The World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion beta test starts on June 5!

The next World of Warcraft expansion The War Within is arriving later this year. As always there will be a closed beta test, with guaranteed access for those who purchase the Epic Edition. For everyone else there is a signup page available on the official site where one can opt-in with the hope of being selected. Even if you’re not granted access, the beta period is when a lot of information on new expansions becomes available to the players, so when can we expect that to happen? June 5 is the official start date for The War Within beta!

The main indicator of when the beta is starting is its place on the roadmap between patch 10.2.7 (now live) and the expansion pre-patch 11.0.1 which is predicted for July. So a beta start date in June makes perfect sense.

The beta testing for The War Within looks to be much like that of prior expansions, with the changes coming in the pre-patch — such as the Hero Talents — being a core focus of alpha testing, which has been going on for some time, with more fine-tuning and feedback throughout beta. We expect regular updates from Blizzard as the beta progresses with change notes and responses to feedback.

If you don’t get into the beta immediately, don’t worry: Blizzard always sends beta invites out in waves, which get larger the closer an expansion gets to launch day. So sign up for the beta test now and you’re certain to get in, even if you don’t get in on day one.

As always we urge caution in avoiding beta key scams; confirm you have access by checking the Battle.net client directly, which should show the beta client available in the World of Warcraft dropdown. Never via a link that promises beta access, as it can be a way to steal your account.