Betawatch

This has been quite the week if you're interested in hearing about what's going on behind the curtain. Destiny offered everyone a new trailer, WildStar gave us plenty of information to chew on, The Elder Scrolls Online talked crafting, and Final Fantasy XIV announced a definite date for its relaunch with a new video. Tons of stuff behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Eldevin quietly moved into its second phase of closed beta. Oh, and Neverwinter's economy completely collapsed, which is either bad for the beta or bad for the game's launch depending on how you see the game's current state.

How do we see it? Well, you can take a look at our testing list for an idea. In fact, you might want to take a look at the list anyway just to see what's out there. If you notice something erroneous on there, feel free to let us know so we can take a look ourselves.

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Early access for Marvel Heroes is just around the corner, if you consider 11 days to be a corner. It'll be a chance for everyone to get started on the process of hitting the level cap... or at least getting halfway there before grinding dailies. Your mileage may vary. DUST 514 finally ended its testing earlier this week, meaning that you can go be obliterated by an orbital strike right now if you own a PS3.

Elsewhere in the testing world, Anno Online quietly went into open beta (keep an eye out for our own Beau Hindman's look at the game later this month). There are games preparing for a beta in the future, as well, and more information about popular titles still in beta. It's been a quiet week otherwise.

That doesn't mean there isn't a list past the break. There's always a list. As always, if you see something odd on there, feel free to let us know in the comments.

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You don't need to read the rest of this column, folks. City of Steam goes into open beta in two hours, so there is no reason for you to be sitting here when you could be playing that. Oh, and Marvel Heroes is running one last open beta weekend. And UFO Online is also in open beta. Plus, Arcane Saga launched (or re-launched) its beta. There is too much stuff to play for you to be sitting around reading columns about betas. You've got your project right there.

Still here? You're really dedicated to that beta list, huh? Well, we appreciate that. And you can find it just past the break as always, and you can feel free to let us know if we missed anything down in the comments just as always. But seriously, you don't even need to close your browser for City of Steam. That's accessibility right there.

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So Neverwinter launched this week. Or it went into open beta. Or it did both. We've kind of got a Schrödinger's Launch going on here. You can read our first impressions of the game if you're curious about its overall quality regardless of whether it really launched or not. Lost Saga enjoyed a comparatively unambiguous launch, complete with new content compared to beta.

There's not a full open beta for Marvel Heroes yet, but you can still jump into the game this weekend in celebration of some new movie or another. Representing the other major superhero franchise is Infinite Crisis, which announced that the start of its closed beta testing will be on May 8th.

Oh, and there's the usual assortment of games in testing listed just past the cut. See something amiss? Feel free to let us know about it down in the comments.

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Do you want to build an entire functional city? How about a barely functional one? You can do either in Anno Online, which has launched its closed beta test this week. Lunaria Story has started its open beta, and Marvel Heroes is launching a big push to give away keys prior to its launch in June.

Long-time browser-based darling City of Steam scored a major coup by getting listed on Steam Greenlight this week, and the early access beta is starting on May 10th, ramping up to a full open beta not too long after that. Neverwinter founders are already getting to enjoy the game's early access to the open beta, which begins next week.

But there's more testing afoot always, and we've done our best to compile all of that into the list just past the cut. Notice something that we've missed? Feel free to let us know about it down in the comments.

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Have you eagerly anticipated the start of WildStar's beta testing? Good news for you, then -- it has started. The bad news is that odds are fairly good that you aren't in it, but at least now you can look on longingly from behind glass.

Of course, the beta news of the week hasn't just been about big names. Genia: Brain Storm is currently looking for beta testers interested in a game of wits, and Yitien is just what you've been looking for if you're looking for a high fantasy browser-based MMO. Neverwinter is gearing up for one of its last beta weekends before the open beta test at the end of the month.

Looking for more testing goodness? Take a look at the full list past the break. If you notice anything missing that's in testing, feel free to let us know about it down in the comments.

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Runescape 3 is entering beta soon! Of course, it's less of a new game and more of an upgrade to the existing Runescape, which is a bit less enticing. Arcane Saga is also entering its closed beta on May 7th, but that too isn't a new game, simply a rework of the closed game Prius Online. Ecol Tactics is also entering its open beta, and it... wait, that one actually is a new game. Shame, we had a pattern going.

We also found out that purchasers of an Earthrise: First Impact Founder's Pack will have priority access to the relaunched game's beta to start at an unannounced time. Darkfall Unholy Wars will finally be wrapping up its beta and relaunching on the 16th, and Final Fantasy XIV is moving closer to its own relaunch with its second phase of beta testing.

Oh, yes, and there's a full list of betas past the break, as always. Feel free to let us know if there's something missing!

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After a hard-hitting duo of conventions, it's inevitable that there would be some beta-based shakeups. The Aurora World has gone into open beta, Arena of Heroes is hosting an open beta weekend, and Defiance is looking at a full launch just around the corner. On the flip side, the long-in-testing Otherland might be out of the beta game altogether, as most of the developers for the game were unceremoniously laid off recently. Not good times for anyone.

Luckily, as I mentioned before, there has been a big pair of conventions that hit the ground running. PAX East 2013 and GDC 2013 have both featured plenty of information on games still in testing or waiting to start testing, so if you haven't already seen what Massively has out there for the cons... well, go read it.

Not slaking your thirst for a new game? Well, you can see what's actively testing just past the break with our full list. As always, if you see something missing or on there erroneously, let us know!

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Warframe has opened its doors for everyone, and it's even added some new toys for anyone who decides to check it out. If you'd prefer to test something in your browser instead of downloading a client, you can get that too; just sign up for for the closed testing of Eldevin.

Of course, the eyes of most gamers are turned to Boston for this year's PAX East convention. Not that this has stopped some games from testing away, as Defiance has kicked off its final testing weekend before launch, and Neverwinter is running another weekend as well. DUST 514 players are also getting some love, as a new event is running for both the shooter and EVE Online.

Finally, we're sad to retire Grimlands from Betawatch this week, as gamigo has ceased development on the title.

There's a lot more going on in the beta space, as always. You can find a whole lot more games in the list past the break. Feel free to let us know if we missed anything.

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If you can't get enough of dragons, you'll be happy to know that Dragon's Prophet will bring you all the dragons you could want when it starts closed beta next Tuesday. Seriously, it's like non-stop dragons. You can even check out the classes and starter areas now to get a little lead time on your upcoming dragon experience.

Dragons not so much your speed? You could always check out Scarlet Blade's current closed beta if you like women of improbable anatomy in ridiculous non-outfits. Or there's Gloria Victis' upcoming pre-alpha, although odds of getting in on that testing are rather low.

If none of the above tickles your fancy, you can always take a look at the full list of games we're keeping just past the break. As always, if a game has surreptitiously launched a cash shop without our being aware of it, feel free to let us know by mail or in the comments.

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Even when you think you know all there is to know about MMOs, you can still find surprises around every corner. Did you know about The Aurora World? Because it's now in closed beta. Did you know about Albion Online? Because it's entering closed beta later this month. So many things to learn.

Of course, sometimes you don't want novelty; you want to know more about familiar games. So perhaps you'd like a hands-on look at Defiance. Or perhaps you'd like to know more about Black Desert as the game seeks a Western publisher. And while ArcheAge has found a Western publisher, you might also like to read a few words of caution before getting too worked up.

Alternatively, it's possible you're just here for the list, which is past the break. If you notice something we've missed, feel free to let us know down in the comments!

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If you're one of those people who absolutely cannot wait to get their hands on The Elder Scrolls Online, you won't have to wait too much longer, as the game's first beta testing will apparently start toward the end of this month. The testing will consist of small and focused test weekends, but it's better than the current test schedule of "nothing."

Need something a bit more immediate? Kartuga has gone into closed beta, and Dragon Nest is in closed testing in Europe, but that closed portion means you can't necessarily jump right in. So you might just have to wait to try some games until PAX East, such as the anticipated Neverwinter. It'll be there with bells and large weapons on.

More beta information is in the list just past the cut. If you noticed something we missed, let us know in the comments.

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If you're looking forward to betas this week, time to hurry up and wait. Final Fantasy XIV's beta kicks off on Monday. The Aurora World isn't starting until March. Kartuga is waiting until February 27th. It's enough to throw you into despair at the thought that all you can do is play a game that's actually released.

Or you could play some of the games in open beta right now, like WarBane (which just entered a month-long open test) or Firefall's open beta event running through the weekend. But that just feels like a patch. We'll have to console ourselves until next week, which will see an explosion of new tests.

Those who don't want to wait that long can run down the list just past the break and sign up for a variety of tests. Keep your eyes peeled there -- if something has sneaked into launch without telling us, let us know, by all means.

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While Final Fantasy XIV's director and producer Naoki Yoshida tours the world showing off the game to journalists, the game's fans can start slavering in anticipation of the first beta phase starting on February 25th. This is also the first phase that Legacy subscribers will get to take part in automatically, so if you're a long-term subscriber, you don't even need to worry about applying.

It's been a quiet beta week otherwise, unless you count the continued furor around Neverwinter's beta, which gets extensive coverage in our new column on the game. Hailan Rising has moved into open beta and is asking players to crash the beta servers, while Warframe is giving everyone a shot at the game this weekend via an open testing event.

Need more information? Missed a previous update? Just really love looking at lists of games in testing? There's just such a list past the break! You can let us know of anything we missed down in the comments.

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The Massively offices are abuzz over the Neverwinter beta running this weekend, from the new trailer to character creation to the Cloak Tower. There's also been a lot of discussion about thigh sliders, which at first sounded like sliders made from delectable chicken thigh meat, but it turns out that wasn't the case.

Beyond Neverwinter the beta front has been largely quiet, but the long-silent Legend of Edda is back in town and will kick off a closed beta weekend starting on February 14th next week. City of Steam also offered prospective players a bit of lore on the game's most immediately visible robot, which is a meaningful distinction in that game. And Defiance is running another beta weekend if you're in the mood for some running and gunning.

As always, you can jump past the break for the full list of games in testing. If you see something that we've missed, let us know in the comments down below. Also let us know if a game has slipped into offering a full cash shop despite being in beta or if you've actually heard anything about those thigh sliders.

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