This update was authored by Gabriel and was released on 7 October 2011.
It's the news you've been waiting for: we'll be launching our final Closed Beta server next week.
As we've said before, this server will be extremely volatile. It'll be frequently updated and rebalanced, and may be shut down early - we plan to close it as soon as Open Beta begins.
Please be aware that the play experience and game balance on this last Closed Beta server will be very different to the final game. This is about testing the new player experience, the Elite system and the shop.
To help you test the shop, we'll be supplying you a limited number of Gems to spend in 8Realms. Spend them wisely, because you won't have the opportunity to purchase extra Gems during the Closed Beta.
We'll have more information next week. Until then, have a great weekend and see you on the forums!
Gabriel
8Realms Wordsmith