Diablo 3 Release Beta

Ancient evils were reawakened! The Sanctuary calls for heroes once again to defend the mortal world against the rising Burning Hells. Are you ready?

UPDATE (Sep. 21): Diablo III Beta has begun! Invitations to participate in the beta test are being sent as we speak. Check your Battle.net account right now to see if you've been selected! If not, don't despair; keep an eye for Diablo 3 Beta promotions and giveaways on the Web. The hell gates are now open...

As a Blizzard rep. answered recently to THE question when does Diablo 3 come out, the highly anticipated Beta is "very close" to being released to the public.

Fortunately for us, video footage and screenshots of the Beta already hit the Web and Blizzard isn't going to hide them this time. It won't be long now... To quote a famous character from StarCraft 2, "Hell, it's about time!"

Bellow, the newest Diablo 3 beta videos, the Wizard & the Witch Doctor playthroughs.

Warning! Spoiler alert for one legen - wait for it... -dary hour of gameplay. Enjoy!

Warning! Spoiler alert for 13 minutes of gameplay with the female Witch Doctor.

What Do We Know about Diablo 3 Beta

Except the fact that a Diablo 3 release isn't expected like say tomorrow, Blizzard had mercy on our souls and occasionally released bits of information about the game's progress. Hell, they even changed the color palette after loyal fans complained that the graphics of Diablo III are not dark/gothic enough and that they are very similar to World of Warcraft, another popular Blizzard game (like you wouldn't already knew that).

Blizzard officially announced the Diablo 3 beta last month (August) through an interview posted on their Web site. The upcoming Diablo III beta test will introduce some exciting new features, such as an Auction House that will allow your characters to acquire various weapons of war. How awesome is that!

With the launch of the Diablo III Beta, the armies of the Burning Hells will once again march the earth. To prepare you for this renewed demonic invasion, we called the Witch Doctor and this is what he said...

1. Blizzard wants us to experience the story, instead of just being told the story by NPCs, between battles, so expect a lot of the dialogue into the gameplay.


2. Diablo 3's new Crafting and Looting System ensures that no items are left behind: "Scroll of Companion" summons a friendly created that picks up nearby gold as it moves, "Cauldron of Jordan" allows you to sell items from anywhere and "Nephalem Cube" allows you to break items down into materials that can be used in crafting. Wicked sick!


3. The Follower System in Diablo 3 allows the player to have mercenaries that will follow them around. Watch Diablo 3 Followers on YouTube.


4. Each class in Diablo 3 Beta will have both male and female characters, but because we love females so much, the gameplay videos are with females.


5. Diablo 3 "Always Online" requirement, even when playing the single-player campaign, will help Blizzard fight hackers and piracy.

How to Get Involved in the Diablo 3 Beta Test

You'll need a Battle.net account (create one here if you don't already have one). Once you've done that, login, and then look at the right for Beta Profile Settings. Click it, download Blizzard's "System Utility Check" and send them your system info for a chance to be entered in the awesome Diablo 3 beta test.

If you've been selected, they'll surprise you with an e-mail. If you didn't get in, don't give up hope! After all, you have the same chances as I do. The good news is that you may still be selected in the second wave of beta testing. Good luck to you, demon hunter!

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