Game updates/2025-04-15

April 15, 2025

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Update - April 15, 2025

Note to users of third-party programs: The game may not launch or work properly after we release a new build if you use a third-party program, due to possible incompatibilities. ArenaNet cannot offer support if a third-party modification breaks, interferes with, or prevents you from playing Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2. Our policy regarding third-party programs can be found here.

Super Adventure Festival

Moto's world-renowned Super Adventure Box returns again! Explore two worlds (and one test zone) of excitement, peril, and educational entertainment to earn holographic weapons and a variety of loot. Travelers can visit the Super Adventure Box in Rata Sum—temporary portals have been placed in each major city to facilitate easy travel to the scenic hub of asuran culture!

• Complete the Super Adventure Festival's meta-achievement, (Annual) Super Adventure Box Nostalgia, to earn the new Powered Boots armor! Last year's reward, the Powered Shoulders, is now available from the Super Adventure Box traders.
• Newcomers interested in beginning their super adventure should seek out Moto's latest systems test, the Super Ooze Kitchen! Accessed from any of Tyria's level 1–15 maps, the Super Ooze Kitchen is a small bonus event where you'll face the box's deadly ooze enemies, including a brand-new super yellow ooze. Willing testers will be rewarded with baubles and even starter items for their adventure, including the Slingshot and Bombs weapons, plus the new Mini Super Yellow Ooze!
• The new Super Rainbow Cloud weapon set is now available! You'll receive your choice of a weapon by progressing the Super Adventure Box Nostalgia meta-achievement, and you can earn additional choices through weekly Super Adventure Festival achievements.
• New weapons have been added to the Retro-Forged series! You can purchase these weapons directly from a festival vendor or find them as rare drops in Super Loot Bags.
• New Super Adventure Box-themed guild decorations have been added! Turn your hall into the auspicious hilltop getaway of your dreams
  • Super Pagoda Arch
  • Super Pagoda Deck
  • Super Pagoda Door
  • Super Pagoda Floor
  • Super Pagoda Pond
  • Super Pagoda Roof
  • Super Pagoda Long Roof
  • Super Pagoda Wall
• Special objectives are available in the Wizard's Vault to earn extra astral acclaim as you enjoy the festival.
• Vendors will now sell extra copies of Moto's Unstable Bauble Infusions to players who have earned the necessary achievement to unlock their first copy.
• A number of Super Adventure Box-related bugs have been fixed to ensure a safe education for all heroes.
• Festivities begin on April 15 and continue until May 6 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-7).

Open World

General

• Repaired the name and icon of the Mini Super Blue Ooze.
• Fixed an issue that prevented the Angler Sense skill from being used while piloting skiffs.

Raids

• Added additional time to the event timer when Godscream Ura's armor is shattered at 1% health during Ura's legendary challenge mode encounter in Raid: Mount Balrior.

World vs. World

• Replaced the Recruit Patrol upgrade for all objectives with a static guard group to protect the objective. Additionally, a trading post merchant will become available in keeps and Stonemist Castle at this upgrade level. This change is part of an ongoing investigation into performance issues.

Profession Skills

Below are additions and changes to the balance preview notes we previously shared. The changes below supersede the preview notes. In response to feedback, some changes were not implemented. Those unimplemented changes are noted as, "This skill is unchanged." You can see the original balance notes shared here: https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/topic/156709-april-15-balance-update-preview

General

•  Relic of Thorns: Reduced the condition damage bonus per stack from 50 to 30 in PvE only.
• Sigils that stack on kill can no longer be stacked with the death of an ally.

Elementalist

•  Molten End: This skill is unchanged.
•  Rain of Blows: This skill is unchanged.
•  Crashing Font: This skill is unchanged.
•  Cleansing Typhoon: Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds. This skill's damage is unchanged.
•  Shock Blast: This skill is unchanged.
•  Ground Pound: This skill is unchanged.
•  Aquamancer's Training: Reduced the outgoing healing modifier from 20% to 15% in PvP only.

Tempest

•  Elemental Bastion: Reduced the healing-power scaling from 0.8 to 0.7 in PvP only.

Engineer

•  Magnet: This skill now plays an additional sound effect on its target.

Guardian

•  Helio Rush: Reduced the maximum ammunition from 2 to 1 in PvP only.
•  Symbol of Luminance: Increased the cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only.

Mesmer

•  Imaginary Inversion: Increased the cooldown from 15 seconds to 18 seconds, reduced the base healing from 1,610 to 900, and reduced the empowered healing from 2,890 to 2,000 in PvP only.
•  Mental Collapse: This skill now only stuns with the first impact when empowered. Increased the cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only.
•  Singularity Shot: Increased the cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 seconds in PvP only.
•  Time Warp: Reduced the duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP only.
•  Illusionary Defense: Reduced the base protection duration from 4 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP only.

Virtuoso

•  Phantasmal Blades: This trait is unchanged.

Necromancer

•  Spectral Grasp: This skill is unchanged.

Ranger

•  Falcon's Stoop: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.25 to 1.15 in PvP only.
•  Owl's Flight: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.65 to 1.5 in PvP only.
•  Warclaw's Engage: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.4 to 1.3 in PvP only.
•  Predator's Ambush: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.4 to 1.3 in PvP only.

Untamed

•  Ravager's Abandon: This skill now requires line of sight to strike an enemy. Reduced the power coefficient from 1.0625 to 0.8 in PvP only.
•  Forest's Fortification: Reduced the damage reduction from 50% to 33% in PvP only.

Revenant

•  Abyssal Blitz: This skill no longer inflicts weakness and slowed in WvW and PvP. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.67 to 0.25 in PvP only.
•  Abyssal Blot: Reduced the poison duration from 6 seconds to 5 seconds and reduced the power coefficient per strike from 0.225 to 0.1875 in PvP only.

Vindicator

•  Forerunner of Death: Increased the power coefficient of  Death Drop from 3.75 to 4.2 in PvE only.

Thief

•  Harrowing Storm: Fixed an issue that could cause this skill to have a longer range than intended.

Warrior

•  Valiant Leap: Increased the cooldown from 8 seconds to 10 seconds in PvP only.
•  Defiant Roar: Reduced the initial base healing from 1,000 to 680 and healing-power scaling from 0.7 to 0.5. Reduced the block's additional base healing from 310 to 234 and the healing-power scaling from 0.15 to 0.1 in PvP only.
•  Path to Victory: Reduced the healing-power scaling from 1.33/1.67/2.0 to 0.6/0.9/1.2 in PvP only.
•  Vigorous Shouts: Reduced the base healing from 1,000 to 808 and reduced the healing power modifier from 1.15 to 0.9 in PvP only.

Bladesworn

•  Blooming Fire: Fixed an issue that could cause this skill to miss its target.

Guild Wars 2 Wiki Notes

• Build: 178,947
• Players that have finished the Dungeon Rush Champion achievement from the previous week, received 100 Astral Acclaim (2) per mail since the missing Wizard's Vault special objective was not intended (source).
• The Mini Biege Warclaw Cub was renamed to Mini Beige Warclaw Cub.
• The Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock, Guaranteed Armor Unlock and Guaranteed Weapon Unlock were updated. These now include an additional 179 weapon skins, 45 armor skins and 2 outfits.
• Added ability to exchange Pile of Recycled Siege Equipment at any Siege Master (WvW), used for exchanging any account bound copies for tradable copies.

Balance update preview - April 15, 2025

Hi, everyone, Welcome to the preview for the April 15 balance update! This update will largely be a tuning update with a couple of functional changes. As always, the goal of previewing these changes is to gather your feedback before the live release. We'll be following the conversation and making further adjustments as needed. Thanks, Taylor "Trig" Brooks Competitive Designer

General

The main goals of this update are to bring some specializations in PvE up closer to their contemporaries and to further lower boon application in WvW; specifically quickness. Unlike alacrity, quickness is a boon we want to exist in WvW, just with more intentional applications. This update, we will be lowering quickness durations or changing applications we feel are too frequent.

•  Relic of Fireworks: Fixed an issue that prevented this relic from triggering with certain multipart skills, such as warrior greatsword's Rush.

Elementalist

Hammer skills are getting a boost in PvE, targeted at bumping up the effectiveness of hammer catalysts. Power-based weavers in PvE will also receive increased stats from Elemental Polyphony for more damage and potentially a bit more survivability. We're also making some tweaks to weaver in competitive modes with increased condition variety and more burst damage on Flame Uprising.

•  Flame Uprising: Increased the burning stacks from 1 to 2 and reduced the burning duration from 6 seconds to 4 seconds in PvP and WvW.
•  Polaric Leap: This skill now inflicts weakness in addition to its previous effects.
•  Molten End: Increased the power coefficient from 2.0 to 2.4 in PvE only.
•  Rain of Blows: Increased the power coefficient per strike from 0.5 to 0.6 in PvE only.
•  Crashing Font: Increased the power coefficient from 1.25 to 1.7 in PvE only.
•  Cleansing Typhoon: Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds and increased the power coefficient from 1.5 to 2.0 in PvE only.
•  Shock Blast: Increased the explosion power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.75 in PvE only.
•  Ground Pound: Increased the power coefficient from 2.0 to 2.4 in PvE only.

Weaver

•  Natural Frenzy: This skill now inflicts cripple instead of vulnerability.
•  Elemental Polyphony: Increased the stat bonuses from 120 to 200 in PvE only.

Catalyst

•  Deploy Jade Sphere: This skill now applies fury instead of quickness in WvW only.
•  Spectacular Sphere: This trait now causes Air Sphere to grant quickness instead of fury in WvW only.

Engineer

Power-based mechanists have fallen behind the pack, and so they're seeing a damage increase with a bigger boost to ranged rifle variants. As engineer has been a commanding force in WvW as of late, we're making downward adjustments to support-focused scrapper and damage-focused holosmith builds to bring them more in line. Mechs are losing survivability in WvW to address strategies focused on target capping in large-scale fights. Holosmith is getting more sustainability improvements in PvP through Super Elixir, Hard Light Arena, and Heat Therapy.

•  Conduit Surge: Reduced the burning stacks from 3 to 2 in PvE only.
•  Essence of Animated Sand: Reduced the initial might stacks from 2 to 1 and the chain-reaction might stacks from 3 to 2 WvW only.
•  Super Elixir: Increased the initial impact's base healing from 700 to 900 and the pulse healing from 204 to 260 in PvE and PvP.
•  Acid Bomb: Reduced the initial power coefficient from 1.35 to 1.0 in WvW only.
•  Flame Jet: Reduced the power coefficient per strike from 0.2 to 0.15 in WvW only.
•  Rifle Burst: Increased the rifle power coefficient from 0.45 to 0.6 and  the grenade power coefficient from 0.6 to 0.8 in PvE only.
•  Blunderbuss: Increased the minimum power coefficient from 1.1 to 1.75 and increased the maximum power coefficient from 1.76 to 2.2 in PvE only.
•  Jump Shot: Reduced the landing power coefficient from 1.74 to 1.45 in WvW only.

Scrapper

•  Kinetic Accelerators: Reduced the might stacks from 3 to 2 in WvW only.

Holosmith

•  Corona Burst: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.96 to 0.8 in WvW only.
•  Hard Light Arena: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 35 seconds in PvE and PvP.
•  Prime Light Beam: Reduced the field power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.4 in WvW only.
•  Heat Therapy: Increased the base healing from 34 to 39 in PvP only.

Mechanist

•  Jade Energy Shot: Increased the power coefficient from 0.35 to 0.42 in PvE only.
•  Force Signet: Increased the passive strike damage increase from 10% to 15% in PvE only.
• Reduced jade mech stat inheritance by 50% for toughness and vitality and by 20% for all other stats in WvW only.

Guardian

This round of PvP firebrand updates is focused on lowering the duration of tome dormancy to increase potential synergy with the Virtues trait line. The fifth pistol skill, Jurisdiction, is also receiving a functional rework to improve its useability. Its casting time will now be constant, and it no longer has to be reactivated to get full value from it.

•  Jurisdiction: This skill's functionality has been reworked. This skill can no longer be reactivated and now fires at a constant rate of 0.85 seconds. This skill's projectile now always hits the first target struck and its radius is always 180. This skill now stuns enemies instead of knocking them back. Increased the burning stacks from 3 to 5 in PvE only. Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds in PvP and WvW.

Firebrand

•  Tome of Justice: Reduced the dormant duration from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE and PvP.
•  Tome of Resolve: Reduced the dormant duration from 50 seconds to 30 seconds in PvE and PvP.
•  Tome of Courage: Reduced the dormant duration from 75 seconds to 45 seconds in PvE and PvP.
•  Chapter 3: Valiant Bulwark: Reduced the page cost from 2 to 1 in PvP only.
•  Chapter 4: Stalwart Stand: Reduced the page cost from 2 to 1 in PvP only.
•  Overwhelming Celerity: Reduced the quickness duration from 4 seconds to 2.5 seconds in WvW only.
•  Stalwart Speed: Increased the quickness duration from 1 second to 1.5 seconds and increased the internal cooldown from 7 seconds to 14 seconds in WvW only.

Willbender

•  Tyrant's Momentum: Reduced the condition damage bonus from 5% to 4% in PvE only.

Mesmer

In PvE, power-based chronomancer's phantasm damage will be more potent, and greatsword is also seeing damage increases to potentially become a more appealing option. We're also tweaking how Illusionary Membrane functions so that it is easier to play around for condition-focused builds.

•  Illusionary Membrane: This trait no longer causes chaos auras to increase condition damage and now grants a bonus to condition damage when you gain chaos aura, similar to Tempestuous Aria.
•  Mirror Blade: Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 1.5 in PvE only.
•  Phantasmal Berserker: Increased the phantasm power coefficient per hit from 0.23 to 0.3.

Chronomancer

•  Chronophantasma: Increased the phantasm damage modifier from 100% to 115% in PvE only.
•  Seize the Moment: Reduced the shatter quickness duration from 0.75 seconds to 0.5 seconds and the phantasm quickness duration from 1 second to 0.75 seconds in WvW only.

Virtuoso

•  Phantasmal Blades: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.7 to 0.575 in PvE only.

Necromancer

Necromancer has been performing well recently in all game modes. Power-based reaper and core necromancer builds based on the Terror grandmaster trait could be improved in PvP, so they're receiving a sustainability bump as well as a reduction in the cooldown of Spectral Ring to increase their killing potential. Grasping Darkness can be a frustrating skill to get hit by, especially in large WvW fights where its visual effect might have low visibility. This skill will now have an additional telegraph effect, similar to warrior staff's Snap Pull, for enemies only.

•  Grasping Darkness: This skill now displays a warning telegraph to enemies only when used. Reduced the number of targets from 5 to 3 in WvW only.
•  Consume Conditions: Reduced the casting time by 0.2 seconds. Increased the base healing from 5,240 to 6,840.
•  Spectral Grasp: Reduced the range from 1,200 to 600.
•  Spectral Ring: Reduced the cooldown from 40 seconds to 30 seconds in PvE and from 40 seconds to 35 seconds in WvW and PvP.

Reaper

•  Soul Eater: Increased the healing from 5% to 10% in PvP only.

Ranger

A handful of ranger traits are being updated to have unique interactions with some pet families. These traits will all have an effect specifically for those pet families as well as a generic effect for the player or any pet. As a note, the family-specific portions of these traits do not interact with soulbeast's Beastmode.

•  Wolf's Onslaught: Reduced the power coefficient per strike from 1.5 to 1.25 and reduced the follow-up power coefficient from 3.0 to 2.5 in PvE only.
•  Falcon's Stoop: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.2 to 1.95 in PvE only.
•  Warclaw's Engage: Reduced the power coefficient from 3.0 to 2.75 in PvE only.
•  Predator's Ambush: Reduced the power coefficient from 4.0 to 3.67 in PvE only.
•  Stoneform: This trait now grants might and fury when activating a signet in addition to its previous effects.
•  Wolfsong: This trait replaces Brutal Seals [sic] in Marksmanship. Canine pet Beast skills additionally inflict vulnerability and reveal enemies struck. Deal increased damage to vulnerable enemies.
•  Fang and Claw: This trait replaces Spotter in Skirmishing. Feline, bird, and drake pets gain additional critical strike chance and critical strike damage. Grant fury to nearby allies when you use Beast skill.
•  Arachnophobia: This trait replaces Taste for Danger in Wilderness Survival. Spider pet's Spit and devourer pet's Twin Darts additionally inflict torment. You and your pet gain expertise.
•  Allies' Aid: This trait now causes moa pet Beast skills to apply barrier to nearby allies in addition to its previous effect.
•  Beastly Warden: This trait now grants ursine and porcine pets increased health and strike damage in addition to its previous effect.

Revenant

Power-based renegade and vindicator will both have increased damage in PvE, and Roiling Mists is getting a healing component to boost power-based revenants in PvP specifically. Short bow and Legendary Renegade Stance are being improved to increase their viability in competitive modes.

•  Bloodbane Path: Increased power coefficient per strike from 0.45 to 0.5 in PvP and WvW.
•  Spiritcrush: Increased the power coefficient of the initial pulse from 0.5 to 1.25. Reduced the power coefficient of subsequent pulses from 0.5 to 0.25. The total damage of the skill is unchanged.
•  Charged Mists: Increased energy gain from 15 to 20 in PvP only.
•  Roiling Mists: This trait now converts a percentage of your outgoing critical strike damage into healing in addition to its previous effect.

Herald

•  Burst of Strength: Increased the power coefficient per strike from 1.0 to 1.2 in PvP and WvW.

Renegade

•  Lasting Legacy: Increased the strike damage bonus from 3% to 5% in PvE only.
•  Breakrazor's Bastion: Increased the base barrier when enhanced from 1,960 to 2,440.
•  Razorclaw's Rage: Increased the power coefficient from 1.07 to 1.5 in PvP and WvW.
•  Darkrazor's Daring: This skill now grants stability to allies instead of protection. When enhanced, this skill now grants protection to allies in addition to resistance.
•  Soulcleave's Summit: Increased the healing when using another Legendary Renegade skill from 1,199 to 1,439.

Vindicator

•  Forerunner of Death: Increased the power coefficient of  Death Drop from 3.75 to 4.65 in PvE only.

Thief

Thief is seeing various small improvements to build components to potentially broaden viable selections. Blinding Powder will once again be an instant skill to make it more fluid while still retaining its stunbreaking capabilities. The second scepter skill, Shadow Sap, is becoming a blast finisher to allow scepter-wielding thieves to both blast stealth more easily and better utilize certain relics, like Relic of Karakosa.

•  Shadow Sap: This skill is now a blast finisher.
•  Falling Spider: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.25 to 2.1 and reduced the damage bonus from 25% to 15% in PvE only.
•  Shattering Assault: Increased the power coefficient from 1.7 to 2.0 in PvE only.
•  Ashen Assault: Decreased the bleeding and posion durations from 7 seconds to 5 seconds in PvE only.
•  Backstab: Increased the front power coefficient from 0.9 to 1.0 and the back power coefficient from 1.8 to 2.0 in PvP and WvW.
•  Improvisation: Increased the cooldown refund from 15% to 25% in PvP and WvW.
•  Helmet Breaker: Reduced the initiative cost from 2 to 1.
•  Signet of Malice: Reduced the casting time by 0.9 seconds.
•  Infiltrator's Signet: Reduced the cooldown from 28 seconds to 25 seconds in PvP and WvW.
•  Blinding Powder: This skill is now instant. This skill no longer grants stability.
•  Signets of Power: Increased the initiative gain from 2 to 3.

Warrior

Warrior's adjustments are largely focused on tuning berserker in competitive modes. Berserker's burst potential is getting softened in WvW, and some alternative weapon choices are getting improvements for PvP. Berserker's sustainability is seeing a potential increase through enhancements to Blood Reckoning and Dead or Alive, and its damage will be boosted through fury access on Burst of Aggression.

•  Snap Pull: Increased the cooldown from 18 seconds to 25 seconds and reduced the number of targets from 5 to 3 in WvW only.
•  Martial Cadence: This trait now grants stability instead of quickness in WvW only.
•  Berserker Stance: Increased the duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.

Berserker

•  Arc Divider: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.35 in WvW only.
•  Slicing Maelstrom: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.15 in WvW only. Increased the number of boons removed from 2 to 3 in PvE and PvP.
•  Rupturing Smash: Increased the power coefficient from 1.3 to 1.45 in PvP only.
•  Flaming Flurry: Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.33 to 0.4 in PvP and WvW.
•  Blood Reckoning: Reduced the cooldown from 25 to 20 seconds[sic].
•  Burst of Aggression: This trait now applies fury in addition to its previous effects.
•  Dead or Alive: Increased the duration from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.

Spellbreaker

•  Break Enchantments: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.7 in WvW only.

Late Notes - April 15, 2025

• The Café Console homestead decoration will now sell the rest of the café decoration set year round in exchange for karma.
• The Café Console homestead decoration now offers access to its Employee Perks vendor tab year round.