ArenaNet today announced the final details for the first public beta weekend event for Heart of Thorns, the highly anticipated expansion due to arrive before the end of the year for the award-winning MMORPG, Guild Wars 2. The public beta event for Heart of Thorns will begin on August 7th at 3pm EST and will continue to run through to Monday August 10th. Guild Wars 2 players that have already preordered the Heart of Thorns will be eligible to access the beta event and will continue to have access until the full launch of Heart of Thorns later this year.
All progress made during the first Heart of Thorns beta weekend will continue through and carry over into future weekend beta events to allow players to get a feel of how character progression and new abilities take part in the upcoming expansion. During the initial test players will have the opportunity to experience new area, the Heart of Maguuma Jungle, as they explore the expansions first set of story instances and missions. The Revenant, the new profession with attacks and abilities that draw power from the Guild Wars universe, will also be available for players to sample and explore.
Finally the new Masteries system will also be present, a new end-game progression system that replaces the linear leveling feature currently in Guild Wars 2 and lets players enjoy brand new skills and abilities.
Source: Press Release