MechWarrior OnLine goes OPEN BETA [edit]

Good news everyone!
Piranha Games announces that MWO OPEN BETA will start 29th of October, around 19:00PM GMT.

Piranha Games president, Russ Bullock, had this to say:

I would like to address this to the core community of MechWarrior Online. You guys are absolutely the most loyal community in all of gaming, intense! But far and away the most loyal. To explain what I mean by loyal let me start out with a huge thanks to all of our Founders. The program was quite obviously a huge success, in fact at 5.2 Million it has set a new high bar for these types of programs. That is a huge statement to just how amazing the MechWarrior franchise and it’s unique and exciting play mechanics are, and now a whole new generation of gamers are about to learn that. These founders have made it possible for us to make the game better and to make better choices these past 4 months, with each of those choices leading to a better overall product.

Head here for a complete statement.

What does it all mean for existing CLOSED BETA testers.
Open Beta is the final reset. Once it happens, won't be any other reset ever again. They will be resetting C-Bills, MC, XP, GXP, mechs, and inventory. The only thing you get to keep is the friends list. However, if you have a Founders pack, everything will be added from that pack. Also anything you’ve purchased (with MC) will be added back.
Piranha will also add a founder's premium account button. What this does, the premium account swill be reset once OPEN BETA hits; the button, once pressed will start the clock on the premium account. It is a once time deal, once started it can't be reversed, so use it wisely.


[following part was added oct 28th]

What to expect on Monday the 29th:


Servers will go down between  4-5PM GMT and will come back up between 7-8PM GMT.


A New Website

• A complete overhaul of the existing website is coming
• New Forum Structure
• Beta Forums will be closed. Content will be saved
• New players will gain immediate access to the game
• New content such as the training grounds and BattleMech details

All BETA Players

• Your stats will be reset to 0
• All of your items and BattleMechs will be removed from your inventory
• All Mech XP and GXP will be removed
• All Mech and Pilot Trees will be reset
• All C-Bills will be reset to 0
• All premium time will be reset to 0

For the Founder Player

• Premium Time restored to full
• MC restored to full
• 1-4 BattleMechs injected
• 1-4 MechBays injected

NOTE: Premium Time will be ticking down again. You will receive one final reset in the near future to restore your premium time to full. When this happens, a time inject button will be made available. This button will allow you to chose when your Founder's Premium Time begins. More details to follow in the coming weeks.


For the BETA Player who purchased MC (mwomers.com/buy)

• For each MC transaction made, your MC will be reset to full

Example: If you purchased 1250 MC for $6.95 and 3000 MC for $14.95, you will receive 4250 MC after the reset.
NOTE: All purchases made with MC (Premium Time, MechBays, and BattleMechs) will be removed.
SPECIAL NOTE: For players who purchased the $9.95 MC Package, you will receive MC appropriate to that level (which is more than originally injected). The $9.95 package has been replaced by a $6.95 package.


A Small Economy Tweak and Other Fixes

• On Monday, there will be a tweak to address some of the repair bill issues
• Double Heat Sinks will be fixed between the 29th and November 6th. Details forthcoming
• A tweak to MechLab UI is coming ASAP to address concerns over the Loadout/Upgrade tab. This tweak will allow you to fully spec your BattleMech before committing to a purchase/change