Public weekend beta open in Diablo 3

The official Diablo III beta weekend is scheduled to begin this Friday as part of a three-day stress test to check the game's server capability before its launch this May.

The beta is available to all users who have access to a valid account on Battle.net where they can download the game and play until April 23, when the weekend beta will end at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

Those who jump on board starting today at 12:01 p.m. PDT are free to play all heroic classes up to level 13, including the Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, and Demon Hunter.

Diablo III takes place 20 years after the events of the previous dungeon crawler in the series, while the beta will allow users to re-discover Sanctuary and battle against the once-vanquished Skeleton King.

Blizzard warns that it's likely players will experience occasional lag and disconnects due to the nature of the stress test.

The game is scheduled to release May 15.