Blade & Soul fans will want to grab a calendar and favorite writing instrument, as dates for the upcoming closed beta have been announced. The closed beta is officially set to begin on October 30, with a minimum of five beta weekends planned. The closed beta weekends are also expected to span at least 20 days overall, leading up to the game’s official release in Q1 of 2016.

It has been quite some time since Blade & Soul was originally announced for North America, and based on our hands-on time with the game so far, the team at NCSOFT has done an excellent job with localization. We’ll also be getting access to a game that has the type of post-launch polish we typically don’t see with new triple-A MMO releases, so the beta weekends will no doubt focus primarily on testing performance and tweaking things like leveling curves and content consumption rates.

As has previously been announced, Blade & Soul will also be getting proper French and German clients. The closed beta will begin at a slightly later date for those client versions, set for November 24. While that particular date falls on a Tuesday this year, the test is no doubt intended to begin prior to the traditionally chaotic holiday weekend that follows.

Speaking of holiday weekends, the closed beta will also be running during Halloween, so if you’re behind the curve on choosing a costume for the annual fright fest, you really can’t go wrong with something inspired by these kick-ass Blade & Soul screenshots:

Players interested in participating in the upcoming closed beta weekends for Blade & Soul can sign up at the official website for a chance to gain access. You can also gain access if you purchase one of the currently available Founder’s Packs which also come bundled with a scaling number of interesting perks and includes.

A complete closed beta schedule can be found over on the official Blade & Soul website. Fans should also be sure to tune in today at 10 am PDT for a livestream with more information about what to expect during the closed beta. Take to the treetops and scamper over to the official Blade & Soul channel on Twitch to check that puppy out!