Pick up DUST 514’s Mercenary Pack today, get beta access and exclusive content

If you’re anxious to get your hands on DUST 514, CCP Game’s free-to-play PSN MMO shooter scheduled for release later this year, there’s a way… but it’ll cost you.

The first beta event is starting up this Thursday, and those who pick up the Mercenary Pack from the PlayStation Store beginning today (before the game even releases) will get access to all of the closed-beta events scheduled for this summer. The $19.99 pack also comes loaded with exclusive in-game content, gear and game currency as well.

Those who just want to sign up for beta access can also do so from the official site, here: www.dust514.com/beta.

Read on for more details on the DUST 514 beta events and the Mercenary Pack.

Today CCP Games is proud to announce the brand-new Mercenary Pack for its upcoming free-to-play massively multiplayer first-person shooter, DUST 514, scheduled for release later this year exclusively on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. The Mercenary Pack provides players with an arsenal of gear, game currency and a booster to expand their opportunities on the battlefield. The pack also includes exclusive items, rewarding early adopters with uniquely styled armor and weapons, in addition to an all-access pass to the closed-beta program running throughout the summer.

DUST 514’s first scheduled Beta Event begins this Thursday, June 28, with more following every other weekend. By purchasing the Mercenary Pack, players are guaranteed access to every Beta Event, and have exclusive access to the game on off-weekends. Anyone interested in testing DUST 514 can also sign up at www.dust514.com/beta, where they will be chosen at random to participate. All participating players will receive a unique dropsuit for each Beta Event to commemorate their time testing DUST 514.

The Mercenary Pack offers a $50 USD value for a price of $19.99 USD and is now available on the PlayStation Network.

The contents of the Mercenary Pack are:

• 4,000 Aurum ($20 USD value) – the in-game currency for DUST 514 that you can buy in the PS Store
• 30-dat Active Skill Booster – increases earned Skill Points (SP) by 50%
• ‘Dragonfly’ Scout Dropuit – a uniquely designed armor with unlimited use
• ‘Toxin” ICD-9 Submachine Gun with unlimited use and a custom skin
• HK4M Shotgun X 50
• Hacked Drop Uplink x 50 – allows players to create on-the-spot spawn points for their teammates
• Fused Locus Grenade x 50
• 1.5dn Myofibril Stimulant x 50 – offers players a temporary melee damage boost against opponents
• All Access Beta Pass – allows players to participate in every Beta Event, as well as additional play sessions during off weekends

One of the most anticipated titles of the year, DUST 514 brings intense infantry combat, large-scale warfare and deep character advancement to the PlayStation 3 in an exclusive free-to-play massively multiplayer shooter. Set in, and integrated with, the massive universe of EVE Online, players wage war in the next generation of first-person shooters, where a single victory could prove the crushing blow to a galactice empire of thousands of online gamers.

The Mercenary Pack is available now in the US for $19.99 USD and on June 27 in Europe for 17.00 / 13.99. Players can purchase the pack via PSN. DUST 514 is currently in closed beta and is set to launch in 2012, exclusively on Playstation 3.