Game updates/2025-12-09

December 9, 2025

Previous

November 25, 2025

Next

December 10, 2025

Update - December 9, 2025

Note to users of third-party programs: The game may not launch or work properly after we release a new build if you use a third-party program, due to possible incompatibilities. ArenaNet cannot offer support if a third-party modification breaks, interferes with, or prevents you from playing Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2. Our policy regarding third-party programs can be found here.

Wintersday

Come join us in celebrating Wintersday—Toymaker Tixx has made his annual visit to Divinity's Reach to spread seasonal cheer and festivity! Bring the magic of Wintersday to the distant north in the Secret Lair of the Snowmen Strike Mission, complete daily achievements to earn fanciful holiday weapons, save Wintersday for the orphans spread around Divinity's Reach by giving them wrapped gifts, test your snow-throwing skills against other players in Snowball Mayhem, experience the joy of jumping in Winter Wonderland, defend against waves of toys in Toypocalypse, and help keep Tixx's airship, the Infinirarium, in order! You will also see Wintersday gifts appearing all around Tyria.

• The (Annual) Wintersday Traditions meta-achievement has been updated with a new armor reward, the Winter Snow Goggles. Last year's meta-achievement reward, the Winter Mittens, can now be purchased from festival rewards vendors.
• The new Sugardrift weapon set is now available, reprised from the classic Snowdrift weapon set of Wintersdays past. You'll receive your choice of a weapon by progressing the (Annual) Wintersday Traditions meta-achievement or the (Weekly) Wintersday Festivities achievement.
• The Plush weapon set is now available from the weekly Wintersday vendors.
• The Plush Jorms Backpack is now available from Wintersday vendors.
• A new Mini Plush Tiger is now available from Wintersday vendors.
• Deft Lahar is visiting Divinity's Reach for the festival and offers a variety of homestead-tailored recipes for your favorite Wintersday decorations.
• New winter-themed guild decorations have been added:
  • Gift Levitator
  • Light-Blue Wintersday Gift
  • Gift Barrel
  • Jorms Plush
• The Wizard's Vault has been updated with special objectives for participating in Wintersday activities.
• Increased the minimum number of snowflakes received when opening a Jolly Wintersday Gift.
• Fixed an issue that could reduce the daily limit of other gift purchases when purchasing Personalized Wintersday Gifts from the guild trader.
• Increased the healing effect for players using the central toy machine in Toypocalypse.
• Increased Toxx's health pool during the final Toypocalypse battle.
• A number of festival-related issues have been fixed to ensure a happy holiday for all heroes.

To give festivalgoers ample time to enjoy the holiday, Wintersday will be active until January 6 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-8). See you in Divinity's Reach!

General

• Fixed party UI issues that caused elements to visually overlap and obscure each other.
• Fixed an issue that caused animation stuttering for several UI elements.
• While in a squad, the commander's icon will now appear on the party menu button.
• While in a squad, the subgroup number will now be displayed when the View as Grid option is turned off.

Open World

General

• Fixed an issue that prevented ethereal key charges from being applied when the Lingering Magic Mastery tier was unlocked.
• Added missing merchants and anvils to Castora.
• The Missing Decorations list window can now be moved.
• Clarified account and character-limited vendor purchase warnings.
• The Cats-tora instance can now be accessed by multiple players in a party.

Items

• Updated item icons for the Emergent Metamorphosis collection.
• Updated the reward name for completing the Castora Fisher collection.
• Updated  Relic of Mercy to only affect players in WvW.

Personal Story

• Fixed an issue in the Unscheduled Departures: Rata Sum Port Authority story chapter that caused the lab console usable by asura, engineer, or Iron Legion players to remain on and interactive after the objective was complete if it was not chosen as the distraction method.

Profession Skills

We've seen a lot of positive feedback about the new elite specializations after the changes we made between the beta event and expansion launch, but it's clear that many of them are a bit more powerful than intended. This update is focused on reducing the effectiveness of the overperforming specializations while we work on the next regular balance update for early next year.

General

• Ground-targeted skills can no longer be cast using the Snap Ground Target to Current Target option if their targets are offscreen or behind an obstacle that hides them from the camera.
•  Relic of Castora: Reduced the healing increase from 25% to 20% in WvW and PvP.

Elementalist

Evoker

•  Fiery Might: This trait no longer increases burning damage.
•  Familiar's Prowess: Reduced the condition damage bonus from 7% to 5% in PvE only. Reduced the strike damage bonus from 7% to 5% in PvE only.
•  Familiar's Focus: Reduced the condition damage bonus from 20% to 15% in PvE only. Reduced the strike damage bonus from 20% to 15% in PvE only.
•  Ignite: Consecutive strikes from this skill now increase the burning duration instead of the number of stacks.
•  Conflagration: Reduced the burning duration from 6 seconds to 4.5 seconds in PvE only.
•  Sunspot: This trait now has a 5-second cooldown when specialized in fire attunement.
•  Flame Expulsion: This trait now has a 5-second cooldown when specialized in fire attunement.
•  Specialized Elements: Adjusted the basic skill recharge reduction from 2 seconds to 10% of the skill's recharge time. Adjusted the empowered skill recharge reduction from 6 seconds to 20% of the skill's recharge time.
•  Electric Enchantment: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.55 to 0.4 in PvE only.
•  Zap: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.3257 to 0.261 in PvE only. Reduced the bonus critical damage against marked enemies from 4% to 3% in PvE only.
•  Lightning Blitz: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.152 to 0.122 in PvE only.
•  Familiar's Blessing: In PvP and WvW, fire now grants might instead of quickness and air now grants fury instead of quickness.

Engineer

Amalgam

•  Mercurial Tendencies: Increased the cooldown reduction from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds in PvE only.
•  Carbolic Composition: Reduced the poison duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
•  Willing Host: Reduced the strike damage increase from 15% to 5% and removed the condition damage increase in PvE only.
•  Symbiotic Synergy: Increased the morph damage increase from 10% to 33% in PvE only.
•  New Genes: Increased the might stacks from 3 to 4 and the might duration from 6 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only. Increased the Offensive Protocol: Obliterate might duration from 6 seconds to 12 seconds in PvE only.
•  Double Helix: Increased the attribute bonus increase from 50% to 100% in PvE only.
•  Offensive Protocol: Shred: Reduced the power coefficient per hit from 1.065 to 0.9585 in PvE only.
•  Offensive Protocol: Obliterate: Reduced the power coefficient from 3.2 to 2.88 in PvE only.
•  Offensive Protocol: Pierce: Reduced the power coefficient from 3.2 to 2.88 in PvE only.
•  Offensive Protocol: Demolish: Reduced the spin power coefficient per hit from 1.0 to 0.9 and the smash power coefficient from 2.5 to 2.25 in PvE only.
•  Defensive Protocol: Thorns: Reduced the initial power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.0 and the thorns' power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5 in PvE only.
•  Gaseous State: Fixed an issue that prevented this skill from properly removing movement-impairing conditions when applied by different sources.

Guardian

Luminary

• Fixed an issue that caused luminary weapons to use the incorrect weapon strength in PvE and WvW. This results in a damage increase of about 64% to all forge skills in those modes.
•  Radiant Justice: A warning area is now displayed to enemies only. Increased the explosion power coefficient from 0.91 to 1.05 in PvP and WvW.
•  Dazzling Hammer: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.5 to 1.5 in PvE only. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.91 to 0.75 in PvP and WvW.
•  Shining Spin: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.25 to 1.55 in PvE only. Reduced the power coefficient from 1.25 to 1.05 in PvP and WvW.
•  Gleaming Blade: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.0 to 1.8 in PvE only.
•  Radiant Armaments: Reduced the radiant hammer strike damage bonus from 10% to 7% in PvE only.
•  Sovereign of Light: Reduced the power coefficient from 2.2 to 1.7 in PvE only.
•  Resolute Stance: Reduced the initial ally healing from 6,550 to 3,350.
•  Illuminating Inspiration: Reduced the recharge reduction from 4 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW and PvP.

Mesmer

Troubadour

•  Tale of the Second Scion: Increased the cooldown from 15 seconds to 20 seconds in WvW and PvP.
•  Harmonious Harp: Increased the cooldown from 30 seconds to 35 seconds in WvW and PvP.

Necromancer

Ritualist

•  Spirit's Strength: Fixed an issue that prevented this trait from affecting spirit skills other than their autoattacks.
•  Essence Blast: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.05 to 0.75 in PvE only.
•  Splinter Weapon: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5 in PvE only. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.35 in WvW only.
•  Innervate Anguish: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.8 to 1.3 in PvE only.
•  Explosive Growth: This trait no longer grants a bonus to outgoing strike damage.
•  Lingering Spirits: Reduced the strike damage bonus from 15% to 7% in PvE only.
•  Empowering Spirits: This trait now grants vigor instead of quickness in PvP and WvW.
•  Anguish: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.08 to 0.066 in PvP and WvW.
•  Wanderlust: Reduced the power coefficient from 0.09 to 0.075 in PvP and WvW.
•  Ritualist's Shroud: Increased the life-force drain rate from 3% to 5% in WvW only.

Ranger

Galeshot

•  Bird of Prey: Reduced the damage increase from 10% to 5% in PvE only.
•  Hawkeye: Reduced the power coefficient per hit from 1.6 to 1.36 in PvE only.
•  Bluster: Reduced the power coefficient per hit from 0.8 to 0.64 in PvE only.
•  Fleeting Zephyr: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.5 to 0.8 in PvE only.
•  Quarry's Peril: Reduced[sic] the power coefficient from 2.0 to 2.5 in PvE only.

Revenant

Conduit

•  Release Potential: Assassin: Increased the power coefficient from 1.1 to 1.3 in PvE only.
•  Release Potential: Mesmer: Reduced the torment duration from 8 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only. Reduced the torment count from 5 to 4 in PvE only. Decreased the torment duration increase per affinity from 15% to 10% in all modes.
•  Hex-Eater Vortex: Reduced the torment duration from 8 seconds to 5 seconds in PvE only.
•  Twin Moon Sweep: Increased the power coefficient from 2.0 to 2.5 in PvE only. Reduced the energy cost from 30 to 25.
•  Bolstered Bonds: Reduced the specific attribute increase from 150 to 75 and the all-attribute increase from 75 to 50 in WvW and PvP.
•  Form of the Mesmer:
  •  Pain Absorption: Increased the energy cost from 10 to 20 in WvW and PvP.
  •  Banish Enchantment: Increased the energy cost from 10 to 15 in WvW and from 5 to 15 in PvP.
  •  Call to Anguish: Increased the energy cost from 10 to 20 in WvW and PvP.
•  Form of the Warrior: Increased the internal cooldown from 0.25 seconds to 0.5 seconds in WvW and PvP.
•  Form of the Dervish: Increased the power coefficient from 0.3 to 0.525 in WvW and PvP.
•  Mistfire: This trait now burns enemies instead of dazing them when Cosmic Wisdom is activated. Reduced the burning duration from 5 seconds to 4 seconds in WvW and PvP.
•  Enhanced Embodiment: Increased the recharge reduction from 20% to 30% in WvW and PvP.
•  Release Potential: Dervish: Increased the casting time by 0.3 seconds.

Thief

Antiquary

•  Forged Surfer Dash: Increased the radius of the bombs from 80 to 120. Fixed an issue that caused the burning count and duration of the bombs dropped by this skill's beneficial effect to differ from those dropped when the skill is activated.
•  Mistburn Mortar: Reduced the burning duration caused by the trait-enhanced version of this skill from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds in all game modes. Reduced the burning duration from this skill's beneficial effect from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
•  Stone Summit Cannon: Reduced the burning duration on regular strikes from 5 seconds to 4 seconds in PvE only. Reduced the burning duration on backfire strikes from 8 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only.
•  Combat High: Reduced the outgoing strike damage and condition damage bonus from 3% per stack to 2% per stack in PvE only.
•  Possessive Hoarder: Defensive artifacts now grant alacrity instead of regeneration in PvE only.

Warrior

•  Valiant Leap: Reduced the might duration from 8 seconds to 6 seconds in WvW only. Reduced the fury duration from 4 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW only.
•  Line Breaker: Reduced the aegis duration from 4 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW only. Reduced the protection duration from 4 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW only.
•  Banner of Tactics: Increased the cooldown from 30 seconds to 45 seconds in WvW only.

Paragon

•  "On Your Knees!": Increased the power coefficient from 0.8 to 1.5 in PvE only.
•  "Find Their Weakness!": Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 2.0 in PvE only.
•  "Never Surrender!": Increased the recharge time from 20 seconds to 25 seconds in WvW only.
•  "Brace Yourselves!": Reduced the protection duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only.
•  Brisk Pacing: The damage and condition damage increase has been changed from 7.5%/15%/25% to 10%/20%/30% in PvE only.
•  Chant of Action: Reduced the might stacks on initial activation from 3 to 2 in WvW only. Reduced the fury duration on initial activation and the second and third levels of refrain from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only.
•  Chant of Freedom: Decreased the resolution duration granted by the second and third levels of refrain from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only. Decreased the protection duration granted by the third level of refrain from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW only.
•  Inspiring Implements: This trait now grants adrenaline as well as motivation while swapping weapons and grants additional adrenaline when no refrains are active.

Guild Wars 2 Wiki Notes

• Build: 191,645
•  Pelt: Increased the power coefficient from 2.0 to 2.5 in PvE only.
• The Snowdrift Spear was added as a possible drop from Jolly Wintersday Gifts.
• Relics no longer provide their effects inside of Winter Wonderland instances.