ArenaNetTeam

There's been a lot of discussion about seeing enemy names in WvW. While I certainly understand the reasoning behind the request to see enemy names, we are fairly firm about not showing names of the opposing teams. I think of it this way, in a war people dont introduce themselves before trying to kill each other. When you are fighting in the mists for your world, you are in the middle of a giant war against two opposing forces who want nothing more than to take everything you own and kill you as many times as they possibly can. That guy who just shot you is not Bob the Engineer, he's the enemy.

Not showing enemy names in WvW also helps players that are less pvp-oriented feel less threatened about venturing into the battle because seeing enemies as anonymous 'invaders' creates a sense that opponents won't be able to recognize them and pick on them because of their lack of skill in a fight, so they in turn feel more embolded to go out and fight in the first place. Not showing names also makes it so people can feel as if they can 'hide' in a fight if need be, but still be around to help out. That's a pretty critical part of making WvW feel more inviting for people that would normally never think about playing PvP in any other game.

We've heard "I usually dont PvP, but I love WvW" again and again from people in our beta, so even though showing names might make for a more competitive pvp environment, we'd much rather create a game that is more welcoming for people that don't normally play the more hardcore PvP games. If you want to see enemy names and get to know the community of people you are fighting against, competitive PvP is the place to get that sort of thing in Guild Wars 2. WvW is the place where you fight with your friends and show your might against a faceless never-ending horde of enemies. It's not about taking names, it's about taking back that tower and claiming it for your guild so it can wave your flag right in the enemies face!

Hey folks, please try to keep question as short and simple as possible, I want to answer as many questions as possible and the longer the questions are, the less I can answer. I can only type so fast :)

We will officially enter Closed Beta Testing this Friday. It will be marked with an increase in our pool of testers. To clarify, this phase of testing is still under NDA and is not open to the public.

Based on the feedback we get from our current Closed Beta Testing, we will determine the next phases of our beta program in which we will open beta access to more people.

Please post shorter questions. My time is somewhat limited and shorter questions are easier to pick out and answer.

So how about that mesmer? :)