The first round of the Dark Souls 2 beta begins on October 12, followed by another round a fortnight later on October 27. The PS3 closed beta was originally billed for October 5, but hey, if there's one thing Souls players ought to be good at, it's patience.

At least they can while away a bit of the wait by signing up for the beta through PSN; as far as we can see sign-ups aren't available in North America yet, but they are in Europe, where brave adventures can register via one really simple click right over here.

Seriously, the other thing Souls players should be good at is spotting traps. Try this link instead, and be safe in the knowledge Dark Souls 2 hits PS3 and Xbox 360 in March 2014.