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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.
WildStar springs another 'bonus' beta weekend for all
Carbine's limited four-part WildStar beta weekend run leading up to release is now in danger of becoming a Friday the 13th-sized franchise, as the studio announced today that it will hold another bonus beta weekend starting on Friday. Anyone who has signed up for the beta will be given a code for the weekend, so there's no reason not to check this game out if so inclined. The bonus weekend begins on Friday the 25th at 10:00 a.m. EST and will conclude on Monday, April 28th, at 3:00 a.m. EST. The team is raising the level cap to 25 and giving everyone a hoverboard to enjoy. Each day of this bonus beta weekend also counts toward accumulating "boom boxes" full of goodies that will be delivered at launch. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
WildStar reboots forums and prepares for weekend beta test
WildStar's ongoing beta forums have been wiped, but weep not for their loss: Carbine Studios has brought a new forum online for all to visit and use. The new forums contain topics such as community support, PvP, and housing, and come in English, German, and French varieties. The forums have come online not a moment too soon, as WildStar is preparing for a weekend beta test that includes those who have pre-ordered the title. The beta begins tomorrow, Friday, March 21st, at 10:00 a.m. EST and concludes on Sunday at midnight EST. The beta weekends following that begin on April 4th, April 18th, and May 2nd.
Elder Scrolls Online promises 'polished, lag-free launch experience'
ZeniMax Lead Developer Matt Firor rallied the legions of Elder Scrolls Online fans today with a lengthy post about what the studio's done and what it's planning to do to ensure a successful launch of the game. Firor said that beta feedback and testing has been invaluable, prompting the team to streamline the starting experience and make combat "more substantial." He was also impressed by what he saw during testing: "Some of the things we've discovered with your help excite and inspire us -- like seeing that 98% of characters created have a unique appearance, or seeing the first emperor crowned in our epic PvP system -- while other findings challenge us to make the game better." To ready the game for launch, there will be one final stress test this weekend. ZeniMax has prepared megaservers for both North America and Europe, and the studio assured players that playing cross-region will not result in any drop of latency. The team also has a number of overflow servers on the ready to deal with the initial crush. Finally, Firor said that we'll soon hear more about the first post-launch update that will add the Craglorn zone for endgame players. "We will make sure that no matter where you live, every player in North America, Europe, Oceania, and many places beyond will have a polished, lag-free launch experience," Firor promised.
Elder Scrolls Online sounds rallying call for final stress test weekend
With launch right around the corner, ZeniMax is pushing hard to get Elder Scrolls Online in top shape for its world debut. This means one last big stress test weekend is on tap for later this week. ZeniMax is sending out a huge wave of invites for the test and reminded players that any previous beta testers are automatically included in the fun. There is no NDA for the weekend, and any participants will be given a monkey vanity pet upon launch. MJ will be streaming ESO from this beta test on Friday at 2:00 p.m. EST, so if you can't get in the game, definitely give her adventures a watch!
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!]
Elder Scrolls Online anticipates 'massive' test weekend
Elder Scrolls Online is going big for this weekend's beta test, as ZeniMax says that it has invited "a massive number of players worldwide" to push the systems to their limits. The team encouraged any and all beta testers to persist through issues and play hard while it conducts its own tests and roots out bugs. "With your help, we can uncover problems and solve them before launch," the team wrote. ZeniMax says that those not invited into this weekend's test need not worry, as there will be additional sessions in the near future. Elder Scrolls Online is scheduled to launch on April 4th.
World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition welcomes all to open beta weekend
Listen up, tank commanders: If you have any hankering at all to try out the beta World of Tanks' Xbox 360 Edition, you better do so this weekend. Wargaming has kicked off an open beta weekend today that will continue through Sunday, November 10th, and it will be the last chance for anyone to get in on the beta as registrations will be closed afterward. To smooth the entry process, Wargaming will ensure that players don't have to sign up for a beta key but can simply download the client and boot up the game. To sweeten the entry process, the studio is giving a free premium USA T14 tier III heavy tank to beta testers and a premium USA Ram II tier V medium tank to those who fight at least five battles. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition will also feature double XP during the beta weekend. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Neverwinter closes in on another beta weekend with the Great Weapon Fighter
Some people are pretty good at fighting weapons, but sometimes you just need a great weapon fighter. Someone who really fights weapons better than... Wait, we're sorry. Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter is a class that fights with great weapons, not a great fighter of weapons. The name can be read a couple of different ways, but since the class is on display in the latest spotlight (complete with video past the break) you can clear up any misconceptions about it fairly easily. Of course, you can't quite clear up those misconceptions via open beta, since Neverwinter isn't opening the gates until April 30th. Founders and other beta testers can enjoy the game's latest beta weekend very soon, however, with the test period starting on Friday at 3:00 p.m. EDT. This latest weekend is featuring both the crafting system and the new Gateway system, so testers should look forward to several new features starting on Friday.
Play Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter to 50 in this weekend's beta
Are you ready for another Neverwinter beta weekend? We hope so, because it's coming this Friday. The shindig kicks off at 3:00 p.m. EDT on March 22nd and runs through 2:59 a.m. EDT on Monday, March 25th. You can expect to see an increased level cap (50), the Great Weapon Fighter added to the list of playable classes, new zones including Icespire Peak, Pirates' Skyhold, and The Chasm, and the new PvP system. Fresh Foundry content is in the works as well. Check the post on the official Neverwinter website for further details.
Hands-on with Neverwinter's Control Wizard
This past weekend was Neverwinter's second beta event, and with it came a number of new additions. The Foundry was open for business, the tutorial was expanded, the level cap was increased, and new zones were available to explore. Above all that was the availability of a fourth class over the first beta event's three: the Control Wizard. Along with what seemed like the entire state of New Jersey, I rolled a Control Wizard to give Neverwinter's offensive magic user a test drive. The Wizard is a mixture of familiar fantasy aspects with a dash of unexpectedly awesome differences. So while I was casting the same-old elemental spells (all fantasy magic users seem to know only four elements due to a lack of imagination on behalf of the creators), I was also tossing in spells to mess with enemies and keep them off my back. Here are my early hands-on impressions of the Control Wizard, a class that I'll definitely be playing at launch.
Neverwinter beta weekend features Control Wizard, new zones, Foundry content
Perfect World has officially unveiled Neverwinter's next beta weekend. It starts tomorrow, March 8th, and runs through March 10th. New to this phase are the Ebon Downs and Lair of the Mad Dragon zones as well as the opportunity to advance all the way to level 40. Players may also test drive the Control Wizard class for the first time. Perfect World and Cryptic are also opening up a bit more of the game's player-generated Foundry functionality for public consumption. Finally, the devs have released a new video teaser which is viewable after the break. [Source: Perfect World press release]
Jewel of the North: Impressions of Neverwinter to the level 30 cap
I've been stoked for Neverwinter ever since I first got my hands on a short demo of the game at PAX East a year or two back. The game's stylish, fast-paced combat hooked me, and I've always been particularly fond of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, having spent a considerable amount of my teenage years in the original Neverwinter Nights and its many persistent worlds. So of course when I got my hands on a Neverwinter beta key, I was thrilled and waited on pins and needles for the duration of the excruciatingly long download, courtesy of my lovely ISP. Once the game was finally installed on Friday, however, my weekend was consumed by my adventures in the Jewel of the North and its surrounding environs. Over the course of the weekend, I managed to take my Trickster Rogue to the level cap of 30 and experienced a fairly large amount of the available content. Spoiler alert: I liked it. But if you wanna know the details, listen up and I'll recount my tales for you.
Warframe hosts open beta weekend
Dude, you have a futuristic pistol that can probably sever a building in half. Do you really need a sword as well? In any case, Mr. "Can't Make Up My Mind" up there and practically everyone in the universe is invited to checking out Warframe this weekend for the open beta. The open beta event begins on Friday the 15th at 12:00 p.m. EST and goes all the way until Tuesday the 19th at 9:00 a.m. Anyone can check it out during this timeframe provided that he or she registers on the official site (which is common sense, really). As a bonus incentive to seeing the marvel that is Warframe, all players who participate in the open beta will have access to an exclusive Braton Vandal weapon in the game's marketplace.
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!
Firefall blasts its doors open for a beta weekend
Are you ready to strap on some armor, load up a gun, and go shoot things like they've never been shot before? The staff behind Firefall certainly hopes so because the game is opening its gates on Friday, January 25th, for the first of three upcoming beta weekend events. Everyone can log in and play for free starting at 1 p.m. EST, but the developers have also decided to sweeten the pot slightly by adding a contest to the weekend festivities. The Skillshot Contest will be running during the open event and is available to all participants in the beta, even normal closed testers. Take a video or screenshot of your best moments for a chance to win prize packs including new Razer mice and Firefall gear. In addition, all participants will receive a special decal in-game to place on their battleframes. If you still need a little more convincing, you can check out a new trailer for the weekend just past the break. [Source: Red 5 Studios press release]
Firefall beta weekend schedule released [Updated]
If you've been watching Firefall from afar, salivating over news tidbits and dreaming of one day getting to actually play the game yourself, today is a very special day. Not because you get into the game today, of course, but because there's finally a schedule for when you can expect to play. No, there isn't a release date. There is, however, a beta weekend schedule! Starting on November 9th, November 30th, and December 7th, the betas will run for 48 hours. During each of those weekends, there'll be a specific theme to the testing. You'll have a chance to call down thumpers like a lunatic, wage war against indigenous wildlife, and beat back the Chosen. Get more information or sign up on the beta page on the official site. Note that not everyone who signs up is guaranteed access; the team will be sending out invites to registered players in batches throughout the beta weekends. [Update: We've clarified that not everyone who signs up is guaranteed a spot in the beta, though with the planned stress tests, your chances look pretty good!]
RIFT drops Storm Legion NDA, livecasts player housing tour
As RIFT enters its second beta weekend for Storm Legion, the team at Trion Worlds announced that the NDA for the expansion is now lifted. In addition to all of this craziness, the devs took players on a livestream tour of the new player housing system. In the livestream, the dimensions of Granite Falls Inn, Faen's Retreat and Dormant Core were shown off. Players are able to have multiple dimensions, with the first two available for free. At the launch of Storm Legion, there will be 250 objects included in the system with more to come. Dimensions can be set to either private or public, with the latter being able to hold up to 200 people at once. Public dimensions have a rating system, may be joined randomly, and can have the option to allow visitors to add their own creations as well. You can watch the full dimensions video after the jump, and stay tuned for Massively's hands on with the beta!
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!
Otherland premieres beta weekend trailer
Today's a big day if you're an Otherland tester, as this marks the kick-off of the first closed beta weekend. It's a smaller test, however, so if you're not one of the lucky few, then you might be stewing in mild envy. Envy not, fair fellow gamers, for gamigo has an exciting new trailer to give everyone a taste of the multiverse of Otherland. The trailer begins with a grumpy angel going around a fantasy village and destroying the crud out of it. This prompts a youngster to take up a sword and join the fight against... something. Following that, it's a huge montage across the many genres of Otherland, from sci-fi to Asian-themed worlds. But who needs a description when you can watch it for yourself? Buckle up because you're going for a ride after the jump. [Source: gamigo press release]
