The start of Diablo IV's early access beta period has not gone quite as planned, with queue times of nearly two hours for many players on top of authentication server issues resulting in slow or failed login attempts.

　　Login queues are nothing new for Blizzard games, but fans were perhaps not expecting ones quite so long, and for a preorder-only beta no less. In a list of known issues, Blizzard confirms that players may encounter queues during the early access beta, and that the queue countdown may finish and go beyond the duration of the timer. Blizzard is urging players to stay in queue if this happens, and notes that it will have "more accurate timers in place" for next weekend's open beta.

　　[#Diablo4] We're currently investigating an issue affecting our authentication servers, which may result in failed or slow login attempts.

　　— Blizzard CS - The Americas (@BlizzardCS) March 17, 2023

　　Blizzard customer service additionally confirmed that an issue is affecting the developer's authentication servers, which is resulting in failed or slow login attempts for some players who do manage to make it through the queues. The official Diablo IV Twitter account states that the beta may include bugs and issues, but that the team will "evaluate all feedback we've received and will make changes as needed."

　　Players aren't particularly happy about the situation, with some on Twitter noting that paying for the privilege of the early access beta, only for it to not be working as intended, is disappointing. Many players on Reddit have reported having the game crash or being disconnected mid-session, causing them to be kicked back to the back of the queue.

　　Fans eager to play Diablo IV's beta will have to overcome some lengthy queue times.The entire experience is already invoking memories of Diablo III's infamous 2012 launch and the dreaded "Error 37" message that prevented eager players from accessing the game for an extended period. Thankfully, this is just an early access beta and not the full Diablo IV launch, so here's hoping Blizzard can learn from its beta testing periods and better prepare for Diablo IV's official release on June 6, 2023.

　　For those who do manage to battle their way past the Diablo IV beta's dreaded queue boss, a number of exclusive titles and an adorable wolf pup backpack that will carry forward into the full game await those who manage to reach certain milestones in the beta. The beta includes all of the game's first Act and will allow players to reach a max level of 25. The early access beta features three classes to choose from--Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Rogue--while the open beta will include all five of the game's launch classes, adding Druid and Necromancer to the mix.

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