Lifted from the Guild Wars 2 Facebook fanpage.

The Secret World is getting closer and closer to launch, and this Friday we’re kicking off the very first Beta Weekend!

Starting Friday May 11th at 9am PDT and running until Sunday May 13th at 11:59pm PDT, you will be able to jump into The Secret World and play the game yourself. The best way to ensure that you get to play this weekend is to pre-order the game, which grants access to this first one as well as all upcoming Beta Weekends. You can pre-order directly here on the site.

Kingsmouth Calling

This Beta Weekend, titled Kingsmouth Calling, will allow you to experience the game as an initiate of the Templars. After being instructed on your task in your secret society’s headquarters, you are sent through the Hollow Earth to arrive on Solomon Island, a small place off the coast of New England.

Here the small town of Kingsmouth is under siege and you must discover what dark force lies behind it all. A strange fog has come in from the ocean and death has followed in its wake. The dead are rising. The monsters of the forest are stirring. An ancient and terrible power is awaking.

Some brave islanders are still fighting for survival against the dark forces, but they are completely cut off from the rest of the world. You can help them in their struggle, or investigate purely for selfish reasons. Team up with any of the thousands of other players also joining the Beta Weekend, or go solo and enjoy it at your own pace. The choice is yours.

This first Beta Weekend gives but a glimpse of the wealth of content and gameplay that will be available in The Secret World at launch.

During this Beta Weekend players get to explore London and Kingsmouth. London is one of three hub cities in the game, and home to the Templars. In later Beta Weekends players will also get to play the Illuminati in New York and the Dragon in Seoul.

Kingsmouth is one of three regions on Solomon Island, and Solomon Island is just one of the world locations in The Secret World. At launch players will get to explore other world locations such as Egypt and Transylvania, in addition to the many dungeons in the game.

Exclusive GameSpot Giveaway

If you’re not quite ready to commit to a pre-order you should know that we are also giving away a limited number of keys exclusively together with GameSpot. Please note that these keys only grant access to the first Beta Weekend. The best way to ensure access to all Beta Weekends is by pre-ordering the game. Character progress will be saved from one Beta Weekend to the next, allowing you experience more content without starting again.

Head over to GameSpot today to see if you can secure yourself a key! You’ll find the giveaway page right here.

Please note: Offer is open to GameSpot members 18 and older in the US, UK, and Australia only.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is a Beta Weekend?

• Funcom will be running several Beta Weekends leading up to launch. During these weekends you will be able to sample a part of the content and gameplay in The Secret World. More content is added from one weekend to the next and character progress is also saved between each Beta Weekend.

2. How many will participate in this Beta Weekend?

• Thousands! In addition to everyone who have pre-ordered and all of those who have reached Secret Agent rank in our The Secret War social experience, we are also giving away thousands of keys through GameSpot.

3. How do I install the game?

• Once you have your key, visit http://register.thesecretworld.com and either create a new Funcom account with the key or apply it to your existing Funcom account. After you have done this you will have a link to download the Beta Weekend client. Download it, install and run the game to patch up to the newest version and you’re good to go. We suggest doing this before the May 11th start date.

4. Where can I get a key to join the Beta Weekend?

• The best way to get a key is to pre-order the game. By doing so you are also guaranteed to be able to join all Beta Weekends not just this first one.

5. How long will the servers be open?

• This Beta Weekend will begin on Friday the 11th of May at 9am PDT and last until Sunday the 13th of May at 11:59pm PDT.

6. Will there be a NDA for this Beta Weekend?

• No, you are free to tell anyone about what you experience in this Beta Weekend. We encourage you to spread the word and take both screenshots and video.

7. Is there anywhere we can discuss the Beta Weekend with other participants?

• There will be section in the official forums dedicated to the Beta Weekends. This will be open to everyone, not just those playing in the Beta Weekends.

8. What are the system requirements?

• OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.4 GHz or better, or equivalent AMD CPU
• RAM: 2GB (Windows XP) or 3GB (Windows Vista, Windows 7)
• HD: At least 30GB of free space
• VIDEO: nVidia 8800 series/Radeon HD3850 or better, minimum 512MB VRAM

9. Does the Beta Weekend represent the final game?

• No, it’s important to note that the Beta Weekend is still beta and there will be content, features and polish missing that will be in the version that launches on June 19th. The content in this first Beta Weekend is also limited to London and Kingsmouth. More content will be available in later Beta Weekends.

10. It’s not working! Where can I get help?

• If you are having issues in-game, please type /petition and this will bring up the support interface. You can also head over to Beta Weekends section on the official forums (available by May 11th) and ask your questions there. This forum will be frequented by members of Funcom Customer Service, but there is also a chance your fellow players might be able to help you.