Defiance beta enlistment opens today

Sign-ups for the second round of beta testing for the highly anticipated Defiance are officially underway. Developed by Trion Worlds, the massive open-world third person shooter offers is a combination of shooter and MMO, completely void of subscription. To give you a better idea of what the game is about, check out the brief description below.

Decades ago, arks that carried the six species of the Votanis Collective to Earth. Their star system had been destroyed and they needed a new home. Unfortunately, their peaceful intentions led to a planet-wide war that culminated in the complete destruction of their ships. Their great terraforming machines crashed to earth and the face of our world was changed forever.

In Defiance, you and your fellow Ark Hunters, hired by Von Bach Industries, will traverse the terraformed San Francisco Bay area to find powerful ark technology, weapons, and valuable loot that can be used to repair the now broken planet Earth.  Along the way you'll encounter Arkfalls: massive, dynamic events that unfold in the world at any moment and need dozens (or more) players to defeat them. There are also the Shadow Wars, or huge competitive battles with up to 96 players. Our E3 preview of the game is chock full of more gameplay details and the ambitious cross-media aspect with Syfy.

Interested yet? If so, then you'll definitely want to check out the beta, which you can access here. Also announced today are the four different pre-order options available for Defiance. Below are the details:

Defiance Pre-Order ($59) Bonuses Include:

• Outlander outfit helps you blend in with the locals
• Iron Demon title lets potential enemies know you are not to be messed with
• Retailer Exclusive pre-order weapon that gives you a leg up out of the gate
• 3-Day XP boost helps establish you on the battlefield
• Beta Invitation – get in the game early!

Defiance Digital Deluxe Edition ($99) Includes:

• Rare VBI Sentinel Shield helps you never let your guard down
• In-game title: Badlands Drifter
• Ark Infiltrator outfit – look good while crackin’ skulls
• Hydra heavy weapon helps you bring the boom early
• +5 Increased inventory space – don’t leave home without it
• 30-Day scrip boost – more everything!
• 30-Day XP boost – level up faster!
• Lock Box – sweet random rewards!

Defiance Collector’s Edition ($99) includes the Digital Deluxe items and adds the following:

• Unique Defiance Collectors Box
• CD soundtrack – from legendary composer Bear McCreary
• Exclusive Art of Defiance book – unique stills and never-before-seen renders
• Exclusive Hellbug statue
• An official Von Bach Industries contract
• Defiance Post Cards and stickers
• Bonus “Making of Defiance” DVD
• 7-Day scrip boost
• 7-Day XP boost

Defiance Ultimate Edition ($149, GameStop Exclusive) adds the following to the Collector’s Edition:

• Exclusive Defiance Messenger Bag
• Exclusive in-game title: Pale Wars Ronin
• One Year Season Pass (All DLC)
• 1200 Bits

Defiance will be available — free of subscription — on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in April 2013.