Game Update Notes - March 16, 2015

[Karizee]

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/foru...st#post4882432


03/16/15 – March 16 Release Notes
Release Notes:
NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT

Streaming Client Beta: Added -StreamingClient flag to allow downloading while playing Guild Wars 2. See our blog post for more information.
The number of votes required to kick a party member has been increased to 50% of the party. As an example, in parties of five, three votes will be required.

WvW map completion is no longer a requirement for a character to achieve World Completion, and these maps no longer award map completion rewards.

New camera settings in the General Options panel:

• Added a Field of View slider.
• Added a Zoom Sensitivity slider, which controls how quickly zooming in and out occurs.
• Added a Collision Sensitivity slider, which controls how readily the camera will ignore obstructions between itself and your character.
• Removed the Position slider.
• Added a Horizontal Position slider, which controls how much the camera is shifted to the left or right of your character.
• Added a Vertical Position slider, which controls how much camera height increases as you zoom out.
• Added an Enable First-Person Camera check box. To enter first-person mode, zoom in again while at minimum camera zoom.
• Added an Adjust Camera to Character Height check box. When unchecked, the camera will be placed at the same height regardless of your character size.
• Added a Restore Defaults button.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
World Polish
Gendarran Fields

• Adjusted the number of scaling spawns for the “Prevent the centaurs from capturing Nebo Terrace” group event to be less punishing for large groups.
• Adjusted the start timing of the “Reclaim Nebo Terrace from the centaurs” and “Rescue the captured townspeople from the centaurs” events.
• Increased the damage dealt by the catapults of Nebo Terrace to creatures. This does not apply to champion creatures.

General

• Added a flashing effect when hovering over map legend icons to indicate incomplete POIs, vistas, tasks, skill challenges, and waypoints.
• Fixed an issue in which some windows weren’t responding to the Enter and Escape keys.
• Added the Black Lion Trading Company icon to e-mails from the Black Lion Trading Company.
• Added a prompt to verify self-demotion within in a guild.
• Fixed some instances of players being capable of shadowstepping to unreachable locations.
• Fixed an issue in which players could take repeated falling damage when running down steep inclines.
• Changed the Guild Roster location text to function the same way as the Contacts panel.
• Stability: This boon has been changed from a duration stack type to an intensity stack type. Crowd-control effects will remove one instance of stability apiece each time they are applied. Each ability and trait has been adjusted to apply a certain number of stacks. All instances of stability not listed in these release notes will remain at one stack.
• Mordrem Wolf: Significantly reduced critical-hit damage.
• Jungle Tendril Root: Removed several evasion frames from the Burrow skill animation. Burrow should now make the Jungle Tendril Root emerge directly below the target.
• Added chat logging to indicate who is kicking whom in parties and who is leaving.
• Added a feature in chat that properly indicates when a player has been removed from a party instead of indicating that all other players left the party.
• Updated chat text to indicate that players who are kicked or leave the party are no longer in the party instead of always indicating that player left the party.

Items

• Rune of Vampirism: The fourth bonus (steal life when using a healing skill) of this rune set will now function properly after resurrection.
• Rune of Scavenging: The fourth bonus (steal life when using a healing skill) of this rune set will now function properly after resurrection.
• Mini Kasmeer Meade is now compatible with the Mystic Forge.

Profession Skills
Elementalist

• Lightning Flash: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Tornado: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Whirlpool: This ability now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Armor of Earth: This cantrip skill now grants 10 stacks of stability on use.
• Earth’s Embrace: This cantrip reactive skill now grants 10 stacks of stability on use.

Engineer

• Toss Elixir B: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability to allies.
• Elixir X—Tornado: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Elixir X—Rampage: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration. Swiftness is now applied every 3 seconds for a 3-second duration. Leaving this transformation no longer removes swiftness.
• Elixir X—Whirlpool: This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Elixir X—Plague: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Mortar: While controlling the mortar, this skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

Guardian

• Flashing Blade: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Judge’s Intervention: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Merciful Intervention: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• “Stand Your Ground!”: This skill now grants 5 stacks of stability to nearby allies.
• Indomitable Courage: This trait now grants 3 stacks of stability to nearby allies. Duration has been increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
• Tome of Courage: This skill now grants 3 seconds of protection every 3 seconds. Protection and stability are no longer removed when the player stops using Tome of Courage.
• Tome of Wrath: This skill now grants 3 seconds of retaliation every 3 seconds. Retaliation and stability are no longer removed when the player stops using Tome of Wrath.
• Elite Focus: This trait now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds to Tome of Wrath and Tome of Courage.
• Hallowed Ground: Increased the duration of stability that this skill grants from 1 second to 2 seconds.

Mesmer

• Phantasm Skills: These skills now correctly show their back items with the phantasm effect.
• Blink: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Mantra of Concentration: This mantra now applies 3 stacks of stability to nearby allies each time it is activated.

Necromancer

• Life Leech (Downed State): Updated the skill facts of this ability to be accurate.
• Flesh Wurm: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Plague: This ability now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
• Lich Form: This ability now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

The following necromancer traits will now remain active when the necromancer enters the downed state:
Death Magic:
Minion Master

• Flesh of the Master
• Death Nova
• Necromantic Corruption
• Deadly Strength

Blood Magic:

• Bloodthirst
• Vampiric Precision
• Vampiric Master
• Vampiric Rituals

Vampiric
Curses:

• Withering Precision
• Barbed Precision
• Soul Reaping:
• Master of Terror

Spite:

• Training of the Master
• Chill of Death
• Close to Death

Ranger

• Hide in Plain Sight: This trait now uses a normalized version of stealth and will no longer reveal the ranger if they move.
• Rampage as One: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3 second duration. In addition, fury and swiftness are granted for 3 seconds on the same 3-second interval.
• Stability Training: This trait now grants 5 stacks of stability for 3 seconds when triggered.
• Signet of the Wild: This skill now grants 5 stacks of stability for 8 seconds when activated.

Thief

• Infiltrator’s Arrow: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Infiltrator’s Signet: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Infiltrator’s Strike: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Shadowstep: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found, except when acting as a stun break.
• Shadow Escape: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target point cannot be found.
• Steal: This skill will no longer activate if a valid path to the target cannot be found.
• Dagger Storm: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.

Warrior

• Rampage: This skill now grants 3 stacks of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration. Swiftness is now applied every 3 seconds for a 3-second duration.
• Balanced Stance: This stance now grants 5 stacks of stability.
• Last Stand: This trait now grants 5 stacks of stability when triggered.
• Dolyak Signet: This signet now grants 10 stacks of stability.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• The new Shadow weapon set is available from Black Lion Weapons Specialists for the limited-time price of one Black Lion Claim Ticket. Tickets and ticket scraps can be found in Black Lion Chests. Keys are available in the Special category of the Gem Store for 125 gems.
• Three new faces for each race are available exclusively in Total Makeover Kits, found in the Services category of the Gem Store for 350 gems.

[zito]

I'm glad the teleporting on ledges and shit is finally gone

[Edge-]

Rrraaaaddddddd, time to see how much more I need to do on my Guardian for world completion. Did a bit over the weekend so I should be getting close!

[Deleted]

Gotta say, I expected a bit more out of the 1st person. Given the game is so heavily based around movement, the camera is awfully static. You don't see your weapon in 1st person, your camera doesn't move when you do (e.g when you roll or get knocked down), and before you say that this will make people sick, you could easily have a toggle-able option, like camera shake. I guess I was expecting to much

[Deleted]

Connection error(s) detected, Retrying...

Launcher spazing out as well, I can still see the amount of MB increasing though, leave it?

[azurrei]

Rrraaaaddddddd, time to see how much more I need to do on my Guardian for world completion. Did a bit over the weekend so I should be getting close!

I have to do the maguuma and ascalon starter zones/cities on my warrior to be done...ugh. But I won't complain now that WvW BS is gone!

[Arewn]

Gotta say, I expected a bit more out of the 1st person. Given the game is so heavily based around movement, the camera is awfully static. You don't see your weapon in 1st person, your camera doesn't move when you do (e.g when you roll or get knocked down), and before you say that this will make people sick, you could easily have a toggle-able option, like camera shake. I guess I was expecting to much

Can't say I was expecting any such changes. It just lets you zoom "all the way in" now, exactly what people have been saying they wanted since beta, and exactly what they said they'd be adding.
The game's not built for being played in first person, it's really just a screenshot and "look at something closer" option.

[Zhinkis]

I'm glad the teleporting on ledges and shit is finally gone

Still there.

Might just have been QoL changes to keep Initiative/CDs from being used to when trying to port to places that you couldn't port to before, or it's bugged.

[lawow74]

Dulfy has the new faces and Shadow Weapons posted. New faces are very meh to me, Shadow Weapons look pretty neat, though nothing I really want for my chars.

[Fencers]

It is kinda gross not a single Guild Wars 2 update I know of was passed without a cash shop item attached to the packet.

I think the bundling is kinda tasteless.

[barackopala]

They hadn't released weapon skins in a while if im not mistaken so meh.
BUT THAT FOV SLIDER? YES

[Christonya]

Still there.

Might just have been QoL changes to keep Initiative/CDs from being used to when trying to port to places that you couldn't port to before, or it's bugged.

This. It's basically so when im running around silver wastes and I Step / arrow forward up a slightly slanted dune hill, and it 'fails' I don't waste my initiative / CDs. Least that's what I believe was changed...

- - - Updated - - -

It is kinda gross not a single update Guild Wars 2 update I know of was passed without a cash shop item attached to the packet.

I think the bundling is kinda tasteless.

More cash shop updates = more money = game survives. As long as they arn't neglecting major things in the patches, spending some extra time setting up more micro transactions is perfectly acceptable, and honestly, encouraged.

[zed zebes]

The camera differences make a play difference. WvW at Max Vert and Max FOV is like Diablo.

But SweetFX and GemFX are dead =(((

[Edge-]

Well, went from...something up to 94% when I snuck on earlier today. Maybe I'll try to make this week me "Finish the world!" week.

[Fencers]

More cash shop updates = more money = game survives.

They also sell the box. I don't think this is valid defense of the tastelessness of having every update attached to a monetization scheme on a buy only product.

You may be misunderstanding what I am saying; I am actually a supporter of cash shops in games. It is not the cash shop or the scheme I find gross. It is the specific bundling of every game update to a cash shop promotion in light of a buy only product in the current market.

Comes off as crass.

[Valeron]

I don't even pay attention to the cash shop anymore so it doesn't bother me in the least.

[Kazgrel]

So about that week of delay...there are a LOT of bugs in this patch:

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/foru...rom-16th-Patch

I can personally attest to the sound bug where you start hearing random battle cries from all sorts of class/race/gender combos that aren't your toon. Pretty bizzare. :P

[carnifex2005]

In this patch had a lot of the HoT beta client. With some data-mining, the weapons skills (and weapons that profession will use also) of the Revenant were found. As well it looks like elementalist gets main-hand sword as it's specialization.

[Valeron]

I can personally attest to the sound bug where you start hearing random battle cries from all sorts of class/race/gender combos that aren't your toon. Pretty bizzare. :P

ah, I thought I was going crazy

[Edge-]

I can personally attest to the sound bug where you start hearing random battle cries from all sorts of class/race/gender combos that aren't your toon. Pretty bizzare. :P

Oh man, thanks for posting this. I was playing my guardian earlier and was constantly going, "WHO IS AROUND ME SAYING THESE THINGS? THERE IS LITERALLY NOBODY AROUND ME BUT THEY KEEP TALKING! AM I INSANE?"

Good to know I still retain at least the last vestiges of sanity, for the time being.

Strange but to have crop up, though. Wondering what they changed that may have triggered it, then again it could be something completely random having a random effect on it because raisins.