RaiderZ EU closed beta beginning August 9th

Upcoming monster-hunting MMO RaiderZ will be going into closed beta in Europe on the 9th of August, publisher GameForge has announced.

RaiderZ has a couple of interesting ideas. It merges loot, questing and crafting into a system similar to the Monster Hunter games on console: equipment is pieced together using ingredients dropped from monsters, with recipes replacing quests. Almost every encounter is a boss encounter, and GameForge promise some really vast enemies in the latter stages of the game.

Players will also need to cook and play musical instruments to buff themselves before combat. It sounds a bit like real camping, except with more forty-foot chimaeras.

Next week, we'll be giving away early access to the beta so you can investigate the game for yourself. An exclusive session for PCG readers will run from the 3rd to the 5th of August.

Update: As for the beta's launch in North America (handled by Blacklight: Retribution and Star Trek Online publisher Perfect World), RaiderZ's closed beta will begin on August 8. Read more at www.playraiderz.com .

Chris Thursten

Joining in 2011, Chris made his start with PC Gamer turning beautiful trees into magazines, first as a writer and later as deputy editor. Once PCG's reluctant MMO champion , his discovery of Dota 2 in 2012 led him to much darker, stranger places. In 2015, Chris became the editor of PC Gamer Pro, overseeing our online coverage of competitive gaming and esports. He left in 2017, and can be now found making games and recording the Crate & Crowbar podcast.