Betawatch: SMITE 2 encourages you to smite what has already been smitten

    
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Smite, then smite again.

So, who had SMITE 2 on their watchlists for this year? Probably not many people, but Hi-Rez Studios has announced that the game is getting a sequel that’s going into wipe-free beta testing later this year. In the generally not terribly robust MOBA field, SMITE was actually a rare success story, this is worth paying more than a little attention to. It’s also a bold strategy that potentially divides the playerbase. Still, it can’t go worse than the last sequel-updating-a-popular-game effort, right?

I’d make a joke about how Pax Dei was not to be outdone by announcing that it was going to go into early access testing this spring, but that announcement happened before the SMITE 2 announcement. Causality does not work like that. Still, kind of a surprise announcement for the game. Hope they’re ready for it.

And while these were the two biggest beta news stories this week, they were hardly the only stories this week. In contrast with the holiday lull, this week came roaring back. You can check out our roundup of titles in testing down below, but first there is a whole bunch of beta news in roundup form. So hop on down, and if you notice a game has slipped to a new test phase or something is missing from our roundup, let us know down in the comments.

We consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s often under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.

Open Testing Open testing
Closed Testing Closed testing
Paid Access Paid access
Legitimate MMORPG Legit MMORPG
Multiplayer Multiplayer
Malingering in Perpetual Testing Malingering

Open TestingLegitimate MMOAbyss: Closed alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOThe Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOAero Tales Online: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAge of Water: Paid closed beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOAnvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOArcane Waters: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingArcfall: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerARK 2: Paid early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAshes of Creation: Alpha two in planning
Closed TestingMultiplayerAshfall: Closed beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerASKA: Closed beta
Paid AccessMultiplayerBattlebit: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerBattle Crush: Beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBellatores: Closed testing
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBitcraft: Alpha planned for 2024
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBlue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Paid AccessMultiplayerBook of Travels: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCamelot Unchained: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingChronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOChrono Odyssey: Closed testing
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOCinderstone Online: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCity of Titans: Alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOCoreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOCorepunk: Early access planned for end of winter
Paid AccessMultiplayerCraftopia: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerThe Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDarkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
Closed TestingMultiplayerThe Day Before: Early Access going great
Closed TestingMultiplayerThe Division Heartland: Closed testing
Paid AccessLegitimate MMODreamworld: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMODune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingECO: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingEleven: Closed alpha
Open TestingMultiplayerEnlisted: Beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerEVE Vanguard: First beta test concluded
Paid AccessMultiplayerEvercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
Closed TestingMultiplayerFae Farm: Closed testing, launch planned for September 8th
Open TestingMultiplayerThe First Descendant: Crossplay beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOFractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Closed TestingMultiplayerFractured Veil: Back in closed development, early access delayed to 2024
Paid AccessMultiplayerFrozen Flame: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOGenfanad: Beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOIlysia: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOInferna: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOKurtzpel: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingLast Oasis: Early access (abandoned?)
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOLegendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Closed TestingMultiplayerLost Skies: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerMonster Hunter Now: Closed beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMonsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha, public beta this weekend
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMortal Exodus: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerMultiversus: Returned to closed testing
Closed Testing
MultiplayerNightingale: Ongoing closed events
Open TestingMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingNoah’s Heart: Beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOOdd Giants: Alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerOnce Human: Beta on December 7th
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingOutlaws of the Old West: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerPalia: Open beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOPantheon: Backer alpha, 247 canceled
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPast Fate: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerPath of Exile 2: Beta June 2024
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPax Dei: Closed alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPerfect New World: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOPow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Crawl: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject F4E: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOProject Gorgon: Early access beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Loki: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerProject ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Open TestingMultiplayerProsperous Universe: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOQuinfall: Beta delayed to 2024
Closed TestingMultiplayerReturn Alive: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOReign of Guilds: Beta event in mid-December, early access planned for 2024
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOSamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingSeed: Active development
Closed TestingMultiplayerSeekers of Skyveil: Continuing alpha testing
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOShadow’s Kiss: Early access (but read this first)
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOShip of Heroes: Beta testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingSkull and Bones: Closed beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerSmite 2: Signups open, wipe-free beta mid-2024
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOSoulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Closed TestingMultiplayerSpellcraft: Alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingStar Citizen: Backer alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerStarbase: Early access open alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOTarisland: Second closed beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOThrone & Liberty: Western launch delayed into 2024, live in South Korea
Open TestingLegitimate MMOTrimurti Online: Stress testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerValheim: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerV Rising: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingValiance Online: Closed beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOThe Wagadu Chronicles: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerWarhaven: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOWaven Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerWayfinder Early access ahead of full launch

We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!

Yes, MMO gamers, you too can perform the unpaid quality-control work otherwise known as game testing! Check out Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch every week for a run-down of MMOs that are still on the road to launch, even if they appear to have set up a permanent residence in a shed called early access.

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