Age of Discovery Closed Beta Registration is Now Open!

[Isulith]

Closed Beta registration for "Age of Discovery" is now open! Applications are available at this link. Beta testing is vital to ensure a great product launch. We appreciate your participation and welcome any and all feedback.

Click the link above, sign in with your Station Account, complete the application process, and your application will go into the queue for approval. Please be sure to read and accept the NDA. All applicants must have accepted the NDA in order to be considered for participation. All applicants will receive an email to confirm that their application was received.

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Beta registration will close on November 14th.

Players who are approved for Closed Beta will receive an email informing them of their acceptance, so please confirm that we have your correct email address during the registration process.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

Please remember that registering for the Beta does not guarantee admittance. Approved registrants will be put into the pool from which we will randomly select participants.

Fan Faire 2011 Attendees:

If you attended Fan Faire 2011, you will be admitted into the Beta program. However, you must still register and accept the NDA. Please make sure that you click the link above and register with the account that you used to register for Fan Faire.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to participate in the Age of Discovery Beta test, players must have an active EQII subscription in good standing and accept the Terms of Use, End User License Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement provided at the registration site.

In order to access the Beta server, an EQ2X subscription is required, and one will be applied to your account as needed if you are accepted into the Beta program. In order to allow both EQII and EQ2X players access to the Beta server and give us the most feedback possible, we've set the Beta server up in a way that can be accessed by players with both types of accounts. The subscription added to your account (if needed) is free and has no bearing on your existing EQII subscription.

About Age of Discovery:

EverQuest II Age of Discovery is the eigth expansion for the critically acclaimed EverQuest II franchise and follows the best-selling Destiny of Velious expansion.

Ever wanted to build your own dungeon? Now you can, with the Dungeon Maker system! Locate and collect a variety of floor layouts and styles, decorate your dungeon, select monsters to fill it, and then watch adventurers battle through the content you designed to win new rewards!

At last, the beastlord class returns to Norrath. Seek out new animals throughout the world to train as your warder pet. Work with your warder to build up your strengths and exploit your enemies’ weaknesses. In the Age of Discovery, beastlords will walk the lands of Norrath once again!

[slippery]

The Beta is going to be shorter than GU's are supposed to be on Test?

[Shaolin Sam]

We're signing up to beta test game patches now?

Also... Beta invites open up 3 weeks from implementation of the Age of Di$covery patchxpan$ion?

Sorry guys... I really there's hardly anything at all in Age of Di$covery to actually beta test but still... only a 3 week window? Oy...

No insult intended btw. Just stating facts that developers have posted on these very forums themselves. I mean we're paying for a new character class, 50 more AA's, a dungeon creator hardly anyone will use and mercenaries (also that hardly anyone will probably use)?

[Corydonn]

slippery wrote:

The Beta is going to be shorter than GU's are supposed to be on Test?

We just have to put our testing caps on and take it into overdrive.

[Shaolin Sam]

Why overdrive? There's hardly anything TO test. LOL

AA's -- No need to test them. It's just 50 more.

Bea$tlord -- This needs to be tested. Couldn't agree more.

Dungeon maker tool -- Not worth testing. Hardly anyone's going to be using it anyways.

Mercenaries -- Not worth testing. They're just NPC's hardly anyone's going to use.

[Galithdor]

The major things to test will most likely be Beastlords and the Tradeskill apprentices, while the other stuff will most likely be tested while testing the major things...though Mercs may need some testing, and BYoD will most likely be tested for months after

Glad to see there will at least be a beta...it was starting to look like it was either gonna be delayed, or they were just gonna launch without one hah

Time to get my testing cap on, and flip my switch to overdrive!

[Debbani]

Based on test feedback I see no reason at all for this.  Any problems found in "beta" will be ignored anyway and fixed after it goes live.  Why bother going through the motions?

[Calain80]

The best thing is you can invited into the beta after it ended:

Isulith wrote:

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Closed Beta will close on November 14th.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

I know it is a mechanic expansion and not a content expansion, but still 3 weeks seems like a very short time to test how a new class really plays from 1 to 90 (not speaking about playing a beta buffed char at fixed levels with a predefined amount of AA, but how it develops on the way and if there are some "dead levels" where you miss out on a new ability to keep up with the other classes or where you are far above them and how they play with more or less AA as SOE "intends" for the level.

Also I think it will be hard to test a feature like the mercs on a beta server. I think actually the best environment would be the Test server, as it has a small community and actually people playing at all levels. I guess you will get far less useful feedback about them on a Beta server.

I doubt that you can test a feature like DYOD in three weeks. Esp. it will be hard to test if it is to easy or to hard to get the special items for DYOD in that time.

Last but not least, if some major problem is found, you will most likely need a week or more to implement a fix and there will be no real time to test the fix after that. This is also the problem most other Expansions had. There where some changes that were so late that they practically hit the live servers first. Most of the time that didn't work out.

I wish you luck. I really do, as you will need it, if you really want to "public test" an expansion in just three weeks.

[feldon30]

The "blink and you missed it" Beta.

I wonder what would happen if nobody signed into the Beta. What would happen if we all just waited the two weeks for it to go live? Would the result really be any different?

Corydonn wrote:

slippery wrote:

The Beta is going to be shorter than GU's are supposed to be on Test?

We just have to put our testing caps on and take it into overdrive.

So we should kill ourselves to make up for their impossible schedule?

[Whilhelmina]

Knowing the dates of Heroes Festival and the fact that there's a Freeport revamp with expansion, and knowing that the Freeport revamp and testing of festival will not overlap themselves in an unintended way, I'm reading the dates as Age of Discovery going live the 29th

[Shaolin Sam]

feldon30 wrote:

The "blink and you missed it" Beta.

I wonder what would happen if nobody signed into the Beta. What would happen if we all just waited the two weeks for it to go live? Would the result really be any different?

Nope. Whether they let in their entire subscription base to beta (what... like 65,000 people now?) or whether they let in no one, it'll make zero difference and here's why.

First... there's no bashing here *edited*. Just pointing out some facts.

SOE has proven time and again that they almost never listen to anyone in Beta or on the Test Server. Where's my facts? Well... I can't link to the beta boards for obvious reasons but let's just look back to the most recent expansion called Destiny of Velious. People on the Beta Boards were screaming at the top of their lungs for changes to be made to a large variety of things that were obvious broken, things that were gamebreaking, things that could be easily exploited, etc. Now... I'm not talking about people going all emo like "Omg... my class stinks now... fix it!" I'm talking about real and relevent problems.

What did SOE do?

They pushed Destiny of Velious to the Live Servers and... what happened next? Fix after fix. Nerf after nerf. Things that were fixed and/or nerfed? Things that were SCREAMED about (months and months and MONTHS ago) on the Beta Boards.

Heck... There's stuff on Test that should NEVER have made it to Live for the same reason and yet... BAM! It gets dumped onto the Live Servers, stays there for an insanely long amount of time (guess would be "they" don't know how to fix it either so they're researching it) and then... BAMMO! Inc more fixes and nerfs. Don't believe me about people being frustrated over your treating them on the Test Servers, SOE? Go look at your population there now I believe you pretty much had to beg people to play on Test just to test the Dungeon Finder that was pushed to the Live Servers and even THAT should never have gone to Live without changes being made that people SCREAMED about on the Test Boards. So what's happening now? Oh... Smokey is saying "Gosh. We notice things need to be changed so we're changing the most talked about items!" (which... they're not, actually...)

In the end it basically all just boils down to the people that actually play (and know) this game inside and out are constantly clamoring for things to be changed (important things, not for our own personal gain) and we get ignored. Why should we even bother trying anymore?

[Bremer]

Isulith wrote:

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Closed Beta will close on November 14th.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

So you close the beta on the 14th and send invites until the 16th?

[Shaolin Sam]

I didn't catch that but... LOL! Good catch, man!

Wonder if they meant the beta will last until the 16th and the acceptance emails will continue until the 14th. For the late people, 2 days is actually probably fine to beta test the stuff that no one at SOE's going to listen to our feedback about anyways imho lol

[feldon30]

Bremer wrote:

Isulith wrote:

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Closed Beta will close on November 14th.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

So you close the beta on the 14th and send invites until the 16th?

From the e-mail I received, it looks like we're repeating the "Beta closes 1 week before the expansion goes live" again. This was very disruptive for players and developers alike with Velious. Players couldn't do last-minute item comparisons and devs couldn't communicate with players about issues they were in the process of correcting. The NDA lifted and we couldn't double-check or verify things.

[Loendar]

Shaolin Sam wrote:

Why overdrive? There's hardly anything TO test. LOL

AA's -- No need to test them. It's just 50 more.

Bea$tlord -- This needs to be tested. Couldn't agree more.

Dungeon maker tool -- Not worth testing. Hardly anyone's going to be using it anyways.

Mercenaries -- Not worth testing. They're just NPC's hardly anyone's going to use.

1. If they are just adding 50 points that we can spread around in existing AA's, as is the rumor, then there    is no need to test them.

2. Agreed - testing needed, but doing the full 1-90 test completely is going to be rough unless there are some    hard-core testers out there.  I anticipate much over-poweredness on this one.

3. I'm planning to screw around with it - really depends on how robust it is whether it will be worth my time.  I'm part of the  hardly anyone, I guess.

4. Definitely worth testing - it's a whole new system for EQ2.  I think you are way underestimating how many people will be making use of these if they are done correctly.

[Valena]

Loendar@Unrest wrote:

Shaolin Sam wrote:

Mercenaries -- Not worth testing. They're just NPC's hardly anyone's going to use.

1. If they are just adding 50 points that we can spread around in existing AA's, as is the rumor, then there    is no need to test them.

4. Definitely worth testing - it's a whole new system for EQ2.  I think you are way underestimating how many people will be making use of these if they are done correctly.

1: That would make me quite sad. It can be hard to spend 300 on good stuff now, never mind 350. It'll destroy all customization as ereryone will be able to afford ALL the reasonable picks.

4: Aye, i can see them being heavily used. Ideal for those few older dungeons that people can't solo .. add a Merc and all will be good.

[Domino]

Bremer wrote:

Isulith wrote:

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Closed Beta will close on November 14th.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

So you close the beta on the 14th and send invites until the 16th?

No, we close the beta REGISTRATION on the 14th and send out the last round of invites on the 16th.  I'll see if we can correct the wording there.  Thanks!

[Elskidor]

I just want to test that another character slot will be given along with the new class, as this silly expansion sounds hardly worth it as it is, let alone spending addition cash for another slot. 

[Eveningsong]

Elzeenor@Splitpaw wrote:

I just want to test that another character slot will be given along with the new class, as this silly expansion sounds hardly worth it as it is, let alone spending addition cash for another slot. 

There's no way to test that, but your beta character list is separate from live/test so you'll have lots of open slots to beta test with.  It would be nice if they included a free character slot with the expansion, however.

[Isulith]

Just to clarify, Beta registration will close on November 14th. I am sorry for any confusion. 

[Koleg]

DominoDev wrote:

Bremer wrote:

Isulith wrote:

Applications will be reviewed starting on October 27th. Closed Beta will close on November 14th.

Beta acceptance emails will go out between October 27th and November 16th.

So you close the beta on the 14th and send invites until the 16th?

No, we close the beta REGISTRATION on the 14th and send out the last round of invites on the 16th.  I'll see if we can correct the wording there.  Thanks!

The wording leads people, as demonstrated here, to beleive that the Beta itself will end on Nov 16th, which now, from your response is assumed to not be the case, yet still unstated or unknown.

So .... when will the Beta actually end?  People are funny sometimes, they like to be informed in things which hold their interests and currently some of these people have an interest in EQ2 and the AoD X-pack.  I'd like to think they will all continue that interest and having more information up front would be a step in that direction.  Is there really a need to be purposefully vague?  That might lead people to beleive that the Beta will remain open and active until all the content is tested and any bugs which may be discovered corrected prior to a retail release.

[Koleg]

Shaolin Sam wrote:

Why overdrive? There's hardly anything TO test. LOL

AA's -- No need to test them. It's just 50 more.

Bea$tlord -- This needs to be tested. Couldn't agree more.

Dungeon maker tool -- Not worth testing. Hardly anyone's going to be using it anyways.

Mercenaries -- Not worth testing. They're just NPC's hardly anyone's going to use.

You missed a few features which were mentioned and discussed in part such as Reforging and to some degree re-re-itemization (concerning Beasties in general).

Reforging:

Community:  I've heard many people think this will allow players to re-itemize their own equipment in such ways that they can shift one Green / Blue stat for another esentially turning +50 Strength into +50 Stam or turning 4.6% CB & Pot into 4% CB & 5.2% Pot. 

SOE Dev:  I haven't really heard anything discriptive but I thought I heard SJ saying something to the effect that players would be able to "reforge" items with different particial effects.  (I could be way off base here)

Without a certain level of communication people will let ideas run wild and would hate to see this being one of those cases where the player community and the Dev team is so far apart on a game feature.

AA's:

And just to touch base on any new level of AA's made available to players who actually do buy the feature X-pack.  It is assumed and maybe stated that there will be no new AA's, excluding Beasties (I hope they have new AA's).  Opening up the allowable AA's spent per tab is one thing, but doing it to a degree which satisfies the player base while not causing game balancing issues is quite another.  If 50 new AA's are actually what happens and each AA tab cap is extended, Will that include the Heroics tab?  and if the Heroics tab cap IS actually expanded, Will players be allowed to select multiple abilities from the fourth line?  I feel, this is the only question which actually matters in any way, shape or form.  I though I recalled a comment made by SJ in the past, maybe focused around pre-DOV launch, where no players would ever be allowed multiple Heroic tab endlines. (Again, I could be way off base here)

Trade Skill Apprentance:

Certainly a feature which has a lot of interest in the growing Crafter community, and time will tell if it is worth any attention.  It was said that the TS Apprentance will be able to craft some of the most powerful items in the game.  We'll have to wait and see if that means compared to the current undesirable crafted items which carry less and less value or if that means that even raiders would find TS apprentance items attractive.

[kelesia]

Why does it show my SC balance on the beta acceptance/NDA page?  Honestly...why?  I too am a little pessimistic about this expansion, but at least being jaded I won't be disappointed with all the problems. 

[slippery]

I'd just like to point out that we can only spend 20 more AA's with current caps if we don't tradeskill, and those AA's are largely useless for most classes. It is really feeling like this expansion is a complete don't buy. Please give us some information, it's a month away, we'd like to know what we have to look forward too.

[Bratface]

Eveningsong wrote:

 It would be nice if they included a free character slot with the expansion, however.

+1

This would be the best thing I could think of.

The economy is still rough for a lot of people and buying the exp AND another slot isn't in the cards, so giving a free slot with the exp would be a nice way to let people roll a new toon/BL and possible stick around longer.

[Shaolin Sam]

Lillya@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Why does it show my SC balance on the beta acceptance/NDA page?  Honestly...why?  I too am a little pessimistic about this expansion, but at least being jaded I won't be disappointed with all the problems. 

Because the "way of the future" will be Station Cash. It really wouldn't surprise me if upcoming "Patchxpan$ion$" are bought through the Marketplace and not at your local game shop / etc.

[Prrasha]

slippery wrote:

I'd just like to point out that we can only spend 20 more AA's with current caps if we don't tradeskill,  

And only 20+25=45 if you do.  Since they're adding 50, I imagine they'll be changing the caps. 

[Koleg]

Prrasha wrote:

slippery wrote:

I'd just like to point out that we can only spend 20 more AA's with current caps if we don't tradeskill,  

And only 20+25=45 if you do.  Since they're adding 50, I imagine they'll be changing the caps. 

Just becasue they (SOE) have added +50 to the AA scale in the past couple X-packs doesn't mean its going to be +50 this time, nor does any hallway conversations which some people "claim" they had with Devs in Vegas.  There is no written or publicly verbal acknowledgement that there will be +50 w or w/o cap extentions to AA's.  We only know that the AA scale will increase and that there 24 clases will not get anything "New".

Personally, I find it silly and on the verge of offensive, they would add +50 w/o raising the caps since there are not going to be any new AA's or re-vamped AA's added beyond those made for the Beasties.  Several classes will see zero benefit while others will see huge gains only to further increase class balance.  What ever happened to the claim that the AA re-vamp would "get rid of unused and undesirable AA's" making them more useful and attractive to begin with?  An effort which fell very short in many cases and classes.  The removal of the "webbing" on the class tree has already maid it possible to skip some of the useless AA's adding +50 more AA's will only mean that we go back and fill in the ones we didn't want in the first place... GREAT!  I'd rather only get +10 AA's as long as it came with cap removals, but that will never happen.

[TwistedFaith]

wow no actual new AAs, just 50 more of the same. Sorry but this expansion sounds beyond awful and nothing but a money grab by SOE. Pretty sure this is the expansion that will kill of the game, I don't care how optimistic you are but this sounds beyond awful!

[Galithdor]

TwistedFaith wrote:

wow no actual new AAs, just 50 more of the same. Sorry but this expansion sounds beyond awful and nothing but a money grab by SOE. Pretty sure this is the expansion that will kill of the game, I don't care how optimistic you are but this sounds beyond awful!

Every expansion is supposedly the expansion that is going to kill off the game

The only reason it doesn't seem like an expansion is because it isn't adding a new landmass...instead, we are getting new zones for free, and a way to make our own zones (even if we aren't using our own characters)