Destiny Beta Will Begin On July 17th

The long wait is over and the official launch date for the Destiny Beta phase has finally been confirmed by Activision. Fans who have pre-ordered the title have guaranteed access to the testing phase which will begin first on July 17 at 5PM UK time for players using PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and will start one week later on July 23 at 5PM again, for Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers.

You better get there quickly though, as time with the game will be limited. Not only does the entire Beta phase end at 6:59AM on July 28, but it will also been down for scheduled maintenance on July 21 and 22. Harold Ryan – President of Bungie was suitably excited about the big announcement:

“As we prepare to launch our first Beta on multiple console platforms around the world, we are excited and eager to open the flood gates… We already love to play Destiny and with your help we can be ready for our launch in September.”

The full details of three special collector’s edition packages for Destiny were also revealed today, with the Destiny Ghost Edition (£149.99) and the Destiny Limited Edition (£94.99) both set to include the following extras:

· Limited edition SteelBook Case and Game Disc

· Early access to the Vanguard Armoury weapons and gear and an exclusive Vanguard player emblem

· Guardian Folio

· Collector’s Edition Digital Content Pack

· Destiny Expansion Pass – expands the Destiny adventure post-launch with the following two expansions, which will include brand new story missions, cooperative activities and competitive multiplayer arenas and a wealth of all new weapons, armour and gear to earn. These consist of; Expansion I: The Dark Below – Set deep beneath the surface of the Moon, fans will discover an ancient tomb that has been unsealed, and a dark god who has risen an evil army in the depths of the Hellmouth, the home of the Hive enemy race, Expansion II: House of Wolves – details will be revealed later, and PlayStation platforms will also include additional exclusive content for Expansion I and II and will remain exclusive until at least Fall of 2015

The Destiny Ghost Edition will also include the following:

· Ghost replica, featuring motion-activated lights and voice recordings from award-winning actor Peter Dinklage, voice of the Ghost character, the player’s personal companion in the game

· Letter of introduction

· Golden Age Relics, which include a Photo, Patch, Sticker and two Chrome slides of the Traveler

But for gamers who prefer to buy their titles digitally, and don’t want to get all of this extra physical paraphernalia with their games – but still want some special edition extras – there is the Destiny Digital Guardian Edition (£84.99) includes a digital download copy of the game, Destiny Expansion Pass and the Collector’s Edition Digital Content Pack. On top of all of that goodness, pre-orders at selected retailers will also include access to the Vanguard Armoury, which will include early access to weapons, gear and exclusive player emblem.

So fans will have a wide choice when it comes to pre-order special items and pricey limited edition packages – but more importantly they will actually get some hands-on time with the game in less than two weeks time!

See the official Beta trailer below: