On July 9, 2021, the new MMORPG Swords of Legends Online was released on Steam. The game originally launched in 2019 but was only playable in China until July 2021. Publisher Gameforge has now brought the game to Europe. We at MeinMMO take a look at how SOLO is doing a month later.
What the game does well: Many fans celebrate Swords of Legends Online for its Wuxia-style story, and the game’s movement feel is also highly praised. We at MeinMMO have played SOLO and can confirm both. Even before the release of SOLO, Gameforge announced a roadmap for 2021 and promises to continue providing the game with content.
The game also impresses by having completely eliminated Pay2Win content from its real-money shop, which is quite rare for a game from the Asian region. Many players are also excited about the variety of play styles offered by the different classes. In particular, the classes meaningfully complement the story:
“The class selection in SOLO fulfills the stereotype of common Wuxia stories. This way, players can experience their own Wuxia story with their character. That’s great.” writes MrPringles from the MeinMMO community via Discord, who has already spent about 100 hours in the game.
How the launch of SOLO went: The launch went well for the Asian MMORPG. Publisher Gameforge recorded up to 18,701 players simultaneously at launch. Over the following days, the number of players could roughly be maintained but not exceeded.
On July 18, just nine days after the release on Steam, you could still find 14,000 players online in SOLO, but from that point on, the player count steadily declined.
How many people are currently playing SOLO?
The current situation: Exactly one month after release, on August 9, 2021, SOLO could only attract a little more than a quarter of the players compared to launch. That still means that over 5,300 people were playing at the same time. This figure can also be seen over the last two weeks.
It is important to note that we can only refer to the numbers from Steam here. SOLO was also released simultaneously in the Epic Store and on the Gameforge Launcher. However, the numbers should roughly align with what is shown on Steam.
Why are player numbers declining? One of the major criticisms of the game is the lack of content at launch. Although publisher Gameforge has already presented a roadmap for SOLO, some fans had already completed most of the content the game had to offer before the release of the first raid.
Of course, there are also plenty of other tasks to complete in SOLO while waiting for new raids or events. However, in order to obtain better equipment, you are forced to wait for the next raids. This means that many players became stagnant in their progress and thus set the game aside for a while.
This could fundamentally improve if SOLO can deliver new content quickly enough. Since the content already exists in the Chinese version of the game, it is conceivable that Gameforge can catch up here. However, it remains to be seen whether this will happen in a timely manner.
Many players also report that SOLO is still struggling with technical issues. Crashes, sound dropouts, and brief freezes seem to occur more frequently. We do not want to withhold this criticism from you, even though we did not encounter these problems while playing. There are also many translation errors in the German version of SOLO.
What do the players say about it? Discussions about the game are also taking place on reddit. Here we can find some interesting points that reflect the players’ opinions. The comments often emphasize what we can derive from the numbers.
- For example, the user VulpineKitsune (via reddit) writes: “At first, it seems like there’s an excessive amount of content in the game. But once you get through most of it, you realize how little there actually is to do.”
- The user TheRealShinyButter agrees (via reddit): “The content drought really hits hard once you have your gear from the first raid. If you’re not a PvP fan, there’s just not much left to do. Housing is the only thing currently keeping me from quitting the game while I wait for the next MMORPG. I might come back when there’s more content.”
- The user Azzathor sees it soberly (via reddit): “People aren’t playing SOLO because it’s a good niche game, but because they just want to play any MMORPG. With Bless Unleashed, Elyon, Lost Ark, and New World around the corner, I expect that SOLO will struggle to survive at all. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want that to happen […], but I personally have lost some motivation to play.”
Swords of Legends Online – Conclusion after one month
If you listen to what’s being said on reddit, analyze the player numbers on Steam, and consider the past and planned content of the game, the following conclusion can be drawn:
In conclusion, Swords of Legends Online is not in a particularly rosy state about a month after release, but it’s also not terrible. The game offers enough content to keep players occupied for about two weeks and has already announced new content in the roadmap.
It can be expected that player numbers will continue to decline for the time being, albeit slowly. With other major MMORPGs like Bless Unleashed, New World, and Lost Ark, the game could lose further attention. However, if new content arrives, it’s conceivable that fans of the game will return to experience the new raids.
If you haven’t started with SOLO yet, we would advise waiting a bit longer. The game currently costs €40 on Steam and offers relatively little content for that price. However, if it goes on a Steam sale, you can purchase it without hesitation. Additionally, Gameforge has plans for new content. It’s not a question of “if,” but rather a question of “when.”
We can only wait to see if Gameforge can deliver new content in the long term to keep players engaged. We at MeinMMO will keep you updated.
SOLO – A Theme Park for Wuxia Fans
What exactly is SOLO? Swords of Legends Online is a theme park MMORPG from China that was launched there in 2019. It focuses on a fantasy story in Wuxia style as well as quests, dungeons, and raids. In Europe, Swords of Legends Online is operated by the publisher Gameforge, who will take care of the localization in this region. The core features of SOLO are as follows:
- PvE content with quests, story, and raids
- PvP content with faction battles and arenas
- Professions and bounty hunting
- 6 different playable classes
- Player housing and the ability to name your neighborhood in SOLO
- Mini-games and jumping puzzles
- Hundreds of achievements, appealing visuals, and a fair equipment system
SOLO operates on a Buy2Play model without Pay2Win aspects. You buy the game once and can then play all content without time limitations. Although there is a real-money shop, it is completely without Pay2Win content.
For a first impression, we have linked the game’s launch trailer for you:
How does SOLO play? Swords of Legends Online features a highly free movement system. You can run, jump, double jump, glide, and even fly relatively early in the game. Flying is available in two different modes – one where you basically hover and another where you dash forward. The latter is time-restricted.
Movement alone is already a lot of fun in SOLO. The combat system is similarly action-packed. Here, the game shines with an action combat system where you move with WASD and execute various attacks with the mouse buttons. You can enjoy playing with six different classes:
- The Bard – He fights with a string instrument and relies on ranged combat. At the same time, he heals himself and his allies.
- The Berserker – Charges into battle with a great sword and deals a lot of damage but can also tank.
- The Sword Mage – He uses a short sword and can employ it for both melee and ranged combat.
- The Spear Master – As the name suggests, you can wield a spear in battle and also support your allies.
- The Harbinger – Is the closest to an assassin. He fights with a great scythe and can either deal damage or heal.
- The Summoner – A pet mage, as known from other games. He summons companions and keeps his distance.
Each of the classes can assume one of two specializations, thus further adapting and optimizing their playstyle.
What do you think of SOLO? Are you still playing it, or did you only play at release and have since stopped? Which class did you like and how do you rate the available content of Swords of Legends? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
If you are interested in the genre, we show you here three other MMORPGs that have already been released in 2021.
