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[[File:Beta-d3-box.jpg|left|frame|Diablo III Beta box art.]]
There will be[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-skills-party-help-and-beta-confirmation/] a Diablo III Beta Test, which Mike Morhaime stated is to occur in the third quarter of 2011[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-details-announced/]. The Beta will not begin until September, with the earliest possible but is on track to start date at August 3rdin that month, according to information from Gamescom 2011.
This article covers every common question about Diablo 3 and Blizzard beta tests, with numerous quotes from Blizzard employees inserted where relevant.
<blue><b>Thomas Tippl:</b>D3 development continues to go well, and we’re very excited about the game... I’m looking forward to sharing more news about the game, and our upcoming beta, during the next conference call.”</blue>
==All Game Systems To Be Revealed Before the Beta Begins==
One of the reasons why we actually prefer a really long window before we release a game is because we want a lot of feedback; we want to hear what people like and don't like about it; we want to give them several opportunities to play it before release. We play our games constantly before we release them; we give them to the other development teams and we get feedback. We do very long betas and alphas that we include a lot of people – not just from the fanbase, but from the game industry as a whole. We get a lot of other game developers playing our games – months and months before we release – and I would say, look at the success of Blizzard games. If other companies think it's a risk, a bad idea... obviously it's not, because we've done very well on that front.</blue>
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==How do I register for the Diablo III Beta Test?==
You can see more information about this in [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=26886 Blizzard's Beta Opt-in FAQ].
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==What will be in the Diablo III Beta?==
In July of 2011, Blizzard released a [[Beta Overview]] and a [[Beta FAQ]] listing what would (and would not be) in the Diablo III beta.
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===Content===
When the beta does finally roll out, players can pick between any of the five [[classes]] and play from the beginning of the game, until the death of [[Leoric]]. This is roughly one to two hours the first third of contentAct One, the introduction of the game.The beta will feature one [[artisan]] and the [[templar]] [[follower]] [[Kormac]]. The [[Rune]] system will not be available for play, due take most players 1-2 hours to runes now dropping starting in Act II. The [[Auction House]] will be presentcomplete, the [[gold]] version, not the [[RMT]] version. Friends list and other expected battle.net functionality will also be in the betaper character.
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===What was in the Diablo II Beta?===
The D2 beta was all of Act One, in exactly the same form it had in the final game. All of the same quests, NPCs, levels, waypoints, mnercenaries, monsters, items, etc. PvP worked just as it did in the final game as well. All five characters were available, and while they could be leveled up as high as you liked, only the first three tiers of skills were available; at Clvl 1, 6, and 12.
<br>==When How long will they announce the Diablo III beta testrun?==No dates have been given yet, nor will they until much closer to the start of the test. Blizzard typically announces their upcoming beta tests some months in advance, but a specific date isn't set until just a few weeks prior to the test's beginning.
[[Jay Wilson]] spoke on this during a video interview from Blizzcon 2010.
<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-video-interview-jay-wilson-direct-tv/ Jay Wison @ BlizzCon 2010] - IncGamers October 25, 2010</ref>
::'''Geoffkeighley''' (via Twitter): someone has to ask this: When is the Diablo 3 beta gonna be?
::'''Jay Wilson: '''Probably about six months before we release.
That was modified over time and the current plan is for a much shorter beta, that functions largely as a tech demo. It should only last for 2-3 months at the longest.
==Will there be an open beta test?==
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==What's an Alpha Test?==
An Alpha test is run before the beta test, and is usually much smaller. The Alpha client is less finalized than the beta client, and is usually the first game build that's semi-complete and playable. Alpha tests are almost always private, and limited to employees, friends, and family.
<blue>Bashiok: I don’t believe we’re planning to impose NDA’s on future beta tests for any of our franchises. That’s of course subject to change.</blue>
==Does Blizzard Expect Testers to Play a Minimum Number of Hours?==
==How Long After Beta is Release?==
This also depends. Some beta tests run right up until the release date, with the information from them being used for post-release patches. Others end weeks earlier, or are replaced by open beta/stress tests.
A useful chart with dates for past Blizzard betas can be seen below.
[[File:Blizzard-beta-dates.jpg|center|thumb|800px|Click to see larger, legible size image.]]
