Game updates/2014-10-21

Update – October 21, 2014[edit]

Halloween: Blood and Madness[edit]

Blood and Madness, our annual Halloween festival, returns for two weeks of ghoulish capers, spooky fights, and maddening fun!

Magister Tassi's instruments are picking up unusual energy readings. It appears that the Mad King isn't the only being capable of breaking through the barrier between realms—prepare to face the son of King Oswald Thorn, Bloody Prince Edrick!

Gather together with the citizens of Lion's Arch to enjoy another year of tricks, treats, and terrible jokes.

Story[edit]

Join Magister Tassi at the Nolani Academy Ruins in the northwest corner of the Black Citadel for two story instances. The first introduces the players to the Halloween story and the return of Mad King Thorn's son, the Bloody Prince Edrick.
Entry to the second story instance requires earning a Mini Candy Corn Elemental. At least one player in your party needs to have earned the mini for your party to begin the instance.

Lion's Arch[edit]

The citizens of Lion's Arch have united to decorate the area with Halloween flair. There are pumpkins to carve, trick-or-treating kids seeking candy, and merchants selling Halloween recipes. Even Zommoros has festive spirit, turning the Mystic Forge into a cauldron. Jump in for some costume-brawl fun.
Mad King Thorn himself appears in Lion's Arch throughout the festival. Laugh at his mad jokes and play in his Mad King Says game.

Open World[edit]

In Lion's Arch, Kessex Hills, and Gendarran Fields, the Mad Realm doors have returned. There are two varieties: the green Mad King doors and the red Bloody Prince doors. Opening a door may give players a trick-or-treat bag or may trigger an attack by the Mad King's or Bloody Prince's forces.
Outside Lion's Arch and the capital cities, players can find tents with Halloween decorations and the Master Carver, who helps track progress toward the Pumpkin Carving achievement. Nearby, players can also talk to the ghost Rasmus, who can transfer them to the Lunatic Inquisition activity in the Mad Realm.
The Heart of the Mists and home citadels in the Borderlands have also received a Halloween decoration makeover.

Mad Realm[edit]

Players enter the Mad Realm through the Mad Realm doors that appear in Lion's Arch, Kessex Hills, and Gendarran Fields. The Mad King doors and Bloody Prince doors will transport players to the east and west docks above the Mad King's Labyrinth, respectively. The Lunatic Boatmaster transports players to the Lunatic Inquisition or the Mad King's Clock Tower. Players can also interact with the portal seal on the ground to travel to the labyrinth below.
The Mad King's Labyrinth has been thrown into conflict once again as the Mad King's and the Bloody Prince's armies clash. Watch the Thorns bicker as their forces fight for control. Three legendary bosses patrol the maze: the Skeletal Lich, the Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn, and the Labyrinthine Horror.
The Lunatic Inquisition activity pits players against one another as Lunatic Courtiers search out villagers in the labyrinth. Players must use found items and hidden secrets to survive the night.
The Mad King's Clock Tower has returned with its unique jumping challenge. Other players trying to ascend will be shown with a mist effect, while you will remain fully visible.

Rewards[edit]

Trick-or-treat bags have been updated with loads of new items, including:
- Bottles of Batwing Brew: This transformation is available in both crafted consumable and endless varieties.
- Maize Balm: This delightfully unstable concoction transforms critters into candy corn elementals.
- Recipes for the new Pumpkin Oil, Sharpening Skulls, and Lumps of Crystallized Nougat: These utility consumables provide unique bonuses when resurrecting other heroes.
- New exotic amulets with unusual gems.
- New miniatures, including the rare ghost cub Gwynefyrdd and tradable Mini Zuzu, Cat of Darkness.
- Crafting materials, including ascended crafting materials.
- Valuable tier 6 trophies.
Unlock the new Tricks and Treats collection by finding an old pillowcase. Complete the collection to earn your own Mini Candy Corn Ghoulemental.
Black Lion weapon collectors may be interested in the Bloody Prince's Toybox.
Achievements have returned with new rewards.
A new PvP reward track has been added for the duration of the festival.
A Halloween vendor merchant northwest of the Trader's Forum Waypoint in Lion's Arch will exchange your candy corn for candy corn cobs. These can be used to buy brand new rewards, including the Mini Zuzu, Cat of Darkness, and new crafting recipes, as well as old favorites like Mini Bloody Prince Thorn and 20-slot Halloween Pail inventory bags. The vendor will also combine your stacks of chattering skulls, plastic fangs, and nougat into refined versions. The resulting items can be used to craft exclusive Halloween weapons, including: Mad Moon (shield), Arachnophobia (short bow), and The Crossing (staff).

Daily Achievements[edit]

Pumpkin Hacker: Find and carve pumpkins throughout Tyria.
Halloween Costume Brawl Champion: Emerge as a champion from a costume brawl.
Candy Craver: Eat 50 pieces of candy corn.
Shut and Locked: Complete 5 door events.
The Mad Inquisition: Finish a game of Lunatic Inquisition.
Jumping Mad: Complete the Mad King's Clock Tower jumping puzzle.
Grim Reaper of Grunts: Defeat Halloween minions.
Trick-or-Treater: Open trick-or-treat bags.

Achievements[edit]

A Sweet Friend: Complete Halloween achievements and Halloween daily achievements.
Shut the Doors: Complete door events in the Mad King's Labyrinth.
Upset Stomach: Give the Bloody Prince a disgusting welcome during the final battle.
Candy Corn Crusher: Defeat the Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn in the Mad King's Labyrinth.
Death to the Undying: Defeat the Skeletal Lich in the Mad King's Labyrinth.
Bonebreaker: Defeat the Labyrinthine Horror in the Mad King's Labyrinth.
Lunatic Inquisition Regular: Participate in a number of rounds of the Lunatic Inquisition.
A Royal Tradition: Complete a round of Mad King Says.
Pumpkin Carving: Find and carve pumpkins throughout Tyria.
A Stomping Good Time: Use Scarecrow or Mad King stomps against players in PvP or WvW.
Containment: Help Tassi contain the Bloody Prince's reliquary.
You, Back in the Box: Help Tassi reseal the reliquary.
Beaten Bloody: Put the Bloody Prince back in the reliquary in under a minute.
Something Good to Eat: Open trick-or-treat bags.

Balance, Bug-fixing, Polish[edit]

World Polish[edit]

Fireheart Rise
- Fixed a bug in the "Defeat Vexa and her golem" event in which the turret in the middle of the room was listed as blank in the combat log. Attacks from this turret are now displayed as "Central Lab Turret."
Sparkfly Fen
- Tequatl the Sunless: Added telegraph circles to Tequatl the Sunless's attacks.
Lion's Arch
- Sarettokk: Added a missing Hall of Monuments descriptor to one of Sarettokk's merchant tabs.
Straits of Devastation
- Veteran Risen Spectral Guard: Fixed a bug that prevented this creature from upscaling with the number of players.
Creature Skills
- Champion Risen Megalodon: Reduced the damage of this creature's charge skill by 50%.

General[edit]

Fixed an exploit that allowed players to join a guild rush without being transformed into the rush creature.
The General achievement category for dungeon completion is now appropriately named Dungeons.
Fixed a bug in which the inventory window size preference would sometimes reset to default when moved before closing.
Newly created accounts can no longer send items and gold through the mail. This restriction is automatically lifted shortly after the account is created.

Items[edit]

Fixed a bug that caused the drop rate of fractal weapon skins to decrease above fractal level 40.
All story reward items that were not unlocking skins now properly unlock skins.
Renamed the Guild Finisher to Guild Shield Finisher.
Fur-Lined Mask/Helm/Helmet: Fixed a bug that made this vendor item tradable and salvageable.

Profession Skills[edit]

Racial Skills[edit]

Avatar of Melandru— Binding Roots: Added bleeding, immobilize, damage, and pulses skill facts. Added a vulnerability skill fact for Binding Jeopardy.
Grasping Vines: Added a vulnerability skill fact when this skill is used with the guardian's Binding Jeopardy trait.

Elementalist[edit]

Arcane Power: Fixed a bug that caused attacks enhanced by this skill to only inflict one stack of vulnerability with Shard of Ice.

Engineer[edit]

Grenade Barrage: Removed the duplicate Number of Targets skill fact while underwater. Added a Number of Targets skill fact to Grenade Barrage in PvP.

Guardian[edit]

Permeating Wrath: Added a Blast Radius: 240 skill fact to Virtue of Justice.

Mesmer[edit]

Phase Retreat: Fixed an issue that caused this ability to be reflected or blocked by enemies.
Chaos Armor: Removed the range indicator from this skill.

Necromancer[edit]

Death Shroud: Updated this state so that it no longer ejects players from Plague Form in certain instances.
Plague Form: Added a stability skill fact.

Ranger[edit]

Long Range Shot: Updated skill fact text.
Quake: Fixed a bug that prevented the untraited version of this skill from displaying the red danger ring for opponents.
Cold Snap: Fixed a bug that prevented this skill from displaying an increased effect radius when traited with Nature's Vengeance.

Thief[edit]

Vital Shot: Fixed a bug that prevented this ability from functioning with Ricochet in PvE.

Structured Player vs. Player[edit]

Players can now unlock the Mad King rune set in PvP.

Skyhammer[edit]

Skyhammer Cannon: Direct Lightning can now be avoided by dodging.
Increased the time before the floor panels disappear after a player steps on them.
Players that are in stealth no longer cause the floor panels to disappear.

World vs. World[edit]

Fixed a bug that caused the siege decay timer to appear on cannons.

Black Lion Trading Company Gem Store[edit]

New Items and Promotions[edit]

The new Grave Finisher is available in the Upgrades category of the Gem Store for 500 gems. Available for two weeks only!
A new Noble Count outfit is available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 700 gems.
Devil Horns and the Phantom Hood [sic] have returned to the Gem Store for a limited time at the price of 200 gems each.
The Halloween weapons Chiroptophobia, Araneae, Dead Stop, Bloody Prince's Staff, and Silly Scimitar have been reduced to the price of 2 tickets for a limited time at a Black Lion Weapons Specialist.
There are only four weeks left to use tickets for Lovestruck, Dragon's Jade, Aetherblade [sic], Fused, and Dreamthistle weapon sets. After November 18, these sets will no longer be available for purchase with Black Lion Claim Tickets this year.
Foil Wrapped Candy is available for two weeks. This item grants random 10-minute boosts and gives players a foil wrapper usable for in-game events.
Every Black Lion Chest now includes an additional drop of a guaranteed trick-or-treat bag.

Improvements: New Currency Exchange UI[edit]

The Currency Exchange UI has been overhauled to be quicker to use and easier to understand.

Quick exchange options for both currencies are now visible on the front page of the Currency Exchange.
The comparison between Exchange for Gold and Exchange for Gems prices is much more obvious.
Fixed exchange amounts have been set to simplify the exchange process and remove confusing rounding points.
Added a preview of new balances.
Added an improved confirmation UI.

Bug Fixes[edit]

Player animation for the Frost Wasp Logging Tool and Tireless Logging Minion was fixed so that players are not locked in place for a few seconds after the third hit.
Clarification: An error in previous release notes regarding the Permanent Hair Stylist Contract has been amended. The Permanent Hair Stylist Contract continues to be a very rare drop from the Black Lion Chest.

Mac Beta Client[edit]

Fixed a bug that caused the Trading Post to crash on Mac systems.
Fixed a bug that required rebooting to restart Guild Wars 2 on Mac systems.

Guild Wars 2 Wiki Notes[edit]

With the new currency exchange interface, gems are exchanged with coin in increments of 400.
The two holes where the possessed Statue of Dwayna may occasionally walk into have been closed off.
The inventory window size preference still occasionally resets.
The patch note "Increased the party kick threshold from 40% to 50%." was removed for unknown reasons.
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