Capcom's creature-hunting role-playing game "Monster Hunter: World" will launch its second open beta later this month. The play-testing event will be exclusive for PlayStation 4 (PS4) users.
A tweet from the official "Monster Hunter: World" Twitter account announced the specific times for the event. The announcement comes after a successful first beta test, which ran from Dec. 9 to Dec. 12.
The open beta starts on Dec. 22, 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST), 5 p.m Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or 6 p.m. Central European Time (CET) for both these dates. It ends on Dec. 26 at 9 a.m. PST, 5 p.m. GMT, or 6 p.m CET.
Unlike the first beta, players do not need a PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) account to get in— anyone with a PlayStation 4 can participate. An official tweet also confirmed that PS Plus is not needed even for multiplayer.
Game pre-loading starts on Dec. 18. This means that interested players have a few days to download the game onto their consoles so that it will be ready when the event opens.
Fortunately, those who participated in the first beta do not need to download additional files. If they still have the "Monster World: Hunter" beta client on their PS4, then they can use that to access this second beta, as well.
More than seeing how the various features in the game would work, the beta is also meant to test server performance. The open beta will help determine how the servers will handle the massive load when the multiplayer component officially goes live.
The beta is expected to present three quests for players. First is called "The Great Devourer, Great Jagras," set in the Ancient Forest. Next is "Wildspire Rampage," a Barroth Hunt set in the Wildspire Wastes. Lastly, there is "The Ancient Forest Menace," — this is an Anjanath Hunt set in the Ancient Forest, as well.
