WoW Cataclysm closed beta begins

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the closed beta for Cataclysm, the highly anticipated new expansion for World of Warcraft, has begun.

Invitations are now being sent out to wide range of players from around the world who signed up via their Battle.net accounts. In addition to getting an early look at the expansion, beta testers will provide valuable feedback to help Blizzard find bugs, address balance issues, and polish the new content.

“Our focus with Cataclysm has been to build on the knowledge we’ve gained through the previous expansions to deliver the best, most compelling World of Warcraft content for our players to date,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Gathering focused feedback during the beta test will go a long way in helping us reach that goal when we launch Cataclysm later this year.”

In Cataclysm, the face of Azeroth will be forever altered by the return of the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing. Players will explore once-familiar areas of the world that have now been reshaped by the devastation and filled with new adventures.

In an effort to survive the planet-shattering cataclysm, two new playable races – worgen and goblins – will join the struggle between the Alliance and the Horde.