Hey everyone,

I wanted to send out an email and let you guys know that we recently patched HoN to include a brand new front end interface, match making, a tutorial, optimizations, and quite a bit of polish.

To coincide with this new patch we have also announced the beginning of our Open Beta.  On Wednesday, March 31 @ 4:00 PM PST (-8 GST) we will begin accepting beta registration which require no key.  When Open Beta begins the pre purchase incentives of the Golden Shield, Golden Name, and Taunting (SMACKDOWN!) will no longer be given to accounts.  I'd like to take this opportunity to give you guys an FAQ about what is happening.  I hope this covers many of your questions.

1.) If I pre purchased prior to Open Beta will I still be able to taunt in game and have the golden shield and golden name?

Yes, those account options will remain with your account (and all subsequently purchased sub accounts) for their lifetime.

2.) What exactly are these incentives you are giving to pre purchase before the beginning of Open Beta?

Your nickname will show up as a golden color in chat & game lobbies.  You will also have a special golden shield next to your name.  Finally, during a match, you may taunt a player (your hero says a funny statement to the enemy) and if you kill them within a short time period of taunting them a global sound and arcade text "SMACKDOWN" is announced game wide.

3.) I want to pre purchase but the nickname I want is not available.  Can I ever change my name?

Yes, all pre purchased accounts will have 1 nickname change (all existing pre purchases will also be given 1 additional nickname change).  7 days prior to the end of Open Beta and the game going retail (requiring payment to play) we will allow all pre purchased accounts to take the nickname of non pre purchased accounts.  In order to successfully secure your name we suggest you pre purchase now!

4.) Will stats reset for Open Beta?  Will there be a stats reset prior to the game going retail?

We will not be resetting stats during Open Beta but when we end Open Beta and go to retail all stats will be deleted from the game.

5.) Will I be able to rest my stats after retail launch of the game?

Yes, we have a reset stats option available on the website and in the game client.  This stats reset will cost $20.  It is priced to be a deterrent from people intentionally griefing and then just paying to reset their "sins".  We priced it $10 short of a new account so that someone can keep their current name but start with a fresh slate.

6.) If I don't pre purchase the game prior to launch, what happens to my account?

When Open Beta ends all accounts that did not pre purchase will be purged from the database, this includes your banlist and your friends lists.  All pre purchased accounts will keep those lists intact when we go retail.

7.) Do you feel that your system will be able to support the potential demand of the HoN Open Beta?

In an effort to control concurrent players during Open Beta due to the tremendous excitement and demand for Heroes of Newerth, we *may* have to throttle new sign ups.  In the event that this action is required, when we hit our daily limit, players will have the option to pre purchase the game to have guaranteed access to the Open Beta.

8.) Will new heroes be added to the game during Open Beta?

Yes, we have many new heroes (and other content) to add to the game.  In fact, look forward to seeing a new hero shortly after the start of Open Beta and a consistent flow of new content thereafter.

We hope you are as excited about this next step in HoN development as we are and I look forward to seeing you all online.

http://beta.heroesofnewerth.com

Thanks,

Maliken