Boon

A boon is a type of effect that provides a positive buff to the recipient. Boons can be stacked by re-applying them: might and stability stack in intensity and the rest stack their duration; the duration can also be extended via the Boon Duration attribute. In the UI, boons are displayed via orange-colored icons that appear to the right of your health orb, on the top row of active effects; the white outline surrounding the icon indicates the time left before the boon expires. Placing your mouse cursor on the boon's icon will also show the remaining time. A flashing icon indicates that the boon will expire within 5 seconds.

Conditions are the primary counterpart to boons.

Boons appear on the top row of current effects.

List of boons

Icon	Name	Description	Converted into
	Aegis	Block the next incoming attack; stacks duration.	Burning (1 stack, 3 s)
	Alacrity	Skills recharge faster.	Chilled (3 s)
	Fury	Critical Chance increased by 20%; stacks duration.	Blinded (5 s)
	Might	Increased outgoing damage; stacks intensity.	Weakness (5 s)
	Protection	Incoming damage decreased by 33%; stacks duration.	Vulnerability (3 stacks, 8 s)
	Quickness	Skills and actions are faster.	Slow (3 s)
	Regeneration	Gain health every second; stacks duration.	Poisoned (6 s)
	Resistance	Conditions currently on you are ineffective; stacks duration.	Chilled (3 s)
	Retaliation	Reflect incoming damage back to its source; stacks duration.	Confusion (3 stacks, 5 s)
	Stability	Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, pulled, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, feared or taunted.	Fear (1 s)
	Swiftness	Movement speed increased by 33%; stacks duration.	Crippled (10 s)
	Vigor	Endurance regeneration increased by 50%; stacks duration.	Bleeding (2 stacks, 8 s)

Mechanics

Stacking boons

Primary article: Effect stacking

Gaining a boon while it is already applied will increase its effectiveness. Boons can be stacked in either intensity or duration.

Stacking in intensity

Boons that stack in intensity will cap out at 25 stacks and will provide greater effects per stack. (e.g. 5 stacks of  Might will give a total of 150 power and Condition Damage)

Stacking in duration

Most boons that stack in duration will cap out at 5 stacks and will increase the duration of the boon. Reapplying the boon while at the maximum number of stacks will overwrite the stack with the lowest duration. (e.g. having 15 seconds of  Protection (5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1) and reapplying with one that lasts 10 seconds will replace the stack that lasts 1 second, increasing the duration to 24 seconds)

Boons that stack in duration will start using the strongest application before using the others regardless of when it was applied.

Boon distribution priority

Boons that are given to other players are distributed in the following order based on proximity:

1. Party/Subgroup
2. Squad
3. Allied players (Players not within your party/squad)
4. Your kennel (Pets, minions, illusions)
5. Allied players’ kennels
6. All other allies (such as NPCs)

Related skills

To see the skills which relate to a specific boon, refer to the page on that boon. The following is a list of skills that relate to boons in general.

Skills that remove boons

Weapon skills

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   Mind Spike (chained from Mind Slash); one from up to three foes
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   Mind Stab; one from up to five foes
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   Spinal Shivers; three from target foe

Utility skills

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   Banish Enchantment; two from all foes that are hit
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   Throw Mine; one from foes that are hit
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   Null Field; one per pulse from each foe in the area
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   Phantasmal Disenchanter; five from foes hit
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   "Nothing Can Save You!"; two from up to five foes
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   Break Enchantments; two (2) from up to five (5) foes

Healing skills

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   Natural Healing; seven (7) from self

Profession mechanics

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   Mine Field; removes one boon for each mine
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   True Nature two (2) from up to five (5) foes
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   Breaching Strike two (2) from target foe

Elite Skills

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   Winds of Disenchantment; one (1) boon lost per second, over 10 seconds

Skills that lengthen boons

Weapon skills

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   Sand Squall; 2s on each affected ally

Profession mechanics

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   True Nature; 2s on each affected ally

Utility skills

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   Signet of Inspiration; 5s on each affected ally

Skills that transfer boons

Weapon skills

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   Larcenous Strike; 2 from target foe to self
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   Heat Sync; copies your might and fury stacks to up to ten nearby allies

Utility skills

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   Arcane Thievery; Send three conditions you have to your foe and steal three of their boons.

Skills that transform conditions into boons

Utility skills

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   Contemplation of Purity; all on self
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   Elixir C; all on self
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   Well of Power; one per pulse on each ally in the area

Profession mechanics

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   Toss Elixir C (tool belt skill for Elixir C); 2 on all in the area

Skills that transform boons into conditions

Weapon skills

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   Unholy Feast; 2 from up to 5 foes
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   Dark Pact; 2 from target foe
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   Enfeebling Blood; 1 from up to 5 foes
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   Feast of Corruption; 3 or 2 (by game mode) from target foe

Healing skills

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   Sand Flare; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple

Utility skills

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   Corrupt Boon; 3 on target foe
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   Well of Corruption; 1 from up to 5 foes per pulse
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   Trail of Anguish; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple
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   Dessicate; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple
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   Sand Swell; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple
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   Serpent Siphon; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple

Elite Skills

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   Ghastly Breach; 1 boon converted to torment and cripple per pulse

Related traits

To see the traits which relate to a specific boon, refer to the page on that boon. The following is a list of traits related to non-specific boons.

Traits that remove boons

•  Dispelling Force — Dazes, stuns, pulls, knockdowns, knockbacks, and launches remove boons.
•  Enchantment Collapse — Removing a boon from a foe causes all nearby foes to lose additional boons.
•  Shattered Concentration — Shatter skills also remove a boon on hit.
•  Opportune Extraction — Steal a boon when you inflict torment on a foe affected by at least the threshold stacks of torment. Each foe can only be affected once per interval.
•  Spontaneous Destruction — Use Lesser Banish Enchantment when striking a foe that has at least as many boons as the threshold.

Traits that add benefit to boon removal or corruption

•  Loss Aversion — Removing boons from a foe deals damage and gives you adrenaline.
•  Attacker's Insight — Gain Insight when disabling foes or removing boons. Full Counter refreshes all burst skills on hit.  Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt and fear.
•  Enchantment Collapse — Removing a boon from a foe causes all nearby foes to lose additional boons.
•  Nourishing Ashes — Gain life force when you inflict burning, and remove or corrupt a boon.
•  Feed from Corruption — When you remove or corrupt a boon from an enemy, gain that boon.

Traits that benefit from boons

•  Altruistic Healing — Heal yourself when you grant a boon to an ally.
•  Power of the Virtuous — Deal increased damage for each boon you have. Virtues gain reduced recharge.
•  Destruction of the Empowered — Deal bonus damage per boon on your target.
•  Empowered — Increases damage for every boon on you.
•  Compounding Chemicals — Heal yourself when you grant yourself a boon. Gain increased concentration.
•  Iron Blooded — Reduce physical and condition damage for each boon you have.
•  Bountiful Hunter — You and your pet deal more damage per boon that is on you.
•  Fortifying Bond — When you gain a boon it is shared with your pet.
•  Bountiful Power — Deal more damage for each boon on you.
•  Chaotic Persistence — Outgoing boon and condition duration increase for every boon on you.
•  Illusionary Inspiration — Summoning an illusion heals all allies around you.
•  Spiteful Talisman — Deal increased damage to foes with no boons. Focus and Axe skills recharge faster.
•  Blighter's Boon — Gain life force when you apply a boon to yourself. If you are in reaper's shroud, gain health instead.
•  Reinforced Potency — Gain concentration and inflict increased damage for each active boon you have.
•  Premeditation — Deal more damage for each unique boon you have; concentration is increased.

Traits that lengthen boons

Not to be confused with Boon Duration

•  Imbued Melodies — Gain increased concentration when wielding a warhorn. Use Sand Squall when struck while below the health threshold.
•  Essence of Speed - Gaining quickness increases the duration of other boons affecting you.

Traits that transfer boons

•  Bountiful Theft — Stealing grants you and all nearby allies vigor. You rip boons from your target and grant them to nearby allies.
•  Rending Shade — Steal boons from enemies you strike with stealth attacks. Incoming damage from enemies without boons is reduced.

Traits that convert boons into conditions

•  Path of Corruption — Shroud skill 2 now additionally converts boons into conditions.
•  Spiteful Spirit — Strike around you when entering shroud.
•  Weakening Shroud — Cast Lesser Enfeeble when entering shroud. Critical hits inflict weakness.
•  Unending Corruption — Manifest Sand Shade corrupts boons on foes near it.

Traits that convert conditions into boons

•  Pure of Voice — Allies affected by shouts have conditions converted to boons. Shout abilities have their recharge reduced.
•  Purity of Purpose — When you would cleanse a condition from an ally, convert it to a boon instead.
•  Transmute — Drink a Lesser Elixir C when you reach a threshold of conditions affecting you.
•  Prismatic Converter — Deactivate Photon Forge converts conditions into boons based on your heat level.

Related equipment

To find equipment which affect a specific boon, refer to the page on the boon itself. The following is a list of equipment related to non-specific boons.

Upgrade components that grant boons

Runes

• Rune of Lyssa (rank 4); 1 on heal.
• Rune of Lyssa (rank 6); convert 5 conditions on elite skill.

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Luck; chance on killing an enemy.

Upgrade components that transfer boons

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Absorption; on interrupt

Upgrade components that remove boons

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Nullification; chance on critical hit.

Upgrade components that increase boons duration

Primary article: Boon Duration

Trivia

• Boons replace the enchantments from the original Guild Wars and are designed to simplify the buff system.

See also

• Boon Duration
• Effect

References

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Effects (stacking)