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[Blade & Soul] WARLOCK! Poharan/Cerulean Order! Leveling Challenge!

EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
edited March 2016 in MMO Extravaganza
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SERVER RESTRICTIONS
Due to high traffic on servers, NCSoft's Blade and Soul team has implemented Server Restrictions a la Final Fantasy XIV. You can find them HERE.






Business Model Explanation


What Server Will We Be On?
Poharan seems to be the consensus.


What Faction?
In Blade and Soul, there are two factions: The Cerulean Order (which is the one we'll be in) and The Crimson Legion.


Do We Have A Teamspeak?
We have one on Discord. PM @Kai_San for invite.


Do We Have A List of People's Forum Names and Character Names?
Yes. it is HERE.


Brief Synopsis
Welcome to the game Blade and Soul! Originally a Korean MMO, Blade and Soul is being brought over by NCSoft. In it you can play as one of four races; the Gon - a strong race known for their physical strength and ability, the Lyn - descendants of Kirin (it's the chibby cute race), the Yun - an all-female race attuned to the earth (it is pretty much what you think it is), and the Jin - a plain but hardy people (the human stand-in of the game). You also play as one of several classes; the Blade Master - a balanced offensive and defensive sword wielder, the Destroyer - a big axe-wielding wrecking ball, the Summoner - a pet class whose pet is a ridiculously adorbs cat, the Force Master - the Mage stand-in of the game, the Kung Fu Master - a high skill cap and combo heavy fighter, the Assassin - the... assassin... stand-in of the game :razz: (yes it has stealth and yes it's as equally annoying as it is in every other MMO.), and finally the Blade Dancer - a Lyn race specific version of the Blade Master class that trades away some defensive skills for a more proactive moveset. Speaking of race specificity, all classes are tied to races. The Gon can be a Destroyer, Kung Fu Master, or Force Master. The Lyn can be a Summoner, Force Master, or Blade Dancer. The Yun can be a Force Master, Blade Master, or Kung Fu Master. The Jin can be an Assassin, Blade Master, or Kung Fu Master. Once you've chosen you're race/class combo you'll embark on a typical Kung Fu movie-esque quest of revenge for your slain master.


Race Visuals

The Gon
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The Lyn
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The Yun
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The Jin
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General Combat Gameplay and Mechanics Explanation


To put it simply, the combat. The questing is bog standard hub-to-quest zone but is not offensive. Dungeon group mechanics do not utilize the Holy Trinity but instead give everyone the ability to self-revive or in some cases also assist in the revival of others as well as the harder dungeons having a mechanic of multiple lives (indicated by a Heart Icon next to you characters health bar) that you can pick up as you move along the dungeon. Dungeon bosses utilize the WildStar mechanic of having Armor that you have to strip away by performing stuns and knockdowns in quick succession before you are able to use cc on the boss. On top of that, while normal difficulty dungeons will have telegraphs for the bosses attacks hard mode dungeons will not, meaning that you have to learn the bosses patterns to best him/her/it in hard mode. So how will you be beating the bosses once you learn their telegraphs? There are blocks, there are dodges, there are moves with I frames, there are air combos, grab combos, knockdown combos, combos combos combos flashy as all hell combos. This isn't just another Action Combat MMO, this is a straight up 3D Fighting Game MMO and it is glorious. Though that does mean that if your ping is trash you will not have a very fun game experience (some classes suffer more than others under high ping). Also, PvE is kinda middle of the road up to kind of interesting in the end game but PvP is the nuts so if you're not into PvP then this game won't be as attractive to you (though if you like the combat PvE will still be fun to play).




A Look At Some Relatively High-End PVP Endgame Gameplay







So there it is. If interest grows and more people need tips or anything as they get into the game I'll try and update the OP with some useful tips and tricks that I find. As of now this is mainly a general idea/hype OP as I know most people won't be in the technical alpha going on now or in at least the first week of the CBT.
Also, first time trying to make a thread of this caliber so lemme know if I can improve the OP in any way.

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Posts

  • RoeRoe Always to the East Registered User regular
    So how Korean is this MMO on a scale from one to ten?

    oHw5R0V.jpg
  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    Probably about a 9. Played around with it a bit today. It's fun, the core gameplay reminds me a lot of TERA. It also has some of the most transparent F2P microtransaction hooks I've ever seen outside of like, Game of War. I was actually surprised I hadn't seen a PA thread on this, so thanks for pulling one together.

    I'm not sure if the Alpha is a subset of the game features or what, but it's a little weird how restrictive the race/class combos are. As far as I can tell, only the cutesy race can be Summoners?

    Grundlestiltskin on
    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • TransporterTransporter Registered User regular
    Yeah.....

    I've kinda been following this since it was announced.

    Conceptually

    In KOREA.

    I may be a little bit hyped for this game.

  • EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    Thats what I forgot to add. Now added a video about their business model to the OP. In super short though, they're trying for cosmetic and Quality of Life microtransactions with a Premium Membership as well that gives you access to an extra drop or two each dungeon (which I think you can also earn keys in-game to get those same extra drops but I'm not sure) as well as a small XP boost and a couple of other things that I'm blanking on.


    I'm not sure if the Alpha is a subset of the game features or what, but it's a little weird how restrictive the race/class combos are. As far as I can tell, only the cutesy race can be Summoners?

    Correct. Only the Lyn can be a Summoner. Races can only be certain classes.
    The Gon - Destroyer, Kung Fu Master, Force Master
    The Lyn - Summoner, Force Master, Blade Dancer
    The Yun - Blade Master, Kung Fu Master, Force Master
    The Jin - Blade Master, Kung Fu Master, Assassin

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  • ringswraithringswraith Registered User regular
    Is this F2P with the option of a sub, or..?

  • DelphinidaesDelphinidaes FFXIV: Delphi Kisaragi Registered User regular
    Been waiting on this awhile, might check it out if I happen to get in to closed beta, or at the very least check it out when it launches.

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  • TransporterTransporter Registered User regular
    Is this F2P with the option of a sub, or..?

    Buy to play ala Guild Wars 2

  • ArthilArthil Registered User regular
    I thought this one was F2P, Black Desert was going to be Buy 2 Play?

    PSN: Honishimo Steam UPlay: Arthil
  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    Is this F2P with the option of a sub, or..?

    Buy to play ala Guild Wars 2

    I can't find anything definitive, but the FAQ mentions "Free players" and "premium membership," so not really sure.

    Three classes per race feels really unnecessarily restrictive.

    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • DelphinidaesDelphinidaes FFXIV: Delphi Kisaragi Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    Is this F2P with the option of a sub, or..?

    Buy to play ala Guild Wars 2

    I can't find anything definitive, but the FAQ mentions "Free players" and "premium membership," so not really sure.

    Three classes per race feels really unnecessarily restrictive.

    The very first question of the FAQ answers this...

    Q: Do I have to purchase a Founder’s Pack to play Blade & Soul when it launches early 2016?
    A: No. Blade & Soul will be completely free to play when it launches. However, the Founder’s Packs grant you access to our Closed Beta, Head Start, and many other bonuses as listed above.

    So yeah F2P with an option of Sub for added benefits.

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  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    I have been pretty interested in this since I heard about it a long time ago before there was even a hint of it coming over here. The combat for sure interests me, but I do have a fear that the rest of the game will bore me as much as TERA did. Then again, this game looks incredible visually so that might help out.

    Being F2P makes things a lot easier as I can give it a shot and no loss if I am not interested. I did see a few mentions though that the microtransaction model is going to be pretty bad and it was compared to some mobile games. So that is a bit scary.

    I actually am also interested in Black Desert. Especially because it puts even more focus on the PVP end game which is really the thing for me. However BD looks even more insane visually and I would want to have upgraded my nearing 6 year old rig which was a budget build in the first place before I play that one.

  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    Kai_San wrote: »

    I actually am also interested in Black Desert. Especially because it puts even more focus on the PVP end game which is really the thing for me. However BD looks even more insane visually and I would want to have upgraded my nearing 6 year old rig which was a budget build in the first place before I play that one.

    This seems to put a lot of emphasis on PvP as well. There's world PvP (opt-in, since it's faction based and you can change faction based on what you're wearing), and there seems to be a lot of end-game PvP activities as well.


    http://www.twitch.tv/kreea/v/21397802

    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    Oh I know, but BD basically has a type of realm vs realm type deal and that is it. B&S seems to have it be a thing but not quite the only thing.

  • Jubal77Jubal77 Registered User regular
    I didn't get a chance to get in this weekend as everytime I tried the login servers were hosed.. Guess I will wait.

  • RebootReboot Registered User regular
    Well I signed up for the CBT. I've played the CN server before - the gameplay's excellent and I'd really like a chance to get at the game again in English instead of Chinese.

    The story's pretty "wuxia" (Chinese pugulistic action-drama) so I'm also wondering how well the concept will sit with US/EU audiences. :biggrin:

  • MandresMandres Registered User regular
    I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. I'm concerned about how well it'll play in the high-ping US network environment but I guess we'll see.

  • RebootReboot Registered User regular
    Mandres wrote: »
    I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. I'm concerned about how well it'll play in the high-ping US network environment but I guess we'll see.

    I've heard that some classes are less ping-dependent (e.g. Summoner).

  • EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
    Yeah, unless I'm proven incorrect the Assassin and the Kung Fu Master are the two classes you want to stay away from if you have latency issues.

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  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    Yeah, unless I'm proven incorrect the Assassin and the Kung Fu Master are the two classes you want to stay away from if you have latency issues.

    What qualifies as "high ping" in this scenario? Over 100ms? Over 200ms?

    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
    You can compensate for up to150ms-200ms from what I understand. 250ms and up you'll really start to notice missed contextual abilities and blocks/counters/etc.

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  • MandresMandres Registered User regular
    Yeah, unless I'm proven incorrect the Assassin and the Kung Fu Master are the two classes you want to stay away from if you have latency issues.

    What qualifies as "high ping" in this scenario? Over 100ms? Over 200ms?

    I'm not sure anyone really knows yet. The game was designed for Korean infrastructure and it's hard to guess what impact the overall much slower network here will have on gameplay. I've played Korean games where it wasn't much of an issue (TERA, Archeage) and others where it straight-up ruined the game (Freestyle Street Basketball). A lot of it comes down to the skill of the developers in compensating for it.

    It's definitely not impossible - I'm always amazed at how relatively well modern fighting games play online - but B&S has probably the most timing-based combat system of any MMO ever released here with an emphasis on counters, I-frames, etc at the highest levels of pvp play. I'm eager to try it out and see how well it works.

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    Modern Fighting games mask imput lag with methods that really only work when it is a very limited number of people involved (the two fighting usually and however they handle spectators) and with the knowledge the situation at hand is a 100% focused environment (basically an instance where the instance is that individual fight)

    In other words, an MMO would in no way work on the same level as a fighting game. Though I could not imagine that this game would be anywhere near an ACTUAL fighting game in terms of input requirements. It might have some here and there, but not as often in a short time. Though I cannot imagine frame specific inputs in an MMO peroid. We are talking about a genre that tends to automatically allow input buffering and in some cases allows the player to ADJUST that buffer.

  • MandresMandres Registered User regular
    Kai_San wrote: »
    In other words, an MMO would in no way work on the same level as a fighting game. Though I could not imagine that this game would be anywhere near an ACTUAL fighting game in terms of input requirements. It might have some here and there, but not as often in a short time. Though I cannot imagine frame specific inputs in an MMO peroid. We are talking about a genre that tends to automatically allow input buffering and in some cases allows the player to ADJUST that buffer.

    Yea, I'm inclined to agree. It can't possibly be as timing sensitive as a real fighting game. Even approaching that level of complexity seems like a recipe for disaster here. I never thought it would work at all but TERA and Wildstar (both with action-based combat, no tab-targeting) worked pretty damn well and proved me wrong.

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    Wildstar was just creatively altering normal MMO combat with visible aoes. It wasn't all that actiony just faster paced. And even saying that, it had major targetting issues at least in the first few months when I played.

  • BeezelBeezel There was no agreement little morsel..Registered User regular
    Yeah I would liken it more to TERA than I would Wildstar. If for the simple fact that hitboxes, collision and frame data theorycrafting is a thing in TERA.

    PSN: Waybackkidd
    "...only mights and maybes."
  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    The funny thing is GW2 really does have more 'action' combat based junk than WS did. WS was really a GCD ability based MMO that decided to fake action combat by making every skill a PBAOE with different shapes. That is all they are, oh and they let most (and eventually all) skills be 'cast' on the move.

    All the game does is check if a person is in the aoe area when it casts and that is it. GW2 actually has projectiles and shit that can both be manually aimed (but no one ever would do that) and avoided. To me that is more action based, though GW2 cheats on the positional aspect by making dodging use the equivalent of invincibility frames.

    TERA was the closest to an actual honest to god action MMORPG we have seen at least outside of these Asian locations. But now it appears a flood is coming with these kinds of games.

  • BeezelBeezel There was no agreement little morsel..Registered User regular
    Beta starts tomorrow instead of Friday and runs until the 2nd

    PSN: Waybackkidd
    "...only mights and maybes."
  • DesmondPfeifferDesmondPfeiffer The secret diary of- Registered User regular
    I spent two and a half hours fiddling with the character creator and then didn't even actually play the game. Might try it out later tonight when the queue dies down a bit.

  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    I was kinda on the fence about this, then I played it.

    The game is baller as fuck. Combat feels very satisfying.

    I am also ecstatic they went The Secret World route when it came to gear. Clothes are clothes and make your character look badass, you got other things to actually increase stats.

    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • AstaleAstale Registered User regular
    So how "Korean mmo" is it in practice?

    Because while I've liked the way they do their combat systems (TERA, Aion, ect), everything else is just awful.

  • BeezelBeezel There was no agreement little morsel..Registered User regular
    It's standard fair mmo questing. I heard leveling in this game is way easy however

    PSN: Waybackkidd
    "...only mights and maybes."
  • NeurotikaNeurotika Registered User regular
    Has anyone seen dungeon content? Is there an LFG queue system?

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    Part of me pines to get into the beta of this, but I am also ok with not being in right now because I am fairly overloaded with games to play at the moment.

    I did find a way into the F2P version of Black Desert. I couldn't really play the game in a foreign language, but mother of god that character creation.

  • EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    ForceVoid wrote: »
    Has anyone seen dungeon content? Is there an LFG queue system?

    There is. I forget what key it is to bring up the menu itself but outside of each group dungeon is also a dragon statue you can use to queue up. Though you don't actually start encountering them until you're roughly level 15 ish.

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  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    If I wasn't enjoying the GW2 expansion so much I'd be all over this. I have a founder's pack, but it seems silly to dump time into a character that's just going to be wiped when I have a lot of other games to play. Looking forward to the official release.

    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • DeansDeans Registered User regular
    ForceVoid wrote: »
    Has anyone seen dungeon content? Is there an LFG queue system?

    There is. I forget what key it is to bring up the menu itself but outside of each group dungeon is also a dragon statue you can use to queue up. Though you don't actually start encountering them until you're roughly level 15 ish.

    I didn't realize those were group dungeons at first and ended up killing a couple bosses by myself, which took quite a while!

    I'm really liking the combat in this, health regenerates really slowly out of combat so you're encouraged to use all the tricks you have to avoid damage, and you sure get a lot of tricks.

    One weird thing though, am I supposed to be this poor? I can't even dream of buying a single dumpling. Also the game has the old problem of players depopulating a zone and competing for quest spawns, which is always annoying. And keybindings! You need a lot of buttons, but I can't bind anything to my mouse buttons, or combinations of keys. Hopefully that gets fixed.

  • DesmondPfeifferDesmondPfeiffer The secret diary of- Registered User regular
    I'm never going to leave the character creator. I just keep recreating characters only to find their arms are slightly too short. The more detailed the system, the more crippled I become.

    Someday... I'll get in the game. Maybe before this beta ends even.

  • Jubal77Jubal77 Registered User regular
    I am enjoying this game a bit more than Archeage so far. Sure Archeage was more complex but the humor and just straight gameplay of this one is just more fun.

  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    The organized arena pvp in this is amazingly fun!

    They kind of took a page from, like, Street Fighter and the team PvP is two 3 man teams. Each team fields one fighter at a time. So during the fight it is 1v1. However, players can tag-out and have one of their teammates jump in and replace them. This process continues until one team is defeated.

    edit- Worth repeating, arena PvP is FUCKING AWESOME! Music is fucking great too. Oh man, try it out if you haven't.

    edit 2- Levels don't matter, everyone is scaled and I believe gear also does not matter. All it comes down to is player skill.

    edit 3- You can of course do 1v1 as well. Best 2 out of 3. I think you got 2 minutes or so per round.

    My most recent fight was 1v1. Me (Kung-Fu Master) vs. Blade Master. He took the first round, I took the other two and won. It was real close each time. SO. MUCH. FUN.

    Axen on
    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • AumniAumni Registered User regular
    edited October 2015
    bought a founder's pack. Where do I get the download?

    Edit: Found it.

    Aumni on
    http://steamcommunity.com/id/aumni/ Battlenet: Aumni#1978 GW2: Aumni.1425 PSN: Aumnius
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