Grinding Gear Games has announced that Path of Exile will open its doors to all players this Friday for a weekend of stress testing for the action RPG. In order to take part in this weekend’s event, you just need to sign up for a free account on the Path of Exile website. A Public Stress Test Weekend FAQ for the upcoming event is also available.

The stress test starts this Friday at 5:00pm PDT and concludes on Sunday, April 1st at 11:59pm PDT.

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile opens up its Beta for This Weekend Only

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 27 March 2012 – Grinding Gear Games, the New Zealand developer of the much-anticipated action RPG Path of Exile, have announced that its Beta will be open to the public for stress testing this weekend: March 30-April 1.

The game has previously been in a restricted Closed Beta test, and this public stress test will be the first opportunity for many patient fans to play Path of Exile. 

The Path of Exile Beta servers will open for public access at 5pm PDT on Friday, March 30. Public access will end at 11:59pm PDT Sunday night, April 1. A full FAQ about the Public Weekend is available at http://www.pathofexile.com/publicweekend/.

Featuring its own dark, gritty take on the Action RPG genre, a unique skill gem system and a complex passive skill tree, Path of Exile is on track to enter permanent Open Beta within a few months. PvP combat and cosmetic purchases are planned for the Open Beta.

“We’re really looking forward to getting feedback from the wider gaming community,” says Chris Wilson, Grinding Gear Games’ co-founder. “We’ve arranged a number of interesting events for the public weekend, and we’re looking forward to meeting you in game.”

Players participating in the stress test weekend will be ranked on a ladder web page, showing who has gained the most experience. A separate ladder is available for players playing in 'Hardcore' mode where characters are removed if they die. Developer-run events, such as two hour ladder races and competitions to full-clear areas first, will occur throughout the weekend with details posted on the Path of Exile website.

All of Path of Exile’s current content may be played during the public stress test weekend, including the upcoming 0.9.8 Beta patch, which adds new skills, improved social features and numerous balance improvements.

To take part in this Beta, sign up for an account at www.pathofexile.com.

Key features of ‘Path of Exile’:

·         Completely free to download and play

·         A persistent online world capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players

·         A dark and gritty game world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective

·         Randomly generated levels and items for extreme replayability

·         Online ranking and ladders for every game mode

·         Visceral combat with dozens of combinable skills

·         Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition

·         Dynamic skill system

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