You're not alone, Larísa

Larísa from the Pink Pigtail Inn is a bit miffed for not having been invited to the Cataclysm alpha. Don't worry, Larísa, that is hardly a unique fate. I wasn't in the alpha either, nor did I get an invite to the beta yet. And if I got an invite, I couldn't use it before August, due to going on holidays without taking a computer.

The upside of being invited to an alpha or beta is being able to see the new game or expansion before most other players. But for a game like WoW the number of alpha / beta players is so huge, that you can get all information without an invite. There were numerous alpha leaks, and although the current Cataclysm beta is "closed", the NDA is already lifted, and just about every WoW site is full of information, screenshots, and videos.

There are some things that I would like to know about Cataclysm before its release, for example about the new skill cap on the old tradeskills, and to what level I would have to bring my alts to be able to max tradeskills (In WotLK a level 65 alt can learn tradeskills to the cap). But if I were in the beta, I wouldn't really play there all that many hours, for several reasons:

It is likely that Blizzard will take over a year from the release of Cataclysm to the release of the 4th expansion, and that I will run out of things to do during the Cataclysm expansion, as it happened in both previous expansions. Thus an earlier start basically means getting bored earlier, which is not something I endeavor to do.

I don't really like blogging about beta content, because obviously the game is not yet in its final state, and there is a lot of discussion wasted on features that won't happen like that in the release. Just look at everything written about the Path of the Titans, which then got cancelled.

Anything I do in the beta is being wiped at the end of beta, so I will have to do it again in the release version. It is inevitable that the second time around will be less fun, so if I, for example, level a goblin in the beta, I'll have less fun with the permanent goblin character I want to create. If I level a copy of one of my characters to 85, I'll just have to start over on release day, presumably faster, but less fun.

So while, yes, I would appreciate a beta invite, I'd probably just use it for a short look around. And as I wouldn't do much playing, my input as a beta *tester* would necessarily be limited. So if I don't get an invite, I wouldn't be terribly unhappy either.

Are you in the Cataclysm beta? What are you planning to do in the beta, if you are or get invited?