After reading the press release the part that makes me most excited is there is no NDA for this beta, meaning people can take screenshots and share information about the beta without fear. It sounds like a great way to get the word out about the content to people who are on the fence about the expansion excited to play Warcraft again. The article also outlines how the beta invites are being distributed, so if you have signed up for the annual pass it may take some time to get your invite.
If you have been on the fence about getting into it there are a lot of incentives these days to get you going in WoW. Buying the annual pass gets you Diablo 3 for free and access to the beta for Mists of Pandaria as well as some in game content. Also the new scroll of resurrection lets you skip to level 80 and join in the Cataclysm content right away so returning players net some benefits as well.
With some of the reports about layoffs and bleeding subscription numbers you have to wonder about the future of World of Warcraft and how this beta and expansion will go over with the player base.
I didn’t finish leveling a character after Cataclysm came out so now seems like a good time for me personally to get back into playing. I did sign up for the annual pass so hopefully ill be getting my invite for the beta soon. I have been trying to make time to start playing Warcraft again, and this might be the push I need to get it done.