After a short (2 months) closed beta testing phase, Silverlode Interactive has announced the open beta release date for their fantasy ship-based MMO, Captains of DarkTide (CoDT). Thousands of players have participated by play testing the starting zone and providing invaluable feedback which has helped shape the world of CoDT.

As of August 3rd all players who have registered at www.playdarktide.com will be granted instant access to the CoDT open beta. Each player will start with a fantasy ship, outfitted with cannons, archers and even a ballista. Captains will be able to explore the world, try all six races and factions, and recruit powerful humanoids and magical creatures for their crews. Each zone offers increasingly challenging encounters and gives access to new ship designs and more powerful weaponry.

To celebrate the open beta launch, for a limited time any player signing up for the CoDT beta will instantly be awarded a free SAGA www.playsaga.com account (Silverlode’s flagship MMORTS), which comes complete with a full unit of each faction of SAGA troops. Because CoDT is set in the SAGA universe, players can test-drive some of CoDT’s troops on land before taking them out to sea by playing SAGA first.

Closed beta accounts will be reset when open beta begins, to level the playing field. All players who signed up prior to August 3rd will be given exclusive in-game gifts. "This is the chance to get in early and hone your skills," says Silverlode president Jason Faller. "We love our beta testers, and we’re going to do everything we can to give them a great gaming experience during beta. Every now and then, we give them stuff to show our appreciation…" Throughout beta testing, Silverlode’s developers will be listening closely and reading all feedback posted on the CoDT forums at http://www.playdarktide.com/forum/.