As a quick service announcement, the first Guild Wars 2: Heart Of Thorns Beta goes live later today. No one yet knows what the Beta will entail and more than anything, it's probably just going to be a stress test. The Revenant will be available and players have been asked to create a human character using one of the new Beta slots that have appeared on peoples accounts. Other than that, players are eligible to stream the test (which I'll be doing over on Ten Ton Hammer's Twitch) and we'll also be able to talk about it afterwards. If you were one of the lucky players to gain access to the Beta (I was - hurrah!) then here's a handy timer so you don't miss it.

The stress test is scheduled for Tuesday, 24 March from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. GMT (12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific) and Wednesday, 25 March from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. GMT (24 March from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pacific).

To participate in this test:

Prior to the start of the test, make sure your Guild Wars 2 software is up-to-date. You don’t need additional software; you’ll be using the same copy of the game to participate in this test that you use to play every day.
When the test starts, log in to your invited account.
Click the Create Beta Character button.
Create a new human character. (All professions will be available, including the new revenant profession.)
Log in with your beta character to be taken to the beta testing area.

Please note that your beta activity—including character development, account-based development, and spent currencies—won’t impact your live Guild Wars 2 account. Your beta progress will be saved for the duration of the stress test, but all beta characters and beta account progress may be deleted at the end of the test period.

The original version of this email referred in error to Thursday, 24 March rather than the correct day: Tuesday, 24 March. We're sorry for any confusion this caused.