Stage 2 of Firefall open beta begins, human race strikes back

Stage two of the open beta for free-to-play, first and third-person-shooter MMO Firefall will focus on "expanding the world," an announcement on the game's website revealed last week.

While the beta previously focused on surviving attacks from the Chosen, a mysterious species that doesn't seem keen on the existence of humans, stage two of the beta turns the tables and places humans on the offensive. Players will work to expand the inhabitable portions of New Eden by fueling machines that repulse the Melding, an ominous cloud that the Chosen seem to originate from. The more Firefall's player base works to power the machines, the farther the Melding will be pushed back, revealing "more playable space with ARES missions and dynamic events."

Chosen outposts will be revealed as the Melding recedes, the defeat of which will convert the warfront into a "full zone and a new story-based instance will become available to pursue, unlocking the next chapter of Firefall." The more a player helps push back the Melding, the greater their reward will be. Avid players will earn "rewards and commendations" and statues of their avatars in the warfront's to-be-established capital, leaving the king of the leaderboards to name the city itself.

Firefall's player base will then collectively vote for which warfront to unlock next. Previously obtained warfronts that are neglected will be subject to Chosen counterattacks, "shutting down that warfront entirely, at least for weeks on months."

Those looking to join the fight against the Chosen and compete to name a digital capital something undoubtedly appropriate can do so here.