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Warlords of Draenor beta ending on November 3
After 5 months of alpha and beta testing, the Warlords of Draenor beta realms are scheduled to be shut down permanently on Monday, November 3 at 4:00 p.m. PST. As per tradition, there will be an in-game event to say goodbye to the beta. This is scheduled to happen at 2:00 p.m. PST on the same day, though no specifics have been offered up yet. I have many fond memories of the Warlords beta, such as the hunter community effort to solve the Gara mystery and participating in "play with the blues" events just to name a couple. Beta was fun, but I'm ready to move forward. Let's bring on the real deal. You can find the full announcement from community manager Nethaera after the break.
ArcheAge's second beta event starts July 30th
With one jam-packed closed beta event out of the way, ArcheAge is revving up for another one. The title's second closed beta event, Settling Sail, will take place from Wednesday, July 30th, through Monday, August 4th. Trion Worlds announced that the first closed beta's servers filled up within 18 minutes, and as such, it will be expanding the second beta event to be "three times as big" as the first with more invites rolling out. The good news from the packed beta event last weekend is that the hardware performed great on Trion's side and that the devs have made changes to improve the game: "You also helped us to identify and fix challenges with some of the custom integration for our version! During the event, we were also adapting our own anti-spam and anti-bot software in real time. With your input, we're reviewing a number of systems with XLGAMES, including use of labor while you're hunting and looting, labor regeneration rates for online and offline players, and the availability of Archeum. We're also looking into the feasibility of XLGAMES adding an ability queue and mouse inverting."
ArcheAge begins beta with one million sign-ups [Updated]
The world is ready and eager for ArcheAge's beta program, as evidenced by the million-plus sign-ups on the site. The first closed beta event started today and will continue through July 21st. "We're also happy to announce today that over one million of you have already joined our community of ArcheAge supporters, even before the first beta event began!" Trion Worlds posted today. In fact, the beta launched to far more players than Trion anticipated, prompting the studio to open up two new servers to handle the demand. To bring the Korean MMO overseas, Trion has translated two million words, set up technical infrastructure, and localized quests. The closed beta event will feature the version 1.2 patch for both North America and Europe.
The Elder Scrolls Online hosting another beta event this weekend
With the NDA still firmly in place, the best way to know what is happening in The Elder Scrolls Online is to see for yourself, and many fans will be doing just that this weekend during the game's next beta event. And according to the official site, even more invitations are going out than before, so players should be sure to check their spam folders as well as Gmail's promotions tab. The event itself starts Friday, February 7th at 12:00 p.m. EST and lasts until Monday, February 10th at 11:29 p.m. EST. Characters that players created during the previous test will be available to play. [Thanks to all who sent in tips!]
Earn free tanks during World of Tanks: Xbox 360 beta event weekend
World of Tanks is sounding the siren's call for the Xbox 360 edition, tossing out special rewards for those who participate in the beta this weekend. There are three events occurring simultaneously on the beta server from Saturday, October 12th, through Sunday, October 13th, and all of them dangle goodies for participants. Players can earn an M22 Locust Tier III premium tank by completing 50 matches in this time span, and a Ram II Tier V premium tank will be given to everyone who engages this weekend as long as 10,000 players log in simultaneously. Wargaming is also handing out XP bonuses for the first win on ever tank a player owns and 2,500 gold for use during the beta process. An Xbox Live Gold account is needed to join in with this beta. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Neverwinter Days: Beta blitz
Welcome to Neverwinter Days, a fresh new column that will be pulling on our +1 boots of game exploring while we go tramping through dungeons and fantastic locales. I'm fairly excited about this game and wanted to explore it from top to bottom while bringing you along for company. Neverwinter is a Cryptic title, and with that comes a laundry list of expectations: Players will be pretty divided on it, it'll skew toward "fun" and "buggy," there'll be a lot of visual customization, and "F" always, always interacts with the world. And it's a Dungeons & Dragons title, so there are even more genre expectations. For example, we're going to be laying the smackdown on Kobolds early and often. Poor buggers. Usually we begin a column by showcasing the community resources out there, but we're going to put that off until next time in favor of discussing this past weekend's beta event. Yours truly and several other Massively staffers were on the scene to chow through Neverwinter and see how it's shaping up in these final months prior to release. So what did I get out of it? It's going to cost you one click to find out!
Power Rangers Online holds open beta event
It's been quite some time since we last heard anything about the mighty Power Rangers Online, but apparently it's made significant progress since then. According to the game's site, Power Rangers Online is currently hosting an open beta event in Asia until January 2nd. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult to translate the page for more details, as it's one large graphic. Still, it looks as though there are product tie-ins and special rewards for those participating. [Thanks to Antonio for the tip!]
RIFT expands beta in second weekend event
The beta for RIFT: Storm Legion continues to grow as it heads into its second beta weekend event. The new beta event starts on Friday the 19th at 1:00 p.m. EDT and includes the zones of City Core, Eastern Holdings, and Seratos. Beta participants will also be able to get their hands on two of the expansion's new features: Dimensions and Hunt Rifts. You can guarantee a spot in the beta by pre-ordering. Better do it fast if you have a hankering because the second beta weekend will come to an end on October 24th at 11:00 a.m., at which point the countdown clock will commence for the third event. In the meantime, RIFTers are invited to check out the evolution of the game's questing system through a Hungry Man-sized livestream after the jump!
Guild Wars 2 posts online manual, talks economy and art
One of the unsung heroes of MMOs is the economist -- the guy or gal in charge of making sure that supply and demand doesn't get all wonky. Whether you think about in-game economy or not, its function impacts everyone. For ArenaNet, the man in charge of keeping Guild Wars 2's money ship float is John Smith, and he's created an interesting infographic showing the state of the economy from the beta process. From the chart, Smith deduces many interesting trends that may or may not play out in the live game. The largest sources of income during the beta were rewards, followed by dynamic events and tasks, while the most frequently traded items were crafting materials. He notes that an abnormal percentage of players gravitated to jewelcrafting as a profession, although he speculates that this was because of the temporary nature of the beta. Smith even compares the rate of gems to gold to Facebook's recent IPO and finds a similar pattern therein. Keeping up with the information reveals, ArenaNet has released the online manual for Guild Wars 2 that covers everything from "getting started" to "competitive play." If the economy and manual don't interest you, perhaps art does. MSNBC interviewed Art Director Daniel Dociu about the look of Guild Wars 2, and you can watch it right here after the break.
End of Nations second closed beta event scheduled for early August
This cold war... just got hot! Now that we've got cheesy movie poster taglines out of the way, let's talk about End of Nations' upcoming closed beta event. Trion Worlds announced that the event is scheduled for August 3rd, starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT and going until August 5th at 11:59 p.m. EDT. If you don't have a key for the beta yet, don't despair. You can sign up on the End of Nations beta page for a chance to get in, or watch Trion's social media for giveaways. Alternatively, beta access is guaranteed for those who pre-purcase the digital Founder's Edition. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
PlanetSide 2 will be playable on Friday at SDCC
If you're making the trek out to California for the San Diego Comic-Con, you probably already know about most of what to expect. But the team behind PlanetSide 2 just surprised any fans en route to the convention with the announcement that PS2 will be playable on Friday. From noon until 9:00 p.m. PDT, players can try out the current build of the game, chat with the development team, and even pick up a special set of Empire-themed dog tags. Some fans can't make the trek out to San Diego for the game, of course. These fans have to look forward to the game's upcoming beta test, but there's good news on that front as well. Matt Higby has clarified via Twitter that the beta will occur sometime before the end of July, meaning that beta testers will get to start in on the game very soon. So even if you can't make it out to the convention, you won't be deprived of the game too much longer. [Thanks to Dengar and Scott for the tips!]
The Daily Grind: Did you participate in the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend?
For those who pre-purchased Guild Wars 2, participated in previous beta weekends or were lucky enough to be the handful selected from previous sign-ups, this last weekend meant you got your hands on the highly anticipated MMO in (most of) its shiny glory. That is, if you were able to log in. While it's pretty apparent that most (but not all!) of us on the Massively team are in love with Guild Wars 2, that's inevitably not always the case when opinions come into play. So we want to know what you liked or didn't like about the game. If it was your first time playing, was it everything you expected? For those playing again, did your opinion change at all? Were you even able to get past the log-in screen? Let us know! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Guild Wars 2 resumes digital sales, addresses denied accounts
Beta weekends are no strangers to rocky and unexpected events, as Guild Wars 2 can now attest. While many players are currently testing the heck out of the game, some have been shut out due to an error code on their account while others have been unable to pre-purchase the game due to halted sales of the digital product. ArenaNet has addressed both of these issues to help players resolve the matters and get into the beta. The error code (9:4:5:1093:101) that some are getting signifies that the account is not flagged for the beta event. According to ArenaNet, this is either because the players used a pre-order instead of a pre-purchase code and accidentally received an invite email to the event or that a credit card was flagged during the pre-purchase order. In the case of the former, ArenaNet will honor the mistaken emails and allow all recipients into the remainder of the event. The studio also announced that it has increased capacity for the beta event and thus has begun selling digital standard and digital deluxe pre-purchases of Guild Wars 2 once more.
Guild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event
Excited about next weekend's Guild Wars 2 beta event? We're right there with you, which is why we uttered a sigh of relief to hear some concrete details about the hows and whys of the nitty-gritty details from ArenaNet's mouth. The event will take place from Friday, April 27th, at 3:00 p.m. EDT until Monday, April 30, at 3:00 a.m. While there are various ways to obtain a key for the weekend (such as having gone to PAX East), the only 100% surefire way of getting in the event is to have pre-purchased the game. All event attendees will be emailed next week with instructions about the client download. The beta event will allow players to choose from three races (Charr, Human, and Norn) and all eight classes, to experience PvP and PvE content, and to see Lion's Arch for the very first time. ArenaNet assured us that this will not be the final beta weekend prior to launch and delivered the good news that this event will not be hampered by an NDA of any sort.
Guild Wars 2 announces first beta weekend for April 27th to 29th
Guild Wars 2 fans, prepare to rejoice; the time has nearly come to throw open the floodgates. ArenaNet has taken to Twitter to announce that the first public Guild Wars 2 beta weekend event will be taking place the weekend of April 27th. Other details are scant at the moment, but the team promises that a blog post with further information will be going up tomorrow. If you want to get in on the fun but don't have a beta key, don't fret. The tweet also reminds players that prepurchasing the game will grant instant beta event access for this weekend and others to follow. So that's it, folks: You've got a little over a week to call in sick, stock up on the most dangerously caffeinated beverages you can find, and kiss your sleep schedule goodbye. We'll see you in Tyria.
The Daily Grind: Did you participate in TERA's first beta weekend?
I guess you could say that TERA is one of the most highly anticipated MMOs of 2012. We love the game every time we get our hands on it, but some recent legal and technical problems have cast some doubt in the minds of many potential fans. This last weekend was the first of five closed beta tests for pre-order customers. While our requests for beta keys went ignored, those on the Massively team who did pre-order were plagued by technical problems in the patcher, making the beta weekend unplayable. So as we sit here cursing the fact that we're not able to write about this particular weekend, we're curious about your thoughts. Did you enjoy yourself? Was it more or less than what you expected? There's no NDA, so spill the beans! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Eden Eternal rides into open beta today
It's been mere days since Eden Eternal kicked off its closed beta, but they say that rolling stones gather no digital moss, so Aeria Games is shifting the game into open beta status starting today. The servers should be open later today at 10:00 p.m. EDT, although eager-beaver players can go ahead and patch up the game now. The open beta will be accompanied by a new patch, although the devs won't have open beta rewards added to the game until next week. To help get the word out about the beta, Aeria Games is sponsoring an Eden Eternal Signature Invasion that could net you some nifty in-game items if you participate. So far, this colorful MMO has proven popular in the beta circuit, so if you're curious what we thought about it, make sure to check out our first impressions from last week! %Gallery-120523%
Hellgate beta videos show off character creation, gameplay
Horror fans and MMOFPS aficionados have been setting their clocks back a few years courtesy of this weekend's Hellgate closed beta event. You may recall the original Hellgate: London as something of a dud when it originally debuted in the winter of 2007. Not to worry, though, since HanbitSoft and T3Fun have revived the franchise and converted it to a new free-to-play title called Hellgate Global. MMO Culture has a trio of videos chronicling this weekend's event, and you can glimpse character creation as well as a bit of the shooter's demon-slaying gameplay. Hellgate intrigued us with its blend of action-horror and apocalyptic stylings the first time around, and we're just as curious for chapter two. Have a look at the videos after the break and share your thoughts on the beta while you're at it.
Down to the wire: Trion announces exact time of RIFT's head start
With three days to go until RIFT's head start kicks off (and a week until the official launch), excited players may be forgiven for running in circles in an attempt to speed up the passage of time. While Trion Worlds can't make Thursday come any quicker, the studio did finally reveal on Facebook the hour that the head start will go live: 1:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. PST, 6:00 p.m. GMT). RIFT just completed its six-day open beta event, and developer Zann has promised more details on the head start as the week progresses (including, presumably, server names): "For everyone who is asking about the head-start client, we will post all the information and instructions before the event kicks off!" To get in the game on February 24th instead of March 1st, you'll need to pre-order RIFT either online or at a retailer. In the meantime, why not check out our guide to pre-launch preparations?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Pre-launch checklist
I'll just come out and say it: The month or so right before the launch of a highly anticipated MMO is simultaneously ecstasy and agony, full of love and loathing. The waiting sucks, but the anticipation is delicious. The enthusiasm from the community is electric, but the heated emotions can be toxic. The discussion is fascinating, but the know-it-alls are annoying. Personally, I kind of wish we could be at launch-plus-one month right now, just so that the frenzy of insane opinions will have died down and we can just, y'know, play the game without feeling as though we were in the middle of a verbal rugby match. Like any MMO, RIFT's going to have its positives and negatives, but I feel that this launch is going to be something we haven't seen in a long time: a solid, stable MMO that offers up a complete package. That pleases the Justin. Since I can't whip out my magic remote control and fast-forward to April, I propose we do the next best thing. Let's open up our imaginary quest logs and run down a checklist of seven "To Dos" and a few "To Don'ts" to help us prepare for RIFT's release. Planning can be fun! Shut up, it can be!
