World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta 'very close'

Beta testing for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria will begin shortly, Blizzard has announced. The developer launched a beta opt-in FAQ late last night for the upcoming expansion, filling gamers in on the trial's details.

Players interested in participating in the Mists of Pandaria beta can opt in today via their Battle.net accounts. Blizzard did not say when the beta will begin, but noted that players chosen for the trial will be alerted via email.

Players will not be forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement to participate in the Mists of Pandaria beta period. The developer made clear that Mists of Pandaria is an in-development product, and anything gamers encounter in the trial is not necessarily representative of the final product.

Blizzard did not say how many gamers it plans to invite to the Mists of Pandaria beta test, but did say its "primary focus" will be making sure all WOW Annual Pass holders are granted access to the trial period. Announced in October 2011, the WOW Annual Pass rewards gamers who make a 12-month commitment to WOW with a free copy of Diablo III, among other items.

Mists of Pandaria is WOW's fourth expansion. It follows The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), and Cataclysm (2010). The add-on is set on the new continent of Pandaria and focuses on the Pandaren as well as the monk player class. The expansion pack, which does not have a release date, will also increase the player level cap to 90.