Guild Wars 2 first beta weekend event is quickly approaching and, as promised, ArenaNet has provided some details.
Beginning Friday, April 27 at noon PDT (GMT -8), thousands of players will get their first hands-on experience with the highly-anticipated Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, not everyone will get in.
The only way to "absolutely guarantee" your access to this or any future Guild Wars 2 beta weekend event is to pre-purchase any edition of the game. Customers who pre-purchase the game will receive an email next week with instructions on how to download the client and participate in the Beta.
As we reported yesterday, this is a public event which means there is no Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). So even if you don't get into the event, you are sure to see tons of screenshots, videos, livestreams, etc. giving you a good idea of what to expect from Guild Wars 2.
Now, let's get down to what you can expect from the Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Event:
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!
As I mentioned, the beta will begin Friday, April 27, at noon PDT and end on Sunday, April 29, at 11:59 pm PDT (GMT -8). If you don't manage to get an invite to this event, don't give up. ArenaNet has promised there will be more beta events.
