Battle.net

You may be familiar with the idea of public tests or a "PTR" from playing other Blizzard Entertainment games. If not, you can think of them as open beta tests where players can preview upcoming patches before they go live. These PTRs help us a great deal -- when you participate and submit reports, we can squash more bugs and ensure that when the patch is released it's of the highest quality possible.

Q: What is the Public Test Region?
A: The Public Test Region, or PTR, is a way for you to help us test and provide feedback on upcoming patches before they go live. Think of the PTR as open beta tests for patches. We've used the PTR system for many years with World of Warcraft and have had great success in improving patches by inviting players to participate, report bugs, and let us know what they think of the changes before they're implemented in the live game.

Q: Who can participate on the Test Region?
A: For the current phase of PTR, we've selected players with these criteria:
* The player has had an active StarCraft II game account before 08/15/2011. Chinese accounts are currently not included but all other regions will now allow access.
* The player's account is not suspended or banned.

Q: Is there only one PTR server or will be one for each region?
A: There’s only one PTR server and it’s located in North American. There are no current plans to have multiple PTR servers.

Q: How do I participate in the PTR?
A: To access the PTR, go to the StarCraft II game directory and run the "StarCraft II Public Text.exe" executable. A patch will be downloaded to install the PTR client the first time you run it.  Eligible accounts will already be enabled for the PTR so there's no sign-up needed for this phase of the PTR.

Q: Can I still play the retail game after I install the PTR version?
A: Yes. The PTR data is stored separately from your primary game data, so you can continue to play the retail version of StarCraft II by running "StarCraft II.exe", or you can play the PTR version at any time by running "StarCraft II Public Test.exe" instead.

Q: Where can I send bugs or feedback about the PTR?
A: Whenever a PTR is available, a Test Region Forum will appear for you to provide us with bug reports, feedback, and suggestions. This forum is monitored by our QA department and moderated to ensure that posted information is constructive and useful for testing purposes.
* US PTR Bug Forum: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/2385779/
* US PTR Discussion Forum: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/1161017/

Q: Can I copy my character, and does my Test Region character stay from each PTR phase to another?
A: No, character copy is not available to the PTR. There may be times where we wipe all character data after or during a test period to facilitate specific testing we may need.

Q: Do my friends list, achievements, campaign progress and ladder ranking carry over to PTR or vice versa?
A: No, the PTR is separate from the retail regions.  None of the character data will transfer from retail to PTR.  Also, chat between PTR and retail regions will not be possible.

Q: Will full customer support be available for the PTR?
A: No. The PTR is meant for testing, so support will be very limited. However, we will still take appropriate action if players violate the TOS and/or EULA.

Q:  Can I publish maps to the PTR?  Is there a PTR editor?
A: Depends on the test and feedback we are looking for from each phase. The editor may not be available on the PTR at all times.

Q: How long is the Test Region going to be open?
A: PTR availability is not predetermined. It will remain open until we feel the patch has been appropriately tested.

Q: How do I uninstall the PTR client?
A: PTR data is separate from the retail game and won't affect your retail experience. If you still want to remove the PTR data, you can delete the "\Test" folder in your StarCraft II game directory. Future retail patches may also automatically uninstall the PTR version of the game if the PTR is no longer active.

Q: The PTR patch takes a long time to download; is there an alternative way to get the PTR patch?
A: The download server for the PTR is located in North America; so download times may increase if you’re connecting from another region. We don’t have any current plans to offer a standalone patch for the PTR.