April 2014 Feature Pack

Prepare to experience Guild Wars 2 as never before! The April 2014 Feature Pack is the first release to focus exclusively on in-game features, and it's bringing in brand-new systems, improvements to existing features, balance updates, and more! — Official website

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Prepare to experience Guild Wars 2 as never before! The April 2014 Feature Pack is the first release to focus exclusively on in-game features, and it's bringing in brand-new systems, improvements to existing features, balance updates, and more!

— Official website

April 2014 Feature Pack is a release focusing entirely on in-game features that launched on April 15, 2014.

Features

Trait system redesign

See also: List of new traits

• Each level 80 character now has a total of 14 trait points, each equivalent to 5 trait points prior to the update.
  • Characters earn 1 trait point every 6 levels starting at level 30, and two trait points every 6 levels starting at level 66.
• Refunding traits is free and can be done whenever out of combat and not in an SPvP match.
• Each profession gets 5 new grandmaster traits, one for each trait line.
• Trait tiers now unlock automatically: the adept tier at level 30, the master tier at level 60 and the grandmaster tier at level 80.
• Individual major traits have to be unlocked first. This can be done by using a specific trait guide, which you can find in story dungeons, minidungeons, WvW, personal story, by killing bosses, discovering areas or buying from a profession trainer.
  • New players will have all major traits locked, existing characters will only have the traits new in this update locked.

Balance and build diversity

See also: Known skill and trait changes

• Ferocity is being introduced as a non-percentage secondary attribute, and Critical Damage is being converted into a derived attribute.
  • On equipment, this will remove the discrepancies between item types that had different ratios of Critical Damage percentage to numerical attributes, since Ferocity will follow the standard numerical progression.
  • Critical Damage will now show the base 150% multiplier (previously hidden) and is increased by Ferocity at a rate of 1% per 15 Ferocity.
  • This change is estimated to reduce the damage output of a full berserker build by 10%.
• Celestial equipment stats increased by 6%.
• Every rune set has been reworked and rebalanced.
  • Rune set bonuses altered to give higher payoff with 4 or more pieces of the same type worn.
  • Runes in SPvP are all equipped to a single slot at once and are otherwise equivalent to the PvE versions.
• Sigil mechanics updated and rebalanced.
  • Effect recharges are separate for different sigil types.
  • Two-handed weapons get two sigil slots.
  • Some sigils with an effect on crit now work on hit.
  • On-kill stacking effects disappear upon unequipping the weapon with the sigil, performing weapon swaps, and moving in and/or out of water.
  • Killing players in SPvP and WvW grants 5 stacks.
• Overall tweaks and rework to many skills and traits, including pet and turret AI updates and bug fixes.

Account-wide wardrobe and dyes

Wardrobe

• A Wardrobe tab added to the Account vault that functions similarly to the PvP Locker. The wardrobe has slots for every available skin in the game and the slots will be filled as you acquire new skins.
• The PvP Locker will likely be removed once the wardrobe is introduced.
• Armor and weapon skins are converted into account-wide unlocks accessed through an account wardrobe.
• An equipment skin can be unlocked by:
  1. Using a Transmutation Charge
  2. Equipping the item
  3. Salvaging the item
  4. Binding the weapon to the account with the context menu.
• Skins for items that are already account bound or soulbound on acquire are automatically unlocked when you acquire the item.
• There is a new interface on the Hero panel's Equipment tab for applying skins. Skins can be applied to all slots at once in a preview mode before accepting the changes.
• Applying a skin to a slot will cost a Transmutation Charge. This system replaces the current Transmutation system. Existing Transmutation Stones and Transmutation Crystals can be converted into Transmutation Charges at rates of 3 stones per charge and 1 crystal per charge respectively.
• Town clothing is being converted into single-slot "Outfits" which can be toggled on/off similar to how helms, gloves, and back items currently work.
  • Applying skins to the outfit slot will not cost any Transmutation Charges.
  • Outfits will be persistent at all times - entering combat will no longer force you into your armor set.
  • Single-piece town clothing items will be converted into armor skins that are usable with any armor weight class.
  • "Some basic clothing items that are no longer available for purchase will be converted into endless tonics."
• When the feature pack is released, you will need to log in to each character on your account in order to unlock the skins that are currently bound to that character.
  • Any transmuted items will unlock the skin for both the item that provided its current appearance and the one that provided its current stats.
  • All accounts that log in between the launch of the feature pack on April 15 and midnight PST on April 16 will receive 5 free transmutation charges.

Dyes

• The dye interface on the Hero panel will be linked with the wardrobe interface, allowing you to preview both skins and dyes together before accepting the appearance change.
  • Selecting a dye and then hovering over a dye channel will temporarily apply the dye to that channel on the paper doll.
  • A "dye picker" tool will be added, allowing you to select a dye from the dyes already applied to your character, rather than having to search for the dye in your dye list.
• Dyes are also being converted into account-wide unlocks.
• Unidentified Dyes are being removed from all loot tables. They can still be obtained from the Mystic Forge, hue-specific unidentified dyes Chef recipes, and other sources.
  • Both unidentified and identified dyes will remain tradable on the Trading Post.
  • The recipe for crafting Gift of Color requires 100 Unidentified Dyes instead of 250.
• As with equipment skins, you will need to log in to each character on your account in order to transfer the dyes unlocked on that character to account unlocks.
• If you have dyes unlocked on multiple characters (besides the Starter set), you will receive an Unidentified Dye for each duplicate unlock.

Social play

• The guild panel will show the last login date of guild members.
• Improvements to the LFG tool.
  • WvW filters for each Borderlands, Eternal Battlegrounds and Edge of the Mists.
  • Language preference can be specified when looking for more members.
• Improvements on the back end to reduce opportunities for griefing.

Account bound

• World Experience is being converted from character-bound to account-bound.
  • As with most character-to-account changes, you will need to log in to each character to have their individual WXP added to your account total.
  • World Ability Points will be reset. Characters will still be able to allocate points individually, and each character's total points will be based on your account's WXP rank.
• Legendary weapons change binding from Soulbound on Use to Account Bound.
• Ascended equipment will no longer be Soulbound on Use, it will remain Account Bound.

Structured PvP

• PvP equipment unified with PvE and WvW.
  • Stats can still be chosen separately, but the looks carry over.
  • All items in the PvP Locker will be unlocked in the account wardrobe.
  • Characters will get a one-time allotment of Transmutation Charges, 1 for each PvP Rank earned.
  • PvP crafting material will be removed from the game.
• Reward tracks
  • Each track is a separate progression of rewards that you earn by gaining rank points. Only one reward track can be active at a time.
  • Individual reward tracks can be temporary or permanent, and one-time or repeatable.
  • Tracks have 40 rewards each, split into 8 tiers of 5, including loot boxes, crafting materials, Transmutation Charges, weapons, armor, skill points and Tomes of Knowledge.
  • Magic Find does affect the rewards you get from the loot boxes.
  • Dungeon reward tracks are on a rotating schedule, changing every two weeks. Characters that have completed the story mode of the respective dungeon have that reward track unlocked permanently. These are repeatable.
  • Region reward tracks are also repeatable and are unlocked sequentially as you complete the previous ones.
  • Balthazar Back Item Reward Track introduces Balthazar Carapace, a back piece obtainable only in PvP. This reward track is not repeatable.
  • Living World and holidays can come with special reward tracks.
  • Except for the Gift of Battle and Gift of Exploration, all materials for crafting legendary weapons as well as Empyreal Fragments, Bloodstone Dust and Dragonite Ore will be earnable in PvP.
• PvP Build UI will allow you to easily customize your traits and equipment including runes and sigils for PvP matches.
  • All equipment stat combinations and traits from before this update are available to every character. New equipment and traits can be unlocked in the UI.
  • Underwater weapons are removed from PvP and Raid on the Capricorn is being retired.
• Quick Launch Bar UI for easy access to the PvP Build panel, game browser and arenas.
• PvP rank points rebalanced.
  • Ranks from 39 on are fixed at approx. 20,000 rank points each. As a result, players with their rank in the mid 50s will now have enough points for rank 80.
  • Each rank gives 5 skill points, 1 Tome of Knowledge and 5 champion bags.
  • After rank 80, you'll continue to gain the respective rewards just like you do in PvE and WvW after level 80.
• Daily achievements unified with Daily PvP as well as Monthly with Monthly PvP. April 2014's monthly achievements will be split into two at first and will each require only 2 achievements for completion. When this release launches, they will be merged into one that requires 4 achievements to complete.

Megaserver system

• Players will no longer be segregated into separate copies of a map based on their home world selection. Instead, all players will be placed into shared copies (instances) of the map, which will be instantiated as necessary to hold the current population of that map.
  • Overflow shards will no longer exist.
  • Maps are still region-based, i.e. North American servers are separate from European servers.
• Upon entering a map, players will be placed in the copy of the map based on a set of heuristics which includes your party, guild, language, and home world. This will dramatically increase the chance that you will be placed in the same map as your party and guildmates, or other players who speak your language.
• The initial roll-out affected PvP lobbies and low population maps. This allowed the system to be tested on low population densities before being introduced to high population maps such as cities and popular spots for farming or events.
• The roll-out of the megaserver system was completed on April 21st, 2014.

World bosses

• World boss dynamic events will start on a global daily schedule. This means that the same boss event will start up at the same time across all instances of the zone. A different boss event will start every 15 minutes. An initial schedule of events can be found on the news article.
• There are three categories of world bosses in this schedule:
  • Mega events (3): including the Triple Trouble, the Defeat the Karka Queen threatening the settlements, and Tequatl the Sunless. These events run on the hour in three different three-hour windows. The mega events are positioned at regional peak times.
  • World boss events (6): Claw of Jormag, the Inquest Golem Mark II, the Megadestroyer, Modniir Ulgoth, Taidha Covington, The Shatterer. One of these events runs on the hour and half-hour every hour.
    • The schedule includes an empty slot to allow for the addition of a new world boss or the upgrade of an existing non-scheduled world boss (e.g. Dredge Commissar, Eye of Zhaitan, or Foulbear Chieftain).
  • Low level world boss events (4): the Fire Elemental, Great Jungle Wurm, Shadow Behemoth, and Svanir Shaman. One of these events runs at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.

Waypoints

• As a result of the new system, all contestable waypoints will appear contested except for ones in your current map. When traveling to a different map, you will have to first travel to an incontestable waypoint and then travel to a contestable waypoint.
  • Contestable dungeon entrances will appear contested unless you are in the same map.
  • Statues of the gods in the Ruins of Orr will now be linked to the closest temple, rather than being linked to the temple of the same god.

Guilds and World versus World

• Details on guilds and World versus World will be released as the date for the roll out of the new system approaches.
• Changes to guilds will take place by December 2014.

Open world champions

All open world champions have been converted into events to allow for them to scale for large groups, or have had their classification changed to elite or veteran:

• [Group Event] Defeat the champion
• [Group Event] Defeat the Champion Brackish Skale before it escapes (62)
• [Group Event] Defeat the three Drakkar Spurs champions (80)

Miscellaneous

• Repairs will now be free. You will still have to visit a repair NPC or use an Instant Repair Canister to perform a repair.
• The amount of gold from champion loot bags and events will be decreased. This is to compensate for the removal of systems (like repairs and trait resets) that previously removed gold from the economy.
• The chance of rares and exotics in the mystic forge will be adjusted. This will not affect precursors.
• Total achievement points from dailies is limited to 10,000 and from monthlies to 5,000.

External links

Blog posts

• Official release page
  • Announcing the April 2014 Feature Pack!
  • Traits Unleashed: Forty New Traits and More!
  • Runes, Sigils, and Balance Updates
  • Learn About Critical Damage Changes
  • Introducing the Wardrobe System
  • Dyes in the New Account Wardrobe
  • Social Play Improvements
  • Account-Bound WXP, Legendaries, and Ascended Gear
  • Say Goodbye to Armor Repair Costs and Hello to Free Trait Resets
  • PvP Reward Tracks and Gear Unification
  • Introducing the Megaserver System
  • The Megaserver System: World Bosses and Events
  • The Megaserver System: Guilds and the Future

Knowledgebase articles

• Wardrobe
• Town Clothes
• Dyes

References

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Feature pack releases

April 2014 Feature Pack September 2014 Feature Pack Winter 2016 Quarterly Update Spring 2016 Quarterly Update June 2017 Competitive Feature Pack