Friends of PlayStation.Blog,

You’ve likely read or seen the many posts over the past month regarding the God of War: Ascension Multiplayer Beta. At first it was available only to participants of the “Rise of the Warrior” experience on the God of War website (which is now relaunched, new and improved, and ready to dole out even more extras for series fans). Then it was only accessible to PlayStation Plus members (as if they needed any more exclusive content, what with their free Instant Game Collection and countless discounts).

Now, we’re excited to announce that we’re opening up the Ascension MP Beta to all PlayStation Network users for a very limited time. Starting now and lasting through the holiday weekend—provided you’ve got a PlayStation 3 and a valid North American PlayStation Network account—you’re in!

Think of it as a sampling—nay, a slice—of the benefits and rewards showered upon PlayStation Plus members month after month. Wish you could have played the Beta for longer than a few days? Wish you could get more first looks and early access opportunities for amazing PlayStation content? Join PlayStation Plus!

As we said, we’re going to sneak you in to check out the PlayStation Plus God of War: Ascension Multiplayer Beta. Simply redeem the universal voucher below and join the action!

We want to get as many people as possible into the MP Beta, not only to really give those servers a good beating (it’s nothing personal; they just have that kind of face you want to punch/stress load), but also because we want everyone to discover the exciting, frantic multiplayer experience that gamers are raving about. So please, spread the word (and the code) and let’s see how many people we can thrust into the frenzy!

As we’ve shared before, here’s what you can expect when you jump—nay, LEAP—into the fray:

• Zeus and Ares (2 of 4)

• 8-player – Team Favor of the Gods or Capture The Flag
• 4-player – Free For All
• Favor of the Gods (Deathmatch)

• Desert of Lost Souls (large map) & Forum of Hercules (arena)
• Vast amount of weapons, armors, magic, relics, and God items to customize and earn
• Level 30 cap
• VoIP (bust out those headphones and mics; team strategies are crucial, especially in CTF)

Here’s the wealth of additional content not in the Beta that will be in the final game March 12th:

• God Allegiances – Hades and Poseidon
• A third, to-be-determined In-Game Weapon Class
• More Large and Small maps created from signature God of War locations
• The ability to customize your Warrior as you unlock all the weapons, magics, armors, relics, and God items from the four allegiances — and level them up!
• An unannounced fourth multiplayer mode

Need help achieving godly multiplayer skills? Check out the Book of Divine Wisdom, a multiplayer strategy booklet created in partnership with the fine folks at Penny Arcade. Want to learn even more about the Beta? Click here.

See you online!