When does the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta start and end?

Another Diablo 4 beta rears its head with the “Server Slam” weekend, giving the game another stress test ahead of its full launch next month.

For those who played the beta in March, expect a few tweaks and changes, as well as a new reward for those who reach the level cap and complete a certain challenge.

Here’s what you need to do to access the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta, including start and end times.

Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ start time: When does the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ begin?

Diablo 4’s ‘Server Slam’ beta begins on Friday, May 12, at the following times:

• 12 p.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
• 3 p.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
• 9 p.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris
• 8 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 4 a.m. JST on Saturday, May 13 in Japan/Tokyo

As with March’s open beta, expect some queuing and possible server errors when accessing the beta period. This is partly the reason for this test — hence the name “Server Slam” — where it’s designed to put the game’s online connectivity through its paces to ensure the full release goes a little smoother.

Our advice is to try and give yourself a few opportunities to play this weekend in the event there are long queues, and not to expect to get speedy access on the Friday in particular. With that in mind — how long do you have with this beta?

When does the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta end?

If you’re planning ahead with how much time you’ll have with the beta, it has the following end times on Sunday, May 14:

• 12 p.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
• 3 p.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
• 9 p.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris
• 8 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 4 a.m. JST on Monday, May 15 in Japan/Tokyo

In short, the end times are the exact same time as the start time — at midday on the west coast of North America.

How to access Diablo 4’s ‘Server Slam’ beta weekend

As with the second beta weekend back in March, all players across all platforms have free and open access to the ‘Server Slam’ beta weekend. This means you don’t need to pre-order to gain access.

The only caveat is you need to sign in with your Battle.net account — as per the previous betas — so you’ll need one of those. If you don’t have one already, the Diablo 4 beta itself opens with a QR code that’ll direct you to set one up.

What’s in the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta?

As with the open beta in March, the ‘Server Slam’ beta will give players access to the prologue and the entirety of the first act in a region called Fractured Peaks. There will also be a world boss available to take on at “select times” during both weekends. These are very tough bosses that will require multiple players working together to take down.

During the weekend, your character will have access to five classes — Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Druid and Necromancer — at a cap of Level 20.

There will also be two options for co-op during the open beta. You can do a two-player couch co-op or a four-player online co-op. For couch co-op during the early access weekend, only one player needs to have pre-ordered (but both need Battle.net accounts linked to accounts on whatever platform you’re playing on).

What’s changed in the Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta?

Elsewhere, Blizzard has issued some changes to the game following the first two beta periods. An official blog post goes into this in more detail, but highlights include:

• Dungeon layouts optimized to minimize backtracking
• Changes to boss encounter difficulty and dungeon event rates
• The “Reset Dungeon” button has been disabled
• A new reward for the main game (see next section)
• Changes to classes (see the below screenshot):

Diablo 4 ‘Server Slam’ beta rewards

Though beta progress won’t carry over into the full game — not will progress from the first beta weekends carry over into this “Server Slam” beta — there will be rewards in Diablo 4 depending on your progress this weekend.

One of these — the “Cry of Ashava Mount” Trophy — is new to this weekend. Note that if you earned the other rewards during the previous beta weekends, you don’t need to unlock them again.

The Diablo 4 “Server Slam” beta rewards are:

• Initial Casualty Title: Earned by reaching Kyovashad with one character.
• Early Voyager Title: Earned by reaching level 20 on one character.
• Beta Wolf Pack Cosmetic Item: Earned by reaching level 20 on one character.
• Cry of Ashava Mount Trophy: Earned by defeating Ashava, the world boss, with one level 20 character.

Best of luck getting all the rewards you need during this beta period!