Dust 514 Mercenary Pack packs beta access

If you want to be certain you get into the closed beta test for CCP's free-to-play PS3 FPS Dust 514, you can now pony up $20 to get guaranteed beta access and a pack of in-game goodies. The EVE Online tie-in's first beta weekend event will kick off on June 28.

The $20 'Mercenary Pack' launches today in the PlayStation Store, packing $20 worth of in-game currency and hundreds of items. Most gear in Dust is single-use, bought with in-game currency or real money but lost when you die--CCP says it'll cost around 24 cents for a top-end loadout--but the pack includes an unlimited use submachine gun and suit of armour. You also get 50 shotguns, 50 spawn point beacons, 50 grenades, 50 melee boosts, and a 30-day skill point booster.

It offers access to every beta event, plus "exclusive access to the game on off-weekends."

Dust 514 is slated to launch exclusively on PS3 later this year. Shame there's no PC edition. If you don't fancy paying $20 to play the beta, you can always sign up and hope you're picked.