OK, Diablo IV fans: If you didn’t participate in the first beta, didn’t preorder the game, didn’t eat your chicken, or did all that and just want another crack at the game and two new classes, today is your day, as the Diablo IV open beta begins today for literally everyone willing to log into Battlenet and be counted as a monthly active user for the quarter – no purchase required this time.
The bad news is that it’s probably going to be a mess, even moreso than last weekend. Don’t take my word for it; Blizzard issued the warning last night.
“When we open the gates again this Friday to absolutely everyone, we are expecting a lot of people. There will be lengthy queue times, particularly on Friday when we first launch and during peak regional windows. This past weekend helped us to forecast the capacity we expect this weekend, and we will be using that capacity to intentionally stress our systems in preparation for launch. In summary, while we know it can be frustrating, we need queues to properly stress test our services and we are designing to ensure we have them some of the time.”
The event is officially underway today at noon and runs through Monday at 3 p.m. EDT.
We sent two writers into the breach last weekend, both of whom came away with very different takes on the game:
As we prepare to open the gates to Sanctuary, we'd like to remind our players that the #DiabloIV Open Beta is a test to ensure a smooth launch.
We expect unprecedented traffic and queue times as a result. We appreciate your patience & understanding.
📜: https://t.co/Q4Q3Manehg
— Diablo (@Diablo) March 23, 2023
