At the same time we are now deploying a large amount of additional machines to our main server structures. This means that we are getting ready for larger-scale Beta deployment! We now have the hardware, the set-up (and an awesome game;) ready for larger scale testing! As a result of this we are also getting ready to start inviting thousands and thousands (and thousands) into our Beta programs. As we progress with this new stage of the Beta we expect to get lots of constructive feedback on the general gameplay, and we hope that the testers will also love this iteration of the new combat system. This testing will in turn lead to adding tens and tens of thousands of testers as we move over to the new year. This is surely great news, and for you in the community it means that we are escalating our invitation process. For those of you we have defined as “veterans” (which have not gotten a Beta invite yet), we are looking to send an invitation within the next few weeks. As we have stated before it is a goal for us to give you, our loyal followers, Beta advantage as we move into larger scale testing, but we can’t promise everyone access. It is still a matter of focused testing, not “open beta”.

As a part of this we would like to state that it is not a goal to move beyond several thousands of Beta testers at the stage we are now moving into. The needs of the game and our development team will, and must have, first priority. This means that we are not looking into any form of “open” Beta activities before next year. The Beta for Age of Conan will almost all the way up to launch be defined by development needs, but we have also planned a few surprises along the way ;)