Beta opt-in F.A.Q.
by Adam Holisky 
Jul 3rd 2008 at 9:55PM
More beta news for everyone to enjoy tonight. Bornakk has posted what Nethaera promised earlier in the day, a Wrath of the Lich King beta opt-in F.A.Q. The complete F.A.Q. is republished here for your convenience, and is definitely something everyone should read and re-read. Some of the key things to come out of the F.A.Q.:- You are not guaranteed to get into the WotLK beta if you have a BlizzCon or WWI beta keys. These keys might go to another beta (like Diablo III).
- You can opt-in on multiple accounts, but each account can only opt-in once.
- If you get a key with one account, you can use it on another account of your choosing. However the key can only be used once.
- Opting in early does not necessarily mean you will get a beta slot early. Everything is random (as we previous reported).
- If you get a beta key from another source and are selected via the opt-in process, you can give your key to a friend or family member.
Q: Who is eligible for the Wrath of the Lich King Beta opt-in?
A: Any player who has both an active World of Warcraft subscription and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is eligible to opt in to the beta at (https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/beta-opt-in.html). The account must be active when the beta starts in order to be eligible to receive an invitation.
Q: Do I need to sign up for the Wrath of the Lich King opt-in if I have an unused beta key from a previous BlizzCon or Blizzard Worldwide Invitational (WWI)?
A: We haven't announced which betas the BlizzCon or WWI keys will grant access to. Unless you've already been notified that you have a guaranteed spot in the Wrath of the Lich King beta, you should opt in if you want a chance to be invited.
Q: What previous contests and promotions will have guaranteed me access to the Wrath of the Lich King beta?
A: Frostmourne Fan Art Contest winners (to be announced in the coming weeks) or players who have purchased the Dell XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition notebook are guaranteed beta slots and do not need to opt in to participate in the beta.
Q: If I'm certain I'm already getting a beta invite from another source, will I be able to win another invite if I opt in?
A: Players may opt in to the beta even if they are already guaranteed a spot from another source. In the event you are selected to receive an additional beta invite, it may be gifted to a friend or family member.
Q: Will invites be sent on a first-come, first-served basis, or will invites be sent randomly?
A: Beta invitees will be selected randomly from the entire pool of players who have chosen to opt in. Signing up early doesn't necessarily mean you'll be invited sooner than someone who signs up after you.
Q: Does this mean the beta is coming soon?!
A: We are preparing for the beta but do not have an official date to announce just yet. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft site for more information.
Q: Is this the only opportunity I'll have to get in the Wrath of the Lich King beta?
A: No. We will offer other opportunities for players to get in the beta. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft site and official fansites for more chances.
Q: How long will opt-in signups be available?
A: Players will be able to opt in until the beta closes.
Q: If there are multiple World of Warcraft accounts in my household, can I opt in with each of them? Or can I only opt in with one?
A: You may opt in to the beta with each account, though this doesn't guarantee that every account in the household will be invited.
Q: Can I opt in more than once on an account, and if so does that increase my likelihood of being selected?
A: You can only opt in once per account. If you try to opt in a second time, you'll simply get a message saying that the account has already opted in.
Q: If I receive a beta invite for one account, can I use it for a different account instead?
A: Yes. You will be able to accept the beta invitation on whichever account you like.
Q: Are there any character-level requirements to participate?
A: No, but keep in mind that you will need to have a level-55 character to create a death knight, and we recommend your character be level 68 or higher to play in Northrend.
Filed under: News items, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Taeous Jul 3rd 2008 9:59PM
Interesting. Hopefully this means the beta will be coming tonight...I'm not holding my breath though.
Charlie Jul 3rd 2008 10:45PM
How did you deduce that?
I give it another few months. If you go to the wrath wiki you can find blue posts from the Alpha forums. One of those posts mentions that Dalaran isn't completed yet, and should be ready to go up around mid july.
I mean if dalaran isn't ready yet, the beta certainly isnt.
My best guess is early september for beta.
Taeous Jul 3rd 2008 11:01PM
All the pieces don't have to be in place with a beta. That's why it's a *gasp* beta.
The way I figure it is, if they are putting out opt-in's, and putting up FAQ's, not to mention prepping the forums and such, they are very close to ready. We may not see keys go out tonight (as much as I may want this) but probably very very soon.
slimj091 Jul 3rd 2008 11:23PM
aye.. beta testing.. like alpha testing is done in phases. each testing certain parts of the game/expansion. one part of the game/expansion doesnt have to be up and running for another part to be tested.
the beta that charlie is most likely referring to is the last stages of open-beta thats primaraly used for last minute player feedback before the game gets boxed.
Elmo Jul 4th 2008 6:10AM
in BC beta we first had a level cap of 66 which turned 68 when they released Blade Edge Mountains etc.
they can choose to let us test the first few zones up to level 76. however I think Dalaran should be done before we get in, it's the 'capital' after all.
Spearhawk Jul 3rd 2008 10:05PM
That is utter rubbish. The beta key at WWI would go for Beta testing Diablo III thats not even in alpha stage and probably wont be in beta stage for at least a year from now and they would keep the WWI key for that...?
Its either going to be SC 2 or WotLK and since in the email that confirms you signed up using the WWI key it says "When the chosen beta test begins in the future, we will eMail this address with further instructions." it clearly says that when the CHOSEN beta test so it is already set....
slimj091 Jul 3rd 2008 11:36PM
actually i would expect D3 to be "released" in a year.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/885/885139p1.html
"This project has been going for a while and it finally got to the point where it felt like it's time to announce the game. We kind of have this rule of, ideally, we announce a game a year to a year and a half before the game comes out."
considering that almost all of the game mechanics are in place, and all they are really working on right now is content.
Spearhawk Jul 4th 2008 2:55AM
I would say that the content is one of the bigger problems in D3, game mechanics being the bigger part yes but after you done the basic structure you have to fill it in with a storyline, then places, mobs etc that are contant and that is going to take a lot of time. just look at SC 2, its taken them a long time and they are not even in the beta on that yet....
Aigarius Jul 4th 2008 12:21PM
@Spearhawk - actually making most of the content would be the easy part of Diablo, due to their random dungeon generator. They only need to build a bunch of random mobs and a bunch of different 'spawn locations' and 'random encounters'. The design on the town and plotline boss fights is a relatively small and easy part. However major work will have to be put into creating a wast collection of random high level loot with different stats and models.
Then alpha testing could begin to test the game mechanics and balance. After that a beta would start for overall polish. I would expect beta of D3 to start either this year or a couple months after WotLK release.
Markymark Jul 4th 2008 2:06AM
What they need to do is release 2.4.3 already.
Telerion Jul 3rd 2008 10:31PM
It's sad when they give you a beta key at Blizzcon '07, then nothing happens with it for 11 months and finally when they announce the beta for WotLK, the beta key from Blizzcon they gave out is useless.
Why did they bother?
Zach Jul 4th 2008 12:47AM
The beta key from Blizzcon is a sure thing. No need to opt-in. Why is it useless? It's a BETA KEY. It's not a CHANCE to get into Beta. It's a certainty when WotLK beta starts.
Cal Jul 4th 2008 2:17AM
You're reading the article wrong - both of you actually.
The key isn't useless, it's just for another beta that isn't WotLK. Those who got a key from Blizzcon still have to opt-in and be chosen for the beta. While it's strange it isn't for WotLK, that's how it's working.
Foxlit Jul 4th 2008 6:34AM
Better make that "all three of you": "We haven't announced which betas the BlizzCon or WWI keys will grant access to." means that the key may (but doesn't have to) be for WotLK.
Spearhawk Jul 3rd 2008 10:37PM
That is true, its sad...
I am hoping they will release WotLK...
Nogun Jul 3rd 2008 10:39PM
This has me worried:
"A: Yes. You will be able to accept the beta invitation on whichever account you like. "
It will be TBC beta key Ebay sales all over again, with the hundreds of unavoidable scammers trying to abuse the situation.
Kaylek Jul 7th 2008 2:37PM
I call it fair trade, and you can only get suckered if you're trying to buy it from someone. As for Blizzard invite scams, they'd attempt those regardless of this. Just pay attention to who you're giving information to and where you're downloading from.
Cam Sprlyan Jul 3rd 2008 10:41PM
You've gotta be kidding. I have 100% confidence they are not going to release it tonight.
con-man Jul 3rd 2008 10:46PM
Adam stop with the useless posts, copy/paste less please
con-man Jul 3rd 2008 10:47PM
just update your existing articles