Can you believe it, Diablo III is almost upon us. The game comes out on May 15 and it’s looking to be a great comeback for the classic franchise as well as a great entry in the action RPG genre. Being the good guy Blizzard is, they want to give everybody one last chance to try out the game.
Blizzard announced that starting today at noon PDT, everybody will be able to start playing Diablo III as a part of an open beta weekend. Just think of it like the free weekends that one frequently sees on Steam. Players will be able to try out the game for a weekend and Blizzard gets to stress test its servers to make sure they can handle the onslaught of players come May 15. It’s a winning strategy for everybody.
This is a beta of course so the full game is not available to players during this weekend. Blizzard still has a lot of game available though so don’t think it’s just some dinky one-run-and-done kind of deal. The multiplayer is fully intact so players will able to join forces with their friends as they take on the legions of hell. As for the actual gameplay, you will be able to play each of the five classes and take them up to level 13. That’s a generous deal and one you would be wise not to miss.
For those, like me, who haven’t cared about a Blizzard game till now; you will have to create a Battle.net account to play in the beta. It’s not that painful of an experience and it sets you up to play immediately when the game launches on May 15.
You can start downloading the game client from Battle.net right now. As previously stated, the open beta will begin at noon. It should also be mentioned that Blizzard is a pretty friendly developer so the beta is open to Windows and Mac players.
If you’re still on the fence about Diablo III, check out the latest character trailer to get an idea of how the game plays. Diablo was one of the first isometric action RPGs and Diablo III continues that fine tradition. Get in there and start obtaining all the loot you can carry.