User:Endrosz/2014 April

Update - April 15, 2014

New features and content

PvP Reward Tracks

• Added a new reward system to structured PvP. When playing structured PvP, players will select a single reward track to be active at a time and earn a variety of rewards as they progress through the track.
• To progress reward tracks, players need play PvP in a match that has progress enabled.
• All eight dungeon reward tracks will be available on a biweekly rotation, one at a time. Alternatively, each dungeon reward track can be permanently unlocked on an account-wide basis by completing the corresponding story mode of that dungeon.
• The reward track system will have both repeatable and non-repeatable tracks. We will be shipping with five region tracks, eight dungeon tracks, and one Balthazar Back Item track that has a unique back item skin, which can be equipped and used in PvE, PvP, and WvW with the new wardrobe.

PvP Gear Unification

• All PvP equipment (armor, weapons, amulets, etc.) can no longer be obtained or equipped.
• Upon entering Heart of the Mists, players will have their PvP items removed from their character inventory, character equipment, PvP locker, and account bank. This includes PvP chests.
  • All removed items will have their appearance unlocked in the account wardrobe.
• Characters in PvP will use the same armor and weapons from PvE.
  • All items give zero attribute, rune, sigil, or infusion bonuses in PvP.
  • All items function as level 80 exotic-quality items.
  • Chest, leg, and boot armor still contribute to the total defense value.
  • All attribute values are consistent with the old system.
  • PvP gear now includes unique rune, sigil, and amulet slots.
• Players now have access to a new build-editing UI.
  • While in structured PvP, there is a new quick-launch bar at the top of the screen to access the new PvP Build panel and the game browsers.
    • There is also a new hotkey option for the PvP Build panel in the Control Options menu.
  • PvP build components are no longer items but are chosen from a constantly available list of options.
  • Sigils are selected without having to apply them to weapons.
  • Runes are selected without having to apply them to armor.
    • Only one rune set may be chosen at a time, giving the full six-piece bonus.
  • Players can do a search for specific runes, sigils, amulets, and weapons.
  • Players can sort by category (attribute or sigil archetype).
  • Underwater weapons have been removed since underwater aspects of maps, or maps containing a large underwater portion, have been removed from rotation.

PvP Map Updates

• New Courtyard Map
  • This map is a special treat for the PvP community. Player-created spin-offs of the game have been very enjoyable for the team, and this map was created to help support those efforts. The Courtyard is a pure team deathmatch map designed especially for smaller encounters but is still fun with standard-size groups. The Courtyard map is not a fully supported game mode and is only available in player-owned custom arenas. We are really looking forward to seeing this map used for some of the 2v2, 3v3, and other styles of play that the community has come up with.
  • This is a small map with no capture points.
  • This map will only be available for custom arena owners.
  • Players will be able to progress toward ranks and reward tracks in the Courtyard.
• Removing Raid on the Capricorn
  • Raid on the Capricorn was created to test the waters with underwater combat in PvP, but it is not something that the team would like to continue. Raid on the Capricorn has been removed from PvP along with the underwater training areas in Heart of the Mists. Underwater weapons were subsequently removed from the revamped build UI.

Wardrobe

• Armor and weapon skins can now be unlocked for account-wide use.
  • Dyes can now be previewed on mouse hover and are not applied until confirmed.
• Dyes are now account unlocks.

Outfits

• Outfits are a new item type that allows players to set their character's look without affecting their stats.
  • Outfits are full-body costumes that hide currently equipped armor.

World Boss Synchronization

• Many world bosses are now synchronized to activate at the same time across all worlds and instances of the map they occur in.

Guild World Events

• Guilds may now utilize a consumable item to activate certain world bosses at any time up to an hour before the scheduled beginning of a world boss, provided that world boss is not already running.

• • Karka Queen (Steampipe Steading, Southsun Cove)
  • Tequatl the Sunless (Fabled Djannor, Sparkfly Fen)
  • Triple Trouble (Firth of Revanion, Bloodtide Coast)

General

• Completing a renown heart now gives a reward splash instead of sending mail.
• Armor repair costs have been removed.

Items

• Ascended equipment will no longer be soulbound when equipped and will remain account bound.
• Legendary weapons will now be account bound on equip instead of soulbound.
• All existing ascended and legendary equipment that was soulbound is now account bound.

Ferocity

Ferocity is a new stat added to the game. This stat will increase critical damage for each point acquired, similar to the way precision increases the character's critical hit chance. All current items, food, upgrades, traits, and skills that previously provided critical damage have now been converted to providing the ferocity stat. In most cases, these stat values were set to the standard secondary stat value of the item's level and rarity. At level 80, every 15 points of ferocity increases the critical damage by 1%. The downscaling for critical damage and ferocity has been improved to function similarly to how precision and critical hit are downscaled.

Sigils

General

• Sigils of the same name no longer stack together. Example: Sigil of Bloodlust will no longer add bonus stacks if another Sigil of Bloodlust is equipped. Likewise, a Superior Sigil of Fire will not stack with a Superior, Major, or Minor Sigil of Fire to have increased fire activations.
• Sigils no longer share the same cooldown. Example: Sigil of Fire no longer shares a cooldown with Sigil of Air.
• Two-handed weapons can now have two sigils applied to them instead of one.

Runes

All rune sets have been reworked and rebalanced. The bonuses have been updated to be much more consistent for each bonus slot. A lot of the power on each rune set has been shifted toward the later bonus slots to promote wearing a full set of runes. Below is the list of the superior version of every rune set, as they were all changed. Please note the following about major and minor runes:

• All major runes have 60% of the stats and proc chances of the superior version of the rune.
• All minor runes have 40% of the stats and proc chances of the superior version of the rune.

Trait System

Changes have been made to the following portions of the trait system: acquisition of specific traits, refunding of traits, and trait tier unlock levels.

Unlocking Trait Tiers

• Adept trait tier will now unlock at level 30.
• Master trait tier will now unlock at level 60.
• Grandmaster trait tier will now unlock at level 80.

Acquiring Trait Points

Trait points have been condensed into 14 points (down from 70), each of which is equivalent to the value of 5 old trait points. This means that instead of granting 10 points of each trait-line-specific stat, each trait point will provide 50 points of the trait-line-specific stats. These will be distributed in the following manner:

• Level 30—1 Trait Point
• Level 36—1 Trait Point
• Level 42—1 Trait Point
• Level 48—1 Trait Point
• Level 54—1 Trait Point
• Level 60—1 Trait Point
• Level 66—2 Trait Points
• Level 72—2 Trait Points
• Level 78—2 Trait Points
• Level 80—2 Trait Points

Unlocking Traits

• Traits will now be locked by default and will require the player to unlock them via trait guides.
• All previously created characters will be grandfathered into the current system, which will unlock traits I-XII.
• Any newly created characters will start out with locked traits.
• Any new traits added to the game will be locked.

Trait Guides can be found in a multitude of different content throughout the world.

• Story dungeons
• Mini dungeons
• World vs. World
• Personal story
• Map completion
• Specific bosses

Trait Guides can also be purchased from profession trainers in capital cities or the Heart of the Mists at the following prices:

• Adept tier Trait Guides:
  • 10 silver and 2 skill points
• Master tier Trait Guides:
  • 50 silver and 5 skill points
• Current Grandmaster tier Trait Guides:
  • 1 gold, 50 silver, and 10 skill points
• New Grandmaster tier Trait Guides:
  • 3 gold and 20 skill points

Refunding Traits

• The Refund Traits button, which was previously only seen in the PvP areas of the game, has become game-wide. Refunding traits is free.
• A player can refund their traits any time they are not in combat or a competitive PvP match.
• A minus button has been added directly below the plus button on each trait line to allow players to refund a single point out of a line at a time.

Guild Wars 2 Wiki Notes

• The personality system was removed from the hero panel, although the mechanics still seems to be in the game.
• The Daily PvP was removed and integrated into a revamped Daily system, offering achievements for all game types.