i got the same error yday after the update (err=013) when i tried to change a character. i wasnt able to log in for about 30 mins i think, after that it worked again. im glad to see i wasnt the only one apparently
Actually it can have quite some impact on forums. Let's say a patch is not working, the servers are f***ed and no one can login. As in... no... one. A lot of these people will suddenly swarm the community forums, searching for something about their problem or to vent aggression or to do whatever.
Yet they dramatically increase the load for a while. Now that the problem is gone, the whole thing can return to normal again and thus, guru runs faster as well.