Game updates:2012

December 2012 updates

• Monday 17^th of December (talk)
• Thursday 13^th of December (talk)
• Thursday 6^th of December (talk)

Update - Monday, December 17, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that allowed Gifts of Battle to be turned in for points in the Dwayna vs. Grenth activity.

Update #2 - Thursday, December 13, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that caused a crash during the Dwayna vs. Grenth activity.

Update - Thursday, December 13, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented Wintersday from starting.

Update - Thursday, December 6, 2012

Wintersday Events

• Preparations have been made for Wintersday 2012.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that caused Gifts of Battle to affect larger areas than intended.

November 2012 updates

• Friday 30^th of November (talk)
• Wednesday 21^st of November (talk)
• Thursday 8^th of November (talk)

Update #2 - Friday, November 30, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that disabled the current Flux.

Update - Friday, November 30, 2012

PvP Update

• Added support for the December Flux.

Update - Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Miscellaneous

• Made preparations for the appearance of special treats Thanksgiving weekend.

Update - Thursday, November 8, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

October 2012 updates

• Monday 22^nd of October (talk)
• Friday 19^th of October (talk)
• Thursday 18^th of October (talk)
• Thursday 4^th of October (talk)

Update - Monday, October 22, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented players with a full inventory from receiving their reward for completing a Halloween quest. Players who have already completed these quests are now able to replay them in order to receive any rewards they missed.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Better You Than Me and Double Your Pleasure and RUN! are the Halloween quests that are being referred to. Unlike the Wayfarer's Reverie quests update, accounts that have already completed one or both of these quests prior to this update can complete them again for a maximum of four Ghoulish Accessory Tokens.

Update - Friday, October 19, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that caused Costume Brawl to not be available.

Update - Thursday, October 18, 2012

Halloween 2012

The red moon rises and blots out the sun,

Blanketing Tyria in midnight.

We don our disguises and join in the fun,

But we weren't alone on the invite.

The Lunatic Court continues to churn;

Their efforts not yet quite effective.

But if we are treated to their king's return,

Will the tricks that he plays be elective?

Surprises and terror: they come hand-in-hand,

No matter your cries for cessation.

When fear is revered and it's dark in the land,

It's a spine-chilling, grave celebration!

Halloween Events

• Preparations have been made for Halloween 2012.
• Costume Brawl has been updated with new skill bars.
• Gamer point rewards for Costume Brawl have been doubled.
• Two new Lunatic Court quests will be available once the Countess of Hakewood and the Emissary of King Thorn arrive at the celebration.
• Lunatic Court quests may now be taken and completed in any order.
• Changed the reward Mad King Thorn gives at the end of each finale; he will no longer dispense Halloween accessories.
• Halloween accessories may be acquired by completing quests for Gul Terror in Lion's Arch and Malavaka in Kamadan. (Once per account.)

Tonic Updates

• Players may now drink a new tonic while under the effects of a previous tonic.
• Tonic buffs for most tonics have been changed to a single generic tonic buff.

Update - Thursday, October 4, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

In-Game Store

• The in-game store no longer accepts Discover cards.

September 2012 updates

• Thursday 27^th of September (talk)
• Thursday 20^th of September (talk)
• Friday 14^th of September (talk)
• Thursday 13^th of September (talk)
• Thursday 6^th of September (talk)

Update - Thursday, September 27, 2012

PvP Update

• Added support for the October Flux.

Update - Thursday, September 20, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed text issues for Ash Blast, Glyph of Energy, and Second Wind.

Update - Friday, September 14, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash bug related to Teinai's Wind.

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.

Update #2 - Thursday, September 6, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Thursday, September 6, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

August 2012 updates

• Friday 31^st of August (talk)
• Thursday 30^th of August (talk)
• Friday 24^th of August (talk)
• Monday 20^th of August (talk)
• Friday 17^th of August (talk)
• Monday 13^th of August (talk)

Update - Friday, August 31, 2012

PvP Update

• Added localization support for the September Flux.

Update - Thursday, August 30, 2012

PvP Update

• Added support for the September Flux.

Update #2 - Friday, August 24, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that could prevent players from changing a very long password.

Update - Friday, August 24, 2012

Maintenance Update

• Increased the maximum password length to 100 characters. Please contact Customer Support if you experience any issues logging in to your account.

Update - Monday, August 20, 2012

Festival Updates

• Fixed a bug that prevented players with a full inventory from receiving rewards for completing the Wayfarer's Reverie quests. Players who have already completed these quests are now able to replay them in order to receive any rewards they missed.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• An account cannot receive a second Reverie Gift‎ by completing all the quests again, but a character can receive the gold and experience quest rewards again.

Update - Friday, August 17, 2012

Festival Updates

The spirit of adventure is always moving us forward, but it can be difficult to reflect on the journey while you’re in motion. Recent scholarship has unearthed a festival, once observed by our forebearers, that addresses just this notion. The Wayfarer's Reverie honors the traveler inside each of us, encouraging revelry and revisitation. The world is yours to explore—again or for the first time. Join the celebration!

• For those looking to walk the Wayfarer's path, festival coordinators have been added to Lion’s Arch, Kamadan, Kaineng Center, and the Eye of the North to offer festival quests for their respective regions.
• NPCs will be dropping by the major towns—as well as a few locations off in the wilds—to share their insights during the festival.
• Special drops and bonuses will be in effect throughout the Wayfarer's Reverie, which will run through August 30th.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The quests this update introduced are:
  • Wayfarer's Reverie: Tyria (Lion's Arch)
  • Wayfarer's Reverie: Cantha (Kaineng Center)
  • Wayfarer's Reverie: Elona (Kamadan, Jewel of Istan)
  • Wayfarer's Reverie: The Far North (Eye of the North)

Update - Monday, August 13, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

PvP Updates

• Increased the requirement for the Flux bonus from 9 ranks in 4 attributes to 10 ranks in 4 attributes.

July 2012 updates

• Thursday 26^th of July (talk)
• Thursday 19^th of July (talk)
• Thursday 12^th of July (talk)
• Thursday 5^th of July (talk)

Update - Thursday, July 26, 2012

PvP Update

• Added support for the August Flux.

Update - Thursday, July 19, 2012

Bug Fix

• Closed an exploit that allowed players to fight Duncan the Black in Slavers' Exile without first defeating his lieutenants.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update also removed an exploit that allowed players to enter the second level of Arachni's Haunt without killing the Spider Matriarchs on the first level.

Update #2 - Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that caused Shadowsong to inflict permanent Blindness.

Update - Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that prevented the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar from being updated.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the damage dealt by Shadowsong from being displayed in the skill tooltip.

Feature Update

• The functionality of Scroll of Resurrection has been changed to: "Double-click to resurrect all dead party members within earshot at 25% Health and Energy. This item cannot be used in PvP."
• Guilds with a rating below 950 may earn the following GvG rewards once per day: Balthazar Faction points, Zaishen Strongboxes, and Zaishen Challenge Quest rewards.
• The guild ladder has been reset.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Stephane Lo Presti stated in a forum post that the issue regarding the disconnecting Friends List was fixed in the first update (source).

Update - Thursday, July 5, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Since this update, there have been multiple reports of losing connection to the Friends List server and/or being required to re-enter one's credentials (especially when changing characters). If you experience this issue, please report it at the official forums.

June 2012 updates

• Friday 29^th of June (talk)
• Thursday 28^th of June (talk)
• Thursday 21^st of June (talk)
• Thursday 7^th of June (talk)

Update - Friday, June 29, 2012

PvP Update

• Added support for the July Flux.

Update #2 - Thursday, June 28, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented Noblewoman Sun Li from offering her Dragon Festival quest.

Update - Thursday, June 28, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused the Carrier Juggernauts and Hauler Turtles in Jade Quarry to stop moving.
• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused the Carrier Juggernauts and Hauler Turtles in Jade Quarry to drop a jade slab before they returned to base.
• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused players to be resurrected at a shrine in an inaccessible area of the Battledepths.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Acid Traps in Raisu Palace to remain active after Panaku disabled them.
• Fixed a bug that caused Hex Breaker to damage the player when they are hit with Corsair's Net.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update also added Noblewoman Sun Li and Imperial Supply Master Kagno to Shing Jea Monastery.

Update #2 - Thursday, June 21, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that disabled the current Flux.

Update - Thursday, June 21, 2012

Festival Updates

• Made preparations for this year's Dragon Festival, which begins on Thursday, June 28th, at noon PDT (GMT-7) and ends on Sunday, July 1st, at 11:59 p.m. PDT (GMT-7).
• Noblewoman Sun Li now appears in Shing Jea Monastery and grants one Imperial Mask Token to players who complete her quest.
• Imperial Supply Master Kagno now exchanges Imperial Mask Tokens for festival masks from years past.
• Emperor Kisu no longer distributes festival masks during the final event.
• Increased rewards for participation during the final event.

Skill Changes

Dervish

• Avatar of Dwayna: changed functionality to: "Whenever you use a Dervish attack skill, you lose 1 hex."
• Avatar of Dwayna (PvP): changed functionality to: "Whenever you use a Dervish attack skill, you lose 1 hex."

Mesmer

• Crippling Anguish (PvP): increased Energy cost to 15.
• Ethereal Burden: increased casting time to 1.5 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 10...18.
• Kitah's Burden: increased casting time to 1.5 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 10...18.
• Leech Signet: increased recharge to 30 seconds.
• Web of Disruption (PvP): split for PvP; increased Energy cost to 10.

Warrior

• Forceful Blow: increased adrenaline cost to 5; reduced damage to 10...30.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• For additional details about the festival updates, see https://forum.guildwars.com/forum/forums/news/June-21-2012-Update-Notes/page/1#post11864.
• Sun Li and Master Kagno will not appear "now", but during the upcoming festival (source).
• Only the hex removal functionality of Avatar of Dwayna was changed.

Update - Thursday, June 7, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

May 2012 updates

• Thursday 31^st of May (talk)
• Thursday 17^th of May (talk)
• Friday 11^th of May (talk)
• Thursday 10^th of May (talk)
• Thursday 3^rd of May (talk)

Update #2 - Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented the June Flux from functioning as intended.

Update - Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed several crash bugs.

Update - Thursday, May 17, 2012

Alliance Battle Updates

• Increased Alliance Battle score multiplier for Imperial faction gain from 4 to 10.
• Decreased win bonus for Alliance Battles from 2000 Imperial faction to 1000 Imperial faction.
• Increased underdog multiplier for Alliance Battles from 100% and 200% to 300% and 500%.
• Increased Imperial faction per kill in Alliance Battles from 30 to 40.
• Increase [sic] Balthazar faction per kill in Alliance Battles from 10 to 20.

Title Change

• Decreased the title rank required to get maximum effectiveness from title-based PvE skills.

Environment Effect Update

• Stone Spores: causes a 33% reduction in outgoing damage and healing, as well as -2 to all attributes. Additionally, Stone Spores always remain active in applicable PvP areas, instead of toggling on and off.

Miscellaneous

• Added a sweets-exchange NPC to the Great Temple of Balthazar.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Unlike the progression of other Sunspear skills after this update, Vampirism's life stealing continues to follow the progression prior to this update (i.e. maximum effectiveness is reached at Sunspear rank 10 instead of 5) even though the descriptions display 20 life stealing from rank 5 to 9.

Update #2 - Friday, May 11, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Friday, May 11, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a crash bug.

External links

• https://forum.guildwars.com/forum/forums/news/Incident-Update/page/1

Update - Thursday, May 10, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Update - Thursday, May 3, 2012

PvP Updates

• Added support for the May Flux.

April 2012 updates

• Tuesday 24^th of April (talk)
• Thursday 5^th of April (talk)
• Sunday 1^st of April (talk)

Update #2 - Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Anniversary Updates

• Updated text related to the Hound of Balthazar Ranger pet.
• Enabled Dragon Arena.

Update - Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Anniversary Updates

• Made preparations for the Guild Wars 7th anniversary celebration.
• Elite Xunlai Bakery Agents, flush with pride after their careful placement of sprinkles, have assumed control of Birthday Cupcake distribution and are en route to their party destinations.
• Ceira, Sworn to Fire, has returned from another expedition bearing gifts from the gods: Hounds of Balthazar Ranger pets for all who visit her in Embark Beach during the celebration.

Update - Thursday, April 5, 2012

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Update - Sunday, April 1, 2012

Note: This update was never implemented. It is a fake update in the spirit of April Fools' Day. However, what is mentioned in the Guild Wars Wiki notes did occur.

Profession Updates

Assassin

• Daggers are now ranged weapons.
• Shadow Step skills can now be used only when standing in a shaded area.
• Shadow Form: added the following functionality: "Deletes all characters on your account when Shadow Form ends."
• New skill: One Last Breath: "When striking a foe with arms wide open, this skill knocks target foe back by six feet."

Dervish

• Onslaught: decreased attack and movement speed bonuses to 10%.
• Onslaught (PvP): increased attack and movement speed bonuses to 33%.

Elementalist

• Elementalists have been renamed to "Sorcerers."
• Removed the Fire Magic attribute.
• All magic damage is now based on rank in the Friendship attribute.

p [sic]

• Magnetic Aura: How does it work?
• Thunderclap: changed skill type to shout. Renamed to "Thunder, Thunder, Thunderclap! HOOOOOOOO!"

Mesmer

• Male Canthan Mesmers have 20 additional attribute points.
• Mesmer skills now scale with the flamboyance of your armor.

Monk

• Monks can now wear heavy armor.
• New skill: Salma's Hospitality: "Any doors or gates barring the enemy from reaching you are opened."

Necromancer

• Minions have formed a union; you now pay 1 gold per second per animated minion.
• Life Siphon: removed Health degeneration and regeneration; now affects your and target foe's maximum Health.

Paragon

• No changes.

Ranger

• Added the secondary attribute "Bee Mastery;" Rangers may only use this attribute in pre-Searing.
• Activated traps now cause the player character to shout, "You've activated my trap!"
• Due to regional laws regarding the treatment of endangered species, panda pets are now invincible.
• Charm Animal: added the functionality to charm other players' minipets.

Ritualist

• Dragon Empire Rage is now available to players who purchased the Bonus Mission Pack.
• Spirits are now mobile.
• New skill: Bald was Togo: "While you hold Togo's ashes, foes striking you are blinded, but your voice sounds funny."

Summoner

• New profession: Summoner; only seven players at a time are able to play as Summoners.

Warrior

• Warriors can now equip spears as an off-hand weapon.
• Added new shouts: "Objection!" "Take that!" and "Hold it!"
• Healing Signet: now only recharges if you get a morale boost.
• "None Shall Pass!": added the following functionality: "You and target enemy fall...through fire and water."
• "Watch Yourself!": renamed to "Check Yourself!"; added the following functionality: "All allies lose the Wrecked condition."

General

• In preparation for the launch of Guild Wars 2, all professions have been given access to the Healing Prayers attribute.

Quest Changes

• Added a Hard Mode version of "Forming a Party" in Shing Jea Monastery.
• Decreased difficulty of "Rally the Recruits (Tutorial)" in Island of Shehkah.
• New quest: "Annihilator 2: Searing Day" in Embark Beach.
• New quest: "Defending the Ascalon Settlement...Again" in Ascalon Settlement.
• All quests now contain Afflicted spawns.

Miscellaneous

• Fissure of Woe, the Underworld, and Chahbek Village are now PvP zones.
• Changed the name of White Crabs in the Tarnished Coast and the Depths of Tyria to "Some Kind of Cave Demon."
• Henchmen Kihm, Lina, and Mhenlo now use Smiting Monk skills.
• Hero Keiran Thackeray's profession has been changed to Ritualist.
• The intermediate cinematic for "Ice Caves of Sorrow" has been altered so that Saidra now strikes the Mursaat first. (This was always our true vision for the scene, and can now be realized with current technology.)
• All loading screens have been replaced with Mhenloading screens.

Bug Fixes

• Kurzick Duelists now properly send defeated foes to the Shadow Realm.
• To prevent "red resign," Luxons can no longer use the /resign command.
• Decreased the effects of the Lucky Aura during the Xun Rao encounter.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update fixed a cosmetic bug with the April 2012 Flux that prevented its name (Hive Mind) and descriptions from displaying.
• After the update, players were able to begin the new April Fool's quests, originally released with the March 29, 2012 update:
  • Two Corporal Banes and the KT29-Moahawk were added to Embark Beach.
  • Annihilator 2: Searing Day was was offered by the W20 Bane.
  • Annihilator, the 2011 April Fool's Day quest, was again available, offered by the Lvl 20 Bane

March 2012 updates

• Thursday 29^th of March (talk)
• Friday 23^rd of March (talk)
• Thursday 22^nd of March (talk)
• Thursday 15^th of March (talk)
• Friday 2^nd of March (talk)
• Thursday 1^st of March (talk)

Update - Thursday, March 29, 2012

Feature Update

• Made preparations for April Fools' Day.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused a quest marker to appear while “Memories of Purity” is selected in the quest log.
• Fixed a bug that set the duration of Glyph of Immolation at 3 seconds.
• Fixed a bug that caused Viper's Defense and Heart of Shadow to teleport [sic] players incorrect distances.
• Fixed a bug that caused heroes to use only elementalist skills while Master of Magic was active.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update added two 1070 AE explorable areas and a G.O.L.E.M. disguise to the Gw.dat.

Update - Friday, March 23, 2012

Skill Balance

Mesmer

• Illusion of Pain (PvP): reverted cost back to 10 Energy.

Update - Thursday, March 22, 2012

Skill Balance

Elementalist

• Aura of Restoration (PvP): split for PvP; reduced healing to 200...360...400% of the Energy cost.
• Stone Sheath: increased recharge to 15 seconds; reduced armor bonus to 1...24...30.

Mesmer

• Illusion of Haste (PvP): split for PvP; increased recharge to 8 seconds; removed the following functionality: "removes Crippled condition."
• Illusion of Pain (PvP): split for PvP; added the following functionality: "Ends if reapplied."

Monk

• Healing Breeze: increased recharge to 5 seconds.
• Peace and Harmony: decreased recharge to 10 seconds.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• Illusion of Pain (PvP): increased cost to 15 energy.
• Splinter Weapon: non-concise description changed from dealing damage to 3 adjacent foes to 4 adjacent foes, describing the actual effect; however, the concise description was not changed and still lists the incorrect figure.

Update - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a crash bug.

Update - Friday, March 2, 2012

Feature Updates

• Reverted the recent adjustment to the aggro range of heroes and henchmen.

Update - Thursday, March 1, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug in Raid on Kaineng Center that prevented enemies from spawning.
• Fixed bugs that prevented players from vanquishing in Talus Chute and Deldrimor Bowl.
• Fixed a bug that could prevent players from using the portal from Shenzun Tunnels to Tahnnakai Temple.

Feature Updates

• Adjusted the chatter frequency of heroes and henchmen.
• Adjusted the aggro range of flagged heroes and henchmen.
• Adjusted the speed with which Assassin heroes execute skill chains.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

February 2012 updates

• Wednesday 29^th of February (talk)
• Thursday 23^rd of February (talk)
• Wednesday 22^nd of February (talk)
• Thursday 16^th of February (talk)
• Thursday 9^th of February (talk)
• Monday 6^th of February (talk)
• Wednesday 1^st of February (talk)

Update - Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from logging in.

Update - Thursday, February 23, 2012

Feature Updates

• Added a Guild Registrar and a Guild Emblemer to the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Added a Student of Cracked Armor to the Isle of the Nameless.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed text bugs in several skill descriptions, clarifying functionality.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Reef Lurkers from being named consistently.

Update - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Maintenance Update

• Ran a build to assist with improvements to server security.

Update - Thursday, February 16, 2012

Feature Update

• Added localization support for Winds of Change content.

Feature Changes

• Rebalanced "Tracking the Corruption" in Hard Mode.
• Adjusted the AI for Gunther and the Gatekeepers in "Fort Aspenwood."
• Improved the AI for Siege Turtles in "Fort Aspenwood."
• Improved the AI for heroes.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug in[sic] that allowed "Redemption for the Lost" to be completed without finishing all of the quest objectives.
• Fixed a bug that prevented allies summoned by Tengu Support Flares and Imperial Guard Reinforcement Orders from appearing in the party window.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Phoenix's Retribution staff to be missing an inscription.
• Fixed a bug that caused the guild owner of the Altrumm Ruins outpost to be displayed in "Finding Jinnai."
• Fixed a bug in that spawned the player facing a wall when entering Kinya Province.
• Fixed a bug that prevented pandas from growing in size after evolving.
• Fixed various bugs with the display of some costume art.

Update #3 - Thursday, February 9, 2012

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that caused the Imperial Dragon Spear to have too many upgrades.

Update #2 - Thursday, February 9, 2012

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused some other Winds of Change quests to be unavailable while Memories of Purity is active.
• Fixed a crash bug related to elite Ministry of Purity skills.

Update - Thursday, February 9, 2012

Winds of Change

The story of the Yuudachi family has long been intertwined with that of Cantha. Miku seeks to close a mysterious and troubling chapter in both by confronting Reiko, the founder of the Ministry of Purity, and reconciling with her long lost brother, Ashu. Meet with Miku in the Shenzun Tunnels to join in her quest.

Feature Updates

• Added an Imperial Guide NPC in Kaineng Center to help players navigate the Winds of Change content.
• Rebalanced several existing Winds of Change quests and explorable areas.

Automated Tournaments

• Added the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Update - Monday, February 6, 2012

Maintenance Update

• Ran a build to assist with server maintenance.

Update - Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Festival Update

• Made further preparations for the Canthan New Year Festival.

January 2012 updates

• Thursday 26^th of January (talk)
• Monday 23^rd of January (talk)
• Thursday 12^th of January (talk)
• Thursday 5^th of January (talk)
• Tuesday 3^rd of January (talk)

Update - Thursday, January 26, 2012

Festival Update

• Made preparations for the Canthan New Year Festival.

Update - Monday, January 23, 2012

Skills

Assassin

• Fox Fangs (PvP): reduced bonus damage to 10...25.
• Leaping Mantis Sting: reduced bonus damage to 5...15.

Dervish

• Crippling Victory: increased adrenaline cost to 6; removed Cripple from AoE component.
• Onslaught (PvP): removed 25% movement-speed increase.
• Twin Moon Sweep (PvP): reduced damage by 25%.
• Wearying Strike: increase adrenaline cost to 6.

Elementalist

• Blinding Flash: increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Glyph of Sacrifice: added the following functionality: "Ends prematurely if you use a non-spell skill."
• Obsidian Flame (PvP): split for PvP; reduced damage to 22...92.

Monk

• Shield Guardian: reduced cost to 5 Energy; increased casting time to 1.5 seconds.
• Spirit Bond: reduced healing threshold to 50 damage; reduced healing to 30...90.
• Spirit Bond (PvP): reduced healing threshold to 50 damage; reduced healing to 30...90.

Paragon

• Wild Throw: added the following functionality: "All of your non-spear attack skills are disabled for 3 seconds."

Ranger

• Melandru's Shot: reduced recharge to 8 seconds.

Warrior

• Enraged Smash (PvP): split for PvP; increased recharge to 10 seconds.
• Yeti Smash: removed 1 second activation; reduced adrenaline cost to 6.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• This update was explained on Feedback:Robert Gee/Journal#January 20th 2012: Snow Day Skill Update Preview.

Update - Thursday, January 12, 2012

Feature Changes

• Adjusted the AI’s usage of the following skills: Double Dragon, Stone Sheath, Gust, and Mirror of Ice.

Bug Fix

• Fixed a bug that prevented Freezing Gust from recognizing Mirror of Ice as a Water Magic hex.

Update - Thursday, January 5, 2012

Skill Balance

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

Hard Mode

• Reduced the armor level for Hard Mode enemies.
• Raised the maximum Health of Hard Mode enemies.

Exhaustion

• The amount of Exhaustion caused by a skill is now represented numerically next to a gray dot with a downward arrow.

Skills

Elementalist

• Armor of Frost: reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You have +1 Water Magic." Removed "Ends if you use Fire Magic."
• Blinding Surge: added the following functionality: "This spell has 25% armor penetration. If this spell strikes an attacking foe, all adjacent foes are also struck and this spell deals 50% more damage."
• Celestial Storm: improved description.
• Chain Lightning: now always causes 5 Exhaustion instead of conditionally causing 10 Exhaustion.
• Churning Earth: reduced casting time to 2 seconds.
• Double Dragon: increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; increased recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "Invoke the power of the Dragon. For 8 seconds, you and target ally are enchanted with Double Dragon. Adjacent foes are dealt 5...30 fire damage each second. Additionally, when you or your ally use skills that target a foe, that foe is set on fire for 0...3 seconds."
• Elemental Attunement: rescaled duration to 25...60 seconds; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You are attuned to Air, Fire, Water, and Earth and gain +1...2 to these attributes."
• Energy Blast: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
• Energy Boon: changed skill type to enchantment spell; increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 36...60 seconds, Energy Boon raises the maximum Health of you and target ally by 1...3 for each point of your respective maximum Energy. When this enchantment is first applied, you and your target gain 1...12 Energy. You gain an additional 1 Energy for every 2 points you have in Energy Storage."
• Ether Prodigy: increased duration to 8...20 seconds; reduced damage per point of Energy to 2.
• Fireball: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
• Freezing Gust: increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Glimmering Mark: added the following functionality: "For 10 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to your target take 5...25 damage each second. Foes using attack skills are Blinded for 3 seconds."
• Glyph of Energy: increased recharge to 25 seconds; now affects your next 1...3 spells; reduced Energy savings to 10...25; added the following functionality: "Your elemental attributes are increased by 1...2."
• Gust: changed functionality to: "For 5...11 seconds, both you and target ally move 33% faster. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15...70 cold damage. Foes struck by Gust while attacking or moving are knocked down."
• Ice Prison: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
• Ice Spikes: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
• Invoke Lightning: now always causes 5 Exhaustion instead of conditionally causing 10 Exhaustion.
• Lightning Surge: reduced cost to 10 Energy; reduced casting time to 1 second; added the following functionality: "Target foe has Cracked Armor for 5...20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
• Master of Magic: reduced recharge to 10 seconds; changed elemental attribute scaling to 8...14; removed Energy regeneration; removed the following functionality: "This enchantment ends if you use a non-Elementalist skill." Added the following functionality: "Your elemental spells return 30% of their Energy cost."
• Mind Burn: changed functionality to: "Target foe and all adjacent foes take 15...60 fire damage. If you have more Energy than target foe, that foe and all adjacent foes take an additional 15...60 fire damage and are set on fire for 1...8 seconds." [sic]
• Mind Freeze: increased damage to 10...60; increased additional damage to 10...60; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1...5 seconds.
• Mind Freeze (PvP): split for PvP; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1...5 seconds.
• Mind Shock: reduced Exhaustion to 5.
• Mind Shock (PvP): split for PvP.
• Mirror of Ice: reduced casting time to 0.75 seconds; reduced Energy cost to 10; reduced recharge to 12; changed functionality to: "Shatter a Mirror of Ice. All foes near you and target ally take 15...70 cold damage and move 66% slower for 2...6 seconds. If you strike a foe hexed with Water Magic, Mirror of Ice recharges 50% faster.
• Mist Form: reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10...45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50...250% of the Energy cost of the spell."
• Mist Form (PvP): split for PvP; reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10...45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50...250% of the Energy cost of the spell. This spell does not heal allies above 80% Health."
• Obsidian Flame: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
• Ride the Lightning: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10...70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1...5 seconds."
• Ride the Lightning (PvP): split for PvP; increased cost to 15 Energy; increased recharge to 10 seconds; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10...70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1...5 seconds."
• Sandstorm: reduced recharge to 25 seconds.
• Second Wind: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced Exhaustion to 5; changed functionality to: "You gain 1 Energy and 5 Health for each point of Energy restricted by Exhaustion. You lose all enchantments."
• Shatterstone: reduced cost to 10 Energy; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 25...100 cold damage and is hexed with Shatterstone for 3 seconds. When Shatterstone ends, that foe and all nearby foes are struck for 25...100 cold damage."
• Shockwave: changed functionality to: "All foes in the area take 15...60 earth damage and are Weakened for 1...10 seconds. Nearby foes also take +15...60 earth damage and have Cracked Armor for 1...10 seconds. Adjacent foes suffer the previous effects, take +15...60 earth damage, and are Blinded for 1...10 seconds."
• Star Burst: reduced recharge to 7 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target touched foe and all foes in the area are struck for 7...112 fire damage and set on fire for 1...4 seconds. For each foe you hit, gain 2 Energy."
• Stone Sheath: reduced recharge to 12 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 5...20 seconds, you and target ally have +1...35 armor and are immune to critical hits. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15...70 earth damage and are Weakened for 5...20 seconds."
• Teinai's Prison: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
• Thunderclap: reduced recharge to 8 seconds; reduced damage to 10...50; added 25% armor penetration; changed functionality to: "Create a massive shockwave at target foe's location. Deals 10...50 lightning damage to target and all adjacent foes. Struck foes are interrupted and suffer from Cracked Armor and Weakness for 5...20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
• Unsteady Ground: reduced recharge to 15 seconds.
• Ward Against Harm: changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5...15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1...3 Health regeneration, +12...24 armor, and an additional +12...24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 20 seconds."
• Ward Against Harm (PvP): split for PvP; increased recharge to 30 seconds; changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5...15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1...3 Health regeneration, +12...24 armor, and an additional +12...24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 30 seconds."
• Water Trident: changed functionality to: "Send out a fast-moving Water Trident, striking target foe and up to 2 adjacent foes for 10...90 cold damage if it hits. If it hits a moving foe, that foe is knocked down."

Mesmer

• Mistrust: reduced damage to 10...100.
• Mistrust (PvP): reduced damage to 10...75; reduced recharge to 12 seconds.

Ritualist

• Ancestor's Rage: [sic] lightning damage from this skill no longer ignores armor.
• Ancestor's Rage (PvP): [sic] increased damage to 1...41; lightning damage from this skill no longer ignores armor.
• Cruel was Daoshen: [sic] reduced damage to 15...85.
• Destructive was Glaive: [sic] reduced damage to 15...85.
• Destructive was Glaive (PvP): [sic] reduced damage to 15...85.
• Signet of Spirits: reduced spirit damage to 5...20.
• Spirit Rift: reduced damage to 25...125.

Automated Tournaments

• Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy [sic] in the Great Temple of Balthazar.
• Updated the Automated Tournament map rotation.

Guild Wars Wiki notes

• The gray dot that represents the amount of Exhaustion caused by a skill does not contain a downward arrow.
• The descriptions of Arcane Languor, Aspect of Exhaustion, Crystal Haze, Exhausting Assault, and Sheer Exhaustion were changed to note they cause 10 Exhaustion.
  • The skill description and functionality of Equinox was changed to add 10 Exhaustion whenever a spell that causes Exhaustion is used, instead of doubling the amount of Exhaustion.
• Despite stating that Blinding Surge and Thunderclap had 25% armor penetration added to their functionality, those skills already had 25% armor penetration prior this update.
• Does not mention Mind Burn having its Exhaustion reduced to 5. Also incorrectly states Mind Burn's burning duration as 1...8 seconds when it is actually 1...10 seconds.
• The 2011 Automated Tournament Series Trophy was actually updated, not the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy.
• Fixed a bug that allowed 14-member parties in certain PvE areas. (Source.)

Update - Tuesday, January 3, 2012

PvP Updates

• Added support for the January Flux.