Alpha and betas will run for as long as they need. There has been a guess from caspian but you never know what issues will pop up. There will also be wipes during alpha and beta. As caspian has said these are not your typical preview stage other games offer. This is an actual testing phase.

When expo ends the store closes which includes the EP store. You will still be able to purchase sparks and such but no tiers.

There will of course be a wipe at the end of beta. There won't be at the end of expo though since that is the world building stage.

They have said they plan to wipe at the end of beta. I'm not sure if that is a complete deletion of everything, a deletion of some and a reset of others... I don't know if they've stated the particulars.

I for one was curious if something like my beta souls just being reset back to 0 and I get the same souls in expo would be a thing or not. I don't think it will be a big deal either way, but I looked at it as a way to try out and design my character around a soul while testing.

That said, my guess is that it will just be a full-on wipe.

Expo is NOT beta 2. Expo is expo as I said above it's world building. CoE is a sandbox style game. The world will be generated automaticly with some tweaking from SBS and a few hand crafted areas dropped in for good measure. But when it comes to the nobility we are supposed to be part of the word for generations. So expo gives those of the appropriate tiers a chance to spend EP and customize our lands. Allowing the more generic settlements the system creates to have more personal flare based on the player who controls them.

Rules will be vastly different in expo than they are after launch. There is no pvp in the first month. Limited deviant activity in the second and finally combat and warfare open toward the end.

If you are expecting to use alpha and beta to learn and strategize you will likely be sorely disappointed.

Caspian mentioned alpha and beta will be guided experiences. (I cannot quote directly as it was mentioned in a NDA covered forum). Basically you could be testing crafting. For you nothing else, not the survival mechanics or combat would even be turned on. Yet later I could be testing survival aspects while someone else could be testing combat.

As I said above alpha and such will be testing not a preview. From what was mentioned it will be work and will not be pretty or much fun.

If you are looking for a good time to make friends or find allies that time is now. There are many many discord servers up and running with folks getting to know each other and forging alliances.

Between now and expo KoE and the MUD will launch giving people a chance to "get in game" to an extent and help test/stress the back end processes. While having a tier will get you in sooner it is expected everyone will have a chance to experience both. While KoE is geared more toward the nobility it was said everyone will have a role to play. So if you want to wait that would be the optimal time to make friends.

In closing you should only back at a tier you are comfortable with. I wouldn't recommend considering alpha and beta into your formula.

Like Malais said, SBS is not doing alpha/betas the way that those have been done recently. These are going to be actual testing phases for the game to actually hunt for bugs and other issues. This is not a chance to get an early peek at the game and run around having fun, the world we test in won't even be the world of expo and launch. When they say they are wiping alpha/beta they are removing the entire world. You might get a bit ahead of a newcomer on basic mechanics but you will not know shit about map details(aside from what we learn at land selection) just like everyone else when expo starts. You shouldn't judge how much alpha/beta access is worth based on time, if that's your standard then don't do it. Only go for those levels if you truly care about the world of Elyria being build the best way that it can. That's the only reason you should donate above bloodline really...

Posted By Karrade at 11:20 AM - Tue Feb 14 2017

Thanks for the heads up and getting me up to speed.

I'll probably pick the beta 2 or 1. That will be enough time to learn the map layout, local resources, and landmarks to navigate by etc.

If you've tested a system however, you've knowledge of it. I consider that an advantage. That and I somewhat enjoy finding bugs, giving detailed feedback.

The map in beta will not be the map you see when the game goes live.

It will be wiped and regenerated using their procedurally generating terrain and such. Each server will also be different from each other. It is literally a different world.

Resources will be randomized and all that jaz. The map should resemble the political map used (more or less) in KoE though landmarks and stuff will likely change.

Give thought to town selection and kingdoms of elyria if you're going that high. Leave it late and you may miss out. Better sooner than later.