Path of Exile: The Awakening closed beta gets an FAQ – Desync possibly fixed?

The Path of Exile: The Awakening beta starts soon and Grinding Gear Games explain how it’s going to work.

On  Monday 20 April the closed beta test will be getting underway bringing a load of new content to Grinding Gear Games ARPG Path of Exile. To make sure players know what to expect an FAQ has now been released which explains how they plan on bringing players into the test in the weeks ahead.

The test will start slow but will ramp up with more players as it progresses over a 6-8 week testing period so there’s plenty of time for an invite to arrive from GGG. The addition of more players over time is so they can “test various systems in a precise way” and more users will be added to get “balance feedback”.

New players have just as much chance of getting on the beta as veteran players but alpha testers will definitely be granted access to the test from day one.

A question many Path of Exile players want to know is whether the desync issue will be resolved with this new content update. According to GGG, their Deterministic Lockstep Mode is the key to resolving this but it won’t be available at the start of the beta test but will be added as the test rolls on. They say they are “very interested in feedback related to this mode” so we’ll have to wait and see how that pans out.

Existing characters can not be copied to a beta test account because GGG are wanting to test the progression in Path of Exile: The Awakening. Acts 1-3 have been given a makeover to improve the game’s flow now that an additional act has been added so it makes sense to test with new characters.

As far as sharing videos and information is concerned, there’s no NDA. If you’re on the test you can do pretty much what you like. There will be character wipes though so you have been warned.