Hack-and-slash MMO Guardians of Ember returns in open beta

The hack-and-slash MMO Guardians of Ember, which was delisted from Steam more than a year ago for review score shenanigans, is now back in action (but not on Steam) in open beta.   

Guardians of Ember is now under the control of publisher Gameforge, which acquired the game from Insel following its delisting last year. Numerous updates to gameplay, missions, and character customization options have been made since then, and localization and language support have also been expanded. Players can choose from four races and six unique classes, and will face "brutal" combat in more than 60 randomized dungeons spread across 58 regions. 

"We saw a considerable number of players joining Guardians of Ember from several countries when we announced the new local servers, and so we have put a lot of effort in making the game available in their native languages so that they can enjoy the same immersive experience as other players do in their own language,” Gameforge CEO Alexander Rösner said. 

"Guardians of Ember has been available in English, Spanish, and German throughout the Closed Beta. Starting today, the game will also be available in French, Italian, Turkish, and Polish." 

Players who registered for Guardians of Ember's closed beta phases will be granted an exclusive in-game title, while the Veterans Reward program will award "many valuable items" to those who purchased the game in its original form. More information about Guardians of Ember, and a signup link if you'd like to try the open beta, are up at gameforge.com

Guardians of Ember was delisted from Steam in early 2018 when employees of Insel Games were effectively ordered by the company CEO to purchase the game and then post positive reviews.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.