Guild Wars 2 Balancing Patch Notes Shared Ahead of Release

ArenaNet has shared the patch notes discussing balancing ahead of the Guild Wars 2 patch this week.

The notes are quite extensive and touch on “large systemics changes” which will affect PvP and WvW. In general, casting time of control skills will see an increase. Additionally, the team changes the access to stability and stun breaks.

The patch touches on the Elementalist, Engineer, Guardian, Mesmer, Necromancer, Ranger, Revenant, Thief, and Warrior classes. Here are the General notes:

• Auras: Aura effects have been updated to be larger and more noticeable. The previous, more subtle aura effects are now used for auras on allies and for all characters viewed by PvP spectators when the Effect LOD option is checked in the graphics settings. Effect icons used for auras have been updated for consistency.
• Unblockable (Tooltip): The unblockable skill fact has a new icon.
• Unblockable (Effect): Skills and traits that grant the unblockable status now use a unified effect. This effect is intensity stacking, and stacks are lost whenever attacks hit or miss. Single strikes that hit multiple foes only consume 1 stack. Skills that grant the unblockable status for a duration have been updated to use a number of stacks instead.