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GW2 Patch: Game Update Notes: February 28, 2022

Posted on by Jen

02/28/2022—February 28 Release Notes

End of Dragons

Cantha

For as long as memory serves, Tyria has been locked in the Dragon Cycle, with every iteration of awakening, consumption, and slumber seeming as fixed an occurrence as the movement between night and day. But now five Elder Dragons are dead—felled by the hand of the commander and their allies—and with each death, the powerful magics once stabilized by their existence have been released. Some of this has passed to Aurene, but the rest has vanished to parts unknown. Where has it gone, and what does it mean for Tyria for these fundamental forces to be increasingly destabilized? It seems our answers lie in a long-shuttered corner of the world: Cantha.

No longer the war-torn nation of the history books, Cantha has exploded into a metropolis of innovation, fueled by powerful jade technologies. But such rapid expansion must surely come at a cost. What were the Canthans willing to pay? And what does it have to do with the secrets lying beneath the Unending Ocean? The commander and their allies must race against a ticking clock to untangle the mysteries of Cantha, lest the foretold conclusion of the Dragon Cycle bring about the end of Tyria as we know it.

New Mount: Siege Turtle

With Canthan isolation, the Luxon armada has become a thing of the past, but the remnants of the once great society have been able to maintain their traditions by continuing to raise siege turtles. Modern turtles are now outfitted with the latest in jade tech. From powerful jump jets to carry them across the Jade Sea to the great siege cannons to pummel their enemies to dust, siege turtles represent the merging of past traditions with Cantha’s technological future.

Earn your siege turtle by completing a series of collections beginning in the Jade Sea.

The siege turtle comes with two seats. The owner will take on the role of the driver controlling movement, the turtle’s basic slam attack, and any previously unlocked mount utility skills. The passenger will control the mount’s turrets and can give the driver a boost with Overdrive. To join another player’s mount as a passenger, you will need to join their party or squad.

  • The siege turtle follows the same usage restrictions as standard mounts.
  • Siege turtles can be dyed via the Dyes section of the Equipment tab in the Hero panel.
  • The siege turtle is not available in WvW.
  • Both sliding and movement speed while underwater have been adjusted based on beta feedback.
  • Jump jets will no longer use energy when underwater, making it easier to get out of deep water.

Masteries

Masteries now have a dedicated skills menu that can be accessed underneath the Swap Weapon Sets button on the left side of the skill bar once you’ve discovered your first Mastery skill in End of Dragons.

  • Any skill in this menu can be right-clicked to make it your active Mastery skill, and pressing the [J] hotkey will use it by default.
  • Any skill in this menu can also be left-clicked to simply use the skill without it having to be set as your active skill.
  • Fishing, skiffs, and jade bots all have a skill that can be accessed from this menu once they’re unlocked from their respective Masteries.

Jade Bots

Introducing the jade bot! Jade bots are new robotic assistants that can be configured to help in many different ways, provided you find the needed parts. You’ll unlock your jade bot and its Mastery line as you progress through the End of Dragons main story.

Jade bots have three equipment slots that you can use to customize them.

  • Power Core: You need a power core for the jade bot to perform most functions. Power cores also give the jade bot’s owner a vitality boost!
  • Modules: Your jade bot has two module slots categorized as sensory arrays and service chips. In these slots, you can install upgrades that allow your jade bot to perform various functions. Please note that service chips require a tier 6 or higher power core to operate!

Your first power core and sensory array will be given to you as you complete the story. Learn recipes and look for components dropped from specific enemies or events to continue to enhance your jade bot!

Fishing

Once unlocked, fishing can be accessed from the new Mastery Skill menu, and you can fish wherever water of swimmable depth is found. Fishing nodes, which provide the best rewards, can be found in explorable zones throughout the game, both old and new.

Your fishing gear can be changed via the new Fishing section of the Equipment tab in the Hero panel, where the following can be found:

  • Fishing Rod: Determines the visual look of your fishing rod, which never breaks or needs to be changed out unless you want a new look!
  • Bait: A new stackable item type that helps catch specific fish from around the world, grants bonus fishing power, and decrements only after successful catches.
  • Lure: A new item type with numerous charges that grants bonus fishing power and decrements only after successful catches.
  • Fishing Power: A new attribute that makes fishing easier by increasing the size of your marker in the minigame as well as increasing your chance of getting fish of a higher rarity.

Skiffs

Once unlocked, your skiff can be summoned from the new Mastery Skills menu.

  • When summoned from land, skiffs are placed by targeting nearby water. You can rotate your skiff before placing it by holding down the left mouse button.
  • When summoned while swimming at the water’s surface, the summoning player will immediately be seated in the pilot position.
  • Using the Toggle Anchor skill will anchor your skiff, allowing you and passengers to safely stand up and fish from it.
  • In order to board another player’s skiff as a passenger, you must be in the pilot’s party or squad.
  • Skiffs can be dyed via the Dyes section of the Equipment tab in the Hero panel.

Arborstone

An ally faction of Cantha, the Kestrels, have offered Arborstone to you to use as your home base in Cantha. Once belonging to the great Kurzick house zu Heltzer, the Kestrels claimed the ruin and used it as a place of refuge for those fleeing the Ministry of Purity’s persecution. These days, the Kestrel rangers have little use for it themselves and so have allowed you to take over its upkeep and expansion. While the upgrades are player specific, the space is a multiplayer hub, allowing you to experience Arborstone with your friends. Every tier you unlock adds more to this expansion, bringing new features and stories to explore. You’ll unlock Arborstone and its restoration Mastery line as you progress through the End of Dragons main story.

Strike Missions

End of Dragons brings with it a series of four new Strike Missions as well as updates to the rewards system for the Strike Missions game mode. End of Dragons Strike Missions are based on epic encounters from the End of Dragons story and can be unlocked by completing their related story chapters once per account. These new Strike Missions can be accessed from both the open world and Arborstone. Challenge mode versions of all four Strike Missions will be released following the launch of End of Dragons.

  • The Icebrood Saga Strike Missions now award Blue Prophet Shards and Blue Prophet Crystals.
  • Red and Green Prophet Shards and Red and Green Prophet Crystals earned in The Icebrood Saga Strike Missions will be converted to Blue Prophet Shards and Blue Prophet Crystals. These strikes and the associated rewards vendor will now only use Blue Prophet Shards and Blue Prophet Crystals.
  • All existing strike rewards from The Icebrood Saga Strike Missions from Crystallographer Smoxxi in the Eye of the North now cost Blue Prophet Shards or Blue Prophet Crystals to purchase.
  • End of Dragons Strike Missions award Green Prophet Shards, which can be exchanged for strike rewards at the Shard Collector found in Arborstone.
  • A new weekly purchase of 10 Mystic Coins has been added to the Shard Collector in Arborstone.
  • A new weekly purchase of 5 Mystic Clovers has been added to the Shard Collector in Arborstone.

Fractals

  • Challenge mode bosses in the Nightmare, Shattered Observatory, and Sunqua Peak fractals no longer have a chance to reward Mystic Coins.
  • The daily Mystic Clover purchase on fractal vendors has been replaced with a weekly exchange, allowing you to purchase up to 10 Mystic Clovers per week, at a cost of 150 Fractal Relics, 2 Mystic Coins, 2 Globs of Ectoplasm, and 2 Spirit Shards each.

Raids

  • Magnetite Shards may now be spent to purchase up to 10 Mystic Clovers per week, at a cost of 30 Magnetite Shards, 2 Mystic Coins, 2 Globs of Ectoplasm, and 2 Spirit Shards each.

Items

  • A new set of legendary weapons themed around Aurene, the Prismatic Dragon, are now available. Additional variations of the new legendary set, themed after each Elder Dragon, will be released following the launch of End of Dragons.
  • New equipment attribute combinations:
    • Ritualist’s: Ritualist’s equipment provides a large increase to condition damage and vitality, and a small increase to concentration and expertise. This attribute combination is now available on all legendary items and select sources in End of Dragons content.
    • Dragon’s: Dragon’s equipment provides a large increase to power and ferocity, and a small increase to precision and vitality. This attribute combination is now available on all legendary items and select sources in End of Dragons content.
  • Superior Rune of Tormenting: The 6-piece bonus of this rune no longer heals you for each stack of torment you apply. Instead, it grants regeneration for 3 seconds when you apply torment to an enemy, with a 5-second internal cooldown.

Profession Skills

General

With End of Dragons comes the release of nine new elite specializations—one for each profession!

Many of these new elite specializations offer ways to build for key boon support roles with professions that previously could not build for them. For example, the mechanist, specter, and willbender can all provide alacrity to a party.

With the introduction of so many new support roles, we are standardizing most skill and trait effects to have a target cap of 5, so that new and old boon support options will all be viable and compete on a level playing field.

A notable exception for now is that the warrior’s banner skills and the ranger’s spirit skills retain their current functionality. Changes to them have not occurred yet as we are taking the time to plan and execute on a more significant rework to both banners and spirits, coming in a future update, which will also give warriors and rangers access to boon support roles.

Elementalist

Tempest

  • The tempest’s shout skills have had their maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.
  • Tempestuous Aria: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.

PvP Splits

  • Elemental Shielding: Increased protection duration from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds in PvP only.
  • Latent Stamina: Increased endurance gain from 10 to 15 in PvP only.
  • Elemental Bastion: Increased healing coefficient from 0.55 to 0.8 in PvP only.
  • “Feel the Burn!”: Increased ammunition count from 1 to 2 in PvP only.
  • Glyph of Renewal: Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 135 seconds in PvP only.

New Elite Specialization: Catalyst

“My power shapes and bends the world.”

  • Catalysts have revitalized ancient techniques for channeling elemental forces—with a few modern improvements! They use jade tech spheres to create concentrated wells of immense power, and use augment skills within these wells for added effect. With the weight of Tyria’s fundamental magics behind every blow from their hammers, these elementalists are a steady presence in melee combat.

Engineer

  • Flamethrower—Napalm: Burn duration applied per pulse decreased from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.

Scrapper

  • Impact Savant: The percentage of strike damage dealt that converts to barrier on yourself has been reduced to 5% in PvE only.

PvP Splits

  • Flame Jet: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.25 to 0.15 in PvP only.
  • Flame Blast: Increased burning duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds in PvP only.

New Elite Specialization: Mechanist

“All systems go. Mech cleared for launch!”

  • The mechanist is a dynamic innovator, using their mechanical expertise and advanced Canthan technology to battle alongside a jade mech of their own creation. Customize your mech and use it to crush your enemies—together, you’re unstoppable.

Guardian

  • “Stand Your Ground!”: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.

Dragonhunter

  • Procession of Blades: Damage reduced by 20%. Cooldown decreased from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.

Firebrand

  • Renewed Justice: Virtue skill 1 cooldown reduction lowered from 100% to 20% for firebrands only. Firebrands currently in Tome of Justice will gain one page instead.
  • Mantra of Solace: Aegis removed. This skill now instead grants 3 seconds of protection and resolution to the firebrand and their allies.
  • Ashes of the Just: The internal cooldown of this effect is now tracked per target per player, allowing stacks of Ashes of the Just to be expended faster when multiple targets are hit.

PvP Splits

  • Signet of Mercy: Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 135 seconds in PvP only.

New Elite Specialization: Willbender

“I will silence the threat before it can fester.”

  • Willbenders are protectors of the Canthan throne and fated guardians to the Weh no Su. Their sword arm is as strong as their loyalty—unflinching and ruthless. They are known for a swift hand and unmatched swordplay, striking before their foe has time to react.

Mesmer

  • Time Warp: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.
  • Signet of Inspiration: This now only affects the user by default. The trait Blurred Inscriptions increases the target cap to 5.

Mirage

  • Chaos Vortex: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.

New Elite Specialization: Virtuoso

“I imagine blades, you bleed.”

  • The virtuoso forgoes traditional illusions in favor of psychic daggers, wielded by the sheer power of the mind. Unleash a volley of sharp blades, then outwit foes with a sharp mind.

Necromancer

  • Death Shroud: Death Shroud now has a tooltip fact indicating that damage is reduced while in shroud. Damage reduction has been decreased from 50% to 33% in PvE only.
  • Reaper’s Shroud: Reaper’s Shroud now has a tooltip fact indicating that damage is reduced while in shroud. Damage reduction has been decreased from 50% to 33% in PvE only.
  • Epidemic: The maximum number of stacks of each condition that are applied to targets has been reduced from 25 to 5.

Curses

  • Parasitic Contagion: Life-stealing percentage reduced from 10% to 5% in PvE only.

Reaper

  • Soul Eater: Life-stealing percentage reduced from 5% to 4% in PvE only.

Scourge

  • The base barrier granted by the skills Sand Cascade, Sand Flare, Desert Empowerment, Desert Shroud, and Sandstorm Shroud has been reduced. The contribution of healing power on these skills has been increased.

PvP Splits

  • Unholy Martyr: Reduced the number of conditions removed when exiting shroud from 3 to 2 in PvP only.
  • Lesser Enfeeble: Reduced weakness duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.
  • Vampiric: Reduced base life-stealing damage from 41 to 29 in PvP only. Reduced base life-stealing healing from 39 to 26 in PvP only. Minion life stealing has been adjusted to match the necromancer life stealing in PvP only.
  • Vampiric Presence: Reduced base life-stealing damage from 65 to 49 in PvP only. Reduced base life-stealing healing from 32 to 28 in PvP only. Reduced life-stealing bonus effectiveness while in shroud from 100% to 50% in PvP only.
  • Lich Form: Reduced the amount of life force granted when exiting the transformation from 15% to 5% in PvP only.
  • Deathly Claws (Lich Form): Reduced power coefficient from 2.34 to 1.64 in PvP only.
  • Summon Flesh Wurm: Increased cooldown from 32 seconds to 40 seconds in PvP only.

New Elite Specialization: Harbinger

“Volatile powers, all at my fingertips…”

  • The harbinger is a gunslinger and an alchemist, empowering their pistol and utilizing elixirs imbued with dark energies. But strength comes at a cost, and the harbinger must balance on a knife’s edge between power and corruption.

Ranger

Druid

  • Grace of the Land: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.

New Elite Specialization: Untamed

“Unleashed, unbound—the rage of the Echovald Forest lives in us.”

  • The untamed share a primal bond with nature through their pet, juggling control of raw power back and forth to defeat foes. Your pet uses debilitating nature-based skills to weaken enemies, then it relinquishes that power to you for the final strike.

Revenant

  • Forced Engagement: This skill now requires the revenant to face their initial target. The radius for attacking extra targets has been reduced from 360 to 180 and its range reduced from 1,200 to 600.
  • Fixed a bug that caused legend swapping to activate certain sigils that activate when swapping weapons.
  • Battle Scars: Damage and healing in PvE has been reduced to be two times the power of this effect in PvP. The PvP effect of Battle Scars is unchanged.

Herald

  • The number of maximum targets of all facet skills has been reduced from 10 to 5.
  • Facet of Darkness—Gaze of Darkness: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to affect units within 900 radius instead of the intended 600.
  • Shared Empowerment: Maximum targets reduced from 10 to 5.

Renegade

  • Spiritcrush: This skill can now be fired at ground locations behind the player.
  • Lasting Legacy: This trait no longer increases the target cap of Orders from Above.

New Elite Specialization: Vindicator

“Once, we fought each other… Now we unite against a common enemy.”

  • The Kurzicks and Luxons were bitter enemies, but their greatest champions—Saint Viktor and Archemorus—united to help slay Shiro the Betrayer at the cost of their own lives. Vindicators call upon the strength of their legendary alliance, channeling both heroes’ skills to devastate their enemies and protect their allies. They use greatswords to deliver massive attacks, and crush foes by leaping straight into battle instead of dodging.

Thief

Critical Strikes

  • Invigorating Precision: The percentage of life-stealing from critical strikes has been reduced. Previously thieves gained 10% of the critical-hit damage plus an additional 10% with fury. Now they gain 4% of the critical-hit damage plus an additional 2% with fury.

PvP Splits

  • Smoke Screen: Reduced field duration from 7 seconds to 4 seconds in PvP only.
  • Hide in Shadows: Increased cooldown from 30 seconds to 40 seconds in PvP only.
  • Blinding Powder: Increased cooldown from 40 seconds to 50 seconds in PvP only.
  • Shadow’s Rejuvenation: Reduced base healing from 219 to 158 in PvP only.

New Elite Specialization: Specter

“Join me—the darkness is our ally.”

  • The specter harnesses the power of shadow magic to debilitate enemies and strengthen allies. Enter Shadow Shroud to link with friends and fuel the destruction of your foes.

Warrior

Spellbreaker

  • Sun and Moon Style: Life-stealing percentage from critical strikes reduced from 7% to 4% in PvE only.

New Elite Specialization: Bladesworn

“Concentrate and execute.”

  • Advances in Canthan technology have yielded a fusion of firearm and longsword: the gunsaber. Only a dedicated, highly trained warrior can handle such a volatile weapon. Gunsaber attacks enhance the bladesworn’s flow, allowing them to use their meditative Dragon Trigger. In this state of calm and concentration, they can load their gunsaber with magically imbued cartridges that power up their attacks. With their gunsaber sheathed, they wield off-hand pistols to maintain their flow.

World Polish

  • The Level-80 Boost will now award Acolyte armor skins for mesmer, elementalist, and necromancer characters.

General

  • Nearly completed achievements now update immediately when filters are applied.
  • Bounty Effect System: The Survivor effect status was particularly frustrating to fight and has been updated to block fewer attacks at higher scales. Additionally, its internal cooldown has been increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds, the duration has been reduced from 150% uptime to 50% uptime, and the initial block count has been increased from 1 to 3.
  • Increased participation requirements for receiving the final reward chest from the Dragonstorm meta-event.
  • The magic find attribute is now capped at 750%.

Source: Guild Wars 2 Official Forums

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