Yep, all you Starcraft addicts, Blizzard’s follow on from Wings of Liberty, went into ‘proper’ beta last night. There have been various builds shown off at MLG etc and Day[9] got out some early videos with the new units, but this is the first time people can get access to the beta via battle.net.
Don’t go getting too excited though, access is limited at the moment as quoted below :-
The Heart of the Swarm beta test has begun! This multiplayer-only test will initially be limited to a select group of pro-gamers, members of the press, Arcade contest winners, and shoutcasters. Beta test participants are not under NDA, so you’re likely going to see live streams of matches, screenshots, and casts of impromptu Heart of the Swarm throwdowns starting . . . mmm, NOW!
We will soon be inviting other players to participate in the beta, so be sure you’ve opted in by clicking on the “Beta Profile Settings” under the Account Management section of your Battle.net account. Signing up from a Battle.net account that’s actively playing StarCraft II will help your chances of being selected. Note that opting in doesn’t guarantee beta access.
We’ll also be working with several fansites and community personalities to provide more opportunities to join the beta test, so keep an eye out here and throughout the StarCraft II community for details as they emerge.
For those who are in the beta already, we appreciate your assistance in helping us test the game. If you’re interested in joining the beta, we wish you luck with the opt-in and (future) giveaways, and hope to see you in a match soon!
Please note: Customer service representatives are unable to provide players with beta access. Please refrain from contacting them directly regarding beta access. Thank you!
I know Husky was particularly enthused, if his tweets were anything to go by and he’s already got some vods up on his channel. Totalbiscuit another TGS member ran a livestream over on his twitch channel and promptly got rufflestomped and djWHEAT of OneMoreGameTV and many tournament commentaries, was already lamenting that Terran OP v Zerg via his twitter, so if you can’t or haven’t gotten into the beta, there’s still plenty out there for you look at.
It’ll be interesting to see how this effects the competitive scene, as I suspect many pro’s will be devoting a lot of practice time to this.
Let us know if you are in the beta and what you think of it, comment below or sign up to the forum.
Enjoy.
