News – Blade and Soul Guide

Blade and Soul to Join in Korean E-Sports

November 13, 2024 by

Due to the official release in NA/EU, hype for Blade and Soul continue to rise in the West. Expect that to rise even higher with NCSoft’s announcement of the World Championship for E-sport competition for Blade and Soul 1vs1 Arena.

World Championship

In North America and Europe, NC Soft is busy with preparing for new servers for that region. On the other side of the pond, in South Korea, they are busy with E-sports that will be held on November 13 to 14.

Starting at 2:45am PST November 13, Blade and Soul’s .World Championship will be broadcasted and televised via Blade & Soul Twitch channel. That will be accompanied by on-site commentaries from DjTechlive, Community & Social Director Omeed Dariani, and Blade & Soul Brand Manager Julianne Harty. NCSoft urges its fans to stay tuned to the game as they have promised to give one hell of a show.

Learn how to reach the level cap within 2 days with this Blade and Soul Strategy Guide by Killer Guides. In-depth leveling strategies, class builds, crafting and gathering tips, gold making and more are included in this nifty manual. I myself bought the guide already and wrote my review here.

Arena Invitational Event

Jaesung Lee, one of the best Blade & Soul Arena players in the world, will also be joining the event in addition to a long list of pros who will battle in the World Championship. Lee will be offering worthy opponents the chance to go against him during Closed Beta Weekend 3.

Submission forms will be handed out where fans can sign up for the chance to challenge Jaesung. Faction t-shirts will be given to the lucky few and a Limited Edition Blade & Soul jacket awaits the one who can defeat Jaesung. Those who will watch via Blade & Soul Twitch channel can also have the chance to receive prizes in chat based on player performance in the matches. Beta keys will be given out the whole time, but a Master Founder’s Pack will be given out every time Jaesung gets defeated.

Players are encouraged to join in 1v1 Arena during Closed Beta Weekend 2. Based on the signups and the internal rankings of that weekend, the top ranking participants in both European and North American communities will be invited to battle Jaesung in a best of three 1v1 Invitational show matches. At 10am PST on November 24, streaming ofthe EU Invitational will start, and at 3pm PST of the same day, NA Invitational will start.

EU Update

Beginning on December 11, German and French versions will be released for Closed Beta 4. On Closed Beta Weekend 2, European servers will still be available. Anyone who has been invited to participate in a Closed Beta or who owns a Founder’s Pack (detail here) can still play using the English version.

For Closed Beta Weekend 2, all beta characters will receive a one-time copy to the new EU servers. Although it will have to be from new local EU servers, all returning EU players will still be able to pick up from where they left off in the past weekend.

Blade & Soul Closed Beta Schedule

Closed Beta 2: Nov 13–16
Closed Beta 3: Nov 24–30
Closed Beta 4: Dec 11–14
Closed Beta 5: Dec 18–21

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Blade and Soul Announces Business Model

June 23, 2024 by

After confirming that Blade and Soul will release as free-to-play for European and North American fans, NCSoft has announced via its official site more information about its business model.

In addition to offering 3 kinds of founder’s pack that will allow access to closed beta, the developer also adds that the business model will be similar to the Taiwanese version. Although we already know that the game is free-to-play, we will still need to know to what extent will it be.

The Game’s Philosophy

NCSoft believes that skill-based progression should be the focus the gameplay, just as how it’s supposed to be played. Unfair competitive advantage over other players cannot be attained with money and don’t expect to be held back with paywalls. Instead of power, gear, and permanent stat increases, they offer cosmetics, convenience, and consumables, because they don’t believe in pay-to-win. Also, the devs has dedicated themselves to provide regular content updates to keep everyone having fun with the game.

Learn how to reach the level cap within 2 days with this Blade and Soul Strategy Guide by Killer Guides. In-depth leveling strategies, class builds, crafting and gathering tips, gold making and more are included in this nifty manual. I myself bought the guide already and wrote my review here.

NCoin & In-game Coin

If you have been playing Wildstar, Aion and Lineage II, then most probably you are familiar with Ncoins – the currency that will be used in the cash shop in Blade and Soul. You can buy the currency in retail outlets in the US or through Ncoin online. You can use the currency to buy food, potions, repair tools and other convenience items. You can also use it to improve quality of life by buying character slots, inventory expansions, and Premium memberships. You can also improve the aesthetic effect of your character by buying attires and accessories.

Gameplay will soon begin to earn you in-game currency. Not only can this currency allow you to buy items in the cash shop but also event-related items.

Premium Membership

Premium Membership is also offered in the cash shopm which when bought, will remain active for 30 days. You can enhance enjoyment of the game by getting quality of life benefits when you have an active membership. The advantages of having a membership are designed particularly for the Western audience following the devs’ gaming philosophies.

There will also be tiers to the membership. Tier 1 is the starting level where players can unlock all sorts of benefits that improve as they move up the tiers. With the amount of NCoin and in-game currency that is spent including on Premium Membership itself, membership tier levels increase. You will never drop below a tier once you have unlocked it although in order to experience all the benefits, you will need an active membership. You lose access to the benefits as soon as your membership becomes inactive.

Founders Packs

Those who want access to the Closed Beta will be happy with this one. There are 3 types of founder’s packs and are all valid for the whole Closed Beta period.

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