Upcoming Nexon Aerial MMO ‘Riders Of Icarus’ Closed Beta Happening This Weekend

In Riders of Icarus, players will find and tame wild, winged beasts as their own personal mounts. In action-packed aerial combat, players will participate in both competitive and co-operative play atop their preferred companion. Mounts of all varieties will be available in the game, including fire-breathing dragons, massive bears, and other beasts perfect for combat in the air or on the ground.

Riders of Icarus officially debuted in the west just days ago. Players will engage in both PvE and PvP content in the game with a focus on riding tamed beasts. Mounted combat is the main attraction of Riders of Icarus with both ground combat and aerial combat possible. Instead of merely being a means of transport, mounts in Riders of Icarus are full-fledged battle companions. In fact, the mounts will have their own unique abilities once tamed, making each mount a little different from the other.

Lower level tamed mounts will be weaker in some ways than those tamed at later levels, for instance. A chicken tamed early on will not be able to soar as high as a dragon tamed later in the game. According to Steparu, mounts that players tame can also be converted into small pets if they no longer want to ride them. The Korean version of the game launched with five classes and hundreds of mounts to tame. Players could customize their playable character in a robust character creator and choose between the Assassin, Berserker, Guardian, Priest, or Wizard classes. There is no word on what Riders of Icarus will launch with in the west this early in development.

Players can collect a number of mounts; however, there is a limit to how many companions one can keep. Of course, only one beast can be utilized in combat as a mount. Taming mounts in the game requires a bit of work, too. Players will need to complete a mini-game in order to successfully tame a creature and failure is possible. In fact, unsuccessfully completing the mini-game will end in the beast throwing the player to the ground then mauling the player to death.

Of course, the finer points of how the game functions, like companion stamina, may change with the western release. At this point, players just do not know how the game will function in the west. Luckily, the closed beta test will answer some of those questions. Interested players will be happy to know that the game’s first closed beta is this weekend. Players can sign up for the beta on the official site, but the beta is closed. Only selected players will be able to access this first closed beta as it will be invite-only. The closed beta test will begin on January 28 and will end on February 2. This first Riders of Icarus closed beta test will be available to North America and Mexico according to the announcement.

Moreover, the Riders of Icarus team wants those selected to know that data will be wiped after the closed beta. No characters created, items obtained, or mounts tamed during the closed beta will transfer to future testing periods. According to the official site, wipes are necessary this early in the development process. Bug fixing, player feedback, and other information gathered from the closed beta are paramount; however, character resets will be necessary to provide the best testing experience for both players and developers.

Have you registered for our upcoming Closed Beta? Doors open tomorrow! https://t.co/hmANvU6Wf9 pic.twitter.com/kFsGv8f3mu

— Riders of Icarus (@PlayIcarus) January 27, 2016

Riders of Icarus, developed by WeMade Entertainment, is an upcoming free-to-play fantasy MMORPG published by Nexon America in North America, Europe, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. Players can learn more about Riders of Icarus on the game’s official website. The MMORPG will include hundreds of mounts for players to collect, a plethora of skills for the Rider to learn, and an action filled melee combination combat system.

[Image via Nexon]