Build 236 is a real doozy. It is chock full of fixes, changes and generally agreeable content. We plan to let it loose next week, probably around Wednesday or Thursday. Before we do that, we want to be sure that it isn't going to be a crash-prone bug-addled mess. Not that there are ever bugs in NS2, but occasionally things (We like to call them 'features') slip through internal playtesting.

To that end, a beta version of 236 is now on Steam. You can access it by right click on Natural Selection 2 in your Steam library, selecting 'Properties' > 'Betas' > 'Patch Beta Release Branch.' See the image below:

We do not recommend doing this if you want to enjoy your usual games of NS2 over the weekend. Once you opt into the beta, you cannot play in normal 235 games (or on 235 servers) until you reverse your selection. Server capacity for Beta 236 is extremely limited, and it is entirely likely that there could be 'features' in the build that make it a nightmare in the wild. Brian is certainly hoping that is not true, but you never know!

Details of what is in Build 236 (including the changelog) will be released next week with the release build. If you do choose to test Beta 236, please focus on 'show-stoppers.' Examples of this would include:

- I could play NS2 before, but now everytime I start it a car explodes outside my window - Every time I press left mouse button, my team loses the game instantly - Evolving into a Lerk causes me to disconnect from the game, landing on the shore of my own subconsious

If you do encounter something horribly, horribly broken in Beta 236, post up your experience in this thread. We will be working hard on getting it release ready for late next week!