Will guilds like Method and Limit get invitations sooner than regular guilds again?

[ryjkur]

Will Blizzard favor top guilds again and show middle finger to majority? I would like to get alpha/beta invitation as well.

[Nehem]

Because they will stream = more hype for bad expansion

P. S.
Cata - bad
Mop - good
Wod - bad
Legion - good
Bfa - bad
Shadowlands - good @.@ hahaha

[owbu]

You are not entitled to get into alpha. Blizzard can't show you a middle finger, because that would imply that you are.

Blizzard will give keys to people who they think will help them make shadowlands less bug ridden or more popular. In the past top guilds have given tons of feedback, while other guilds have given random amounts of feedback. So I assume that the answer to your question is yes.
They also are giving keys to influencers (and many top guild players are streamers with big audiences) because they advertise the game more than your average player.

[VinceVega]

Will Blizzard favor top guilds again and show middle finger to majority? I would like to get alpha/beta invitation as well.

Well they are not just a "top guild".

They and the others are content creators who do huge publicity for the game for free.
Of course they are favored.

Also they have a deeper understanding of the classes than most players, so their input is probably worth more.

[Sweetdeal]

Also Top Guilds tend to have Accounts that are active for years, which is one step faster to Alpha

But you as "normal" guy can also get in easy, just be friend with some Blizz guy, thats not that hard tbh.

[klogaroth]

Regular guilds don't have the time to put in the hours that a Method or a Limit player will on alpha. It makes sense that you would want a tester that's going to spend a lot of time playing around with different content, in order to get eyeballs on that content and collect feedback and find bugs. You don't want exclusively world first raiders in testing, or your feedback will only come from a tiny portion of your playerbase, but considering how few people are involved in world first there's easily room for all of them on the test servers.

[Zephire]

Well they are not just a "top guild".

They and the others are content creators who do huge publicity for the game for free.
Of course they are favored.

Also they have a deeper understanding of the classes than most players, so their input is probably worth more.

Unsure if knowing a class well would make your input worth more than average Joe's. I mean, yes, when it comes to numbers from a balancing perspective but since the wast majority of players do not play at or even close to the level of top end players I'd argue that Joe's feedback is equaly worth. Generally speaking. One feedback type might be more interesting in specific situations. I mean, most of Blizzard's customers are playing like Joe and it's very important to know what Joe think if you want to make something he want to buy.

That also implies that all feedback is good and not just "this sux, plz fix!". Joe got nothing on the publicity part though.

OT:
Alpha is for those who they know will leave constructive feedback. Top guilds, among others, do that so yeah, they'll be the first. We'll get our chance in beta.

[yomammyass]

From blue post -

"This first batch of invitations will mainly go out to long-time WoW players with active accounts in good standing, as well as Blizzard friends and family, along with a limited number of content creators and journalists. This initial wave represents only a small fraction of the pool of testers that will ultimately gain access to the test in the coming months—if you’re interested in helping make Shadowlands better, sign up using the Beta Opt-In link on the Shadowlands home page. Later on, as we engage in focused PvP and raid testing, we’ll also do some targeted invite waves that prioritize players with extensive experience or expertise in those parts of the game. "

[Rucati]

I seriously hope Limit and Method get invites first, they're the ones Blizzard should be listening to. Why should I get an invite? I'm a casual heroic raider and Duelist arena player, do I really know what's best for the game and how things should be changed at a high level? Of course not. Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to check out the alpha/beta and see how it is, but I'm not in a position to give any type of useful feedback to Blizzard and odds are neither are you. On the other hand a guild that raids 10 hours a day for a week or longer every time a new raid comes out that's constantly pushing high m+ keys can absolutely give useful feedback that could actually positively impact the future of the game.

So yeah, Blizzard should be inviting Limit and Method (along with top arena players) to the alpha first so they can get useful feedback and maybe improve the game.

[babyback]

Also Top Guilds tend to have Accounts that are active for years, which is one step faster to Alpha

But you as "normal" guy can also get in easy, just be friend with some Blizz guy, thats not that hard tbh.

How old you account is has nothing to do with beta invites.

I’ve played since February 2005 and the only beta I was invited to early was WoD and the Hearthstone beta. The first beta I participated in was MoP due to the pre order thingie. Otherwise I never or get invited very late.

[Andonais]

Top guilds will abuse and break the game casuals won't

[Lahis]

Blizz will send out targeted invites to people who they know can give good feedback on the game, and stress the game and class design.

The top guilds are such people, therefore they will get those targeted invites. Random players are on the mercy of the lottery.

[psyquest]

Will Blizzard favor top guilds again and show middle finger to majority? I would like to get alpha/beta invitation as well.

Yes because top guilds and top players are more capable of giving feedback on core systems of the game and raise flags when things like balance and mechanics are out of whack.

Also players with old accounts in good standing and friend and family of staff get access.

What if you are not in any of the above groups makes you a priority for access? What can you bring that those people do not already bring?

- - - Updated - - -

How old you account is has nothing to do with beta invites.

I’ve played since February 2005 and the only beta I was invited to early was WoD and the Hearthstone beta. The first beta I participated in was MoP due to the pre order thingie. Otherwise I never or get invited very late.

unlucky?

I have an account since vanilla day one, never lapsed. I get invited to all alpha/betas eventually.

[exochaft]

Regular guilds don't have the time to put in the hours that a Method or a Limit player will on alpha. It makes sense that you would want a tester that's going to spend a lot of time playing around with different content, in order to get eyeballs on that content and collect feedback and find bugs. You don't want exclusively world first raiders in testing, or your feedback will only come from a tiny portion of your playerbase, but considering how few people are involved in world first there's easily room for all of them on the test servers.

You honestly need many different perspectives for a more comprehensive test. There is a tendency that the more specialized or focused one becomes on a certain aspect of the game, the more you tend to lose perspective in other areas. Simply stated, experts tend to be blinded by their expertise or lose their ability to accurately comprehend what the average person wants/needs/understands/expects. What a super cutting edge raider desires or perceives may be vastly different than, for example, what me or my family desires or perceives in WoW.

When I've done alpha/beta/PTR testing, I actually bring in my wife occasionally and ask her opinions on stuff or to watch certain aspects... because even I'll suffer from being biased from my various areas of expertise in WoW. What I may think is logical and workable may suddenly be a bit obtuse or have inherent flaws that my wife will see (and vice versa). Heck, sometimes my kid will say "Hey dad, what if you did X or tried Y?", and it may be something I didn't even think of. I think of my family as a good place to toss around ideas or question aspects of the game, as everyone has a different preference/opinion.

Also, keep in mind, even if high end cutting edge raiders do have opinions, doesn't mean they're good opinions either. There's been cases in WoW's history where they listened to such suggestions and they resulted in some systems/outcomes that the majority of players disliked or hated. Blizz used to (and still may) hire or consult guilds for various testing and design aspects, and while people may posture and say Blizz never listens... well sometimes they do listen to the player "experts" and it turns out badly.

[babyback]

Yes because top guilds and top players are more capable of giving feedback on core systems of the game and raise flags when things like balance and mechanics are out of whack.

Also players with old accounts in good standing and friend and family of staff get access.

What if you are not in any of the above groups makes you a priority for access? What can you bring that those people do not already bring?

- - - Updated - - -



unlucky?

I have an account since vanilla day one, never lapsed. I get invited to all alpha/betas eventually.

Me too eventually. Except for pre WoD. Maybe I received one for Cata but it was so late in the cycle I just didn’t bother with it.

I just responded to that older accounts get invited earlier. Which isn’t true.

[Sylvaeres]

Will Blizzard favor top guilds again and show middle finger to majority? I would like to get alpha/beta invitation as well.

Of course. The best thing for the game is to have top players in there to look for bugs. Having an average Joe in Alpha who just wants to play around does absolutely nothing. Alpha and Beta are for people to find problems and solutions, not for enjoyment

[Somnium]

It's about exposure (they stream, make videos) and relationship (blizzard known they'll use the access given, and there is a lot of value to maintaining a good relationship with people who devote this much ressources and time to the game) ie marketing.

The "they know their class better" argument isn't really true as it pertains to early beta. Late beta, absolutely you want those players there while you're on the balance passes, but at the start it doesn't really matter.
The "they'll break the game more than random players" is plain not true, however there's the caveat that while they certainly aren't any better at breaking the game, they're very good at providing video evidence, which saves a ton of time to reproduce the bugs encountered.

[Leakage]

How old you account is has nothing to do with beta invites.

I’ve played since February 2005 and the only beta I was invited to early was WoD and the Hearthstone beta. The first beta I participated in was MoP due to the pre order thingie. Otherwise I never or get invited very late.

This first batch of invitations will mainly go out to long-time WoW players with active accounts in good standing, as well as Blizzard friends and family, along with a limited number of content creators and journalists.

[Alvito]

Will Blizzard favor top guilds again and show middle finger to majority? I would like to get alpha/beta invitation as well.

Well they want people who are going to test stuff to actually do it. Most people only want alpha or beta access to play it like a demo. There is a reason most if not all CE and gladiator players get invited, they know the game better than most.

[Eapoe]

As far as I know, Blizzard gives invites out to streamers as well as everyday Joe Schmoes and Jill Hills, you just have no clue because the everyday people are just playing and/or submitting issues while the personality players actually talk about it.
Just because you’ve personally never gotten one doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I got invited to Cata but not one since, yet I’ve had 1-5 guild members get one per xpac.