Well, that's of course unless you are, which would mean you're one of the select few Bethesda have chosen for Fallout 76 B.E.T.A., which is Break it Early Test Application in the ancient Bethesdan tongue spoken across Todd's realm.
Either way, Bethesda's community administrator Jurrasica broke the news on Fallout 76 forums, saying that they'll be "selecting people who have pre-ordered the game from a participating retailer". Apparently, Bethesda want to "start small and grow over time", as the game draws closer to launch.
The news would of course go down much better had Bethesda not promised beta access to all who pre-order Fallout 76. In fact, many people who were on this year's E3 heard the offer from Todd himself, who repeatedly stated that pre-ordering means you're a shoe-in for the beta.
Enraged over the outcome, fans replied en masse, prompting Bethesday to clarify that everyone who pre-ordered will participate. Nevertheless, it still looks like Fallout 76 is getting a selective beta than a proper one. With the game set to launch on 14 November 2018, there's a fair chance that some players will get in just days from launch.
Which brings us to a lurking problem that's more worrying than Fallout 76's beta - Bethesda's timing. Namely, a multiplayer game of that scope and calibre would normally require a longer testing period, not least when this is the team's first online multiplayer game.
If Fallout 76 beta starts in October, that leaves 45 days until launch, which anyone remotely familiar with game development can tell you leaves only two options - delay the launch or launch a broken game. With multiplayer titles, perhaps doubly so.
Fans are aware of this and many are already calling foul play by Bethesda, claiming they've been duped into financing a demo. One has to feel for the most faithful of Take Me Homers, as they've persisted in spite of all the Fallout 4-rehash accusations, only to be tricked by Todd and the gang in the end.
Oh well, that's no reason not to give this one another spin.
