For those that remember the chilly northlands of Tamriel from Skyrim, soon Bethesda will return to the history of that continent with The Elder Scrolls Online, an MMO-RPG based around one thousand years before Skyrim even started. However, as the beta invitations start coming at the end of this month, Bethesda is taking a very-gradual method in working on this title and their systems.
According to a FAQ site from the developer, linked at the bottom of this article, the first beta invites are going to be for specific events only. Usually lasting an entire weekend, there will be specific situations and conditions in place both for testing certain parts of the game as well as certain specs of your system for each individual event during the next several months.
What this means overall, is that not only does one beta invite only apply to the referenced event, but there is no guarantee that one invite will apply to any other event that occurs during this process. Once more, according to the FAQ, not only are the system specifications a factor in inviting players for specific events, but also referenced skills in different areas of play such as PvP and crafting. The tester’s actual location and connectivity play a part in the factors for giving one beta event invitation or another.
“We’re not only looking for one type of tester or only for testers with top-of-the-line PCs; a broad range will be selected.“
On the other hand, Bethesda has stated on the FAQ that while initial beta events will be small and selective, possibly to test out specific areas of the game over a range of different situations, later in the year there will be far larger ‘stress tests’ and AvA events that even the team acknowledges would need thousands of testers or more. While there is no current information about pricing on the main game, according to the founder of Gamesbrief, it could launch with a paid subscription at first, then join the free-to-play bandwagon.
Furthermore, invitations will be given in advance of the event applied with enough presumed time for schedules to be available, so many will not have to worry about last-minute e-mails. Signup links are both on the FAQ page and the title’s main page, and all invitations will be mailed to the signup account e-mail. The download file size is referenced as 20GB, so it is suggested that downloads from the link begin immediately upon receipt. As it becomes available, Oprainfall will endeavor to provide more information on this eagerly-awaited title.
