In just a few short days, gamers from around the world will be able to take part in the Anthem VIP demo that should give them a taste of what to expect come February 22, 2019.

While a demo usually just consists of a portion of the final game, the same can’t be said for a shared world services game like Anthem. BioWare will have players skip the tutorials, the in-game economy will be different, and lots more. Over on Twitter, Executive Producer Mark Darrah touched upon the differences between the Anthem demo vs launch build the studio is currently toiling away on.

So how’s the Anthem demo different from the game?
– we start you in the middle
– no tutorials
– no pilot picker
– balance is super different
– economy is completely different
– 6 weeks less bug fixes
…

— Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) January 19, 2019

– with only 1 story arc, I think the mission/stronghold/freeplay balance will be off a bit
– slightly less nuanced PC controls
– we’ve renamed a few things for clarity in the main game

— Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) January 19, 2019

So how’s the Anthem demo different from the game?
– we start you in the middle
– no tutorials
– no pilot picker
– balance is super different
– economy is completely different
– 6 weeks less bug fixes
– with only 1 story arc, I think the mission/stronghold/freeplay balance will be off a bit
– slightly less nuanced PC controls
– we’ve renamed a few things for clarity in the main game

That’s more than a handful of differences, no? Of course, if the combat is satisfying, and the loot grind is rewarding, then I don’t think players will mind what the differences are. And it’s not like the game is taking a turn for the worse in the time it’s being developed.

In other Anthem news, check out our early look at the game’s map, and there’s also a damage chart that shows us some of the different abilities each javelin has.