Guild Wars 2 beta weekend starts April 27

The first public beta for Guild Wars 2 is announced.

A public beta weekend for gamers who pre-order Guild Wars 2 hits April 27, according to developer ArenaNet.

Press were given access to the beta last month, however it has now been opened to the public. All eligible players should expect to receive an email detailing how to download the massively multiplayer online game and provide registration information to experience the game first-hand.

Users who pre-purchased the fantasy game will receive guaranteed access to this beta, as well as a three-day head start before the game's official launch and a Hero's Band item which can be used in-game to give your character additional stats.

For those who haven't bought the game ahead of time, it is still available for pre-purchase on the official Guild Wars 2 website and in-store throughout North America and Europe.

The Guild Wars 2 beta weekend will run until April 29. No release date has been revealed as of yet.