[[File:Beta-d3-box.jpg|left|frame|Diablo III Beta box art.]]There will be[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-skills-party-help-and-beta-confirmation/] a Diablo III Beta Test, which Mike Morhaime stated is to occur in the third quarter of 2011[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-details-announced/], with the earliest possible start date at August 3rd, 2011. =Introduction=
This article covers every common question about [[File:Beta-d3-box.jpg|left|frame|Diablo 3 Beta box art.]]The Diablo 3 Beta test began in early September, 2011, and Blizzard was initially limited to "Friends & Family" testing. The closed beta tests, with numerous quotes from Blizzard employees inserted where relevantbegan mid September and contains the same content as the Friends and Family testers were testing.
* All news items [http://diabloThe Diablo 3 beta test consists of the first half of Act One, with some story elements and game features removed.incgamers.com/categories/category/diablo-3-The beta related test is largely a tech demo, with little game content open to fan feedback; it is not intended to the Diablo III Beta Test]be a full game balance playtest, like many MMORPGs.
<div style="float:right; clear:right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"blue><br><br>__TOC__The test is mainly for the downloader, patcher, launcher, various behind-the-scenes services, and server hardware, there are specific updates or milestones for these we're tracking and they will likely determine more invites.</divblue>
<br>
==Beta to Begin Third Quarter 2011==
During the May 9, 2011 Activision-Blizzard conference call [[Mike Morhaime]] stated that the Diablo III beta would commence during the third quarter of 2011, and that internal testing had already been underway for a week[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-details-announced/]. [[Bashiok]] further clarified the timeframe[http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808130648&pageNo=1&sid=3000#9]:
<blue>The 3rd quarter reference in the earning's call today was a calendar quarter, meaning that we're aiming to launch the Diablo III beta between July 1st and September 30th. Keep in mind that it's our current goal, and of course that can change as development continues.</blue>
Previously, an announcement about the start time for the beta test was expected in the Q1/2011 Activision/Blizzard conference call, scheduled to take place in early May, 2011. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/activision-blizzard-q4-2010-investor-conference-call/]=Diablo 3 Beta Test History=
It was universally-expected that there would be a public beta test for Diablo 3, and while Blizzard regularly hinted at it, the test was not actually confirmed<blue><bref>Thomas Tippl[http:</b>D3 development continues to go well, and we’re very excited about the game/diablo.incgamers.. I’m looking forward to sharing more news about the game, com/blog/comments/diablo-on-skills-party-help-and our upcoming -beta-confirmation Non-Confirmation of Beta] - Bashiok, Blizzard 24/9/10</ref>, with a release window of "third quarter 2011," until [[Mike Morhaime]] did so during the next an Activision/Blizzard conference callin May 2011.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.”com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-details-announced/ Confirmation of Beta ] - Mike Morhaime, Blizzard, Activision Blizzard First Quarter Calendar 2011, 9/05/11</blueref>
==All Game Systems To Be Revealed Before The beta test got underway in early September 2011. It's unclear exactly when the test started; the Battle.net beta forums went online on September 2nd<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/official-diablo-iii-beta-forums-but-still-no-beta Official Beta Forums Open] - Bashiok, Blizzard 2/9/11</ref>, and visuals leaked around that time<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-character-creation-movie Character Creation Movie] - diablo.incgamers.com 2/9/11</ref> <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/the-first-diablo-3-beta-interface-shots Interface Screenshots] - diablo.incgamers.com 2/9/11</ref> <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-leaks-explained Leaks Explained] - Various, Blizzard 2/9/11</ref>, and the Beta FAQ was posted on September 3rd<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-leaks-explained Official Beta Begins==FAQ] - Blizzard 3/9/11</ref>.
In April 2011 [[Bashiok]] replied to a question about upcoming game systems reveals with an enlightening piece of information. The first posts showed up in the Beta Support forum on September 4th<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/the-diablofirst-post-in-iiithe-beta-onlyfeedback-beforum-agot-smalldeleted Feedback Forum Post Deletion] -part Blizzard 4/9/11</ref>, and got deleted while the Blizzard CMs continued to insist <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/battle-net-diablo-of3-beta-theavatar-wholerevealed Official Beta Forum Avatar] -game Blizzard 5/]9/11</ref> that the Friends and Family beta had not yet begun.
The Beta download client was available during this time, enabling anyone who had it to post screenshots of the client install<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-install-client-screenshots Beta Install Screenshot] - diablo.incgamers.com 6/9/11</ref> and the options menus<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-options-menus Beta Options Menu Screenshot] - diablo.incgamers.com 6/9/11<blue/ref>We will be announcing all of , but those people could not play the game systems though before without Diablo 3 Beta access on their Battle.net account. Blizzard finally confirmed that the F&F test was under way and the full test would begin soon, on September 6th. <ref name=ffbeta>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzard-confirms-ff-beta-underway-closed-public-beta-soon Friends & Family Test Under Way] - Bashiok, so there are a few things left as far as reveals go.Blizzard 7/9/11</blueref>.
This seems logical; after all, if the game systems are going to be present in the Beta, the developers surely want to reveal them officially and properly before the test starts, and incomplete and possibly erroneous reports start to leak from the testers.
===What changes have been made to Diablo 3 during the Beta?===
===BattleThe vast majority of changes in the patches have been bug fixes and skill and item balances however there have been some significant changes and additions which are noted below.net Feature Reveal set Visit the patch links for August 2011===the full patch details.
In mid* [[Beta Patch 2]] – v0.3.73108 - 8 September* [[Beta Patch 3]] - v.0.3.0.7338 - 15 September ** Gold [[Auction House]] activated.* [[Beta Patch 4]] -June 2011v.0.3.0.7447 - 27 September* [[Beta Patch 5]] – v.0.3.1. 7728 - 4 November (Large patch with many changes)** Experience rewarded from quests after level 4 is now based on the number of mobs you’d have to kill to earn the same amount of experience, word was leakedrather than being a strict percentage of a level ** New passive skills have been added for all classes. See individual class notes below for more information.** All skills are now based off weapon damage. ** Switching out class skills will now require the use of a new feature known as the Nephalem Altar. ** Items sold from vendors will now be at least one item level lower than those that are currently available to a player via drops from monsters** Quivers, Orbs, and Mojos will now always come with +Min/Max damage.** A new Mortar affix has been added to the game. Mortar monsters will lob grenades at enemies outside melee range. * [[Beta Patch 6]] - v.0.4.0.7841 - 18 November** Player profiles have been added! These profiles will display important statistics for each of your characters, as well as 3D models featuring their current gear.** Achievements are now available for testing. Please note that for the beta launch of this system, only a limited number of achievements have been included. * [[Beta Patch 7]] – v.0.4.1.7391 - 2 December** A trial version of the Diablo 3 Currency-Based Auction House is now available for testing. * [http[Beta Patch 8]] - v.0.5.0.8059 - 16 December (Large patch with many changes)** Battle.net BattleTags are now live! ** A new skill has been added for Monk://diabloCyclone Strike * [[Beta Patch 9]] - V.0.5.incgamers1.com/blog/comments/d38101 -fansite21 December* [[Beta Patch 10]] -invitev.0.6.0.8296 -event23 January** Attack, Defense, and Precision have been removed.** Dexterity, Intellect, Strength, and Vitality have been added.** Nephalem Altars, Nephalem Cube and Cauldron of Jordan have been removed.** Achievements have been re-enabled.** Leveling artisans inNormal difficulty now only requires gold.** Common (white) items can no longer be salvaged.* [[Beta Patch 11]] -julyv.0.6.1.8350 -august30 January** Fixed a number of game and service crashes.* [[Beta Patch 12]] -betav.0.6.2.8392 -start/3 February** Fixed a number of game and service crashes.* [[Beta Patch 13]] that Blizzard was going - v.0.7.0.8610 - 18 February 2012** Public chat and Real ID enabled.** Skill runes activated.** Elective mode enabled.** Many skills altered for all classes** The cooldown on swapping skills has been decreased from 30 seconds to host a "fansite summit" at Blizzard Irvine from July 2615 seconds ** New Templar item affixes added* [[Beta Patch 14]] -27thv. 0.8. At that summit the invited fansites were going to 0.8815 - 8 March 2012** Hardcore mode is now available, and can be given play test time, interviews unlocked by reaching level 10 with at least one character** Player created games now default to Invite Only. Check "Allow Quick Join" in the developers, Social tab of the Options menu to allow your friends to join** Magic Find and a presentation Gold Find are now shared amongst party members. The average combined value of Diablo IIIthe entire party's BattleMagic and Gold Find applies to all players regardless of location in the game world.** Many changes to game economy, including rings and amulets level requirements being raised to no longer drop in the beta* [[Beta Patch 15]] - v.0.9.0.net interface 8896 - 16 March 2012** The gold auction house for Hardcore characters is now available for testing** A new quest selection feature has been added ** The levels at which character skills and functionalityskill runes unlock have been adjusted for most classes* [[Beta Patch 16]] - v. 0.10.0.9183 - 9 April 2012** The cooldown on swapping skills while in Normal difficulty has been decreased from 15 seconds to 5 seconds** Demon Hunter one-handed Crossbows have received a damage buff** Spirit regeneration on Monk items has been increased* [[Beta Patch 17]] – v.0.11.0.9327 - 17 April 2012**Cross-game chat is available!* [[Beta Patch 18]] – v.0.11.0.9359 - 19 April 2012** Minor bug fix
This is valuable information for the =Is there a closed Diablo 3 beta timeline, since it was previously said (by [[Bashiok]]) that all the game systems would be revealed pre-beta. Thus the Beta can not start until after August 2nd, when this system is revealed. This doesn't mean the Beta will begin on August 3rd, but fans can always hope.test?=
==Will there be a closed Diablo III beta test?==Yes. This was always all but certain, but it was officially stated confirmed to be happening in various interviews from Blizzcon 2010.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-confirmed/Beta Confirmed][http:- Christian Lichtner, Blizzard, VG247 Interview, 28//www.vg247.com/201010/10</27/interview-diablo-iiis-jason-bender-and-christian-lichtner-talk-demon-hunters-pvp-blizzard-on-consoles-tons-more/]ref>
<blue><br>Christian Lichtner:</b> There will be a closed beta. I can say that. We definitely will have that. It’s incredibly important for us to get feedback from people. You know, we only want to put a game out there when it’s done. For example, when ''World of Warcraft'' had its really long beta, everyone thought it was madness. It was like “Who’s gonna buy this game? People have been playing it for free for months!” And all it did was make the game better. We need it. We need people playing the game and giving feedback, so we can make the game better.</blue>
Prior to this, [[Jay Wilson]] spoke about the benefits of beta testing. <ref>[http://wwwdiablo.ausgamersincgamers.com/features?p=3549 Benefits of Beta Testing] - Ausgamers Interview, 2/read10/2662371]08</ref>
<blue><font color="#FFFFFF"><i><b>AG:</b> Blizzard has always been great at showing games to people at an early stage and I'm interested in that idea. Do you think there are risks of showing games to people early? What's your philosophy behind that?</b></i></font>
One of the reasons why we actually prefer a really long window before we release a game is because we want a lot of feedback; we want to hear what people like and don't like about it; we want to give them several opportunities to play it before release. We play our games constantly before we release them; we give them to the other development teams and we get feedback. We do very long betas and alphas that we include a lot of people – not just from the fanbase, but from the game industry as a whole. We get a lot of other game developers playing our games – months and months before we release – and I would say, look at the success of Blizzard games. If other companies think it's a risk, a bad idea... obviously it's not, because we've done very well on that front.</blue>
=<br>=How do I register for the Diablo III 3 Beta Test?==
You already are, if you have a Battle.net account and have completed a Beta profile. [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=27087 Blizzard maintains a support page] with detailed instructions on accomplishing this.
You can see more information about this in [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=26886 Blizzard's Beta Opt-in FAQ].
<br>
=What is in the Diablo 3 Beta?=
The Diablo 3 beta test is roughly the first half of Act One, taking a brand new character from the start of the game up though the battle with [[King Leoric]]. All five character [[classes]], all of their [[skills]], and almost all of the game features are included. [[Followers]], [[Artisans]], and the full [[item]] system is in the beta, though only the [[Templar]] and [[Blacksmith]] are encountered that early in the game.
'''Not in the beta:''' Some [[story]] elements were removed to preserve surprises, and there are no [[cinematics]]. [[Runestones]] are not included as they're undergoing further development, and the [[Arena]] is not available either.
The [[Auction House]] was not available at the start of the beta, though the developers enabled the Gold Auction House in Patch 3 on 15th September<ref>[http://www.diablowiki.net/Beta_Patch_3 Gold Auction House Enabled] - Beta Patch 3, 15/9/11</ref> and introduced the Real Money Auction House in Patch 7 on 2 December 2011<ref>[http://www.diablowiki.net/Beta_Patch_7 Real Money Auction House Enabled] - Beta Patch 7, 2/12/11</ref>. Blizzard credited all testers' accounts with 50 credits in order to test.
<br>
=What was in the Diablo II Beta?=
The Diablo 2 beta took place in early 2000, and like all Blizzard betas in those days, there were only about 1000 testers, all of whom had a beta CD mailed to them. Modern betas start small and ramp up with more testers added over time, until far more than 1000 people are enabled to test.
The Diablo 2 beta was all of Act One, in exactly the same form it had in the final game. All of the same [[quests]], [[NPCs]], [[levels]], [[waypoints]], [[mercenaries]], [[monsters]], [[items]], etc. [[PvP]] worked just as it did in the final game as well. All five characters were available, and while they could be leveled up as high as you liked, only the first three tiers of skills were available; at Clvl 1, 6, and 12.
<br>
=How long will the Diablo 3 Beta test run?=
The initial plans for the beta were quite extensive, with Jay Wilson claiming the game would be released about six months after the beta began.
[[Jay Wilson]] spoke on this during a video interview from Blizzcon 2010.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-video-interview-jay-wilson-direct-tv/ Jay Wilson @ BlizzCon 2010] - IncGamers 25/10/10</ref>
::'''Geoffkeighley''' (via Twitter): someone has to ask this: When is the Diablo 3 beta gonna be?
::'''Jay Wilson: '''Probably about six months before we release.
At the end of September 2011 Blizzard announced that Diablo 3 would not release in 2011 but rather "early 2012" which meant the beta would run longer than expected but with more testers than originally planned.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzard-leaks-d3s-release-as-early-2012 Diablo 3 Release Slip] - Mike Morhaime, 23/9/2011 </ref>
<blue>Blizzard will use the additional time to extend the Diablo 3 closed beta test, which began September 20, potentially adding more testers than initially projected.
The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers.</blue>
=Will there be an open beta test?=
==What No. Jay Wilson confirmed from Gamescom 2011 that the beta will only be in the Diablo III Beta?==a closed one; all players will need a beta key and an invitation to participate.
A beta test needs to include enough of the game to keep people testing and giving feedback on software/hardware issues, and the developers want to make sure that (especially) the opening sections of the game are as good as they can be and will suck in new players. The whole game is very seldom included in a beta test though, especially not for a non-MMORPG like Diablo III.
On the 19th of April, 2011, [[Bashiok]] made a post in the [[battle.net]] forums[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/the-diablo-iii-beta-only-=How many Diablo 3 Beta testers will there be-a-small-part-of-the-whole-game/] giving insight into the design team's intentions of keeping the game close-to-the-chest so players can be surprised when they have it in their hands, and also reveals some of what the testers can expect from the beta itself.?=
<blue>While Early Blizzard beta tests were limited to just the 1000 beta CDs they pressed and mailed out. More recent tests with downloadable clients have grown far larger, and there will obviously likely be a lot tens of thousands of fun, should you get testers for Diablo 3. Not everyone starts on the chance to get in and help testfirst day, <u>it’ll only be a small part of the whole game</u>course. Some people want to know everythingBeta tests start small and scale up, but we’re really trying to preserve the surprise and wonderment (that we hope will come with exploring Diablo III) more testers added over time as much as possiblethe server stability improves.</blue>
Blizzard has been very careful about not leaking details about Diablo III's plot, so it's widely expected that they will not include The Starcraft 2 beta test generally had more than Act One of the game20,000 concurrent users, and will probably rip out some many, many additional beta keys were distributed over the course of the plot details from whatever they do releasetest to keep the testing numbers up. BashiokIt's quote above gives credence to this speculationwidely expected that the Diablo 3 beta will follow a similar course.
It also seems that they'll want to test out the [[Arena]]s as extensively as possible, so the inclusion of those in the beta, either for Beta characters or for premade Arena characters, seems very likely.
=Are Previous Blizzard Testers invited to Diablo 3 Beta Test?=
===What was in Only if you are already on the Diablo II Beta?===Blizzard's friends list. They do keep a list of good testers from past games, and add people to it when they reliably report numerous bugs, but the names on this list are kept private.
The D2 beta took place in early 2000, and like all Blizzard betas in those days, there were only about 1000 testers, all of whom had a beta CD mailed to them. Modern betas start small and ramp up with more testers added over time, until far more than 1000 people are enabled to test.
The D2 beta was all of Act One, in exactly the same form it had in the final game. All of the same quests, NPCs, levels, waypoints, mnercenaries, monsters, items, etc. PvP worked just as it did in the final game as well. All five characters were available, and while they could be leveled up as high as you liked, only the first three tiers of skills were available; at Clvl 1, 6, and 12.=How are Beta Testers Selected?=
==When will they announce the Diablo III Blizzard passes out beta test?==No dates have been given yetkeys to their friends and family, to media, nor will they until much closer and to others in the start of the testindustry. Blizzard typically announces their upcoming They also give out beta tests some months in advanceslots to various fansites, media sites, business partners, but and often conduct "invite a specific date isn't set until just a few weeks prior friend" events during beta tests. There are generally numerous ways to gain access, including with game pre-orders, and more promotions appear during the course of each beta test's beginning.
Since Blizzard sometimes includes a slot for upcoming beta tests in the goodie bags they moved give out at Blizzcon or at World Wide Invitational events. (Though beta keys were not included in the Blizzcon 2009 or 2010 goodie bags, 1000 attendees from Blizzcon 2010 were randomly-selected to enter the beta test.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/?p=2494/ Beta OptKeys for some Blizzcon Attendees] -In technology on Battlediablo.incgamers.netcom, Blizzard no longer runs major beta test sign up periods, since they already have a huge pool of potential testers.24/10/10</ref>
==How long will the beta test run?==
[[Jay Wilson]] spoke on this during a video interview from Blizzcon 2010.
<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-video-interview-jay-wilson-direct-tv/ Jay Wison @ BlizzCon 2010] - IncGamers October 25, 2010</ref>
::'''Geoffkeighley''' (via Twitter): someone has to ask this: When is the Diablo 3 beta gonna be?
::'''Jay Wilson: '''Probably about six months before we release.
=General Beta Test Information=
The remainder of this page covers basic alpha and beta test questions, and is applicable to all types of video games.
==Will there be an open beta test?==
Blizzard ran open beta tests after the closed betas on most of their early games, when they needed additional testers running a pared-down, demo-like version of the game simply to stress test the Battle.net servers. They did for Diablo II, which was called a "stress test" to stress the new battle.net infrastructure. Blizzard also held ===What's an open beta with a similar intention for World of Warcraft near the end of the beta cycle (but there were no open betas for the subsequent expansion packs). StarCraft II did not have an open beta, but it had a very large pool of testers. In the United States, simply pre-ordering the game at GameStop would give the player a key for the beta. However, it is much harder to retain a large amount of testers for an [[RTS]], especially one as über-competitive as StarCraft II. This may not be the case for Diablo III, an [[ARPG]].Alpha Test?===
==What's an Alpha Test?==
An Alpha test is run before the beta test, and is usually much smaller. The Alpha client is less finalized than the beta client, and is usually the first game build that's semi-complete and playable. Alpha tests are almost always private, and limited to employees, friends, and family.
===What's a Beta Test?===
Beta tests are large scale tests of a near-finished video game. To date, all Blizzard beta tests have been semi-public, with website signups drawing in thousands of public testers, who join Blizzard employees, their friends and family, fansite invitees, members of the media, employees at other gaming companies, and others. Beta tests generally scale up in size as they progress; starting with a few dozen testers, then gradually expanding to hundreds and then thousands of testers. In the old days this meant physically mailing out beta CDs; these days with the beta clients being shared via bit torrent, it means passing out more valid beta CD keys.
===What's the purpose of a Beta Test?=== [[Image:Bnet-beta-cd.jpg|thumb]]Beta tests serve multiple purposes, depending on the game.
The original Diablo beta test was called the "Battle.net Beta Test" since it was largely made to test Blizzard's new online gaming service. That the software contained the beta client of Diablo I was almost beside the point, since the game was small enough to be tested internally. The hard part was getting the online matchmaking of Battle.net functional.
==How are Beta Testers Selected=What makes a good beta tester?==Blizzard passes out beta keys to their friends and family, to media, and to others in the industry. They also give out beta slots to various fansites, who may redistribute them as they see fit. Blizzard has also taken to including a slot in an upcoming Blizzard beta in the goodie bags they give out at Blizzcon or at WWI events. There were no beta keys in the goodie bags at Blizzcon 2009 and 2010, though [[Paul Sams]] announced, during the closing ceremonies, that 1000 beta testers would be selected at random from the Blizzcon attendees. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/1000-beta-key-winners-selected-from-blizzcon-2010-ticket-buyers/]=
==What makes a good beta tester?==
It depends on what the test is trying to measure.
Beta tests, especially those that do not include the entire game (like D2's) are largely about optimizing the early game experience. Seeing what players find helpful or confusing about character creation, early game quests, NPC interactions, using the interface, etc. And for that, total noobs are as or more useful than experienced players. In fact, since Blizzard usually distributes hundreds of beta slots through their fansites, slots that will go chiefly to rabid fans, getting lots of casual fans from Blizzcon attendees, other gaming promotions, and people selected via their B.net beta opt in service is essential.
==What countries are included in the Beta Test?==
This isn't known in advance. Past Blizzard tests have initially been US or North America only, since they usually start with just some hosting servers in the US. As greater server stability is achieved, more testers, from more locations, are allowed in. Blizzard has also been known to run beta servers in other countries where they expect a lot of players. It's quite likely they'll run a Korean Stacraft 2 beta, for instance.
===What countries are included in the Beta Test?===
Blizzard beta tests are generally done internationally, though they often start with just North America for their test servers and most of the first testers. Blizzard has also been known to run beta servers in other countries where they expect a lot of players. They had extensive Battle.net servers in Korea for the Stacraft 2 beta, for instance.
===Are there age limits for beta testers?===
Yes, in accordance with each game's age limit rating, or expected ratings. These are generally enforced via drop down, "select your age" boxes, with all the ''unbreakable'' security protection those provide.
==Is there an age limit for beta testers?==
Yes, in accordance with the game's age limit ratings, or expected ratings.
===Can I sign up multiple times?===
==Can I sign up multiple times?==Each Battle.net account entered in the Beta Opt-In is eligible to be selectedfor a given beta test. So if you have multiple accounts, yes. You can't submit the same account more than once, though.
This can differ for expansion pack beta tests, since an account must have valid access to the current game in order to test the expansion. The D3 beta did not require any other games on the Blizzard account, but it's likely the Diablo 3 Beta expansion beta will require a valid copy of Diablo 3.
==Are there minimum system specs for the Beta Test?==
Usually there is some minimum cut off point, but since the whole point of such a test is to see how wide a variety of systems the game will run on, Blizzard tries to keep it fairly generous.
===Are there minimum system specs for Beta Tests?===
==How many testers will there There has to be?==Early Blizzard beta tests were limited some level of minimum machine to just the 1000 run a beta CDs they pressed and mailed out. More recent tests with downloadable clients have grown far largertest, and there will likely be many thousands or even tens but developers try to include as wide a variety of thousands of testers tester equipment as possible. See the [[system requirements]] article for more details on Diablo III3's requirements. Not everyone starts on The absolute minimum required to run the first day, of courseDiablo 3 beta was revealed to be:<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers. Tests start small and scale upcom/blog/comments/beta-minimum-specs-graphics-card-support Beta Minimum Specs] - Blizzard, with more testers added over time as the server stability improves7/9/10</ref> ::1GB System Memory::Pentium D 2.8GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
==Are Previous Blizzard Testers invited to Diablo III Beta Test?==
Only if you are already on the Blizzard's friends list. They do keep a list of good testers from past games, and add people to it when they reliably report numerous bugs, but the names on this list are kept private.
===How are Selected Testers Notified?===
==How to get in to Blizzard beta tests are conducted digitally, all through Battle.net. Most of the Closed Beta?==Aside from marrying a testers are semi-randomly selected by Blizzard employee or becoming one yourself, you could try attending BlizzCon or other such conventionsby their Battle.net accounts. Selected accounts are given beta access, since they've been giving out cards good for future and players can do so by logging on and downloading the beta test slots at such eventsclient. Notification emails<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers. Admins of popular fansites com/blog/comments/friends-and employees of major gaming info sites usually get -family-beta slots as well; sometimes they even have extras to give out to site regulars. There's no way -invite-email Invite Email] - 7/9/10</ref> are sent to increase your odds of being chosen from the public sign up period though, since the criteria Blizzard uses to pick such people varies, and is largely randomemail address associated with each account.
In addition to those selected testers, Blizzard generally gives out thousands of additional beta invites via contest winners, with pre-orders, via "invite a friend"
==When and how Will the Selected be Notified?==
Blizzard notifies a tester by sending an email with a valid CD-key and a link to download the client. Since they start their tests small and ramp them up over time, you might be in from the first day, or have to wait several weeks or months. [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=26886]
::In ===Will I have to pay for the event you are selected to participate in a beta test, you will receive an e-mail informing you and directing you to Battle.net Account Management, where you will be able to download the beta client and obtain a beta key.?===
Blizzard does not charge for beta test slots. Beta test slots are sometimes sold, but not officially, and eBay and other online auction services do not permit the sale of beta slots.
==Will I have to pay for the Beta?==
Blizzard does not charge for beta test slots. They are sometimes sold, but eBay and other online auction services do not generally permit this.
===Will the Beta be downloadable?===
==Will the Beta be downloadable?==
Yes. The days of mailed out CDs are long past, since Blizzard runs such large tests and the game clients are huge. Beta test clients these days are usually several gigs in size, and can take quite a while to download via torrent, even for fast connections.
===What's a Beta Test like?==Generally, just like playing the game, albeit online only and with more bugs and server downtimes. There's no special procedure to follow, once you've got the client downloaded and your beta key working. You just start it up and play.=
Generally, just like playing the game, albeit online only and with more bugs and server downtimes. There's no special procedure to follow, once you've got the client downloaded and your beta key working. You just start it up and play, but only through Battle.net. There is no offline play support.
==How do I report bugs?==
Beta tests always have bug reporting mechanisms built in. There is usually an ingame command to send a message about a bug, and log files are compiled as you play, recording the game state and hardware/software issues. There are usually private beta testing forums on the official site, where testers can discuss the test and post technical issues.
===Will the beta change as I participate?===
==Will the beta change as I participate?==
Constantly. Beta tests usually have a new patch almost every day, with minor and major changes, bug fixes, and more.
[[:Category:Patches| List of all patches released for the Diablo 3 Beta]].
==Will I be able to talk about the beta test?==
Most Beta tests come with NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) and many previous Blizzard betas did. They have not included an NDA on the last few World of Warcraft betas, or on the Starcraft II beta, and this seems to be a policy change. There is no reason to expect Diablo III beta testers to be bound by a confidentiality agreement.
===Will I be able to talk about the beta test?=== While previous Blizzard betas tests all had a Non-Disclosure Agreement ([[NDA]]), their more recent betas have not. [[Bashiok]] spoke on this in January 2011.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/no-nda-for-the-diablo-iii-beta/No NDA for Beta]- Bashiok, Blizzard, 11/1/10</ref>
<blue>Bashiok: I don’t believe we’re planning to impose NDA’s on future beta tests for any of our franchises. That’s of course subject to change.</blue>
The Diablo 3 Beta Test launched in early September 2011 without an NDA<ref name=ffbeta />, and players were free to talk about the test, to post videos and screenshots, etc. ===Does Blizzard Expect Testers to Play a Minimum Number of Hours?===
No, though they'd appreciate it if you played enough to find some bugs and give some useful feedback. Players who can't play, for technical or other reasons, are useful as well, since Blizzard wants to know what's stopping you.
===Will beta testers be given notice before the testing ends?===
Usually the end of a test is announced some weeks in advance.
===How Long After Beta is Release?===
This also depends. Some beta tests run right up until the release date, with the information from them being used for post-release patches. Others end weeks earlier, or are replaced by open beta/stress tests.
A useful chart with dates for past Blizzard betas can be seen below.
[[File:Blizzard-beta-dates.jpg|center|thumb|800px|Click to see larger, legible size image.]]
===Rewards for Being Beta Tester===
==Rewards for Being Beta Tester==
No free game. Sometimes top testers are credited in the game manual or online credits, and you might earn your way onto Blizzard's beta tester friends/family list, but the sneak peek at the game is the reward for most.
===Do I get keep my beta character in the final release?=== No, characters in all Blizzard beta characters tests are always wiped from the servers before the final game. The clients (There are incompatiblefrequent character wipes during tests as well, as patches are implemented.) Carrying characters over from the beta to the final game would give beta testers an unfair advantage, items and skills changebesides, it's there are numerous technical issues as the beta client is not fair to give some players a head start, etcthe same as the final game version.
==References==
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