The MMORPG Bless Online has faced much criticism for its western Early Access release. While Neowiz strives to steer the game on the right path through patches and content, player numbers are declining. Is the game really in such a disastrous state, or are there also glimmers of hope? Our guest author, Erzkanzler, looks at the new MMORPG in a review.
Some players, like a village populated by unyielding Gauls, refuse to stop resisting the trend. Are they really all blinded, clueless, and misguided, or are there players for whom Bless might be worth a look?
The Erzkanzler has traveled the two kingdoms and inquired why Bless has become a home for a few despite all the adversities.
Identity Crisis – Bless as a PvP Game? That Doesn’t Work
One thing quickly becomes clear to me, Bless Online has a drastic identity crisis, and there are several reasons for that. Above all, one must critically examine the marketing of the game to uncover the cause of this crisis. Even currently, the official side still promotes an “ongoing battle” between Hieron and Union and epic realm vs realm wars.
PvP Only on a Schedule? Unthinkable for Many Players
For ambitious PvP players, Bless currently offers little incentive. Although there are battlegrounds, they can only be accessed at certain times, and the queues are opaque. Both are fundamental mistakes if PvP is to be marketed as the cornerstone of the game.
Have you read “Asterix in Britain”? The moment when the Britons interrupt the battle because it is time for hot water with milk? The Romans, perplexed, ask whether the battle can continue and promptly receive the answer: “Sorry, it’s the weekend.” And that’s pretty much how it feels for PvP players in Bless right now.
Open PvP is of Little Importance.
More than minor skirmishes between individual players is rare. Aside from a few wandering, quest-completing players from the opposing faction, there are hardly any relevant contents for this player group. Most even resign themselves to their fate without resistance. Even the mass slaughter of unsuspecting players at instance entrances offers neither immediate benefits nor noticeable disadvantages, aside from a little frustration on one side and schadenfreude on the other. This system can certainly be marked as a design flaw.
It is no surprise that the target group feels, to put it mildly, dissatisfied with the existing reality.
There are neither leaderboards nor great loot or status symbols. PvP players do not want to be picking flowers, raising raccoons, or dancing with other players while waiting for a fight. And above all, they do not want to wait!
If you market your game as a PvP game, you should also allow it continuously. There has clearly been development that misses the core target audience. The, for any MMO inevitable initial class balancing issues have taken their toll.
In my view, open PvP is refreshingly irrelevant. I am a PvE player who appreciates PvP in arenas. But open PvP, where players classically wait until I have 5 quest mobs on my tail, only to rob me of my last 10% HP, I detest with all my soul. The soft open PvP in Bless suits me well. Of course, occasionally someone wants to test their mettle, but since it is faction-based PvP, the farming or brawling over certain spots remains manageable. Even though this will surely gain more significance with important elite mobs and their coveted loot, much to the delight of the PvP faction.
Raids are Currently Completely Missing, the Number of Dungeons is Manageable
Neowiz boasts grandly about dungeons and even raids, but unfortunately, the current Early Access version does not live up to expectations. Specifically, the 9 currently available dungeons are hardly worth mentioning. Six of the nine are short interludes in the leveling phase and initially even split between the two factions. The first two are designed for solo play. The remaining three are certainly not enough to keep passionate raid players with many years of experience amused for more than a weekend. So once again, development has missed the second core target audience.
However, the dungeons of the game are challenging enough for less ambitious players. They shine with mechanics that have little in common with the classic “tank & spank” of other MMOs. I wish there were more instances because I find them relatively well done. Although Neowiz has certainly missed an opportunity to position itself better, with a higher number of dungeons, they could have provided a relevant endgame.
Bless, Perhaps an MMORPG for Casual Gamers?
Bless is a game that serves many facets, yet hardly any of them to perfection. This makes it uninteresting or even poor for many players. In my opinion, the criticism has often gone too far. When considering Bless Online as an MMORPG in Early Access, one must also concede to the team at Neowiz: Their product has potential.
And Bless should be seen as an Early Access game. Although large parts are already developed, Neowiz seems willing to adapt and change existing elements.
Interestingly, and this is one of the essences from my conversations with active players, Bless is an MMO for those who wouldn’t directly count themselves among the targeted audiences. They are those who want a bit of everything. Those who enjoy crafting, for example, but do not want to deal with Excel sheets full of ingredients. Those who like to play an instance with friends in the evening without having to memorize tactics from the net for weeks in advance. Players who enjoy coherent graphics, even when a detail is not 100% perfectly aligned.
Solid Combat System, Relevant Crafting and Companion System Form the Basis for Development
The combat system is solid. Although class balancing has diminished many players’ enjoyment of the system a bit. But after two patches, it’s simply fun to plow through the masses with the two-handed axe of the berserker or to burn monsters’ fur with fireballs as a mage. There isn’t a wide build variety as in other MMOs in Bless, but the skills system is noticeably more complex than it initially appears.
The Companion System is unique in the MMO landscape. Wild boar, giant spider, or demon as a companion? No problem, in Bless it’s “catch them all!” Both companions and mounts can be tamed as well as bred. Nothing stands in the way of my heroic skunk, and my mage rides a caterpillar. To create an incentive, these companions also come with helpful buffs and abilities, which can be remarkably high for companions. A rat that grants more attack power or a jumping mushroom that allows you to gather resources faster are not out of the ordinary with some breeding success.
The crafting is relevant! So relevant that even I, as a declared enemy of all in-game crafting professions, engage with them to be equipped with buff food, spirits (runes), and repair hammers. The products can be offered at the auction house, but there is no real free trade. The items have fluctuating minimum and maximum prices. Bless is not an economic simulation.
Group and Guild Play is Rewarded in Bless
And the guild and quest system also has its reason for being. Those who help make their guild more successful help themselves. Because the guild level determines the number and magnitude of buffs that each member receives permanently. This motivates players to experience the game together, but it opposes the current trend of a collection of solo players in MMORPGs. Bless intentionally takes this step; even those who team up to play will be rewarded with additional buffs.
Classic quests in Bless Online are by no means a storytelling delight. The stories told are mostly trivial and insignificant. However, each completed task noticeably advances my character, if only through a little money or upgrade materials for my equipment.
Sometimes it’s the little things that bring joy in Bless
Often, one overlooks small facets in Bless that make me smile. My personal favorite quest is the one where a villager celebrates me as a great hero and wants an autograph from me. It is fulfilled with a simple key press. Nevertheless, I was delighted; how often have I rescued princesses, saved lost children, and slain dragons in MMOs, only to be treated like a stranger by the villagers afterwards? Bless does not make a big exception here, but this quest amused me.
Finally, even the in-game shop is currently quite restrained. One would typically expect boldness and greed in a mediocre but solid creation. Of course, demanding money for transport to an instance or enabling resurrection with real money leaves a sour taste and is likely owed to its free-to-play history. Relevant in terms of fairness, these “advantages” are really not.
A Shop Exists, But Little Can Be Bought with Real Money.
Bless can currently free itself from pay-to-win accusations, and even the pay-to-progress is relatively mild. Once you reach the maximum level, which is quickly achieved, you receive hardly any immediate advantages. Those who want to play at the forefront and take advantage of every little bonus should consider a premium account. Here, there are still 2-3 little things that make progression easier.
Should One Like Bless?
I still have to answer the initially posed question: Are all active Bless players blinded and unwilling to recognize the obvious truth?
Even now, there are still players who want to believe the absurd marketing promises. Those who dream of the next big MMO, the long-awaited WoW killer. There are still players who expect better PvP than in Black Desert Online, looking forward to epic battles, and preparing themselves with daily duels.
But they are getting fewer, and this is clearly reflected in the player numbers. However, those who enjoy the game now, without projecting all their hopes and wishes onto it, those who simply have fun playing, are not blinded. They know what the game currently offers, see opportunities and problems, and have become accustomed to evasively answering the question of what they are currently playing.
It is Now Up to Neowiz to Show How Serious They Are About Bless Online
Neowiz will have to decide: It is now up to Neowiz to choose whether to continue targeting audience expectations that it likely cannot meet in the future or to listen and support those who are currently playing the game. This way, they might soon reach a player base that has previously shown no interest in Bless, namely the all-rounder. The MMO player who wants a bit of everything without having to obsessively focus their gaming experience on a single ultimate goal. Whether Neowiz can achieve this and whether there will be enough players for this concept remains to be seen.
At least the increasing positive reviews indicate the great disappointment is over. Now the game may have a chance to recover. A dream reboot, like that of Final Fantasy XIV, is still far off and hidden behind much work for Neowiz.
In this sense, the Erzkanzler is now going to play “some online game.”
