Update 2 - Thursday, October 22, 2009
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug that prevented the Priest of Balthazar from offering services to PvP characters.
Update - Thursday, October 22, 2009
Halloween 2009
- When the harvest is in and the moon sails high
- And the shadows begin to lengthen
- Mad King Thorn’s games begin! His minions ride!
- His grip on the land will strengthen
- But all is not well on this Halloween
- It stirs in the Underworld’s gloom
- An ancient evil, long unseen
- If awakened, it spells our doom
- Do partake in the Mad King’s revelry
- But take care in the jack o’ lantern glow
- For this is the season of devilry
- And something wicked lurks deep below
Halloween Event
- Preparations have been made for Halloween 2009.
- A number of new quests will become available throughout the course of the event, starting on Monday.
Codex Arena
- The Codex Arena is officially open.
- The new Codex title track is available for competing in the Codex Arena. This title track is not cumulative with the Commander title track.
- Team Arena and Hero Battles are officially closed.
- Winning matches is no longer required to unlock PvP outposts.
- Progress made in the Commander title track will be saved and cannot advance any further.
Henchmen
- PvE henchmen Skill Bars have been rebalanced.
Prophecies
- Devona now has Balanced Stance, "To the Limit!", and Earthshaker; removed "Charge!".
- Stephan [sic] now has "Watch Yourself!", Thrill of Victory, Galrath Slash, Savage Slash, and Skull Crack; removed Griffon's Sweep, Power Attack, and "Charge!".
- Little Thom now has Cleave, Cyclone Axe, Dismember, Penetrating Blow, Shield Bash, and Sprint; removed Balanced Stance, Executioner's Strike, Swift Chop, Wild Blow, and "Charge!".
- Aidan now has Incendiary Arrows, Determined Shot, Dryder's Defenses, Read the Wind, and Distracting Shot; removed Kindle Arrows, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
- Reyna now has Poison Arrow, Hunter's Shot, Determined Shot, and Dryder's Defenses; removed Power Shot and Practiced Stance.
- Cynn now has Elemental Attunement, Rodgort's Invocation, Immolation [sic], and Aura of Restoration; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
- Orion now has Glyph of Renewal and Meteor; removed Mind Burn.
- Alesia now has Dwayna's Kiss and Divine Healing; removed Healing Touch.
- Lina now has Aura of Faith, Mend Ailment, and Divine Healing; removed Shield of Regeneration.
- Mhenlo now has Dwayna's Kiss, Divine Healing, and Vigorous Spirit; removed Healing Touch.
- Claude now has Soul Leech and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
- Eve now has Life Transfer and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
- Dunham now has Power Block, Hex Breaker, Leech Signet, and Ether Feast; removed Crippling Anguish and Distortion.
Factions
- Devona now has Enraged Smash, Yeti Smash, and Balanced Stance; removed Irresistible Blow and "Charge!".
- Lukas now has Quivering Blade, Standing Slash, Jaizhenju Strike, "Watch Yourself!", and Sprint; removed Hamstring, Protector's Defense, and Dragon Slash.
- Seaguard Eli now has "Coward!", Standing Slash, Leviathan's Sweep, "Watch Yourself!", and Sprint; removed Hamstring, Protector's Defense, and Dragon Slash.
- Talon Silverwing now has Dragon Slash, Seeking Blade, and "For Great Justice!"; removed "Charge!".
- Aidan now has Glass Arrows, Splinter Shot, Determined Shot, and Lightning Reflexes; removed Kindle Arrows, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
- Daemon [sic] now has Read the Wind and Determined Shot; removed Choking Gas.
- Yuun now has Melandru's Shot (in Hard Mode).
- Zho now has Determined Shot; removed Power Shot.
- Argo now has Smoldering Embers and Lava Arrows; removed Bed of Coals.
- Cynn now has Elemental Attunement, Immolate, Lava Arrows, and Teinai's Heat; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
- Headmaster Vhang now has Lightning Surge, Shock Arrow, and Glyph of Lesser Energy; removed Teinai's Prison and Energy Boon.
- Kai Ying now has Unsteady Ground; removed Second Wind.
- Kisai now has Gust (in Hard Mode) and Shock Arrow.
- Danika now has Healing Burst, Remove Hex, Heaven's Delight, and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch, Jamei's Gaze, Signet of Devotion, and Blessed Light.
- Jamei now has Empathic Removal, Heaven's Delight, and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch, Orison of Healing, Signet of Devotion, and Blessed Light.
- Redemptor Karl now has Boon Signet and Resurrection Chant; removed Rebirth and Life Sheath.
- Seaguard Gita now has Remove Hex, Shielding Hands, and Resurrection Chant; removed Draw Conditions, Mend Ailment, Reversal of Fortune, and Rebirth.
- Sister Tai now has Heaven's Delight and Signet of Rejuvenation; removed Healing Touch and Signet of Devotion.
- Taya now has Healing Light (in Hard Mode).
- Brutus now has Lifebane Strike and Unholy Feast; removed Rising Bile.
- Eve now has Vampiric Spirit and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
- Sheena now has Weaken Armor and Parasitic Bond; removed Soul Feast and Vile Touch.
- Su now has Animate Flesh Golem, Animate Vampiric Horror, Vile Miasma, and Taste of Death; removed Soul Feast, Vile Touch, and Lingering Curse.
- Erys Vasburg now has Psychic Instability; removed Power Leech.
- Lo Sha now has Lyssa's Aura and Power Return; removed Power Leech.
- Seaguard Hala now has Shared Burden, Accumulated Pain, Images of Remorse, and Power Drain; removed Arcane Conundrum, Clumsiness, Hex Eater Signet, and Power Leech.
- Emi now has Temple Strike, Golden Lotus Strike, Nine Tail Strike, Exhausting Assault, Way of Perfection, and Signet of Malice; removed Entangling Asp, Jagged Strike, Return, Viper's Defense, and Beguiling Haze.
- Mai now has Siphon Strength (in Hard Mode), Fox Fangs, and Nine Tail Strike.
- Panaku now has Seeping Wound, Fox Fangs, and Critical Strike; removed Entangling Asp, Return, and Beguiling Haze.
- Nika now has Mark of Instability and Black Mantis Thrust; removed Jagged Strike.
- Aeson now has Spirit Channeling, Pain, Union, Disenchantment, Shadowsong, and Boon of Creation; removed Mend Body and Soul, Shelter, Soothing Memories, Spirit Light, Weapon of Warding, and Attuned Was Songkai.
- Chiyo now has Signet of Spirits, Vengeful Weapon, Spirit Siphon, Essence Strike, and Protective Was Kaolai; removed Shelter, Spirit Light, Weapon of Warding, and Attuned Was Songkai.
- Professor Gai now has Union.
Nightfall
- Devona now has Magehunter's Smash, Mokele Smash, Balanced Stance, and Lion's Comfort; removed Healing Signet and "Charge!".
- Timera now has "You're All Alone!" (in Hard Mode), Soldier's Strike, Barbarous Slash [sic], and Gash; removed Griffon's Sweep, Power Attack, Seeking Blade, and Sprint.
- Abasi now has Expert's Dexterity (in Hard Mode) and Crossfire.
- Aidan now has Prepared Shot, Arcing Shot, Keen Arrow, and Antidote Signet; removed Heket's Rampage, Power Shot, and Practiced Stance.
- Cynn now has Searing Flames, Glowing Gaze, and Glyph of Lesser Energy; removed Fire Storm, Incendiary Bonds, and Mind Burn.
- Herta now has Ebon Hawk and Glowstone; removed Stone Daggers and Glyph of Lesser Energy.
- Kihm (Level 3-15) now has Word of Healing (in Hard Mode) and Remove Hex; removed Shatter Hex.
- Mhenlo now has Watchful Healing and Divine Intervention; removed Healing Touch.
- Eve now has Ravenous Gaze, Signet of Lost Souls, and Strip Enchantment; removed Grenth's Balance.
- Odurra now has Mistrust.
- Sogolon now has Spear of Lightning, Hexbreaker Aria, and Signet of Return; removed Mending Refrain and Resurrection Signet.
- Gehraz now has Victorious Sweep, Heart of Holy Flame, Conviction, Attacker's Insight, and Mystic Regeneration; removed Dust Cloak, Eremite's Attack, Reap Impurities, Signet of Pious Light, and Vital Boon.
Eye of the North
- Devona now has Crushing Blow, Lion's Comfort, and Plague Touch; removed Irresistible Blow and Healing Signet.
- Talon now has Symbolic Strike and Poison Tip Signet; removed Protector's Defense and Silverwing Slash.
- Aidan now has Determined Shot, Conjure Lightning, and Lightning Reflexes; removed Debilitating Shot, Volley, and Whirling Defense.
- Zho now has Hunter's Shot and Attacker's Insight; removed Penetrating Attack.
- Cynn now has "Never Surrender!".
- Herta now has Glowstone, Ebon Hawk, and Renew Life; removed Stone Daggers, Ward Against Elements, and Resurrection Signet.
- Mhenlo now has Cure Hex and Balanced Stance; removed Healing Touch and Deny Hexes.
- Lina now has Return; removed Shielding Hands.
- Eve now has Accumulated Pain and Mark of Fury.
- Lo Sha now has Shadow of Fear; removed Soothing Images.
AI Updates
The following AI updates apply to Heroes, Henchmen, and Hard Mode NPCs.
Assassin
- Heroes will now use Wastrel's Collapse more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Death's Charge to close in on enemies even if the heal effect isn’t needed.
- Improved the AI’s ability to quickly perform Combo Attacks.
Elementalist
- Heroes will now be more cautious about becoming Exhausted when using Gale.
- Heroes will now use Stoning less frequently when the target is not Weakened.
- Heroes will now use Glyph of Lesser Energy more efficiently.
- Heroes will now use Rust more frequently.
- Heroes will now be more cautious about becoming Exhausted when using Shock.
Mesmer
- Heroes will now favor allies who are nearby with Hex Eater Signet.
- Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Empathy.
- Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Backfire.
- Heroes will now choose targets more intelligently when using Signet of Humility.
Monk
- Heroes will now target knocked-down allies with Aura of Stability.
- Heroes will now use Healer's Boon more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Heal Party more efficiently.
- Heroes will now be more careful about casting Infuse Health, but react faster to endangered allies.
Paragon
- Heroes will now use "Brace Yourself!" less frequently when enemies are not using knockdown skills.
- Heroes will now use Anthem of Weariness more frequently.
Ranger
- Heroes will now use Rampage As One more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Bestial Mauling less frequently against non-knocked down enemies.
- Heroes will now use Debilitating Shot less frequently against non-caster enemies.
- Heroes will now use Comfort Animal less frequently as a heal during combat when they have low energy.
- Heroes will now use Lightning Reflexes more frequently.
Ritualist
- Heroes will now use Siphon Spirit [sic] more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Wielder's Boon less frequently on allies not affected by a Weapon Spell.
- Heroes will now use Ghostly Haste more frequently.
- Heroes will now be more cautious about attacking while under the effect of Weapon of Warding (PvP).
Warrior
- Heroes will now use Flail more appropriately to avoid slowing down when chasing an enemy.
- Heroes will now use Enraging Charge to gain adrenaline even if already within attack range.
- Adjusted the conditions under which the AI will cancel Primal Rage with another stance.
- Adjusted the conditions under which the AI will cancel Frenzy with another stance.
- Heroes will now use Disrupting Chop more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Balanced Stance more frequently when battling foes using knockdown abilities.
- Heroes will now use Sever Artery slightly more frequently.
- Heroes will now use Gash less frequently against Deep Wounded enemies.
- Improved adrenaline management when using skills that remove all adrenaline.
Underworld
Something stirs deep in the Underworld, slowly making its presence known.
- Made numerous adjustments to NPC and monster locations.
- Ghosts and Reapers no longer have collision.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused a group of Smite Crawlers to fight other Smite Crawlers.
- Reapers will now appear in the party window until their quests have been completed.
- Tortured Spirits in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits" will now appear in the party window until the quest is complete.
- New Souls in the quest "Escort of Souls" will now appear in the party window until the quest is complete.
- Fixed a bug which sometimes caused the quest "Imprisoned Spirits" to not fail when all of the Tortured Souls are killed.
- Streamlined the Tortured Spirits' pathing in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits".
- Streamlined the holdout timing and pathing of the Terrorweb Dryders in the quest "Imprisoned Spirits."
- Streamlined The Slayer and Terrorweb Dryders' pathing in the quest "Demon Assassin."
- Streamlined the locations, timing, and pathing of the Terrorweb Dryders in the quest "Servants of Grenth."
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the quest "Servants of Grenth" to complete before all waves of Terrorweb Dryders have appeared.
- Adjusted the spawns around the Reaper of the Forgotten Vale and the Reaper of the Bone Pits so that they are less likely to appear when the area is unsafe.
- Moved the Lost Soul out of aggro range of the Aatxes.
- Fixed a bug that caused Vengeful Aatxes to not die when their Keeper of Souls is killed in the quest "Unwanted Guests."
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug that caused Deadly Paradox to increase casting speed by 66% rather than 33%.
- Fixed a bug that caused Ether Prism to reduce damage by 25% rather than by 75%.
- Fixed the description for Signet of Deadly Corruption to no longer reference itself as an attack.
- Fixed a bug that allowed players to target others when using Spirit Siphon.
- Fixed a bug that prevented Wastrel's Demise from turning the health bar purple.
- Fixed a bug that caused the henchman Sogolon to have less armor than Paragons of an equivalent level.
Miscellaneous
- Upon reaching 25 consecutive wins in Random Arena, a team will be awarded additional Gladiator points and returned to the outpost.
- The trophies in the Great Temple of Balthazar have been updated and their location moved.
- Tolkano now offers the Eye of the North and Bonus Mission Pack weapon and armor skins for sale.
- Tolkano has begun accepting Zaishen Coins for his weapon and armor skins.
- Tournament Reward Point cost for all PvP weapon and armor skins has been drastically reduced.
- Updated the Daily Automated Tournament times for GvG.
- Festival map decorations no longer require a build and will automatically switch when the festival begins.
GuildWiki notes
- Henchmen that receive a Celestial skill have the same old skillbar when they have it, rather than a new one.