Star Wars Battlefront 2 is set to come out on November 17, but ahead of that there will be a public multiplayer beta, which EA announced today will begin on October 6, or October 4 for anyone who preorders the game.
The beta will include two separate scenarios: A classic, fan-favorite Star Wars clash between Republic clone troopers and Separatist battle droids on the planet Naboo in the new Galactic Assault mode, and a deep-space throwdown between the snubfighters of good and evil in the also-new Starfighter Assault. Clips of both modes can be seen in the gameplay trailer EA released last month at E3, although the Starfighter Assault clip at the end of the trailer is almost literally a "blink-and-you-miss-it" affair; EA said more information about the mode will be revealed in August at Gamescom.
Specific start and end times haven't been announced, but the multiplayer beta is scheduled to run "through October 9." Along with two days of early access to the beta, preordering will also net you an Epic Lightsaber Mastery Star Card for Yoda, Last Jedi outfits for Kylo Ren and Rey, and other bits of in-game loot that you can read about here.
Conversely, you can wait until October 6, sink as much time into the online action as you can (or want) over three days, and then make up your mind about what to do with your money. Either way, you should probably take a minute to get our thoughts on the game, based on our hands-on time at E3.