Altered Chord

Crescendo prompts your last-played instrument to take the spotlight, augmenting Crescendo's effects. Playing an instrument recharges Crescendo if a note was consumed. — In-game description

Altered Chord

Specialization

Troubadour (trait list)

Tier

Grandmaster

Type

Major

Training cost

10 Hero points

Game link

API

API

“

Altered Chord

Crescendo prompts your last-played instrument to take the spotlight, augmenting Crescendo's effects. Playing an instrument recharges Crescendo if a note was consumed.

 Altered Chord (10s): +25% Damage

 Altered Chord (10s): +15% Damage

₅ Confusion (8s): 730 Damage, 81 Damage on Skill Use

 Daze (3s): Unable to use skills.

 Healing: 2,610 (1.0)^?

 Healing: 1,970 (0.5)^?

 Recharge Time Reduced: 2 seconds

— In-game description

Related skills

Profession mechanic skills that are improved by this trait

•   Crescendo

Related traits

Traits that improve this trait

Domination

• Illusion of Vulnerability — Inflict vulnerability when you interrupt a foe. This trait can only affect enemies with defiance bars once per interval.
• Dazzling — Disabling a foe also applies vulnerability. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.
• Furious Interruption — Gain quickness when you interrupt a foe.
• Vicious Expression — You and your illusions deal increased strike damage to foes without boons. Disabling a foe removes boons from them. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.
• Power Block — Interrupts deal damage and inflict weakness while granting you a damage increase. This trait can only damage enemies with defiance bars once per interval.

Dueling

• Duelist's Discipline — Pistol attacks from you and your illusions have a chance to cause bleeding. Interrupting a foe recharges pistol skills. This trait can only reduce recharge on enemies with defiance bars once per interval.
• Superiority Complex — Your critical hits deal more damage. Critical hit damage against disabled foes, or foes below the health threshold, is further increased. Disabled foes are affected by stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, fear, taunt, or launch.
• Ineptitude — Interrupting a foe inflicts blind, and blinding a foe inflicts confusion. This trait can only activate on enemies with defiance bars once per interval.

Chaos

• Chaotic Interruption — When you interrupt a foe, recharge one of your equipped-weapon skills at random. Only affects weapon skills that are recharging.

Inspiration

• Illusionary Inspiration — Increase healing to other allies. Summoning an illusion heals all allies around you. Virtuoso: Triggers when stocking a blade.

Illusions

• Malicious Sorcery — Confusion you inflict has increased duration. When you dodge an attack, inflict confusion on your attacker.

Troubadour

• Syncopate — Deafening Drum releases an additional quick wave after a delay. Deal damage to enemies you disable.

Notes

Anomaly:

Tooltip missing text saying trait is split per gamemode

Version history

For a detailed trait history, see here.

Patch	Changes
January 13, 2026	Reduced the harp base healing from 2,610 to 1,970 and the healing power scaling from 1.0 to 0.5 in WvW and PvP.
October 28, 2025	Visions of Eternity release: Altered Chord has been added to the game.
August 19, 2025	Altered Chord was available during the Visions of Eternity elite specialization Beta Event.