The time for the first public Guild Wars 2 beta is finally here. Starting Friday, April 27, at noon PDT (GMT-8) until Sunday, April 29, at 11:59 p.m. PDT (GMT-8) thousands of players across the globe can get involved in this game for (many of us) the first time. This game has been a long time coming, and MMO fans (as well as general RPG and gaming fans) are as excited as ever. According to the official Guild Wars 2 blog, there are a few pieces of key information I have shared here:
The only way to absolutely guarantee your access to this or any future Beta Weekend Events is to pre-purchase any edition of Guild Wars 2.
Customers who have pre-purchased the game will receive an e-mail next week with instructions on how to download the client and participate in the Beta.
This is a public event, which means that you’re not bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). So go ahead, feel free to take screenshots, shoot video, blog, tweet, write, or compose a rock opera to share your Guild Wars 2experience with the world.
There are also a few other key things to note about this beta event. Those are explained further below, taken from the official Guild Wars 2 blog as well:
Choices, Choices – You’ll create your own personalized charr, human, or norn character and pick from our eight powerful professions. Your choice of race is vital to your personal story, and it determines in which of the huge starting areas you begin as well. A noble human mesmer will have a radically different game experience than a charr engineer in the service of the Iron Legion. Fortunately, you can roll more than one character and sample each starting area for yourself!
Worlds Collide – If you want your PvP on an epic scale, look no further than World vs. World, where three teams comprising hundreds of players wage open war across four vast maps. You’ll lay siege to castles, raid supply camps, build devastating weaponry, ambush your foes, and leap into truly massive PvP battles—all for the glory of the server. We’re warning you: WvW is so addictive that you may spend the entire Beta Weekend Event there!
PvP For You and Me – After you’ve gotten your feet wet, put your newfound skills to the test in Guild Wars 2 PvP, where small teams battle for points on a variety of challenging, compact maps. We adjust the level of PvP combatants so that all players are on equal footing. If you’ve got a competitive streak or you like playing first-person shooters online, you owe it to yourself to try out Guild Wars 2 PvP!
I Love L.A. – For the first time ever, we’re opening the metropolis of Lion’s Arch to beta players. Wander the streets of this cosmopolitan trade hub, chat with traders and travelers from every corner of Tyria, hop through one of the many asura gates to points beyond, or discover the famed diving platform at Diverse Ledges. Lion’s Arch is a city like no other!
Overall, I have never been this excited and pumped for an MMO before. From everything I have seen, it looks like it will become my personal go-to experience on the PC. There is no release date yet, but the game is only buy-to-play. This means after you purchase it, there is no monthly fee or additional mandatory charges to play the game.
Keep an eye on The Koalition for future updates, beta footage, screenshots, and even something special I have planned. Leave your comments below and let us know what you plan on doing first next weekend!
