ArenaNet Outlines Plans For World vs. World Restructuring in Guild Wars 2

I've played a lot of Guild Wars 2's World vs. World mode over the past nine years since its launch, but maybe that's because I've been on a well-populated world the entire time. It's less of a good experience if your side in the three-way battle can't muster enough players, something ArenaNet has been aware of for ... well, about nine years.

The latest attempt to address that issue is an overall world restructuring plan, which ArenaNet laid out in detail late last week. It will revolve around replacing the current "world" system of determining teams and shift to one that emphasizes guilds and alliances to populate battlefields. You'll be able to choose a WvW guild to participate in for each season -- currently estimated to be around eight weeks -- with solo players being auto-assigned to any team not currently at its population cap.

Once the balance issues are dealt with, the team will address several other topics related to the mode, such as better rewards -- both for players as a whole and particularly for support players -- and "systems that would allow guilds to flex and compare their WvW prowess." These aren't expected to be looked at until after the End of Dragons expansion launches in February.

The first beta test for the WvW restructuring will take place over the week of September 24 to October 1. Players will receive 100% bonus experience, 25% bonus reward track progress, and a 50% bonus to Magic Find from the 21st to the 1st, as an added incentive to try out the new system.