Dungeon Defenders 2 Is Free-To-Play, Closed Beta Begins

Trendy Entertainment has revealed that they're working on Dungeon Defenders 2, the sequel to their 2011 tower defense/action RPG hybrid. Testing for the game is already underway.

In the first Dungeon Defenders, players took on the role of heroes fighting off waves of mobs. Over the course of the match, players earn mana that can be used to construct defensive structures. They can also upgrade their character or the defenses that they build.

Dungeon Defenders 2 retains this co-op gameplay while adding new heroes and towers. It also introduces a new competitive mode similar to games like League of Legends or Dota 2. Two teams of 5 players will fight through armies of A.I. enemies and attempt to destroy each other's base.

"During the development of Dungeon Defenders we constantly tried different multiplayer modes. Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, you name it," said the official DD2 FAQ. "None of them really fit. When planning the sequel, we couldn’t drop the idea that a MOBA in the Dungeon Defenders universe would rock. Maybe it was all the after hour games of League we played in the office. We don’t know. But it fit well into the storyline and achieved a core goal of helping Dungeon Defenders players meet new players, so we went all in."

Much like LoL and Dota 2, Dungeon Defenders 2 will be free-to-play. Players will have a rotation of free characters to choose from. However, you can opt to purchase heroes for real-world money so that they'll be permanently unlocked in both co-op and competitive play. Cosmetic items and level boosters will also be sold.

The co-op is only in pre-alpha right now, but the competitive mode is already in closed beta. You can sign up for the beta waiting list at the game's website. DD2 will also be playable at PAX East this weekend.

Dungeon Defenders 2 is in development for the PC, Mac, iOS, Android and web. Cross-platform play is already available in the beta.