News – Blade and Soul Guide

New Blade and Soul Class, Soul Fighter, Joins the KR Server

December 16, 2023 by

While Blade and Soul NA/EU fans are guessing when the warlock will come after the launch in mid January 2016, the Korean server have already introduced the latest class.

New Class

The newest class is called Soul Fighter. SF is a hybrid class between Force Master and Kung Fu Master.

Soul Fighter, or known as Force Kung Fu Master, is similar to a monk or paladin class in other MMORPGs. He is capable of dealing high damage in melee and ice elemental long range skills. Also, he can heal and support party members. The 9th class is available for Gon and Kun races.

In addition to that, other updates were also made in the Korean server.

New Story Quest

The main story line will be continued, with the main antagonist being Julia, who have captured the young Jin Seoyeon. New allies will join the main character in his/her quest to save the young Jin Seoyeon.

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.

New Area

The story will unfold in a whole new continent with a lot of new areas, dungeons, new bosses and NPC.
The new region is known as Cloud Kingdom and includes Destiny Palace, a slum, the Coral Lagoon, the Forgotten Forest, the Black Dragon Cult HQ, and more locations.

Destiny Palace is the capital for the Cloud kingdom.

Coral Lagoon is a sandy beach surrounded by coral reefs. Despite its beautiful scenery, it is rumored that numerous ships sunk in this region and it has become the watery grave for many sailors.

Iridescence Port is the capital of Iridescence Kingdom. This is a trading hub where people from different continents converge on.

New NPC & Mobs

The lizard race occupies the ancient temple in the Forgotten Forest.
Forest croc race is one of the aborigines of the Forgotten Forest.
Zombie sailors are found around the Coral Lagoon.

New Instance – Southern Sanctuary

A new instance – Southern Sanctuary will be released. 3 new bosses have been revealed at the official site.

Abgwon
Defilement
Final Boss: Aman

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NCSoft Answers Fans Questions about BnS Western Server

November 27, 2024 by

NCSoft plans to announce the martial arts MMO Blade & Soul in North America release in this winter, and ever since its announcement they’ve been answering fan questions via the game’s Twitter feed. Below is a compilation of the questions they’ve addressed so far.

Q: What kind of feedback will be accepted during the closed beta test?
A: We’ll be accepting feedback on everything. The focus will be on balancing, but UI, Optimization, etc will all be passed on.

Q: On banning regions by IP:
A: No current plans to ban regions by IP.

Q: Will you launch with Lyn blade master and warlock as playable classes or will we have to wait?
A: This is something we are looking into. Can’t give a 100% yes/no answer yet. Sorry!

Q: Will there be Korean and/or Japanese voices for the game?
A: It’s something we’d like to do but can’t confirm anything yet.

Q: Will the controls be mappable onto a controller?
A: Natively, this is something we are looking into. But cannot say 100% or not yet.

Q: At what story arc will the game begin in the West?
A: We’ll start with the first three Arcs. And then the next 3 will be added afterwards, we want to see how quickly people progress.

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.

Q: Do all characters share the same story?
A: All characters follow the same story, which allows us to make it very detailed but each Class plays very differently in combat.

Q: How will features and updates compare to Asian territories?
A: Our version will be unique, with most up to date features, but staggered story updates (so people don’t rush/get bored). It will be a unique build. Localised (not just translated), with latest features best suited for a NA/EU market.

Q: What are the plans for PvP content at launch?
A: At launch, you can PvP out in the world by equipping PvP Costumes, and there is the 1v1 Arena. End-game PvP aims to be rewarding.

Q: On a Housing system or Guild House:
A: At this time, there are no plans for a Housing system or Guild Housing (aka clan) at launch.

Q: Is there a separate Western development team for Blade & Soul?
A: We don’t have any “Dev” teams on our side. We work closely with the teams out in Korea and request changes/updates/stuff. 🙂

Q: Where are the servers for different regions located?
A: NA servers will be in Dallas, TX. EU servers in Frankfurt, Germany.

Q: Will it be possible to transfer your account from the Asian servers?
A: This will not be possible as the NA/EU version will be unique and may not have the same items/systems as CH.

Q: Will the NA version be censored like the Chinese one, or will it be non-censored like the Korean?
A: We will not be censoring (like in the CN version) the Western version.

Q: Will measures be taken against bots and hackers?
A: Yes and yes. We’ll continue to provide updates following the schedule in other regions. We want to take swift action vs. cheating.

Blade & Soul will enter closed beta this Fall in North America and Europe on 19 January 2016.

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Blade and Soul NA Censored and Localized?

November 25, 2024 by

Finally after 5 years of waiting, we in North America can finally play Blade and Soul! In MMORPG, it is quite common to have slight changes among regional versions. However, not only are there slight, but disputed, changes and even censorship in Closed Beta for the NA fans.

A list of changes and censored content has been compiled by Reddit user SafeguardKilly. Some seriously modify the story line and visual ascetics of the game, although many of the changes are minor.

Censorship Related

  • Instead of forwarding forum posts to CM’s/Moderators, the localization team deletes them. These posts are of the nature that criticize the team’s decisions.
  • Content in the quests that are found to be personally offensive or not “welcoming” enough are removed or the quest is altered.
  • Players turn into a strict hero model with no moral neglect or equivocalness with the changes in story/NPC dialogue. Villains have become conventional cartoon-tier evil.
  • Becoming cash shop items, lingeries are removed and replaced with regular bra and panties. Also changed are default poses.
  • By combining surnames together with given names, they are now being erased.

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.

Localization Related

  • There are now memes and in most cases, a situation meant to be taken seriously turns into a comical one.
  • The game now has a dumbed down story. A puzzling/low-level experience is the result of foreshadowing being removed.
  • Because they feel it doesn’t make sense, game lore is being changed or overhauled entirely.
  • For no evident reason, NPC personalities are changed or randomly swapped around with other NPC’s.
  • In some cases, titles are replacing names entirely.

Some of these changes may sound trivial, such as the lingerie change, or can possibly be bugs. However, many will find it such a shame that NCsoft has chosen to ‘dumb down’ the story experience, particularly those who actually enjoy reading the lore and storylines.

According to the lead senior writer on the localization staff at NCSoft, in bringing the game to Western fans, making the game more “welcoming” to a more diverse audience is the ultimate goal for the changes. And not for the sake of censorship or to change the cultural intent of the quest.

“It’s not a matter of censorship or anything like that. There are a number of quests and NPC interactions in the game that go into playful innuendos and the like. It’s more a question of whether or not we wanted to include some genuinely questionable and uncomfortable content when we had the ability to make it something more welcoming. When I’m presented with the choice of writing a character and story line that is pretty reprehensible without it being critical commentary on his actions, or reworking it to a more positive direction that isn’t going to make me and others squirm, I’m not exactly going to hesitate to go for the latter.”

Check out the original reddit thread for a more comprehensive list of changes and ongoing discussions on these issues.

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Blade and Soul Western Release Announcement

November 21, 2024 by

According to NCSoft West’s announcement, 19th January, 2016, at 06:00 CET (05:00 UTC) is the set date for the launch of Blade & Soul in Europe and North America. On 11th January, Name Reservation will be available for Disciple and Master Pack buyers prior to the official launch. On 15th January, the Head Start period for all Founder’s Pack buyers will begin.

According to Tim Granich, senior director of Marketing at NCSOFT West, “This is a big day for us, as we’re able to share the official launch date of Blade & Soul for all Western players. We’ve already had tens of thousands of players in our first two closed beta weekends, and look forward to welcoming many more beginning with the next beta weekend on 24th November and all the way through launch”.

Closed Beta 2015 Weekend Schedule

Weekend 1: Oct 30–Nov 2 [English only]
Weekend 2: Nov 13–16 [English only]
Weekend 3: Nov 24–30 [English, French, German]
Weekend 4: Dec 11–14 [English, French, German]
Weekend 5: Dec 18–21 [English, French, German]

Recently completing its second closed beta weekend, this free-to-play MMO will feature launch content including seven classes for players to choose from, 30 dungeons, a character level cap of 45, and the popular skill-based 1v1 PvP Arena.

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.

The highlight of the game’s growing eSport’s presence is the Arena. Recently, NCSoft hosted the 2015 World Championship for Blade & Soul in Busan, South Korea that was attended by over 6,000 people in the course of 2 days. In the 2016 World Championship, NCSOFT plans to have North American and European representatives to participate. That is after they join in a competitive PvP tournament qualifier in the West. Soon after launch, pre-season rankings in North America and Europe will begin. Buy blade and soul gold and get a good headstart can be a good idea as well.

There are three packs that are can now be pre-ordered, as follows:

  • Initiate Pack – €22.49 / £18.99 / $24.99
    Closed Beta and Head Start access
    Receive two exclusive titles – Founder and Pursuer of the Wind
    20,800 Premium Points (used to increase your Premium Membership Tier)
  • Disciple Pack – €69.99 / £54.99 / $74.99
    Closed Beta and Head Start access
    Receive three exclusive titles – Founder, Pursuer of the Wind and Defender of the Ancestors
    34,400 Premium Points (used to increase your Premium Membership Tier)
    Create one character and secure character name before Head Start
    Gain two extra character slots at launch for a total of four character slots
    Starter item pack including 30-day premium membership, food, repair tools and more items
  • Master Pack – €114.99 / £94.99 / $124.99
    Closed Beta and Head Start access
    Receive four exclusive titles – Founder, Pursuer of the Wind, Defender of the Ancestors and Master of the Golden Path
    48,800 Premium Points (used to increase your Premium Membership Tier)
    Create two characters and secure character names before Head Start
    Gain five extra character slots at launch for a total of seven character slots
    Two exclusive costumes, one exclusive head accessory and one exclusive weapon skin
    Master item pack including 90-day premium membership, Dragon Trade pouches, potions and more

There will be restricted possibilities to gain access through the official beta signup on the Blade & Soul website if players don’t buy a Founder’s Pack.

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.

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