Here are the patch notes for today’s game update:

HOLIDAY

Happy Halloween! Let the trick-or-treating begin. The “Mad Kings” have dusted off their costumes and are taking to the stage, telling their jokes to make the children laugh. It’s a lighthearted holiday, and only children truly believe that the spirit of Mad King Thorn once appeared in Tyria. No one has actually reported seeing him in over two centuries. These days, he’s nothing more than a tale told to make children squeal and behave.

But, paranormal activity in Tyria is on the rise, and Durmand Priory scholars have taken notice. They’re not sure what’s going on, but they aim to find out! Something’s not right.

From October 22 through November 1, Tyria is under the shadow of the Mad King. The weeklong event will unfold in four acts, each introducing new content to explore and experience, including decorations for Tyria and the Mists, minigames, Halloween-specific dynamic events, holiday crafting recipes, and mind-blowing jumping puzzles.

Join us on October 28 (12:00pm, Pacific Time / 19:00 GMT), when we’ll celebrate the holiday pinnacle with a bang!

This is the premiere holiday release for Guild Wars 2, and we’re blasting out of the gate! Visit Lion’s Arch to begin digging into the Halloween content.

COMMERCE

Black Lion Chest Changes

• Halloween items have been added to Black Lion Chests for a limited time only!
• There is now a chance to get new Halloween-themed weapon skins by opening Black Lion Chests. All weapon skins are tradable.
  • Chain Sword Skin
  • Ghastly Grinning Shield Skin
  • Greatsaw Greatsword Skin
  • Grinning Gourd Rifle Skin
  • Scythe Staff Skin
  • Severed Dagger Skin
• There is now a chance to get new Halloween-themed shoulder armor skins by opening Black Lion Chests. All shoulder armor skins are tradable.
  • Deathly Shoulderpads Skin
  • Deathly Avian Shoulderpads Skin
  • Deathly Bull Shoulderpads Skin
• All Black Lion Chests have a chance to give these items, but only until the end of the Halloween events.
• Get Black Lion Keys from the Consumable section of the Gem Store to open your Black Lion Chests.

New Items in the Gem Store

• Halloween costumes are now available in the Gem Store! These costumes are on sale until November 6th.
  • The Witch’s Outfit can now be purchased in the Style section of the Gem Store for 700 gems. This set of town clothes comes with 4 Costume Brawl skills and 1 companion skill.
  • The Mad King’s Outfit can now be purchased in the Style section of the Gem Store for 700 gems. This set of town clothes comes with 4 Costume Brawl skills and 1 companion skill.
• Spooky Tonics are now available in the Gem Store! Ghost, skeleton, and zombie tonics are all on sale until November 6th.
  • Each tonic turns you into a spooky creature for 1 hour.
  • While active, tonics give you access to Costume Brawl skills.
  • Tonics can be found in the Consumable section of the Gem Store for 35 gems apiece or 125 gems for a pack of 5.
• A set of 3 spooky minis is now available in the Gem Store! This item is on sale until November 6th.
  • This set includes a ghost, skeleton, and spider miniature for 500 gems in the Minis section of the Gem Store.
  • These collector minis are account bound and cannot be traded.
• The Devil Horns town clothes hat is now available for free in the Gem Store. This item is available until November 6th.
• The Phantom’s Hood town clothes hat is now available for 200 gems in the Gem Store. This item is on sale until November 6th.
• Personalized Trick-or-Treat Bags are now available in the Gem Store. These items are on sale until November 14th.
  • Each bag contains food items, recipes, tonics, crafting materials, or pieces of candy corn.
  • Personalized Trick-or-Treat Bags can be found in the Consumable section of the Gem Store for 100 gems apiece, 375 gems for a pack of 5, or 2,000 gems for a pack of 35.
• Halloween PvP Finishers are now available in the Gem Store! These items are on sale until November 6th.
  • Replace your PvP finishing move with a scarecrow or special Mad King finisher for 1 hour.
  • These PvP Finishers can be found in the Consumable section of the Gem Store for 75 gems apiece or 275 gems for a pack of 3.
• New town clothes hats are now available in the Gem Store!
  • Aviator Caps and Bunny Ears are both now available in the Style section of the Gem Store for 200 gems apiece.

COSTUME BRAWL

• Costume Brawl is a spontaneous battle for points that can occur anywhere in the world by using town clothes, toys, and transformation tonics.
• Equip town clothes, toys, or consume transformation tonics to gain access to Costume Brawl skills. Costume Brawl skills are labeled as such in their descriptions.
• Using Costume Brawl skills puts you into Costume Brawl mode and makes you a valid target for other brawlers.
• Use your Costume Brawl skills to hit other players in Costume Brawl mode to gain points and avoid being disabled by taking too many hits yourself.
• Gaining points in Costume Brawl is fun and can earn you achievements.
• To exit Costume Brawl, use the Time Out skill.
• Entering combat will automatically remove you from Costume Brawl.

ACHIEVEMENTS

In response to several letters from the Tyrian Explorers Society, we have made the following changes to recognized achievements:

• Added karma rewards to daily and monthly achievements.
• Added 19 new exploration achievements to the “Explorer” achievement list, including “Dive Master,” which tracks unique diving goggle uses.
• Added a new “Jumping Puzzles” achievement category.
  • Moved all existing jumping puzzle achievements from the “Explorer” category to the “Jumping Puzzles” category.
  • Added 4 additional jumping puzzle achievements.
• Added a new “Bosses” achievement category.
  • The “Crash Landing” achievement has been moved from the “Explorer” category to the “Bosses” category.
  • Added 7 new boss achievements.

MYSTIC FORGE

“The Mighty Zommoros has been caught failing to notice the generosity of those who grant him gifts. The Mighty Zommoros will now appropriately reward baubles to those who bring him offerings.”—The Mighty Zommoros

• The Mystic Forge ingot-conversion recipes for bronze, copper, gold, and darksteel have been fixed to reward correct materials.
• The Mystic Forge recipe for the Abyssal Scepter has been fixed to correctly award the Abyssal Scepter.
• The Mystic Forge recipe for the Lidless Eye now requires 10 giant eyes.
• The Mystic Forge recipe for Titans’ Vengance has been fixed to correctly award Titans’ Vengance.
• The Mystic Forge recipe for the Wall of the Mists now requires 250 orichalcum shield bosses instead of powerful blood and 30 giant eyes instead of 1.
• Zommoros has been reminded to give out baubles for less desirable (low-level) rare weapons.
• Fixed a bug in the Mystic Forge conversion recipies for rare Glacial Ingredientsthat cause them to reward Charged Ingredients instead.

EVENTS

There is a skritt burglar on the loose in Tyria! Adventurers that encounter this thieving rodent are encouraged to confiscate whatever loot they can shake out of her.

• Added over 30 events across the game.
• Fixed a stuck event chain in Straits of Devastation.
• Fixed a blocking bug in the event “Defend the Leaders of Caer Evermore from the Risen” in Timberline Falls.
• Fixed a potential blocking bug caused by the event “Destroy the Risen broodmother to free Rakkan” in Cursed Shore.
• Fixed a potential blocking bug in the event “Rescue Scholar Alil Rodez” in Lornar’s Pass.
• Fixed a bug preventing Siege Master Marith from collecting catapult parts in Kessex hills.
• Fixed a bug preventing Tactician Footi from setting up her cannon in Cursed Shore.
• Fixed a bug preventing skritt from being driven out of Nentor’s Mine in Lornar’s Pass.
• Lengthened the time between events when attempting to hold Arah and made repeated attempts at holding Arah more difficult.
• Lengthened the time between events when attempting to hold the Temple of Grenth.
• Lengthened the time between events when attempting to hold the Temple of Melandru and made repeated attempts at holding the Temple of Melandru more difficult.

WvW

• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to occasionally teleport through walls.
• Reduced the range at which players could interact with completed arrow carts.
• The blue team’s start point on the green Borderlands has been changed to no longer remove allies from the area.
• The Charr Land Mine is no longer usable in WvW areas.

PvP

• Fixed bugs that allowed teleporting before a match starts.
• Fixed bugs for getting into team bases in Legacy of the Foefire and Battle of Kyhlo.
• Svanir has been updated to have slightly more health in Forest of Niflhel.
• Paid tournaments will be available soon. To ensure the best experience possible, free tournaments will be used to make sure everything is working smoothly before bringing paid tournaments online. Thank you all for your patience.

GENERAL UPDATES

The Durmand Priory is currently investigating an ancient dwarven door recently unearthed in Dredgehaunt Cliffs. Meanwhile, strange reports of a caravan of shark tanks crossing the fields of Fireheart Rise are presumed to be a hoax.

• Jumping puzzles and open-world minidungeons have updated reward tables.
• Added 3 new jumping puzzles.
• Added more diving goggles throughout Tyria.
• Citadel of Flame medium armor coats now include the warning text “This coat hides shoulder armor.”
• Butter and chocolate no longer drop from loot bags of level 50 and above.
• Butter and chocolate no longer drop from Supply Bags dropped by centaurs, Stolen Supplies dropped by ettins, Ritual Bags dropped by Flame Legion, or Materials Bags dropped by Inquest.
• Increased the chance to get vanilla beans from herb nodes in the Tarnished Coast and Steamspur Mountains.
• Increased the respawn timers for omnomberries, black crocus, ghost pepper, lotus, and Orrian truffles to 5 hours.
• Reduced amount of cinnamon dropped from nodes from 3,5 to 1,2. Cinnamon now only comes from green wood nodes.
• Reduced amount of walnuts dropped from nodes from 3,5 to 1,2. Walnuts now only come from soft wood nodes.
• Removed parsley and thyme from herb nodes in the Tarnished Coast and Steamspur Mountains.
• Rune of the Noble (Superior): Updated drakehounds summoned by these runes to die after 60 seconds.
• Rune of the Pack (Major and Superior): This upgrade’s on-hit effect now works properly.

STORY

• The story step “Estate of Decay” has been updated to make door interaction more consistent.
• The story step “Mightier than the Sword” has been fixed so that using the mesmer elite skill Moa Morph on Steag will not prevent progress.
• The story step “The Battle of Fort Trinity” has been fixed to avoid a problem that could prevent progress in co-op mode. A problem that could prevent progress while defending the gate has been also been fixed.
• The story step “The Blossom of Youth” has been fixed to avoid a problem where bypassing a section could prevent progress.
• The story step “Trading Trickery” has been fixed to avoid a problem that could prevent progress.

DUNGEONS

Dungeons now award karma on completion. The first-time karma reward for completing the story of a dungeon is larger than subsequent story runs. The first time per day a player completes an explorable path for a dungeon, the karma reward equals (Player Level) * 23.5. For the rest of the day, subsequent runs of the same path will reward karma equal to (Player Level) * 9.5.
Ascalonian Catacombs

• Fixed an area where players could get outside the map in the Flooded Temple.
  Caudecus’s Manor
• Gunpowder Morgan’s maximum range and damage have been updated.

Sorrow’s Embrace

• Inquest Grenadiers have been reassigned to a new task; some new enemies await on the long road.
• Kreutzerova will no longer prioritize a player at the dungeon entrance when first encountered.
• Nokk’s Gravity Distortion now properly displays the time you are distorted.
• Shukov’s golems now properly display during his event.
• Shukov’s mark II golem has had its electric field updated to be a bit more dangerous now.
• The lava in some areas is now behaving as lava should.

Twilight Arbor

• The maximum range of Nightmare Vines has been increased.

PROFESSIONS

• Reduced fear’s maximum stacks to 5 to prevent excessively long periods of time where players don’t have control of their character.
• Updated the stability boon to stack duration up to 3 times.

Elementalist

• Air Pocket: This skill no longer allows players to shadowstep out of water.
• Cone of Cold: The healing gained from the this skill’s heal attribute has been increased from 480 to 780 at max level.
• Earthquake: The responsiveness of skills used after this skill has been improved.
• Fire Grab: This skill has had its attack angle increased.
• Glyph of Renewal: This skill no longer resurrects dead allies; it only revives downed ones.
• Lightning Touch: This skill has had its attack angle increased.
• Magnetic Grasp: The responsiveness of skills used after this skill has been improved.
• Ring of Earth: This skill now applies cripple.
• Signets: All signets have been updated to function properly with the Earth Magic traits Written in Stone and Signet Mastery.
• Downed State Updates
  • Discharge Lightning: This skill can now stack vulnerability up to 2 times.
  • Grasping Earth: This skill has been moved to skill 3 and given a 10 second recharge. Damage has been increased by 50%, and it bleeds enemies on every pulse. This skill can now be interrupted by other skills.
  • Vapor Form: This skill has been moved to skill 2, is instantly available upon being downed, and has a 20-second recharge.

Guardian

• Leap of Faith: This skill’s functionality has been improved to make it more reliable.
• Line of Warding: This skill is no longer able to move friendly NPCs around.
• Protector’s Strike: This skill has had an exploit removed that caused it to block longer than intended.
• Renewed Focus: This skill may now be used on the move.
• “Save Yourselves!”: This skill has now been split between PvP and PvE. In PvE, players will notice no difference. In PvP, this skill’s boon duration has been changed to 5 seconds.
• Shield of Absorption: This skill no longer blocks some friendly NPC missiles.
• Symbol of Wrath: This skill’s attack has been improved by 10%.
• Virtue of Courage: This skill has been updated to not apply aegis each time the user bobs in and out of water.

Thief

• Assassin’s Signet: This skill has been updated to grant 15% damage for 5 attacks rather than 50% damage for one attack.
• Basilisk Venom: This skill’s buff now applies for the appropriate duration of 30 seconds.
• Disabling Shot: This skill can now be fired continuously at targets behind the player without the ability jumping them back toward the target. This skill now also has a cost when firing at targets behind the player.
• Flanking Strike: This skill’s first attack is now unblockable.
• Ink Shot: This skill no longer allows players to shadowstep out of water.
• Nine-Tailed Strike: This skill has been fixed to properly provide the intended amount of initiative.
• Shadow Refuge: This skill’s stealth removal tripwire has been updated to properly match the skill’s effects.
• Whirling Axe: This skill has had evasion removed from the ability and has a missile-reflection effect applied to the whirl effect.

Mesmer

• Arcane Thievery: This skill now appropriately removes the aegis boon rather than being blocked by it.
• Confusing Images: This skill has been updated to fire at its correct distance.
• Cry of Frustration: This skill’s tooltip now accurately shows that confusion it applies lasts for 3 seconds.
• Mirror of Anguish: This trait no longer functions on necromancers when they have Reaper’s Protection active.
• Phantasmal Warlock: This illusion’s recharge between attacks is now slightly longer.
• Phase Retreat: This skill should no longer teleport players into geometry or other places they shouldn’t be getting into.
• Scepter Skills: Projectile skills for the scepter have had their velocity increased by 33%.

Engineer

• Elixir B: This skill’s toolbelt skill now accurately reflects only one boon being applied to allied targets.
• Mine Field: This skill’s recharge has been reduced to 20 seconds.
• Throw Mine: This skill is now unblockable when it detonates.

Warrior

• Battle Standard: This skill no longer goes on full recharge if it’s interrupted while being activated.
• Brutal Shot: This skill can now stack vulnerability up to 2 times.
• Forceful Shot: This skill’s damage has been increased by about 70%, and its activation time has been increased.
• Stomp: The responsiveness of skills used after this skill has been improved.
• Tremor: This skill can now be activated while moving.

Necromancer

• Corrupt Boon: This skill now properly removes aegis rather than being blocked by it.
• Fetid Ground: This downed skill now has a Dark combo field. Its visual effects have been updated to show its actual radius.
• Life Leech: This downed skill’s damage has been increased by 25%.
• Spectral Walk: Removing this skill from a skill slot while it’s active will now remove all benefits gained from activating the ability.
• Spinal Shivers: This skill now properly removes aegis rather than being blocked by it.

MAC BETA CLIENT

• Fixed a bug that prevented players using Apple keyboard varieties other than US English from binding the key to the left of the “1” key in the Control Options panel.

UPDATED, OCTOBER 23, 2012

• Devil Horns can no longer be put into the Mystic Forge and are now available again for free via the Gem Store
• Fixed a crash when resurrecting a Mesmer clone created with the Deception skill
• Fixed an issue when Halloween creatures could infinitely spawn from Haunted Doors
• Fixed an issue when the ghost wasn’t visible during the first stage of Scavenger Hunt in Lion’s Arch
• Fixed a WvW crash
• Fixed a bug that caused frequent PvP crashes. This was the final known bug preventing the activation of paid tournaments. (We will again take a night to make sure these are stable to ensure that the player experience when spending gems on tournaments is as good as it can be. Barring unforeseen issues, we will enable paid tournaments tomorrow morning when we are in the office to support their launch.)
• Fixed various crashes
• Fixed counts for Halloween achievements
• Added an instance entry that will let all players who reach Fort Trinity to go into Trahearne’s office
• Several parts of the scavenger hunt will no longer break if too many players are interacting with them
• Fixed an issue causing players with linked mobile authenticators to be regularly disconnected from the game
• Fixed an issue in two of the Arah chains where a door would remain closed