Final Fantasy 15's upcoming multiplayer expansion is going to have an official Closed Beta, open to all players who own the JRPG and its season pass. Comrades, the game's official co-op multiplayer expansion, was announced around 9 months ago. Fans have eagerly awaited new information on Comrades, and today's beta announcement is the first news in some time. A final release date for Comrades has yet to be revealed. The beta will run from August 3 through August 8.

Final Fantasy 15 players can expect a bite-sized sample of Comrades within the beta, which will be just enough to get a solid impression of what the expansion will deliver in much larger quantity. Within the beta, players will be able to customize their own avatar using a limited amount of content, while the full version will allow for 8 different avatars and extensive unlockable customization items. Weapons and playstyle are similarly limited in the beta, offering only the katana, club, dagger, and shuriken with Noctis-based "attack patterns." The full release has more weapons, different styles, and progression systems to dig into.

As for playable content, Final Fantasy 15's Closed Beta will offer three different quests. Players can join up with up to three different players, which for the beta will be handled via matchmaking. In the full version of Comrades, there will be many more quests with full storylines. That includes single-player quests as well. Plus, instead of playing with other people, players can take AI companions instead. After a quest, players will each get a cooking ingredient with which they can prepare a post-adventure meal in camp.

This Closed Beta for Comrades will be available across both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One worldwide, and will be downloadable only for Final Fantasy 15 expansion pass holders. There doesn't appear to be any plans to open up Comrades to a wider audience, but considering there's no current release date, there's still an opportunity for an Open Beta if Square Enix wants to hold one. Exact start and end dates haven't been announced, and neither have any details regarding pre-loading. However, with just a week left before the Closed Beta starts, fans should expect new info soon.

Final Fantasy 15 is available now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: Final Fantasy 15