Stardock Entertainment today announcet that the public beta test for Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar, the expansion pack to Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, will begin on November 16. The beta will be open to all players who pre-order the expansion via Stardock’s TotalGaming.net service from here. Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar features now include a streamlined technology tree, Mega Events, super abilities that are unique to each civilization, a visual makeover, advanced opponent-design features along with many more based on fan feedback and suggestions. Check full story for details.