PC MMO Blade & Soul Closed Beta Dates Revealed

Guild Wars publisher NCSoft on Wednesday announced that the closed beta for upcoming "wuxia-inspired" PC MMO Blade & Soul will begin on October 30. In all, NCSoft will host a "minimum" of five beta weekends that will span at least 20 days. You can see the full Blade & Soul beta schedule below.

Blade & Soul was originally released in 2012 in Korea, and is coming to the United States and Europe in 2016.

Closed Beta 2015 Weekend Schedule

• Weekend 1: Oct 30–Nov 2 [English only]
• Weekend 2: Nov 13–16 [English only]
• Weekend 3: Nov 24–30 [English, French, German]
• Weekend 4: Dec 11–14 [English, French, German]
• Weekend 5: Dec 18–21 [English, French, German]

NCSoft West producer Nicolas Coutant said the developer's aim with the closed beta is to gather "feedback and implement it in the final stages of development ahead of launch."

You can guarantee yourself a spot in the Blade & Soul closed beta by purchasing a Founder's Pack, which start at $25. Alternatively, you can sign up here and hope for the best.

The full version of Blade & Soul, meanwhile, is slated to launch sometime in the first quarter of 2016, though a specific release date has not been announced.

For a closer look at Blade & Soul, which blends themes of martial arts movies and action, check out the gameplay trailer below.