What other Beaters were there in Sword Art Online?

Question

In Episode 8 - Black and White Sword Dance, after Kirito got Asuna to agree to cook the Ragout Rabbit, Asuna dismissed Kuradeel and got refused:

Kuradeel: I can not leave you alone with a shady character like this
Asuna: While I can't say anything about his shadiness, he is actually quite strong. In fact, he's 10 levels above you, Kuradeel.
Kuradeel: Are you implying that I am somehow inferior to him? Wait, don't tell me he is one of those Beaters.

In Episode 2 - Beater, after beating Illfang the Kobold Lord, Kirito was discovered as a Beta player. Reflecting on Diavel's request, Kirito takes an antagonist stance and lies about how far he had progressed during the beta of SAO:

Kirito: I made it to floors not even the other Beta players could reach.
Kibaou: Then that makes you worse than a Beta, YOU A GODDAMN FILTHY CHEATER.
Background Player: He's a Beater!
Kirito: Beater huh? Yeah, I like the sound of that.

I was under the impression that Kirito was the only "Beater". However, Kuradeel says one of those Beaters, which implies that there are more as apart from him. Using the plural form, Kuradeel is grouping Kirito with others.

So I am wondering, were there any other Beaters in SAO? If there were, do we know who they were?

Answer 1

It would depend on your definition of "Beater." While they are not specifically referred to as "beaters," their actions and hidden ulterior motives would likely label them as such.

If you define it as Beta players who take advantage of their inside knowledge from the closed beta for their own benefit, then there are at least two.

• Diavel, attempted to manipulate a certain transaction to ensure that Kirito played a support role during the Floor 1 boss encounter, so he could get the last kill bonus
• Coper, tried to use a monster to PK Kirito, so that he could get a certain quest item
• Morte, from SAO Progressive, Vol. 2, one of the Beta players that completed the "War of Elves'" quest (one of three people, including Kirito), has a hidden agenda...

Not all Beta players have ulterior motives.

• Argo, an information broker that provides the "Strategy Guide by Area". The guide is distributed in NPC shops and provided many resourceful information about the game.

But all in all, the term "Beater" is just a derogatory term non-Beta players use for Beta players that don't share their knowledge and keep information to themselves. Non-Beta players are jealous of the knowledge Beta players have and seek to ostracize them, so the Beta players either have no choice but to share what they know or be forced to play by themselves.

Answer 2

As I understand it from anime and LNs - Kirito was one and only Beater. The main reason of him becoming Beater was to turn anger of "simple" players away from beta-tester by concentrating it on Kirito.
By the way, Kuradeel says "Sou ka, ano Beater no" what roughly translates into "Oh, he's that Beater..."

Answer 3

On some chat at first, with Klein, kirito tolds him they lucky obtaining one of the 10k copies of the game.

At same time, Klein tolds kirito he's more lucky, because are one of the 1000 beta testers.

Because this, you can understand who they're 1000 beta testers online.

On the other hand, the "beater" term are a union of beta tester and cheater. But, the definition of cheater in game are only a player with unknown information.

You can assume who all the beta testers are beaters too, because at one or another form, they know more information about the game, and probably doesn't told to anything, or only to friends. Also, even if you try to not take advantage of these knowledge, you're using it if you need.

If the term "beater" are used only for these players who uses these knowledge for their own advantage "trying to do it", then, the quantity are unknown, because of the 1000 beta players you doesn't know nor 10%.

Answer 4

To answer the question, it's first important to understand what a "Beater" is. The term was coined as conflation of "Beta" and "Cheater" to describe Kirito immediately after he made his speech after Diavel's death. The definition is, therefore, the contents of said speech.

In his speech, Kirito asks not to be conflated with mere "beta players", noting that he is much knowledgeable than "regular" beta players. In part, this is an exposition speech, explaining how Kirito knew a detail about the 1st floor's boss's weapon that Diavel did not. Kirito explains that he knew more than Diavel, a fellow beta tester, due to reaching a higher floor during beta (Although Kirito doesn't specifically reveal that Diavel was a beta tester, but talks more generally. It is implied that he is talking about Diavel, though). This immediately rules out Diavel as a possible beater, as he is used for contrast.

The definition of a "Beater" is hence: A beta tester who has more knowledge than the average beta tester due to playing more and reaching farther.

Since the mere act of clearing a floor unlocks the upper floors to all players, the very concept that Kirito was the only one to venture to the higher floors is unlikely from the get go.

However, since the other beta testers that appear don't go around specifically saying which was the highest floor they had reached, it's hard to determine which was a beater, and which wasn't. The only one that could be reliably ruled out was Diavel, due to his lack of knowledge about the Nodachi. At any rate, after the 10th floor was cleared, any special knowledge known to the beta testers was rendered worthless, as only the 10th floor was reached during beta. This also means that past this point, it would be completely impossible to identify a beta tester based on knowledge or behavior, let alone a beater.