Mists of Pandaria Beta Opt-in and FAQ - Beta is "very close"

[AdamSavage]

This showed up on my Facebook feed and then I seen it on MMO Champion.

The beta is now "very close" and Blizzard finally clarified how invites will work for people who bought the WoW Annual Pass.

We’re very close to beginning beta testing for World of Warcraft®: Mists of Pandaria™! Over the course of the beta test, we’ll be inviting Annual Pass holders, press, fansites, friends and family, and opt-in beta testers to participate. As there’s no NDA for this test, you’re likely to start seeing lots of screenshots and new video around the web. Please keep in mind that the game is still in development, and what you’ll see during the beta test is not necessarily representative of the final game.

If you’re wondering how you can help us test Mists of Pandaria, or how the test works, look no further than the paragraphs directly below this one.

How do I opt-in?
Once you’ve set up a Battle.net account and have attached at least one Blizzard game, you can choose to opt in to our beta tests from the Beta Profile page. You’ll need to select which franchises you’d be interested in helping test, as well as download and run the System Check tool to attach your computer’s specifications to your beta profile. Once that’s complete it’s simply a matter of waiting for an invite.

How will I know if I’m selected?
We’ll send you an email letting you know when you’re selected, but please be aware of phishing attempts. Some unscrupulous individuals send out falsified emails purporting to be from Blizzard, but are in fact meant to steal your login credentials. For more information on how to identify these emails please refer to our Battle.net Security site. One easy way to ensure your invite is legit is to avoid clicking on links in any invite emails you receive, and instead log in to your Battle.net account and see if you have a Mists of Pandaria beta license attached. If there’s no license, you can be sure the email you received was not from Blizzard.

I am participating in the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion; when do I begin testing?
We’re inviting Annual Pass holders in waves over the course of the beta test, and will be ramping up the number of invites we send as quickly as possible. We’ll be inviting Annual Pass holders based on several factors, including how long your World of Warcraft account has been active and when you signed up for the Annual Pass. Keep an eye on your Battle.net account and email for your invite to join the beta test.

How many players do you plan to invite to the beta test?
Our primary focus will be ensuring that all of the players who signed up for the Annual Pass are invited over the course of the beta test. The number of additional players we invite will be based on our testing needs. If during the course of testing we determine we need more players to participate, we’ll invite more.

Is there an NDA?
There is no Non-Disclosure Agreement for the Mists of Pandaria beta test. Those invited to play are free to take screenshots, movies, or stream the game content. Please be aware that the game is very much still a work in progress, and we appreciate your understanding when you encounter bugs, graphical errors, or other issues.

How long will the beta test last?
We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We’ll post a notice when the beta test is nearing completion.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/268 ... very-close

[Miacoda]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee oh please Elune let me get an earlier invite!

[Vephriel]

Very excited for Beta invites to start rolling out. I'm crossing my fingers for an early wave since I've had an account since Vanilla and signed up for the pass the day it was announced. xD

[Rawr]

Very excited for Beta invites to start rolling out. I'm crossing my fingers for an early wave since I've had an account since Vanilla and signed up for the pass the day it was announced. xD

Ditto Can't wait

[Meggers]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee oh please Elune let me get an earlier invite!

Indeed, here's hoping my old ass account means I'm more eligible! Haha.

[Quiv]

Aside from the proper testing, one of the things I enjoyed most about Cata beta coverage was the hunter pet coverage. Of course with the revamp of 1-60, there was a LOT of changes, so I dont expect the same volume for this beta, but I do look forward to beast loring everything that moves

Also digging into the mini pet and wild pets has my attention. I can put my obsessive analytical nature into information gathering finally!

I havent been in a beta before, account active since early BC and AP since day 1 so hopefully I will be soon. Go go lag.

[Kitchu/Sknot]

been on BOARD wow since day one vanilla i have the vanilla collectors edition to prove it lol
lets hope i get a day one pass whoooooo and ill be rolling a panda hunter and monk of the bat

[RHMakonea]

Just hope I get an early pass >.<

[Sesamee]

Oh so they're going to be inviting in stages? That would have been nice to know when signing up for the year long pass. The MoP Beta invite is one of the main reasons I did it. I didn't start playing until Mid Wrath. So this means my Beta invite will most likely be put off. I'm not happy about that at all! How many people have been suckered into the annual pass and are going to get their Beta invite a couple weeks before release. If that happens to me I'm going to be so effin' pissed!

[Wain]

They only have a few beta servers and a huge number of people who signed up for the annual pass. There was never any likelihood they'd just open the floodgates and let everyone in at once. The servers would crash within seconds.

[Zarola]

Beta invites have started already. Had 2 guildies get invites tonight. Not me ((((

[Sesamee]

They only have a few beta servers and a huge number of people who signed up for the annual pass. There was never any likelihood they'd just open the floodgates and let everyone in at once. The servers would crash within seconds.

Then they should have been clear about that from the beginning. It's not the customers job to guess how adequate or inadequate their pre-Beta preparation is. They specifically should have said that altough you sign up for the annual pass you have a greater chance of getting an early invite the longer you've been playing. This is a terrible customer service move.

[AdamSavage]

They only have a few beta servers and a huge number of people who signed up for the annual pass. There was never any likelihood they'd just open the floodgates and let everyone in at once. The servers would crash within seconds.

Then they should have been clear about that from the beginning. It's not the customers job to guess how adequate or inadequate their pre-Beta preparation is. They specifically should have said that altough you sign up for the annual pass you have a greater chance of getting an early invite the longer you've been playing. This is a terrible customer service move.

Well it's kinda common sense, at the same time they said when you would get a Beta invite, just that you would.

[Sesamee]

To common sense would say that when a company promotes a product and says if you buy it you get beta access with the beta launch, you know, you'd actually get beta access with the beta launch. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2d9a26a&s=5

Or when a top exec of Blizz says you get access "when it goes live" (@15:51) you'd actually get access to Beta "when it goes live" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShdBykke9yM. I wonder if "when my payment is due" means a week or two after my subscription due date?

[AdamSavage]

To common sense would say that when a company promotes a product and says if you buy it you get beta access with the beta launch, you know, you'd actually get beta access with the beta launch. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2d9a26a&s=5

Or when a top exec of Blizz says you get access "when it goes live" (@15:51) you'd actually get access to Beta "when it goes live" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShdBykke9yM. I wonder if "when my payment is due" means a week or two after my subscription due date?

What would rather have happen ? EVERYONE tries to get into Beta all at once and the servers crash, then everyone starts cussing out Blizzard...OR you could wait as they slowly give people Beta access and not have the server crash on you. Your choice, feel free to pick one.

[Sesamee]

Substandard customer service vs. poor technical preparation and resources isn't much of a choice. I wonder what that says about a company if that's all their customers expect of them? It's not as if the annual pass was put out last week. They've had months to prepare...and to inform us of this staging and preferential Beta invites...even for Annual Pass holders...instead of blindsiding paying customers the day before Beta launch. You clearly are fine with it, I'm not. I guess we can just agree to disagree on this one.

[Gimlion]

Substandard customer service vs. poor technical preparation and resources isn't much of a choice. I wonder what that says about a company if that's all their customers expect of them? It's not as if the annual pass was put out last week. They've had months to prepare...and to inform us of this staging and preferential Beta invites...even for Annual Pass holders...instead of blindsiding paying customers the day before Beta launch. You clearly are fine with it, I'm not. I guess we can just agree to disagree on this one.

Part of the point is that it would be nearly impossible to have the capabilities to host all of the 1-year-ers the instant Beta is dropped, no matter how much tech is put into it. They are doing the smartest possible thing, and making sure the servers don't clog up worse than a gas station's toilets after Tuesday-Night-Tacos... I understand that you disagree, but I also don't think you fully understand the scope of the situation. It would be a nearly impossible feat to get everyone logged onto Beta instantly, no matter how many months they've had.

[AdamSavage]

Substandard customer service vs. poor technical preparation and resources isn't much of a choice. I wonder what that says about a company if that's all their customers expect of them? It's not as if the annual pass was put out last week. They've had months to prepare...and to inform us of this staging and preferential Beta invites...even for Annual Pass holders...instead of blindsiding paying customers the day before Beta launch. You clearly are fine with it, I'm not. I guess we can just agree to disagree on this one.

Your basing your argument on one small vague wording of when you will get Beta Access. They simply do not have the server capacity to handle everyone online at once, even if they managed to the playing conditions would be awful. Your computer simply couldn't handle the vast amount of players in a very small area of the game. Your computer would simply just lock up, so either way you would be forced to wait anyway.

[Vephriel]

If you signed up, you know you're going to get a beta invite. Just keep in mind how good it is KNOWING you're getting one rather than hoping you might. It'll come, just be patient.

[Chimera]

To the argument, while im not too concerned about when i get in, they should of made it clear that we would be entering in waves. I was given the impression they would have many servers to host everyone, not a few and us given the passes in waves. They should of been clear on that fact since everyone thinks differently. That is why its bad buisness on their end regarding the contract. In my view at least.