Blade & Soul was a highly anticipated MMORPG from Korea from 2014 to 2016. It impressed especially with its action-packed combat and beautiful graphics. In 2021, there was a major engine update as well as some new updates. But is it still worth starting the game? MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch tried it out and spoke with the developers.
Blade & Soul remains one of the best Asian MMORPGs on the market in 2021. It is free-to-play, has one of the most interesting martial arts combat systems, and strongly focuses on a story in which you fight against evil.
There are regular updates that continue the story, and every year in autumn, a new class is released. In addition, there are dozens of events that are regularly activated, including bonus events for returnees and special celebrations for Halloween or Christmas.
In 2021, Blade & Soul received more attention because the MMORPG migrated to Unreal Engine 4. This led to an improvement in graphics and was also supposed to enhance performance. Moreover, there were numerous changes to the game, including adjustments to the combat system, loot, and interface.
But is that enough to make Blade & Soul an interesting MMORPG again? And what does the game offer in general, and for whom is it suitable? I took a closer look at the game.
For this article, he leveled the class Archer to level 30, tried the newest class Dual Blade using a max-level boost in the endgame, was shown the new Demonbane dungeons by the developers, and asked them several interview questions.
A classic Asian MMORPG with a revenge story and action-packed combat
What about classes and races? Blade & Soul allows you to create a character from now 14 different classes at the start. However, these classes are partially bound to races. The races include:
- The Jin – they look like classic humans and can be created as male or female. According to lore, they are very versatile and tenacious beings.
- The Gon – giant humans who possess a lot of physical strength. They are also available as male or female.
- The Yun – a race consisting solely of female members, who value elegance and grace.
- The Lyn – small creatures with huge ears. Both genders are available here as well.
The classes Blade Dancer (only Lyn), Summoner (only Lyn), and Berserker (only Gon) can only be played by a single race, while you have multiple options for the remaining classes.
At the beginning, you have 3 free character slots, which you can expand to 13 through the shop. So it is currently not possible to play all classes at the same time.
The character editor is very detailed. Even for the facial details, there are numerous sliders for the size and position of the pupils, a selection of various colors, and of course customization options for makeup and jewelry. Overall, the editor is not as strong as that of Black Desert, but it’s very close.
Once you have created your desired character, you start in the tutorial. There, you learn about the Hongmoon School. It’s the combat school you belong to and where you train. Your leader is Master Hong, a small, old coot often seen in screenshots of the game.
In the tutorial, you will learn to sprint, jump, and glide, one of Blade & Soul’s special features. You can glide from one point to another to overcome larger chasms. However, you glide steadily downward and cannot reach higher jumps, as you would with flying mounts in WoW.
Another positive aspect is the beautiful soundtrack that accompanies Blade & Soul. There are various pieces that play in different locations, either underlining the picturesque landscape or providing an epic feel in dungeons.
After a few intro sequences, there is a major betrayal. The school is attacked by Jinsoyun, who kills almost all of your comrades. Subsequently, a classic revenge story begins, in which you train and try to track down Jinsoyun and bring her to justice.
The story is told in various chapters, which you follow in a kind of main quest. In the world, there are also side quests that you can complete optionally.
However, there is no completely open world in Blade & Soul. Instead, you often travel through portals, similar to Guild Wars 2. In addition, there are special story contents at many locations that you enter through a portal and can only experience yourself.
An engaging combat system – with weaknesses
How does Blade & Soul play? The combat system relies heavily on action, many abilities, and many combos. “Many” is the key word, as there are dozens of abilities for each class that can also be used in various combos.
It looks quite spectacular when you throw enemies into the air or jump around swiftly or deal the final blow to an enemy from the air. However, it can also be quite complex to work through all the abilities and combos.
Moreover, attacks come with very large and colorful animations, which may not appeal to every player. I also miss a classic roll to evade some enemy attacks. Additionally, the fact that I cannot sprint in fights strikes me as a negative aspect immediately.
An unusual equipment system: In Blade & Soul, your appearance does not matter. The damage dealt primarily depends on the weapon used, which can be developed further over various stages.
Other stats, such as health points, defense values, accuracy, and critical hit chance, come from the deployed “Bagua Fragments.” These are pictures made of 8 parts that give you bonuses per part. If you use multiple Bagua from one set, there are bonuses.
Focus on dungeons and PvP in the endgame
What content does Blade & Soul offer? Blade & Soul is a classic theme park MMORPG. So, you follow a linear story that guides you through different areas. Currently, there are 11 story acts with numerous quests. The quests generally consist of running, collecting, and kill tasks, but they are all translated into German and voiced in English.
Additionally, your goal is to reach max level 60 and improve your equipment.
Once in the endgame, primarily these tasks await you:
- Numerous dungeons and raids that you can run with other players (most only at max level). These instances also offer different difficulty levels.
- Various PvP battlefields
- 1v1 or team arena with leaderboard in PvP
- Daily and weekly quests
Upgrading equipment in the endgame is also very time-consuming. You can usually spend weeks or months on it alone. Fortunately, however, equipment does not play a role in PvP, where everyone competes in a fair system.
How long does it take to reach max level? It took me about 4 hours to reach level 33. According to forum user Spaske, it takes about 13 hours to reach max level if you only follow the main story (via BladeandSoul).
Engine update should give Blade & Soul a new shine, but it’s not enough
What is the state of Blade & Soul in 2021? In recent years, there have been numerous adjustments to the game that cater to newcomers and returnees. Brett Jaxel, lead writer of Blade & Soul, explained some adjustments made in recent years:
The skills and combat have been greatly simplified. The selection and modification of skills is an extremely optimized process, and players can easily choose their specialization.
Another important aspect that has developed since my entry into the game is the development of the story – as part of the localization team, this is very close to my heart, and the development of the story in the last two acts has certainly increased what is at stake for the Hongmoon warriors.
The current year 2021 should actually be a strong one for the Asian MMORPG:
- The big engine update has been released
- Many adjustments have been made to combat systems, loot, and general “Quality of Life” changes
- New story content has been added
- A new class has been released
But the update somewhat fizzled out.
While the graphics do look better now, I keep experiencing performance issues. Depending on the area, I had up to 90 FPS but sometimes only 25. While my PC is no powerhouse with an i7 4470k, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, and a GTX 1060, it is generally sufficient for high FPS in most MMORPGs.
The performance issues weigh heavily, as Blade & Soul emphasizes an action-packed combat system. You immediately notice every missing FPS. In raids, the performance reportedly drops even more, as players say.
The engine update does not really improve performance (and makes it worse for some), nor does it address the other problems of the game: the heavy grind and the aggressive shop.
Problems with grind and shop
What are Blade & Soul’s problems? The MMORPG from NCSoft convinces with a good story, fun combat, and at least some variety in quests and movement in the game.
However, those who delve deeper into the game will notice the long grind. Anyone wanting to gear up in endgame needs to enter a lengthy grind, which includes constantly running the same dungeons and raids and completing daily quests.
Brett Jaxel agrees with this. In the interview, however, he also pointed out an upcoming event that will make it easier for you to obtain gear:
I think it can feel tedious to get gear for the endgame. It is a lengthy process to obtain the best weapons in the game (as it should be), and the journey costs a lot of time. But fortunately, as previously mentioned, there are occasionally events that help players quickly improve their gear, and the next one is set for January.
However, if you don’t want to deal with the grind, you can purchase a solution in the shop. Besides more character slots or cosmetic items, the following things are available:
- A boost to max level
- Materials for equipment upgrades
- The option to exchange real money for in-game currency
- A premium subscription for 11.99 euros per month, which grants more XP, gold, additional login rewards, and reduced fees
Theoretically, the entire grind can thus be eased with real money and even completely skipped. Some players already see this as pay-to-win.
New dungeon system aims to bind players long-term, event helps newcomers and returnees
What has changed recently? With an update in November, the new Mythic Dungeons were introduced. These are 4-player instances offering difficulty levels from 1 to 100. The lower levels have a difficulty level similar to older dungeons, while the highest levels are meant to represent the hardest dungeons so far.
The higher the level, the harder the bosses are supposed to be. Brett Jaxel emphasized to us that with higher difficulty levels, new mechanics for final bosses are also unlocked and not just adjusted damage and health points.
Additionally, there will be new rewards in the form of insignia that you can add to your equipment. This is meant to keep players engaged over the long term.
Jaxel also pointed out that further Mythic Dungeons are planned for 2022. A new class is also expected in the autumn of next year.
Conclusion: A game for Asian fans who love stories and dungeons and have no problem with grind
Blade & Soul remains a double-edged sword even in 2021. On one hand, there are beautiful graphics, the successful revenge story, and of course the combat system, which is an absolute highlight for fans of martial arts and anime. The fights are action-packed, fast-paced, combo-heavy, and above all quite colorful. If you like that, you won’t find a more suitable MMORPG on the market.
My personal highlight continues to be the 1v1 arena, which is found in only a few MMOs. Due to the balanced equipment, there are no unfair advantages, and it genuinely comes down to skill. No wonder a competitive e-sports scene has developed around it in Korea.
On the other hand, there are somewhat monotonous quests, the long grind, and the shop, which many see as pay-to-win. Blade & Soul simply resembles a classic Asian grinder too much and not enough of what we are used to from western MMORPGs like WoW or GW2.
The game primarily targets story and martial arts fans who do not have a problem with grind. While the engine update has given Blade & Soul a better look, it has changed too little in the fundamental content to attract many new players now.
Alexander Leitsch
MMORPG Expert at MeinMMO
