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== Update - Thursday, January 5, 2012 ==

=== Skill Balance ===
For more information on these changes, please see the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180131001531/http://gw1101.gtm.guildwars.com/gameplay/developer_updates/january_2012_skill_balances.php Developer Updates] page.

=== Hard Mode ===
* Reduced the [[armor level]] for [[Hard Mode]] [[Foe|enemies]].
* Raised the maximum [[Health]] of Hard Mode enemies.

=== Exhaustion ===
* The amount of [[Exhaustion]] caused by a skill is now represented numerically next to a gray dot with a downward arrow.

=== Skills ===

==== Elementalist ====

* {{skill icon|Armor of Frost}}: reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You have +1 Water Magic." Removed "Ends if you use Fire Magic."
* {{skill icon|Blinding Surge}}: added the following functionality: "This spell has 25% armor penetration. If this spell strikes an attacking foe, all adjacent foes are also struck and this spell deals 50% more damage."
* {{skill icon|Celestial Storm}}: improved description.
* {{skill icon|Chain Lightning}}: now always causes 5 Exhaustion instead of conditionally causing 10 Exhaustion.
* {{skill icon|Churning Earth}}: reduced casting time to 2 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Double Dragon}}: increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; increased recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "Invoke the power of the Dragon. For 8 seconds, you and target ally are enchanted with Double Dragon. Adjacent foes are dealt 5...30 fire damage each second. Additionally, when you or your ally use skills that target a foe, that foe is set on fire for 0...3 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Elemental Attunement}}: rescaled duration to 25...60 seconds; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You are attuned to Air, Fire, Water, and Earth and gain +1...2 to these attributes."
* {{skill icon|Energy Blast}}: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Energy Boon}}: changed skill type to enchantment spell; increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 36...60 seconds, Energy Boon raises the maximum Health of you and target ally by 1...3 for each point of your respective maximum Energy. When this enchantment is first applied, you and your target gain 1...12 Energy. You gain an additional 1 Energy for every 2 points you have in Energy Storage."
* {{skill icon|Ether Prodigy}}: increased duration to 8...20 seconds; reduced damage per point of Energy to 2.
* {{skill icon|Fireball}}: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Freezing Gust}}: increased recharge to 8 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Glimmering Mark}}: added the following functionality: "For 10 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to your target take 5...25 damage each second. Foes using attack skills are Blinded for 3 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Glyph of Energy}}: increased recharge to 25 seconds; now affects your next 1...3 spells; reduced Energy savings to 10...25; added the following functionality: "Your elemental attributes are increased by 1...2."
* {{skill icon|Gust}}: changed functionality to: "For 5...11 seconds, both you and target ally move 33% faster. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15...70 cold damage. Foes struck by Gust while attacking or moving are knocked down."
* {{skill icon|Ice Prison}}: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
* {{skill icon|Ice Spikes}}: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Invoke Lightning}}: now always causes 5 Exhaustion instead of conditionally causing 10 Exhaustion.
* {{skill icon|Lightning Surge}}: reduced cost to 10 Energy; reduced casting time to 1 second; added the following functionality: "Target foe has Cracked Armor for 5...20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
* {{skill icon|Master of Magic}}: reduced recharge to 10 seconds; changed elemental attribute scaling to 8...14; removed Energy regeneration; removed the following functionality: "This enchantment ends if you use a non-Elementalist skill." Added the following functionality: "Your elemental spells return 30% of their Energy cost."
* {{skill icon|Mind Burn}}: changed functionality to: "Target foe and all adjacent foes take 15...60 fire damage. If you have more Energy than target foe, that foe and all adjacent foes take an additional 15...60 fire damage and are set on fire for 1...8 seconds." {{sic}}
* {{skill icon|Mind Freeze}}: increased damage to 10...60; increased additional damage to 10...60; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1...5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Mind Freeze (PvP)}}: split for PvP; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1...5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Mind Shock}}: reduced Exhaustion to 5.
* {{skill icon|Mind Shock (PvP)}}: split for PvP.
* {{skill icon|Mirror of Ice}}: reduced casting time to 0.75 seconds; reduced Energy cost to 10; reduced recharge to 12; changed functionality to: "Shatter a Mirror of Ice. All foes near you and target ally take 15...70 cold damage and move 66% slower for 2...6 seconds. If you strike a foe hexed with Water Magic, Mirror of Ice recharges 50% faster.
* {{skill icon|Mist Form}}: reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10...45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50...250% of the Energy cost of the spell."
* {{skill icon|Mist Form (PvP)}}: split for PvP; reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10...45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50...250% of the Energy cost of the spell. This spell does not heal allies above 80% Health."
* {{skill icon|Obsidian Flame}}: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Ride the Lightning}}: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10...70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1...5 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Ride the Lightning (PvP)}}: split for PvP; increased cost to 15 Energy; increased recharge to 10 seconds; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10...70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1...5 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Sandstorm}}: reduced recharge to 25 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Second Wind}}: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced Exhaustion to 5; changed functionality to: "You gain 1 Energy and 5 Health for each point of Energy restricted by Exhaustion. You lose all enchantments."
* {{skill icon|Shatterstone}}: reduced cost to 10 Energy; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 25...100 cold damage and is hexed with Shatterstone for 3 seconds. When Shatterstone ends, that foe and all nearby foes are struck for 25...100 cold damage."
* {{skill icon|Shockwave}}: changed functionality to: "All foes in the area take 15...60 earth damage and are Weakened for 1...10 seconds. Nearby foes also take +15...60 earth damage and have Cracked Armor for 1...10 seconds. Adjacent foes suffer the previous effects, take +15...60 earth damage, and are Blinded for 1...10 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Star Burst}}: reduced recharge to 7 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target touched foe and all foes in the area are struck for 7...112 fire damage and set on fire for 1...4 seconds. For each foe you hit, gain 2 Energy."
* {{skill icon|Stone Sheath}}: reduced recharge to 12 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 5...20 seconds, you and target ally have +1...35 armor and are immune to critical hits. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15...70 earth damage and are Weakened for 5...20 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Teinai's Prison}}: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
* {{skill icon|Thunderclap}}: reduced recharge to 8 seconds; reduced damage to 10...50; added 25% armor penetration; changed functionality to: "Create a massive shockwave at target foe's location. Deals 10...50 lightning damage to target and all adjacent foes. Struck foes are interrupted and suffer from Cracked Armor and Weakness for 5...20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
* {{skill icon|Unsteady Ground}}: reduced recharge to 15 seconds.
* {{skill icon|Ward Against Harm}}: changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5...15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1...3 Health regeneration, +12...24 armor, and an additional +12...24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 20 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Ward Against Harm (PvP)}}: split for PvP; increased recharge to 30 seconds; changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5...15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1...3 Health regeneration, +12...24 armor, and an additional +12...24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 30 seconds."
* {{skill icon|Water Trident}}: changed functionality to: "Send out a fast-moving Water Trident, striking target foe and up to 2 adjacent foes for 10...90 cold damage if it hits. If it hits a moving foe, that foe is knocked down."

==== Mesmer ====
* {{skill icon|Mistrust}}: reduced damage to 10...100.
* {{skill icon|Mistrust (PvP)}}: reduced damage to 10...75; reduced recharge to 12 seconds.

==== Ritualist ====
* [[File:Ancestors' Rage.jpg|25px]] [[Ancestors' Rage|Ancestor's Rage]]: {{sic}} lightning damage from this skill no longer ignores armor.
* [[File:Ancestors' Rage (PvP).jpg|25px]] [[Ancestors' Rage (PvP)|Ancestor's Rage (PvP)]]: {{sic}} increased damage to 1...41; lightning damage from this skill no longer ignores armor.
* [[File:Cruel Was Daoshen.jpg|25px]] [[Cruel Was Daoshen|Cruel was Daoshen]]: {{sic}} reduced damage to 15...85.
* {{skill icon|Destructive was Glaive}}: {{sic}} reduced damage to 15...85.
* [[File:Destructive Was Glaive (PvP).jpg|25px]] [[Destructive Was Glaive (PvP)|Destructive was Glaive (PvP)]]: {{sic}} reduced damage to 15...85.
* {{skill icon|Signet of Spirits}}: reduced spirit damage to 5...20.
* {{skill icon|Spirit Rift}}: reduced damage to 25...125.

=== Automated Tournaments ===
* Updated the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy {{sic}} in the [[Great Temple of Balthazar]].
* Updated the [[Automated Tournament]] map rotation.

=== Guild Wars Wiki notes ===
* The gray dot that represents the amount of Exhaustion caused by a skill does not contain a downward arrow.
* The descriptions of [[Arcane Languor]], [[Aspect of Exhaustion]], [[Crystal Haze]], [[Exhausting Assault]], and [[Sheer Exhaustion]] were changed to note they cause 10 Exhaustion.
** The skill description and functionality of [[Equinox]] was changed to add 10 Exhaustion whenever a spell that causes Exhaustion is used, instead of doubling the amount of Exhaustion.
* Despite stating that Blinding Surge and Thunderclap had 25% armor penetration added to their functionality, those skills already had 25% armor penetration prior this update.
* Does not mention Mind Burn having its Exhaustion reduced to 5. Also incorrectly states Mind Burn's burning duration as 1...8 seconds when it is actually 1...10 seconds.
* The [[2011 Automated Tournament Series Trophy]] was actually updated, not the 2012 Automated Tournament Series Trophy.
* Fixed a bug that allowed 14-member parties in certain PvE areas. <small>([https://forum.guildwars.com/forum/forums/gamebugs/14-players-still-possible Source.])</small>
<noinclude>[[Category:January 2012 updates]][[Category:Balance updates]][[Category:Game mechanic updates]]</noinclude>

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gww>Emily Malkieri: archive link