hit Caps
Wall-type control effects are currently too effective in areas where there are a ton of targets, causing stagnant gameplay in large combat scenarios like WvW. With this update, we’ll be reducing the number of targets that a wall can affect so that things like stability and player numbers matter a bit more. As such, you’ll see multiple notes through the professions that introduce target caps.
Elementalist:
Static Field: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to stun an enemy has been capped at 10.
Unsteady Ground: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10. The duration of this skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
Guardian:
Ring of Warding: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10.
Line of Warding: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10.
Hunter’s Ward: This skill now creates barriers on enemies only if they are struck by the final attack. Barriers created by this skill now only stop enemies who have been marked (struck) by the final attack. The final attack damage has been increased by 33%. The ring duration has been reduced from 6 seconds to 5 seconds. This skill’s cooldown has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds. Added a red ring for enemies so they can be identified as hostile.
Test of Faith: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to strike an enemy has been capped at 10, after which the trap will disappear. The damage of this skill has been reduced by 7%.
Necromancer:
Spectral Wall: The number of times this skill can attempt to inflict fear on an enemy has been capped at 10.
Damage Changes
These damage modifiers were reduced, as they applied too much spike damage to targets at range and didn’t allow for enough counterplay. We do want to keep ranged combat viable in WvW scenarios, but we don’t want it to be the best option in open-field combat. As with the other changes, we’ll continue to watch and make adjustments where it’s deemed necessary.
True Shot: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 20%.
Gun Flame: The physical damage of this primal burst has been reduced by 20%. Fixed an issue that allowed this burst to hit enemies twice. This burst no longer pierces but still delivers the area-of-effect attack. Fixed a bug that caused the tool tip to show a decrease in damage when the Burst Mastery trait was in use.
WvW—GENERAL
Experience will no longer be awarded in WvW.
Tomes of Knowledge have been added to the Chests of the Mists awarded for ranking up in WvW and exist in the new WvW reward tracks.
Outfitter merchants now sell new 18-slot and 20-slot bags for a combination of badges and gold.
Pillager’s Pack is a standard bag.
Siegemaster’s Satchel is a bag that prioritizes consumables like siege weapon blueprints.
Cultural armor vendors have been added to each map.
These vendors sell discounted race-specific armor for a combination of badges and gold.
Guild upgrade tactics have had their cooldowns increased from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.
Emergency Waypoint and Airship Defense cooldowns have increased to 30 minutes.
All other tactics have had their cooldowns increased to 20 minutes.
The Objective Upgrades dialog now displays how long the objective has been owned by the current team.
Proofs of Heroics have been converted into a currency and are no longer a soulbound item.
World vs. World objectives display their upgrade tier on their map marker. They are displayed by 0 to 3 silver pips appearing on the icon.
Fixed a bug that prevented players from interacting with any siege vendors who had ever been inflicted with fear.
Keep waypoints have been changed to be part of the upgrade system rather than being automatically available to one team.
Keep outfitters now spawn automatically to make room for the waypoint upgrade.
Shield Generator skill recharge times have been increased slightly.
Force Ball recharge has been increased from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
Force Wall recharge has been increased from 12 seconds to 15 seconds.
Force Dome recharge has been increased from 22 seconds to 25 seconds.
Reduced the maximum health scaling on objective bosses by 40%.
In World vs. World, all characters—not just players—will follow the same revival rules.
Only 5 players can attempt to revive a character at a time.
Characters must be out of combat in order to attempt to revive another character.
Fixed a bug in which siege weapons that applied condition damage were scaling based on the player’s condition damage.
Eternal Battlegrounds
Danelon Passage: Fixed a bug in which one of the dolyaks would sometimes gain the Protected Caravan effect when an enemy player was nearby rather than an allied player.
Lowlands Keep: Fixed a bug that prevented players from interacting with the golem banker.
PROFESSION SKILLS
General
A new option called Effect LOD has been added to the graphics options of the game. It limits the detail of allied players’ skill effects. This option has been turned on by default.
When toggled on, skills from allies will play a visually reduced version of their default skill effect. Additionally, ally hit effects and certain ally cast effects will be disabled.
When toggled off, skills from allies will play the default version of their skill effect. Allies’ cast effects as well as allies’ hit effects on foes will be visible.
Each profession has had their default ground-target reticle interchanged with new profession-specific reticles.
All combo fields in the game have been given a visual update to make them more distinct in combat.
Dark Field: A black ring with floating shadows has been added.
Ethereal Field: A magenta ring with floating, shattered fragments has been added.
Fire Field: An orange ring with rising flames has been added.
Ice Field: A light-blue ring with slow-moving ice has been added.
Light Field: A golden ring with a hovering white fog has been added.
Lightning Field: A purple ring with rising lightning bolts has been added.
Poison Field: A green ring with slowly rising bubbles has been added.
Smoke Field: A gray ring with rising smoke has been added.
Water Field: A blue ring with cascading water has been added.
The following skills and traits have had their Life Steal functionality standardized, fixing several exploits and bugs across the game:
Dark Field Combo Finishers
Projectile
Whirl
Necromancer
Vampiric
Revenant
Enchanted Daggers
Assassin’s Annihilation
Focused Siphoning
Thief
Leeching Venoms
Runes
Rune of Vampirism
Rune of Scavenging
Sigils
Sigil of Blood
Sigil of Leeching
Consumables
All consumables that randomly steal life
Rune of Vampirism: Life stealing now scales properly with power.
Fixed improper life-stealing damage values for consumables, increasing damage by 10.
Stability: The frequency at which stability can be removed by control effects has been increased from 0.05 seconds to 0.75 seconds. A brief effect will now play on the character when stability is removed via control.
Quickness/Slow: The formula for animation-speed increases and decreases has been modified. Quickness is normalized to behave the same as before, while Slow has had its effectiveness reduced. However, due to the formula change, Slow will continue to have a negative impact while Quickness is in effect. The table below indicates how this change works.
Skill Cast	With Old Quickness	With Old Slow	With Both Old	With New Quickness	With New Slow	With Both New
10 seconds	6.66 seconds	20 seconds	10 seconds	6.66 seconds	15 seconds	11.66 seconds
This change allows for more fluidity, as the previous animation-speed formula caused slowing effects to be stronger than we desired. As an added benefit, we have not reduced the effectiveness of any trait that modifies attack speed, so these traits will see a boost in speed given.
Elementalist
We’re continuing to watch the elementalist and its tempest specialization, and we’ll look to make improvements in lesser-used areas. For this update, we’ll be looking at weapon skills that promote both scepter and dagger. Scepter changes include some modification to casting times and damage increases for both physical and condition damage. The dagger’s abilities have been adjusted to be both more frequently usable and pack a bigger punch for both main-hand and off-hand use.
Glyph of Storms: This skill now has new icons for each attunement for better visibility.
Glyph of Elemental Power: This skill now has new icons for each attunement for better visibility.
Glyph of Elemental Harmony: This skill now has new icons for each attunement for better visibility.
Glyph of Renewal: This skill now has new icons for each attunement for better visibility.
Flamestrike: The cast point of this skill has been reduced by 0.2 seconds. The aftercast delay of this ability has been reduced by 0.38 seconds.
Ice Shards: The damage applied by this skill has been increased by 33%.
Shatterstone: The damage of this skill has been increased by 22%.
Water Trident: The healing contribution per level of this skill has been increased by 27%.
Arc Lightning: The damage of this skill at all levels has been increased by 33%.
Rock Barrier—Hurl: This skill now applies 1 stack of bleeding for 8 seconds when striking an enemy.
Dust Devil: The cast point of this skill has been reduced by 0.15 seconds. The aftercast delay of this ability has been reduced by 0.3 seconds.
Lightning Touch: The damage of this skill has been increased by 66%.
Churning Earth: The damage of this skill has been increased by 7%.
Fire Grab: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
Frozen Burst: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Fireball: The effect of this skill has been returned to its previous state. The damage of this skill has been increased by 17%.
Gust: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
Windborne Speed: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
Static Field: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to stun an enemy has been capped at 10.
Unsteady Ground: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10. The duration of this skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
“Eye of the Storm!”: This skill can no longer be used to attempt to stun-break NPCs who aren’t already in combat.
Engineer
Our goal for this quarter has been to reduce a bit of the scrapper’s survivability while updating the base engineer with multiple weapon and utility quality-of-life changes. Some increases have been based around physical and condition damage increases for the pistol, to help its viability as a hybrid condition option. From the utilities side, we’ve made several adjustments to damage and recharge for underutilized skills. One of the bigger notes is that Slick Shoes are now only able to affect a target once per skill activation.
Fixed a bug that prevented certain engineer kits from becoming hidden while gathering.
Fragmentation Shot: The damage of this skill has been increased by 14%.
Static Shot: Confusion duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds. The number of confusion stacks has been increased from 2 to 3. The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Blowtorch: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Bomb Kit: Fixed a bug that caused the explosions of this skill to behave oddly and not occur where the bomb was originally laid.
Toss Elixir C: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
Toss Elixir R: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 100 seconds to 90 seconds.
Toss Elixir S: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.
Elixir U: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.
Healing Turret: The casting time of this skill has been increased from 0.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds.
Throw Mine: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 18 seconds to 15 seconds. The damage has been increased by 20%.
Rocket Kick: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 17 seconds to 15 seconds. The damage has been increased by 33%.
Launch Personal Battering Ram: The cripple duration from this tool-belt skill has been increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds.
Slick Shoes: This skill is now limited to knocking each enemy down once. The number of enemies that it can affect remains unchanged. The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
Rocket Charge: This skill now executes two leaps instead of three. This skill now charges straight forward rather than angling slightly on the initial two leaps.
Equalizing Blow: Increased the number of might and vulnerability stacks applied from 1 to 3.
Sneak Gyro: This skill now has a 0.75-second casting time.
Rapid Regeneration: The base healing of this trait has been reduced from 150 to 20 when under the influence of superspeed and from 25 to 5 when under the effects of swiftness. Level and healing values continue to scale the same for superspeed. Swiftness’s scaling with levels has been increased by 20%.
Shredder Gyro: The damage caused by this skill has been increased by 600%. The duration has been reduced by 50%. Removed the initial strike.
Guardian
A large portion of the changes occurring for the guardian are aimed toward reducing the dragonhunter’s group controlling and killing capacity in WvW while toning down its ranged spike damage capability prevalent in other areas. With that being said, we want to keep the dragonhunter competitive and still dealing high damage, but we want the damage dealt a little less instantly than before. The guardian is also going to be receiving some of the same target caps on its wall abilities while seeing some cooldown reductions on its base virtues.
Virtue of Justice: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
Virtue of Resolve: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.
Virtue of Courage: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 75 seconds to 60 seconds. This skill will no longer attempt to break stun for NPCs who aren’t already in combat.
Ring of Warding: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10.
Line of Warding: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to knock back an enemy has been capped at 10.
“Save Yourselves!”: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.
“Hold the Line!”: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
“Retreat!”: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.
“Stand Your Ground!”: The duration of stability this skill applies has been increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds.
True Shot: The damage of this skill has been reduced by 20%.
Deflecting Shot: The base damage of this skill has been increased by 17%.
Symbol of Energy: The damage of this skill has been increased by 25%.
Hunter’s Ward: This skill now creates barriers on enemies only if they are struck by the final attack. Barriers created by this skill now only stop enemies who have been marked (struck) by the final attack. The final attack damage has been increased by 33%. Ring duration has been reduced from 6 seconds to 5 seconds. The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds. Added a red ring for enemies so they can be identified as hostile.
Test of Faith: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to strike an enemy has been capped at 10, after which the trap will disappear. The damage of this skill has been reduced by 7%.
Mesmer
This quarter, we’ll be looking a bit at the scepter and pushing it toward more hybrid capabilities. There have been several animation changes and recharge reductions, along with general damage increases. Additionally, due to the change made in how attack speed increases are calculated, Malicious Sorcery provides a higher attack speed bonus (though the tool-tip value will not change). The chronomancer has had a few changes, with well recharge reductions and improved access to personal alacrity.
Feedback: Fixed an issue that prevented the combo ring for this skill from displaying.
Ether Bolt: Reduced the aftercast delay by 0.16 seconds.
Ether Blast: Reduced the aftercast delay by 0.28 seconds.
Ether Clone: Reduced the aftercast delay by 0.45 seconds. This skill no longer fires a missile but is a direct attack instead.
Counterspell: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds. The damage from this skill has been increased by 50% when an attack is blocked. The attack activation time has been reduced by 0.2 seconds. The aftercast delay has been reduced by 0.24 seconds.
Confusing Images: The damage output of this skill has been increased by 20%.
Illusionary Riposte: Reduced the cooldown of this skill from 15 seconds to 12 seconds. The attack activation time has been reduced by 0.4 seconds. The aftercast delay has been reduced by 1 second.
Restorative Mantras: This trait now displays a blue ring effect while channeling a mantra, indicating the trait’s effective area.
Well of Action: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
Well of Precognition: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
Well of Recall: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 40 seconds to 35 seconds.
Flow of Time: The alacrity applied by this trait has been increased from 0.75 seconds to 1 second per illusion shattered.
Necromancer
Necromancers have been reaping their way across the game, far and wide. It’s been a glorious sight. With that being said, there are a few areas that we feel need to be balanced, specifically chill application and survivability. In this update we’ll be reducing the overall duration of chill that the necromancer can output by reducing it from their base abilities. Players will also see a reduction in the uptime of Infusing Terror, though the functionality will remain the same. Baseline necromancers will be seeing some off-hand weapon updates as well as well recharge reductions.
Well of Corruption has undergone an audio rework to make it sound like it is bursting from the ground, better matching its visual effects.
All Bone Fiend projectile skills have undergone an audio rework to make them sound more like projectiles.
Lich Form—Mark of Horror: Added a strike to the area when this mark is triggered by an enemy.
Spectral Wall: The number of times this skill can be used to attempt to apply fear to an enemy has been capped at 10.
Reaper’s Touch: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 18 seconds to 15 seconds.
Spinal Shivers: Increased the damage when removing two and three boons by 25% and 40% respectively.
Deathly Swarm: The missile velocity of this skill has been increased by 100%. The casting time of the projectile has increased by 0.2 seconds.
Well of Power: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 40 seconds.
Well of Darkness: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.
Well of Blood: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 40 seconds to 35 seconds.
Ritual of Life: The cooldown of this trait has been reduced from 40 seconds to 35 seconds.
Infusing Terror: Reduced the active duration of this skill from 8 seconds to 5 seconds. The recharge time has been increased from 20 seconds to 25 seconds.
Unholy Sanctuary: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to go on cooldown even when the necromancer has less than 10% life force.
Soul Spiral: Reduced the number of whirl combos during the course of the skill from 11 to 6.
Executioner’s Scythe: Reduced the freezing field duration from 6 seconds to 4 seconds.
“Chilled to the Bone!”: The chill duration from this skill has been reduced from 6 seconds to 4 seconds.
Chilling Nova: The chill duration from this trait has been reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
Shivers of Dread: The chill duration from this trait has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
Deathly Chill: This trait no longer causes chill to inflict damage but instead applies 8 seconds of bleeding each time you apply chill to an enemy.
Ranger
It’s been a long time in the making, but we’re pleased to announce that the main-hand sword autoattack no longer removes control from players and has an all-new animation. In addition to that, we’ve been going through and updating a few of the underused weapons available to the ranger. Short bow has received a physical damage upgrade as well as some improved secondary effects on various skills. Main-hand axes have had some animation and condition improvements while receiving some quality-of-life improvements when wielded in the off hand. “Search and Rescue!” has been great to see used, but it’s been observed to be a bit too strong at its current levels. We’ll be making this a more tactical choice by reducing its range to standard shout range and increasing its recharge time.
Sublime Conversion: Fixed an issue that caused the combo ring for this skill to be visible to enemies.
Viper’s Nest: Fixed an issue that caused the combo ring for this skill to display at an offset time.
Kick (Sword Combo 2): This skill has been renamed Crippling Thrust. The animation of this skill has been modified, and the ranger will now be able to move while activating the skill.
Leap (Sword Combo 3): This skill has been renamed Precision Swipe. The animation of this skill has been modified, and the ranger will now be able to move while activating the skill.
Poison Volley: Increased the poison damage duration applied by this skill from 4 seconds to 5 seconds. The physical damage per strike has been increased by 150%.
Quick Shot: The swiftness duration of this skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 9 seconds. The damage has been increased by 20%. This effect is now only able to be triggered once per shot (it previously would trigger multiple times if the Light on Your Feet trait was in use).
Crippling Shot: The cripple duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds. Base damage has been increased by 100%. The pet bleeding duration has been increased from 6 seconds to 12 seconds.
Concussion Shot: The stun and daze durations have been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds.
Ricochet: Might duration applied by this skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds. Increased the cast point by 0.1 seconds. The aftercast delay has been reduced by 0.16 seconds.
Winter’s Bite: The chill duration of this skill has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds and now also applies 3 stacks of bleeding for 5 seconds. The aftercast delay has been reduced by 0.32 seconds.
Path of Scars: This skill is now ground targeted and can be cast at a shorter distance than the maximum.
Whirling Defense: The active portion of this skill has had its speed increased by 50% and will now scale with quickness. The damage per strike has been increased by 100%.
“Search and Rescue!”: The radius of this shout has been normalized and now affects a radius of 600, down from 1200. The recharge time of this skill has been increased from 45 seconds to 60 seconds.
Fortifying Bond: The fury duration applied to the ranger’s pet has been increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds. The protection duration has been increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. The regeneration duration has been increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds. The swiftness duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds. The quickness duration has been increased from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds. The stability duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
“Protect Me!”: This skill will no longer attempt to break stun on NPCs who aren’t already in combat.
Fixed a scaling and placement issue with the Celestial Avatar skill icon after the druid elite specialization is equipped.
Vine Surge: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to strike a target more than once.
Revenant
This quarter’s balance changes are focused on improving Ventari and the off-hand sword while slightly lowering the defensive capabilities of the Shiro legend. Legendary Assassin Stance is expected to be offensive and elusive but was too survivable overall.
Protective Solace: Fixed an issue that prevented the combo ring for this skill from being visible.
Riposting Shadows: The endurance gain of this ability has been reduced from 50 to 25.
Precision Strike: Increased the recharge time of this skill from 4 seconds to 5 seconds. The range of this skill has been reduced from 600 to 450.
Duelist’s Preparation—Shackling Wave: The immobilize duration has been increased from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds. This skill is now available naturally during the course of Duelist’s Preparation. Blocking an attack will extend the availability of the skill beyond the blocking duration.
Grasping Shadow: This skill now grants 6 seconds of fury to the revenant and 3 seconds of chill to an enemy when the attack hits.
Enchanted Daggers: The healing from these daggers has been reduced by 5%.
Project Tranquility: The cost of this skill has been reduced from 10 energy to 5 energy.
Ventari’s Will: This skill is now instant. The recharge time of this skill has been increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
Natural Harmony: Reduced the delayed time to heal from 1.5 seconds to 1 second. Increased the healing power contribution of this skill by 33%.
Energy Expulsion: This skill is now instant but has a 1-second delay for the explosion.
Thief
The thief has had numerous changes in the vein of quality-of-life upgrades. We’ve made improvements to help pistols play nicer with their hybrid nature while also improving the dagger and sword weapons. Survivability has been boosted a bit, with healing skills and traits working to provide more condition removal, vigor, and healing. Larcenous Strike and Bountiful Theft now remove additional boons, with Lead Attacks receiving a large rework that promotes spending initiative rather than holding it. We’ll continue to monitor the effectiveness of Lead Attacks and adjust it accordingly as needed.
Vital Shot: Reduced the aftercast delay of this skill by 0.6 seconds.
Body Shot: Reduced the aftercast delay of this skill by 0.16 seconds.
Unload: This skill now grants 1 stack of might for 8 seconds when striking an enemy.
Heartseeker: This skill is now able to be affected by quickness and slow.
Weakening Charge: This skill is now able to be affected by quickness and slow.
Dust Strike: This skill now applies 5 stacks of vulnerability per hit. Fixed a bug that caused this skill to strike more than once. Fixed a bug that caused this skill to blind for only 3 seconds instead of the full 5 seconds.
Larcenous Strike: The number of boons stolen by this skill has been increased from 1 to 2. The initiative cost has been increased from 1 to 2.
Withdraw: This skill now removes torment in addition to its other removals.
Hide in Shadows: This skill now removes confusion in addition to its other removals. Increased the duration of regeneration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.
Skelk Venom: The base healing modifier for venom strikes has been increased by 40%. The healing contribution for both the initial heal and venom strikes has been increased by 50%.
Expeditious Dodger: Increased the swiftness duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.
Pain Response: The internal cooldown of this ability has been reduced from 20 seconds to 16 seconds.
Vigorous Recovery: Increased the vigor duration of this trait from 7 seconds to 10 seconds.
Swindler’s Equilibrium: Damage while wielding a sword has been increased from 5% to 7%.
Lead Attacks: This trait has been reworked and now grants 1% damage and condition damage per initiative spent for 15 seconds. This effect has a maximum of 15%.
Bountiful Theft: The number of boons stolen has been increased from 2 to 3 in addition to applying vigor.
Consume Plasma: This stolen ability now grants resistance for 2.5 seconds, but it will not apply quickness. Updated the skill facts.
Throw Gunk: This skill is now ground targeted. Added the radius to this skill’s description. Added an allied combo-field effect and enemy ring effect to this skill.
Warrior
We’re generally happy with the offense and damage potential of the warrior, but survivability and durability in PvP have been observed to be lacking, even when defensive measures are taken. We’re looking to boost defense in areas where the warrior specializes in it. Stability-granting utilities have been refocused and reworked with the new stability cooldown specifically in mind, and the Defense line has gained significant increases. Within this line, Adrenal Health has been transformed from an adrenaline-holding minor trait into one that grants a much stronger healing effect when landing burst abilities.
Dual Shot: The damage of this skill has been increased by 33%.
Fan of Fire: Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Physical damage has been increased by 10%.
Smoldering Arrow: The recharge time of this skill has been reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
Pin Down: The damage of this skill has been increased by 10%.
Eviscerate: Updated this skill to not be affected by movement-impeding effects.
Gun Flame: The physical damage of this skill has been reduced by 20%. Fixed an issue that allowed this skill to hit enemies twice. This skill no longer pierces but still delivers the area-of-effect attack. Fixed a bug that caused the tool tip to show a decrease in damage when the Burst Mastery trait was in use.
Dolyak Signet: The cooldown of this signet has been reduced from 60 seconds to 40 seconds.
Balanced Stance: This skill now periodically applies swiftness and two stacks of stability for 3 seconds every 3 seconds that the stance is active.
Throw Bolas: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 20 seconds to 16 seconds.
Kick: The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 20 seconds to 12 seconds.
Bull’s Charge: Increased the knockdown duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
Stomp: This skill is now ground targeted and will move the warrior from a distance of 450 to a target area. This skill now grants 1 stack of stability for 5 seconds per target struck in addition to its own initial stack of stability, which has been increased from 1 second to 5 seconds. The cooldown of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
Thick Skin: The health threshold of this trait has been decreased from 90% to 75%. The toughness this trait applies has been increased from a maximum of 120 to 180.
Dogged March: The regeneration duration applied by this trait has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.
Cull the Weak: Increased the health threshold for weakness application from 25% to 33%.
Defy Pain: The threshold for activating Endure Pain has been increased from 25% health to 50% health.
Quick Breathing: Increased the number of conditions removed on warhorn-skill use from 1 to 2.
Burst Mastery: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from appropriately increasing damage.
Adrenal Health: This trait has been reworked. For each level of adrenaline spent, the warrior will gain an instance of Adrenal Health that will heal over the course of 15 seconds. This effect stacks up to 3 times.
OTHER BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, AND POLISH
General
Players can now specify a quantity when purchasing items from a vendor.
Fixed several vendors in Central Tyria that started on the Sell tab instead of their respective Buy tabs.
Changed all in-game references to the Magus Falls region to Heart of Maguuma to avoid confusion of conflicting labels for the area.
Loading screens can now have helpful information and tips at the top of the screen.
The Tail Stab skill used by the Veteran Mordrem Vinetooth and the Vinetooth incarnation of Faolain has been reworked so that the skill’s damage area matches its effect.
Unlurk animations now play for arrowheads, bristleback hatchlings, and Mordrem grunts that require them.
Squads can now be joined regardless of distance via left-clicking the commander marker on the map and selecting “Join Squad.”
Fixed a bug in which adventure leaderboards had inconsistent daily and lifetime records. This fix also addressed an issue in which lifetime records cleared after the daily reset.
Fixed a bug that caused Chocolate Omnomberry Cake to increase burning duration instead of chill duration.
The Clean Refreshing Drink now has an indicator to show when it is active.
Queensdale: Fixed a bug that prevented an event in the 1-5 zone from starting.
Cursed Shore: Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented the meta-event text from displaying.
Tequatl the Sunless: Fixed an issue that caused the jump pads to require the Glider Basics Mastery.
Fixed a bug in which using the portal from Lion’s Arch to Lornar’s Pass would sometimes cause a player to reload back in Lion’s Arch.
Fixed a bug preventing upgrade effects from being applied in certain transforms.
Personal Story
“The Stone Sheath”: Fixed a bug in which you could complete the “Search the submerged ruins for dwarven relics” story step without receiving the next objective.
“City of Hope”: The first trial is now manually activated and reset by interacting with the pedestal near the trial entrance instead of being based on proximity to the start. In the third trial, enemies and downed soldiers will not spawn until the entire party has been turned into rabbits.
“Close the Eye”: Updated the skills on the Seneschal’s Keystaff.
Added an NPC in Lion’s Arch, Soothsayer Jacinda, who will attempt to restore characters who have become stuck in chapter 7 after the “Forging the Pact” story step and who have no active quest as part of their personal storyline.
“Hearts and Minds”: Fixed a bug in which the fight against the Blighted Pale Tree could break if she was damaged too swiftly after her final attack. In Extreme Mode, the number of control effects required to break Blighted Eir Stegalkin’s defiance bar has also been reduced.
Guild Halls
Lumber Synthesizer 4 will now give the player Elder Wood Logs.
Lumber Synthesizer 5 will now give the player Ancient Wood Logs.
Guild Hall Swiftness +11%, +22%, and +33% will no longer inform users without the rank permission “Use Placeables” that they need the rank permission to gain the swiftness boons.
“The Music of the Barren Heights” and “The Music of the Caverns” will remain selected when players leave and return to their guild halls if they were selected previously.
Audio cues have been added to the Mission tab in the Guild panel.
The tabs in the Guild Trader panel are now named.
Guild Hall Swiftness +11%, +22%, and +33% will also be applied upon obtaining the upgrade and not require users to leave and reenter their guild hall to obtain the effect.
Items
Superior Rune of the Herald: Fixed a bug that caused the 6-piece bonus to trigger at the start of the skill rather than when the skill completed.
Transmutation Charge: Transmutation charges now have the Consume All option.
Nuhoch Warbler: The warbler can no longer be used to overwrite other transformations.
Prismatic Lodestone: Fixed a bug that caused this item to be consumable.
Energy Crystal: Energy Crystals found in Metrica Province can now be traded.
Order Backpacks: Fixed a bug that could block progress on the order backpack collections earned in the Heart of Thorns story. Work is still being done to unblock players who already encountered this bug.
Amalgamated Gemstones: A new Mystic Forge recipe involving globs of ectoplasm has been added to obtain multiple amalgamated gemstones at one time. Additionally, mystic forging crystals (tier 5 gemstones) or orbs (tier 6 gemstones) now have a rare chance of giving an amalgamated gemstone.
First-tier and second-tier precursor recipes will now only have the appropriate crafting discipline listed in the tool tip.
Exalted core recipes will now only have the appropriate crafting discipline listed in the tool tip.
BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions
A new set of Spectral weapon skins is available from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket for a limited time.
A new Sentinel Outfit is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 700 gems.
5 additional Shared Inventory Slots may be purchased from the Upgrades category of the Gem Store for 700 gems each. Each account can have up to 10 purchased Shared Inventory Slots at this time. This limit is not affected by the Shared Inventory Slot provided with the Level-80 Boost.
Improvements
The rewards within the Black Lion Chest have been refreshed.
Instant Repair Canisters have been removed.
Boxes o’ Fun have been removed.
Mystery Tonics that aren’t endless have been removed.
Increased the amount of Revive Orbs awarded to 2.
Rare stand-alone miniatures have been removed and replaced with a new Black Lion Miniature Claim Ticket containing new miniatures to choose from.
The current exclusive dye packs have been swapped out for Winter Chimes, the Toxic Dye Kit, the Metallurgic Dye Kit, Taimi’s Dye Kit, and the Mad King Dye Kit.
All common individual combat boosters have been combined into a single Enchanted Combat Boost that allows players to choose their combat boost.
Drop rates of Black Lion Claim Ticket Scraps have been slightly increased.
The Endless Repair Canister item has been added as a very rare reward.
Zodiac, Chaos, and Balthazar weapon skins have been added as very rare rewards.
Added the ability to link items in chat.
When switching categories, filters in common with the new category are no longer cleared if they’re also applicable to the new category. As an example, a filter for items with vitality is preserved when switching between armor and weapons.
Filtering and search terms are now preserved separately for the buy, sell, and transaction sections.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that allowed accounts without glider access to purchase glider skins.
Fixed a bug in which the inventory list wouldn’t resize correctly upon inventory updates.
Fixed a bug that caused the inventory list to incorrectly display an error message stating the maximum number of results had been reached.