How does Nightfall continue the story of Prophecies and Factions?

Strain: I call it the third instalment of a trilogy: the original game took place on the continent of Tyria, and Factions took place on an entirely different continent - the continent of Cantha. Now we've come back to a new land, by the name of Elona - but it's contiguous with the original continent. Players from the original Prophecies campaign will remember that there was a large area called the Crystal Desert. In the south-east of that, there was an entire other section of the continent - and that's Elona, where the story picks up.

A lot of the creatures, the boss monsters and the lore that the players were introduced to as they crossed the Crystal Desert in the first campaign will now be fully explored. Nightfall is really designed to take a lot of the story threads and take them to a satisfying conclusion.

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DETAILS:

Nightfall Release poetry contest

1. Take a look at this scene from the soon to be released campaignwww.guildwars.com/gall...scr044.php
2. Write a poem
3. Post in this forum
4. Entry must take place in the Guild Wars universe but you don't have to have the game to enter this contest.
5. This month's contest is sponsored by www.augmenton.net a site where Augmento spews his ideas about gaming and games.

RULES:

• No smileys, no l33t, acronyms or other silly stuff
• No vulgarity, keep it clean (PG13 like LOTR)
• Submitted entries won't be deleted unless that is the Admins will (goes for both winning and losing entries)
• Only one entry per member, no more, and no changes or replacement entries
• Don't steal other people's work
• Cheaters will have to deal with the consequenses, it's not worth it!
• The judges have absolute power, so please don't complain.
• IMPORTANT: If you don't name your thread like this (without the quotation marks), it won't be considered as an entry:
  Contest Entry: "Your Title"

POINTS:
The unbribable judges are Dr Guild, Augmento, and Keirou. Augmento will score the entries and the other judges will vote on any ties.

PRIZES:

• 1st - Choice of any one Guild Wars campaign (Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall)
• 2nd - Nifty Forum title.
• 3rd - Almost as nifty Forum title.
  

PRIZES HAVE NO CASH VALUE AND WE WILL NOT PAY MONEY IN LIEU OF THE PRIZE. 1ST PLACE WINNER WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE REAL NAME,MAILING ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER. PRIZES WILL BE PURCHASED FROM ONLINE RETAILERS FOR DIRECT DELIVERY TO THE WINNER WHERE POSSIBLE. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEND AN ACTIVATION KEY BY EMAIL IF WE CAN NOT FIND AN ONLINE RETAILER WHO DELIVERS TO THE WINNER'S ADDRESS.


DEADLINE:
All entries must be posted by 15 NOVEMBER 2006. We will use the date + time of creation of the thread to judge if it was submitted too late. IMPORTANT: To keep things simple the time zone used will be GMT 00:00 (Greenwich time). Remember this so you don't post to late.

The results will be announced on 28th of November 2006.

ELIGIBILITY: Tyria.Net staff, their families are ineligible to win ever. Previous Tyria.Net contest winners are ineligible to win 1st prize for 12 months from the closing date of the contest they won. They can submit entries for judging and honorable mention but will not receive 1st place regardless of the merits of their entry.

By entering the contest, you agree with all the rules and any additions made by the Admins. If you don't agree, don't enter. Contestants not following the rules in anyway, are removed from the competition. Threads not following the rules might be deleted without a warning!

If you don't want to participate, we ask you to comment the contestants entry. If you like a certain entry, post so! It might actually help the author. Also, if you notice any sign of plagiarism, please post that or send the judges a PM! Thanks!

October 26, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) – Guild Wars Nightfall™, one of the most anticipated PC game releases of the holiday season is on its way to retailers and will be available on store shelves in North America and Europe on October 27, 2006. Nightfall™ is the latest campaign release in the award-winning Guild Wars® franchise played by millions worldwide, created by ArenaNet® and published by NCsoft®, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games.

Set in the land of Elona where an evil ruler is attempting to summon her outcast god, Nightfall will ask the stout of heart to answer the rallying cry of the Sunspears – the protectors of the realm – to fight back the looming darkness descending upon the land. As you explore opulent cities, brave savage coasts, delve deep into ancient monuments, and discover the secrets of poisonous deserts, you will determine the fate of the entire realm of Elona.

To aid you in your duty, Nightfall introduces exciting new features such as:

• Heroes – customizable companions that level up with you, use weapons and skills of your choosing, and go forth with you into battle.
• Hero Battles, the ultimate one-on-one challenge, that allow two players, and their Heores, to compete against one another in new PVP gameplay
• Templates that let players save, store, and exchange Hero builds, providing countless combinations to create the ultimate team of Heroes.

Along with the new features Nightfall provides twenty new missions, hundreds of new skills, new armor, two fierce new professions, and endless replayability.

“Guild Wars Nightfall is already being heralded as the best of the Guild Wars series by the record-breaking number of fans who participated in preview events,” says Robert Garriott, CEO, NCsoft North America. “Nightfall brings innovative new features to the game that revolutionized the online gaming genre and NCsoft is thrilled to launch this flagship game in time for the holidays.”

Guild Wars Nightfall will be available in both Standard and Collector’s Editions. The Collector’s Edition includes the Guild Wars Nightfall game as well as a Making of Guild Wars Nightfall behind-the-scenes DVD produced by Gameplay HD, a collector’s art book, collectible skill pins, a character mini-standee, a poster-sized map of Elona, and the Guild Wars Nightfall soundtrack CD. Guild Wars Nightfall is also premiering the PlaySmart™ tips card that will be included in both retail editions.

“The Guild Wars Nightfall launch is one of the most anticipated of the holiday season,” said Bob McKenzie, Senior VP of Merchandising, GameStop, Inc. “From its beginnings just a year and a half ago, the Guild Wars franchise has grown into an unquestioned success story. The new play experiences and features in Nightfall clearly show the ArenaNet developers have hit yet another home run.”Guild Wars, an instant bestseller in North America and Europe upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions™, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. With an expected retail price of $49.99 and still no subscription fee, Guild Wars Nightfall is set to become an instant hit when it becomes available worldwide. Servers supporting the new release will “go live” at 12:01 AM PDT /7:01 AM GMT on October 27, 2006.

FiringSquad: This is the third major game in the series and there is only a six month difference in the release date between this title and Factions. How hard is it to create that amount of content in what seems to be a short amount of time?

Gaile Gray: Let's just say it's been a really, really busy six months since Factions was released! Of course, the truth is that some of our team members were working on Nightfall before Factions was finalized. We have key team members who work on both titles under development, and then there are others who are assigned to one specific project or another. This assures continuity within the development process and assures that the games and stories meld together seamlessly. This system has allowed us to produce a Triple-A title in less than a year but admittedly it's still quite a challenge to do that.

Ahai, Sunspear!

You have been selected from among your fellow heroes to be trained as a leader of our Order of the Sunspears. The members of our Order are the guardians and protectors of our nation of Elona, and travel throughout the land, dealing with threats to our people. Though you may have the basic skills of a hero, you must now learn how to use them in conjunction with others whom you will lead into battle. Congratulations on your promotion!

You initial assignment will be in the Province of Istan, where our Order’s Great Hall is located. Istan is a thriving land of heroes, located near the ruins of our earliest cities. Here you will find threats ranging from relentless predators and animated, carnivorous plants, to the ever-present threat of the corsairs that plague our shores.

Yet Istan is not the only concern of the Sunspears. Kourna, across the channel, has a large standing army and is ruled by its Warmarshal, Varesh Ossa, but still has needs of heroes to inspire its people. Further north is the Province of Vabbi, a wealthy region controlled by indolent merchant princes, yet regularly threatened by inhuman tribes. As a leader of the Sunspears, you will journey through these lands, and beyond them, into the Desolation from which the undead lord Palawa Joko first invaded our land. Wherever the people of Elona are threatened, the Sunspears should be there to protect them.

The Order of the Sunspears is an ancient order, dating back to our earliest dynasties, but we need capable and inspired leaders now more than ever. A new darkness has been spreading across our land, causing native creatures to become more savage, and spawning new abominations never before seen. Dark times loom before us, and we must be prepared.

Again, congratulations on being selected to become a Sunspear leader. You will have your work cut out for you, but I am confident you will be up to the tasks ahead.

As a Sunspear, you never fight alone.

Kormir
Spearmarshal, Order of the Sunspears

Elona Awaits You!

The Guild Wars Nightfall campaign is now available for purchase at retail stores and through the online Guild Wars store. Players who purchase Guild Wars Nightfall may now create new Paragon and Dervish characters, bring existing characters to the region of Elona, acquire new skills, armor, and weapons, recruit Heroes to join their parties, and participate in new Hero Battles against other players!

• Players who purchase Nightfall can start new characters in Elona, or bring their existing characters from Tyria or Cantha into Elona.
• An existing character’s first journey to a new continent must be done through a quest. After that, characters may travel quickly and easily using the Ship Travel icon on the World Map.
• Prophecies characters wishing to travel to Elona for the first time should seek out Lionguard Figo in Lion’s Arch and take the "Sunspears in Kryta" quest.
• Factions characters wishing to travel to Elona for the first time should seek out Imperial Guardsman Linro in Kaineng Center and take the "Sunspears in Cantha" quest.
• Elonian characters may travel to Tyria using the quest "Terror in Tyria," which is offered by Deras Tenderlin in Kamadan – The Jewel of Istan after they have completed the quest “The Time is Nigh.”
• Elonian characters may travel to Cantha using the quest “Plague in Cantha," which is offered by Funwa Shento in Kamadan – The Jewel of Istan after they have completed the quest “The Time is Nigh.”

Heroes

• Heroes are NPC party members who can join your party, level up with your character, and use weapons, armor, and skills of your choosing. You recruit Heroes by completing certain quests and adventuring throughout Elona, but you can bring only three at a time into your party. Since you and a friend can each bring three Heroes into a mission, two players can now complete any eight-player mission.
• After recruiting a Hero, you can use the “Add Hero” interface in the party formation panel to invite the Hero into your party whenever you’re standing in a town or outpost.
• If you and another player both invite the same Hero, one of them will be the “real” Hero who will interact with NPCs in cinematics and other scripted sequences, and the other will be an “imposter” who will use a generic name for the duration of the mission.
• Whenever you control a Hero, you will see a button next to the Hero’s name, which you can click to bring up the Hero Control panel. This panel provides advanced options for direct control of the Hero. You can use it to adjust the Hero’s AI mode between fight, guard, or avoid combat, to order the Hero to cast a certain skill, or to order the Hero not to cast a certain skill unless directed to do so by you.
• Whenever you control a Hero, you will also see a button on the Compass that you can use to give orders to the Hero. To use it, simply click the button, then click anywhere in the Compass or in the world where you would like the Hero to walk.
• Heroes level up like players do and acquire attribute points at the same rate, except they do not need to complete quests to gain their final 30 attribute points. Instead, they get 15 bonus attribute points when they reach level 10, and another 15 bonus attribute points when they reach level 15.
• Whenever you recruit a Hero while playing through the campaign, that Hero becomes unlocked for use with your PvP characters. Heroes that you recruit also come with skills, and those skills become unlocked on your account when you recruit the Hero.
• Heroes don't maintain their own inventory of skills. Instead, they are able to use any skill that you have unlocked on your account.
• Heroes don't maintain their own backpack or inventory of items. Instead, you can drag items from your inventory onto a Hero to equip him. Your Heroes can use weapons that you have customized for yourself.
• Hero Trainers, located in various locations around Elona, will teach you a skill (and unlock it on your account for use by your Heroes) in return for a Hero Skill Point. You get a Hero Skill Point each time you gain a new rank of the Sunspear or Lightbringer titles.
• Hero Armor NPCs, located in the outposts of Challenge Missions in Elona, can craft upgraded armor for your Heroes in return for certain items that you can acquire inside the Challenge Mission. Players can find enough of these items to upgrade their own Heroes, but not an unlimited supply, so we encourage players to spend these items on their own Heroes rather than selling them or giving them away.

Hero Battles

• Hero Battles are a new PvP game type that allow players to compete head-to-head for the first time.
• Each Hero Battle pits one player and his three Heroes against another player and his three Heroes.
• To access Hero Battles you must unlock at least three Heroes onto your account. If you haven’t already unlocked the first three Heroes, just complete Zaishen Basic Training with a PvP character, then talk to the Priest of Balthazar, who will give you free unlocks.
• To enter a Hero Battle, travel to the Hero Battles outpost on the Battle Isles, invite three Heroes into your party, then click “Enter Battle.” You will be automatically matched against an opponent of similar skill level.
• To win, you must score 20 points before your opponent does. You get one point for every enemy you kill, and one point for every 30 seconds that your team holds the center shrine.
• There are also a number of strategic points around the map, which can grant you a strategic advantage against the enemy if your team controls them.
• If neither team has scored 20 points when the game clock reaches 10 minutes, the game goes into sudden death, where the next team to score a point wins.
• There is no death penalty on this map, and all players and Heroes respawn every 30 seconds.
• Players get 20 Balthazar’s faction for each point scored and 100 faction for winning.

Lightbringer and Sunspear Titles

• The new Sunspear title can be earned by completing quests in Elona and fighting Sunspear enemies. By earning ranks in this title you can gain Hero skill points and the new PvE-only skill Sunspear Rebirth Signet. This skill increases in effectiveness as you gain more ranks in the Sunspear title.
• The new Lightbringer title can be earned by hunting demons in Elona. For each rank of Lightbringer, you gain increased damage and damage reduction against demons. You can also earn the PvE-only skills Lightbringer’s Gaze and Lightbringer’s Focus, which can be used to fight demons. These skills also increase in effectiveness as you gain more ranks in this title.

Guild Observer Mode

• You can now watch your guild compete in Guild Combat regardless of your guild’s rank. Just open the Observer panel and then look for your guild’s game under the heading “My Guild Games.”

Update - Wednesday October 25

New Features of Guild Wars Nightfall

Today we are publishing the new features of Guild Wars Nightfall in anticipation of the campaign’s release this Friday, October 27 at 12:01 am PDT. Players won’t be able to acquire Heroes or participate in Hero Battles until they can play through the Nightfall campaign, but many of the other features of Nightfall are available today as free updates.

Skills and Attributes

• Skill selection, attribute adjustment, and secondary profession selection are now centralized on the new Skills and Attributes panel.
• Your characters can now change their secondary professions whenever they are standing in a town or outpost. PvP characters can change to any secondary profession, while Roleplaying characters can change to any profession that character has previously learned.
• You can now save and load templates containing Skill Bar setup, attributes, and professions. This allows you to switch a character between different roles quickly, and to share your strategies with your friends.
• To save a Skill Template, click the disk icon inside the Skills and Attributes panel, then click “Save to Template.” The template will be saved to a small file in the Templates/Skills folder below the Guild Wars installation directory. You can copy this file to other computers, share it with your friends, or post it on the Internet.
• To load a Skill Template, click the disk icon, then click “Load from Template.” You can load any template that matches your character’s primary profession.
• If your character doesn’t have as many attribute points as the character who saved the template, the attribute levels will automatically be adjusted down for you.
• If your character doesn’t have access to skills that were saved in the template, those skills will appear grayed out.

Equipment Templates

• PvP characters can now save and load Equipment Templates containing a complete set of armor and weapon selections.
• To save an Equipment Template, click the disk icon inside the Inventory panel, then click “Save to Template.” The template will be saved to a small file in the Templates/Equipment folder below the Guild Wars installation directory.
• To load an Equipment Template, click the disk icon, then click “Load from Template.” You can load any template that matches your character’s primary profession.
• Loading a template will replace your character’s current weapons and armor, unless your character is using weapons or armor that were acquired through roleplaying.
• If you load a template that uses item upgrades that are not currently available on your account, the items that require those upgrades will not be created.

Equipment Builder

• Equipment can be made for any PvP character, including PvP Heroes, using the new PvP Equipment panel.
• You can open the PvP Equipment panel whenever your PvP character is standing in a town or outpost by clicking on the PvP Equipment button within the Inventory panel or by pressing “J” on your keyboard.
• To create an item, click on the portrait of the character you would like to build the item for, then select the tab for the type of item you would like to create. Choose the item, upgrade components, and color from the list of available selections.
• If you would like the item to be equipped immediately, select the “Equip Immediately” option before clicking “Create.” The new item will be placed onto your character, and the old item that your character was previously wearing will be destroyed. If you choose not to equip immediately, the new item will be placed into your character’s inventory instead.
• Items created with the PvP Equipment panel cannot be upgraded or salvaged.

Armor Insignias

• New armor crafted in Elona or through the PvP Equipment panel can contain swappable insignias, which provide the same types of bonuses that previously were permanent parts of the armor, plus new bonuses that are being introduced with Nightfall.
• With the use of armor insignias, you can now mix and match different armor bonuses with different armor appearances. Additionally, the use of insignias simplifies the process of creating armor with the PvP Equipment panel because you can choose the armor appearance and bonus separately.
• Outside of the PvP Equipment panel, you can only place an insignia on a piece of armor if that armor has a blank insignia slot. Certain types of armor crafted in Elona include blank insignia slots.
• Like other types of armor upgrades, insignias must be unlocked on your account before you can use them in the PvP Equipment panel. Because some insignias are replacements for bonuses that used to be inherent properties of PvP armor, those insignias are already unlocked on your account.
• Because insignias allow you to place bonuses on certain types of headgear that could not receive bonuses in the past, some existing high-end headgear from Tyria and Cantha is being updated with this build to include new bonuses.

Weapon Inscriptions

• New weapons found in Elona or created through the PvP Equipment panel can contain swappable inscriptions, which provide a variety of weapon bonuses and enhancements.
• Like armor insignias, weapon inscriptions allow you to swap bonuses between different items you acquire by playing through the roleplaying content, and they simplify the process of creating items with the PvP Equipment panel by enabling you to choose the base weapon and the weapon bonuses separately.
• You can only place an inscription in a weapon if that weapon has a blank inscription slot. Inscriptions and inscription slots are sometimes found on rare weapons dropped by monsters in Elona.
• Inscriptions must be unlocked on your account before you can use them in the PvP Equipment panel. Inscriptions that provide bonuses that were previously inherent bonuses of PvP weapons are already unlocked on your account.

New Item Upgrades

• Shields, wands, and focus items created through the PvP Equipment panel or found in Elona can now have upgrades applied to them.
• Shields can have a Shield Handle upgrade plus one inscription.
• Wands can have a Wand Wrapping upgrade plus one inscription.
• Focus items can have a Focus Core upgrade plus one inscription.
• These new upgrades are equivalent in power to inherent item bonuses that were found in previous campaigns.

New Salvage/Upgrade System

• Salvaging an item with upgrade components now gives you the ability to pick which item you would like to salvage.
• If you salvage an item to extract a magical component, there is now a 50 percent chance that the base item will not be destroyed.
• When you upgrade an item with an upgrade component, you now see a preview of what that item will look like after the upgrade.

New Dye System

• The new dye system improves the appearance of base dye colors and mixed dye colors. The new system is used when you newly apply dye to an item. Existing item colors are not affected.
• Newly crafted armor now starts out gray. If you dye it to another color and then later want to restore it to its original appearance, just dye it gray. Vendors now sell gray dye instead of dye remover.
• White and brown dye colors are now available as loot drops.
• Silver is now an equipment color option during character creation.
• A new Dye Preview panel lets you preview the effect of dye color combinations on your items before applying the dye.

New Damage Interface

• The new Damage Monitor panel shows all skills that your opponents have recently used against you. You can hover the mouse over any skill icon to get a tooltip explaining that skill.
• The numbers that float above characters’ heads are now bigger, and use different animations to help distinguish between damage, healing, and experience.
• When an enemy uses a skill against you, the skill icon will display next to the damage number. The Options panel allows you to switch from displaying skill icons to displaying skill names.

PvP-Only Character Creation

• The PvP character creation process has been simplified. During character creation, you now choose only the character’s primary profession, character appearance, and name.
• Newly created PvP characters start off with a set of equipment and six basic skills for their primary profession, so you can start playing immediately.
• To outfit your PvP character with other skills and equipment, you can use the new Skill and Equipment Templates systems.
• So that your PvP characters have immediate access to skill and equipment swapping, new PvP characters you create now start in the Great Temple of Balthazar once you have unlocked Random Arenas on your account.
• You can still access Zaishen Basic Training by walking from the Great Temple back into the Isle of the Nameless and talking with the Master of Paths.
• First-time PvP players must complete Zaishen Basic Training to gain access to the Random Arenas and to gain the ability to purchase unlocks from the Priest of Balthazar.

Balthazar’s Faction

• The rate of Balthazar’s faction has been doubled for all types of PvP!
• In high-level arenas, players now earn 40 faction per unique kill, 50 faction for winning, 50 faction for a flawless victory, and 50 faction for a five-game winning streak.
• In Heroes’ Ascent, players now earn 40 faction per unique kill, 200–800 faction for winning (depending on the map), and 200 faction for a flawless victory.
• In Guild Combat, players now earn 40 faction per unique kill, 1,000–4,000 faction for winning (depending on their guild rating), and 200–800 faction for a flawless victory (depending on their guild rating).
• In Alliance Battles and Competitive Missions, players now earn 6 faction per kill.

Henchmen Controls

• Henchmen controls are now available on the Compass. To direct your henchmen, click the Henchmen button on the Compass, then click anywhere on the Compass or in the world to select where you’d like your henchmen to go.

Improved Hero/Henchmen AI

• Heroes and Henchmen now take into account Conditions and Exhaustion when choosing which skills to cast. They also consider attribute levels for stolen skills, and combo states for Assassin skills.
• They have improved combo awareness for some important skill combinations.
• They have improved knowledge of skills, so that they make smarter decisions about which skills to cast.
• They manage their Energy better.
• They are better at kiting opponents.
• They are better at getting out and staying out of AoE damage spells.
• They move in formation around their leader, with melee characters in front and ranged or casting characters in back.
• They follow their leader whenever they haven’t been specifically directed to move to a point. The leader for Heroes is the player who owns the Hero, and the leader for henchmen is the party leader.
• They also know how to have fun.

Improved Monster AI

• Monsters no longer run from AoE damage when they are very healthy, or when they think they’re very close to killing their opponent.
• Melee monsters are more intelligent about keeping themselves spread out, so that they don’t put themselves into a position where they’re highly susceptible to AoE attacks.

Gameplay Changes

• The rarity of items within locked chests is now properly randomized.
• Armor swapping is now disabled during PvP games.
• Certain situations that caused players to get stuck and not be able to move have been fixed, and a new command “/stuck” has been introduced to help players free their characters if they become stuck.

Title System Changes

• The Treasure Hunter and Seeker of Wisdom titles now confer a benefit to players who earn them. For each rank of either title earned, the chance of an item not being destroyed when salvaging a magical upgrade component is increased by 3 percent from a base of 50 percent.
• The Hero, Gladiator, and Champion titles now confer a benefit to players who earn them. Gaining ranks in these titles increases the maximum cap of unspent Balthazar’s faction. The cap increases by 2,000 faction points for each of the first five ranks of the Hero title and 5,000 faction points for each subsequent rank, and the cap increases by 5,000 faction points for each rank of the Gladiator and Champion titles earned.

Materials Storage

• The Materials Storage panel, which was previously a feature of Guild Wars Factions, is now available to all players.

User Interface Improvements

• While forming a party, you can now control+click on your Skill Bar to announce your skill setup to your party members.
• Called targets now remain active for up to 30 seconds after being attacked by their caller, and do not go away when the caller changes targets.
• During Guild Combat, a countdown timer now displays the amount of time remaining until the team that holds the shrine will gain a morale boost.
• In all types of PvP, the new score screen option “Team Status” shows a summary of the Health and morale of your entire team, including allied NPCs.
• A new option “Hide UI” on the login screen allows you to use the login screen as a screensaver. The client continues to download game assets in the background while in screensaver mode.
• The text and audio languages can now be independently selected in the Options panel.
• Other new options enable you to keep windows open when pressing escape, to disable tooltips on Skill Bars, and to disable tooltips on effect monitors.

Equipment Balance Changes

• Reduced the cost of all armor sets found on Shing Jea Island.
• Updated the Henge of Denravi Axe to have +5 inherent Energy instead of +25 inherent Health.
• Updated the Henge of Denravi Bow to have +5 inherent Energy instead of +10 inherent armor.
• Updated some Fiery Flame Spitters that had a 15% recharge chance instead of the normal 10% chance.


• Green item staffs, crafted staffs, and collector staffs with any sort of recharge bonus have been updated to reduce the recharge time of all spells with a chance of 20% instead of the attribute-specific bonuses they had previously.


• Updated a sword received from a quest in pre-Searing Ascalon to remove the inherent +5 armor while enchanted bonus. It now deals an additional 15% damage while Health is above 50.
• Updated the Warrior’s Dreadnought and Dragon armor suits to +10 vs. elemental to match how the armor bonus works under the new insignia system.
• Updated the Warrior’s Sentinel armor suit to +20 vs. elemental (req. 13 Strength) to match how the armor bonus works under the new insignia system.
• Updated the Necromancer’s Tormentor armor suit to add 6 holy damage on the chest, 4 on the leggings, and 2 on all other pieces. It was previously 5 damage for all pieces.
• Updated the Assassin’s Saboteur, Infiltrator, and Vanguard armor suits to have +10 armor vs. all physical damage and an additional +10 armor vs. a specific type of physical damage. The Condition reduction bonuses were removed to match how the bonuses work under the new insignia system.
• Updated all instances of Stonefist Gauntlets to remove the -5 armor penalty to match how the bonus works under the new insignia system.
• Updated all instances of the Lieutenant's Helm to remove the -10 armor vs. physical penalty to match how the bonus works under the new insignia system.
• Updated maximum level headgear found in Prophecies and Factions with a +1 Energy bonus to equalize it with possibilities found in Nightfall and at the new PvP Equipment panel. Warrior headgear that already had built-in armor bonuses will remain unaffected.

Skill Balance Changes

Assassin

• Black Lotus Strike: reduced recharge time 12 seconds.
• Enduring Toxin: increased duration to 5 seconds.
• Expose Defenses: increased duration to 5..20 seconds.
• Impale: increased damage to 25..100. This skill must now follow a dual attack.
• Mirrored Stance: decreased casting time to .25seconds.
• Moebius Strike: reduced recharge time to 2 seconds.
• Shameful Fear: reduced recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Siphon Strength: removed touch requirement.
• Way of the Lotus: changed this skill so that it is now an Enchantment.

Elementalist

• Armor of Frost: this skill no longer reduces your armor against fire.
• Ash Blast: increased damage to 20..55, increased Blindness duration to 3..15 seconds.
• Conjure Flame: decreased recharge time to 30 seconds, increased damage to 1..21.
• Conjure Frost: decreased recharge time to 30 seconds, increased damage to 1..21
• Conjure Lightning: decreased recharge time to 30 seconds, increased damage to 1..21
• Double Dragon: this spell no longer causes Exhaustion.
• Eruption: decreased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Fire, Water, Air, Earth Attunement: each of these skills now return 1 Energy plus 30% of that spell’s cost.
• Glimmering Mark: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds, increased duration to 5 seconds.
• Glyph of Concentration: changed this Glyph to work on the next two spells, increased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Glyph of Elemental Power: increased recharge time to 15 seconds. This Glyph now works on the next 5 spells.
• Glyph of Lesser Energy: this Glyph now works on the next 2 spells.
• Glyph of Energy: increased Energy reduction to 25.
• Grasping Earth: decreased recharge time to 12 seconds.
• Gust: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Inferno: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Lava Arrows: increased damage to 10..40.
• Lava Font: increased damage to 5..50.
• Lightning Javelin: decreased Energy cost to 5.
• Lightning Surge: no longer causes Exhaustion, increased Energy cost to 15.
• Lightning Touch: decreased Energy cost to 5.
• Mark of Rodgort: decreased Energy to 15. This skill now affects all adjacent foes.
• Phoenix: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Searing Heat: decreased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Shatterstone: increased damage to 25..100, increased conditional damage to 25..100.
• Shock Arrow: increased damage to 5..45.
• Smoldering Embers: increased damage to 15..75.
• Swirling Aura: decreased recharge time to 45 seconds.
• Teinai's Heat: decreased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Vapor Blade: increased damage to 15..135.

Mesmer

• Arcane Languor: increased duration to 1..10 seconds.
• Distortion: duration now scales with attribute, and you now only lose 2 Energy when this skill triggers.
• Drain Enchantment: increased recharge time to 30 seconds, decreased Energy gained to 5..20.
• Echo: increased duration to 30 seconds.
• Empathy: decreased duration to 5..15 seconds, increased damage to 15..45.
• Energy Drain: decreased Energy stolen to 2..9.
• Epidemic: decreased Energy cost to 5 Energy.
• Ether Signet: decreased recharge time to 60 seconds.
• Ethereal Burden / Kitah’s Burden: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Illusion of Pain: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Inspired Hex / Revealed Hex: decreased Energy gained to 4..10.
• Keystone Signet: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Mantra of Recall: decreased Energy gained to 10..25.
• Overload: decreased recharge time to 3 seconds.
• Panic: decreased casting time to .25 seconds.
• Power Return: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Psychic Instability: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.

Monk

• Bane Signet: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Peace and Harmony: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Ray of Judgment: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Smite: this skill is now a spell instead of an attack.
• Spirit Bond: expires after 10 attacks or Spells.
• Succor: decreased Energy cost to 5.
• Watchful Spirit: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Zealot's Fire: decreased casting time to .25 seconds, decreased recharge time to 30 seconds. You now lose 1 Energy whenever this skill triggers.

Necromancer

• Barbs: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Blood Bond: you lose 3 pips of Health regeneration, and your ally gains 1..6 pips of Health regeneration.
• Icy Veins: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Insidious Parasite: increased life steal to 15..45.
• Life Transfer: decreased Energy cost to 5 Energy, decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Lingering Curse: decreased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Malign Intervention: decreased recharge time to 12 seconds.
• Mark of Pain: decreased casting time to 1 second.
• Rising Bile: decreased recharge time to 20 seconds.
• Spoil Victor: increased damage to 25..100.
• Suffering: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Unholy Feast: decreased recharge time to 12 seconds.
• Vile Miasma: now falls under the Death Magic attribute.

Ranger

• Archer's Signet: increased number of bow attacks affected to 1..7.
• Call of Protection: increased damage reduction to 5..20.
• Concussion Shot: decreased recharge time to 5 seconds.
• Debilitating Shot: reduced Energy reduction to -1..10. This skill now falls under the Marksmanship attribute.
• Dual Shot: increased recharge time to 10 seconds.
• Expertise: For each rank of Expertise, the Energy cost of all of your attacks, Rituals, touch skills, and Rangers skills are decreased by 4%. Several skills, especially those related to Energy costs and skill recharge times, become more effective with higher Expertise.
• Heal as One: decreased recharge time to 10 seconds. This skill now resurrects your pet.
• Marksman's Wager: increased duration to 18 seconds.
• Run as One: decreased recharge time to 25 seconds.

Warrior

• "Victory is Mine": this skill is now a targeted Shout that returns 3..7 Energy per Condition.
• "You Will Die": decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
• Berserker Stance: increased adrenaline gain to 50%.
• Deadly Riposte: increased damage to 15..90.
• Disciplined Stance: decreased Energy cost to 5.
• Dwarven Battle Stance: increased attack speed to 25%.
• Furious Axe: this skill is now an Energy skill with 5 Energy and a recharge time of 6 seconds.
• Lacerating Chop: reduced adrenaline cost to 5 swings.
• Protectors Defense: decreased recharge time to 30 seconds.
• Skull Crack: this skill now interrupts the target’s action but only causes the Dazed Condition if it interrupts a spell.

Start of Halloween Event

When the moon shines down on the Elon
Like the eye of a ravenous drake

Keep a lantern close by and the darkness at bay
For on this holiday night, they say

A spirit returns, pumpkin on head
Wicked deeds (and bad jokes) will abound
He’ll bluster and shout
Spread chaos about
’till a banishment for his mischief be found

Heed my tale, ye brave heroes
From lands north and south
Listen wherefore I say:
Bind your sanity close, lest you lose what you love most
When the monarch of madness appears.

Ships Set Sail for Elona

Chaos dominated the bustling ports of Cantha and Tyria this week as families said their last farewells to loved ones boarding one of the hundreds of ships due to sail to Elona. The adventurers crowding aboard the vessels are answering the call for aid from the illustrious Sunspears, who have developed a widespread feeling of inexorable doom in the face of unknown threats looming on their horizon. Even I, your humble Scribe, write this while waiting to board my own transport amongst the bustling traffic in the Kaineng Docks.

Our fate will be the same as that of Elona, and we will gladly spill our blood on the fields of their beautiful land if that should aid in the struggle against tyranny and evil.

Travel on such a massive scale has not been seen since Cantha sent a plea for aid to their Tyrian neighbors months ago, when Shiro Tagachi returned from the mists of the Underworld to unleash his evil upon that island nation. Now many of the same heroes who foiled Shiro—and earlier denied the Undead Lich his fulfillment of the Flame Seeker Prophecies—are making their way to Elona, driven to protect the innocent however possible.

In grim determination, the Sunspears are bracing for the upcoming struggles, exhausting all possible options. Besides building quarters for the foreign veterans of Tyria and Cantha, the Sunspears are preparing a training program for an influx of new, untrained recruits. Perhaps the troubles will turn out to be nothing more than a corsair plot. If that is the case, the task of this large force shall be easy. Unfortunately, most of the scholars and priests of Elona are forewarning of a much more sinister—and much more dangerous—foe, one that will present a terrible challenge for the Sunspears, even with the aid of their Canthan and Tyrian neighbors.

One thing is clear: Tyria and Cantha will not abandon their friends to the east. Whatever foes present themselves, no matter how powerful or how dangerous they may be, those enemies face the combined might of all our nations. We fight as one, and we will either save Elona, or die trying.

May the gods watch over and guide those who defend the land of Elona!

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Halloween is In the Air

A heavy fog is enfolding the land of Tyria like a cold, damp quilt. Merchants sailing the sea between Tyria and Cantha have reported eerie shrieks echoing over the waves. The cause is indisputable: Halloween is coming.

Many citizens are questioning their sanity as they see and hear seemingly impossible things. The armor crafter in Lion's Arch swears he caught the moon smiling at him out of the corner of his eye, but upon further examination, noticed nothing out of the ordinary. One of the Lionsguard had to be relieved of duty because he became convinced a ghoulish beast was stalking him as he patrolled Lion's Arch. Merchant ships are approaching their port of call with what seem to be spirits hovering around the mast of the vessel, but once the ship breaks through the fog, the apparitions float off into the night.

All of the signs confirm the imminent arrival of Mad King Thorn. Earlier speculations are holding true, and the Mad King is expected to make his way into Lion's Arch within the next few days. He will no doubt bring the same tricks and treats that made last year's Halloween such a spectacle and, perhaps, some new ones as well.

There is also some exciting news for the many brave adventures heading to Elona within the next few days. Apparently the Mad King got word of the mass migration, for my sources in Elona have reported similar unsettling disturbances off the coast of Istan. At first these strange happenings were passed off as corsair tricks designed to confuse merchants and make them easier targets for raids. However, once Koss himself began reporting odd occurrences for which no mortal could be responsible, it was clear that the Mad King is indeed planning on visiting Kamadan this upcoming weekend.

Make haste to one of the Mad King's party locations! Just take care, for as he made abundantly clear last year, his jokes have a tendency to slay the audience. Whether that is a testament to his wit, or not, is a source of debate...

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Random Acts of Kindness

This week I have been preparing myself for an extended trip to Elona. While gathering my supplies and items from different locations, I was also able to note various acts of generosity and kindness.

In my beautiful abode within the Shing Jea Monastery, amongst the hundreds of citizens enjoying the carnival games, I saw a fine patron named Reb The Brave hosting his own trivia game and rewarding game tickets to the winners. Creating his own means to get involved in the event was a fine way to make the event even more fun than it already was! Also, Z The Insane was handing out tickets and bean cakes for those taking part in the Dragon Nest game. Such kindness made leaving my wonderful island home that much more difficult.

Taking a quick break from my packing and preparation, I stopped by the Battle Isles to keep my skills tuned and my mind sharp. While battling my way to the Hall of Heroes, I came across a guild known as Dawn Of The Phoenix [DPX]. They showed exemplary honor on the battlefield, and fought with both pride and respect for their opponents.

Making my way to mainland Cantha, I stopped in Cavalon to gather some Jadite. There I saw Nat Longshot and Dealer Of The Cards offering passage to The Deep. Their alliance works hard for the honor of holding Cavalon, and both citizens are a testament to their guild's nobility, which they show by sharing the rewards associated with that honor with the masses.

On my way to the docks to set sail to Elona, I saw a fellow traveler trying to find a ship sailing to Lion's Arch. Wolf Nova lead him in the right direction, helping the would-be traveler make the scheduled departure, for which he was quite appreciative.

Last night in Shing Jea Monastery, a noble citizen by the name of Sister of Divinity alerted the authorities about a counterfeiting ring, enabling those in charge to put an end to certain nefarious activities. This quick action helped end a situation that could have had disastrous economic repercussions for all citizens. We are most grateful for this assistance, kind Sister!

Thank you all for making the last days before my trip quite enjoyable. I will, of course, keep my eyes open and my quill ready in Elona, and continue traveling through Cantha and Tyria to record kind acts in the future.

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