Mixed Emotions about Open Beta arrival.

I've played this game for about 8 months now in Closed-beta and I'm starting to feel some mixed feelings about the arrival of Open Beta.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited for OB and everything that will come with it. But alas, there are some bittersweet feelings I have.

For starters, the closed beta community is really awesome, I've met tons of friends and really enjoyed learning and experimenting with the game along the way. With the arrival of OB, the forums will be flooded with new players and trolls and people who are born to just start trouble. This might lead to the usual flame wars and typical crap that happens when the old clashes with the new.

Secondly, Chris and the Devs, have been awesome. They are very responsive and quick to help us and receive feedback and listen to our suggestions. It makes me kind of sad to realize that once OB hits they are going to be 100000 times busier with just controlling the onslaught of the storm.

I'm not trying to sound like a party pooper or get all mushy but the truth is, when you play a game for several hundred hours with a community of people that you trust and know, you can't help but feel a tad saddened that it will become chaos.

On the bright side, I gotta say, I'm really excited for Open beta and I really do hope that Path of Exile becomes the best ARPG out there.

Sorry for my rambling, just putting my thoughts out there.

I don't think it will turn into chaos. It will be different for a little while with more people but it will level out and be just as great as always.

Wreaclast is a pretty harsh and unforgiving land to the novice exile, we're bound to see a lot of QQ. Hopefully our good community will have a positive influence on the OB crowd. There's bound to be some growing pains. Hopefully there isn't too much trouble server side on launch day with the increased traffic.

Buckle up! It's gunna be a crazy ride!

Yeah no kidding, global chat will be awful for a few weeks I imagine. Still looking forward to open beta for sure for Act 3 and playing with more friends but otherwise I'll probably just turn off chat until the player rush dies down.

There is always this kind of feeling going to OB as a vet of the game. You KNOW there will be alot more people to join with, alot more PvP to be had, and alot more gear on the market, but you also realize that there will be alot more trolls, arguments, and stupidity out there as well. Take my little guid to the OB thread, and steel yourselves, cuz its coming, whether you like it or not.

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/58120

Quite the opposite reaction here. I'm happy the community will grow to be bigger. There's barely a party on the board

Hiding Global chat will definitely be a priority in the beginning. And I agree, change is always good but sometimes a tad tough for those who've grown accustomed to the norm.

I guess in the end, it's going to be a lot more fun (as mentioned by woodyfly) when you have so many other players to party with and trade with.

No doubt the game will grow exponentially.

And that's always a good thing. :D

Another thing you'll have to face....you see alot of common names on the forums posting replies. When OB hits, there will be ALOT of new names. Hopefully we can keep in contact. I for one am going to miss Mine and Charan's back and forths as they might not happen as often.

I agree. The closed beta community has been excellent so far.

The open beta will bring alot of bots, trolls and idiocy.

Like most endings that beget new beginnings, it will be bittersweet.

It would be cool if we could make a private chat for "vets" (vets=people before OB). That way, when the new wave hits, we will still have our old familiar chat...meh, my two cents...