Game updates/20080612

Skill Updates
In this update, we are again changing a few key skills for PvP only or for PvE only. However, most of the skill balances are the same for both the PvP and PvE aspects of the game.

PvE and PvP
Most of these changes improve upon existing skills. A few are power reductions that are not expected to be detrimental to PvE play. Three skills (Soul Bind, Rust, and Lightning Touch) are having their core function changed to make them more useful outside of niche circumstances. The following skills will change in both PvE and PvP:

Elementalist

 * Rust: increased Energy cost to 10; decreased casting time to 1 second; functionality changed to: "Deals 10..70 cold damage. For 5..20 seconds, target foe and all adjacent foes take twice as long to activate signets."
 * Lightning Touch: functionality changed to: "Target touched foe and all adjacent foes are struck for 10..60 lightning damage. Foes suffering from a Water Magic hex are Blinded for 3..8 seconds. This skill has 25% armor penetration."
 * Arc Lightning: increased conditional damage to 15..75.

Mesmer

 * Drain Enchantment: increased Energy gained to 8..17.
 * Drain Delusions: increased multiplier for Energy gained to 4; increased recharge to 12 seconds.
 * Wastrel's Worry: increased damage to 20..100.

Monk

 * Strength of Honor: increased recharge to 15 seconds.
 * Holy Wrath: increased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Aura of Stability: decreased duration to 3..8 seconds.
 * Balthazar's Pendulum: decreased duration to 5..10 seconds.

Necromancer

 * Fetid Ground: decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Suffering: increased Health degeneration to -1..3.
 * Vile Miasma: increased Health degeneration to -1..5.
 * Soul Bind: decreased casting time to 1 second; functionality changed to: "For 30 seconds, every time target foe is healed, the healer takes 20..80 damage. This hex ends if target is suffering from a Smiting Prayers hex."

Paragon

 * "Can't Touch This!": decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Barbed Spear: increased Bleeding duration to 5..20 seconds.

Ranger

 * Antidote Signet: functionality changed to: "Cleanse yourself of Poison, Disease, Blindness, and one additional condition."
 * Barbed Arrows: increased duration to 24 seconds; removed easily interruptible; you now have -40 armor while activating this skill.

Warrior

 * Bull's Charge: increased movement speed to +33%.
 * "Charge!": increased duration to 5..13 seconds.
 * Symbolic Strike: increased conditional damage to 12.

PvE Changes
The improvements here are appropriate for PvE but would not benefit PvP play balance. The following skills will change in PvE:

Dervish

 * Mystic Regeneration: decreased recharge to 5 seconds; increased the maximum number of enchantments counted to 8.

Mesmer

 * Energy Drain: increased multiplier for Energy gained to 3.

PvP Changes
The significant power reductions here are important to address current PvP play balance but are not necessary for PvE. The following skills will change in PvP:

Mesmer

 * Mantra of Inscriptions: decreased the recharge of signets to 5..35% faster.

Ritualist

 * Ancestors' Rage: increased duration to 2 seconds; decreased damage to 5..50; functionality changed to: "For 2 seconds all foes adjacent to target ally are struck for 5..50 lightning damage each second."
 * Splinter Weapon: decreased damage to 5..30.

Warrior

 * "For Great Justice!": functionality changed to: "For 20 seconds, when you hit with an attack, you gain 1 additional strike of adrenaline."

Bug Fixes

 * Rift Wardens in the Underworld now only teleport the player speaking to them if the [|Underworld Chest] has appeared.
 * Fixed a missing player name in Norgu’s dialog in the Throne of Secrets.
 * Fixed a bug that caused Heroes and henchmen to occasionally respond improperly to placed flags when fighting enemy Spirits.
 * Fixed a bug that caused some catapults to hit the area around themselves with their attack.
 * Fixed a bug that caused Siege Devourers in Assault the Shaman [sic] to occasionally not hit enemy Charr they were targeting.

GuildWiki notes

 * Kun Shao now offers Tournament Reward Points for those who participated in the Xunlai Tournament House in May.