Mists of Pandaria Beta is Imminent

[Fetzie]

We’re very close to beginning beta testing for World of Warcraft®: Mists of Pandaria™! Over the course of the beta test, we’ll be inviting Annual Pass holders, press, fansites, friends and family, and opt-in beta testers to participate. As there’s no NDA for this test, you’re likely to start seeing lots of screenshots and new video around the web. Please keep in mind that the game is still in development, and what you’ll see during the beta test is not necessarily representative of the final game.



If you’re wondering how you can help us test Mists of Pandaria, or how the test works, look no further than the paragraphs directly below this one.





How do I opt-in?

Once you’ve set up a Battle.net® account and have attached at least one Blizzard game, you can choose to opt in to our beta tests from the Beta Profile page. You’ll need to select which franchises you’d be interested in helping test, as well as download and run the System Check tool to attach your computer’s specifications to your beta profile. Once that’s complete it’s simply a matter of waiting for an invite.


How will I know if I’m selected?

We’ll send you an email letting you know when you’re selected, but please be aware of phishing attempts. Some unscrupulous individuals send out falsified emails purporting to be from Blizzard, but are in fact meant to steal your login credentials. For more information on how to identify these emails please refer to our Battle.net Security site. One easy way to ensure your invite is legit is to avoid clicking on links in any invite emails you receive, and instead log in to your Battle.net account and see if you have a Mists of Pandaria beta license attached. If there’s no license, you can be sure the email you received was not from Blizzard.


I am participating in the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion; when do I begin testing?

We’re inviting Annual Pass holders in waves over the course of the beta test, and will be ramping up the number of invites we send as quickly as possible. We’ll be inviting Annual Pass holders based on several factors, including how long your World of Warcraft account has been active and when you signed up for the Annual Pass. Keep an eye on your Battle.net account and email for your invite to join the beta test.


How many players do you plan to invite to the beta test?

Our primary focus will be ensuring that all of the players who signed up for the Annual Pass are invited over the course of the beta test. The number of additional players we invite will be based on our testing needs. If during the course of testing we determine we need more players to participate, we’ll invite more.


Is there an NDA?

There is no Non-Disclosure Agreement for the Mists of Pandaria beta test. Those invited to play are free to take screenshots, movies, or stream the game content. Please be aware that the game is very much still a work in progress, and we appreciate your understanding when you encounter bugs, graphical errors, or other issues.


How long will the beta test last?

We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We’ll post a notice when the beta test is nearing completion.

Source: http://us.battle.net//wow/en/blog/4639551

Bolded the Annual Pass bit to make it more visible.

[Theotherone]

They should ensure that Annual Pass holders get invited to the beta, it was one of the hooks to get us to sign up.

[leethaxor]

My computer is being re-done to fraps and upload everything I do in this damn beta to get the word out.

Maybe I can make money off of this beta :3

[Slyvar]

I plan on recording every single second of the MoP beta and putting it on my YouTube channel.

[Kazeyonoma]

They will ensure that annual pass members get into the beta, it says so in his post I believe. I wouldn't worry about that. I wouldn't be surprised if you got in earlier than opt-in people as well (i'm an annual member as well).

[Krenian]

I predict solid crashes for the first couple of days with the sheer amount of people who will be betatesting this.

[Theotherone]

I'm torn. While I signed up for the annual pass and was all psyched for the beta (and I guess D3, but have never played any of the the Diablolo games) now it's kind of mixed. I want to see it, but I don't want to spoil the novelty of the expansion when it drops.

Maybe I'll log in to take a peek, like taking a quick look under the Christmas tree, but not really hang around.

[feralminded]

Yeah I refuse to beta anything but the raids. I LOVE the exploration of new content and I refuse to ruin it for myself.

[Kazeyonoma]

the beta stuff will be fun just to test out stuff, maybe have your panda kick a few things, or even make a monk, but i agree, playing the beta as if it was the real game, will end up making you just not appreciate the launch as much. Raiding will be fun though since you can try out stuff, and learn bosses ahead of time, something most raiders love doing anyways.

[mavfin]

I'm torn. While I signed up for the annual pass and was all psyched for the beta (and I guess D3, but have never played any of the the Diablolo games) now it's kind of mixed. I want to see it, but I don't want to spoil the novelty of the expansion when it drops.

Maybe I'll log in to take a peek, like taking a quick look under the Christmas tree, but not really hang around.

I figure I'll peek at the 5.0 changes, but try to stay out of Pandaria if I can.

[Theotherone]

I like the raid idea. I did do the DS dungeons on the ptr and that was actually helpful when the patch dropped. I'll do some raids, play with a panda a bit, but leave the exploration for when it drops.

If the art work is 1/2 as good as it appears to be, this will be a beautiful product. Some of the scenes are really breath-taking; and I love Asian art and culture - I'm really looking forward to this expansion. I believe Blizzard learned a lot from Cata and I believe that Cata was kind of the adolesnece of the game - a bit akward, a bit unsure of what it wanted to be, a teenager struggling with all those growing up things teenagers struggle with.

[feralminded]

Honestly the art work for all of the expansions except for cataclysm was pretty fantastic. I remember fondly my first forays into outland and just being blow away by how bizarre it all was (each zone, outside of blade's edge I guess, looked pretty awesome ... netherstorm in particular blew me away). Northrend started really well but the art later got less impressive (zones felt a little too dense with stuff so there wasn't so much terrain). Even in cataclysm I felt Uldum was pretty awesome ... best looking desert in the game imho and of course underwater land looked pretty awesome for what it was ... but as a zone I feel like it failed because the later half of the zone started to fall flat despite having some of the best scenery. On the other hand deepholm, hyjal, and specially twilight really failed to impress me ... but I understand this is all extremely subjective.

That said I have to concur ... the art I've seen for MoP so far really DOES blow me away. I am excited if for nothing else than the 85-90 experience ... which is a job well done on Blizzard's part because three months ago I was seriously considering letting my subscription lapse for the first time since release. I personally am still very unsure of the long term vision of the game but it's looking like I'm hooked at least for the first tier of pandaland.

[Crittable]

I'm torn. While I signed up for the annual pass and was all psyched for the beta (and I guess D3, but have never played any of the the Diablolo games) now it's kind of mixed. I want to see it, but I don't want to spoil the novelty of the expansion when it drops.

Maybe I'll log in to take a peek, like taking a quick look under the Christmas tree, but not really hang around.

This is how I've always felt about beta testing. I have never wanted to ruin the "surprise" of the new expansion so I have never attempted to get into the beta testing. So far, it has worked out very well for me. For the first time ever, though, I should be getting a beta invite since I'm an annual member and I'm pretty sure that I'll take it. I am extremely excited to see the pandaland and level a panda up (most likely not a monk though). For once, I am not hesitant about learning about the expansion before it comes out.
Hell, I've even been hesitant, or even refused, to learn about new talents and class changes before a patch. I like the surprise (or, most of the time, the let down) of class changes once I download the patch.

[Kemanorel]

... Soon. (tm)

[Theotherone]

Feral that's my take on the art work too; I thought Vash'jr was beautiful artwork, but didn't really like the whole underwater thing. I still go back there to herb and enjoy the scenery, though. I only leveled through TBC never really spent time in it; first getting the game the September before WoLK; but WoLK, I still remember when I first entered Northend. Comming into Howling Fjord on the ship was just epic; then exploring the Fjord and Grizzly Hills. My favorite music in the game is still Grizzly Hills. The Storm Peaks I loved and Sholazar Basin, but Zul Drak, Borean Tundra, Dragon Blight and Ice Crown were a bit dank for me.

[Oint]

This will be my first Beta I'll get to try out since I bought the Annual Pass. It's dissapointing but understandable that we will have to be let in at a tiered pace to not cause server issues. However, even though this is a test, things will be buggy, things will just flat out not work, etc....it will still be better than 4.3.

[Lore]

sup?

[Ion]

Guess they weren't kidding about being "very close."

[leethaxor]

Is media getting it before yearly members or are yearly members getting screwed *holds breath to find out*

[leethaxor]

I am participating in the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion; when do I begin testing?

We’re inviting Annual Pass holders in waves over the course of the beta test, and will be ramping up the number of invites we send as quickly as possible. We’ll be inviting Annual Pass holders based on several factors, including how long your World of Warcraft account has been active and when you signed up for the Annual Pass. Keep an eye on your Battle.net account and email for your invite to join the beta test. STRAIGHT FROM THE SITE

So I gave blizzard my money like everyone else and get treated differently.