NCSOFT West’s MMORPG Blade & Soul is available to play now in Europe and North America for free. The game is set in a world inspired by Asian fantasy, where the player is seeking revenge for the murder of their Master at the hands of the villain Jinsoyun.
“The launch of Blade & Soul is a significant moment and represents one of the most important online launches for players in 2016,” says the Vice President of NCSOFT West, John Burns, “Fans finally have the chance to experience the amazing gameplay, distinctive action and dynamic combat that sets this game apart from others on the market.”
Blade & Soul delivers a rich story and even richer, vibrant world for the player to explore while featuring a martial arts inspired system of gameplay for fluid and fast-paced action sequences. These gameplay mechanics present new challenges to players with every fight.
The game has been localized in English, German, and French and includes seven classes, four races, and an up-to-date feature set from the Korean version of the game.
The races available in Blade & Soul are the
-Gon: A strong, hard-hitting warrior race supposedly created from the breath of Dragons and perfect for dealing heavy damage.
– The Lyn: A race descended from the Kirin, legendary animals who were known for being mischievous and unpredictable. The Lyn are more in tune with the Spirit Realm and can harness the power of the earth and employ mystical attacks.
– The Yun: A purely female race connected deeply to the rhythms of nature. They are both elegant and deadly in battle, and-
– The Jin: A highly versatile race which, while smaller than their Gon counterparts, are still incredibly strong, highly skilled and quick in a fight.
The classes, while some are not available for every race, utilize the natural skills of each race, such as the
-Blade Master: This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The Blade Master relies on high attack speed as well as lightning fast dodging and countering maneuvers with blades to dodge or block incoming attacks whilst dealing quick piercing damage. (Available for Yun and Jin)
– The Destroyer: This is obviously a tanking class which provokes enemies into attacking them so they can deal nigh unstoppable damage, or distract enemies from attacks from other players. The Destroyer can also carry allies out of harm’s way, or even use fallen opponents against enemies by literally picking them up and hurling them at attackers. (Exclusive for the Gon)
-The Summoner: This is a class which calls upon the aid of a Familiar to fight alongside them in battle. The Familiar takes the offensive while the Summoner attacks from a safer distance. The summoner can also revive fallen allies. (Exclusive for the Lyn)
– The Force Master (no, it’s not a Jedi): The Force Master deals heavy fire and ice damage from long range, and while they are excellent damage dealers and defensive tacticians, they are also more susceptible in battle and so placement is key in winning a fight. (Available for the Lyn, Yun, and Gon)
– The Kung Fu Master: This is a much more difficult class as precise timing is everything, and with fast-paced battles, it’s more of a challenge to time both countering attacks and also stringing together deadly combo attacks. (Available for Gon, Jin, and Yun)
– The Assassin: a class which relies primarily on stealth to get the job done. It’s a clever class, utilizing both traps and quick dagger attacks, as well as poison, explosives, and invisibility. The assassin can swap places with their enemies at a moment’s notice too. (Exclusive for Jin)
-The Blade Dancer: Similarly to the Blade Master, but exclusive to the Lyn, the blade dancer class have further increased speed of attacks at the cost of defense. The Lyn also combine mystical attacks with the blade attacks for extra damage, but have to keep an eye on their Focus to keep from running themselves into a rut and leaving themselves open for attack.
Blade & Soul will initially have a level-cap of 45, as well as 30 Dungeons, a 3-Act story, a PvP arena, and two additional epic-level dungeons (Blackram Supply Chain and E. Fleet Supply Chain) which are included upon launch.
NCSOFT also has regular content updates and patches planned for the coming months to keep players coming back for more.
Source: NCSOFT Press Release
Trailer via Blade & Soul, YouTube.