This summer will not be boring: On July 9, the Chinese MMORPG Swords of Legends Online will be released exclusively for PC in the West. You can find the most important info about this story-rich and action-packed title here in our overview.
What is Swords of Legends Online exactly? Swords of Legends Online (SOLO) is a theme park MMORPG that was released in China in 2019. The implementation for the Western markets is handled by the well-known publisher Gameforge. At the start, there will be a European and a North American server. SOLO is oriented towards the Chinese fantasy genre Xianxia, which in turn is based on Chinese mythology. An action-packed combat system and an Asian-inspired world are waiting for you, one that is disrupted by evil forces.
SOLO offers you:
- A story-driven PvE that leads you to the endgame
- 6 classes with different gameplay options
- Holy Trinity of healers, tanks, and DPS
- A comprehensive housing system where you gather your own materials
- Dungeons and raids in various difficulty levels
- PvP in several modes
- A purely cosmetic item shop
- 7 life skills
The release date of Swords of Legends Online
When will the MMO Swords of Legends Online be released in the West?
The release of Swords of Legends Online is on July 9, 2021. You can play it through the official Gameforge client, the Epic Games client, or via Steam.
Can you play Swords of Legends Online before the release?
No, an early release is not planned. There will also be no more public tests. The last beta test ended on June 8, 2021.
Is there a preload for Swords of Legends Online?
Yes, there is a possibility for a pre-download. This will be available on Steam starting June 30 at 7:00 PM. You can begin the early download via the Gameforge client starting July 1 at 10:00 AM. However, this early download is an exclusive feature for pre-order customers.
The system requirements of Swords of Legends Online
Your PC must be able to handle the following:
Minimum
- Processor – AMD FX-6300, Intel® Core™ i3-4130
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA® GTX 760, AMD Radeon™ HD 7870
- RAM – 8 GB DDR 3
- Storage – 80 GB
- Operating System – Windows®10 64-Bit
Recommended
- Processor – AMD Ryzen™ 5 1600, Intel® Core™ i5
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA® GTX 980Ti, AMD Radeon™ RX 580
- RAM – 16 GB DDR 4
- Storage – 80 GB
- Operating System – Windows®10 64-Bit
Buy/pre-order Swords of Legends Online
How much will Swords of Legends Online cost?
The MMO will be released as a Buy2Play title exclusively for PC in three versions:
- A Standard Edition for €39.99
- A Deluxe Edition for €59.99
- A Collector’s Edition for €99.99
What bonuses do the Deluxe and Collector’s Editions offer?
In addition to the main game, both editions offer a special “Golden Weapon Skin” and a specific “Golden Costume” including hairstyle.
Additionally, the Collector’s Edition offers an Assassin Costume, the “Fiery Wings” mount, and a “Stylish Housing Package.” However, the Housing Package can only be used after unlocking the housing feature.
Where can I buy Swords of Legends Online?
You can pre-order Swords of Legends Online directly on the official website or via Steam until the release. After the official release on July 9, 2021, you also have the option to buy the game from the Epic Games Store.
Are there pre-order bonuses for Swords of Legends Online?
Yes, there are pre-order bonuses, which include:
- early access to character creation
- name reservation
- a mask
- a founder title
- and a founder flag
How do early name reservation and character creation work?
From July 2, 2:00 PM to July 5, 2:00 PM German time, pre-order customers can secure their character names. After naming your character, it will be possible to design them using the character editor. However, you can only play your character starting July 9. If you purchase SOLO during this time window, you will still gain access to name reservation and character creation.
How does Swords of Legends Online get financed?
Swords of Legends Online is a Buy2Play game. You only need to purchase the main game once to play. There is also an in-game shop where only cosmetic items, such as costumes or hairstyles, are available for purchase – as well as options to change name and gender.
Also interesting: MMORPG Swords of Legends speaks about free updates and Pay2Win
What content does Swords of Legends Online offer you?
What makes Swords of Legends Online special: SOLO is a theme park MMORPG from China. It impresses with beautiful graphics that are very Asian-inspired. It is not an open-world title, but divided into several extensive zones that you can explore. It is a title for players who are enthusiastic about Asia settings or at least open to such an experience. A particular focus in SOLO is on the linear story and storytelling, which is based on its own mythology. Cutscenes and dialogues are dubbed in English. However, at release, you can enable German, French, and English subtitles to better follow the events.
Here you can get a first impression of Swords of Legends Online:
And here MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has summarized his first experiences with SOLO for you:
The story of Swords of Legends
What is Swords of Legends Online about? The story is based on the story of the Chinese series Swords of Legends and is a classic tale of good versus evil. Long ago, humans created a sword so powerful that it could even injure gods. In addition to this ancestral sword, four other swords were created, imbued with the so-called heart of swords.
900 years before the events you can experience in the game, five powerful sword masters used these weapons to fight an army of evil forces known as the Eternal Army. The weapons became known as the Swords of Legends and are the namesake for SOLO.
In a final battle, the Eternal Army was defeated with heavy losses and sealed in the Qin Mausoleum. Since then, the seal has been guarded by an order called the Qin League. The player is meant to be an chosen one to revive the hearts of swords contained within the swords. As the Eternal Army rises again, the player joins the fight against the awakening forces of evil.
How does the combat system in Swords of Legends Online work?
One of the highlights of the game is the combat system of SOLO. The battles are very action-packed, can be dynamic if desired, and can sometimes seem a bit confusing. You can choose from three systems for acting in battle:
- Tab-targeting, which allows you to specifically target enemies
- Action mode, where you have to aim your attacks and spells yourself
- and a hybrid mode of both variants
Moreover, you do not have to stand still while casting your abilities. This makes you more mobile and the combat system feels even more dynamic.
Classes in Swords of Legends Online
The classes in Swords of Legends Online are organized as follows: The classes in SOLO are based on the classic MMORPG principle of the Holy Trinity. This means that there are classes with which you can tank and attack your enemies, but also heal and support your allies. In total, there are six classes in SOLO, which can specialize in two areas.
This allows for greater diversity in playstyles for each class. It should also be noted that there is no gender lock. Thus, all classes can be played as male or female characters. All six classes actually start in different zones.
These are the six classes in SOLO and what they can do: In SOLO, there are the following classes, each with two possible specializations, known as paths, between which you can switch outside of combat:
- Bard – The bard fights at a distance with a string instrument against his enemies or heals his allies with it.
- With the specialization Dissonance, the bard enhances his own attacks through elemental magic.
- With the specialization Harmony, the bard enhances his own healing and protecting abilities for allies.
- Berserker – The berserker fights with a longsword and is a classic melee fighter who can attack his enemies but also tank.
- With the specialization Destroyer, the berserker maximizes his damage potential and can hit hard.
- With the specialization Drunkard, the berserker becomes a full-fledged tank. For that, he relies on a specially brewed wine.
- Summoner – The summoner fights at a distance with a staff and calls upon a companion for support. This allows him to deal damage as well as heal.
- With the specialization Wrath of Nature, the summoner enhances his offensive abilities while being able to summon two companions. The first companion can deal damage, while the second can tank.
- With the specialization Nüwa’s Blessing, the summoner becomes a full-fledged healer. The summoner’s companion becomes the healing fairy Molou.
- Sword Mage – The sword mage is the first class that focuses exclusively on dealing damage and operates with a short sword as a melee or ranged fighter.
- With the specialization Sword Artist, the sword mage focuses on ranged combat and utilizes teleportation.
- With the specialization Blade Storm, the sword mage plunges into melee combat. In combat, summoned illusions assist him.
- Spear Master – The spear master charges into melee with a spear. He can deal powerful attacks or tank, protecting his allies from damage.
- With the specialization General, the spear master enhances his abilities to deal damage to opponents. Additionally, the General possesses some options for launching opponents into the air.
- With the specialization Phalanx, the spear master becomes a full-fledged tank. He can easily draw the opponent’s aggro or protect himself and his allies with a shield wall.
- Deathbringer – The Deathbringer is the sixth and last class of Swords of Legends Online at the release. As a Deathbringer, you are an assassin and deal rapid damage to your opponents with a large scythe. You can also become a healer.
- With the specialization Assassin, you focus on the damage you deal. You can sneak up on opponents and hurt them with curses, strikes, and a poisonous companion.
- With the specialization Occultist, the Deathbringer becomes a healer. You sacrifice your own blood to heal your allies. Additionally, you can enhance them using insects.
If you are not sure which class to start with: The best classes to start in Swords of Legends
Will there be additional classes? In the Chinese version, Swords of Legends Online already has three additional classes. It is currently unknown what these might be called in the Western version and when or if a release in the West will take place, but it is quite likely, should SOLO be successful here. The three Chinese classes are a Mage, an Archer, and a Swordfighter.
The endgame – How SOLO wants to entertain you in the long term
How does the endgame in Swords of Legends Online work?The endgame in SOLO begins as soon as you reach the highest level. This is level 36+1 at the game’s release. This means that once you reach level 36, you need to fill your XP bar one more time. You will then progress from “Student” level 36 to “Scholar” level 1.
How quickly can you reach level 36+1?The required time is between 12 and 30 hours of gameplay. This particularly depends on how efficiently you play and how much time you take to carefully follow quest texts and cutscenes.
PvE, Housing, and PvP as endgame content
What options does the endgame of SOLO offer in PvE? Players have the opportunity to dive into different uniquely designed dungeons or raids, or to hunt world bosses.
The dungeons in SOLO can be entered with 5 to 10 players, and the difficulty adjusts to your player count. At the start, there will be three difficulty levels: Normal, Hard, and Extreme.
In raids, 10 to 20 players can team up and fight against bosses together. The difficulty of raids also scales with the size of the group.
The hunt for individual world bosses takes place in the endgame areas of SOLO. Some bosses can be defeated alone, but for others, you will need to team up with other players. However, this type of activity is associated with certain life skills that you can unlock during the game.
For hunting these world bosses, for instance, you need the life skill “Bounty Hunting.” You can unlock the life skills through the “Cultivation” in the game – a special in-game menu.
What options does housing offer? As a relaxed alternative to combating the threats of the world, Swords of Legends Online offers comprehensive player housing as endgame content. To start building your dream house, you also need to reach level 36+1.
Once you have achieved this, you can purchase your own flying island on which to establish your residence. However, this is quite a lengthy task, as you must gather the materials yourself. You will grow crops, collect wood, or mine from a quarry on your island.
As a reward, you will receive an extensive housing experience with many customization options. Additionally, other players can visit your property. You can see what housing can look like in this video:
What options does PvP offer? If you are more interested in the challenges of player versus player combat, then in Swords of Legends Online you will find different kinds of PvP.
On one hand, there is a classic structured PvP in the form of arena battles and battlegrounds. You can enter these as a team in 3v3, 5v5, and 15v15 formats. The modes include classic duels, a conquest mode, and a battle where you must protect a teammate and defeat a selected opponent.
For an overview of what PvP in SOLO looks like, you can watch the following trailer:
For battles in open areas, there are two options: On one hand, you can join one of two factions and go hunting for the other faction in a designated area: The Celestial Alliance or the Mythicism. Here, you do not collect negative Qi.
Negative Qi plays a role in the second option: If you want to hunt other players in the open world, you need to activate “Battle Frenzy.” You receive this skill upon reaching Scholar 1. Players who activate this can attack and defeat other players at max level.
The risk, however, is that you can be arrested and imprisoned if you accumulate too much negative Qi. You will not be released from prison for several hours. However, you can shorten the time by completing tasks while you are there.
What do you think of SOLO? Are you looking forward to the release in the West and can’t wait to finally try this MMORPG yourself? Or have you so far been indifferent to the game? Let us know in the comments along with other readers of MeinMMO.
