#1 - April 26, 2011, 11:10 p.m.
We are aware that some players are becoming stuck at the Retrieving Character List screen. If you are experiencing this issue, please click the Options button on your log in screen, then go to Network and ensure that the 'Optimize Network for Speed' box is checked.
This temporary workaround should allow you to play, but you may experience increased latency. We are currently working to resolve this issue and we will provide further updates and information as soon as they are available.