Tribes: Ascend is headed to closed beta tomorrow and Hi-Rez Studios has announced that beta participants will be able to carry their characters from closed beta through open beta and into the game’s official launch. Surprisingly, no character wipes are planned during the testing phase, so any advancement in rank, class and skill progression will carry over, giving beta players a significant advantage for launch.

The closed beta build for Tribes: Ascend will include the Soldier and Ranger classes with 10 additional classes available to be unlocked. Players will also have 3 drivable vehicles to wage war with and 2 different game modes. Hi-Rez Studios also plans to support Ranked and Private servers for Tribes: Ascend prior to the game’s official launch.

 Check out the official press release after the break for more. You can sign up for the closed beta on the Tribes: Ascend website and get a guaranteed beta slot by purchasing the Tribes: Ascend VIP Starter Bundle.

Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta Begins Tomorrow!

Player Progression Will Be Preserved In Beta, No Character Wipes Planned

ATLANTA.  November 3, 2011.  Hi-Rez Studios (www.hirezstudios.com) today confirmed that the Closed Beta for Tribes: Ascend will begin on Friday, November 4, 2011.

Studio representatives also announced that no character wipes are planned during Beta.  Player advancement in terms of rank, class unlocks, and skill progression will carry forward beyond Closed Beta, into Open Beta and into Release.

Previous Tribes titles have been played by well over 1 million gamers and feature fast-paced, jetpack-enabled multiplayer combat.  Tribes: Ascend continues this tradition, delivering speed, verticality, vehicles and stunning graphics within an entirely new, free-to-play game for the PC.

The Closed Beta build of Tribes: Ascend includes two initial class options - the Soldier and the Ranger, 10 additional classes available to be permanently unlocked, 3 drivable vehicles, 2 game-modes, and servers located across North America, Europe and Australia.   Prior to release Hi-Rez will also support Ranked Servers and Private Servers.

"Compared to Alpha, Tribes: Ascend enters Beta with even more unlockable classes, a skill & perk system, and additional projectile-based weapons” said Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer.  “And we plan to deliver new playable maps and classes after Beta and even after Release.   Our dev team is excited to reintroduce such a fast-paced, team-based shooter and we are looking forward to playing alongside the Beta community.”

Players interested in joining the Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta can register for an invitation at http://www.tribesascend.com.

Those wishing to guarantee a Closed Beta spot may purchase the Tribes: Ascend VIP Starter Bundle at the game’s official website. The bundle includes automatic admission into Beta, permanent VIP status in the game, a 30-day Booster and 3000 Tribes Gold. The VIP Starter Bundle is priced at a 33% discount to list price, as a reward to the game’s early testers.

Additional information can be found in the online FAQ.

Find Tribes: Ascend on Facebook here.

About Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, Inc, located just outside of Atlanta GA, was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. In February 2010 the company released the squad-based Shooter-MMO Global Agenda. Hi-Rez is currently developing other AAA free-to-play online games including Tribes: Ascend and SMITE. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.hirezstudios.com.