Guild Wars 2

So when a LS pops or some other future updates such as an XPAC why is there no public test servers? Or is there? I thought there was for HoT but don’t remember.

HoT had a beta test server as did pre-launch GW2. Living World doesn’t nor would you expect one to exist for small DLC updates like those. They do have a testing pool though which I think is in house.

They have in-house testers, scripted testing, and a bunch of volunteers (bound by NDA) who do playtesting.

The main reason many studios don’t have a public test server: it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Unsurprisingly, when provided with early access to new content, many fans simply …zoom through the content. Which means the most enthusiastic among us will be ready for something new by the time the rest of us get to play; that’s bad for the community overall. And while some bugs will get discovered, many of them won’t be.

All of that might be worth doing, if it weren’t so much of a headache to manage.

That’s why GW2 Original only did a small number of public BETA tests, under very limited and controlled circumstances. HoT BETA was similarly restricted.

Appreciate the responses. I remembered after the post (with my son refreshing my memory) I did try HoT beta because of the Necro and Ranger skills I want to test but other than that I didn’t want to do the content twice and like the exploration aspect when it’s released. Probably will do again for just that reason.

They have a test server. Its called WvW. Its where they test everything for months and months, such as PvE balance in a PvP enviroment. Currently at least 70% of the players are doing in depth testing on Deathly Chill and its going great!