There never seems to be a day that goes by when there isn’t some sort of drama erupting in a massively multiplayer game. This week, Guild Wars 2 is the lucky candidate. For what should be an exciting time as the first Beta invites begin to roll out for Heart Of Thorns testing, it’s blown up into a huge issue about who has and who hasn’t gained access. Most of the hysteria seems to hinge on a single line of the invites opening text:

"Congratulations! As one of our most loyal players, we value your feedback. We want to invite you to join us on 24 March to stress test Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™* and find out what you think."

The use of the word “most loyal players” has been picked out and instead of reading it in context, with emphasis on the word “one of”, some people have just flown off the handle at the fact they haven’t been picked. One particular quote, which has now been edited, flat out stated “fuck you ArenaNet”, all because said person who had played a ridiculous amount of hours hadn’t been picked. It’s barmy.

Firstly, the Beta test is only for two hours and we don’t yet know what it entails. Secondly, no matter how long you’ve played Guild Wars 2 or how much you think you deserve a place, it’s inevitably up to ArenaNet and whatever criteria they’ve set. With over 4 million copies sold of the game, the likelihood of everyone playing the Beta is slim at this point. There’s really no need to bring such a hard-done-to attitude when the intention is to simply test the game so it's bug free.

Full instructions from the Beta invite are below:

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.