Guild Wars got different updates this week, going from fixed items, to improvements in PVP and much more. Not bad for a no subscriptions fees MMORPG.

General:

• This week we are pre-streaming a lot of new Canthan maps and artwork to clients in preparation for the March 24 Factions Preview Event. As always, you can download new data in the background by just leaving your Guild Wars client running and sitting at the login screen.

Arena Combat Updates:

• When players enter the Random Arenas through an International District, they will now be placed on teams consisting of other players who entered through an International District. Previously, players were always placed on teams with other players from their own territory.
   
• Teams in both Random and Team Arenas can now be matched against opponents from anywhere in the world.

Guild Combat Updates:

• Guild Lords will now walk instead of run out of the base at "Victory or Death" to give their teams a better chance to keep up with them.
   
• Updated NPCs in the Isle of the Dead guild hall map so that they will now patrol the low ground near the flag at "Victory or Death."

Skill Updates:

• Fixed the skill Dwarven Battle Stance so that it only causes hammer attacks to interrupt the target, not other types of melee attacks.
   
• Fixed the skill Mantra of Recall so that it only provides its Energy boost to the owner of the skill. Previously, a player could get an Energy boost if he removed Mantra of Recall from an enemy while he also had the same Enchantment applied to himself.
   
• Fixed the skill Feral Lunge so that its damage and duration correctly match last week's update notes.

Item Updates:

• Restored the functionality of Bloodstained Boots.
   
• Updated "while hexed" shields on Collectors so that they are equivalent to those on the PvP creation screen.
   
• Updated roleplaying character creation so that all professions start with helmets or headgear.
   
• Updated the "/preorder" command to provide Guild Wars Factions preorder items to those who have applied a Factions preorder key to their account.

Map and Quest Updates:

• Removed the portal effect from the closed east gate of Lion's Arch.
   
• Tightened the guard security on the ramp in Heroes' Ascent so that characters cannot sneak past the guards.
   
• Corrected the art being used for Commander Rezhang in Heroes' Ascent.
   
• Increased the maximum allowed party size in The Great Temple of Balthazar and Isle of the Nameless to eight.
   
• Fixed a bug that allowed characters who had not completed the “Path of the Zaishen Elite” quest to enter the Zaishen Elite outpost.

AI Updates:

• Fixed a bug that caused Henchmen and pets to be left behind or to run back to their original locations after cinematics.
   
• Updated AI so that creatures and Henchmen no longer try to heal or enchant Spirits.

Audio Updates:

• Improved the performance of the game's audio engine.
   
• Added a new slider to the Game Options panel to adjust sound playback quality.
   
• Added support for DirectX 3D sound (DS3D) hardware acceleration.

User Interface Updates:

• Added a "Sort by Campaign" option to all skill lists.
   
• Added the ability to access the options panel (F11) or to logout (F12) from pre-game screens such as character selection and creation.
   
• Added the ability to customize the position of the mission goals pop-up window using the Customize Layout interface.
   
• Updated the Guild Roster page to display the guild's home territory.
   
• Fixed party size numbers shown over the heads of party leaders so that the count includes Henchmen.
   
• Fixed a bug that caused the district selection control to lock up when a player canceled party travel, or when a non-leader chose not to leave his party after acknowledging that he did wish to leave the current district.
   
• Fixed a bug that prevented detached start menu items from being correctly hidden during cinematics.
   
• Fixed the display of skills that are unavailable due to being in a campaign that the player doesn't own. Previously, if such a skill was an adrenaline skill, the skill's adrenaline charge state would override the unavailable state.

• The skill Bull's Charge was knocking down moving foes when used with any type of weapon, not only with melee weapons.
   
• The skill Fevered Dreams was incorrectly spreading Conditions to allies of both the caster and target, rather than just enemies of the caster as specified in the skill description.
   
• The skill Warrior's Endurance did not correctly match its description in the update notes.
   
• Monsters were not responding to damage taken from the skill Balthazar's Aura.
   
• Certain elite skills, such as Peace and Harmony and Blood is Power, could not be captured using a Signet of Capture.
   
• Kepkhet Marrowfeast was neglecting to guard her nest.
   
• The Party Window was periodically failing to display certain team allies such as Bodyguards.
   
• The Skill Monitor was not correctly displaying skill interruption.

General

• Updated Adrenaline behavior so that death removes all Adrenaline.
   
• Updated Exhaustion behavior so that if you cast an Exhaustion spell while your maximum energy is below 10, your maximum energy can be reduced to below zero.
   
• Fixed a bug that allowed attack speeds to stack past 33%.
   
• Fixed a bug that prevented attack debuffs from reducing a target more than 33% (maximum is 50%).
   
• Fixed a bug that kept speed boosts from having an effect on you if you had a debuff slowing you by 50%.
   
• You are no longer considered "attacking," "using a skill," or "casting a spell" while you are running to get in range of a target.
   
• Fixed a bug that caused attack skills with non-weapon attributes to calculate damage and critical hit chance incorrectly.
   
• Clarified various skill descriptions

Equipment

• Added two +30 Health, Received Damage -5 (Chance: 20%) shields to the PvP character creation screen; updated monster drops to make the Received Damage -5 (Chance: 20%) drop possible.
   
• Shields on the PvP character creation screen with the “while Hexed” bonus now have +60 Health and -3 damage reduction.
   
• Reduced the Lieutenant's Helm Hex duration bonus to 20%, and added it to the PvP character creation screen.
   
• Increased the Monk’s PvP Ascetic Leg Design to +2 Energy to match the armor bought off of vendors.
   
• Increased the PvP hammer with additional damage while hexed to 20%.

Mesmer

• Mantra of Resolve: increased Energy cost to 10..4 when interrupted.
   
• Distortion: increased Energy cost to 4..1 when you "evade" attacks.
   
• Signet of Weariness: reduced area-of-effect to nearby foes.
   
• Mantra of Recovery: reduced Energy cost to 10.
   
• Ignorance: decreased casting time to 1 second.
   
• Chaos Storm: decreased casting time to 1 second.
   
• Epidemic: decreased Energy cost to 10.
   
• Ineptitude: increased damage to 30..135.
   
• Fevered Dreams: increased duration to 10..25 seconds.
   
• Energy Drain: decreased recharge time to 25 seconds.
   
• Energy Tap: decreased recharge time to 25 seconds.
   
• Blackout: increased recharge time to 12 seconds.

Necromancer

• Offering of Blood: increased sacrifice to 20%.
   
• Unholy Feast: reduced number of targets affected to 1..4; increased damage to 10..65; reduced recharge to 20 seconds.
   
• Enfeebling Blood: reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced sacrifice to 10%.
   
• Chilblains: Poison now only lasts 10 seconds.
   
• Deathly Chill: increased unconditional damage to 5..50; decreased conditional damage to 5..35.
   
• Shadow of Fear: reduced recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Plague Sending: reduced cast time to 1 second; increased recharge time to 5 seconds; fixed a bug that caused this skill to transfer default durations instead of remaining duration.
   
• Blood Renewal: fixed a bug that allowed the heal to heal twice when stacked.
   
• Insidious Parasite: fixed a bug that prevented the numbers from displaying.
   
• Mark of Subversion and Soul Leech: changed their damage from normal to life stealing to match their skill descriptions.
   
• Order of the Vampire: no longer triggers if you have other Necromancer Enchantments on you.
   

Elementalist

• Gale: increased Energy cost to 10.
   
• Conjure Flame: no longer removes Enchantments.
   
• Inferno: increased damage to 30..135.
   
• Fire Storm: decreased cast time to 2 seconds.
   
• Rust: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
   
• Conjure Frost: no longer removes Enchantments.
   
• Conjure Lightning: no longer removes Enchantments.
   
• Whirlwind: decreased recharge time to 8 seconds.
   
• Flame Burst: increased damage to 15..120.
   
• Rodgort's Invocation: increased damage to 15..120.
   
• Mark of Rodgort: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Lava Font: increased damage to 5..35 per second.
   
• Searing Heat: increased damage to 5..35 per second.
   
• Lightning Javelin: decreased recharge time to 2 seconds.
   
• Mist Form: decreased cast time to 1 second.
   
• Lightning Surge: fixed a bug that caused this skill to not trigger properly when its duration was reduced.

Monk

• Mend Ailment: increased recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Holy Veil: increased recharge time to 12 seconds.
   
• Shield of Regeneration: increased duration to 5..13 seconds.
   
• Purge Signet: reduced recharge time to 20 seconds.
   
• Shielding Hands: reduced cast time to .25 seconds.
   
• Resurrect: reduced cast time to 6 seconds; increased recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Restore Life: increased recharge time to 5 seconds; increased percentage of Health the target party member is returned with to 20..65%.
   
• Scourge Sacrifice: decreased cast time to 1 second.
   
• Watchful Spirit: decreased cast time to 1 second.
   
• Shield of Deflection: increased armor bonus to 15..30.
   
• Aura of Faith: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
   
• Peace and Harmony: skill reworked. Now ends if ally casts a Spell on target foe or deals damage to a foe; reduced recharge time to 30 seconds.
   
• Unyielding Aura: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds; when this Skill ends, it now exploits the ally's corpse.
   
• Mark of Protection: now only disables your skills for 5 seconds.
   
• Healing Hands: increased the amount healed to 5..35; now triggers on damage instead of attack.
   
• Live Vicariously: increased amount healed per swing to 2..17.
   
• Light of Dwayna: decreased recharge time to 20 seconds.
   
• Martyr: increased cast time to 1 second.
   
• Heal Party: increased recharge time to 2 seconds.
   
• Balthazar's Aura: fixed a stacking bug.

Warrior

• Eviscerate: increased adrenaline cost to 8 swings.
   
• "I will avenge you!": reduced attack speed to 25%; fixed a bug that caused this skill to trigger off of dead ally minions.
   
• Thrill of Victory: decreased recharge time to 8 seconds.
   
• Bull's Strike: now triggers on moving instead of fleeing.
   
• Defensive Stance: increased duration to 5..20 seconds.
   
• Crude Swing: increased damage to 1..20.
   
• Shield Bash: Skill reworked. "The next attack skill against you is blocked. If the attack was a melee attack skill, that skill is disabled for an additional 15 seconds, and the attacker is knocked down."
   
• "Shields up!": now blocks 50% of the time.
   
• Defy Pain: decreased adrenaline cost to 6 swings.
   
• Protector's Strike: reduced swing time to .5 seconds; increased recharge time to 3 seconds.
   
• Griffon's Sweep: increased damage to 5..20.
   
• Deflect Arrows: now ends only when you successfully hit with an attack.
   
• Warrior's Endurance: increased duration to 10..23 seconds.
   
• Dwarven Battle Stance: now also increases attack speed by 10%.
   
• Disciplined Stance: reduced recharge time to 45 seconds.
   
• Wary Stance: reduced recharge time to 45 seconds.
   
• Riposte: increased damage to 20..80.
   
• Deadly Riposte: increased damage to 15..75.
   
• Shield Stance: decreased recharge time to 45 seconds.
   
• Flurry: fixed a bug that reduced your damage more than 25%.
   
• Thrill of Victory: fixed a bug that caused you to gain a little bit of Health when you hit with the attack.
   
• Gash: fixed a bug that caused this skill to deal its damage twice; increased damage to 5..20.
   
• Bull's Charge: now triggers on moving foes instead of fleeing foes.

Ranger

• Dust Trap: reduced Blindness duration to 3..8 seconds.
   
• Crippling Shot: increased Energy cost to 15; Crippled duration now scales 1..8.
   
• Power Shot: increased damage to 10..25.
   
• Precision Shot: increased damage to 10..25.
   
• Determined Shot: increased damage to 5..20.
   
• Maiming Strike: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Scavenger Strike: increased damage to 10..25.
   
• Symbiotic Bond: increased Health regeneration to 1..3 pips.
   
• Bestial Pounce: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.
   
• Feral Lunge: increased damage to 5..35.
   
• Melandru's Assault: increased damage versus enchanted foes to 5..35; decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
   
• Predator's Pounce: increased damage to 5..35.
   
• Brutal Strike: increased damage to 5..35; increased conditional damage to 5..35.
   
• Practiced Stance: increased bonus duration to 30..150%.
   
• Melandru's Resilience: increased Health regeneration to 3 pips.
   
• Quick Shot: fixed a bug that caused the arrow to move at a normal speed.
   
• Determined Shot: increased damage to 5..20; fixed a bug that prevented the arrow from being "blocked" or "evaded"; fixed a bug that stopped this skill from recharging when missed from obstruction.

Guild Battle Updates

• Added silver and gold trims for the guild capes of tournament season winners and runners-up.
   
• Improved the paths that guild NPCs take when running out of their guild hall during Victory or Death.

Map and Quest Updates

• Kepkhet Marrowfeast, Queen of the Scarabs, has brought her brood to the desert, drawn by the plentiful corpses of griffon, minotaur, and even other scarabs. The insect brood now infests the "Prophets Path," so travelers be warned!
   
• Removed chests from Dreadnought’s Drift and Ice Floe.
   
• Fixed a non-aggressive Charr group located in Regent Valley.
   
• Fixed a problem in the "Army Life" quest where Old Mac talked to Joe even if he was dead.
   
• Moved the spirits in the Underworld to help them avoid blocking enemy pathing.
   
• Fixed the entrance to Beacon's Perch from Lornar's Pass so you can't sneak around the edge of the zone portal.
   
• Fixed a bug with the "Slaves of Menzies" quest where players had to kill more enemies than the Shadow Overlords to complete each step of the quest.
   
• Fixed a signpost pointing the wrong direction in Divinity Coast.
   
• Fixed a bug in the "Khobay the Betrayer" that required the players to kill all his guards to complete the quest instead of just Khobay as the Quest Log indicates.
   
• Fixed a bug that prevented anyone but Necromancers from getting the "Recruits for Hollis" quest after completing first mission, "The Great Northern Wall."
   
• Fixed a number of locations where Aidan, Cynn, Devona, and Mhenlo were not appropriately displaying as Henchmen.
   
• Fixed a zone portal in Bergen Hot Springs that was zoning players to various parts of the outpost other than the zone portal.
   
• Removed an NPC who had no functionality from Stingray Strand.
   
• Fixed a bug that prevented you from having to click on the gravestone to complete the "Husband's Epitaph" quest.
   
• Removed a potential chest exploit from the "Deserters" quest.
   
• Fixed a crafter in Deldrimor Bowl so he could no longer be killed by monsters.
   
• Fixed a bug in the "Hungry Devourer" quest that allowed the Junipers to be killed before the players arrived, preventing the players from getting food for Joe.
   
• Fixed a bug in the "Elementalist Path" quest where the target NPC was not at its quest marker.
   
• Fixed some maps where the same bosses were spawning multiple times: Ice Caves of Sorrow, Kessex Peak, and Deldrimor Bowl.
   
• Fixed miscellaneous bugs with the wurm monster AI.

User Interface Updates

• Expanded availability of Japanese language support to include non-Japanese accounts.
   
• Fixed a target calling bug that prevented secondary called targets from being promoted to the primary called target when the previous primary called target expired.
   
• Fixed several bugs that caused the incorrect display of Energy.
   
• Changed the color of GM chat text from green to purple.