The Beta included five full-color character sheets as part of the promotional Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beta Retailer Kit.
Behind the scenes Sterling Hershey, one of the Beta developers, contributed by writing "the Game Master chapter, the Beta test adventure, and some others [sections] that were not included in the Beta."
Much of the art and in-universe information present in the final product was removed in the beta to simplify the playtesting experience.
Likewise, some elements that appear in the beta are not present or were modified in the final Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook
- The Mobquet MB-C1 medium transport was removed, and the Personnel Carrier has many differences.
- The Surveillance skill was removed and its functions made redundant by Computers and Perception.
- ISBN 9781616615819; August 17, 2012; Fantasy Flight Games; US paperback