Guild Wars 2 Game Release Notes

Game Update Notes – September 29, 2015

09/29/2015 – September 29 Release Notes
BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

  • Holding the Alt key will now show the player’s nameplate.
  • Altered weekly guild-mission resets so that they now take place at 12:30 a.m. Pacific Time each Monday beginning October 5, 2015.

Dungeons

  • Caudecus’s Manor (Explorable)
    • Seraph Path: Fixed an issue that prevented Taylor and her turrets from becoming hostile.

Personal Story

  • Fixed a bug that caused players who completed the “Disturbance in Brisban Wildlands” story instance to be incorrectly redirected to the Silverwastes instead of Dry Top.

Items

  • Salvaging that requires confirmation will now resume use of the salvage kit after confirmation.
  • Minor Sigil of Air: Fixed a bug in which this sigil required a 5-second recharge instead of a 7-second recharge.
  • Superior Sigil of Air: Fixed a bug in which this sigil required a 5-second recharge instead of a 3-second recharge.
  • Tonics: Fixed a bug that would allow leaving a tonic transform to trigger the effects of traits and runes that worked from heal use.
  • Pact Med Kit: Fixed a bug that allowed this item to drop med packs that were not consumed on use.
  • Medical Kit: Fixed a bug that allowed this item to drop med packs that were not consumed on use.

Profession Skills
General:

  • Cripple: Reduced the maximum stacks of this condition from 9 to 5.
  • Frost Aura: This aura now replaces itself as other auras do instead of stacking duration.
  • Prayer to Dwayna: Added skill-fact functionality for Healer’s Retribution.
  • Revealed: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from removing stealth when multiple stacks were applied to the foe.
  • Rune of Vampirism: Updated this rune so that profession abilities are no longer able to be used while transformed by this rune set.

Elementalist

  • Blinding Ashes: Increased the recharge of this trait from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Burning Fire: This trait will no longer grant might when a cantrip is used.
  • Drake’s Breath: Decreased the burning duration from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
  • Ring of Fire: This skill now applies 2 stacks of burning for 4 seconds when foes are initially hit. Decreased the burning when foes pass through the fire wall from 3 stacks for 5 seconds to 1 stack for 2 seconds.
  • Renewing Stamina: Increased the recharge from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Flamestrike: Increased the damage by 33%.
  • Dragon’s Tooth: Changed to a ground-targeted skill.
  • Shatterstone: Increased the vulnerability from 4 stacks for 15 seconds to 5 stacks for 15 seconds. Increased damage by 10%.
  • Glyph of Lesser Elementals: Decreased the recharge from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
  • Glyph of Elementals: Decreased the recharge from 120 seconds to 90 seconds.
  • Updraft: Updated this skill to no longer be affected by movement-speed increases or decreases.
  • Powerful Aura: Increased the effective radius of this trait from 360 to 600.
  • Arcane Wave: Added skill facts for the underwater version of this skill.
  • Fire Shield: Removed an erroneous skill fact for condition-duration reduction.
  • Signet of Restoration: Removed the flame-aura skill fact present when the Conjurer trait was equipped.
  • Power Overwhelming: Removed inconsistent skill facts that occurred for skills that caused burning when this trait was equipped.
  • Conjure Frost Bow—Ice Storm: Reduced the damage by 50% and lowered the number of targets per impact to 3. Fixed a bug that caused all impacts to fall within a smaller than intended radius when casting this skill.
  • Meteor Shower: Fixed a bug that caused all impacts to fall within a smaller than intended radius when casting this skill.
  • Written in Stone: Fixed a bug that allowed the duration of passive boons to extend longer than the recharge of the skill when signets were used.

Engineer

  • Acid Bomb: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill’s movement distance to be affected by movement-speed increases and decreases. Fixed a bug that prevented HGH from properly functioning with this skill and granting might to nearby allies.
  • Cleansing Synergy: Fixed an issue in which this trait was only removing a single stack of a condition. It will now remove all stacks of a condition.
  • Elixir Shell: Fixed a bug that prevented HGH’s recharge reduction and duration increase from being correctly applied. This skill will now function properly with the Alchemical Tinctures trait.
  • Elixir X: Added a condition-removal skill fact when traited with Alchemical Tinctures.
  • Flamethrower Kit: Increased Flame Jet damage by 11%.
  • Fragmentation Shot: Increased bleeding duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Healing Mist: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from correctly functioning with the Alchemical Tinctures trait.
  • Healing Turret—Cleansing Burst: Updated this skill to be affected by the Automated Medical Response trait. Fixed a bug to allow this skill to scale based on 50% of your healing power.
  • Tool Kit: Updated Magnet to allow it to pull a target the full distance to you if the target was near maximum range.
  • Medical Dispersion Field: Reworked this trait. The internal cooldown has been removed. This trait is now only triggered by your own healing, and the percentage has been increased from 12% to 20%.
  • Med Kit: Increased Med Blaster’s base healing by 36% and its scaling with boons by 36%.
  • Mortar Shot: Added a radius skill fact.
  • Mortar Kit: Updated the skill facts to display initial damage. This kit’s skills are now affected by the Explosive Powder trait.
  • Streamlined Kits: Fixed an issue that allowed miniatures to detonate mines created by equipping a grenade kit.
  • Takedown Round: Updated this trait to be affected by Shrapnel. Increased damage by 50%.
  • Transmute: Updated this trait to use the standard conversion list for conditions into boons and to affect all stacks of a condition.

Guardian

  • Shield of Judgment: This ability now applies aegis for 4 seconds. The protection duration between Player vs. Player and PvE has been normalized to apply for 4 seconds in each mode.
  • Shield of Absorption: Updated this skill to function while moving and no longer root the player in place. Increased the casting time from 1.25 seconds to 4 seconds to ensure that the bubble doesn’t break early. Using another skill will now interrupt this ability.
  • Selfless Daring: Removed an incorrect skill fact split in PvP. This trait remains unsplit between PvP and PvE.
  • “Feel My Wrath!”: Increased the recharge of this skill from 30 seconds to 45 seconds.
  • Judge’s Intervention: Updated this skill to prevent it from being used in midair.
  • Absolute Resolution: Fixed the radius skill fact to indicate the correct radius of 600.
  • Indomitable Courage: Fixed the radius skill fact to indicate the correct radius of 600.
  • “Save Yourselves!”: Consolidated this skill between PvP and PvE to make the PvE version applicable for all areas.

Mesmer

  • Shatter Skills: Updated the description of these skills to include the effects added when Illusionary Persona functionality was made baseline.
  • Arcane Thievery: Updated this skill to transfer blindness.
  • Chaotic Dampening: Increased the recharge reduction from 2% to 2.5%.
  • Duelist’s Discipline: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from granting a bleeding chance to your Illusionary Duelist. Lowered bleeding stacks applied by this skill from 2 to 1.
  • Fencer’s Finesse: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to apply ferocity when reflecting projectiles. Fixed a bug that could cause the ferocity boon to be applied when attacking with weapons other than swords.
  • Harmonious Mantras: Increased the duration from 8 seconds to 10 seconds.
  • Inspiring Distortion: Updated this trait to prevent the distortion granted from being applied to objects.
  • Null Field: Updated the skill description and skill facts to reflect that this skill removes boons and conditions on pulses.
  • Phantasmal Disenchanter: Reduced the attack recharge by 2 seconds. The attack from this phantasm is now referred to as “Disenchanting Bolt” in the combat log.
  • Portal Entre: Updated this skill to show an icon for the duration that you have to place the exit portal. Fixed a bug that could cause a noninteractable portal entrance to remain in the world if the mesmer died before casting the Portal Exeunt skill.
  • Prismatic Understanding: Fixed a bug that prevented this trait from functioning while downed. Reduced the stealth duration increase from 100% to 50%.
  • Signet of the Ether: Updated this skill to include an additional pulsing heal when no illusions are present.
  • Temporal Curtain: Removed functionality that prevented the swiftness applied by this skill from applying to allies that already had swiftness. Now applies 12 seconds of swiftness to allies the first time they cross the wall and 1 second of swiftness to allies that cross it again after receiving the initial swiftness.
  • The Pledge: Fixed an incorrect skill fact that displayed the recharge reduction as a percentage instead of a duration.
  • Mind Slash: Increased damage by 10%.
  • Mind Gash: Increased damage by 10%.
  • Mind Spike: Increased damage to targets without boons by 10%.

Necromancer

  • Blood Bond: Fixed a bug that caused this trait to have an incorrect internal cooldown. Fixed a bug that prevented the actual healing values from matching those listed in the skill facts. This trait will no longer attempt to activate Lesser Signet of Vampirism if the player is either out of range or does not have a line of sight to the target.
  • Signet of Vampirism: Fixed a bug that prevented the actual healing values from matching those listed in the skill facts.
  • Corrosive Poison Cloud: Updated this skill to destroy projectiles that enter its area. Increased the poison stacks from 3 to 4 stacks and reduced their duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds. Decreased the duration from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. Increased the frequency pulses from every 3 seconds to every 2 seconds.
  • Rending Claws: Increased the range to 900. Increased damage by 10%.
  • Ghastly Claws: Increased the range to 900.
  • Unholy Feast: Decreased the recharge from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
  • Signet of Spite: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to apply 1 stack of vulnerability instead of 5.
  • Blood Curse: Decreased the bleeding duration from 5 seconds to 4.5 seconds.
  • Rending Curse: Decreased the bleeding duration from 5 seconds to 4.5 seconds.
  • Putrid Curse: Increased the poison duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds. Now also applies bleeding for 4.5 seconds.
  • Grasping Dead: Increased damage by 14%. Increased bleeding duration from 7 seconds to 10 seconds. Increased cripple duration from 5 seconds to 7 seconds. This skill is no longer split and applies 3 stacks of bleeding in all game modes.
  • Feast of Corruption: Now grants 8% life-force gain on hit, plus 1% per additional condition on the target. Now applies 2 stacks of torment for 4 seconds on hit, plus 1 additional stack per condition on the target. No longer deals bonus damage per condition. Bonuses cap at 5 conditions.
  • Lingering Curse: Decreased effectiveness of the condition-duration extension to 50%.
  • Lich Form: Updated this transformation to no longer destroy your active minions.
  • Plague Form: Updated this transformation to no longer destroy your active minions.
  • Vampiric Aura: Updated this skill to no longer be applied to allied objects such as WvW siege weapons.

Ranger

  • Windborne Notes: Fixed a bug that caused Call of the Wild to only grant half the intended duration of regeneration as well as granting it to more than the intended amount of targets instead of 5.
  • Beastly Warden: Fixed an issue in which the taunt from this ability could not be blocked or evaded.
  • Lingering Magic: Fixed an issue that was causing this trait to be applied twice to your pet.
  • Most Dangerous Game: Changed this trait to grant 5 stacks of might for 3 seconds every second you are below half health.
  • Nature’s Vengeance: Increased the might per pulse for Frost Spirit from 1 stack to 3 stacks and the duration from 1 second to 3 seconds. Increased the swiftness per pulse for Storm Spirit from 1 second to 3 seconds. Increased the regeneration per pulse for Water Spirit from 1 second to 3 seconds.
  • Quick Draw: Updated this trait to stack with any recharge reduction from other sources.
  • Clarion Bond: Fixed a timing issue that prevented the ranger’s new pet from gaining the boons from this trait upon appearance. An icon will now display when Clarion Bond is available.
  • Call of the Wild: Updated this skill to grant 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds, increased from 1 stack of might for 15 seconds.
  • Frost Trap: Fixed an issue that caused a delay in chill application upon trap trigger. Increased the number of pulses from 3 to 4.
  • Sun Spirit: The activated ability of this spirit, Solar Flare, now has the same casting time as the activated abilities of other spirits.
  • Storm Spirit: Changed the on-hit boon to now apply 3 stacks of vulnerability for 10 seconds.
  • Call Lightning: Fixed a bug so that the daze will properly be increased by daze-increasing effects.
  • All ranger traps have had their in-world durations increased to 300 seconds.
  • Short Bow: Updated skill facts to reflect piercing when the player has equipped the Light on your Feet trait.
  • Updated ranger pets to have base condition damage determined by their family.
    • Pets of the armor fish, bear, canine, and moa families gain 400 condition damage at level 80.
    • Pets of the bird, drake, jellyfish, and porcine families gain 700 condition damage at level 80.
    • Pets of the devourer, feline, shark, and spider families gain 1,000 condition damage at level 80.
  • “We Heal As One!”: This skill now simultaneously copies all boons from your pet to you and from you to your pet.

Thief

  • Vital Shot: Increased damage by 24%.
  • Unload: Increased damage per shot by 26%.
  • Sneak Attack: Increased attack damage per shot by 25%.
  • Traps have been normalized to last for 5 minutes before expiring.
    • Shadow Trap has been increased from 2 minutes to 5 minutes. All other traps have been reduced from 1 hour lifetime to 5 minutes.
  • Potent Poison: Increased poison damage from 10% to 33%.
  • Vigorous Recovery: Increased vigor duration from 5 seconds to 7 seconds.
  • Expeditious Dodger: Increased swiftness duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Ankle Shots: Removed the hidden range increase that this trait unlocked.

Warrior

  • Rousing Resilience: Increased base healing by 130%.
  • Last Stand: Decreased the recharge from 90 seconds to 40 seconds.
  • Fierce Shot: Increased the damage by 10%.
  • Aimed Shot: Decreased the recharge from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Rifle Butt: Increased the knockback distance from 400 to 600.
  • Shield Bash: Decreased the recharge from 25 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the stun duration from 1 second to 2 seconds.
  • Shield Stance: Decreased the recharge from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Versatile Rage: Decreased the recharge from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Versatile Power: Decreased the recharge from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
  • Arcing Slice: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to benefit multiple times from the condition removal provided by Cleansing Ire.
  • Burst Mastery: Updated the description and skill facts for this trait to better reflect its intended functionality.

Structured Player vs. Player

  • Fixed an issue where meditation channels would sometimes fail in Temple of the Silent Storm.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

  • Halloween Weapons have returned to the Black Lion Weapons Specialist for a limited time, priced at 2 tickets each.
  • The Raiment of the Lich outfit has returned to the Style category of the Gem Store for 700 gems.
  • Winter style items have arrived. Check out all the returning favorites in the Style category of the Gem Store.

Improvements

  • The Black Lion Chest has been updated. Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.
    • Tradable finisher unlocks have been added to the Black Lion Chest as rare drops. To discover which finishers are available, check the unlock instructions for each finisher in your Hero panel.
    • Metabolic Primer, Utility Primer, Guild Influence, and Boost Enchantment Powder have been removed from the Black Lion Chest.
    • The drop rates of all miniatures in the Black Lion Chest have been reduced.
  • Player instruments have been updated to utilize asset precaching for the user wielding the instrument. This should help prevent dropped notes while also decreasing latency between a note being played and that note being heard.