Beta testing weekends start... this weekend!

The most exciting news from PAX Prime was that the Beta Testing weekends start this weekend, September 2nd. Darth Hater has the notes from the developer presentation where they announced it, and Massively is where I spotted the news first.

Now there is some discussion over whether this is US only, or US and EU, or world wide. From what @RockJaw has said, the beta testing weekends are a weekend pass with time to download before the servers open. Now the US will get in first, with the EU following "soon" which I hope to mean the weekend of September 9th.

The beta test weekend is just that, only the weekend, so you'll need to carve out some serious free time if you get chosen, with potentially only 3 days to play. I mean test. Yeah test.

I am also not sure if those testing will be under NDA, or whether the internets is about to let rip with a massive flood of TOR screenshots, impressions and videos. One can only hope so.

Even under NDA so you can't tell anyone anything, the chance to "test" for even an evening is too good to pass up, so I (along with everyone else) will be keenly watching my inbox. Then not nothing about anything.

Eternity Vault Operation walk through

Dallas Dickinson takes us through some footage of an Operation in the Eternity Vault.



Operations in The Old Republic being equivalent to raids in World of Warcraft, well more or less.

SWTOR end game interview & Smuggler play through

Total Biscuit quizzes Gabe about The Old Republic end game!



Also TB gives us commentary on the Smuggler starter experience:

Sith Warrior starter zone play through

Total Biscuit is at Gamescon and has posted a video where he interviews Stephen Reid, while Reid plays through the start of the Sith Warrior starter area.



The video is pretty good, has a nice glimpse into the sort of quests you get as a Sith Warrior. The sort where you get to take down a sith rival, and have to participate in some sort of intrigue.

Eternity Vault Operation live play through

The EA press conference did not disappoint, with a play through of The Old Republic's Operation "The Eternity Vault".



The footage starts at 23 minutes in, but I have set the start time to then for your convenience!

Gamescon!

Gamescon in Germany is this week, and there is an EA press conference video live streaming at 4pm UK time. Or maybe thats 3pm. Hopefully we will hear lots of cool stuff from Bioware about The Old Republic, maybe some new dungeons and new demos of stuff we already know. Can I hope for some Operations coverage maybe?

Plus hints abound that something will be revealed, we are all hoping this is the release date I'm sure, but I am also hoping that there is some final game systems waiting in the wings to be revealed. Like Ewoks or something like that.