Game updates/20100128

Guild Battles
Eased the restrictions for participating in Guild Battles:


 * Ladder Play
 * Requires 2 guild members.
 * A guild member must be the party leader, and at least one guild officer must be in the party.
 * Henchmen are restricted to a maximum of 4.


 * Daily Automated Tournaments
 * Requires 2 guild members who have been in your guild for at least 7 days.
 * A guild member must be the party leader, and at least one guild officer must be in the party.
 * Henchmen are restricted to a maximum of 4.
 * All party members must be registered with Tolkano.


 * Monthly Automated Tournaments
 * Requires 4 guild members who have been in your guild for at least 7 days.
 * All players in the party must be members of your guild, and at least one guild officer must be in the party.
 * Henchmen are restricted to a maximum of 2.
 * All party members must be registered with Tolkano.


 * Miscellaneous
 * Removed Balthazar faction penalty for new guild members.
 * Improved error messaging to reflect changes to GvG restrictions.

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


 * General Changes
 * Codex rotation has been reduced to 6 hours.
 * In the Skill Panel (K), a new sorting option allows players to toggle between viewing all available Codex skills and only skills available to their profession.
 * Priests in Codex Arena no longer have Heal Area and have had their health increased to 800.


 * Codex Balance Changes
 * Assassins, Dervish, Warriors and Paragons will receive 17 normal skills and 3 elites.
 * Elementalists, Necromancers and Mesmers will receive 20 normal skills and 5 elites.
 * Monks and Ritualists will receive 16 normal skills and 4 elites.
 * Rangers will receive 19 normal skills and 4 elites.


 * Skill Selection Changes
 * Protector's Defense has been added to the list of restricted Codex skills.
 * Assassin skills are guaranteed to include one randomly selected lead attack and one randomly selected off-hand attack. Neither will be elite, and the off-hand attack will require a lead attack.
 * Ritualist skills are guaranteed to include one randomly selected, non-elite binding ritual.
 * Necromancer skills are guaranteed to include one randomly selected, non-elite minion-summoning skill.

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

Dervish

 * Ebon Dust Aura: functionality changed to: "For 5...29...35 seconds, if you are wielding an earth weapon, your melee attack Skills also cause Blindness for 4...9...10 seconds."

Elementalist

 * Mirror of Ice: increased casting time to 2 seconds; increased Energy cost to 15.
 * Ride the Lightning: added standard teleport aftercast.
 * Winter's Embrace: increased Energy cost to 10; increased recharge to 15 seconds.

Mesmer

 * Illusion of Pain: increased casting time to 2 seconds; decreased duration to 8 seconds; decreased recharge to 5 seconds; decreased healing to 36...103...120.

Monk

 * Life Sheath: functionality changed to: "Elite Enchantment Spell. Remove 0...2...2 conditions from target ally. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally would take damage or life steal, that ally gains that amount of Health instead (maximum 20...84...100)."
 * Reversal of Fortune: functionality changed to: "Enchantment Spell. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally would take damage or life steal, that ally gains that amount of Health instead, maximum 15...67...80."
 * Shielding Hands: functionality changed to: "Enchantment Spell. For 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3...15...18. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5...41...50 Health."

Necromancer

 * Cultist's Fervor: decreased Energy gain to 1...5...6; increased recharge to 25 seconds; changed duration to "5 seconds plus 3 seconds for every rank of Soul Reaping."
 * Lifebane Strike: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
 * Shadow Strike: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
 * Vampiric Swarm: functionality changed to: "Spell. Steal up to 15...51...60 Health from target foe and up to two other foes in the area."

Paragon

 * Soldier's Fury: added the following functionality: "Whenever a shout or chant ends on you, you suffer from Cracked Armor (10 seconds)."

Ranger

 * Crippling Shot: added the following functionality: "This arrow moves twice as fast as normal."
 * Hunter's Shot: decreased activation time to 1 second and added aftercast.
 * Marauder's Shot: increased disable time to 10 seconds.
 * Melandru's Shot: added aftercast.
 * Needling Shot: reduced activation time to 3/4 second; added the following functionality: "Your other attack skills are disabled for 2 seconds."
 * Quick Shot: added aftercast.
 * Power Shot: removed activation time, now uses normal bow attack speed; reduced recharge to 3 seconds; functionality changed to "Power Shot deals 25...50 damage if it hits."
 * Precision Shot: added aftercast; reduced bonus damage to 3...10.

Ritualist

 * Union: functionality changed to: "Binding Ritual. Create a level 1...10...12 Spirit. Whenever a non-spirit ally in its range takes damage or life steal, it is reduced by 15 and the spirit takes 15 damage. This spirit dies after 30...54...60 seconds."
 * Vengeful Weapon: functionality changed to: "Weapon Spell. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally takes damage or life steal from a foe, that ally steals up to 15...51...60 Health from that foe."
 * Weapon of Remedy: functionality changed to: "Elite Weapon Spell. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally takes damage or life steal from a foe, that ally steals up to 15...63...75 Health from that foe and loses 1 Condition."

Ranger

 * Penetrating Attack (PvE): reduced activation time to 3/4 second.
 * Sundering Attack (PvE): reduced activation time to 3/4 second.

Paragon

 * "Stand Your Ground!" (PvP): functionality changed to: "Shout. For 5...17...20 seconds, all party members within earshot receive +24 armor when not moving. Ends on a party member if that party member attacks."
 * Anthem of Envy (PvP): added a recharge of 6 seconds; reduced damage bonus to 10...20.
 * Mending Refrain (PvP): changed functionality to: "Echo. For 15 seconds, you have +2...3...3 Health regeneration. This Echo is reapplied every time a Chant or Shout ends on you."

Ranger

 * Glass Arrows (PvP): decreased damage bonus to 5...12.
 * Keen Arrow (PvP): increased recharge to 12 seconds; increased conditional damage bonus to 5...30; decreased unconditional damage bonus to 1...5.
 * Lightning Reflexes (PvP): increased recharge to 45 seconds.
 * Penetrating Attack (PvP): added aftercast.
 * Sloth Hunter's Shot (PvP): increased recharge to 15 seconds; decreased conditional damage bonus to 5...15; decreased unconditional damage bonus to 5...20.
 * Sundering Attack (PvP): added aftercast.

Ritualist

 * Recuperation (PvP): functionality changed to: "Binding Ritual. Create a level 1...8...10 Spirit. Non-spirit allies within its range under 75% maximum health gain +1...3...3 Health regeneration. This spirit dies after 15...39...45 seconds."

Wintersday

 * Preparations have been made for the brief return of Wintersday.

Bug Fixes

 * Fixed a text bug in Tennaros' French dialog.
 * Fixed a bug that prevented reconnection with some answers to the Security Question.

Miscellaneous

 * Changed description on Vampiric weapon modifiers to refer to effect as "Life Draining."

GuildWiki notes

 * The initial update introduced a bug that prevented users from logging in normally. (It was still possible to log in using the command line switches, however.) A second update was quickly released to correct this bug.