Game updates/20050929

Update - Thursday, September 29
<!--=== Balance Changes ===


 * Capped attack speed adjustments at 133% of normal attack speed, down from 150% previously.
 * Changed Enchantments so that if you cast an Enchantment with an upkeep cost and you already have -10 Energy regeneration, you will now lose the last maintained Enchantment you cast.

Mesmer

 * Epidemic â€“ Decreased casting time to .25 seconds.
 * Guilt â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Hex Breaker â€“ Increased recharge time to 15 seconds.
 * Soothing Imagines â€“ Increased Energy cost to 15.
 * Energy Drain â€“ Skill reworked. New description: â€œTarget foe loses 4..10 Energy. You then gain 2 Energy for each point of Energy target foe lost.â€? Also increased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Energy Tap - Skill reworked. New description: â€œTarget foe loses 4..7 Energy. You then gain 2 Energy for each point of Energy target foe lost.â€? Also increased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Diversion â€“ Increased casting time to 3; Increased to recharge 10 seconds.
 * Ether Feast â€“ Decreased Energy stolen to 3, increased Health gained per Energy stolen to 17..47
 * Signet of Weariness â€“ Increased casting time to 2.
 * Fragility â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 10; decreased recharge to 5; decreased damage to 5..20.
 * Mantra of Persistence â€“ Decreased duration to 30 seconds. Decreased recharge to 15 seconds.

Necromancer

 * Necrotic Traversal â€“ Removed delay before teleport.
 * Order of Pain â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Order of the Vampire â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Dark Fury â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Unholy Feast â€“ Now steals 5..50 Health from up to 1..5 foes.
 * Insidious Parasite â€“ Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Dark Bond â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5, decreased recharge to 20.
 * Infuse Condition â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5, decreased recharge to 20.
 * Vile Touch â€“ Increased damage to 20..65.
 * Desecrate Enchantments â€“ Decreased Energy to 10.
 * Aura of the Lich â€“ Decreased Energy to 10; decreased casting time to 2 seconds; decreased recharge to 20; decreased duration to 15..45; removed â€œhalf healingâ€? from description.
 * Rend Enchantments â€“ Now removes 5..9 Enchantments and you lose 55..25 Health for each.
 * Grenth's Balance â€“ Decreased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Vampiric Touch â€“ Decreased recharge to 2 seconds.
 * Blood Renewal â€“ Decreased sacrifice cost to 25%.
 * Plague Signet â€“ Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Faintheartedness â€“ Increased recharge to 8 seconds.

Elementalist
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 * Ether Renewal â€“ Decreased duration to 7 seconds; decreased the amount of Energy you gain to 1..3 per Enchantment.
 * Ward Against Foes â€“ Increased Energy cost to 15.
 * Whirlwind â€“ Decreased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Kinetic Armor â€“ Increased armor gained to 20..80.
 * Magnetic Aura â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5; decreased casting time to .25; increased duration to 5..20.
 * Ether Prodigy â€“ Decreased duration to 5..20 seconds; increased Energy regeneration to 6.
 * Incendiary Bonds â€“ Increased damage to 20..80.
 * Searing Heat - Removed Exhaustion.
 * Glyph of Sacrifice â€“ Increased duration to 15 seconds.
 * Glyph of Renewal â€“ Now instantly recharges next spell.
 * Rust â€“ Decreased recharge time to 30 seconds.
 * Mind Freeze â€“ Increased slow to 90%.
 * Frozen Burst â€“ Increased damage to 20..110.
 * Ice Spear â€“ Increased damage to 5..65.
 * Lightning Touch â€“ Increased damage to 10..60.
 * Deep Freeze â€“ Increased slow to 66% and increased radius to all foes in the location.
 * Windborne Speed â€“ Increased duration to 5..11.
 * Ice Spikes, Frozen Burst, Shard Storm, Deep Freeze, and Ice Prison â€“ Fixed a bug that prevented these spells from slowing more than 50%.

Balance Changes

 * Capped attack speed adjustments at 133% of normal attack speed, down from 150% previously.
 * Changed Enchantments so that if you cast an Enchantment with an upkeep cost and you already have -10 Energy regeneration, you will now lose the last maintained Enchantment you cast.

Mesmer

 * Epidemic â€“ Decreased casting time to .25 seconds.
 * Guilt â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Hex Breaker â€“ Increased recharge time to 15 seconds.
 * Soothing Imagines â€“ Increased Energy cost to 15.
 * Energy Drain â€“ Skill reworked. New description: â€œTarget foe loses 4..10 Energy. You then gain 2 Energy for each point of Energy target foe lost.â€? Also increased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Energy Tap - Skill reworked. New description: â€œTarget foe loses 4..7 Energy. You then gain 2 Energy for each point of Energy target foe lost.â€? Also increased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Diversion â€“ Increased casting time to 3; Increased to recharge 10 seconds.
 * Ether Feast â€“ Decreased Energy stolen to 3, increased Health gained per Energy stolen to 17..47
 * Signet of Weariness â€“ Increased casting time to 2.
 * Fragility â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 10; decreased recharge to 5; decreased damage to 5..20.
 * Mantra of Persistence â€“ Decreased duration to 30 seconds. Decreased recharge to 15 seconds.

Necromancer

 * Necrotic Traversal â€“ Removed delay before teleport.
 * Order of Pain â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Order of the Vampire â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Dark Fury â€“ Only affects party members within radar.
 * Unholy Feast â€“ Now steals 5..50 Health from up to 1..5 foes.
 * Insidious Parasite â€“ Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Dark Bond â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5, decreased recharge to 20.
 * Infuse Condition â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5, decreased recharge to 20.
 * Vile Touch â€“ Increased damage to 20..65.
 * Desecrate Enchantments â€“ Decreased Energy to 10.
 * Aura of the Lich â€“ Decreased Energy to 10; decreased casting time to 2 seconds; decreased recharge to 20; decreased duration to 15..45; removed â€œhalf healingâ€? from description.
 * Rend Enchantments â€“ Now removes 5..9 Enchantments and you lose 55..25 Health for each.
 * Grenth's Balance â€“ Decreased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Vampiric Touch â€“ Decreased recharge to 2 seconds.
 * Blood Renewal â€“ Decreased sacrifice cost to 25%.
 * Plague Signet â€“ Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Faintheartedness â€“ Increased recharge to 8 seconds.

Elementalist

 * Ether Renewal â€“ Decreased duration to 7 seconds; decreased the amount of Energy you gain to 1..3 per Enchantment.
 * Ward Against Foes â€“ Increased Energy cost to 15.
 * Whirlwind â€“ Decreased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Kinetic Armor â€“ Increased armor gained to 20..80.
 * Magnetic Aura â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5; decreased casting time to .25; increased duration to 5..20.
 * Ether Prodigy â€“ Decreased duration to 5..20 seconds; increased Energy regeneration to 6.
 * Incendiary Bonds â€“ Increased damage to 20..80.
 * Searing Heat - Removed Exhaustion.
 * Glyph of Sacrifice â€“ Increased duration to 15 seconds.
 * Glyph of Renewal â€“ Now instantly recharges next spell.
 * Rust â€“ Decreased recharge time to 30 seconds.
 * Mind Freeze â€“ Increased slow to 90%.
 * Frozen Burst â€“ Increased damage to 20..110.
 * Ice Spear â€“ Increased damage to 5..65.
 * Lightning Touch â€“ Increased damage to 10..60.
 * Deep Freeze â€“ Increased slow to 66% and increased radius to all foes in the location.
 * Windborne Speed â€“ Increased duration to 5..11.
 * Ice Spikes, Frozen Burst, Shard Storm, Deep Freeze, and Ice Prison â€“ Fixed a bug that prevented these spells from slowing more than 50%.

Monk

 * Smite â€“ Increased conditional damage to 5..35.
 * Divine Intervention â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Shield of Deflection â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 10; decreased casting time to 1 second; decreased duration to 6.
 * Pacifism â€“ Decreased casting time to 2 seconds.
 * Amity â€“ Decreased recharge time to 45 seconds.
 * Mark of Protection â€“ Decreased Energy to 10.
 * Divine Healing â€“ Decreased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Vital Blessing â€“ Decreased casting time to .75 seconds; increased recharge to 2.
 * Live Vicariously â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5.
 * Divine Spirit â€“ Increased duration to 1..14 seconds.
 * Holy Strike - Increased conditional damage to 10..55.
 * Draw Conditions â€“ Increased recharge to 2 seconds.
 * Aegis â€“ Increased casting time to 2 seconds.
 * Holy Veil â€“ Decreased Energy cost to 5; decreased casting time to 1 second; increased recharge to 10; added additional effect of removing a Hex when it expires.
 * Balthazar's Aura â€“ Increased casting time to 2 seconds; increased recharge to 25.
 * Zealot's Fire â€“ Decreased damage to 5..35.

Warrior

 * Cleave â€“ Increased damage to 10..30.
 * Endure Pain â€“ Increased duration to 7..18 seconds.
 * Belly Smash â€“ Decreased swing time to 1 second.
 * Earth Shaker â€“ Lowered adrenaline to 8 strikes.
 * Dolyak Signet â€“ Increased armor to 10..40.
 * Shield Bash â€“ Decreased recharge to 20 seconds.
 * Warrior's Endurance â€“ Increased Energy maximum to 5..25.
 * Riposte â€“ Increased damage to 15..60.
 * Deadly Riposte â€“ Increased damage to 5..50.
 * Defy Pain â€“ Increased duration to 12 seconds.
 * Skull Crack â€“ Lowered adrenaline to 9 strikes.
 * Fear Me â€“ Decreased area of effect to all nearby foes.

Ranger

 * Pet Attacks - Now function just like a Shout.
 * Debilitating Shot â€“ Increased recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Called Shot â€“ Decreased Energy to 5 and recharge to 3 seconds.
 * Point Blank Shot â€“ Increased damage to 10..25.
 * Read the Wind â€“ Increased duration to 24 seconds.
 * Escape â€“ Decreased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Lightning Reflex â€“ Decreased recharge to 45 seconds.
 * Dust Trap â€“ Decreased damage to 10..25; now pulses 5 times.
 * Dodge â€“ Duration now scales 5..11 seconds.
 * Distracting Shot â€“ Added a delay after skill is used before another can be used.
 * Savage Shot â€“ Added a delay after skill is used before another can be used.
 * Concussion Shot â€“ Added a delay after skill is used before another can be used.
 * Punishing Shot â€“ Added a delay after skill is used before another can be used.

Changes to Ladders and Matchmaking

 * Removed option for rated challenges with selected (named) opponent.
 * Removed the boost that previously caused guild ratings to rise and fall more quickly during the first 30 rated games played.
 * Updated guild matchmaking so that the system attempts to match guilds that are close in rankings for a longer period of time before falling back to matching two guilds farther apart in ranking.

Skill Monitor Improvements

 * The skill monitor now displays skill warm-up using a progress bar.
 * The skill monitor can now display two skills being cast simultaneously, such as a Stance or Shout plus a normal skill.
 * The skill monitor now uses animations to indicate when a skill completes successfully or is interrupted during casting.
 * When you select a new character, you now immediately see which skill that character is currently casting.
 * You can now control+click on the skill monitor to announce the skill being cast to your team.

Display Improvements

 * When you cast a Hex or Enchantment that stays on a character and deals damage or performs healing, you can now see floating numbers showing the result of that damage or healing.
 * When your pet damages another character, you can now see floating numbers showing that damage.
 * When you cast a spell that boosts or drains the Energy of another character, you can now see floating numbers showing the Energy change.
 * The "Drop Item" button and the skill warm-up progress bar are now customizable UI elements.
 * The regional groups in the Quest Log will now remember their open/closed state between viewings of the Quest Log.
 * The "(Completed)" tag in the Quest Log now displays correctly when viewed in French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

Miscellaneous

 * You can now remove your pet's name by typing "/petname" and not providing a name.
 * Shift now disables click-to-walk, making it easier to select targets without accidentally running.
 * Clicking on the ground while auto-running now works properly.
 * Removed old-style chests from Riverside Province and Gates of Kryta.
 * Healer henchmen now prioritize healing party allies whose death would result in mission failure.
 * Fixed a problem with the "Wrenches in the Gears" quest in Sorrow's Furnace where the Spirit Keepers could be killed prior to the player arriving.
 * Fixed problems with the "Wisdom of the Druids" and "Trouble in the Woods" quests.
 * Fixed pathing problems in Grenth's Footprint, D'Alessio Arena, and the Warrior's Isle guild hall.
 * Fixed display glitch in Score window that appeared when first opening the window.
 * Fixed orphaned scrollbar buttons that would appear on the login screen while changing languages.
 * Updated skill descriptions to more accurately describe their effects.
 * Fixed miscellaneous rare crash bugs.