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=Introduction=
[[File:Beta-d3-box.jpg|left|frame|Diablo III 3 Beta box art.]]The Diablo III 3 Beta test began in early September, 2011, and was initially limited to "Friends & Family" testing. The closed beta began mid September and contains the same content as the Friends and Family testers were testing.
The Diablo III 3 beta test consists of the first half of Act One, with some story elements and game features removed. The beta test is largely a tech demo, with little game content open to fan feedback; it is not intended to be a full game balance playtest, like many MMORPGs.
<blue>The test is mainly for the downloader, patcher, launcher, various behind-the-scenes services, and server hardware, there are specific updates or milestones for these we're tracking and they will likely determine more invites.</blue>
=Diablo 3 Beta Test History=
It was universally-expected that there would be a public beta test for Diablo III3, and while Blizzard regularly hinted at it, the test was not actually confirmed
<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-skills-party-help-and-beta-confirmation Non-Confirmation of Beta] - Bashiok, Blizzard 24/9/10</ref>, with a release window of "third quarter 2011," until [[Mike Morhaime]] did so during an Activision/Blizzard conference call in May 2011.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-details-announced/ Confirmation of Beta ] - Mike Morhaime, Blizzard, Activision Blizzard First Quarter Calendar 2011, 9/05/11</ref>
===What changes have been made to Diablo III 3 during the Beta?===
The vast majority of changes in the patches have been bug fixes and skill and item balances however there have been some significant changes and additions which are noted below. Visit the patch links for the full patch details.
** Achievements are now available for testing. Please note that for the beta launch of this system, only a limited number of achievements have been included.
* [[Beta Patch 7]] – v.0.4.1.7391 - 2 December
** A trial version of the Diablo III 3 Currency-Based Auction House is now available for testing.
* [[Beta Patch 8]] - v.0.5.0.8059 - 16 December (Large patch with many changes)
** Battle.net BattleTags are now live!
=Is there a closed Diablo III 3 beta test?=
Yes. This was officially confirmed to be happening in various interviews from Blizzcon 2010. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-beta-confirmed Beta Confirmed] - Christian Lichtner, Blizzard, VG247 Interview, 28/10/10</ref>
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=How do I register for the Diablo III 3 Beta Test?=
You already are, if you have a Battle.net account and have completed a Beta profile. [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=27087 Blizzard maintains a support page] with detailed instructions on accomplishing this.
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=What is in the Diablo III 3 Beta?=
The Diablo III 3 beta test is roughly the first half of Act One, taking a brand new character from the start of the game up though the battle with [[King Leoric]]. All five character [[classes]], all of their [[skills]], and almost all of the game features are included. [[Followers]], [[Artisans]], and the full [[item]] system is in the beta, though only the [[Templar]] and [[Blacksmith]] are encountered that early in the game.
'''Not in the beta:''' Some [[story]] elements were removed to preserve surprises, and there are no [[cinematics]]. [[Runestones]] are not included as they're undergoing further development, and the [[Arena]] is not available either.
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=How long will the Diablo III 3 Beta test run?=
The initial plans for the beta were quite extensive, with Jay Wilson claiming the game would be released about six months after the beta began.
At the end of September 2011 Blizzard announced that Diablo 3 would not release in 2011 but rather "early 2012" which meant the beta would run longer than expected but with more testers than originally planned.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzard-leaks-d3s-release-as-early-2012 Diablo 3 Release Slip] - Mike Morhaime, 23/9/2011 </ref>
<blue>Blizzard will use the additional time to extend the Diablo III 3 closed beta test, which began September 20, potentially adding more testers than initially projected.
The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers.</blue>
=How many Diablo III 3 Beta testers will there be?=
Early Blizzard beta tests were limited to just the 1000 beta CDs they pressed and mailed out. More recent tests with downloadable clients have grown far larger, and there will likely be tens of thousands of testers for Diablo III3. Not everyone starts on the first day, of course. Beta tests start small and scale up, with more testers added over time as the server stability improves.
The Starcraft 2 beta test generally had more than 20,000 concurrent users, and many, many additional beta keys were distributed over the course of the test to keep the testing numbers up. It's widely expected that the Diablo III 3 beta will follow a similar course.
=Are Previous Blizzard Testers invited to Diablo III 3 Beta Test?=
Only if you are already on the Blizzard's friends list. They do keep a list of good testers from past games, and add people to it when they reliably report numerous bugs, but the names on this list are kept private.
Each Battle.net account entered in the Beta Opt-In is eligible to be selected for a given beta test. So if you have multiple accounts, yes. You can't submit the same account more than once, though.
This can differ for expansion pack beta tests, since an account must have valid access to the current game in order to test the expansion. The D3 beta did not require any other games on the Blizzard account, but it's likely the Diablo 3 Beta expansion beta will require a valid copy of Diablo III3.
===Are there minimum system specs for Beta Tests?===
There has to be some level of minimum machine to run a beta test, but developers try to include as wide a variety of tester equipment as possible. See the [[system requirements]] article for more details on Diablo III3's requirements.
The absolute minimum required to run the Diablo III 3 beta was revealed to be:<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/beta-minimum-specs-graphics-card-support Beta Minimum Specs] - Blizzard, 7/9/10</ref>
::1GB System Memory
<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>
The Diablo III 3 Beta Test launched in early September 2011 without an NDA<ref name=ffbeta />, and players were free to talk about the test, to post videos and screenshots, etc.
