The Diablo 4 (opens in new tab) pre-order beta is currently underway, but it's not going perfectly smoothly, as expected. The biggest and most obvious problem for people trying to get into the beta is the long line times: I'm currently staring at the "87 minutes left" message as I try to get in.

Some people are seeing even longer waits on PC Gamer:

An hour after the beta started, Blizzard reported "issues affecting the authentication server." That might sound familiar: the dreaded Error 37 that plagued the launch of Diablo 3 in 2012 was also an authentication server issue; it's the one that genuinely scares me in Diablo (opens in a new tab).

Some things never seem to change.

Some people who were able to get into the game also found themselves kicked right into the middle of the action; PCG staff writer Morgan Park got kicked out of the gate rather abruptly in the midst of hammering away at the bad guys.

Blizzard has a list of known issues with the PC Diablo 4 beta on their forums (opens in new tab). Most of them are as expected, but one in particular is worth noting: the queue countdown timer is not 100% accurate, and wait times may be longer than indicated.

"Note that the countdown may end and exceed the time indicated on the queue timer. Do not leave the queue. The beta going on now is open to anyone who pre-ordered Diablo 4, but next weekend's Diablo 4 beta (opens in a new tab) is open to everyone; Blizzard is unlikely to make the beta any smoother, and is not promising that it will: "The open beta Weekend will have a more precise timer," Blizzard said.

For now, those who are waiting should stay waiting. Global Community Development Director Adam Fletcher reiterated this point on Twitter: shuffle your feet and you'll lose your seat.

We will keep you posted as queue times and other potential problems improve or worsen.