WoW: Midnight's Talebound demo is live on the PTR until 1 November, no subscription needed

Blizzard has opened the Talebound demo on the WoW: Midnight Player Test Realm (PTR), and you don’t need a subscription to jump in. The source gives the window as October 30 to November 1, without naming a time zone.

The demo starts with the Red Hollow introduction, where you play a lone traveller who meets a mysterious Storyteller on a darkened road. From there you can head into the tales solo or with friends.

What’s in the demo

• Three tales: Darkhaven, Greenthistle Wood and Greywake’s Expedition.
• Three difficulty levels: Normal, Veteran and Heroic.
• Three classes: Slayer, Inquisitor and Witch.

Blizzard says you’ll fight enemies and bosses, solve puzzles and find treasure and relics along the way.

The three tales

Darkhaven is a place cut off from the world, the only spot to survive a plague that wiped out everyone beyond its borders.

Greenthistle Wood is home to two villages, Shady Hollow and Riverton, and is overrun by two witches, a giant and plenty of predatory fiends.

Greywake’s Expedition takes place on Greywake’s Hill, once a prosperous island where something sinister has happened.

The classes

Every class can double jump, dodge and guard, so positioning matters in combat.

• Slayer: a monster hunter with a sword and a shotgun, plus abilities like Minefield, Throwing Knives and Silver Bolt.
• Inquisitor: a holy fire caster. Condemn and Radiant Burst can both be cast while moving.
• Witch: a spell-driven class using lightning, poison, spiders, moonlight, thorns and ravens. One ability, Feline Communion, turns you into a cat for a short time.

Still a work in progress

As with all PTR testing, things may change. Blizzard says several Talebound talents are still in progress and fine-tuning is ongoing, and it’s asking players to try the features and share their thoughts.