The next expansion for Dungeons & Dragons Online includes beta access for those who pre-purchase now.

The next expansion for Dungeons & Dragons Online isn't coming out until August 19th, but players who pre-purchase the expansion now will get immediate access to some of the new content.

The expansion, called Shadowfell Conspiracy, takes players back to Wheloon as they uncover the skullduggery.

When the king of Cormyr discovered that Wheloon was full of traitorous Shar worshippers, he walled off the prosperous trading town and made it into a massive prison, a chaotic hellhole where life is cheap and imprisoned criminals battle over control of the ruined streets.  And now something even worse has come to the prison – the Shadowfell, a plane of darkness and despair filled with fell creatures commanded by a mighty empire.

Players will adventure through the twisting streets of Wheloon and climb up to its rooftops to explore the town from a completely different perspective. They’ll investigate hidden corners and dangerous interiors, and discover new creatures and treasure through Wheloon’s Random Encounter system.  And through a serious of quests they will begin to unravel the secrets of the Shadowfell Conspiracy.

Players who pre-purchase the expansion before June 5th will be granted guaranteed beta access to the new expansion content as well as immediate access to the Shadow of a Doubt quest sent in the new area of Wheloon. In addition, players will also immediately receive many of the bonuses that players get for pre-purchasing the game before its August 19th launch.

For more information about these pre-purchase bonuses and what to expect in the Standard and Collector's editions of the expansion, check out the Shadowfell Conspiracy page on the official DDO site.

Matt "Mattsta" Adams