When NCSoft’s martial arts MMORPG Blade & Soul launches this winter in the West, players will have a chance to experience a Wuxia tale filled with betrayal, redemption, and power. Although there is no release date yet, anxious players in North America and Europe have been enjoying official news on the Western website for months now. With six classes already announced for the Western release, another has been revealed to be a part of the launch roster today.
Previously, six classes were confirmed for the Western release of Blade & Soul . Players can read brief class descriptions, check out the class’ notable skills, and even view a preview image of the class on the official site. The Blade Master, Destroyer, Summoner, Force Master, Kung Fu Master, and Assassin were initially announced, but now NCSoft revealed a seventh class to be included in the game’s launch in North America and Europe: the Blade Dancer.
In Blade & Soul, classes are heavily restricted between the four races. For example, the Blade Master class can only be chosen if the player chooses Yun or Jin as their character’s race. The newly announced Blade Dancer is no different since it is only available to the Lyn. These two classes are very similar yet the Blade Dancer is the Lyn’s variation of the Blade Master class. Where the Blade Master utilizes defense, the Blade Dancer makes use of evasion by moving quickly around the battlefield to avoid damage.
Alongside the Blade Dancer announcement, however, is news that two classes will be opened up to new races. The Yun can now be Kung Fu Masters while the Gon can now choose to be Force Masters. No single class in Blade & Soul is available to all four races. The Force Master and the Kung Fu Master can be selected by three of the four races, but several of the classes are available to only one race. Similar to how only Lyn can be Blade Dancers, they are also the only race able to choose Summoner. The Assassin is only available to the Jin, and the Destroyer is only selectable by the Gon. However, more options may open up in the future like they did with the Force Master and the Kung Fu Master.
Blade & Soul is scheduled to release later this year in North America and Europe. The NCSoft MMO will use a hybrid model; free-to-play with an optional subscription. The business model will employ an in-game store with “cosmetics, convenience, and consumables” rather than pay-to-win items. Players will need to purchase NCoin to spend real money in the store which should be familiar to Aion and Lineage II players. Another currency will also drop in game that is used to buy the same items found within the in-game store.
[Images via Blade & Soul ]