Blade & Soul

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Jan 19, 2016
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 281 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 281
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 281
  3. Negative: 141 out of 281

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  1. stormmaiden
    Mar 3, 2016
    5
    Blade and Soul is not a bad MMO, however it's definitively not a good one either.

    I really tried to love it, but sadly it just doesn't bring much to the table that hasn't been done before already, and well done way better. Except the combat. Combat is just outstanding, and by far the best in this genre. However you can't really invest a years worth of time into an MMO which is    Blade and Soul is not a bad MMO, however it's definitively not a good one either.

    I really tried to love it, but sadly it just doesn't bring much to the table that hasn't been done before already, and well done way better. Except the combat. Combat is just outstanding, and by far the best in this genre.

    However you can't really invest a years worth of time into an MMO which is exceptional only with it's combat design. All the content it has to offer is mediocre at best, well PvE content is so bad it's not even worth mentioning.

    I really hope BS finds it's place in this genre, perhaps PvPers will love it due to it's combat. The game is on par with WoW, perhaps even a little bit better. However it's definitively way behind ESO, GW2 and FFXIV. I'd put Elder Scrolls Online as the best MMO currently, it's improving crazy fast, and well there is really nothing that BS does better than ESO. The comparison in quality is gigantic. Try it out for yourself.    … Expand
  2. PersonaJXT
    Feb 2, 2016
    5
    Blade and Soul is an okay game. Its graphics are very dated (not bad looking, just dated) and PvE is rather dull, which in the face of more modern MMO's set it back quite a bit. The translation for English is also horrendous, with various story elements plain rewritten to suit the translator's agenda. Localization is one thing, but when the translation plain breaks the story it's enteringBlade and Soul is an okay game. Its graphics are very dated (not bad looking, just dated) and PvE is rather dull, which in the face of more modern MMO's set it back quite a bit. The translation for English is also horrendous, with various story elements plain rewritten to suit the translator's agenda. Localization is one thing, but when the translation plain breaks the story it's entering into the realm of just plain making stuff up. I don't know what's up with the translators but they need to be fired if the game wants to appeal to the PvE population.

    What's great about the game are its combat system and PvP. The combat system is fairly fluid and complex, which ties in well to making its PvP feel very good as well. It rewards skill a lot and there are quite a bit of tricks you can learn to improve yourself. It's one of the more fun PvP in MMO's I've played in a while now.

    If you're into PvP I'd definitely recommend checking this game out. It's free to try after all, and it's a refreshing change from dated games like WoW. If PvP isn't your thing though or you're simply looking for a more complete game to play then I'd recommend against checking this game out because it falls behind many other games in every other aspect.    … Expand
  3. vermarien
    Jan 23, 2016
    5
    Graphics are ok! Better from usual korean mmo's at least. Coming from GW2, any mmo seems dull and full of grinding. Haven't played a lot yet, i like this "horny" environment, full of female characters even if it sounds a bit sexist. I really like the concept of using combos , but still fighting seems really slow paced. I also dont feel having 100% control of my character. Voice actors inGraphics are ok! Better from usual korean mmo's at least. Coming from GW2, any mmo seems dull and full of grinding. Haven't played a lot yet, i like this "horny" environment, full of female characters even if it sounds a bit sexist. I really like the concept of using combos , but still fighting seems really slow paced. I also dont feel having 100% control of my character. Voice actors in english language sounds... ridiculous. Not real action combat. Evades-Blocks etc are meh... But still a better game than any other "asian" mmos like archeage. Some improvements on the pay2win are necessary as well! I will continue playing hoping to see some more cons!… Expand
  4. TomWolf
    Jan 22, 2016
    5
    It's pretty and plays a lot on sexyness. It's quite disturbing thought that the female population seems to be 90% of the character base. While I understand that some people want to play as female it's obvious that a lot of players also just want to look at a sexy womans behind while playing, giving the feeling of hundreds of horny teenagers running around you while you play.

    The story    It's pretty and plays a lot on sexyness. It's quite disturbing thought that the female population seems to be 90% of the character base. While I understand that some people want to play as female it's obvious that a lot of players also just want to look at a sexy womans behind while playing, giving the feeling of hundreds of horny teenagers running around you while you play.

    The story is good if you enjoy that sort of manga/anime adventures though I personally have a bit of a problem when I'm the only survivor when my school is attacked and then I'm supposed to play with a bunch of players that are also the only survivor of when their school was attacked...

    The game is more action based than WoW but don't expect it to be a mortal kombat mmo (even though many seems to want to make that comparison).

    Controlls are ok-ish, I enjoy the jump float feeling.

    I give it a low score since it didn't manage to capture me and since the most fun I've had in the game was in the character creation...and the character creation is quite awesome, to bad nobody else notice all the details you put in to building your persona since you are just another sexy lady with protective gear that covers 20% of your body.

    I have a feeling that this game is popular mostly because people are itching big time for something to replace WoW....and horny teenagers.    … Expand
  5. V_i_O
    Feb 5, 2016
    5
    the pvp is quiet interesting but other than that considered to be dull and boring in my opinion from pve, story line , graphics, and the lack of mounts and housing which is a part of my love to any mmorpg, not to mention the grindy style.
  6. MadGav
    Apr 4, 2016
    6
    Fantastic visuals and a very cool (if generic) martial arts vengeance plot line spread across multiple chapters make this one of the most interesting F2P MMORPGs of last year. The latest update adds a wealth of new areas and an updated level cap.

    On the down side, lag can be crippling (especially during large scale raids) and the bot-population is beyond ridiculous. PVP (open world at    Fantastic visuals and a very cool (if generic) martial arts vengeance plot line spread across multiple chapters make this one of the most interesting F2P MMORPGs of last year. The latest update adds a wealth of new areas and an updated level cap.

    On the down side, lag can be crippling (especially during large scale raids) and the bot-population is beyond ridiculous. PVP (open world at least) is nearly unplayable due to the bot problem.

    Cross-server dungeoning, exciting combat and some truly beautiful art drag this game above average, but with so many factors dragging it back down, it is hard to recommend over all the other MMORPGs out there.    … Expand
  7. RangerMiG
    Feb 5, 2016
    5
    Not a bad game, crafting is good, graphics are okay, mediocre story but it's the combat that will bore you to death eventually and i didn't even log that much time!
  8. pythag0ras
    Apr 8, 2016
    5
    +fun combat (sorta , for the summoner anyway imo)
    +small dungeon maps
    +you can use all the rng weapons and accessories you get , to level up your class specific ones (the purple gear) -Basically just an action adventure game with a couple rpg elements. -Very linear and rigid character development. -Leveling feels rather pointless and slow. - No auction house access until lvl 16 and    +fun combat (sorta , for the summoner anyway imo)
    +small dungeon maps
    +you can use all the rng weapons and accessories you get , to level up your class specific ones (the purple gear)

    -Basically just an action adventure game with a couple rpg elements.
    -Very linear and rigid character development.
    -Leveling feels rather pointless and slow.
    - No auction house access until lvl 16 and even then you can only put 10 items a DAY up.
    - Tons of bots all over, also spamming the channel with gold sell spam.
    -NO ARMOR (this one i really dont understand) all your "armor" is just for looks and you get your stats from accessories.
    - Class imbalance as summoners and warlocks (pet classes) can solo 3 man dungeons no prob but none of the other classes can.
    -NO MOUNTS ! (you have to run/glide everywhere and to move fast you have to use sprint and that runs out quick)
    -annoying delay between battle and when you can sprint again, which sometimes goes for quite a while -
    -only 2 chars allowed to be created for free users-
    -cant send MAIL without buying NCoins- (comon devs wtf is that sht)
    -terrible crafting system
    -7day wait to delete a character , punishes you for wanting to try other classes (and since you only have 2 char slots ..)
    -nothing sells to the vendor for more then 1 copper, nothing, and with only being alble to sell 10 items a day on the auction, makes getting money really tough. They expect you to grind dailies for paltry amounts of money .
    -quests are extremely unrewarding-

    real disappointment .Ultimately , was worth playing for free, but I wouldn't spend a dime on this garbage.    … Expand
  9. Lumindais
    Jan 19, 2016
    5
    Graphics and all look really pretty from the trailers and the character creation, but good luck actually playing the game unless you pay for premium access. Even then the queue is at least 300 where are non-premium users have hour wait times and queued over 3,000 and holding. So, if you just like playing with the character creator you will find yourself uninstalling relatively quickly orGraphics and all look really pretty from the trailers and the character creation, but good luck actually playing the game unless you pay for premium access. Even then the queue is at least 300 where are non-premium users have hour wait times and queued over 3,000 and holding. So, if you just like playing with the character creator you will find yourself uninstalling relatively quickly or checking back in a few months when it dies down.… Expand
  10. kckkryptonite
    Feb 28, 2016
    5
    Disconnections, memory leak, poor optimization... These among other problems are things you might think a 4-year old game would have solved. To boot, NCSoft hasn't help the situation with their greedy price model or poor story translation for the US-release (the Korean version of the story is admittedly very good, if not great for an MMO). The equipment and crafting system are both garbageDisconnections, memory leak, poor optimization... These among other problems are things you might think a 4-year old game would have solved. To boot, NCSoft hasn't help the situation with their greedy price model or poor story translation for the US-release (the Korean version of the story is admittedly very good, if not great for an MMO). The equipment and crafting system are both garbage - you will not use 99% of equipment or craft 99% of the things available outside of fodder; bot run amok unbanned, loading screens everywhere - you can resurrect in the same zone you're in and the game still needs to LOAD. So what is left? The combat system is the only saving grace of this MMO, which is very well done. Though this is also plagued with problems that shouldn't exist, specifically the high ping due to NCSoft's cheap servers. BnS is a great example of a decent game gone to **** when a company wants to maximize greed at the expense of the game.… Expand
  11. Jaxpo
    Jan 20, 2016
    7
    *Pros
    - Combat is smooth
    - graphics are nice - unique mechanics compared to others in the genre - fast paced game but levels are not overly fast to achieve *Cons - Very linear questing - Feels like a game on rails - Starts to feel repetitive after a short time - Right now the long queues for F2P players (but this will change in a couple weeks) Overall it isn't a bad game but    *Pros
    - Combat is smooth
    - graphics are nice
    - unique mechanics compared to others in the genre
    - fast paced game but levels are not overly fast to achieve

    *Cons
    - Very linear questing
    - Feels like a game on rails
    - Starts to feel repetitive after a short time
    - Right now the long queues for F2P players (but this will change in a couple weeks)

    Overall it isn't a bad game but if you are looking for a traditional trinity style MMORPG, this is not for you. If you are looking for the next attempt at an action Esport game, then you should play it.    … Expand
  12. pongkrit03
    Mar 16, 2016
    7
    This is a revised review after I reach lv 45. I have to lower score I gave. I would give it 6, +1 for free to play = 7

    Good - 1.Combat System : best mmo comb i ever played 2.PVP : The best I ever played. everyone's equipment is same in arena = less farming time. 3.Music : a ton of awesome BGM in the game 4.F2P and not P2W, u don't need to money at all 5.Good Storyline in the first    This is a revised review after I reach lv 45. I have to lower score I gave. I would give it 6, +1 for free to play = 7

    Good -
    1.Combat System : best mmo comb i ever played
    2.PVP : The best I ever played. everyone's equipment is same in arena = less farming time.
    3.Music : a ton of awesome BGM in the game
    4.F2P and not P2W, u don't need to money at all
    5.Good Storyline in the first half of the game.
    6.Good Character Customization

    Bad
    1.PVE is dull, especially group PVE feel nothing
    2.Long loading time, need high spec PC to run the game
    3.Lagging, server issue
    4.Bots, even in PVP Arena, there are bots everywhere.
    5.No group pvp at this moment

    In summary, this game is great for people who like pvp 1v1, however there are Bots in arena, which made ur enjoyment extremely decline. For PVE, there is nothing special here.    … Expand
  13. Skarwind
    Feb 9, 2016
    7
    Blade & Soul isn't very innovative in the player versus environment perspective but the combat is definitely worth experiencing. If you are a fan of arena based PvP where your stats are normalized against everyone else's and your latency/skill are all that determine the winner then this is a very enjoyable game. Combat is very similar to the way fighting games work where invulnerabilityBlade & Soul isn't very innovative in the player versus environment perspective but the combat is definitely worth experiencing. If you are a fan of arena based PvP where your stats are normalized against everyone else's and your latency/skill are all that determine the winner then this is a very enjoyable game. Combat is very similar to the way fighting games work where invulnerability frames, timing, mind games, and skill upgrade points being placed into the right slots make all the difference.

    I wish I could rate the game much higher but the North American release of the game is poorly optimized. This alone stopped me from giving it a 9. The other issue is that because all of the servers, as far as i'm aware, are all located in one central location which is Texas. The EU servers are located in Germany as far as the forumites have told me. This makes it pretty hard for anyone outside of those countries to get the best ping possible when it comes to arena so for those located in South America, Australia, and just anyone else that wants to play the game with friends from across the world as well as doing the cross server dungeons it may not be the best experience possible versus other MMORPGs at the moment.

    The reason I can't give this game an 8 is mainly for PvE reasons. For a game that is several years old at this point in Asia it seems that the localization team decided not to give players the option to select optional voice overs that already exist for the game. For many players who are fans of Asian games and want the Korean, Japanese, or even Chinese voice overs you will have to seek outside sources in order to achieve the ability to do so. Although this isn't a huge turn off for players like myself there are many who voiced this concern before the game's launch and the developers did very little to add a simple feature.

    The game's overall story is a very simple tale of revenge. To leave out spoilers but still give an idea to players that only care for the PvE content simply imagine a Kung Fu style movie where there is a chosen one. This chosen one must do great deeds to prove themselves and eventually gain enough power to defeat their enemy. Although the story is currently being held behind patches for the NA/EU release it appears that the writing doesn't get much better than that. Fans of Wuxia style anime or movies such as Kung Fu Hussle, Bruce Lee films and others this will give enough to keep you going.

    Although the game does feature a premium membership it is not entirely necessary. It does confer exp bonuses, monetary gains, discounts in the cash shop, and a decrease in your fast travel cooldown it doesn't feel like it is really helpful unless you have the 12 dollars and some change a month to burn. The cash shop is also refreshing to see as it is not pay to win at all. There are convenience items that can speed up your progress but nothing that will ever make you better than another player simply because you or they have more money to spend. The outfits, for the most part, have variants that can be earned in game with some exceptions that are exclusive to the shop. Some players have stated that those specific outfits don't look very great and I'd have to agree.

    Overall BnS is a very fun game and one that I've enjoyed for over a hundred hours now in both the Arena and PvE dungeons/campaign. The game has its fair share of bots which are slowly being dealt with by the devs and it feels like the early days of Final Fantasy A Realm Reborn's launch. The graphics aren't amazing but they look decent but with the game's poor optimization even my rig consisting of a mid range PC:

    CPU: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Overclocked to 4.3Ghz
    RAM:16 GB DDR3 1600Mhz (Team)
    GPU: Geforce Gigabyte GTX960 2GB DDR5 factory overclocked
    OS:Windows 10
    HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM

    The game only hits 60fps when there are no players around or i'm in a dungeon with only 6 players with the graphics settings set to auto. it dips to under 30fps in populated areas even with the option to hide players enabled. In the arena i'm always at 60fps even when in 1v1 or 3v3 Tag matches with all players using skills and effects enabled to max. It just seems like the game wants to die when players enter the area regardless of being hidden, skill effects disabled, view distance disabled etc...

    On the forums there are even players complaining that GTX 980TIs are having issues or GTX770s are running the game with sub-par settings and still not able to consistently hold 60fps in a game running the Unreal Engine 3 and that is four years old.

    BnS is fun and if you enjoy PvP it is definitely worth checking out as it has a strong esports community in Korea and hopefully, with enough updates, can achieve a strong following in the U.S. and Europe.    … Expand
  14. DLknoll
    May 3, 2016
    5
    For how old the game is it is pretty good, combat is nice and very combo heavy. Which is different when compared to a game such as tera which also has a combat system thought more skills and items to use then compared to BnS. (Still prefer tera's combat as I feel there is never a time when i'm stuck just spamming auto do to being unable to cast ability one after another as apposed to BnS.)For how old the game is it is pretty good, combat is nice and very combo heavy. Which is different when compared to a game such as tera which also has a combat system thought more skills and items to use then compared to BnS. (Still prefer tera's combat as I feel there is never a time when i'm stuck just spamming auto do to being unable to cast ability one after another as apposed to BnS.)

    The story line is rather interesting and the side quests are more or less essential to lvling with the typical gathering, kill amount and return quests.

    The games PvP is actually really **** good when in arena, it balances gear and lvls for the 1v1 and tag team matching. So even if you are fighting a lvl 50 player if you can land a successful counter you can still hurt them alot.

    What I honestly hate about this game is open world PvP, the faction system and gear progression. The open world PvP is horribly unbalanced since it is related to factions, there is nothing stopping high lvls from camping out faction areas to kill lower lvl players as the NPC's in the camp areas are only scaled for that areas lvl. The faction sizes are also extremely disproportional with one side always being larger than the other side for no reason. If you had given me the option to not join a faction then I would have been more then content to be a solo player and not bother with the blue and red fighting. But since the game forces you either in early lvls or later on to pick one side, as well as the fact a item which is needed in practically every crafting guild can only be obtained in decent quantity through faction dailies, its just horrible should you be on during peek hours and in the not as popular faction.

    Gear progression is a nightmare after you hit 36 as the game no longer give you even 1 of the 20+ stones you will eventually need to upgrade your weapon, 3~5 accessory items. You'll also need a lot of gold, which sadly unless you craft and play the market or run a lot of end game dungeons is very scarce while lvling due to low quest rewards.
    The game is also hosted by NCsoft who have never really had a successful game that wasn't plagued with bugs, bad servers, bots out the window (literally you will see a bot every 5 minutes, if not then they will probably be spamming chat 20 times in a second.) All i    … Expand
  15. Foxtina
    Jan 8, 2018
    6
    I had liked this game from the start, but after some expansion and update all my grinding turned to nothing. They change and change everything in the game, and change and change that it's ridiculous! They make it easier and easier for a new player, but what about us? My effort and money were wasted. Thank you.
  16. destinyfan1
    Nov 7, 2017
    6
    This was just an ok mmo but nothing more
    The combat is great and the graphics are great for an mmo and the game is sometimes fun
    But the content is mostly boring ,dungeons feel boring interface is a mess
    But because its free it might be worth picking up
  17. ergenecondom
    Aug 27, 2017
    6
    Oyun rakiplerine göre baya iyi optimizyon çok iyi dandik pcde bile kasmıyor grafikleri iyi oldugu halde dövüş mekanikleri baya başarılı combo yapmanızı sağlıyor ve yetenk istiyor biraz harita tasarımları karrakter tasarımları gayet başarılı tek kötü yani oyunun hikayesi kısmı çok bayıcı son levele gelene kadar oyunu bırakabilirsiniz ama mmorpg oynamak istiyorsanız en başarılı örneklerindenOyun rakiplerine göre baya iyi optimizyon çok iyi dandik pcde bile kasmıyor grafikleri iyi oldugu halde dövüş mekanikleri baya başarılı combo yapmanızı sağlıyor ve yetenk istiyor biraz harita tasarımları karrakter tasarımları gayet başarılı tek kötü yani oyunun hikayesi kısmı çok bayıcı son levele gelene kadar oyunu bırakabilirsiniz ama mmorpg oynamak istiyorsanız en başarılı örneklerinden biri.… Expand
  18. hetzo
    Mar 2, 2019
    7
    Blade&Soul isn't that bad as it shows itself for first few hours. Storyline is good, level design is good either. The most successful thing in B&S is combat. After 10 years of target system MMO it was interesting and convenient. I think you should give this MMO a chance.
  19. Yggdraszil
    May 16, 2020
    7
    English:
    Really very cool, play it with your friends, it is very visually friendly and to discover.

    Français:
    Vraiment très cool, jouez-y avec vos amis, il est très sympathique visuellement et à découvrir.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
81
#81 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Games.cz
    May 18, 2016
    70
    Addictive MMORPG with a classic core, whose main attraction is a great and entertaining fight together with a number of well-functioning systems. Only some particular technical problems and boring quests prevent the gem to achieve the greater score.
    Read full review
  2. Everyeye.it
    Apr 20, 2016
    68
    We waited a lot to play Balde & Soul, but NCSOFT's MMO arrives on the west market a little too late. The action oriented combat system is interesting and well designed, but PvP is still unbalanced and the endgame is tasteless and boring. The game, in conclusion, has very good intuitions but a very bad structure.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Mar 30, 2016
    65
    A belated game following the band of other Korean MMOs vanishing on the horizon. [03/2016, p.58]
See all critic reviews »