[2023] Game Update Notes: July 18, 2023

07/18/2023—July 18 Release Notes Festival of the Four Winds On behalf of Queen Jennah of Kryta and the Lion's Arch Captain's Council, you are cordially invited to participate in the return of the Festival of the Four Winds! High atop the Labyrinthine Cliffs, our Zephyrite friends have been working in tandem with Lion's Arch to host an incredible variety of fun vendors and events to entertain visitors from all across Tyria. This celebration of unity and peace between our cultures is more important than ever before, and we hope that you will join us in the festivities. In this spirit of cooperation, Queen Jennah has personally overseen the reopening of the Crown Pavilion, featuring a variety of challenges for Tyria's finest to test their mettle! Transportation to the festivities couldn't be easier! Special hot air balloons are now stationed in each nation's capital city. Visitors can also sail directly from the ship from Lion's Arch. We look forward to seeing you at the festival! — Captain Ellen Kiel New updates and prizes this year include: Complete the Annual Four Winds Customs meta-achievement to earn the Zephyrite Headband, a new head armor piece crafted in the Zephyrite tradition. Last year's meta-achievement reward, the Zephyrite Shawl, can now be purchased from the festival reward vendors. A new Sun-Grown weapon set is now available! You'll receive your choice of a weapon by progressing the Annual Four Winds Customs meta-achievement and the weekly Four Winds Festivities achievement. Contents of Zephyrite Supply Boxes have been updated, including a new cosmetic infusion and three new weapons crafted by a traveling weaponsmith. Added a new miniature and a new cooking recipe to the festival reward vendors in Labyrinthine Cliffs and Crown Pavilion. Updated trade prices at the Zephyrite bazaar. Added new guild decorations drawn from Canthan architecture. Various bugs and glitches have been fixed to ensure a safer and more pleasant festival for all participants. The Festival of the Four Winds will be available for three weeks, from July 18 to August 8. Enjoy the festivities! General Fixed multiple issues involving fishing tonics. Fixed an issue that allowed players to use the Rusted Necklace of the Mists to negate boss mechanics and attacks. The item can no longer be used while in combat. Fractals Silent Surf The Silent Surf challenge mote is now visible to players who have completed Silent Surf on the Master tier. Bug Fixes Fixed an issue that caused the final boss to create fewer Rending Storm area-of-effect attacks than intended. Fixed an issue preventing several Mistlock Instabilities from functioning correctly. Fixed an issue that allowed players to dodge World Cleaver. Fixed an issue that allowed players to dodge Frightening Speed. Fixed an issue that caused the telegraphs for Frightening Speed to disappear sooner than intended. Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause players to fail to enter a wind cannon or fail to launch when exiting. Fixed an issue that sometimes caused players to be stuck in Phantasmagoria longer than intended. Fixed an issue that prevented players from interacting with more than one Mistlock Singularity. Fixed an issue that sometimes caused zip-line ropes to detach from the pitons. Fixed an issue that caused the final zip-line platform to be offset from its rope. Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Aspects to take longer than intended to apply Phantasmagoria during World Cleaver's windup. Fixed an issue that caused all Aspects to use Aspect of Death's skills instead of the variants of those skills associated with their Aspect type. Fixed an issue that prevented players from being able to interact with the portal after defeating the final boss in normal mode. Fixed an issue that caused parachute ammunition to not be consumed in some circumstances. Added a name and description to the Flare skill on the survey gear bundle. The final boss now has descriptors under his health bar. Fixed an issue affecting the Jade Sea Legs and Peace and Quiet achievements. General Increased the recharge times for Dread Visage, Frightening Speed, and Rending Storm. Breaking the final boss's defiance now reduces the recharge speed of his skills for several seconds. Added on-screen messaging and visual effects to better communicate some mechanics during the final encounter. Defeating the final boss grants maximum ammunition for all survey gear skills. Gorrik will no longer send in-game mail to characters about Silent Surf. Captain Thess now has access to several support skills. He now wields a scepter instead of a sword. Profession Skills Elementalist Flamestrike: Reduced initial burning duration from 1.5 seconds to 1 second and the secondary burning duration from 2.5 seconds to 1.5 seconds in PvP and WvW. Shatterstone: Increased cooldown from 3 seconds to 6 seconds in PvP and WvW. Water Trident: Reduced power coefficient from 1.25 to 1.0 in PvP and WvW. Reduced the bonus damage from 50% to 33% in WvW only. Hurl: Reduced power coefficient from 0.33 to 0.26 in WvW and PvP. Churning Earth: Reduced power coefficient from 1.75 to 1.5 in WvW and PvP. Reduced bleeding from 8 stacks to 4 stacks in WvW and PvP. Signet of Restoration: Increased cooldown from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP and WvW. Signet of Earth: Increased cooldown from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP and WvW. Signet of Water: Reduced condition duration reduction from 20% to 10% in PvP and WvW. Written in Stone: Reduced frost aura duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW. Catalyst Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire): Reduced might duration from 8 seconds to 5 seconds in PvP and WvW. Energized Elements: Reduced might duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP and WvW. Spectacular Sphere: Reduced might stacks from 5 to 1 in PvP and WvW. Reduced vigor duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP and WvW. Reduced fury duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP and WvW. Reduced resistance duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW. Elemental Epitome: Reduced frost aura duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW. Staunch Auras: Reduced stability duration from 2 seconds to 1 second in PvP only. Engineer Vital Burst: Increased heal attribute scaling from 1.03 to 1.7 in PvP and WvW. Infusion Bomb: Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvP and WvW. Reduced boon duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds in PvP and WvW. Super Elixir: Increased initial heal attribute scaling from 0.4 to 0.8 in PvP and WvW. Scrapper Blast Gyro: Reduced cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased might duration from 8 seconds to 15 seconds in PvE only. Guardian Symbol of Resolution: This skill can now be interrupted by other skills.  Ray of Judgment: Reduced aftercast  Binding Blade: This skill will now use a different animation with less aftercast. Willbender Phoenix Protocol: this trait now grants alacrity to the willbender when activating Flowing Resolve (5 seconds in PvE, 3 seconds in PvP/WvW), which can be shared to allies with Battle Presence. Reduced the alacrity duration when resolve triggers from 1.5 seconds to 1 second in PvE only. Restorative Virtues: This trait now grants vigor instead of alacrity. Mesmer Chronomancer Stretched Time: Reduced phantasm alacrity duration from 2 seconds to 1 second in PvP and from 3 seconds to 1 second in WvW. Seize the Moment: Reduced phantasm quickness duration from 2 seconds to 1 second in PvP and from 3 seconds to 1 second in WvW. Mirage Chaos Vortex: This skill no longer applies alacrity and now applies fury to nearby allies. Mirage Mantle: This trait has been reworked and now improves ambush skills. Imaginary Axes: Also inflicts cripple Mirage Thrust: Removes a boon from struck foes Ether Barrage: Grants quickness to self (1.5 seconds) Split Surge: Deals increased damage (25% in PvE, 10 in PvP/WvW) Chaos Vortex: AoE Alacrity (2.5 seconds for the player, 0.5 seconds for clones) Ambush Assault: Grants might to self Wave of Panic: Also inflicts torment Virtuoso Bladeturn Requiem: Increased power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.3 in PvE and from 0.15 to 0.2 in WvW and PvP. Necromancer Well of Blood: Reduced initial base self-heal from 5,140 to 2,936 in PvE only. Increased base pulse heal from 280 to 664 in PvE only. Increased the pulse heal attribute scaling from 0.4 to 0.5 in PvE only. Scourge Sand Cascade: Increased base barrier from 996 to 1188 in PvE only. Increased barrier attribute scaling from 1.25 to 2 in PvE only. Desert Empowerment: Increased alacrity duration from 1 second to 1.5 seconds in PvE only. Increased base barrier from 385 to 572 in PvE only. Increased barrier attribute scaling from 0.75 to 1.0 in PvE only. Sandstorm Shroud: This skill now grants 1.5 seconds of protection to nearby allies each pulse, and 3 seconds of protection to nearby allies on detonation. Fell Beacon: This trait no longer reduces the cooldown of torch skills, and now also increases the damage of burning you inflict by 10%. Harrowing Wave: Reduced cooldown from 20 seconds to 16 seconds in PvE only. Increased the life force per target from 3% to 5% in PvE only. Oppressive Collapse: Reduced cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased might radius from 240 to 360. Might application per condition is now capped at 7 condtions in PvE only. Sadistic Searing: This trait has been reworked, and causes Nefarious Favor to burn nearby enemy targets (2 stacks, 5 seconds in PvE, 1 stack, 4 seconds in PvP/WvW). Demonic Lore: Increased torment damage bonus from 25% to 33% in PvE only. Sand Sage: This trait has been reworked. Gain expertise and concentration while you have an active sand shade (225 in PvE, 150 in PvP/WvW). Blood as Sand: This trait has been reworked. Reduce all incoming damage while you have an active sand shade (15% in PvE, 7% in PvP/WvW) Ranger Spirited Arrival: Increased might stacks from 3 to 6 in PvE only. Increased might duration from 9 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only. Call of the Wild: Increased boon durations from 10 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only. Sun Spirit: Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased might duration from 12 seconds to 15 seconds in PvE only. Water Spirit: Increased the vigor duration per pulse from 1 second to 2 seconds in PvE only. Stone Spirit: Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds in PvE only. Increased protection duration from 1.5 seconds to 2 seconds in PvE only. Storm Spirit: Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased fury duration from 1.5 seconds to 2 seconds in PvE only. Increased power coefficient from 1.0 to 2.0 in PvE only. Druid Grace of the Land: Increased alacrity duration from 0.75 seconds to 1 second in PvE only. Untamed Let Loose: Increased quickness duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds in PvE only. This trait will now immediately grant access to unleashed ambush skills when swapping weapons while in the unleashed state. Revenant Herald Elevated Compassion: Reduced quickness pulse interval from 3 seconds to 1 second. Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 1.25 seconds. This trait now converts 13% of the herald’s power into concentration in addition to its other effects. Reinforced Potency: Increased concentration from 120 to 240 in PvE only. Shared Empowerment: Increased might duration from 8 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only. Thief Deadeye One in the Chamber: Reduced bonus damage from 300% to 10% in PvE only. Premeditation: Reduced damage bonus per boon from 1.5% to 1% in PvE only. Iron Sight: Reduced damage bonus against marked targets from 15% to 10% in PvE only. Shadow Flare: Reduced power coefficient from 2.0 to 1.0. Shadow Swap: Reduced power coefficient from 2.0 to 1.0. Specter Shadestep: Reduced alacrity duration from 2 seconds to 1.25 seconds in PvE only. Strength of Shadows: This trait no longer reduces incoming damage and no longer increases the duration of torment inflicted by Rot Wallow Venom, but instead increases torment damage by 25% in addition to converting vitality to expertise. Larcenous Torment: This trait no longer increases torment damage, and instead steals health from an enemy when you apply torment to them. Shadow Sap: Increased protection duration from 2.5 seconds to 4 seconds in PvE only. Warrior Berserker Arc Divider: Increased power coefficient from 2.5 to 3.5 in PvE only. Heat the Soul: Increased quickness duration from 3.5 seconds to 4 seconds in PvE only.

Bug Fix: Fixed a server crash.

Bug Fixes: Written in Stone: This trait now has a 25-second internal cooldown when granting an aura in PvP only. Signet of Restoration: Increased cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only. Signet of Water: Increased cooldown from 20 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only. Flamestrike: The first strike of this skill no longer inflicts burning in PvP only. Reduced the secondary burning duration from 1.5 seconds to 1 second in PvP only. Dragon's Tooth: Reduced burning duration from 10 seconds to 5 seconds in PvP only. Desert Empowerment: Fixed an issue that caused this trait to grant more barrier than intended in PvP and WvW. Fixed an issue in the Silent Surf fractal that caused pets to be affected by the final encounter's boon stealing mechanic. Removed a context menu "Invite" option that was erroneously enabled.

Bug Fixes: Imaginary Axes: Fixed a bug that caused clones to apply more torment than intended. Fixed a bug in which player contribution to collection events was incorrectly displayed as zero. Fixed a bug that caused the Griffon Rental Post recipe to not use Zephyr Lanterns from the guild's inventory. Fixed a texture issue on tentacles in the Solid Ocean fractal

Bug Fix: Fixed the tooltip for all mount skins contained in the Kaineng Lights Mount Adoption License. Fixed a server crash.

Bug Fix: Fixed a sever crash.

Release Note: Following the end of Festival of the Four Winds, the Black Lion Chest's guaranteed item is now Gnashblade's Exotic Weapon Grab Bag.