Swords of Legends Online is an MMORPG from China, set to be released in the West by Gameforge in the summer of 2021. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already spent over 80 hours playing during the Alpha, Beta, and the Taiwan version, and he is heavily convinced by the MMORPG.
What kind of game is this? Swords of Legends Online is a Buy-to-Play theme park MMORPG with a classic story of the battle between good and evil. The focus is on the Heavy Hearts, legendary creatures that seek out Chosen Ones to fight for the good side. You play one of these Chosen Ones.
The MMORPG impresses primarily with its beautiful graphics, numerous cutscenes, and action-packed combat system. It also offers:
- 6 different playable classes
- Several dungeons and later raids
- 7 life skills like bounty hunting, crafting, and fishing
- Various PvP modes, including arena battles and a large map where two factions constantly battle each other
- Player housing
Why is SOLO underestimated? When the new MMORPG was announced, the big hype did not arise. Many dismissed it as a dull Asia grinder solely because of its appearance or were put off by the publisher Gameforge, which many associate with Pay-to-Win. Another hurdle is the boring introduction to the game, which offers little variety.
However, you make a mistake if you write off Swords of Legends too early.
Unlike many other Asia MMORPGs in recent years, SOLO has excellent fundamentals such as an enjoyable combat system and plenty of content for different target audiences. Moreover, the accusations of grinding and Pay-to-Win are misplaced here, as you won’t find either at least at the release.
Another plus is the new updates and expansions in China, which are said to come to us in the West for free. They show that Swords of Legends has already been successful there and provide plenty of content supply once the initial content has been finished.
Action-packed combat system and beautiful graphics make you crave for more
Swords of Legends Online convinced me in the first 80 hours especially with 4 points:
- The action-packed combat system combined with versatile classes
- The fair equipment system
- The large scope that the game already has
- The graphics
What is special about the combat system? The main point that the MMORPG could score with me right away is the combat system. It relies on a mix of action fights and tab-targeting:
- I have to directly target enemies for some abilities and attacks, can actively dodge the opponents’ strongest abilities, and can use almost every ability while moving.
- At the same time, I can also firmly target one enemy and switch between several enemies with the Tab key. Additionally, I don’t have to aim perfectly at the enemies. For some abilities, it suffices if I shoot in the general direction.
Especially the smooth transitions between animations and the overall fluid gameplay convinced me. In the PvP arenas, I had so much fun in an MMORPG like I haven’t had in years.
Especially in terms of animations, SOLO has a lot of advantages over direct competitors like TERA or the soon-to-be-released Elyon. Both often force players to stand still for long periods, interrupting the action-packed fights. I would best describe the combat system of Swords of Legends as a mix of Guild Wars 2 and ESO.
Unlike Guild Wars 2, Swords of Legends, however, relies on a holy trinity of tank, healer, and damage dealer. Almost every class fulfills two of these roles, which I like very much.
- Through the specialization system, you can freely switch between two playstyles, you just need to be outside of combat
- The equipment can also be switched with a single click
The Reaper can take on the role of a damage dealer but also that of a healer. The Spearmaster, on the other hand, can be played as a tank or a damage dealer. Only the Sword Mage is tied to a role, that of the damage dealer.
What makes the equipment system so good? Anyone thinking of MMORPGs from Asia will probably immediately think of things like grinding or an annoying equipment system. Especially Black Desert has established a system where you not only have to farm a lot but also rely on a lot of luck.
Whoever wants to have the best equipment has to upgrade it many times. These upgrades can fail and even cause your equipment to be downgraded. The upcoming MMORPG Elyon also relies on such a system.
Swords of Legends, on the other hand, takes a player-friendly approach. You get the best equipment through crafting or dungeons, which limits the grinding. Each piece of equipment can be upgraded without failures and downgrading is not possible. Additionally, there is a socket system that allows you to adapt the equipment to your desires.
I also see positively the separation between PvE and PvP equipment. PvP equipment is only earned through PvP. It is also only really effective in battles against other players. Therefore, if you have no interest in PvE or PvP, you can simply ignore the respective equipment.
What does SOLO offer at release? In Swords of Legends, you can experience many different contents that offer something for every type of player. For many of these contents, however, the max level Student 1 is required.
- There are 5 dungeons with two difficulty levels – Normal and Hard – as well as a forthcoming third difficulty level Epic
- You can level up 7 life skills, where you can rise through several ranks and unlock new rewards
- There are 5 different PvP arenas, open-world PvP, and a pure PvP map where two factions battle against each other
- SOLO offers various leaderboards for players with the most achievement points, most money, or the best ranks in PvP
- You can indulge in the interesting housing system
- You have access to hundreds of achievements
- There are some in-game mini-games, including a kind of Bomberman, jumping puzzles in the Origami world, and a card game
Additionally, new content such as further dungeons, raids, and a 100v100 PvP mode have already been announced. Overall, this makes a good impression for a new MMORPG and especially PvP fans can feel at home here.
What about the graphics? SOLO is one of the MMORPGs with the best graphics that we can play in the West. Already in the trailers, the game made an impact and in-game it delivers what the videos promised.
The environments, the sky, and the water look stunning. The animations in the game are also well done.
Only the similar faces that all characters in the game have somewhat tarnish the beautiful graphical aspect of the MMORPG.
A pond near a city 
The beautiful environment 
One of the housing locations 
Wolkenstieg – The capital of the game
The slow start and open PvP could become a problem
What are the problems of SOLO? One of the biggest problems of Swords of Legends is the boring introduction. This runs linearly and is the same for every character:
- You start with some quests in a kind of tutorial
- After reaching Wolkenstieg, you can then enter the different class areas, where about 10 different quests per class await you until max level
- Otherwise, you level up in the same areas with the same quests. And these are usually simple “Kill X” or “Collect X” tasks
Only the good combat system makes leveling additional characters bearable. However, I am already dreading having to level all classes again in the live game later. SOLO could use a bit of variety, although the leveling process can be completed in about 10 to 20 hours.
The open-world PvP: A second problem with Swords of Legends is the open-world PvP. I initially thought this was optional, but it isn’t. Once you reach max level, you automatically get the skill “Rage of Combat”.
When you activate Rage of Combat, you can attack other players who also have Rage of Combat as a skill – meaning anyone who has reached max level. It doesn’t matter whether they have the ability activated or not. However, those who kill players who do not have Rage of Combat active accumulate stacks of Malice:
- Whoever accumulates too much Malice ends up in prison upon their next death, and this can last for several in-game hours.
- You must also spend the hours in prison completing quests to reduce the time. Based on experiences in beta, just 2 kills of other players are enough to lock you up for 50 to 300 minutes, depending on how you quest while in prison. The penalties are quite high.
- A detailed explanation has been created here: Players are confused about the PvP in Swords of Legends – We clarify it for you.
In the beta, I only encountered two players who attacked me in the open world. One death from another player does not have any direct disadvantages for me – such as item loss – but it is indeed quite annoying.
For me, Open-PvP could have related to the faction system that was introduced with beta 2. This allows you to join one of two factions that fight against each other:
- Anyone who belongs to a faction can kill players of the enemy faction in the open world without gaining Malice.
- However, you can decide anew with each character and even remain neutral and not join a faction.
- Nevertheless, even as a neutral player, you can be killed by the Rage of Combat. Only the killer then receives negative Qi.
I personally would prefer if Rage of Combat was abolished altogether and replaced with open PvP between factions. Whoever wants can join the PvP in the open world with one or all characters, and those who don’t want to can remain neutral forever.
However, the chances are good that kills in the open world may be unpopular due to the high penalties.
Swords of Legends has already received major updates in China
What does the future hold for SOLO? Swords of Legends started with an initial beta in China in 2017 and was officially released there in 2019. Since then, it has been constantly expanded.
If you look at China now, you will notice many differences between their version and ours of the MMORPG. There have already been several larger updates with new features, including:
- 3 additional playable classes
- The new max level “Master 1” (you level up again to Student 36 and complete a new ascension quest)
- New areas
- New dungeons
- PvP content like 100v100 and guild battles
So content for the upcoming months and years should be ensured. The new content is also promised to be released completely for free, as promised by the publisher Gameforge.
A strong MMORPG that will secure a spot in the top 10
Swords of Legends has huge potential, especially for players who enjoy exploring dungeons, unusual life skills like bounty hunting and the card game, or PvP. The MMORPG scores with a strong combat system, fair equipment without dull grind, stunning graphics, and the absence of Pay-to-Win. SOLO clearly appeals to fans of action-packed games like Blade & Soul or Black Desert. Anyone who also has a penchant for PvP should feel right at home in the new MMORPG.
However, you need to reach max level first before you can really enjoy the contents. This, as well as the buy-to-play aspect, initially create a significant entry barrier. Additionally, the Asian aesthetic does not appeal to every player. This will keep the overall player numbers somewhat smaller, although Final Fantasy XIV has shown that an MMORPG from Asia can also land in the mainstream.
After 80 hours, I am confident that Swords of Legends could accompany us for many years. Although I suspect it won’t make it into the top 5 – WoW, FFXIV, ESO, GW2, BDO – it could establish itself firmly somewhere behind that.
Alexander Leitsch
MMORPG expert at MeinMMO
