Guild Wars 2

What about only being a subscriber? Do we still got a small chance? I gave up on trying to drop a beta portal, I’m levelling an alt now, so I’m hoping I at least have a chance for having signed up for the newsletter.

An improvement to this newsletter system is to send a confirmation email to the ppl who subscribed indicating that it worked. The lack of a confirmation email can create confusion. Ppl simply don’t know if newsletter registration worked or not.

Second idea for the newsletter registration thing would be an online checker, if you don’t want to mass send verification emails.

Do a checkup if someone tries to register again, because he is not sure it worked the first time, make a message like “You are already registered for the newsletter! Thank you!”..this way everyone can check his registration status by visiting the website, without you having to send mass mails and risk it ending up in spam.

You can check if you’re subscribed by trying to sign up again. If you’re subscribed, it’ll simply say thanks. If you’re not however, it’ll say that a confirmation email has been sent, which you’ll need to confirm to actually receive the newsletter.

@Helix for me it never worked like that. If i type in 10 times my email it just says “Thank you for bla bla”..each time. Never indicates if it worked or not. No confirmation email etc.

Or are you saying it as an advice?

Are you saying that getting a portal drop only gets me a “Chance” at the next beta? Because if that’s the case I’m going to cry, seeing as I spent 30 hours trying to get that portal and finally got it.

Just a thought-
Maybe add a pull from (slightly) inactive accounts. Try to get people who have wandered away to come back and play a taste of why they should come back. Players who have been away from the game aren’t always indicative of lack of skill or whatnot (I’m not sure the scope of your testing hopes).

Personally I am not looking to get into the Beta. I chose to play after Launch even when I do get Beta Keys (much to the dismay and ire of those who did not get a Key) because I feel I am not the best to test for breaking points, and I myself get stressed easily when game issues are broken for long amounts of time. I know myself, and know I am not a Good Beta Tester.
Also, if you are looking to do certain “time-frame” testing, like on certain weekends you’ll be doing stress testing, etc- I would highly encourage you to find the “worst” ahem troublemakers you have not yet banned from your servers for “Special Invites” on your terms. Nothing works better to find exploits than the best exploiters you have that haven’t yet been banned. You can tell them to have have free reign and abuse your system to their fullest.
I remember the Moa Racing Incident… That would’ve been much less hectic had it been handed to your worst offenders first.

“Anyone who finds a Portal to Maguuma’s Heart will have access. A certain number of testers will be selected from the newsletter subscriber list. "

How did you understand that Lily?

Ppl who got the item WILL have access. Besides the ppl who got the item, they will also select a few ppl that haven’t found it but are subscribed to the newsletter. At least that’s what the text says.

Any likelihood of upping the chance at a portal drop? I have been farming every day since they started and haven’t gotten one. I have seen less than a dozen pinged in map chat during that time. I have already noticed the population in the maps going down as people give up. It is very discouraging.

Didn’t it end yesterday?

Rebound.3409:

@Helix for me it never worked like that. If i type in 10 times my email it just says “Thank you for bla bla”..each time. Never indicates if it worked or not. No confirmation email etc.

If you were originally signed up for the GW2 newsletter, the HoT newsletter is the same thing. Some people have reported however that they had never been signed up before and received the newsletter without ever receiving a confirmation. Personally however, I’ve always received one.

Here’s some screenshots as an example (signing up, confirmation email, trying again):

Why is it even possible to have more than 1 beta portal stone drop?
When I see people with two or more, i feel like crying.
Was it not possible to code it so it could only drop once per account?

@Healix i get the last picture you added…so that means it worked? Maybe i signed up before the game even released and i completely forgot.

It should clearly state “You have already registered” not “Thank you for signing up”. Anyone in his right mind would understand that he wasn’t previously signed up if he gets that message. All i understand when reading “Thank you for signing up” is … “wait..wasn’t i signed up before? why are you tanking me again?”…..on top of that the title “Welcome to the GW2 newsletter!”…again… “wasn’t i in before? why are you welcoming me again?”

Bad wording..no wonder many ppl are confused about being registered in the newsletter thing.

Invictus, since the HoT announcement there have been three general emails plus the stress test invite email; they come from guildwars2@ncsoft.com . Also there was a “hey we announced HoT” email on Jan 24 but you might not yet have done your sign up so I’m leaving that out.

3-5-15 See Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns at PAX East, Rezzed, and on Twitch this week!
4-9-15 Stronghold PvP Public Beta: Play Stronghold April 14!
4-28-15 Starting Today: Claim Your Spot in the Next Heart of Thorns Closed Beta

That’s all the “newsletter” is, just those announcement emails. If you got those, you’re subscribed. If not, you may want to add the above address to your “never spam” permissions.

DBZVelena.5186:

Why is it even possible to have more than 1 beta portal stone drop?
When I see people with two or more, i feel like crying.
Was it not possible to code it so it could only drop once per account?

Well it doesn’t affect anyone. There’s no shortage of portals, it’s not like if someone gets 2 portals they deny the second one from someone else.

Rebound.3409:

“Anyone who finds a Portal to Maguuma’s Heart will have access. A certain number of testers will be selected from the newsletter subscriber list. "

How did you understand that Lily?

Ppl who got the item WILL have access. Besides the ppl who got the item, they will also select a few ppl that haven’t found it but are subscribed to the newsletter. At least that’s what the text says.

its ordered weird to me. In my opinion, it should be ordered the opposite way. It looks a bit confusion to me now. doing it like that. It just looks confusion to me. But thanks for clearing it up.

Rebound.3409:

@Healix i get the last picture you added…so that means it worked? Maybe i signed up before the game even released and i completely forgot.

The last image is what you would see if you’re successfully registered. You should be receiving the newsletter if you see this.

The first image is what you would see if you’re not fully registered. Even if you’ve signed up, you’ll continue to see this until you’ve clicked the confirmation link in the email.

There does seem to be something wrong with how they send out the newsletters however. I’ve been signed up since 2011 for example and stopped receiving them shortly after. Once in a while, I would start receiving them again for a few weeks, about once a year. I just recently started receiving it again and also signed up on various other accounts just to track it.

I wish we could buy the portal for 10 000 bandit crests. I’m so sad after grinding it for 8 days and not dropping it.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Lily.1935:

Are you saying that getting a portal drop only gets me a “Chance” at the next beta? Because if that’s the case I’m going to cry, seeing as I spent 30 hours trying to get that portal and finally got it.

Oh gosh, Lily — I’m so sorry if you were concerned about that! Let’s be clear — I think the verbiage was clear, but again: If you get a Portal to Maguuma’s Heart you are guaranteed access to the beta test!

Thank you for asking about this. There are two chances to get in the beta, but the portal is a sure thing!

Thank you very much for clearing that up for me.

Rebound.3409:

An improvement to this newsletter system is to send a confirmation email to the ppl who subscribed indicating that it worked. The lack of a confirmation email can create confusion. Ppl simply don’t know if newsletter registration worked or not.

yea man, i registered 5 times because there is no confirmation email sent to my email…

I think people need to relax about this portal selection process. This will not be the only beta coming in the future. There will be many. There will be stress tests, pvp betas and even public betas that everyone can log into and get to play. This one test is being done with an in-game selection process that I bet ANet thought would be fun.

Hear me: The intention was to be fun. They mean well…so at least give them that. Why anyone is grinding 30+ hours for this beta event is beyond me but if you grind for hours and hours and don’t get one you don’t really have anyone to be upset with accept yourself. You choose to do this. ANet planned this to get a random sample of active players. They didn’t need 10s of 1000s of players, so they did it this way. They will get the numbers they need…which for this test might be quite small.

Do people not remember that they are selecting people for testing? Not access to play fun stuff…you aren’t Charlie Bucket getting a peek inside Wonka’s factory…you are helping them make a better game.

Those selected should take it seriously and those that don’t get in should grow up a bit and just be patient. HoT will be out when it’s ready and other beta tests will come along.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Rebound.3409:

An improvement to this newsletter system is to send a confirmation email to the ppl who subscribed indicating that it worked. The lack of a confirmation email can create confusion. Ppl simply don’t know if newsletter registration worked or not.

I will pass that along.

I have to agree. I signed up for the letter, but I’m not sure if it was successful. A confirmation email would have been a great thing to help settle things.

I… guess I’m subscribed. I thought some emails I got were regular gw2 emails and not hot, but looking at them again, and at the info here, seems like I am subscribed.

I was concerned because the first time I tried, when the HoT site went live I kept on trying and trying to subscribe and it wouldnt let me, never got an email, then I missed the chance at the first beta (though I realize my odds were extremely low, having that issue dropped it from very low to impossible, through no fault of my own).

Then trying again, I didn’t get a confirmation… but just noticed that later on I DID get some emails, so…. I almost felt like I was stealth added or something.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Lily.1935:

Are you saying that getting a portal drop only gets me a “Chance” at the next beta? Because if that’s the case I’m going to cry, seeing as I spent 30 hours trying to get that portal and finally got it.

Oh gosh, Lily — I’m so sorry if you were concerned about that! Let’s be clear — I think the verbiage was clear, but again: If you get a Portal to Maguuma’s Heart you are guaranteed access to the beta test!

Thank you for asking about this. There are two chances to get in the beta, but the portal is a sure thing!

Rebound.3409:

Didn’t it end yesterday?

No it did not end yesterday. There were some rumours that the build ended it, but forum posts prove that the portals are still dropping, and that is as intended.

DBZVelena.5186:

Why is it even possible to have more than 1 beta portal stone drop?
When I see people with two or more, i feel like crying.
Was it not possible to code it so it could only drop once per account?

Random is random. Some amount of duplication seems part of the randomness of the drops.

I also spent 30 hours of farming it and I did not get it. What about me? Will I get in? … Other people have multiple copies of it… what about them? Will they get a diploma in Lucky Joes?

tl;dr version of this thread

• Beta portal items are still dropping

• If you got a beta portal, you are guaranteed one-time (at least) closed beta access

• Signing up for the newsletter is only necessary so that you receive info about upcoming closed betas

• Being signed up for newsletter also gives you a chance to win a spot in closed beta as per original announcement. (added due to dietzero’s reply below)

• Lots of player entitlement worries about not getting in; if you didn’t get a portal (like me), you are not in the beta. You will neither be compensated for not being in the beta. You probably earned a lot of gold farming either SW or DT, there’s your reward.

Question, i got 2 portal drops, is there any way to do something with the second one like selling it or gifting it to another player, it is just a waste and i’m not even a pve player.

Dondarrion.2748:

tl;dr version of this thread

• Beta portal items are still dropping

• If you got a beta portal, you are guaranteed one-time (at least) closed beta access

• Signing up for the newsletter is only necessary so that you receive info about upcoming closed betas

• Lots of player entitlement worries about not getting in; if you didn’t get a portal (like me), you are not in the beta. You will neither be compensated for not being in the beta. You probably earned a lot of gold farming either SW or DT, there’s your reward.

Horrible summary that misses the key point about the newsletter AND insults players.

Dondarrion.2748:

• Lots of player entitlement worries about not getting in; if you didn’t get a portal (like me), you are not in the beta. You will neither be compensated for not being in the beta. You probably earned a lot of gold farming either SW or DT, there’s your reward.

Why should players not in the beta be compensated? Players with access to the beta will see for 2 hours (or a bit more) something that everyone will see later. And since there won’t be any NDA, everyone will see the same thing, some will just not play it.

Being equal isn’t being fair. We are all equal on the rate drop of the portal and on the chance to get access from the newsletter.

Okay so I’m not sure whether or not my registration was successful and I am now worrying that I won’t even know when it will be launched since I don’t even get a single email regarding HoT or GW2 in general. I got my portal and signed up for the news letter but still nothing. I’ve checked my spam folder and added the email address itself onto my contact list but still nothing. How can it be solved? Should I rely on checking the website every day?

dietzero.3514:

Dondarrion.2748:

• Signing up for the newsletter is only necessary so that you receive info about upcoming closed betas

Horrible summary that misses the key point about the newsletter AND insults players.

No, it quite aptly captures everything Gaile said and that other players then seemed to miss the point of. The fact that there was a misconception that getting a beta portal drop didn’t guarantee your closed beta spot.

Another point also came up, concerning getting beta access simply from being signed up for the newsletter – and that’s always been the case since that first announcement to enter the draw for closed beta access.

As for the insulting part, it’s only jab at all the players feeling entitled to rewards for no reason… and GW2 seems to have a majority of these players compared to other MMOs…

VergilDeZaniah.3295:

Dondarrion.2748:

You will neither be compensated for not being in the beta.

Why should players not in the beta be compensated?

Exactly, I’m saying the same. I’m just sick of all the entitlement issues with so many of GW2 players on the official forums… it’s like they’ve never played an MMO before and expect to be handed everything on a silver platter without lifting a kittening finger for it.

Gaile Gray.6029:

[…] A certain number of testers will be selected from the newsletter subscriber list.[…]

Oh, so there is an additional chance to get into beta? That’s great to hear. I didn’t get portal, no luck here. I hope this time my account will be recognized as a ‘active player and loyal customer’ being GW1 player from the first show on E3 through betas and now GW2 and I will get access through newsletter registration. :P

Do people who get this item get to test the WvW map?

Svarty.8019:

Do people who get this item get to test the WvW map?

I would doubt it. I think this is for the next closed beta to test the PvE areas. I’m guessing Stronghold and the new WvW maps will be tested as they did with the open beta for Stronghold recently.

Just guessing though.

It’s simple:
Newsletter subscription= chance
Portal drop= guaranteed
Previous beta slots= wiped, you have to either be selected from the subscribers or drop a portal.

I have a small slightly silly question.

I’ve signed up to the newsletter the very first chance I got, but I realized about 3 days ago I signed up with a different email from my Guild Wars 2 account. Although I corrected my mistake now and signed up with my Guild Wars 2’s account email does this mean I have a lower chance to get into future betas? More or less wondering if signing up late has an impact on the people who get chosen.

Useful to know, thanks Gaile.
I’d feedback that blog posts need to be clearer with this sort of info. It is there, but it is ambiguous, it more infers that you need to be part of both. It would saved so much drama on the forums with just a bit of extra proof reading for clarification at the start.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Randulf — this is the supplied information and I will add emphasis for the points that it makes:

Yes! We’ll be expanding the size of the pool of beta testers for future tests. We selected a small number of testers for the first round from our newsletter subscribers. Our next test will use this method as well as the “Portal to the Heart of Maguuma,” an in-game item which has a chance to drop from enemies in Dry Top and the Silverwastes. Players who find this item are guaranteed a spot in the next closed beta test! Signing up for the newsletter is not required to access the beta test if you’ve received one of these items. However, to get beta schedules, instructions on how to access the test, or any other beta-related information, you will still need to sign up for the newsletter. Make sure you sign up using the same e-mail address that you use for your game account.

I don’t see any cause for confusion or any need for change. Can you explain what’s unclear about any of that? It’s a little late to change a published article, but we’d like to know what points might be confusing for future reference.

The line about " our next test will use this method as well as the portal to the heart of the maguuma" can infer requiring both since you use “as well as” instead of “or”

It would have read better as "Our next test *will use this method as a chance to enter the beta, or by obtaining the “Portal to the Heart of Maguuma,”

It isnt meant to be pedantic, although i prob sound it, but these forums are getting worse by the day with clutter and people becoming confused about announcements. Its fab you guys use the front page so much now, the announcements just need to be free of ambiguity.

Ps..off topic, but GW2 was on the BBC yesterday!!!!

Can you give me a lvl 80 toon so I can compete?

Hi everyone I hope that someone can help me and hopefully I’m not being blonde or missed anything
I got a portal to the heart of maguuma and i’m pretty sure I’m signed up with the newsletter as well… can always register again to be 100% sure… BUT my question is, have I missed the access to the beta testing or hasn’t it begun yet also getting the portal does it mean definite access to beta test or a maybe to it?

Hope someone in guild wars land can answer my question

Kez, it hasn’t begun yet and finding a portal guarantees access.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Bovan — I feel sure that all newsletter subscribers, whether they signed up 4 months ago or 4 hours ago, will have an equal change of being selected. This is because the selections will be made, randomly, from the newsletter subscription list at the time of the selecting. Hope that sets your mind at rest!

Definitely, thanks a lot for your reply. Looking forward to the next beta!

When will it be decided which newsletter subscribers will get access to the Beta ?

I had to sign up with another email address as I never got the confirmation email, using my guild wars 2 account email address. Come to think of it, I’ve not had a guild wars 2 email in a long time. Have you guys stopped with the emails about gem store updates etc?