Across the continents of Auraxis, thousands of players will come together in enormous battles to win control of territory and resources for their empire. With an extensive skill tree and a free-form class-based system, players will be able to customize their soldier, weapons and vehicles to match their play-style, or the needs of their squad, outfit or empire. Battles can last for days or weeks, so players will need to build real alliances and combat outfits to take on long-term strategic and tactical initiatives. With air, ground and seaborne combat, the battles are more intense than ever. 

Various character, vehicle and artillery customization features will be available to players constructing the perfect fighter for their favorite of the three empires: The Terran Republic (the conservative, authoritative nation aiming to reunite the clashing factions), The New Conglomerate (a liberated faction fighting to remaining free) or The Vanu Sovereignty (technophiles seeking to develop and exploit alien technology). Also, an in-depth and adaptive class system – with ranks, unlockable traits and skill sets – will give players complete control over their online warrior.

Sony Online President John Smedley confirmed that the Planetside 2 beta is being rolled out today, first for PlanetSide subscribers (registration still required), and All Access members. More players will get added over the next 2-3 weeks such as PlayetSide 2 vets (no longer active players), priority beta code and opt-in registrants.

Key Features:

• MASSIVE WARFARE: Battles will take place not between dozens of troops, but hundreds, with air and ground vehicles slugging it out alongside squads of troops.  Whether in open fields, tightly-packed urban centers or enormous structures, winning requires strategic teamwork and a quick trigger finger in the massive battles.
• THREE EMPIRES: Players will have their choice to join three different empires, including Terran Republic, New Conglomerate and Vanu Sovereignty
• BATTLE FOR TERRITORIES & RESOURCES: The core gameplay of PlanetSide 2 is about holding key territories and controlling valuable resources. Each battleground holds valuable resources and key positions, and the empire that can conquer (and manage to hold) these territories will be rewarded with fuel bonuses, ammo bonuses, tech bonuses, and more.
• PERSISTENCE: In PlanetSide 2 battles will last longer than a match timer.  Battles will last for days or weeks, and finally taking control of the base means it’s yours until someone can take it back. Working strategically as a team to capture key tactical positions such as power plants and ammo depots will have long-lasting effects that can shift the tide of battle. 
• ENORMOUS MAPS: PlanetSide 2 will launch with several continent maps; every inch of which will be contestable space. With the new territorial control meta-game, landmass will have intrinsic value even without notable installations or major features.
• FREE-FORM CLASS-BASED SYSTEM: Players will be able to unlock diverse combat roles by advancing through the skill tree, including several classic roles from PlanetSide. As players unlock new roles, they can switch between them at will.
• MISSION SYSTEM: Both SOE and players will be able to drive content, easing new players into the game and allowing veterans to feed content to players.
• SKILL TREES: Players will be able to build their soldier to match their play-style, or to match the needs of their squad, outfit or empire.  Each combat role, vehicle and weapon will have extensive skill trees, these cert trees will allow players to grow characters laterally, unlocking weapons, attachments, equipment, specialized skills, and more.
• OUTFITS: Outfits (guilds) will also be able to customize themselves – allowing outfits to have their own identity, reputation and role in the ongoing war.
• WEAPONS: Players will be able to access more than 20 basic weapons, which can be customized to players’ preference or purpose.
• VEHICLES: A total of 15 vehicles, with two unique vehicles per empire. Players will be able to customize each vehicle, unlocking new skills and features
• Vivox Integration: Players will be able to communicate with their squads both through keyboard and voice chat.