From what we’ve seen, WoW: Cataclysm is pretty far along in development. Blizzard had a lot to say — and show — of the game’s third expansion at BlizzCon, and every new bit of info we’ve been able to wrangle since then tells us that the game is chugging towards the fabled Friends & Family Alpha, full steam ahead. We don’t have a solid date, and likely won’t until it happens, but it’s coming.

Now, when the Alpha starts, Blizzard tends to keep a tight lid on information coming out of it — even the testing period’s very existence — by judicious use of NDAs and cease-and-desist orders. It’s possible that we won’t even be able to give you information that comes out of the alpha. But all of that goes away when the closed beta starts and everybody can’t talk about it enough.

So, what happens if you happen to come upon an alpha or beta invite? Well, there’s a few things you should know. The first — is that you’re a lucky duck. The rest — we’ve assembled in this handy guide, readable in its entirety after the jump.

How the heck did I get an alpha invite?

There are only two ways you’ll get an alpha invite. Either you know someone from Blizzard, or you know someone who knows someone from Blizzard. No public keys are given out for the F&F Alpha.

How the heck did I get a beta invite?

Either the above, or you opted in to the beta lottery on your Account Management page or won it via a giveaway.

What is being in the alpha/beta like?

The alpha is a fairly small community, with a dedicated forum hidden to any player not in the testing phase. You’ll have direct contact with the developers via the forums. In return for being given access to the expansion so early, you’re expected to pull your weight by reporting bugs and testing all facets of the available content.

You should have no issues finding groups or questing partners. The alpha population tends to be very knowledgeable and friendly due to their Blizzard connections. And beyond that, there’s a zero-tolerance policy for asshattery — you might even have the privilege of being banned by Tom Chilton!

What’s usually available when the Alpha starts?

In the case of Cataclysm it’s likely to be the starting zones for the two new races and an assortment of finished Azeroth zones. This will be expanded over the course of the testing period until almost all content is available, at Blizzard’s discretion.

How often is new content added?

All the time. Patches are quick and content is added in chunks. Talents, spells, quests, and other content is changed sometimes in direct reaction to player feedback on the forums.

What’s the uptime like?

Equivalent to PTR uptime. Days of activity followed by a quick patch, usually.

Who can I talk about the alpha/beta with?

If you’re in the alpha, then you can talk to other people in the alpha about it. Don’t talk about it in the live game or publicly online. Entering into the alpha puts you under an NDA which has legal ramifications if broken.

If you’re in the beta, everybody!

Do I have to start over on the alpha/beta, or do I get to copy characters?

Generally, you have the option of starting a character at level one and/or copying one or more of your live characters over onto the alpha/beta server. You do have a limited number of copies per testing period — usually a few for the alpha and then a few more for the beta.

What can I do to prepare my character for the alpha/beta?

The first thing you should do before copying your main is to load him or her up with a ton of gold. Ask some friends to borrow all the gold they have for half an hour while your copy goes through, ensuring that you have all the capital you need to pay for whatever gold sink Blizzard has in store. And training, of course.

And don’t forget that you can transfer the same character more than once to multiply your fortune.

As for the comment spammers, such is the price we pay for being a pretty large site with an open comment system. We deal with them as quickly as we see them, and yes, reporting the posts does help. We ban who we can, we block what we can, but determined individuals will keep knocking their heads at it. If you see a spam post that’s been sitting around for a particularly long time, let us know via our tipline and we’ll deal with it ASAP.

For Cataclysm, there’s so much fantastic backstory behind Deathwing and the Cataclysm itself that it’d be a true shame to have a huge driving force behind it stuck in comic book land. Let’s hope that Blizzard feels the same way.

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