How Forever’s beta was limited: invitations, a level-30 cap and a scheduled open stress test

The Forever beta ran for about five weeks, and players saw it in stages. Blizzard’s own posts record each stage: who could get in, how far they could level, when an open stress test was scheduled and when the beta closed. They give the schedule, not the reasoning behind every limit.

Who got in

Blizzard’s beta announcement on 17 September invited community veterans, press, fansites, friends and family. Players who had opted in could be selected, and Blizzard said invitations would go out regularly through the test. Eligible digital bundle purchasers also gained access.

How far you could go

The beta opened with a level cap of 20, and the announcement said it would rise to 30 later. In week one, testers had Skyborne and Zephras Isle, two new dungeons (Hall of Thanes and Ruins of Lordaeron) and all zone content up to level 20. More zones, dungeons and the new battleground were to open as testing went on.

The higher cap arrived on 1 October. A staff post on the evening of 30 September, Pacific time, announced maintenance for the following morning and a build that raised the cap to 30. The 1 October build notes confirmed the new maximum of 30. They also added the Excavation Site dungeon and opened Razorfen Downs and Uldaman.

The scheduled open test

The September announcement had also flagged a later window of several hours when anyone could play. On 20 October, a staff post scheduled a stress test for 21 October, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. PDT, with times listed for other regions. Blizzard said it would take the beta offline and open Forever on its proper regional hardware. According to the post, any player with a WoW account would be eligible, with no active subscription needed. When the test ended, every Stress Test character would be deleted, names included, and the beta would reopen.

The end date moved

The September announcement had named 21 October as the last full day of testing. The 20 October post planned the close for 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday 23 October instead. On 23 October, a closing post confirmed that the beta had closed. It thanked players for five weeks of testing, data, bug reports and feedback.

Between closure and launch

The same post said Blizzard would spend a few short days concentrating on priority issues and on the game service itself, so that it would be ready for launch on 4 November. Character creation opens on Tuesday 27 October, so players can choose a ruleset and claim names before launch. The 12 September recap gives the global launch time as 3:00 p.m. PST on 4 November.

What these posts do not report

The posts reviewed for this article give no stress-test results, player counts or statements about launch capacity. Even a stress test run as scheduled would not show how launch day will go.