Guild Wars 2 Game Release Notes

Game Update Notes: March 17, 2020

03/17/2020—March 17 Release Notes

New Location: Eye of the North

Heed Aurene’s call to the Eye of the North. As your allies gather to the north, you can visit new merchants, unlock services, and access any Strike Mission through the Eye’s asura gate. Complete “Visions of the Past: Steel and Fire” to explore the secrets of the Scrying Pool and peer into past events! This content is available to any level-80 character with Path of Fire™.

New Release: Steel and Fire

Play with friends or meet new Tyrians and venture into the past to fight alongside Ryland Steelcatcher’s elite warband as a fresh recruit in the “Forging Steel” group mission. Then play as Ryland himself as he follows Bangar into the Darkrime Delves. Things take an unexpected turn when he runs into none other than Almorra Soulkeeper.

Once you’ve completed the story, inspect a mysterious message in the Eye of the North to begin a journey to master the Scrying Pool and experience a selection of Season 1 stories once again:

  • Cragstead
  • North Nolan Hatchery
  • Canach’s Lair
  • The Nightmare Incarnate

New Legendary Trinkets

  • The legendary amulet Transcendence is now available and can be crafted in the Mystic Forge using various legendary crafting components. Two components can be earned through PvP achievements.
  • The legendary ring Conflux is now available and can be crafted in the Mystic Forge using various legendary crafting components. Two components can be earned through WvW achievements.

Strike Missions

  • Added a universal strike access portal in Eye of the North, from which any of the current Strike Missions can be launched.
  • One strike per day is now promoted as a Priority Strike, with its public version available from the Eye of the North and a daily achievement that rewards the new Prophet Crystal currency.
  • Added Prophet Shards as a reward from all strikes. Prophet Shards and Crystals can be traded with vendors in the Eye of the North for powerful rewards.

World Polish

  • Reduced defiance-bar scaling for the champion boneskinner in the Aberrant Forest of Bjora Marches.

General

  • Added map materials to the bottom of the Inventory panel on Living World maps.
  • Added raid currencies to the bottom of the Inventory panel in the Lion’s Arch Aerodrome.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented karma from updating at the bottom of the Inventory panel on some maps.

Profession Skills

Elementalist

  • Obsidian Flesh: This skill is now a channeled skill that makes the elementalist invulnerable while it’s channeled.
  • Twist of Fate: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to be interrupted at its very beginning.
  • Elemental Polyphony: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to grant toughness when double-attuned to earth instead of the intended vitality.
  • Transcendent Tempest: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to reduce Singularity delay by 25% instead of the listed 33%.
  • Summoned Elementals: Fixed a bug that caused elementals to be killed prematurely when using certain skills that lock the skill bar.

Engineer

  • Compounding Chemicals: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from granting 75 concentration in PvP & WvW.

Guardian

  • Hunter’s Ward: The final visual effect of this skill has been toned down and rescaled to better reflect its area of impact.

Necromancer

  • Corrupt Boon: Fixed the tooltip of this skill to display its 15-second ammunition recharge instead of 18 seconds.
  • Eternal Life: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from granting protection when using Desert Shroud.

Ranger

  • Spirited Arrival: Fixed the description of this trait to include its interaction with the soulbeast specialization.
  • Rugged Growth: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to heal for more than expected in WvW.
  • Pack Alpha: Reduced stats granted to merged soulbeasts from 150 to 75 in PvP and WvW.
  • Pet’s Prowess: Reduced ferocity granted to merged soulbeasts from 300 to 150 in PvP and WvW.
  • Ferocious (Soulbeast Pet Archetype Effect): Reduced power granted from 200 to 100 in PvP and WvW.
  • Maul: Reduced power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.36 in PvP and WvW.
  • Worldly Impact: Reduced power coefficient from 1.512 to 1.36 in PvP and WvW.

Revenant

  • Facet of Chaos: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from receiving the intended cooldown reduction from 45 seconds to 35 seconds in PvP and WvW.

Thief

  • Assassin’s Signet: Fixed a bug that caused this signet to grant its old bonus damage increase in addition to the bonus power.

Warrior

  • Thick Skin: This trait now grants a 5% damage reduction instead of up to 180 toughness.
  • Spiked Armor: This trait now causes retaliation to grant a 10% damage reduction instead of up to 150 toughness.
  • Breaching Strike: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to do more damage than expected in PvP and WvW.
  • Eviscerate: Fixed a bug that caused the spellbreaker version of this skill to do more damage than expected in PvP and WvW.
  • Arcing Slice: Fixed a bug that caused the spellbreaker version of this skill to do more damage than expected in PvP and WvW.
  • Skull Crack: Fixed a bug that caused the spellbreaker version of this skill to do more damage than expected in PvP and WvW.
  • Kill Shot: Fixed a bug that caused the spellbreaker version of this skill to do more damage than expected in PvP and WvW.

Structured Player vs. Player

  • Auric Span: Fixed a bug that prevented the overtime damage field from being removed at the start of the next round.
  • Rune of Speed (PvP): Fixed a bug that caused the 6-piece bonus to not function correctly.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE

New Items and Promotions

  • The new Glacial Chair is now available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 600 gems.
  • For a limited time, a new Dark Wing Weapon Collection is available from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket. Keys are available in the Utility category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.
  • For a limited time, the Glacial Weapon Collection returns to Black Lion Weapons Specialists for a reduced cost of 2 Black Lion Claim Tickets. Keys are available in the Utility category of the Gem Store for 125 gems each.
  • March Madness sales continue! Today’s sale item is the Black Lion Chest Key for 93 gems each—a savings of 25%.

Black Lion Chest

  • The Black Lion Chest has been updated to the Steel and Fire Chest and can be previewed for a full list of its contents.
    • Black Lion Material Bag: Bjora Marches has been added as the guaranteed item for the duration of the Steel and Fire Chest.
    • The new Dreamwalker Wings Backpack and Glider Combo is available as an uncommon drop for the duration of this chest.
    • The Iron Beast Greatsword returns as an uncommon drop for the duration of this chest.
    • Kasmeer’s Regalia Cape returns as an uncommon drop for the duration of this chest.
    • The Gallant and Tormented weapon collections are available as uncommon and rare drops respectively for the duration of this chest.
    • Unused versions of the Glyph of the Herbalist and Glyph of the Unbound are available as rare drops for the duration of this chest.
  • The items available in exchange for Black Lion Statuettes have been updated. Black Lion Statuettes are redeemed by using the statuette itself or redeeming one at any of the Black Lion Chest Merchants located in every major city.
    • A new selection of town clothes outfits has been added, including the Riding Clothes Outfit, Designer Hoodie Clothing Outfit, and Ornate Clothing Outfit, among others.
    • The exclusive Celestial Axe Skin, Celestial Compass Skin, Hounds of Balthazar Mail Carrier, and Fallen Balthazar Package are currently available.
    • The bonus collection has been updated to a selection of weapon skins including Belinda’s Greatsword, Caithe’s Bloom Dagger, and Kasmeer’s Staff.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug in which activating the Boxing Gloves costume brawl toy from the Novelties section of the Equipment tab would not properly transform the character to be wearing a boxer costume.
  • Fixed a bug that caused dark patches to appear at the knees of asura characters wearing the Starborn Outfit.

Late Notes: March 17, 2020

03/17/2020—Late Notes

General

  • Fixed a bug in which transmuting capes from the wardrobe did not properly consume transmutation charges like other armor pieces.

Bug Fix:

  • Fixed a bug that could cause a client disconnection in the Darkrime Delves story instance.

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue that stalled a boss fight in Darkrime Delves.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed only one player per instance to receive credit for challenge achievements in the Forging Steel mission.
  • Revenant:
    • General: Fixed a bug that allowed some items to trigger revenant traits.
  • Elementalist:
    • Obsidian Flesh: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to go on interrupt cooldown instead of its full cooldown.
  • Fixed the positioning of the Dreamwalker Wings Backpack on charr, asura, and sylvari characters.
  • Fixed an issue with the Runic Slayer Helm that occurred on some race/gender combinations.

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed a bug that prevented some of Aurene’s animations from fully displaying in Eye of the North.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause Aurene to be invisible during story scenes in Eye of the North.
  • To guide players in unlocking Living World Season 1 missions, the Message in Eye of the North will now display a target Visions of the Past achievement when players interact with it.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented currency from the Steel Warband Weapon Box from being granted when chosen inside the Forging Steel mission instance.
  • Fixed a server crash.