closed beta
Latest
Blade and Soul adds servers in China
Blade and Soul's closed beta appears to be going quite well in China; Tencent has just expanded the number of live servers from 19 to 33. Additionally, rumors indicate that the Chinese version of the game will be entering open beta sometime in early December. No new info is available for western gamers waiting for Blade and Soul. The last update on the official site is dated December 5th, 2012 and claims that details will be delivered "when the time is right." NCSoft and Team Bloodlust are working on the western version of the title.
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot arrives on Steam
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, the game with the cheeky title that turns into a monstrosity of an acronym, has arrived on Steam. Ubisoft Montreal's free-to-play game is available as part of Steam's Early Access program, and while it's free, there are several bundled packages for sale. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a multiplayer action game that incorporates castle-building (and pillaging) and is currently in closed beta. Massively will be taking a closer look at this game in the near future, but in the meanwhile, why not give it a whirl and sound off in the comments?
Albion Online trailer dives into cross-platform design
Sandbox Interactive today released a new trailer for Albion Online, a game the studio refers to as the "first true cross-platform sandbox MMO." In the trailer, employees of Sandbox offer details regarding the development of the game and the challenges of cross-platform design. Information revealed in the trailer includes the reason the team got rid of player leveling, notes on how the economy will function, an explanation of Sandbox Interactive's focus on social interaction as a gameplay requirement, and a brief glimpse of PvP. There's also plenty of gameplay footage on display in between snippets of various dev interviews. Check out the full video after the jump. Albion Online is due for release in 2014 and will feature territory control, corpse-looting, and other "hardcore" conceits along with crafting and class customization. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release]
Final Chinese Blade and Soul beta begins October 29th
Blade and Soul is moving ever closer to release, at least in China. Tencent has confirmed that the final closed beta test for the game will go live on October 29th. The beta will roll out in two steps that should be familiar to weary MMO beta warriors. First, early access codes will be required to enter the beta. After an unspecified period of time, everyone else can join up. Accounts created during this last closed beta test will not be deleted; progress will remain when open beta launches a few weeks/months later. According to Tencent, all characters will be kept unless there is a "major" change to the game. If you're not in China but are hoping to join the closed beta test, you can earn a chance to win a code by visiting the official Chinese site and voting for your favorite character.
Black Gold could possibly start beta in early 2014
Dying to get your hands on the scrumptious-looking Black Gold? If you've already registered for a beta key and need a little hope, here it is: Snail Games said the game could possibly start its closed beta in the first quarter of 2014. "The first closed beta is planned to launch at the earliest Q1 2014," the studio posted in a recent Ask the Devs segment. "We are ensuring quality when it's ready to meet the public eye. All players who have registered prior will have a high chance of receiving first round of beta codes via their email." Black Gold's beta and release is initially aimed at North America, although Snail Games said it is "not ruling out" the possibility of future releases elsewhere. There will also be no region block for the title. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Hearthstone wipes beta progress and institutes patch
The day long feared/anticipated is here: Hearthstone is performing its one and only beta wipe while at the same time plugging in a new patch that includes a wide range of fixes and a new crafting interface. Included in the patch notes are notifications that the level cap has gone up to 60, the chat system has been "rejiggered," and many of the classes have received balance tweaks. Hearthstone players will earn more gold and more cards now, and they can unlock heroes in any of the game's three modes. Blizzard previously said that the game should not wipe from here on out and that more players will be invited into the beta.
Hearthstone: More gold rewards, class balance, and more
One of the first major updates to the Hearthstone beta client is almost here (along with the account wipe). Hearthstone Community Manager Zeriyah wrote a post with additional details on the new bug fixes and quality of life improvements which just so happens to include: Daily quest flexibility (Defeat X opponents with either Y class or Z class) Class balance (Yay, nerfed rogues) Gold generation improved (10 gold per three wins instead of 5 gold per five wins) Read on for my thoughts of the changes and the changes themselves.
Black Desert starts its first closed beta on October 17th
Are you ready to start exploring the darkest of all possible deserts? Are you also located in South Korea? Then you'll be happy to know that after several delays Black Desert has finally announced its closed beta test will start on October 17th. The first test will only run through the 23rd and will include four playable classes, leveling up to level 40, and two major areas to explore. As mentioned before, this test will be IP-locked, so international players are not allowed even with a strong grasp of the language. For those not eligible for the beta (i.e. most of our readers) there are also four new gameplay trailers embedded past the break showing off the various classes in action. They're not actually in life-or-death combat, but it's a chance to get a peek at what your various choices can do. Or what they would be able to do if you were able to get in on the testing... you get the idea. [Thanks to Lilian for the tip!]
Black Desert bracing for Korean closed beta test
It's been a long time coming, but Korean sandbox title Black Desert is finally getting ready to move forward with beta testing. Testing was delayed almost three months ago as Pearl Abyss wanted to add a bit more shine to the game, but it appears that the game is acceptably shined and ready to open the gates. Soon, anyway; the official site is displaying a 19-day countdown until applicants are accepted, not necessarily until the test itself starts. Unfortunately, American fans with a working knowledge of Korean will still have to sit this one out, as the first test will be IP-locked and will not allow non-Korean players to participate. But it at least means the game is closer to seeing its domestic release and that much closer to a possible localization. So it's good news, even if you're going to have to sit this first round of testing out. [Thanks to WNxArcticwolf for the tip!]
EverQuest II moves expansion to November
EverQuest II's next expansion, Tears of Veeshan, has been moved to mid-November, according to a letter by Senior Producer Holly Longdale. Calling the expansion "something special," she said that the team will begin the beta on October 15th and that the project is coming together well. In the letter, she also announced that heroic characters are now scheduled for the first week of October. Longdale said that the team is still "fine-tuning" details for the heroic character release and is making adjustments to Destiny of Velious zones so F2P players have a place for heroic characters to romp. Finally, if you haven't purchased the Age of Discovery expansion, you might be interested to hear that SOE is selling features from that expansion individually.
LotRO starts beta test for Helm's Deep, talks Burglar changes
Lord of the Rings Online has begun the closed beta test for Helm's Deep, Turbine announced on Facebook last night. "Invites have already been sent, so make sure you check your spam filters," the studio notified fans. As the expansion contains changes to all of the classes, the team released the first of many developer diaries detailing what's to come for Burglars. The diary says that the three trait lines will home in on what makes each of them unique: massive burst damage (for Quiet Knife), control and attrition (for Mischief-maker), and the element of chance (for The Gambler). Finally, Turbine is compensating VIP players for the game outage this past weekend: "For any VIP accounts that were subscribed during the outage, we will be extending the subscription by two days. Lifetime accounts will receive 250 Turbine Points."
Warface hits the trenches today in final closed beta
Crytek's perpetual in-beta freemium shooter Warface has initiated another closed beta run today, open to all who're registered through Crytek's Gface service. This will be the final round of beta testing before the game launches in North America, Europe and Turkey later this year. Warface, a free-to-play online shooter with multiple classes spanning both competitive and co-operative game modes, is a joint effort between Crytek and Trion Worlds. Warface, in combination with Gface, marks Crytek's first steps toward becoming a fully free-to-play company, which it hopes will happen within the next five years.
Dark Souls 2 closed beta starts October 5
Namco Bandai will launch a closed PlayStation 3 beta program for Dark Souls 2 on October 5, the publisher announced. Sign-ups for the beta will start after September 5, at which point players will see a registration announcement on the game's official Facebook page. Though the beta program is locked to PS3 owners, Dark Souls 2 will launch in March 2014 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Our co-opinion of the game from our time with the E3 demo was positive, though we reluctantly admitted that we're gluttons for the game's unrelenting punishment.
WildStar primps for convention appearances
WildStar's dance card is quite full this month, as Carbine is heading to both Gamescom and PAX Prime for promotions, hobnobbing, and public demos. First up is Gamescom, where the devs will be present at the NCsoft booth (Hall 8, Booth #B030), showing off the Chua and Mordesh races and a couple of new zones. The team is throwing a party that Friday at the Marriott Koln that is first-come, first-served. Up next is PAX Prime, where the devs and demo will be at booth #642 for the curious and beta-envious. Carbine's hosting a panel at PAX on Saturday, August 31st, which will be livestreamed for those who can't attend. There will be a PAX party as well later that night at the Hard Rock Café, so Massively encourages those who attend to drink and demo responsibly.
Aeria Games Announces Aura Kingdom at Otakon 2013
Attendees at Otakon 2013 were treated to the first reveal of Aeria Games' upcoming Aura Kingdom, a fantasy-based title with interactive companions, "elaborate" skill trees, and an anime-style world. Developed by X-Legend of Eden Eternal fame, Aura Kingdom is set for closed beta launch in both English and French sometime in the near future. Aeria Games is calling Aura Kingdom its "biggest title to date." Players with an Aeria account can sign up for a closed beta slot on the official website; in the meantime, check out the teaser trailer after the break. [Thanks to Skurvel for the tip!]
ArcheAge gives import progress report
Wondering what's going on with ArcheAge and when-oh-when will we ever see it in North America and Europe? While Trion Worlds is still being cagey with its time frame, CM James Nichols gave a progress report to give us some info as to what the team is doing. Nichols reported that the team is tackling several hurdles, including connecting the game to Trion's billing system, setting up the server architecture, and translating over a million words for those of us that don't speak Korean. He said that players should expect any changes to the Korean version to be "very minimal," so players shouldn't expect huge new features or differences. He urged patience for those looking to beta test ArcheAge: "We're just as excited to get to the point where we can invite external testers, but expect the closed testing period to last at least a few months." [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Massively Exclusive: Red 5 talks pay-to-win and Firefall's open beta
If you haven't yet noticed, Red 5's open-world, MMOFPS, action-adventure, jet-boot-featuring Firefall is now in open beta. The sci-fi shooter saw an extended closed beta period marked by major overhauls to core systems and a slow-but-steady trickle of new content, and last week's open beta launch is the next big step in pushing Firefall toward its eventual release. We posed a few questions to Red 5 about the nature of beta testing, the complications brought on by monetizing a game in progress, and the future of Firefall.
Killzone: Mercenary closed beta open for sign-ups
The Killzone: Mercenary closed multiplayer beta program is just around the corner, as players can sign up to join it now. Sign-ups are open until 2:00pm PDT on Wednesday, July 17. The Vita game's multiplayer offerings include six maps and three modes for up to eight people to play simultaneously. Killzone: Mercenary is due out on September 10 for Vita.
The Elder Scrolls Online sends out more beta invites
Today might just be the day. It might be the day that you wake up, check your email, and discover that -- glory of glories! -- you are now part of The Elder Scrolls Online's beta. The official site is reporting that a wave of invites have gone out to potential testers for the next beta phase. So you know the drill: Check your email, check your spam folder, and sacrifice your favorite action figure on an altar in the hope that it will make a difference. "We're looking forward to the next beta session and can't wait for more of you to see the game," ZeniMax said. The studio assured players that the beta "continues to grow" and that more invites will be forthcoming.
WildStar beta testers compete for coolest house
If being a fan of player housing while still being shut out of the WildStar beta describes you perfectly, then you're going to probably hate everything about this post. As a way to show off the flexibility and potential for WildStar's housing, Carbine Studios challenged closed beta testers to come up with the coolest, wackiest, or most creative pad. The winners of this contest are up on the site now. If you can push aside your jealousy at being left out, there's a lot to be gleaned from the amazing pictures on display here. There is a house-within-a-house, an upside-down house, a bedroom bar, and a stand-up comedy platform, among others. The winners of the beta contest received a trophy that will carry over with them to the launched game.
