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. Sintei
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    Blade and Soul is one of the most fun Asian styled mmo's i have ever played. I have been playing the NA/EU Version since Alpha Testing and have enjoyed every single minute i have played the game. Don;t trust these reviews from people who have not even played the game and are writing low reviews because of NC soft as a company, or they played one of the Asian servers and found it grindy.Blade and Soul is one of the most fun Asian styled mmo's i have ever played. I have been playing the NA/EU Version since Alpha Testing and have enjoyed every single minute i have played the game. Don;t trust these reviews from people who have not even played the game and are writing low reviews because of NC soft as a company, or they played one of the Asian servers and found it grindy. The NA/EU Port was very well done and the game has an amazing story. Also PvP while fun is not required to enjoy the game, but the PvP is insanely fun and skill based instead of gear based. I was able to attack and kill someone 7 levels higher than me because i knew my class better. it is a real rush! And the Tag Team Arena Matches have so much awesome and surprising twists it is amazing!

    My Main point is since the game is free to play, please try it for yourself before you decide to follow the advice of people who have not played this version and base it off the past.    … Expand
  2. Yulie
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    I cannot believe all these negative reviews. The game is so much fun. Combat is totally engaging and the best I've ever experienced in any mmo.

    This is mainly a PvP game that is face paced and completely satisfying. There is PvE though. There are dungeons and these need to be farmed to get items to upgrade your gear. The classes are very well balanced since this game is an esport    I cannot believe all these negative reviews. The game is so much fun. Combat is totally engaging and the best I've ever experienced in any mmo.

    This is mainly a PvP game that is face paced and completely satisfying. There is PvE though. There are dungeons and these need to be farmed to get items to upgrade your gear. The classes are very well balanced since this game is an esport in the East.    … Expand
  3. BigStiff
    Jan 19, 2016
    10
    Very fast, very fun. Opening half hour gave me goosebumps. Never been so invested in an mmo story.

    The Controller controls take some getting used to but over all they are manageable, you can always just use m&k. Character customization is very flushed out, and if that's not your thing there is lots of presets. The voice acting (when used) is very immersive, easy to understand, an    Very fast, very fun. Opening half hour gave me goosebumps. Never been so invested in an mmo story.

    The Controller controls take some getting used to but over all they are manageable, you can always just use m&k.

    Character customization is very flushed out, and if that's not your thing there is lots of presets.

    The voice acting (when used) is very immersive, easy to understand, an d match the characters very well.

    Character model movements are very fluid and mostly uninterrupted.

    Game plays very optimized for just releasing, on my gtx 660 i get easy 60fps on high graphics.    … Expand
  4. Ryders
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    What an amazing game! The action combat has changed the way I look a MMO's. I will never be able to go back to a game like WoW again where I mash buttons in a rotation. Every kick, every punch, and swing in Blade and Soul just feels so right.
  5. Mazzbunker
    Mar 3, 2016
    10
    'So its been about 2 months since the release of BnS and I am curious to see its user score on metacritic...' 5.6... well... I'll go **** myself. I feel like I have to defend a beautiful girl being pestered by a bunch of thugs and receiving a black eye for ever intervening (represented by the no votes on this review). Are we even playing the same game? Giving a game a zero rating is such a'So its been about 2 months since the release of BnS and I am curious to see its user score on metacritic...' 5.6... well... I'll go **** myself. I feel like I have to defend a beautiful girl being pestered by a bunch of thugs and receiving a black eye for ever intervening (represented by the no votes on this review). Are we even playing the same game? Giving a game a zero rating is such a troll score. The game is booootiful and very much enjoyable. 10/10… Expand
  6. Eckogen
    Feb 23, 2016
    9
    An honest review of the game. Blade & Soul was marketed as a PvP game and still remains as a PvP game. If you do not enjoy PvP at all, than do not play this game as PvP makes up a large portion of it. The Arena does a good job of eliminating equipment as a factor in PvP. Within the Arena it comes down to player skill and extra skill points, but ultimately skill triumphs. Open world PvP isAn honest review of the game. Blade & Soul was marketed as a PvP game and still remains as a PvP game. If you do not enjoy PvP at all, than do not play this game as PvP makes up a large portion of it. The Arena does a good job of eliminating equipment as a factor in PvP. Within the Arena it comes down to player skill and extra skill points, but ultimately skill triumphs. Open world PvP is no holds-barred. If you put on the Faction outfit, you are flagged for PvP regardless of your location or level. Classes aren't perfectly balanced yet. There is hardly any grinding in this game compared to other MMOs. It takes 24 hours to reach the maximum level (excluding Hoongmoon levels) if you really tried. The upgrade system is a no **** system. What do I mean by no ****? Well, once you can have the appropriate material to upgrade your weapon or accessories, the upgrade chance is 100%. Whereas in other games the chance of success to upgrade lowers as you get higher. There are no mounts because of the unique "transportation" system. Characters are able to move like they do in cliche Kung Fu movies; dashing up walls, jumping over obstacles, running across water, etc. It feels like I'm in a Kung Fu movie.

    The game requires more optimization patches for a smooth experience. Right now, gaming rigs will drop low in FPS in heavily populated areas (Blackwyrm). Bots and gold sellers are common, but really what MMO doesn't have this problem? There is only one server location for the NA servers (in Texas). This is a poor decision as it is so far central south of US. A centralized server such as Chicago would have been a better choice (based on demographics). Overall, this game is addicting as I have been putting a good 7-8 hours per day into it since head start. It's definitely not perfect. It needs some polishing and I hope the developers will do so.    … Expand
  7. Phalmorc
    Feb 23, 2016
    10
    this Is simply the best PvP game out there.. playing with friends is super fun.. you will never look back to slow mmos like Final Fantasy or even guild wars 2 ... like ever.
  8. Viper1000
    Jan 21, 2016
    10
    I have to say, I have never written a review for a game before , but I think this one deserves one. I think the game is absolutely stunning to look at, and character models look great. Prolly the sexiest asian mmo I've played. I do have a good computer and monitor. I play in 3D and it's amazing looking. The combat is so fast on my assassin and more skill based than other mmo's. You can'tI have to say, I have never written a review for a game before , but I think this one deserves one. I think the game is absolutely stunning to look at, and character models look great. Prolly the sexiest asian mmo I've played. I do have a good computer and monitor. I play in 3D and it's amazing looking. The combat is so fast on my assassin and more skill based than other mmo's. You can't just sit n click with your mouse on your bar.

    I love the windwalking, flying , running, and dragonpulsing is amazing, never seen anything like that. Hard to explain until you see it. The crafting I have'nt gotten into much, seems diffrent than other mmo's. You join a crafting guild then place orders from mats. Then wait for like 30m for it to be ready.

    I really like the DF, It ports you to a lobby where you can choose from a list of available dungeons you are able to enter. You select the one you want, then the system brings in other players up to 6 to go in with you, you are ported to staging area. Then you enter portal to dungeon. It's not like WOW where you wait 30m to an hour. The matching system is almost instant.

    Anyways I can't wait to see wha'ts ahead. I'm only 22 and I think max is 45. Try it, it's free.    … Expand
  9. Graydon
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    Great combat, fantastic Open World and Arena PvP system. I've never been really in to the whole Asian styled mmo scene, but this is definitely a game worth trying.
  10. xtremehybrid
    Feb 17, 2016
    10
    I normaly hate questing in MMOs... But this game bad me caught the moment I logged in, Smooth and fast phased combat, Intresting characters (I went from hateing a character to getting sad when I finally got my wish of the character being down in the dirt). Really challengeing combos for all the classes I played so far, I cant tell you how impressing some moments are in this game. ReallyI normaly hate questing in MMOs... But this game bad me caught the moment I logged in, Smooth and fast phased combat, Intresting characters (I went from hateing a character to getting sad when I finally got my wish of the character being down in the dirt). Really challengeing combos for all the classes I played so far, I cant tell you how impressing some moments are in this game. Really good and smooth graphics that I can look at for hours, Everything you do in your combos will feel like it really did something (Is that something you feel in say WoW?) The skill is all in PvP I have not faced one class that have been impossible to beat, just took abit of practise and thinking. The game can be alittle grindy to Free to play players as myself... But what do you expect it to be as free to play? I deffenetly dont feel its pay to win, You can buy almost all the stuff for ingame currensies and the things you cant buy for it is the membership that does give priority login. Faster leveling and resorces. But I havent had any problems loging in lately. Give the game a chanse and dont expect to understand everything instantly, afterall when you start to learn you feel alot better about it… Expand
  11. Drezs
    Jan 21, 2016
    9
    Its awesome combat,skills and animations are great.
    The content give to you so many things to passing the time ingame.
    And for me crafting in this game is realy creative and imersive i love it.
  12. Pinkyz
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    Oh What a game! Action based combat that is perfection. Highly recommend game. Graphics are really nice. The Kung Fu Master combos are challenging. I feel I keep getting better. Blade and Soul gives a sense of accomplishment. I can't say I've ever felt this connected to a character and story line. Thank you Blade and Soul Development team!
  13. NoMads
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    I can't stop laughing. I feel like a kid again. The combat is a blast like I was back in the arcade as a kid. The graphics don't feel old to me. I almost didn't even bother trying the game out because of some of these reviews. I decided to give it a try thankfully. This is my new main game!
  14. reign
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    This game is very fun and very interesting! The story is well made as well as the fast paced combat it is everything I can expect of a martial arts game I would recommend this game to everyone I know because the more people you run with the more fun it is. Each class is well planned and unique to fit almost any ones play style. The controls are taxing at first but easy once you learn them.This game is very fun and very interesting! The story is well made as well as the fast paced combat it is everything I can expect of a martial arts game I would recommend this game to everyone I know because the more people you run with the more fun it is. Each class is well planned and unique to fit almost any ones play style. The controls are taxing at first but easy once you learn them.

    HAIL SWARM    … Expand
  15. ElderLegend
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    Blade and Soul-NA/EU server is one of the best games I have ever play, I have played so many MMORPG and when a new one comes out I play it but very few times it creates the enjoyment of playing and wanting to continue the game and to try all the classes, is a game with choises that actually rewards you there is no excess of weapon or armor and the dungeons are fun to play even the grindBlade and Soul-NA/EU server is one of the best games I have ever play, I have played so many MMORPG and when a new one comes out I play it but very few times it creates the enjoyment of playing and wanting to continue the game and to try all the classes, is a game with choises that actually rewards you there is no excess of weapon or armor and the dungeons are fun to play even the grind for the item is fun, the loot system is something new and inovated, not seen in any other MMORPG, the story is well writen and actually makes you want to know more about it, and even the normal quest are hook you to read what they say because all have a story behine them and they reveal the secreat of the place you are. No more going questing in a beautifull place and not know what is happening or how the place came to bee. The combat is fluent and really efficient and make it really fun to know the combos and the way you use your skill even on the comman monsters, and the classes are all perfect for their style there is no overpower, the only way to overpower other players is to be good and playing and knowing your class the best, the open world PvP is something that you can manage, and actually enjoy, is a game that challenges you and make it fun to get stronger and rewarding knowing how to play your class. So the game is something great and really fun to play and fallow, and for those who just talk and talk compering the game with others and negating the game are just losers who do not what they are talking, plus is free to play so try and you will see that I am right.… Expand
  16. MarcTryon
    Jan 31, 2016
    10
    After playing quite a bit more, I'm upping this from an 8 to 10.

    This is actually one of the most enjoyable MMOs I've played in some time. The classes are all unique and fun. The aesthetics are quite entertaining. The movement with its glides and dashes is a joy, very fluid. Classes have lots of dodges and blocks which make for dynamic combat. I wish there were dyes. And, while I've    After playing quite a bit more, I'm upping this from an 8 to 10.

    This is actually one of the most enjoyable MMOs I've played in some time. The classes are all unique and fun. The aesthetics are quite entertaining. The movement with its glides and dashes is a joy, very fluid. Classes have lots of dodges and blocks which make for dynamic combat.

    I wish there were dyes. And, while I've yet to get tired of it, it does have one of the more linear questing systems. That said, definitely a lot of fun and one that does not show its age.

    I've seen some of the professional reviewers give it mixed reviews and all I can say is that these are the same reviewers that raved over SWTOR or GW2-HoT. While admittedly they do have publishing deadlines, they seem to be very superficial reviews. It's free try it out yourself and give it a few levels.

    Oh, and the story quest is one of the better ones out there. Not as good as SWTOR but that's all SWTOR had going for it.    … Expand
  17. rayne9
    Jan 20, 2016
    9
    bit of uncomfortable elements , heavy log-in queue , too much PC spec requires. but good game tho.
    fresh-new type of MMO-RPG. must play if u like oriental chivalry shows. very fits and making good experience for being a main hero of it.
  18. Kiseki
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    To start off, none of the reviews really tell you much about the game except to just say nothing new, this is bad. I will describe here in details what I have experienced.

    Theme The theme of this game seems to be based on chinese martial art/fantasy novels. The exception been the player outfits. They are very umm..."liberal" and "flasy". But not all of them are like that. You can    To start off, none of the reviews really tell you much about the game except to just say nothing new, this is bad. I will describe here in details what I have experienced.

    Theme

    The theme of this game seems to be based on chinese martial art/fantasy novels. The exception been the player outfits. They are very umm..."liberal" and "flasy". But not all of them are like that. You can choose to be a male midget with ears and tails that look really cute - nothing sexualised.

    Visual

    The visual environment of this game is very impressive. More so than any other game I've come across. However, its a very asian style that probably doesnt appeal to westerners. You get to glide in mid air and in certain zones it makes a really impressive and awesome experience. Namely Hong Mong Isle (starter area), Hogshead Pastures and Taimong Fishing village. (possible spelling problems, I dont remember it that well.) Its a bit like an asian "heavenly realm".

    Combat

    As for the combat, its smooth. The characters are easy to play, has good skill tree and combat visual. Controls is similar to TERA but better. there are two modes you can choose from. The TERA style or the default. I find the default be better. walk with keyboard "W A S D" and basic attack with left and right mouse button. Left and right mouse button execute two different skills. You also get a suite of other useful skills that have easy to use hotkeys allocated and you can freely choose the skills you want to allocate your points to and which key to assign them.

    Leveling/Quests

    The way to level up is through quests. Most of them are kill x creatures, or kill x and gather drops. But there are quite many others that let you get involved with the local community - e.g. turn sprinklers, gather tea leaves, food materials. help catch pets. You dont really have to repeat them to level up. But unfortunately, there are alot of them and can feel grindy. But you dont really stay in the same area for long, the monsters in new areas are different.

    Plot/Dialogue

    The dialogues are ok, but it will largely depend on you. There's a heavy eastern flavor which westerners may not appreciate. otherwise it can be alright if you are patient enough to read them, some of them are quite funny too. The world and characters are also consistent through out. You see characters from earlier areas and their story remain consistent.

    Gear

    Gearwise you get a weapon at the beginning then other accessories as you progress the early game. The cloths are only cosmetic outfits and there's a pvp faction outfit in every area you can use to combat with players that are wearing the opposing pvp faction uniform. Unfortunately I think you can be lvl 10 and they can be lvl 45...

    To progress gearwise, you just upgrade them by feeding it weapon and accessory drops you get. There are multiple stages for each weapon and accessory, each stage contains 5 levels. to progress to the next stage after maxing out levels you need a class specific weapon or for accessories a specific accessory from a boss. The accessories are easy to get, but the class specific weapon can be a pain. The fastest would be to purchase from the market place or if its not tradable recommend you buy the special key that grants your class specific weapon and eliminates RNG.

    Money

    Money is sparse from level 1 to around level 30. Once you get to the area where monsters are around lvl 38 the quest rewards suddenly spike upwards in money rewards. and the money required to upgrade gears also spike upwards many times.

    Overall

    This is a very well made game, attention have been given to alot of details. Likes of this game I have not seen in others. If guild wars heart of thorns can get 85, this deserve much much better than a 0-6 score. This game does alot better.    … Expand
  19. DirtyBird07
    Mar 8, 2016
    8
    The game is great. Seriously great.

    Pro: Good end game content and challenge. Grouping is vital and necessary and easy. Cross server dungeon is great. Large variety of mobs. Graphics are good. Best thing about the game is the fighting. It's completly based on your individual skills. If you suck, you wont go far. Auction house is good and economy thrives. Content being released is fast    The game is great. Seriously great.

    Pro: Good end game content and challenge. Grouping is vital and necessary and easy. Cross server dungeon is great. Large variety of mobs. Graphics are good.
    Best thing about the game is the fighting. It's completly based on your individual skills. If you suck, you wont go far. Auction house is good and economy thrives. Content being released is fast and good.
    Free to play. The story is really great.

    Con: Weapon upgrading is weird. Armor comes in the form of Soulshields, which isn't bad, but different.
    Worst part is the features you miss if you aren't a premium-subscribing-member. You miss out on alot of cool features like the closet to store outfits and stuff. Inventory space is ROUGH, if you dont buy extra slots.

    I really like it. Not as good as FF14, but not 15$ a month to play either =)    … Expand
  20. CommissarMonkey
    Mar 1, 2016
    9
    Great number of idiot reviews from headstart weekend **** cause they all chose the same server. Gee good job guys you all dogpiled one server and expected there not to be queues.

    Anyways thats ancient history now. Game is in a good place, some things could be improved like the bots that do show up every now and then in arena matches. I hear they are more common in the low rank arena,    Great number of idiot reviews from headstart weekend **** cause they all chose the same server. Gee good job guys you all dogpiled one server and expected there not to be queues.

    Anyways thats ancient history now. Game is in a good place, some things could be improved like the bots that do show up every now and then in arena matches. I hear they are more common in the low rank arena, but you dont see them hardly ever in platinum.

    The game is free to play after all, so try it yourself, and form your own opinion.    … Expand
  21. REDSIPERAS
    Jan 21, 2016
    10
    Easily the best mmo i have played since World of Warcraft. Hands down the best pvp system i have ever experienced. Recommend this to anyone, i dont even like asian weaboo art styles.
  22. jmartin77777
    Jan 23, 2016
    10
    Best combat I've ever experienced in an MMORPG, close to a fighting game when playing PVP. Also it has a story that I am enjoying. Its sappy and anime, but its motivating in a way few MMOs are (FF14 being one of the few others that I liked). The world & characters are beautiful, and the animations are stellar, you can really see the love that someone put into animating the game &Best combat I've ever experienced in an MMORPG, close to a fighting game when playing PVP. Also it has a story that I am enjoying. Its sappy and anime, but its motivating in a way few MMOs are (FF14 being one of the few others that I liked). The world & characters are beautiful, and the animations are stellar, you can really see the love that someone put into animating the game & cut-scenes. Digital actors are animated down to nuanced glances and expressive hand gestures. Fights & large scale battles in cut-scenes are well choreographed and really sell the events (when compared to other MMOs for whom a story battle may be 3 pairs of static NPCs endlessly bashing swords at each other). The detail of the animation really stands out in live battle too. Few (if any) other MMOs do as good of a job at making animations feel like they connect. If you activate a parry under a repeated NPC attack, you can see your character recoil under each blow.The music is also wonderful, selling events and cut-scenes well.

    Finally, I want to come back to the combat. I only really gave it one sentence above, but the combat system is FANTASTIC! In PVP it approaches the skill level of a true fighting game, with iframes & juggles & escapes. And even with PVE the fights are a blast! As you progress through the levels, the enemy AI starts using complex moves against you (trips, blocks, grapples, etc...) and you have to up your game to keep up. And the feeling of moving into a room and fluidly decimating its entire contents without taking a hit is a pure Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon moment.

    I can't rate this game high enough. I think at a few points while playing so far I had minor gripes, but as I think back I am hard pressed to recall a moment when I wasn't having fun, and when I did not want to go play more.    … Expand
  23. Azurion
    Jan 29, 2016
    10
    Amazing game! Great graphics ,the combat is incredible and the ability to glide and run so fast with all those great animations is just spectacular . Great character creation screen with lots of choices , great races and the classes with their own unique power, just brilliant ! A must try MMO !
  24. drumbunny
    Jan 27, 2016
    10
    Once youp play a game like Blade&Soul, you'll never be able to play such slow-paced-click-one-button-wait-for-gcd games like wow or FFXIV!!
    Even TERA is subpar gemplaywise....
    Also definitely no P2W!
  25. Wilcalaf
    Apr 13, 2016
    10
    I have been playing since launch. very good game. feels very dynamic and good.
    Pros:
    Graphics are good.
    Combat is just the best thing i have experienced before.
    Arena system is great.
    Pve is good as well

    Cons:
    Crafting system feels likes it need to be reworked.
    No catchups mechanics for new players/ Alt chars
  26. holdenhamlet
    Feb 26, 2016
    10
    Combat system is insanely good. 1v1 PVP is by far the most intense and best gaming experience I've ever had. PVE is pretty standard. Game currently has a lot of bots but hopefully something can be done about it.

    If you like the idea of an amazing PVP Arena with a solid MMO attached to it, this is the game for you. Funny how people reviewing the game are giving it Zeros but still    Combat system is insanely good. 1v1 PVP is by far the most intense and best gaming experience I've ever had. PVE is pretty standard. Game currently has a lot of bots but hopefully something can be done about it.

    If you like the idea of an amazing PVP Arena with a solid MMO attached to it, this is the game for you.

    Funny how people reviewing the game are giving it Zeros but still admit it has a great combat system. You'd think for a zero it wouldn't even have a combat system.    … Expand
  27. Jaavier
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    Best MMORPG of last years. No more words. It is a game where you can do everything new combat system, there are no frames, the community is excellent. This game is really well done, each landscape, each skill, the story is incredible.
  28. AsheRayne
    Jan 31, 2016
    10
    Figure'd I would just go ahead and give this a 10 to outweigh all the zeroes people are giving it after only playing an hour. How on earth can you rate a game based on an hour of game play? And then say the combat is boring? You can't even unlock all your skills till level 10!!!!

    Great game, great combat, lots of fun. There. 'Nuff said.
  29. sevXone
    Jan 30, 2016
    9
    Best MMORPG i have played in years. As a former WoW veteran(10 years of play) i never thought i would find an other MMORPG that i could enjoy as much if not more. 9/10
  30. HamsterPhil
    Jan 25, 2016
    8
    This game is one of the best games I've ever played.
    I do not like MMORPGs, like, AT ALL.
    This is one of, if not the only, MMORPGs out there that I actually enjoy sticking with! I have played a good bunch of MMORPGs from Ragnarok Online to WoW and honestly, I never got "hooked" as much as Blade and Soul. I'll list the PROs and CONs of the game like the rest of the reviews. This    This game is one of the best games I've ever played.
    I do not like MMORPGs, like, AT ALL.
    This is one of, if not the only, MMORPGs out there that I actually enjoy sticking with!

    I have played a good bunch of MMORPGs from Ragnarok Online to WoW and honestly, I never got "hooked" as much as Blade and Soul.

    I'll list the PROs and CONs of the game like the rest of the reviews. This will be pretty lengthy. TL;DR is at bottom.

    PROs:
    ==================================
    + Beautiful Graphics and Design
    > The characters and environment of the game is rich and full of life!
    > Each area has a feel or realism (ex: The forest is full of critters and animals, the desert feels vast and unending)

    + Character Creation
    > One of the best character creations I've ever used! You can customize a lot of features from your pupil size to the size of your hands and feet!
    >You can make yourself look ugly or beautiful with almost no real limit.

    + Gameplay
    > The gameplay is an action game for consoles rather than a traditional MMORPG point and click system.
    > Some of your abilities will give beautifully done cinematic angles as if you're watching an action movie!
    > There is a feature called Dragon Pulse Riding, which in certain areas, shows small cinematic events where your character jumps and flies from wall to wall or mountain to mountain! Absolutely stunning! It had me going "WHOA!"

    + Story
    > The story makes you feel like you're the main protagonist of the game world.
    > Progressing through the story you will find a good amount of plot twists and character build up.
    > Personal Note (People don't seem to like the "chosen one" story because it doesn't fit in the realm of MMORPG; However, I feel like the other players are your supporting characters with (or without) a voice and mind of their own. It's all about how you view the world of pretend and fantasy! :D)

    + Equipments and Pay2Win
    > In most traditional MMORPGs, you collect outfit pieces to build stats and honestly some of them can make you look "tacky" as all heck; But in Blade and Soul, you collect ONE FULL outfit and they all look stunning and beautiful however gives no stats what so ever! It is PURE cosmetics!
    > Stats are obtained by growing in levels and upgrading weapons, accessories, and obtaining "Soul Shields"
    > Some outfits allow you to interact with the game's NPC as their ally or foe. This was a really unique feature which puts you in different factions depending on what outfit you choose to wear.
    > Soul Shields are formed when you obtain Soul Shield pieces to complete a whole! you may mix and match different pieces to increase specific stats. Soul Shields are also able to be upgraded.
    > The game's real money store does not have any real Pay2Win Items at all!
    > You may buy outfits(no stats) and timed stat boosting items which may increase HP and etc last for 30 minutes at most.
    > PvP is purely based on skills when you're in the arena and the stat boost items can not be used in arena.

    CONs
    ==================================
    - Queue times
    > Yes, what other people say about the queue time being long is true, but I don't feel like it should bother you too much.
    > Personal Note (I suggest you do something else while waiting in queue because you might be there for awhile but hoping that they fix this issue soon. They are adding new servers as the player base grows!)

    - PvP
    > Okay I'm gonna be honest here. Some classes do seem kind of unbalanced when it comes to specific classes.
    > It can be a rock, paper, scissors type of system where someone can just spam certain skills over and over again while you have no way of blocking it, you can just counter their whole kit, or it comes down to a battle of who has better knowledge of their class.
    > Personal Note (With all that said, I'm not saying PvP sucks but rather its about who you're matched up against and your skill and knowledge of the enemy class and your own.)

    - PKers
    > When you're first starting out and finally get a faction outfit, people don't seem to read the effects and there will be other people outside of town ready to put the world of hurt on you!
    > When you revive, you have 2 choices, revive at the last checkpoint or revive with your faction outfit off. PEOPLE DO NOT READ THIS and get their faces kicked in. > This also happens when you're trying to do a Faction Quest. There will be other players in different factions ready to jump you during quests... It sucks... But these quests are optional so whatever. - Voice Acting > Some of these Western ports have the worst voice acting I've ever heard! The voices give life to the characters, however, the actors portraying them are... meh. I wish there was a option to change the VO Language. So these are my PROs and CONs of Blade and Soul, but I encourage you all to try out the game even after reading the reviews TL;DR Good graphics, Fun Gameplay, No Pay2Win, Decent PvP, Long queue times, PKers (faction quests), Bad voice acting Hope this helps you guys!    … Expand
  31. Zarella
    Jan 24, 2016
    10
    Every time I get on to play this game, I have a blast. I am shocked that this game is this much fun. Some of these negative reviews are so off base. I encourage players to try it for yourself. If you want to experience rich content in the best combat system in an mmo to date, then try out Blade and Soul. You won't be disappointed.
  32. Xelluse
    Aug 14, 2017
    10
    NCsoft are Greatest game developers, but worst publishers, publisher that block friend to play together, to play game in lower quality and on language that people do not even know.
    Game is Great, but publisher who use regional blocks only because of illegal agreement with Innova to separate friends and even families, should not be trusted and will be downvoted. It's bad that game    NCsoft are Greatest game developers, but worst publishers, publisher that block friend to play together, to play game in lower quality and on language that people do not even know.
    Game is Great, but publisher who use regional blocks only because of illegal agreement with Innova to separate friends and even families, should not be trusted and will be downvoted. It's bad that game Developers like NCsoft became nationalist politicians.
    Game 8/10, Service quality 0/10, not player friendly at all and they want my money ? You know NC, go and !@#$ yourself, I'll better purchase WoW, GW2, which, thank god is under Arena.net management, who always provide good quality service for players and do not divide them, TESO or even BDO, but I will not pay for so poor quality service with regional IP blocks, especially if I can't invite my friends and/or my family members who live in another country. FU NCsoft.    … Expand
  33. Tyrhapsody
    Jan 21, 2016
    10
    I have not been playing the game for long but I did in fact cap a character. There are very bias opinions of the game in the line of these reviews. Here it is plain and simple, the game is good six years old, but has aged well and still very fun despite the fact that it took a long while for it to come out.

    The queue times aren't going to be there forever and I'm sure NC Soft is doing    I have not been playing the game for long but I did in fact cap a character. There are very bias opinions of the game in the line of these reviews. Here it is plain and simple, the game is good six years old, but has aged well and still very fun despite the fact that it took a long while for it to come out.

    The queue times aren't going to be there forever and I'm sure NC Soft is doing everything they can to make things run smoother. As for the combat in this game it is not tab targeting, it is fast paced and skill based and really easy to dislike if you are bad at it.

    All of the classes have multiple play styles with the amount of spec customization allowed in the later levels some have a play style that may feel like you are spamming, but if you are having fun who cares? The PvP in the game is very skill based and difficult to learn which is why some people will come out thinking that the game is unbalanced or bad when really it is challenging.

    The end game content the little we may have is still extremely fun and at times hard to play. Things that challenge are fun that is why people play games. If the game was easier or they made one seemingly weak class super overpowered and impossible to fight in PvP then who would have any fun?    … Expand
  34. Zlare
    Feb 3, 2016
    10
    So the game finaly came to us. The game has always been famous and in the east even an Esport title because of its amazing combat and balanced PVP. It is a simple fact that every class can beat every class in PvP simply by playing better. Also in arena there is no armor. The only difference between the people is the way they skill their class and their skills as a player.
    This whole game    So the game finaly came to us. The game has always been famous and in the east even an Esport title because of its amazing combat and balanced PVP. It is a simple fact that every class can beat every class in PvP simply by playing better. Also in arena there is no armor. The only difference between the people is the way they skill their class and their skills as a player.
    This whole game is heavily skill based. To dodge or block you gotta dodge or block in the right moment, there is no % chance to use your shield to block some attack. The controls itself feel very good. You feel like you have complety control about what your character does. The battle system is hands down the best on the market.
    The PvE dungeons are a lot of fun because of the battle system aswell. Again the skill level shows. While some people can do a whole dungeon without ever getting hit, others will die at every boss several times. It is impressive what you can achieve with practice here aswell. It goes to the point where some people solo or duo full dungeons that other people cant even do with a full group even though both have the same armor.
    To level you will do mostly quests which are the basic stuff, that you know from all the mmos, aside of the story quests. The story is very well told and becomes insanely interesting over the course of the game.
    That being said the game doesn't have a lot of endgame right now but the first content patch is coming p February 10th (3 weeks after launch) and they intend to keep that pace up. NCsoft is going to release the full content of 4 years Blade and Soul in Korea within this year in the west. So this game will have no lack of content any time soon.
    All in all this game has a lot to offer. More than any MMO that released in the past years and since it is free you definitely should give it a shot. The people who give this game 0 as rating or say the game is unbalanced are simply bad players. Remember some MMOs are "feel good" MMOs where everyone feels like they are extra ordinary players, no matter how bad they are. Blade and Soul is not a "feel good" MMO. In this game you need to practice and learn to realy be a good player and that is exactly what makes this game so appealing!.
    So why are you still reading this? Go play :)    … Expand
  35. NubNub
    Jan 15, 2017
    9
    I started playing this game because I was trying out Tera and I couldn't get into it because it seemed more like an arcade game, rather than an actual MMO, almost like i was playing Borderlands only with more people.

    Blade and Soul reminds me of an actual MMO! It takes all the things that are great about Tera, character customization, FPS style targeting, and then introduces all the    I started playing this game because I was trying out Tera and I couldn't get into it because it seemed more like an arcade game, rather than an actual MMO, almost like i was playing Borderlands only with more people.

    Blade and Soul reminds me of an actual MMO! It takes all the things that are great about Tera, character customization, FPS style targeting, and then introduces all the elements you love from classic MMOs like Everquest and World of Warcraft, like unique quests, an involved and engaging story line, and that feeling like you've actually done something worthwhile! The game really is amazing and most of the complaints you find occurred when the game was new. I don't lag and I can PvP with a ping above 100ms.

    The character classes are different enough that switching to something else, doesn't feel like you're doing the same thing with different animations. There are a large number of different skills you can use and the degree of specialization it allows is amazing. You decide what skills you want to improve and which you don't.

    The dialogue is thoughtful and engaging and the voice actors are amazing. The fact that they don't have a lot of big name voice actors, like Tera, yet it still manage to give you a story you want to finish just gives the game more props! This isn't a difficult game to play early on. I didn't die til level 15 (but to be honest I've made it to 35th on PvE in WoW without dying), however later on it does require some thought and skill in order to do well.

    I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of Martial Arts, or a fan of Classic MMOs, but looking for something a bit different. If you're new to MMOs, this would also be a good one to start, because it really does capture the classic MMO feel, but at the same time improves the game play, so it's simpler, but not necessarily simple. (I like to say more intuitive.)

    If you have the time, give it whirl, play for awhile and see what you think. It's not a perfect game, but it's the best Free to Play game I've run across and, seriously, it doesn't cost you a dime to be able to play and enjoy the game, and it allows you to do everything that the cash players can do, just not quite as often. Plus, everything in the game is available through currency you gain from in story line quests and daily quests. You can get everything someone willing to pay cash can, you just have to work a little harder to get it. But that makes sense, since this is free to play and they have to make money somehow.    … Expand
  36. Inuyasha17
    Jun 22, 2020
    10
    The biggest advantage of this game is action. As a non-targeting RPG game, I've never seen such an actionable game.
    However, the game is too difficult if it is both good and bad.
    And there's a slight lack of optimization. How difficult the game is, this RPG game is much more difficult than Dark Soul, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, Ni-oh, Bloodborn. No matter how good I am with my weapons    The biggest advantage of this game is action. As a non-targeting RPG game, I've never seen such an actionable game.
    However, the game is too difficult if it is both good and bad.
    And there's a slight lack of optimization.
    How difficult the game is, this RPG game is much more difficult than Dark Soul, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, Ni-oh, Bloodborn.
    No matter how good I am with my weapons and armor, I can still be killed in a low-level attack at once.
    But other than that, it is a good RPG game with many advantages.
    It's at least much more actionable and fun than trash games like Last of Earth 2.    … Expand
  37. MMOGOLDPRICE
    Jul 30, 2020
    9
    I love this game, it's been free to play in western for a long time now. Lots of good reasons to keep coming back, one of those is the community. Also, is newbie friendly; so if this is your first MMO you are in for a show. You will find guides everywhere and a very strong reddit community, also you don't need to spend so much hours playing or farming. Give it a go and you will all love it.
  38. mutenomic
    Jan 6, 2021
    10
    Blade and Soul is a Korean game with like anime style and Chinese culture mixed. people who review this under 10 stars are just 7yro trolls who don't like eastern culture. It has a great storyline(the best actually), and the classes are not named wizards or knights or something else. Lyns are so cute and gunslinger is very good.

    The community is friendly nowadays and this is a game    Blade and Soul is a Korean game with like anime style and Chinese culture mixed. people who review this under 10 stars are just 7yro trolls who don't like eastern culture. It has a great storyline(the best actually), and the classes are not named wizards or knights or something else. Lyns are so cute and gunslinger is very good.

    The community is friendly nowadays and this is a game that can substitute WoW since it is free. IMO this game has the best cutscenes and those trolls are too poor to afford something better than a potato and don't use BNSBUDDY, the launcher I use (tick fix loading screen).

    TLDR: play this if u can't afford World of Warcraft.    … Expand

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.
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  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.
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  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]
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