Warhammer Online Announces Open Beta Dates

Mythic Entertainment has announced that the open beta for its upcoming MMOG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will begin September 7.

Players who pre-order Warhammer Online will receive an invitation to the open beta phase, as will gamers who were involved in the closed beta. Level caps and content restrictions will be in place during the open beta, although all 20 of the game's unique careers will be available. The open beta test will run until the game launches on September 18, but gamers hoping for a head-start are in for disappointment: Characters created as part of the beta will be wiped before the game's official launch.

"For three years we have been saying that 'WAR is coming' and the team has been working hard to deliver on this promise," said Mythic co-founder Mark Jacobs. "In just a few weeks, we are going to throw open our doors and invite more players into the game than ever before. They will have a chance to delve into the open beta and see for themselves that WAR has arrived and it is glorious!"

In a follow-up message posted on the VN Boards, Jacobs addressed the relatively short duration of the open beta, saying, "The vast majority of OBs run by MMORPG companies have not lasted a month. Is a week too short? I wish we could have made it longer (maybe two weeks) but the timing just didn't work out. OB is the last hurdle before the game goes live and with the added Preview Weekend, we lost a few days that might have been able to go into the OB."

He added that he expected the Warhammer Online non-disclosure agreement to be lifted on August 19. "Given how many MMOs/games don't lift the NDA until launch (or just before or in some cases, never), our lifting it more than four week (only slightly but it's still 4+ weeks out), is more than sufficient for all the information about the game to hit the internet."

More information about Mythic's upcoming Warhammer Online and getting into the open beta phase can be found at warhammeronline.com.