Feedback:Game updates/20120913

Update #3 - Thursday, September 13, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug related to Ash Blast.
• Fixed a crash bug related to Searing Heat.

Update #2 - Thursday, September 13, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug related to Elemental Flame.

Update - Thursday, September 13, 2012

Elementalist Skill Balance

For more information on these changes, please see the developer update page.

Terminology

• The exhaustion mechanic is now referred to as "Overcast."

Air Magic

• Arc Lightning: increased casting time to 1.5 seconds; increased recharge to 8 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 5...40 lightning damage. If you are Overcast, two foes near your target are struck for 15...85 lightning damage. Damage from Arch [sic] Lightning has 25% armor penetration."
• Chilling Winds: reduced hex duration to 10 seconds; increased damage to 30...60 cold damage; now hexes adjacent foes.
• Glimmering Mark: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
• Glyph of Swiftness: increased number of affected spells to 1...5.
• Gust: increased cost to 10 Energy.
• Lightning Hammer: now applies Cracked Armor for 5...20 seconds;
• Lightning Hammer (PvP): split for PvP.
• Lightning Javelin: increased recharge to 5 seconds; added the following functionality: "Lightning Javelin strikes all foes between you and your target."
• Lightning Orb: no longer applies Cracked Armor.
• Lightning Orb (PvP): removed from the game; the funcionality of this skill is now the same in PvP and PvE.
• Lightning Strike: changed type to hex spell; changed functionality to: "Strike target foe for 5...50 lightning damage. This spell has 25% armor penetration. If you are Overcast, that foe is hexed with Lightning Strike for 3 seconds. When this hex ends, that foe is struck again for 5...50 lightning damage."
• Lightning Touch: changed functionality to: "Target touched foe and all adjacent foes are struck for 5...60 [sic] lightning damage, are Blinded for 1...4 seconds, and have Cracked Armor for 1...10 seconds. This skill has 25% armor penetration."
• Shell Shock: reduced lightning damage to 10...30; added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, this spell strikes adjacent foes."
• Shock Arrow: changed condition for Energy gain to "strikes a foe with cracked armor."
• Teinai's Wind: increased casting time to 1 second; changed functionality to: "Target foe and all adjacent foes take 10...40 cold damage. Burning foes struck by Teinai's Wind take an additional 40...80 damage and are interrupted."
• Windborne Speed: increased duration to 5...13.
• Whirlwind: increased damage to 15...75; added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, this spell strikes nearby instead of adjacent."

Earth Magic

• Aftershock: increased radius to nearby.
• Ash Blast: changed type to hex spell; increased recharge to 15 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target and adjacent foes are struck for 35...65 earth damage. Burning foes struck by Ash Blast are hexed for 5 seconds and have a 20...75% chance to miss with attacks."
• Crystal Wave: reduced recharge to 15 seconds; reduced damage to 10...70; added the following functionality: "Each condition removed deals 5...15 damage."
• Earthen Shackles: changed functionality to: "For 5...20 [sic] seconds, target and all nearby foes move 90% slower. When Earthen Shackles ends, it applies Weakness for 5...20 seconds."
• Glowstone: reduced casting time to 3/4 second.
• Iron Mist: changed type to enchantment spell; reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 8...15 seconds, you have +15 armor. Your Air Magic spells that target a foe activate and recharge 25% faster, but you are Overcast by 3 points."
• Magnetic Aura: increased cost to 10 Energy; increased casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 12 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 1...5 seconds, you block the next attack against you and deal 10...50 damage to your attacker. If you are Overcast, all party members in earshot are also enchanted."
• Magnetic Surge: changed type to enchantment spell; reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target foe takes 15...75 damage. If you are Overcast, Magnetic Surge enchants all allies in earshot for 1...5 seconds to block the next attack against them."
• Stone Daggers: added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, each projectile inflicts Bleeding for 1...5 seconds."
• Stone Sheath: increased cost to 10 Energy.
• Teinai's Crystals: reduced cost to 5 Energy; increased casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 8 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target foe takes 20...40 damage. If target foe has a Water Magic hex, this spell strikes target and nearby foes for an additional 20...40 damage, and nearby foes also suffer Cracked Armor for 5...15 seconds."

Fire Magic

• Bed of Coals: reduced duration to 5 seconds; reduced radius to adjacent; reduced recharge to 15 seconds; the Bed of Coals is now created at target foe's location.
• Breath of Fire: reduced recharge to 10 seconds; now causes 10 points of Overcast.
• Burning Speed: increased duration to 7 seconds.
• Elemental Flame: changed type to enchantment spell; increased cost to 10 Energy; increased recharge to 30 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 10...35 seconds, whenever you apply an Elemental hex to a foe, that foe is set on fire for 3...5 seconds."
• Elemental Flame (PvP): split for PvP; reduced Burning duration to 1...2 seconds; reduced enchantment duration to 5...20 seconds.
• Fire Storm: reduced recharge to 20 seconds.
• Flare: added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, Flare hits adjacent foes as well."
• Incendiary Bonds: reduced cost to 10 Energy; reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 7 seconds; now causes 5 points of Overcast; added the following functionality: "Activates early if target foe dies."
• Lava Font: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds; added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, this spell strikes nearby foes instead of adjacent ones."
• Phoenix: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds; reduced recharge to 7 seconds; change functionality to: "A fiery Phoenix rises at your location and flies out to your target, exploding on impact. This explosion strikes your target and nearby foes for 10...60 fire damage. If you are Overcast, allies in the blast radius are healed for 20...80 Health."
• Searing Heat: reduced recharge to 25 seconds.
• Smoldering Embers: reduced casting time to 1.5; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 10...70 fire damage. If you are Overcast, that foe is hexed with Smoldering Embers for 3 seconds and takes 5...25 additional fire damage each second."
• Teinai's Heat: changed type to ward spell; reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "Place a ward of Teinai's Heat at your location for 10...15 seconds. Foes within the ward suffer 2...5 Health degeneration. Weakened foes attack 33% slower. This skill is disabled for 20 seconds."

Water Magic

• Ice Spear: added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, you gain +1..4 Health regeneration for 5 seconds."
• Icy Prism: increased recharge to 5 seconds; now causes 5 points of Overcast; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 15...75 cold damage. If that foe has a Water Magic hex, Icy Prism deals +15...75 cold damage to all other nearby foes.
• Mirror of Ice: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
• Rust: added the following functionality: "If you are Overcast, foes struck with Rust have their signets interrupted and disabled for 1...10 seconds."
• Slippery Ground: reduced recharge to 10 seconds; now knocks down foes adjacent to your target.
• Slippery Ground (PvP): split for PvP.
• Steam: increased damage to 20...60.
• Swirling Aura: reduced recharge to 15 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 5 seconds, you are enchanted with Swirling Aura and have +1...6 Health regeneration and a 50% chance to block projectiles. If you are Overcast when you cast this spell, all party members in earshot are also enchanted."
• Teinai's Prison: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge to 15 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 1...6 seconds, target foe's legs are encased in ice, causing the foe to move 66% slower. If that foe has Cracked Armor, the chill seeps through causing 5...9 Health degeneration."
• Vapor Blade: reduced cost to 10 Energy; reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds; now causes 5 points of Overcast.

Other

• Intensity: increased radius to include all foes in the area; increased damage percentage to 60...70%.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused Glimmering Mark to fail to apply Blindness on adjacent foes.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The Glyph of Energy and Second Wind descriptions still use "Exhaustion" instead of "Overcast". Their descriptions were corrected in the September 20, 2012 update.
• The damage in the Lightning Touch description remained as "10...60" and was not changed to "5...60".
• The in-game description of Earthen Shackles indicates its duration is "3 seconds" (which is also its actual duration when used) instead of the stated "5...20 seconds" above.
• Phoenix also had its energy cost reduced from 15 to 10.
• Ice Spear also had its damage reduced from 10...70 to 10...60 and is no longer half ranged.