Game updates:2009

December 2009 updates

• Thursday 31^st of December (talk)
• Tuesday 22^nd of December (talk)
• Monday 21^st of December (talk)
• Saturday 19^th of December (talk)
• Friday 18^th of December (talk)
• Thursday 17^th of December (talk)
• Thursday 10^th of December (talk)
• Tuesday 8^th of December (talk)
• Wednesday 2^nd of December (talk)

Update - Thursday, December 31, 2009

Server Reset

• Reset servers in preparation for Wintersday finale.

Update - Tuesday, December 22, 2009

UI

• Added support for "-character" command line argument, allowing players to automatically fill the security question field in the client.

Update - Monday, December 21, 2009

UI

• Log-in screen now contains additional security to protect players from unauthorized access.

Bug Fixes

• Removed collision from the Adept of Whispers and Whispers Informant in Stygian Vale.[sic]
• Fixed a bug that caused the Zaishen Menagerie UI to improperly label White Jingle Moa.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• A security question is now required to login.

• The character name you enter for the security question will be selected by default after you log in.

• The Guild Wars servers were temporarily shut down before this update. Some clients that were open disconnected the user from the server and showed error 58 while trying to reconnect.
• Currently, there is a 15-30 second delay ("connecting...") after creating a new character.
• Prior to this update, the last played character automatically was selected when logging in. With this update, the character entered as an answer to the security question will be selected.

Update #3 - Saturday, December 19, 2009

This was an undocumented update

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The Rift Wardens are here, so they may or may not have been added in this update.

Update #2 - Saturday, December 19, 2009

This was an undocumented update

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Bug fix (assuming).

Update - Saturday, December 19, 2009

This was an undocumented update

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Bug fix (assuming).

Update - Friday, December 18, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented guild capes from displaying in the Guild Emblemer UI.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Costumes and festival hats are now displayed on characters shown in the character selection screen, but they are displayed with incorrect colors and sometimes the headgear won't appear.

Update #2 - Thursday, December 17, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug related to the item template code system.

Update - Thursday, December 17, 2009

Wintersday 2009

Can you feel that crisp chill in the air? It's that time of year when the cities of Tyria shine like beacons with festive decor, and the gods Dwayna and Grenth fight over who will control the weather during the coming months. Holiday vendors sell seasonal treats, and the air is full of snowballs and the sound of laughter. Wintersday is almost here!

Wintersday Event

• Preparations have been made for Wintersday 2009.
• Holiday quests are now available throughout the land.
• Players can enter PvP Snowball Fights by speaking with Wintersday Priests.
• 8v8 ATS-style Snowball Tournaments are accessible through guild halls.

Costumes

• Grenth and Dwayna costumes are available for purchase from the In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store.
• Costume slots have been added to the Character panel.
• Hats given by Festival Hat NPCs have been updated to work with the new costume slots.
• For more details about costumes and costume slots, see the costume gameplay article.

Snow Fighting Skill Updates

• Avalanche (skill): reduced activation time to 3/4 second; reduced Cripple duration to 7 seconds.
• Avatar of Dwayna (snow fighting skill): increased Health gain to 30 per skill; reduced activation time to 1 second.
• Avatar of Grenth (snow fighting skill): increased Health stolen to 15 per skill; reduced activation time to 1 second.
• Flurry of Ice: increased damage to 50 per snowball.
• Holiday Blues: reduced Health sacrifice to 50%; reduced effect duration to 30 seconds; increased activation time to 1 second; increased recharge time to 45 seconds.
• Icicles: increased recharge time to 25 seconds.
• Side Step: increased Health gain to 250; increased recharge time to 25 seconds.
• Steady Aim: this skill is now a Shout; removed activation time; reduced recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Yellow Snow: this skill is now a Preparation; reduced casting time to 3/4 second; increased recharge time to 12 seconds.
• Side Step has been removed from the following creatures and character:
  • Dodgy Grentch now uses Hidden Rock.
  • Playful Snowman now uses Hidden Rock.
  • Vael (Snowball Dominance quest only) now uses "Let's Get 'Em!"

Snowball Fight Updates

• Dwayna vs Grenth 4v4: increased Gamer point reward to 15 per win.
• Dwayna vs Grenth 8v8 (Automated Tournament): increased Gamer point reward to 40 per win; increased Candy Cane Shards to 7 per win.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Costume maker NPCs have been added to Great Temple of Balthazar, Kamadan, Lion's Arch, and Shing Jea Monastery.
• Guild registrar and Guild Emblemer have been added to Lion's Arch International District.
• Even though it states that "Holiday quests are now available", the holiday quests actually weren't available until Wintersday began on December 18th.
• This update added a new animal companion, the White Jingle Moa.

Update - Thursday, December 10, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Update - Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.
• Fixed the URL for requesting a password reset.

November 2009 updates

• Tuesday 24^th of November (talk)
• Monday 23^rd of November (talk)
• Friday 20^th of November (talk)
• Thursday 19^th of November (talk)
• Monday 9^th of November (talk)
• Thursday 5^th of November (talk)
• Tuesday 3^rd of November (talk)
• Monday 2^nd of November (talk)

Update - Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to use Dhuum's Rest before their battle with Dhuum had truly begun.

Update - Monday, November 23, 2009

Miscellaneous

• Added support for the holiday promotion to the in-game and NCsoft stores.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Macros of the older Logitech G series keyboards do not work anymore.

Update #2 - Friday, November 20, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Dhuum to desperately attempt to flee the Hall of Judgment.

Update - Friday, November 20, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.
• Fixed a bug that caused Touch of Dhuum to be treated as a spell instead of a touch skill.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This was the second update to fix a crash bug (the first being the November 19, 2009 update #2) since the November 19, 2009 update was implemented.

Update #2 - Thursday, November 19, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Thursday, November 19, 2009

Underworld

• Dhuum stirs within the Hall of Judgment.

AI Updates

• The AI will now choose targets more intelligently when using Blurred Vision.
• Adjusted the conditions under which the AI will use Forked Arrow.
• The AI will now use "Go for the Eyes!" more frequently.
• The AI will now choose targets more intelligently when using Shock.
• Adjusted the timing for the AI's use of Wastrel's Collapse.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Henchmen

• Changed the name of one of the Guild Battle henchmen.

Miscellaneous

• Added support for the Henchman Skill Bar Contest rewards.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented the Mesmer's Ancient Mask from displaying on the Resilience monument in the Hall of Monuments.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Dhuum's Soul Reaper, the Ghastly Summoning Stone, the Miniature Dhuum and the Miniature Smite Crawler are now obtainable from the Underworld Chest.
• The Guild Hall Henchman that received a new name was Errol Hyl (previously Etron).
• The skill description of Dhuum has been removed.

Update - Monday, November 9, 2009

Halloween 2009

• Mad King's Steward has departed Lion's Arch and Kamadan, returning to his master in the Mad Realm.

Miscellaneous

• Relocated the flag stand in the Isle of Wurms guild hall to match its location in GvG instances.

Update - Thursday, November 5, 2009

Halloween 2009

• The Mad King's Steward will soon depart to serve his master, but he has one last word for all the brave souls willing to join the battle against Dhuum's minions.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The Mad King's Steward now offers The Waiting Game quest.
• According to Regina, the "wait" for this quest will be several days, not just a few hours.

Update - Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Miscellaneous

• The Mad King's Steward has returned to Lion's Arch and Kamadan.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Although Mad King's Steward was brought back, he is not currently offering any quests; however, previously accepted quests can be turned in for rewards.

Update - Monday, November 2, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some spawn issues in the Underworld.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Mad King's Steward was removed from Lion's Arch and Kamadan, Jewel of Istan.

October 2009 updates

• Friday 30^th of October (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 29^th of October (talk, feedback)
• Sunday 25^th of October (talk, feedback)
• Friday 23^rd of October (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 22^nd of October (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 8^th of October (talk, feedback)
• Wednesday 7^th of October (talk, feedback)

Update - Friday, October 30, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused the quest "Every Bit Helps" to reward twice as much gold as intended.

Miscellaneous

• Allowed access to heroes in Guild Halls. Heroes are still restricted from entering GvG matches.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Heroes are also restricted from entering Zaishen Challenge and Zaishen Elite matches.

Update - Thursday, October 29, 2009

PvP Henchmen

• PvP Henchmen have been added to guild halls and Heroes' Ascent.
• Heroes will no longer be available in guild halls or Heroes' Ascent.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Devona to have "Charge!" instead of Enraged Smash in Raisu Palace and Imperial Sanctum.
• Fixed a bug that allowed Healing Ribbon to target spirits.

Miscellaneous

• NPCs in Fort Aspenwood, Jade Quarry, and Alliance Battles now use the appropriate PvP versions of their skills.

Update - Sunday, October 25, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from unlocking towns decorated for Halloween.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Players who were affected by the bug will have to unlock the towns again or recreate their gw.dat file.
• Added new Grasping Darkness spawns to the Underworld.

Update #2 - Friday, October 23, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug which made players without certain campaigns unable to use Attack Skills from those campaigns in Codex Arena and Costume Brawl.

Update - Friday, October 23, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that made Tolkano not offer his prize redemption services to players without reward points.

Miscellaneous

• Updated localized text for Tolkano.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Chat window text that appears after opening up the skill window in Codex Arena changed from "You are using a limited play list. Your skills may not all be displayed." to "Your skill list is currently restricted by the rules of the Codex Arena. See High Commissioner Gyills for details."

• Devona doesn't use Charge! in Hard Mode anymore.

• The Wisdom title's incorrect text has been corrected.

Update #2 - Thursday, October 22, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented the Priest of Balthazar from offering services to PvP characters.

Update - Thursday, October 22, 2009

Halloween 2009

When the harvest is in and the moon sails high

And the shadows begin to lengthen

Mad King Thorn’s games begin! His minions ride!

His grip on the land will strengthen

But all is not well on this Halloween

It stirs in the Underworld’s gloom

An ancient evil, long unseen

If awakened, it spells our doom

Do partake in the Mad King’s revelry

But take care in the jack o’ lantern glow

For this is the season of devilry

And something wicked lurks deep below

Halloween Event

• Preparations have been made for Halloween 2009.
• A number of new quests will become available throughout the course of the event, starting on Monday.

Codex Arena

• The Codex Arena is officially open.
• The new Codex title track is available for competing in the Codex Arena. This title track is not cumulative with the Commander title track.
• Team Arena[sic] and Hero Battles are officially closed.
• Winning matches is no longer required to unlock PvP outposts.
• Progress made in the Commander title track will be saved and cannot advance any further.

Henchmen

• PvE henchmen Skill Bars have been rebalanced.

Prophecies

• Devona now has Balanced Stance, "To the Limit!", and Earthshaker; removed "Charge!".
• Stephan[sic] now has "Watch Yourself!", Thrill of Victory, Galrath Slash, Savage Slash, and Skull Crack; removed Griffon's Sweep, Power Attack, and "Charge!".
• Little Thom now has Cleave, Cyclone Axe, Dismember, Penetrating Blow, Shield Bash, and Sprint; removed Balanced Stance, Executioner's Strike, Swift Chop, Wild Blow, and "Charge!".
• Aidan now has Incendiary Arrows, Determined Shot, Dryder's Defense, Read the Wind, and Distracting Shot; removed Kindle Arrows, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
• Reyna now has Poison Arrow, Hunter's Shot, Determined Shot, and Dryder's Defenses; removed Power Shot and Practiced Stance.
• Cynn now has Elemental Attunement, Rodgort's Invocation, Immolation,[sic] and Aura of Restoration; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
• Orion now has Glyph of Renewal and Meteor; removed Mind Burn.
• Alesia now has Dwayna's Kiss and Divine Healing; removed Healing Touch.
• Lina now has Aura of Faith, Mend Ailment, and Divine Healing; removed Shield of Regeneration.
• Mhenlo now has Dwayna's Kiss, Divine Healing, and Vigorous Spirit; removed Healing Touch.
• Claude now has Soul Leech and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
• Eve now has Life Transfer and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
• Dunham now has Power Block, Hex Breaker, Leech Signet, and Ether Feast; removed Crippling Anguish and Distortion.

Factions

• Devona now has Enraged Smash, Yeti Smash, and Balanced Stance; removed Irresistible Blow and "Charge!".
• Lukas now has Quivering Blade, Standing Slash, Jaizhenju Strike, "Watch Yourself!", and Sprint; removed Hamstring, Protector's Defense, and Dragon Slash.
• Seaguard Eli now has "Coward!", Standing Slash, Leviathan's Sweep, "Watch Yourself!", and Sprint; removed Hamstring, Protector's Defense, and Dragon Slash.
• Talon Silverwing now has Dragon Slash, Seeking Blade, and "For Great Justice!"; removed "Charge!".
• Aidan now has Glass Arrows, Splinter Shot, Determined Shot, and Lightning Reflexes; removed Kindle Arrows, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
• Daemon[sic] now has Read the Wind and Determined Shot; removed Choking Gas.
• Yuun now has Melandru's Shot (in Hard Mode).
• Zho now has Determined Shot; removed Power Shot.
• Argo now has Smoldering Embers and Lava Arrows; removed Bed of Coals.
• Cynn now has Elemental Attunement, Immolate, Lava Arrows, and Teinai's Heat; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
• Headmaster Vhang now has Lightning Surge, Shock Arrow, and Glyph of Lesser Energy; removed Teinai's Prison and Energy Boon.
• Kai Ying now has Unsteady Ground; removed Second Wind.
• Kisai now has Gust (in Hard Mode) and Shock Arrow.
• Danika now has Healing Burst, Remove Hex, Heaven's Delight, and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch, Jamei's Gaze, Signet of Devotion, and Blessed Light.
• Jamei now has Empathic Removal, Heaven's Delight, and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch, Orison of Healing, Signet of Devotion, and Blessed Light.
• Redemptor Karl now has Boon Signet and Resurrection Chant; removed Rebirth and Life Sheath.
• Seaguard Gita now has Remove Hex, Shielding Hands, and Resurrection Chant; removed Draw Conditions, Mend Ailment, Reversal of Fortune, and Rebirth.
• Sister Tai now has Heaven's Delight and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch and Signet of Devotion.
• Taya now has Healing Light (in Hard Mode).
• Brutus now has Lifebane Strike and Unholy Feast; removed Rising Bile.
• Eve now has Vampiric Spirit and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
• Sheena now has Weaken Armor and Parasitic Bond; removed Soul Feast and Vile Touch.
• Su now has Animate Flesh Golem, Animate Vampiric Horror, Vile Miasma, and Taste of Death; removed Soul Feast, Vile Touch, and Lingering Curse.
• Erys Vasburg now has Psychic Instability; removed Power Leech.
• Lo Sha now has Lyssa's Aura and Power Return; removed Power Leech.
• Seaguard Hala now has Shared Burden, Accumulated Pain, Images of Remorse, and Power Drain; removed Arcane Conundrum, Clumsiness, Hex Eater Signet, and Power Leech.
• Emi now has Temple Strike, Golden Lotus Strike, Nine Tail Strike, Exhausting Assault, Way of Perfection, and Signet of Malice; removed Entangling Asp, Jagged Strike, Return, Viper's Defense, and Beguiling Haze.
• Mai now has Siphon Strength (in Hard Mode), Fox Fangs, and Nine Tail Strike.
• Panaku now has Seeping Wound, Fox Fangs, and Critical Strike; removed Entangling Asp, Return, and Beguiling Haze.
• Nika now has Mark of Instability and Black Mantis Thrust; removed Jagged Strike.
• Aeson now has Spirit Channeling, Pain, Union, Disenchantment, Shadowsong, and Boon of Creation; removed Mend Body and Soul, Shelter, Soothing Memories, Spirit Light, Weapon of Warding, and Attuned Was Songkai.
• Chiyo now has Signet of Spirits, Vengeful Weapon, Spirit Siphon, Essence Strike, and Protective Was Kaolai; removed Shelter, Spirit Light, Weapon of Warding, and Attuned Was Songkai.
• Professor Gai now has Union.

Nightfall

• Devona now has Magehunter's Smash, Mokele Smash, Balanced Stance, and Lion's Comfort; removed Healing Signet and "Charge!".
• Timera now has "You're All Alone!" (in Hard Mode), Soldier's Strike, Barbarous Slash,[sic] and Gash; removed Griffon's Sweep, Power Attack, Seeking Blade, and Sprint.
• Abasi now has Expert's Dexterity (in Hard Mode) and Crossfire.
• Aidan now has Prepared Shot, Arcing Shot, Keen Arrow, and Antidote Signet; removed Heket's Rampage, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
• Cynn now has Searing Flames, Glowing Gaze, and Glyph of Lesser Energy; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
• Herta now has Ebon Hawk and Glowstone; removed Stone Daggers and Glyph of Lesser Energy.
• Kihm (Level 3-15) now has Word of Healing (in Hard Mode) and Remove Hex; removed Shatter Hex.
• Mhenlo now has Watchful Healing and Divine Intervention; removed Healing Touch.
• Eve now has Ravenous Gaze, Signet of Lost Souls, and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
• Odurra now has Mistrust.
• Sogolon now has Spear of Lightning, Hexbreaker Aria, and Signet of Return; removed Mending Refrain and Resurrection Signet.
• Gehraz now has Victorious Sweep, Heart of Holy Flame, Conviction, Attacker's Insight, and Mystic Regeneration; removed Dust Cloak, Eremite's Attack, Reap Impurities, Signet of Pious Light, and Vital Boon.

Eye of the North

• Devona now has Crushing Blow, Lion's Comfort, and Plague Touch; removed Irresistible Blow and Healing Signet.
• Talon now has Symbolic Strike and Poison Tip Signet; removed Protector's Defense and Silverwing Slash.
• Aidan now has Determined Shot, Conjure Lightning, and Lightning Reflexes; removed Debilitating Shot, Volley, and Whirling Defense.
• Zho now has Hunter's Shot and Attacker's Insight; removed Penetrating Attack.
• Cynn now has "Never Surrender!".
• Herta now has Glowstone, Ebon Hawk, and Renew Life; removed Stone Daggers, Ward Against Elements, and Resurrection Signet.
• Mhenlo now has Cure Hex and Balanced Stance; removed Healing Touch and Deny Hexes.
• Lina now has Return; removed Shielding Hands.
• Eve now has Accumulated Pain and Mark of Fury.
• Lo Sha now has Shadow of Fear; removed Soothing Images.

AI Updates

The following AI updates apply to Heroes, Henchmen, and Hard Mode NPCs.

Assassin

• Heroes will now use Wastrel’s Collapse more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Death’s Charge to close in on enemies even if the heal effect isn’t needed.
• Improved the AI’s ability to quickly perform Combo Attacks.

Elementalist

• Heroes will now be more cautious about becoming Exhausted when using Gale.
• Heroes will now use Stoning less frequently when the target is not Weakened.
• Heroes will now use Glyph of Lesser Energy more efficiently.
• Heroes will now use Rust more frequently.
• Heroes will now be more cautious about becoming Exhausted when using Shock.

Mesmer

• Heroes will now favor allies who are nearby with Hex Eater Signet.
• Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Empathy.
• Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Backfire.
• Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Signet of Humility.

Monk

• Heroes will now target knocked-down allies with Aura of Stability.
• Heroes will now use Healer’s Boon more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Heal Party more efficiently.
• Heroes will now be more careful about casting Infuse Health, but react faster to endangered allies.

Paragon

• Heroes will now use "Brace Yourself!" less frequently when enemies are not using knockdown skills.
• Heroes will now use Anthem of Weariness more frequently.

Ranger

• Heroes will now use Rampage As One more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Bestial Mauling less frequently against non-knocked down enemies.
• Heroes will now use Debilitating Shot less frequently against non-caster enemies.
• Heroes will now use Comfort Animal less frequently as a heal during combat when they have low energy.
• Heroes will now use Lightning Reflexes more frequently.

Ritualist

• Heroes will now use Siphon Spirit more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Wielder’s Boon less frequently on allies not affected by a Weapon Spell.
• Heroes will now use Ghostly Haste more frequently.
• Heroes will now be more cautious about attacking while under the effect of Weapon of Warding (PvP).

Warrior

• Heroes will now use Flail more appropriately to avoid slowing down when chasing an enemy.
• Heroes will now use Enraging Charge to gain adrenaline even if already within attack range.
• Adjusted the conditions under which the AI will cancel Primal Rage with another stance.
• Adjusted the conditions under which the AI will cancel Frenzy with another stance.
• Heroes will now use Disrupting Chop more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Balanced Stance more frequently when battling foes using knockdown abilities.
• Heroes will now use Sever Artery slightly more frequently.
• Heroes will now use Gash less frequently against Deep Wounded enemies.
• Improved adrenaline management when using skills that remove all adrenaline.

Underworld

Something stirs deep in the Underworld, slowly making its presence known.

• Made numerous adjustments to NPC and monster locations.
• Ghosts and Reapers no longer have collision.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused a group of Smite Crawlers to fight other Smite Crawlers.
• Reapers will now appear in the party window until their quests have been completed.
• Tortured Spirits in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits" will now appear in the party window until the quest is complete.
• New Souls in the quest "Escort of Souls" will now appear in the party window until the quest is complete.
• Fixed a bug which sometimes caused the quest "Imprisoned Spirits" to not fail when all of the Tortured Souls are killed.
• Streamlined the Tortured Spirits' pathing in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits".
• Streamlined the holdout timing and pathing of the Terrorweb Dryders in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits."
• Streamlined The Slayer and Terrorweb Dryders' pathing in the quest "Demon Assassin."
• Streamlined the locations, timing, and pathing of the Terrorweb Dryders in the quest "Servants of Grenth."
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the quest "Servants of Grenth" to complete before all waves of Terrorweb Dryders have appeared.
• Adjusted the spawns around the Reaper of the Forgotten Vale and the Reaper of the Bone Pits so that they are less likely to appear when the area is unsafe.
• Moved the Lost Soul out of aggro range of the Aatxes.
• Fixed a bug that caused Vengeful Aatxes to not die when their Keeper of Souls is killed in the quest "Unwanted Guests."

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Deadly Paradox to increase casting speed by 66% rather than 33%.
• Fixed a bug that caused Ether Prism to reduce damage by 25% rather than by 75%.
• Fixed the description for Signet of Deadly Corruption to no longer reference itself as an attack.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to target others when using Spirit Siphon.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Wastrel's Demise from turning the health bar purple.
• Fixed a bug that caused the henchman Sogolon to have less armor than Paragons of an equivalent level.

Miscellaneous

• Upon reaching 25 consecutive wins in Random Arena,[sic] a team will be awarded additional Gladiator points and returned to the outpost.
• The trophies in the Great Temple of Balthazar have been updated and their location moved.
• Tolkano now offers the Eye of the North and Bonus Mission Pack weapon and armor skins for sale.
• Tolkano has begun accepting Zaishen Coins for his weapon and armor skins.
• Tournament Reward Point cost for all PvP weapon and armor skins has been drastically reduced.
• Updated the Daily Automated Tournament times for GvG.
• Festival map decorations no longer require a build and will automatically switch when the festival begins.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Tyrian characters that stood in the Hero Battles or Team Arenas outposts prior to this update have been moved to Ascalon City, Canthan to Shing Jea Monastery and Elonian to Chahbek Village. PvP characters were moved to Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Players must have Tournament Reward Points in order to unlock equipment via Zaishen Coins from Tolkano.
• Devona will still use "Charge!" in the Raisu Palace and Imperial Sanctum missions.
• The NPC Ice King has been renamed to King Frozenwind.
• Despite offering PvP reward skins for Zaishen Coins in addition to Tournament Reward Points, Tolkano wouldn't let you enter that portion of his dialogue if you had no reward points. This was fixed in a subsequent update.
• The Eye of the North version of Cynn seems to have lost Glyph of Lesser Energy.

Update - Thursday, October 8, 2009

Skill Descriptions

• Refiled the paperwork with the Canthan Embassy to get the Traditional Chinese community localization skill updates implemented properly. The first application was lost in transit.

Update - Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Descriptions

• Traditional Chinese community localization: updated numerous Traditional Chinese skill descriptions. Please visit the wiki to see a list of updated skills.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that made Murakai, Lady of the Night use the skill "Murakai's Call" incorrectly, causing her to spawn an infinite number of allies.

September 2009 updates

• Thursday 24^th of September (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 17^th of September (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 10^th of September (talk, feedback)
• Tuesday 1^st of September (talk, feedback)

Update - Thursday, September 24, 2009

Skill Updates

• Mantra of Resolve (PvE): reverted this skill to its original functionality.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented Escape from appropriately blocking melee attacks.

Update - Thursday, September 17, 2009

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Balance

For more information on these changes, please see the Developer Updates page.

PvE & PvP Changes

Dervish

• Armor of Sanctity: increased duration to 15 seconds; increased recharge to 15 seconds.

Elementalist

• Ether Prism: increased recharge to 25 seconds; decreased damage reduction to 75%.
• Immolate: increased recharge to 5 seconds.

Mesmer

• Distortion: increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Illusion of Pain: changed the description to more accurately reflect its functionality.
• Mantra of Resolve: decreased duration to 5 seconds.

Monk

• Patient Spirit: increased recharge to 4 seconds.

Necromancer

• Rip Enchantment: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
• Vampiric Spirit: increased casting time to 2 seconds.

PvP Only Changes

Assassin

• Death Blossom (PvP): increased recharge to 6 seconds.

Necromancer

• Signet of Agony (PvP): increased recharge to 20 seconds.
• Unholy Feast (PvP): increased recharge to 20 seconds.

Ranger

• Escape (PvP): functionality changed to: "Elite Stance. For 1..8 seconds, you move 33% faster and have a 75% chance to block attacks. Ends if you make a melee attack."

PvE Only Changes

Monk

• Selfless Spirit: increased recharge to 45 seconds.

Necromancer

• Signet of Agony: decreased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Unholy Feast: decreased recharge to 8 seconds.

Paragon

• Finale of Restoration: reverted this skill to its original behavior.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed the Health gain from "Fall Back!" to be affected by healing modifiers.
• Fixed a bug that allowed the Health gain from "Incoming!" to be affected by healing modifiers.
• Fixed a bug that caused Signet of Creation to decrease Binding Ritual skills to 1/4 second casting times instead of making them cast instantly.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Avatar of Dwayna from spawning in the International District versions of Sardelac Sanitarium and Druid's Overlook.
• Fixed a bug that caused Molotov Rocktail to wander outside his intended area.

Miscellaneous

• Removed duplicate version of Faction Rewards NPCs in the Alliance Battles outposts.
• Tolkano [Tournament] is now in the following outposts: Random Arena [sic], Heroes' Ascent, Zaishen Challenge, Zaishen Elite, Jade Quarry (Kurzick & Luxon), and Fort Aspenwood (Kurzick & Luxon).

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The Random Arena Zaishen quest was changed to display the correct number of wins required in all text languages, excluding English and Bork! Bork! Bork! which had been corrected in previous updates.
• A bug prevented Escape from appropriately blocking melee attacks. This was fixed in the following update.

Update - Thursday, September 10, 2009

Miscellaneous

• Removed Dizhou [Xunlai Pollster] from the Great Temple of Balthazar.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The Zaishen Combat signpost dialogue for the Random Arena Zaishen quest was changed to display the correct number of wins required (from 5 to 3). The change only affected English and Bork! Bork! Bork!; it was left unchanged for all other text languages.

Update - Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Miscellaneous

• Nicholas the Traveler has been brushing up on his language skills.
• Kun Shao has gone on vacation until the Xunlai Tournament House is able to distribute points for the month of May.
• Fixed a bug that allowed teams to sync join in random PvP.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• It's still possible to sync in random PvP, but it is more difficult than it was before the update.
• The base objective and second bonus objective for the Random Arena Zaishen quest was changed to display the correct number of wins required. The change only affected English and Bork! Bork! Bork!; it was left unchanged for all other text languages.

August 2009 updates

• Monday 31^st of August (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 27^th of August (talk, feedback)
• Tuesday 11^th of August (talk, feedback)
• Monday 10^th of August (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 6^th of August (talk, feedback)

Update - Monday, August 31, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Nicholas the Traveler is no longer depressed, making him much more responsive.

Update - Thursday, August 27, 2009

Henchmen Skill Bar Contest

• Dizhou [Xunlai Pollster] is now in the Great Temple of Balthazar to collect Henchmen skill bar contest submissions. More information on the skill bar contest can be found here.

Update - Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Nicholas the Traveler has moved to a more scenic location, where his view is not blocked by a large rock.
• Fixed a bug preventing Call of Haste (PvP) from applying its effect to pets.
• Fixed the concise description of Power Block so it more accurately reflects the skill's functionality.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Signet of Deadly Corruption
• Signet of Deadly Corruption (PvP)

Normal description on both states: "This attack...".

Update - Monday, August 10, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug causing Armor of Sanctity to affect nearby foes instead of adjacent ones.
• Nicholas the Traveler is now in his correct location.

Update #2 - Thursday, August 6, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug preventing Golden Phoenix Strike's AoE damage from working.
• Fixed a bug preventing Jungle Strike's AoE damage from working.
• Fixed the casting time of Jagged Strike.
• Fixed a bug preventing Vow of Piety from reapplying when an enchantment ends.
• Fixed the description of Poisoned Heart to accurately refer to it as a spell rather than an enchantment.
• Fixed the duration of the poison applied by Poisonous Bite.
• Fixed a bug preventing Shroud of Distress from blocking attacks.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Call of Haste (PvP) -- Skill had no effect. This was fixed in a later update.
• Vow of Piety -- "Regeneration" in the concise description is still spelled incorrectly.
• Jungle Strike -- The base bonus damage is not applied if target is crippled.

Update #1 - Thursday, August 6, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Monthly Tonics available in the Zaishen Chest no longer require an update to change over each month. They will now change over on the 1st day of every month.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Balance

For more information on these changes, please see the Developer Updates page.

PvE & PvP Changes

Assassin

• Black Lotus Strike: decreased recharge to 6 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 5..13.
• Black Mantis Thrust: decreased activation time to 1/2 second.
• Fox Fangs: decreased recharge to 3 seconds; increased damage to 10..35.
• Golden Lotus Strike: decreased recharge to 5 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 5..8.
• Golden Phoenix Strike: functionality changed to: "If you are not under the effects of an Enchantment, this skill misses. If it hits, Golden Phoenix Strike deals +10..30 damage and all adjacent foes take 10..30 damage."
• Jagged Strike: decreased activation time to 1/2 second.
• Jungle Strike: functionality changed to: "Must follow a lead attack. If it hits, Jungle Strike strikes target foe for +10..25 damage. If it hits a foe that was Crippled, that foe and all adjacent foes take +1..31 damage.”
• Sharpen Daggers: functionality changed to: "For 5..30 seconds, your dagger attacks cause Bleeding for 5..15 seconds."

Dervish

• Armor of Sanctity: functionality changed to: "All adjacent foes suffer from Weakness for 5..15 seconds. For 10 seconds, you take 5..20 less damage from foes suffering from a condition."
• Aura Slicer: functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, you deal +10..25 damage. If you are enchanted or this attack hits an enchanted foe, that foe begins Bleeding for 5..15 seconds."
• Dwayna's Touch: increased recharge to 5 seconds.
• Meditation: increased recharge to 12 seconds. Functionality changed to: "You gain 20..125 Health. If you are not enchanted, you also gain 3..8 Energy."
• Natural Healing: functionality changed to: "You are healed for 40..100 Health and an additional 40..80 Health if you are not enchanted."
• Pious Restoration: increased recharge to 8 seconds; increased casting time to 1 second. Functionality changed to: "You gain 80..150 Health and lose 1 enchantment. If an enchantment was removed in this way, you also lose 1..3 hexes."
• Sand Shards: functionality changed to: "For 30 seconds, Sand Shards ends early if you use an attack skill. When Sand Shards ends, it creates a sand storm at your location that deals 10..20 damage each second for 10 seconds to nearby foes."
• Vow of Piety: increased Energy cost to 15; reduced casting time to 0; increased recharge to 45 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Stance. For 20 seconds, you have +24 armor and +1..4 Health regeneration. Vow of Piety renews whenever an enchantment on you ends."
• Winds of Disenchantment: moved to the Wind Prayers attribute. Functionality changed to: "Lose 1 enchantment. If an enchantment was removed in this way, all nearby foes lose 1 enchantment and take 20..80 cold damage."

Elementalist

• Chain Lightning: reduced casting time to 2 seconds; now only causes Exhaustion if you are not enchanted.
• Earthen Shackles: reduced casting time to 1 second; decreased slow effect to 66%; now effects [sic] target and all adjacent foes.
• Ebon Hawk: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced damage to 10..85. Functionality changed to: "Send a projectile that strikes for 10..85 earth damage and causes Weakness for 5..15 seconds if it hits."
• Elemental Flame: functionality changed to: "For 5..20 seconds, whenever an Elemental hex is applied to target foe, that foe is set on fire for 3..5 seconds."
• Invoke Lightning: reduced recharge to 10 seconds.
• Lava Arrows: No longer half-range.
• Slippery Ground: increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "If target foe is Blind or moving, that foe is knocked down. (50%%[sic] failure chance with Water Magic 4 or less.)"
• Windborne Speed: reduced casting time to 3/4 seconds.
• Winter's Embrace: functionality changed to: "For 2..6 seconds, target foe moves 66% slower and takes 5..15 damage while moving."

Mesmer

• Confusing Images: increased Energy cost to 10; increased casting time to 2 seconds; increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 6 seconds, target foe takes twice as long to activate non-attack skills."
• Illusion of Pain: increased recharge to 8 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 10 seconds, target foe has -3..10 Health degeneration and takes 3..10 damage each second. After 10 seconds, that foe is healed for 45..150."
• Wastrel's Demise: decreased casting time to 1/4 second. Functionality changed to: "Hex Spell: Target foe takes 5..40 damage. If that foe was not using a skill, that foe suffers -1..3 Health degeneration for 10 seconds."

Monk

• Divine Boon: decreased Energy loss to 1; now only provides healing when you cast Protection Prayers or Divine Prayers [sic] spells.
• Shielding Hands: functionality changed to: "For 8 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 3..18. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..50 Health."

Necromancer

• Poisoned Heart: functionality changed to: "You and all adjacent foes are Poisoned for 5..15 seconds."

Paragon

• Finale of Restoration: increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 10..35 seconds, the next 5 times that a chant or shout ends on target non-spirit ally, that ally is healed for 15..75 Health."

Ranger

• Melandru's Shot: increased recharge to 12 seconds.

PvE Only Changes

Assassin

• Shroud of Distress: functionality changed to: "For 30..60 seconds, if you are below 50% Health, you have +3..8 Health regeneration and a 75% chance to block attacks.
• Signet of Deadly Corruption: no longer follows a dual attack.
• Unseen Fury: increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 3..10 seconds. For 10..30 seconds, you cannot be blocked by Blinded foes."

Dervish

• Conviction: functionality changed to: "For 10..35 seconds, you have +24 armor. If you are enchanted, you also have a 50% chance to block."

Monk

• Seed of Life: decreased recharge to 20 seconds.
• Selfless Spirit: reduced recharge to 15 seconds; decreased Energy reduction to 3. Functionality changed to: "For 15..20 seconds, spells you cast that target another ally cost 3 less Energy."

Necromancer

• Masochism: functionality changed to: "For 10..40 seconds, you have +2 to your Death Magic and Soul Reaping attributes and sacrifice 5..3% of your maximum Health when you cast a spell."

Ranger

• Pets in PvE take 33% less damage and deal 33% more damage in combat.
• Call of Haste: increased movement and attack speed to 33%.
• Comfort Animal: decreased Energy cost to 5. Functionality changed to: "You heal your animal companion for 20..104 Health. If your companion is dead, it is resurrected with 10..58% Health. If you have Comfort Animal equipped, your animal companion will travel with you."
• Enraged Lunge: functionality changed to: "Your animal companion attempts an Enraged Lunge that applies a Deep Wound to target foe for 5..20 seconds and deals +10..50 damage."
• Melandru's Assault: functionality changed to: "Your animal companion attempts a Melandru's Assault that deals +5..20 damage to all nearby foes."
• Predatory Bond: functionality changed to: "For 5..20 seconds, your animal companion attacks 25% faster and heals you for 1..31 Health with each attack."

PvP Only Changes

Monk

• Aegis (PvP): functionality changed to: "For 1..3 seconds, hostile spells and attacks against target other party member fail."

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the supply column to disappear during the quest "Supplies for the Duke."
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented players from getting credit for defeating Droughtlings during the quest "Secrets in the Shadow."
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented enemies from attacking during the Abaddon's Mouth mission.
• Fixed a bug that caused some parties to fail in the Unwaking Waters mission prior to reaching 60% DP.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented all party members from getting credit for completion in the quest "Troubled Lands."
• Fixed a bug that prevented party members from getting credit for completing the quest "Army of Darkness" if they did not take the quest prior to the Unholy Text being turned in.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Signet of Creation from working in PvP.
• Fixed a bug that caused one of the Druids to get stuck during the bonus objective in the Bloodstone Fen mission.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented parties from getting credit for killing the Slayer during the quest "Demon Assassin."
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented players from being killed by life-stealing skills.
• Fixed a bug that prevented canceling spells via weapon swapping to count toward skill-usage totals.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented Flesh Golems summoned by Necromancers from leaving exploitable corpses.
• Fixed a bug that caused Expert Focus to apply to ranged attacks.
• Fixed a missing texture on the Asuran Paragon Raiment.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to turn pets from the Zaishen Menagerie into Nehdukah for 100 gold.
• Fixed a bug that prevented short-duration enchantments from applying to characters hexed by Mark of Insecurity.
• Fixed a bug that caused animals in the Zaishen Menagerie to drop festival loot.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the counter for "Can't Touch This!" from refreshing upon recast.
• Fixed a bug when using "Air of Superiority" that prevented "Is there anything I can't do?" from recharging Norn forms.
• Fixed a bug when using Signet of Binding that prevented Restoration spirits from resurrecting members of the correct team.

Miscellaneous

• Added a Canthan Ambassador to Lion's Arch International Districts.
• Added a description for unlocking M.O.X.
• Updated the AI for Heroes so they will only use Epidemic when adjacent foes are present.
• Updated the AI for Heroes to improve their use of the Ritualist skill Splinter Weapon.
• Improved the response time of spirits created by the Ritualist skill Signet of Spirits.
• Removed Guild Registrar from Ascalon City International Districts.
• Tonics no longer make noise in a town or outpost.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update introduced some skill bugs, which were fixed in the next update:
  • Golden Phoenix Strike and Jungle Strike dealt no damage to adjacent foes.
  • Jagged Strike's activation did not change.
  • Poisonous Bite: The poison duration was changed to 24 seconds.
  • Poisoned Heart's description erroneously referred to it as an enchantment.
  • Shroud of Distress did not block attacks.
  • Vow of Piety's stance renewal was bugged and "regeneration" was misspelled in the concise description (the latter wasn't fixed).

July 2009 updates

• Thursday 9^th of July (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 2^nd of July (talk, feedback)

Update - Thursday, July 9, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated the Zaishen Chest drops to replace the Automatonic with the Boreal Tonic for the month of July. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Miscellaneous

• Increased the K-value of rated matches in GvG and Hero Battles to 15. For more information on this change, please see the Developer Updates page.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Dragon Festival decorations were removed from Kaineng Center and Shing Jea Monastery.
• The K-value for winning a rated match in Hero Battles remained at 5, this was fixed later.
• The Automated Tournament rotations for Hero Battles were not updated, this was fixed later.

Update - Thursday, July 2, 2009

Dragon Festival 2009

• Decorated Shing Jea Monastery and Kaineng Center in preparation for the Dragon Festival.
• Beginning at Noon Pacific (-7 GMT) on Thursday, July 2, 2009, the Shing Jea Boardwalk, Dragon Arena, and Rollerbeetle Racing will be opened for the duration of the weekend.
• Captain Rujiyo will be gathering adventurers in Shing Jea Monastery for special festival missions at various times throughout the day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
• For the final events on Sunday, July 5, Emperor Kisu will visit Shing Jea Monastery every two hours, with the first event starting at 2:00 AM Pacific (-7 GMT) and the last event starting at 11:59 PM Pacific (-7 GMT).
• Imperial Supply Master Kagno will appear in Shing Jea Monastery as the event comes to a close at 11:59 AM Pacific (-7 GMT) on Monday, July 6. He will remain there for one week to exchange 250 Victory Tokens for the new mask in case anyone misses the exchange with Emperor Kisu.
• For the full mission and event schedule, please see the Dragon Festival 2009 event page.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Signet of Creation to affect non-Binding Ritual spells.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Signet of Creation from applying to certain Binding Rituals.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Junundu skill Choking Breath from interrupting some enemies.
• Updated Soothing, Vampirism, and Preservation to use the correct casting animations.

June 2009 updates

• Monday 22^nd of June (talk, feedback)
• Friday 19^th of June (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 18^th of June (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 11^th of June (talk, feedback)
• Wednesday 10^th of June (talk, feedback)

Update - Monday, June 22, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Xinrae's Weapon, Vengeful Weapon, Nightmare Weapon, and Weapon of Remedy to heal the caster rather than the target.
• Fixed a bug that caused Spirit Siphon to appear twice on the skill list when interacting with a Priest of Balthazar.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Guild Versus Guild Zaishen Combat Quest from properly updating.

Update - Friday, June 19, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused "We Shall Return!" to bypass Frozen Soil.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Flux Matrix to damage party members.
• Fixed a crash bug associated with "Brace Yourself!"
• Fixed a bug that caused Order of the Vampire to give stolen health to the caster rather than the party member that was attacking.
• Fixed the recharge time on Signet of Spirits by increasing it to the intended 20 seconds.
• Fixed a bug when using Signet of Binding that prevented a spirit's defensive effects from applying properly.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from turning in their Random Arena Zaishen Combat quests.
• Updated the inaccurate descriptions for Well of Blood, Well of Power, Well of Suffering, Well of the Profane, and "Incoming!" (PvP).

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Kun Shao will still not give out tournament reward points for the May tournament to the majority of the Guild Wars community.

Update 2 - Thursday, June 18, 2009

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug with Hero and NPC AI which would prevent them from effectively utilizing minion skills.

Update - Thursday, June 18, 2009

Skill Updates

For more information on these changes, please see the Developer Updates page.

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Palm Strike: increased recharge time to 7 seconds.

Elementalist

• Ether Prism: increased recharge time to 20 seconds.

Mesmer

• Visions of Regret: functionality changed to: "For 10 seconds, target foe and adjacent foes take 15...39...45 damage whenever they use a skill and 5...41...50 damage if not under the effects of another Mesmer hex."

Necromancer

• Lingering Curse: increased Energy cost to 15.
• Suffering: increased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Weaken Knees: decreased duration to 1...13...16 seconds; decreased Health degeneration to -1...3...4 ; decreased damage to 5...9...10 .

Ritualist

• Spawning Power: increased effect on Weapon Spells to 4% per rank.
• Brutal Weapon: decreased duration to 10...34...40 seconds.
• Guided Weapon: decreased duration to 4...9...10 seconds.
• Resilient Weapon: decreased duration to 5...13...15 seconds.
• Signet of Binding: functionality changed to: "You lose 200...80...50 Health. Gain control of target spirit."
• Spiritleech Aura: functionality changed to: "Skill. For 5...17...20 seconds, all of your spirits within earshot deal 5...17...20 less damage and steal 5...17...20 Health when they attack."
• Spirit Siphon: functionality changed to: "The spirit nearest you loses all Energy. You gain 15...43...50% of that Energy."
• Vital Weapon: decreased duration to 5...25...30 seconds.
• Wailing Weapon: decreased duration to 3...8...9 seconds.
• Warmonger's Weapon: decreased duration to 3...11...13 seconds.
• Weapon of Shadow: decreased duration to 3...7...8 seconds.
• Weapon of Warding: decreased duration to 3...7...8 seconds.

PvP Only

Elementalist

• Savannah Heat: increased Energy cost to 15.

Paragon

• "Help Me!": functionality changed to: "For 1...8...10 seconds, you gain 5...41...50 Health and other allies' spells targeting you cast 50% faster."

PvE Only

Sunspear

• Cry of Pain: functionality changed to: "Interrupt target foe's skill. If that foe was suffering from a Mesmer Hex, that foe and all foes in the area take 25...45...50 damage and -3...5...5 Health degeneration for 10 seconds."
• Vampirism: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 4...12...14.

Ritualist

• Agony: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Anguish: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; decreased Energy cost to 15; increased spirit level to 1...9...11 .
• Armor of Unfeeling: decreased Energy cost to 5. Functionality changed to: "For 10...30...35 seconds, your spirits takes 50% less damage and are immune to critical attacks."
• Bloodsong: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Destruction: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Disenchantment: decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased Energy cost to 15; decreased recharge time to 30 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12 .
• Displacement: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Dissonance: decreased casting time to 1 second; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Earthbind: decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased recharge time to 30 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Empowerment: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Gaze of Fury: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Life: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Pain: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Preservation: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Recovery: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Recuperation: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Rejuvenation: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...16...20.
• Restoration: decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased recharge time to 30 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...11...14.
• Shadowsong: decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased recharge time to 30 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...8...10.
• Shelter: decreased casting time to 1 second; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Signet of Creation: increased recharge time to 30 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 5...25...30 seconds, your next 1...3...3 Binding Rituals cast instantly."
• Signet of Spirits: increased recharge time to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Create three level 1...10...12 spirits. These spirits deal 5...25...30 damage with attacks. These spirits die after 60 seconds."
• Soothing: decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased Energy cost to 15; decreased recharge time to 45 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Union: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Wanderlust: decreased casting time to 1 second; increased spirit level to 1...10...12.
• Weapon of Warding: decreased duration to 3...7...8 seconds.

Paragon

• "Brace Yourself!": functionality changed to: "For 5...11...12 seconds, the next time target other ally would be knocked down, all nearby foes take 15..75 damage instead."
• "Can't Touch This!": functionality changed to: "For 20 seconds, the next 1...4...5 touch skills used against allies within earshot fail."
• "Fall Back!": decreased recharge time to 20 seconds.
• "Find Their Weakness!": functionality changed to: "For 5...17...20 seconds, the next time target ally attacks, that ally inflicts a Deep Wound and the next attack does 5..50 additional damage"
• "Go for the Eyes!": decreased recharge time to 0 seconds; increased chance to land a critical hit to 30...86...100%.
• "Help Me!": decreased recharge time to 10 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 1...8...10 seconds, you gain 15...75...90 Health and other allies' spells targeting you cast 50% faster."
• "Incoming!": decreased Energy cost to 5; decreased recharge time to 20 seconds.
• "Never Give Up!": decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
• "Never Surrender!": decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
• "Stand Your Ground!": decreased Energy cost to 10; decreased recharge time to 20 seconds.
• "We Shall Return!": increased Energy cost to 25; increased recharge time to 30 seconds. Functionality changed to: "All party members in earshot are resurrected with 25...45...50% Health and 5...17...20% Energy."
• Anthem of Disruption: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Bladeturn Refrain: functionality changed to: "For 20 seconds, target non-spirit ally has a 5...17...20% chance to block incoming attacks. This Echo is reapplied every time a Chant or Shout ends on that ally."
• Blazing Finale: increased Burning duration to 1...6...7 seconds.
• Defensive Anthem: decreased Energy cost to 10.
• Signet of Return: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.

AI Updates

The following AI updates apply to Heroes and Hard Mode NPCs.

Assassin

• Heroes are more likely to use offensive Shadow Step skills before their Health reaches 50%.
• Heroes will now use Black Lotus Strike against non-hexed foes when appropriate.

Dervish

• Heroes are more likely to use Attacker's Insight during combat.

Elementalist

• Heroes are more likely to use attunement skills during combat.

Mesmer

• Heroes will now more appropriately use hex spells that require an interrupt to take effect.
• Heroes will now maintain Mantra of Inscriptions both in and out of combat.

Monk

• Heroes are more likely to scatter appropriately when affected by Ray of Judgment.
• Heroes will now use Life Sheath to remove conditions out of combat.
• Heroes will now use Boon Signet more frequently.
• Heroes are now more likely to use Spotless Mind and Spotless Soul in conjunction with other hex and condition removal skills.
• Heroes are now more likely to use Restore Condition if their target is suffering from multiple conditions.
• Heroes will now use Dwayna's Kiss more frequently when hexes and enchantments are present on the target.
• Heroes will now use Words of Comfort more frequently on characters suffering from conditions.
• Fixed a bug where the AI only used Healing Burst as a self-targeting spell.
• Fixed a bug where the AI did not recognize Unyielding Aura as a hard resurrection skill.

Necromancer

• Heroes can now cast Lingering Curse off-target.
• Heroes will now use Blood is Power and Blood Ritual on casters holding bundle items.
• Heroes will now maintain Aura of the Lich in and out of combat.

Paragon

• Heroes will now check if Angelic Bond is active on all party members before using the skill.
• Heroes will only activate Angelic Bond if a party member is under 50% Health.
• Heroes are more likely to use "Incoming!" outside of combat.
• Heroes will only use Chest Thumper against foes that are suffering from Cracked Armor.
• Heroes will now use "Never Surrender!" both in and out of combat.

Ritualist

• Heroes will now use Resilient Weapon, Spirit Light Weapon, and Weapon of Warding to overwrite non-defensive weapon spells when the target's Health is at critical levels.
• Heroes will now use Offering of Spirit more frequently and will now use it out of combat.
• Heroes will now use Mending Grip as a self-targeting spell.
• Heroes will now only use Brutal Weapon on targets who are engaged in combat.
• Heroes will now cast Weapon of Quickening on spell-casting classes regardless of weapon type equipped.
• Fixed a bug where the AI would not use Renewing Memories while holding a bundle item.

Warrior

• Heroes are more likely to use Defy Pain at 95% Health to make better use of its damage-reduction feature.
• Heroes will use "For Great Justice!" as is appropriate for their weapon type.
• Heroes are less likely to overwrite Rush with other stances.
• Heroes are less likely to overwrite Frenzy with other stances unless Health is low.

General

• Fixed a bug where Heroes would not use zero-Energy skills when low on Energy.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that would cause GvG matches to end in a tie if a Guild Lord died when the tiebreaker triggered. All Guild Lords will now become non-combatants when the match ends after 28 minutes according to the server clock. Note that this time may differ slightly from your client's timer.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Depravity and Ether Phantom from displaying Energy loss.
• Fixed a bug that caused Depravity to affect all nearby foes.
• Fixed a bug that caused the following Ritualist skills to use an incorrect casting animation: Agony, Anguish, Empowerment, Gaze of Fury, Recovery, and Rejuvenation.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the May tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.
• Reduced the amount of wins needed for the base objective and second bonus objective on the Random Arenas Zaishen quest.
• Increased the Zaishen Coin rewards for all Zaishen Mission quests and Zaishen Bounty quests.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Ray of Judgment scatters heroes in both normal and hard mode. In hard mode, all NPCs will scatter from it.
• Recharge of "Brace Yourself!" was lowered from 12 seconds to 4 seconds.
• Activation time of Signet of Creation was lowered to 1 second.
• Spirits summoned by Signet of Spirits suffer an AI glitch that makes them idle during battles. They often delay several seconds between each attacks due to targeting priority script (which prevent them from attacking the same target of any ally spirits), and usually doing nothing at all against single target when you control a massive number of offensive spirits.
• Spirit Siphon should be self-targeting to function properly. But if you cast Spirit Siphon while targeting anything out of your spell range, it will make you run to the target to cast even if the spirit is adjacent to yourself. If the nearest spirit is outside of casting range from your target, Spirit Siphon will fail.
• Kun Shao will not give out tournament reward points for the May tournament to most people.
• This update introduced the following bugs, which were fixed in the June 19th update.
  • "We Shall Return!" bypassed Frozen Soil.
  • The Flux Matrix damaged party members.
  • Equipping "Brace Yourself!" (PvP) caused the client to crash.
  • Order of the Vampire gave the stolen health to the caster instead of the attacker.
  • Signet of Spirits' recharge time was left at 10 seconds instead of being increased to 20 seconds as intended.
  • Signet of Binding had a bug which prevented spirits' defensive effects from being applied properly.
  • A bug prevented players from receiving credit for completing objectives in the Random Arena Zaishen Combat quest.
  • The descriptions of all Blood Magic and Death Magic well spells have been changed, however the functionality of these skills has not been changed. Concise and verbose descriptions of Blood Magic and Death Magic well spells were appended with "You do not sacrifice Health if there is a fresh corpse to exploit.". In verbose descriptions, "Exploit nearest corpse to create a Well of [Name] at its location." has been replaced with "Create a Well of [Name] at your location.". In Concise descriptions, "Exploits a fresh corpse." has been removed.
  • "Incoming!" (PvP) has the wrong skill description, stating that "For 4...9...10 seconds, all party members within earshot take 33% less damage.".

Update - Thursday, June 11, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated the Zaishen Chest drops to replace the Phantasmal Tonic with the Automatonic for the month of June. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to have multiple copies of the Heroes' Ascent Zaishen Combat Quest.
• Fixed a bug that caused effects that are conditional upon critical hits to trigger even if critical hits were prevented with a skill.
• Fixed a bug that caused "We Shall Return!" to affect allies instead of party members.
• Fixed a bug that caused Res Orbs to resurrect dead NPCs in Alliance Battles.

Miscellaneous

• Budger Blackpowder will now wait a few seconds between dispensing Powder Kegs in Explorable Areas.
• The Merchants in the Great Temple of Balthazar now offer late-game items.
• Added a confirmation box for Name Changes.
• Removed festival decorations from Kaineng Center and Shing Jea Monastery.
• The Treasure Hunter and Wisdom title tracks now count toward Favor of the Gods.
• Reduced the Zaishen Coin reward for the Hero Battles Zaishen Combat quest.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Characters that already had multiple copies of the Heroes' Ascent Zaishen Combat Quest before this update still retain the multiple copies of the quest.
• After this build was released, the daily Zaishen Quests were changed.
• The "late game items" added to the merchants in the Great Temple of Balthazar are the Superior Salvage Kit and Superior Identification Kit.

Update - Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Korea Service Migration

• Migrated Korean accounts to the North American servers.

May 2009 updates

• Thursday 14^th of May (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 7^th of May (talk, feedback)
• Friday 1^st of May (talk, feedback)

Update 2 - Thursday, May 14, 2009

Bug Fix

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Thursday, May 14, 2009

Skill Updates

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Heart of Shadow: functionality changed to: "You are healed for 30...126...150, and you Shadow Step to a nearby location directly away from your target."
• Shadow Fang: added an after-cast delay.
• Viper's Defense: functionality changed to: "All adjacent foes are Poisoned for 5...17...20 seconds, and you Shadow Step to a nearby location, directly away from your target."

Elementalist

• Mirror of Ice: functionality changed to: "For 5 seconds, plus 3 additional seconds for every rank of Energy Storage, you deal an additional 5...29...35 cold damage whenever you cast a Water Magic hex."
• Steam: functionality changed to: "Target foe is struck for 5...41...50 cold damage. If target foe is on fire, Steam Blinds that foe for 5...9...10 seconds."

Mesmer

• Illusionary Weaponry: decreased Energy cost to 5.

Monk

• Castigation Signet: increased recharge to 20 seconds.
• Peace and Harmony: decreased duration to 1...3...3 seconds; increased recharge to 12 seconds.
• Word of Healing: decreased non-conditional healing to 5...81...100; increased conditional healing to 30...98...115.

Necromancer

• Foul Feast: increased recharge to 5 seconds.
• Lingering Curse: decreased healing reduction to 20%.

Ranger

• Hunter's Shot: functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, your target bleeds for 3...21...25 seconds."
• Melandru's Shot: functionality change to: "If this attack hits, your target bleeds for 5...21...25 seconds. If it hits a foe that is moving or knocked down, that foe takes +10...22...25 damage and is crippled for +5...13...15 seconds."
• Keen Arrow: decreased conditional damage to 5...21...25.

Ritualist

• Protective Was Kaolai: increased recharge to 25 seconds.

PvP

Monk

• Strength of Honor (PvP): decreased damage to 1...4...5.
• Aegis (PvP): reduced casting time to .25. Functionality changed to: "For 1...3...3 seconds, hostile spells and attacks against 'target other ally' fail."

Warrior

• Warrior's Endurance (PvP): this skill is now a stance.

PvE

Dwarf

• Low Blow: functionality changed to: "Strike target foe for 45...65...70 damage. If target foe is knocked down, that foe takes an additional 30...46...50 damage and suffers from Cracked Armor for 14..20 seconds."

Faction Skills

• Elemental Lord: functionality changed to: "For 40...56...60 seconds, your elemental attributes are boosted by 1, you gain 1 Energy for every 10 ranks of Energy Storage, and you are healed for 100...260...300% of the Energy cost each time you cast a spell."
• Summon Spirits: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.

Mesmer

• Fragility: this skill now also affects adjacent foes.

Monk

• Strength of Honor: increased damage to 5...21...25.

Vanguard

• Tryptophan Signet: this skill no longer requires touch range.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented pet names from displaying properly in some languages.

Miscellaneous

• Master Architect Gunther in Fort Aspenwood now destroys any masterless Minions within earshot.
• A Xunlai Agent and Chest has arrived in the Zaishen Menagerie.
• Ai Tei [Merchant] has arrived in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Moss Spiders and Black Moas now grow appropriately as they evolve.
• Adjusted the amount of dishonor points given out by the Dishonorable Combatant System.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• A bug with Heart of Shadow disconnected everyone in the same instance when used. It was fixed in a subsequent update.
• This update also removed the activation time of Hunter's Shot and increased its' recharge time to 10 seconds.
• This update also lowered the energy cost of Aegis (PvP) from 15 to 10.
• This update also lowered the activation time of Sharpen Daggers from 2 seconds to 1 second, and changed its duration from 30 seconds to 5...25...30 seconds.
• For more information about these skill updates, see the developer update.
• Gunther destroys masterless minions with a new NPC skill, Gunther's Gaze.

Update - Thursday, May 7

Xunlai Tournament House 2.0

• The Xunlai Tournament House has received a variety of exciting improvements!
  • Players will now log in to the Xunlai Tournament House with their Guild Wars username and password.
  • The interface and functionality of the Xunlai Tournament House has been greatly improved. To read about the changes, see this article.

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated the Zaishen Chest drops to replace the Unseen Tonic with the Phantasmal Tonic for the month of May. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from turning in collectible items to Nicholas Sandford.
• Fixed a bug that allowed some pets to evolve at level 14.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some pets from being added to the Fellowship monument.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the April tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.
• Zaishen Combat Quests are now repeatable.
• When multiple quests have been completed, players are now able to select which quest they would like to turn in.
• Reduced the cost of Zaishen Summoning Stones from 5 Silver Zaishen Coins to 3.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Removed the Rainbow Phoenixes from the heroes that could charm them due to a previously fixed bug.

Update - Friday, May 1, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that incorrectly awarded credit for a Zaishen Combat Quest.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This bug fix refers to the Fort Aspenwood quest, you would be awarded credit for a win regardless of the outcome of the battle.
• This update also removed the possibility to have multiple instances of the same Zaishen Quest on a single character.

April 2009 updates

• Tuesday 28^th of April (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 23^rd of April (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 9^th of April (talk, feedback)
• Wednesday 1^st of April (talk, feedback)

Update - Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed Heroes to charm the Rainbow Phoenix.
• Fixed a bug that prevented players from placing Zaishen Coins in storage.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the icon art for the Keg of Aged Hunter's Ale from displaying properly.

Miscellaneous

• The "/roll" command can no longer be used on PvP maps.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The change to "/roll" was most likely to prevent players from easily completing the Hero Battles daily Zaishen quest, as well as in normal HB play.
• This update fixed the bug that prevented players from displaying Miniature Greased Lightnings.
• Linsey has noted that although Rainbow Phoenixes were not removed from heroes in this update, they will be at a later time.
• The Golem User Manual can now be placed in storage.

Update - Thursday, April 23, 2009

Fourth Anniversary Update: Major Content and Feature Additions

Our goal for the Fourth Anniversary Update is to deepen and enhance replayability of the game with a variety of features aimed at satisfying the full spectrum of Guild Wars players. For example, we wanted to give new purpose and rewards to existing content, so we added a new system of cycling Zaishen Challenge Quests and the Traveler to encourage players to experience the different types of available content in a whole new light. We've also designed an elaborate unlocking system for every pet in the game, making it possible for you to accumulate unlocked pets and swap them out for different builds and gameplay types. As the demand on inventory space increases with all the new content being added to the game since our last storage update, we have increased your storage potential with the creation of Equipment Packs and additional Xunlai Storage panes available in the In-Game and NCsoft Stores. In the same vein, the Hall of Monuments has been made account-based to make the accumulation of titles and other accomplishments more smoothly available to multiple characters on an account. As you play these characters more and more, you might be looking for a way to freshen up their look beyond just getting a new set of armor, so we have added a whole new way to do this with Makeover Credits that have been added to the In-Game and NCsoft Stores. These Credits are redeemable at a [Stylist] NPC who deepens your ability to truly customize a character by allowing you to mix aesthetic features from ALL campaigns, something which is not possible through character creation.

The Live Team has been working nonstop to make these new features a reality, and we're incredibly happy to finally reveal everything we've done. Instead of releasing a typical Developer Update article, we're explaining all the exciting new content in a series of detailed gameplay web pages. You can find the links to those pages in the update notes below, as well as a summary of each updated game feature.

Read on for more information!

Equipment Pack

Each character has been given a 5th bag slot reserved for the Equipment Pack. These new bags will save you oodles of storage space and give you a way to keep your weapons and armor divided from your other loot. These bags:

• Hold only weapons and armor.
• Come in four sizes:
  • 5-slot bags are available in Pre-Searing Ascalon in exchange for a treat for Professor Yakkington, for a nominal fee of gold at various merchants across all campaigns, or for Zaishen Coins at a new Zaishen Rewards NPC in Great Temple of Balthazar.
  • 10, 15, and 20-slot bags are available in exchange for Zaishen Coins at a Zaishen Rewards NPC in Great Temple of Balthazar.

See the gameplay article for more details.

Xunlai Storage

To provide you with access to even more storage space, Xunlai Storage Panes are now available for purchase in the In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store.

• Xunlai Storage Panes each add an additional 20 slots of storage space to your Xunlai Chest. These panes can be used by any character on your account that has access to your storage chest.
• You can now purchase up to 4 additional panes of storage from the In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store.

See the Storage FAQ for more details.

Zaishen Challenge Quests

Every day, we challenge you with different objectives from all over the world, running the gamut from missions to bounties to PvP. Each day, these quests have you play in a specific area for each of the three formats. We believe this will encourage players to group up with those in the area attempting to complete this common goal of getting rewarded for that day's Challenge Quest. Zaishen Challenge Quests have a variety of rewards, including the new Zaishen Coins, a new form of currency taken by Zaishen Rewards NPCs.

• Pick up your Zaishen Challenge Quests in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Your Quest Log can only hold three of each type of Zaishen Challenge Quests.
• Three quest types are offered each day:
  • Mission completion. Finish storyline missions for the Zaishen.
  • Bounties. Hunt down and kill evil bosses from around the world!
  • Combat. Battle it out in different arenas and triumph over other players.
• Each quest has one Base Objective, which is required to complete the quest and rewards you with experience, gold, faction, title points, and Zaishen Coins. Quests may also have one or more optional Bonus Objectives, which reward extra Zaishen Coins.

• Zaishen Coins:
  • Come in copper, silver, and gold denominations.
  • Are only awarded for completing Zaishen Challenge Quests.
  • Are not tradeable to other players, but can be passed to other characters on your account through the Xunlai Storage Vault.
  • Can be used to buy items like the Equipment Packs from Zaishen Rewards NPCs in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
  • Can be used to unlock pets for your Zaishen Menagerie collection.

See the gameplay article for more details about Zaishen Challenge Quests and Coins.

Zaishen Menagerie

Arcane Mages of the Zaishen Order have been hard at work on the island of the Heroes' Ascent volcano. Terraforming magics learned from the hedge wizards of Vabbi have allowed the Zaishen to create a sanctuary and breeding ground for many of the charmable animals from around the world. They fund the sanctuary and their study of these animals by allowing adventurers to build their own collection of charmable animals to be cared for in the Menagerie Grounds. By unlocking a pet for your collection, you will then be able to recharm that tier of animal any time you wish by visiting the Zaishen Menagerie Grounds. As part of this service, the Zaishen Trainers have developed evolutions of certain rare animals that have never been seen in the wild, and they've even recovered a small amount of extremely rare Moss Spider eggs to be trained as a charmable pet for the first time. The Moss Spider is best known for being native to Ascalon before the Searing, and until now was believed to be extinct.

• The Zaishen Menagerie is an outpost, located in the Battle Isles next to Heroes' Ascent. Speak with Gate Guard Hirvela to enter the Menagerie Grounds.
• All characters on your account share a Menagerie collection.
• Unlock seven different tiers of level and evolution for every charmable animal in the game.
• Unlock a pet by bringing your charmed animals to Emryd the Tamer, or visit Helena [Zaishen Keeper] to unlock them with Balthazar Faction or Zaishen Coins.
• Only charmable animals from campaigns you own are unlockable via the Zaishen Keeper.
• The menagerie is your own area--only you and your Heroes can enter.
• Once you've unlocked a pet, you'll see charmable level 5 versions of that pet roaming the grounds. Higher-level versions and special evolutions of your pets are also available from Wynn [Zaishen Training Captain].
• Purchase an unlock pack from our In-Game Store or the NCsoft Store. The unlock pack adds the non-prestige pets from all campaigns to your collection.

See the gameplay article for more details.

Nicholas The Traveler

The rumors aren't true, Nicholas Sandford survived the Searing! He may look a little aged since the last time you saw him, but Nicholas and his trusty companion, Professor Yakkington, are finally coming out of hiding. Having dropped his last name in favor of the moniker "the Traveler," Nicholas has mourned in seclusion over the loss of his family, friends, and beloved Mary Malone long enough. He has traveled the globe, gathering up a hefty supply of exotic and unique new items to put in his Gift of the Traveler, which he trades for materials, trophies, and other items he desires. Each week, Nicholas and the Professor will change location to a different explorable area in Tyria, Cantha, or Elona. In each location he will want something different for one of his Gifts. He is out there in the world right now; do you have the stamina to find him?

• The Traveler changes location at the end of each weekend.
• Each account can get up to 5 Gifts of the Traveler each week.
• The Traveler gives his Gifts in exchange for the items he desires that week. The item he seeks will change depending on his location in the world.
• Gifts of the Traveler hold many new and exclusive items, but you'll just have to open one to see what they are.

See the gameplay article for more details.

Hall of Monuments: Now Account-Wide

Our previously announced plans for the Hall of Monuments to be an account-wide feature have come to fruition, and then some!

• Switch between your Character and Account views by speaking with Kimmes the Historian in the Hall of Monuments.
• Added the ability to specify the displayed achievements for each monument.
• Added the ability to replay the cinematic view of a monument.

Accomplishments will automatically be added to your account the next time you log in with any character that has a displayed an achievement in the Hall of Monuments.

See the gameplay article for more details.

New Character Customizations

The ability to change a character's look once created is a luxury we've never had. Now you will not only be able to freshen up the look of a character you have been staring at for years, but you'll actually be able to mix and match aesthetic features from all campaigns, giving you a multitude of new combinations that aren't available during character creation! To prepare for this new feature, we've had to reorganize the way characters' appearance data is stored. As such, the first time you view your characters at the character selection screen, they won't look the way you remember them. Never fear! To update your character selection screen's display, you need only log in on each character, and they will be viewed correctly from here on out.

• Preview your new look! Speak with Anatomical Engineer Llye [Stylist] in the Great Temple of Balthazar to check out all the options for redoing your character.
• The Stylist allows you to mix and match aesthetic features from different campaigns, creating hundreds of combinations which are not available at character creation.
• Change your character's hair style, hair color, face, skin color, and/or body scale with Makeover Credits, or all of those plus gender with Extreme Makeover Credits, at the Stylist.
• Buy your Makeover Credits and Extreme Makeover Credits at the In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store. Makeover Credits are sold in packs of 5, and Extreme Makeover Credits are sold individually.
• Each Makeover Credit allows you to change one character's hair style, hair color, face, skin color, and/or body scale.
• Each Extreme Makeover Credit allows you to change one character's gender, as well as the Makeover options of hair style, hair color, face, skin color, and/or body scale.
• Character Name Changes are now available at the In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store.

See the gameplay article for more details.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed description for Piercing Trap so it no longer refers to Cracked Armor as "Cracked Armored"
• Fixed description for Weapon of Warding (PvE) so it no longer inaccurately states that the skill ends if target ally attacks
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to bypass the 5 Gift account limit per day from Nicholas Sandford in Pre-Searing
• Fixed a bug which caused Red Iris Flowers to drop in Pre-Searing Ascalon with much less frequency than originally intended

Miscellaneous

• The Miniature Greased Lightning is now Green Rarity
• Charm Animal: changed functionality to "Charm target animal. Once charmed, your animal companion will travel with you whenever you have Charm Animal equipped. (Cannot charm animals 4 or more levels higher than you.)"

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The inventory icons for Miniature Jungle Troll and Miniature Prince Rurik were changed.
• The Aegis of Augh got renamed to "Aegis of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh".
• A bug is preventing players from moving Zaishen Coins to storage.
• This update prevented some players from displaying their Miniature Greased Lightnings.

Update - Thursday, April 9, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated Zaishen Chest drops to replace Abyssal Tonic with a new tonic for the month of April. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed Elder Crocodiles to be charmed in Arbor Bay and Verdant Cascades.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the March tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This month's tonic is the Unseen Tonic.
• Added Nicholas Sandford and Professor Yakkington to the landmark The Secret Garden in Regent Valley.

Update #2 - Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented some text in the Hall of Monuments from displaying properly.

Update - Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Note: This update was never implemented. It is a fake update in the spirit of April Fools' Day. However, this update did cause all player characters that were above level 1 in non-PvP outposts to appear as Gwen-chan.

For more information on these changes, please see the Developer Updates page.

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Scorpion Wire: no longer has half-range. Changed functionality to: "Target foe is teleported to your location and knocked down."
• Shroud of Silence: changed functionality to: "For 5...20 seconds, target player cannot send chat messages."

Dervish

• Increased duration of all Avatar skills to 40...70 seconds.
• Avatar of Grenth: changed functionality to: "For 10...90 seconds, your attacks steal 1...2 enchantments from any foe you hit and apply those enchantments to you."

Elementalist

• Sandstorm: now deals 10...30 more damage if the caster is standing in a sandy area.
• Searing Flames: removed Burning condition.

Mesmer

• No changes.

Monk

• Ray of Judgment: Removed Burning condition, increased damage to 10...90.

Necromancer

• Animate Flesh Golem: removed the single-golem limit.

Paragon

• "Fall Back!": Now ends if target ally is not moving away from a foe.
• "Incoming!": Now ends if target ally is not moving away from a foe.
• "It's just a flesh wound.": This skill can now be used while dead.
• "The Power Is Yours!": changed functionality to: "Sacrifice all Health. Until resurrected, 5 nearby party members gain +1...5 Earth Magic, +1...5 Fire Magic, +1...5 Air Magic, +1...5 Water Magic, or +1...5 Healing Prayers."

Ranger

• Beast Mastery: pets now have a chance of ignoring commands unless their master has a higher Beast Mastery rank than the pet's level.
• Equinox: Exhaustion duration is now based on the time of day.

Ritualist

• Signet of Ghostly Might: reverted functionality to: "For 10 seconds, target ally or foe does +10...30 damage. When this skill ends, that target is slain."
• Spawning Power: Weapon skills now last 50% longer for each rank of Spawning Power.

Warrior

• Bull's Charge: functionality changed to: "You Shadow Step to target foe and knock them down."
• Dwarven Battle Stance: duration is now based on the user's height.
• Gladiator's Defense: duration is now doubled in Random and Team Arenas.

Guild Battles

• Guild Battle NPCs now respawn at regular intervals until the Guild Lord is slain.

Miscellaneous

• Removed the Lucky Aura effect from the Lunar Fortune item.
• On a direct hit, the Zaishen rank emote now deals minor damage based on the user's rank and knocks the target down.
• Characters suffering from Blind cannot see distant enemies.
• Characters suffering from Dazed will now spin in place. The camera is locked for the duration of the effect.
• Introduced a new Cartographer title for the Battle Isles.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The alleged change to Signet of Ghostly Might is a reference to an infamous bug during the Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event which allowed it to be cast on any creature rather than only working on allied spirits.
• The alleged change to "The Power Is Yours!" is a reference to Captain Planet.
• The alleged change to Scorpion Wire is a reference to the character Scorpion of the Mortal Kombat series, whose signature move is to impale a spear, with a rope attached to the end, into the opponent's chest, and then drag the opponent towards him by pulling on the rope, leaving the opponent dazed for a free hit.
• The alleged change to Beast Mastery is a reference to the Pokémon game series, where, If you did not have a certain number of badges, Pokémon over a certain level would not obey you.

March 2009 updates

• Monday 30^th of March (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 5^th of March (talk, feedback)

Update - Monday, March 30, 2009

Miscellaneous

• Updating in-game messaging to match the NCsoft website launch.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Removed text from HoM reorder button on monuments. This was fixed in a subsequent update.
• Player characters look like a chibi version of Gwen when in a town or outpost. See April Fools' Day 2009 for more details.

Update - Thursday, March 5, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated the Zaishen Chest drops to replace the Searing Tonic with a new tonic for the month of March. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Updates

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Hidden Caltrops: now disables all your non-Assassin skills for 10 seconds.
• Shadow Refuge: increased duration to 6 seconds.

Elementalist

• Aura of Restoration: decreased Energy cost to 5; increased recharge to 12. Functionality changed to: "For 60 seconds, you gain 0...1...1 Energy and are healed for 200...440...500% of the Energy cost each time you cast a spell."

Mesmer

• Ether Feast: increased Health per Energy drained to 20...56...65.
• Illusion of Haste: reduced the duration of the Crippled condition to 3 seconds.

Necromancer

• Gaze of Contempt: increased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Rend Enchantments: increased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Wail of Doom: increased recharge to 15 seconds.

Warrior

• Defensive Stance: decreased duration to 1...4...5 seconds; decreased armor gain to +10.
• Disciplined Stance: decreased duration to 1...3...4 seconds; decreased armor gain to +10.
• Distracting Strike: functionality changed to: "If Distracting Strike hits, it deals no damage and interrupts target foe's action. If target foe has Cracked Armor, that skill is disabled for 20 seconds."
• Flail: decreased duration to 1...12...15 seconds.
• Healing Signet: increased healing to 82...154...172.
• Primal Rage: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
• Shield Stance: decreased duration to 1...5...6 seconds.
• Soldier's Defense: decreased duration to 1...4...5 seconds.

PvP

Ranger

• Read the Wind (PvP): functionality changed to: "For 24 seconds, your arrows move twice as fast."

Ritualist

• Ancestors' Rage (PvP): increased duration to 3 seconds; decreased damage to 1...25...31.
• Weapon of Warding (PvP): functionality changed to: "For 5...9...10 seconds, target ally has a Weapon of Warding, granting that ally +2...4...4 Health regeneration and a 50% chance to block. Weapon of Warding ends if that ally attacks."

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused heal-reducing skills and heal-increasing to stack incorrectly.

• Fixed a bug that caused Eye of the North treasure chests in Hard Mode to not drop Skill Tomes.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the February tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.
• Improved Hero AI for the Necromancer spell Death Nova to reduce the use of this spell when not in combat.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This month's tonic is the Abyssal Tonic.
• The description of the PvE version of Weapon of Warding is the same as for the PvP version, but the skill's functionality is unchanged.
• Weapon of Warding ends if the target hits, not attacks as stated

February 2009 updates

• Tuesday 24^th of February (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 12^th of February (talk, feedback)
• Thursday 5^th of February (talk, feedback)

Update - Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update also fixed the bug that caused the Everlasting Mischievous Tonic to give party points.

Update - Thursday, February 12, 2009

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update #2 - Thursday, February 5, 2009

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Fixed technical issues with the February Tournament Reward Points which gave some players extra points.

Update - Thursday, February 5, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated Zaishen Chest drops to replace Cerebral Tonic with a new tonic for the month of February. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Updates

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Mark of Insecurity: now disables your non-Assassin skills for 10 seconds.

Mesmer

• Signet of Humility: now disables your non-Mesmer skills for 10 seconds.

Necromancer

• Faintheartedness: reduced Health degeneration to 0...2...3.
• Lingering Curse: reduced Health degeneration to 0...2...3.
• Suffering: reduced Health degeneration to 0...2...3.

Ritualist

• Protective Was Kaolai: reduced armor bonus to 10.

Warrior

• Primal Rage: reduced movement speed boost to 25%.

Guild Battles

• Removed the additional Health bonus Guild Lords received from morale boosts.
• Amulet of Protection: increased the rate at which the Amulet of Protection buff reaches maximum damage. It will now reach maximum damage around 12 minutes instead of at 22 minutes.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Pulverizing Smash to fail when used on a foe who wasn't knocked down.
• Fixed a bug that required players to equip a hammer when activating Dwarven Battle Stance.
• Fixed a bug that caused Protector's Defense effects to linger after the skill user died.
• Fixed a bug that caused Dancing Daggers to count as a lead attack when daggers missed their target.
• Fixed a bug that caused Restoration and Lively Was Naomei to be disregarded when determining whether or not a party had remaining resurrection skills.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Symbols of Inspiration from copying avatar forms.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the January tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.
• The description for Frozen Soil now clarifies that creatures cannot activate resurrection skills within its range.
• The description for Rend Enchantments now clarifies that the skill causes Health loss, not damage.
• The description for Strike as One now clarifies that the target needn't be a foe.
• The description for Mistrust has been reworded for clarity.
• The description for Psychic Distraction now clarifies that targeted skills will be disabled for a few seconds in addition to the skill's standard recharge.
• The description for Agnar's Rage now clarifies that the skill affects foes within earshot.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Mark of Insecurity's enchantment and stance duration reduction reduced to 30...70...80%.
• Removed Canthan New Year decorations and NPCs.

• This month's tonic is the Searing Tonic.
• The "updated" Automated Tournament map rotations haven't taken effect.

January 2009 updates

• Thursday 29^th of January (talk)
• Thursday 8^th of January (talk)

Update - Thursday, January 29, 2009

Canthan New Year

• Made preparations for the Canthan New Year's Festival, which begins at Noon Pacific (-8 GMT), January 30th, 2009, and runs until Noon Pacific, February 2nd, 2009.

Rollerbeetle Racing

• Tolkano [Tournament Rewards] has been added to the Rollerbeetle Racing outpost.
• Players are now required to register with Tolkano before they can participate in Rollerbeetle Racing.
• Eldrid the Ancient [Records] and Little Jack [Rewards] now base their list of the top racers on registered account names. An account name can only be listed once on the top racers list.

Miscellaneous

• Removed leftover collision from where the Wintersday tree was located in the Eye of the North.

Update - Thursday, January 8, 2009

Updated Zaishen Rewards

• Updated the Zaishen Chest drops to replace the Abominable Tonic with a new tonic for the month of January. More information on Zaishen Rewards can be found here.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated Automated Tournament map rotations.

Skill Updates

PvE and PvP

Assassin

• Palm Strike: decreased Crippled duration to 1...4...5 seconds; decreased damage to 10...54...65.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented some Item Spells from executing their drop effect at the end of their held duration.

Miscellaneous

• Xunlai Tournament Agents now offer prizes for the December tournament. These agents can be found in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion's Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Removed Wintersday decorations.
• This month's tonic is the Cerebral Tonic.