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Neverwinter reveals pre-order packs, beta weekend dates
Neverwinter's closed beta is closer than you might think, as Cryptic has just posted the dates of the three weekend events coming up. The beta weekends begin on February 8th, with successive ones starting March 8th and March 22nd, and will be available to residents of North America and Europe to those lucky enough to be accepted. To tempt people into shedding some cash up front, Cryptic is prepared to dangle guaranteed beta invites to those who purchase a $60 or $200 pre-order Founder's Pack. In addition to the closed beta access, the $60 version contains a head-start to the open beta, a title, an armored horse mount, a mask, and a direwolf companion. The $200 pack has an even longer open beta head start, an exclusive Menzoberranzan Renegade playable race, a closed beta code for a friend, a spider mount, a panther companion, and priority access to the game. Alternatively, Cryptic's offering a $20 basic pack that will not contain a closed beta key, but will give players a few in-game items and 12 additional inventory slots. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
The Secret World's third beta weekend begins June 15th
While The Secret World's conspiracy theorists have their hands full with the game's latest ARG hook, fans who just want to get their hands on the game again won't have to wait much longer. Funcom has announced that TSW's third beta weekend, subtitled Hell Raised (after the dungeon of the same name), will begin on June 15th. This time around, players will be cut loose from the confines of Kingsmouth to run wild in the appropriately named Savage Coast, where the gates of Hell have been flung open to allow all sorts of nasty beasties to make their way into our world. Players will have the opportunity to delve into the mystery of the infernal invasion by taking on the newly added Hell Raised instance. According to Funcom, The Secret World "has received significant enhancements since the last beta weekend, with improved content, gameplay mechanics, and performance." To top it all off, this beta weekend will mark players' first look at the updated combat system. If you haven't already received a beta key and want to get into the beta weekend, all you have to do is throw down a pre-order on TSW and you'll be guaranteed entry. So remember: June 15th. Savage Coast. Be there.
The Secret World launch delayed to July 3rd
The Dragons, Templars, and Illuminati will have to wait two more weeks to dive into their organizations: Originally slated for June 19th, The Secret World's release is delayed until July 3rd. Early access will open on June 29th. Funcom also announced the final two beta weekends. The first, titled "Hell Raised,'" will run from June 15th until June 17th and will include the Illuminati and Dragon starter experiences as well as allow players to leave Kingsmouth for the Savage Coast. The final beta weekend will be from June 22nd to June 24th; during this event players will participate in the game's PvP in both the warzone gameplay and the Eldorado battlefield.
Ask Massively: Overwhelming changes edition
I have to be honest, the Caitian Carrier for Star Trek Online kind of makes me want to give the game a shot again. I liked it when I played it before, but I just had no time to play it on top of everything else. But then I think about all the work I'd need to do just to get caught up to normal, and... yeah, that's about the point when my gumption evaporates. Still, though. Carrier. In other and far more relevant news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, which talks about the cycle of game announcement and subsequent disappointment. (Apropos of the recent beta weekends for The Secret World, naturally.) If you've got a question you would like to see answered in a future installment of the column, send it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
The Secret World announces first beta weekend
Beta weekends are all the rage these days, and now Funcom is getting in on the action. The studio has announced that its upcoming fantasy-horror MMO, The Secret World, will be the subject of a series of weekend beta tests, the first of which is beginning this weekend. From Friday until Sunday, players who were lucky enough to get their hands on beta keys via preorders or giveaways will be able to jump into the boots of a Templar initiate. After undergoing the proper procedures for joining the less-than-secretive secret organization, players will be whisked away to Solomon Island, New England, where they will be tasked with finding the source of the ancient evil threatening Kingsmouth. The full details of the beta weekend, including a handy-dandy FAQ, can be found over at The Secret World's official site.
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: Do you like beta weekends?
I'm not sure when this whole "beta weekend" craze began, but with The Secret World now joining the likes of TERA and Guild Wars 2 in parceling out its pre-release access, it's safe to say that staggered testing weekends are the new norm. Personally I'm not a fan, as my weekend gaming time ranges from limited to non-existent, and if I'm hyped enough to play a marketing beta, I'd just as soon play it several hours a night. It's especially aggravating in the case of Guild Wars 2 and TERA, both of which can't even be bothered to turn on their testing servers every weekend! What about you, morning crew? Do you like beta weekends? 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!
TERA sheds some light on open beta as test weekends draw to a close
TERA's launch is now just beyond the horizon, and that means that it's almost time for the game's closed beta testing to draw to a close. Specifically, it means that this weekend will mark the fifth and final closed beta test weekend, so En Masse Entertainment has put up a new blog post discussing what was learned from CBT 4 and what players can expect from CBT 5, open beta, and launch. One thing that the team is looking at very intently for open beta and launch is the difficulty of the starting experience -- or perhaps more appropriately, the lack thereof. Players have long said that the starting experience is not challenging enough, and the team has been listening. On top of that, En Masse has been working on a number of other changes as well, including tweaks to the enchantment system, some additional equipment and skill options, and even an entirely new tutorial zone that "serves as the precursor to the current Island of Dawn experience." The full details, of course, can be found in the official post over at TERA's official site, so go on and read up and we'll see you in in Arborea again soon.
The Daily Grind: Are beta weekends a good timeframe for testing?
The big problem of betas, of course, is that they aren't launched games. That means that every quest you complete, every enemy you kill, and every level you gain is just going to have to be re-done at launch. For some people, however, the testing environment before launch is something they want to take part in, even knowing that they won't be able to take it with them once the game goes live. Prior to launch, RIFT used a series of beta weekends to give players a chance to test, and Star Wars: The Old Republic has been following the same footsteps. On the one hand, this is enough time to get a feel for the game and test it out without letting you get too invested in your accomplishments. On the other hand, it also means that it's hard for players to really level past a certain point, thus leaving the higher levels more difficult to test -- if not impossible. So what do you think? Are beta weekends a good trend, or is it too little time? 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!
Answer your beta-related questions, Star Wars: The Old Republic does
In light of the Star Wars: The Old Republic's beta testing weekends' recent inception, Stephen Reid stopped by the SWTOR official forums to drop a couple of FAQs on the masses. The first deals with the ongoing beta testing, beta weekends, and early access for pre-order customers. The second hones in on the first beta test weekend, which took place last weekend. The beta FAQ begins by outlining the differences between early game access, beta weekends, guild testing, and the normal beta testing. Early game access, of course, is access to the launch version of the game prior to the official launch date; this privilege is given to those who pre-order the game. Beta testing weekends are exactly what they sound like, and Reid notes that the team is aiming for one more test weekend this month, which will host more players than the last test. Game and guild testing are both the normal, ongoing beta test, with the latter differentiated only by the invitation process for guilds rather than individuals. The post goes on to remind players that, even with the advent of the beta testing weekends, the NDA is still in effect, and that a player's participation in one beta test weekend does not guarantee her selection for subsequent weekends. And lastly, we'd be remiss to omit this small detail for our European players: Game testing for European players is "imminent," says the post, and these tests will include localized French and German versions of the game. Beta weekends for European players will begin around the same time. Now then, the beta weekend FAQ. The post declares the intent of the first beta weekend to have been a "small-scale simulation of a launch scenario." The post also discusses the successes and failures of the test and notes that almost every goal set by the team was met or exceeded. However, there were a few hitches with the invite process, which the team has since fixed. For the full details, hop on your speeder bike and head on over to the official forum posts.
BioWare confirms no SWTOR beta this weekend
Those of you hoping for a fun time during BioWare's much-anticipated Star Wars The Old Republic beta weekends might want to look at plan B. In a post on the official boards, community manager Stephen Reid confirms that there is indeed no beta test this time around. So that's the bad news. The good news is that future events are coming, and they're likely going to be on a much grander scale (meaning you, yes you, might even get an invite). "We rolled out this previous weekend as a relatively small scale event; from now we will do bigger and bigger events, but that doesn't mean it happens every weekend. When we do resume, we'll be inviting many more people in," Reid explains. He also hints at a comprehensive beta FAQ in the works, so keep your eyes peeled and your browsers pointed at Massively for the latest details as they become available. [Thanks Ren54!]
BioWare delaying Star Wars: The Old Republic's European testing
International issues with Star Wars: The Old Republic started cropping up more or less as soon as the pre-order began, and they're apparently persisting. It's recently been officially announced that European testing invitations have been delayed, missing the initial weekend and being postponed for an unspecified length of time. Fortunately for the players who are no doubt sore over the delay, an explanation was included with the announcement, which kicks off by pointing out that a new build and an associated character wipe are on their way for later in the week anyway. The new build will require testers to re-download the entire client, and with the client requiring a 27 gig download, it was suspected that any players presently invited might finish the download only to have to start an entirely new download immediately afterward. Localized French and German versions of the game will be included in the new build, which further contributed to the decision to ultimately hold off on the European testing. It's cold comfort to would-be testers left out of the game, but at least it isn't without some logic.
SWTOR launch date hinges on fan beta reaction
Speculation about Star Wars The Old Republic's launch date is reaching a fever pitch lately, with fans hanging on every word from BioWare and Electronic Arts staffers and chomping at the bit to experience the title's September beta weekends. The latest release-related blurb comes courtesy of EA bigwig Frank Gibeau, who told CVG that while EA-BioWare does have a date in mind, fan reaction to the beta will ultimately tell the tale. "It [the launch date] is definitely tied to the beta test feedback that's ongoing and so far, so good. We feel good about the date that we're heading towards but you're right, you could have a Crazy Ivan show up in the September/October beta test and be like, 'wow, I've got to fix that,'" Gibeau said.
Beta test weekends are set for Star Wars: The Old Republic in September
If you're one of the many eager players of Star Wars: The Old Republic jumping all over this morning's pre-order, there's more good news on the way. According to TOROcast, an investor report from Electronic Arts shows that the game will be opening up special "beta weekend" events for players to get a glimpse of the game starting in September. This looks like the perfect opportunity for players to start jumping in and playing in advance of the launch date (which presumably would not be until at least a little after September, naturally). While the report doesn't say if these tests will be open or closed, they certainly bring to mind the beta weekends that RIFT popularized, with a limited number of players, but a great deal of freedom in access. Seeing as how these will be tests, however, it's unlikely that this will constitute the early access set forth in the pre-order bonuses -- so if you're looking forward to the game, ordering now is still advisable.
