ASTA begins its initial beta test, open to all

With sharp precision, ASTA: The War of Tears and Winds has just entered the initial beta test today. The first beta phase for this Asian fantasy MMORPG published by Webzen is going to last for one week (sign up here), with the servers closing on Tuesday November 10. A second phase will be held in late November. Just like it happened with the other recent Webzen-published game ELOA, this initial test doesn't require a beta key, so all players with an active Webzen account will be able to play the game.

The initial test has a level cap of 50 and allows players to try the game without any limitations. The two factions (Asu and Ora) are available and there are three races per faction to choose from, and a total of five distinct classes. Each faction has seven areas to explore excluding the starting areas which are different for each race. In later areas you'll find players from the opposing faction, resulting in open world PvP.

As always, we'll take a look at ASTA, which has often been called the Asian World of Warcraft (just how accurate this title is remains to be seen, but we have serious doubts it holds up), and tell you what we think of it. We would also love to hear your opinion on this game.