Game updates/20090806

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

PvE and PvP
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 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 45..100 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%% 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 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: 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 Shadows." wrong quest name in Game Update notes [sic]
 * Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented enemies from attacking during the Abbadon's Mouth mission. wrong mission name in Game Updates, Abaddon, not Abbadon [sic]
 * 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 Land."
 * 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.

GuildWiki notes

 * Golden Phoenix Strike has the wrong skill description and deals no damage to adjacent foes.
 * Jungle Strike deals no damage to adjacent foes.
 * Jagged Strike's activation was not reduced to 1⁄2s.
 * Vow of Piety currently does not renew when an enchantment ends.
 * Poisoned Heart does not trigger the bonus effect of Mysticism.