View source for Blade & Soul

{{Infobox VG
|title       = {{PAGENAME}}
|image       = [[File:Blade_and_Soul_Art_(10).jpg|250px]]
|caption     =
|developer   = [[NCSoft]]
|publisher   = [[NCSoft]]
|distributor =
|director    =
|designer    =
|writer      =
|artist      =
|composer    =
|platform    = PC
|released    = Korea (June 30 2012)<br />USA (January 19 2016)<br />Europe (January 19 2016)
|genre       = MMORPG
|ratings     = T
}}
{{Incomplete|This page is out of date and missing information. It should cover a variety of information about the game.}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (Korean: 블레이드 앤 소울) is a Korean fantasy martial-arts massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by [[NCSoft]] (Team Bloodlust). On September 13, 2012, NCSoft announced that ''{{PAGENAME}}'' would release in Western territories, which eventually happened on January 19, 2016.<ref>[http://us.bladeandsoul.com/en/news/press/press_release.php/ Announcing Blade & Soul] September 18 2012</ref> An [[Blade & Soul (anime)|anime television adaptation]] began airing on April 3, 2014 on Tokyo Broadcasting System and other stations.<ref>[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-14/blade-and-soul-fantasy-tv-anime-1st-promo-streamed Blade & Soul Fantasy TV Anime's 1st Promo Streamed] April 3 2014</ref>

This game is based on the Wushu Chinese fighting styles and cultures. Your hero is honorable and feels compelled to right the wrongs of the world. The lore in the game includes the death of your clan and your character's need for vengeance (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). 
*This game has been confirmed to be free to play. In game purchases will be available. 
*[[PvP]]: Optional flagging system. Players need to equip PvP outfits to participate in open world PvP. When a person is hit and staggered or even pinned down, it will be seen as that on both peoples side. So head locking or even pinning a person to the ground and smashing them will be possible.
*Arenas: There is also instanced PvP where you queue up either solo to engage in 1v1 fights with other players, or join with 2 other people for 3v3 matches/ 5 other players for 6v6 arena matches respectively. Gear and statistics are balanced in 1v1 and 3v3 to make for a competitive experience without gear dependency whereas 6v6 is heavily influenced by the gear you obtain through PvE.<ref>[http://www.mmobyte.tv/blade-and-soul-review-is-it-worth-playing-in-2017/ Blade & Soul PvP] May 19, 2017</ref>
*[[The Training System & Stats|Training]]: Bo-Pae System where players collect Bo-Pae pieces to combine and match bonus stats.

==Gameplay==
{{PAGENAME}} features a combination of martial arts inspired combat and qinggong in an open-world environment. Players create playable characters that explore around the world by completing quests assigned by various NPCs. The game uses a real-time battle system in the third person camera view and requires players to "combo" a series of attacks, much like that of fighting games.  According to NCSoft, the game also features an innovative “Downed” mechanic, allowing players to recover from the brink of death. Players begin with “player-versus environment” (PvE) but may participate in “player-versus-player” (PvP) combat later in the game.<ref>[http://us.bladeandsoul.com/en/faq/ FAQ] September 13 2012</ref>

==Character Customization==
According to the developers, {{PAGENAME}} will provide a highly customizable system and it has been stated that NPCs in the game were made with the character customization system.<ref>[http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/09/blade-and-soul-interview-talks-summoner-class-customization/ Massively] March 2 2012</ref> Customizations a player has access to include hair styles, facial structures, eye color, height, and body sliders.

==[[Faction & Race Background|Races]]==
Characters may be one of four playable races based on the four benevolent animals (the Qilin, the Dragon, the Turtle, and the Phoenix):
*[[Jin]]: Basic human appearance. Consists of [[BladeMaster|Blademaster]], [[Kung Fu Master]], [[Force Master|ForceMaster]],[[Soul Fighter|Soul Fighter]],  [[Assassin]] and [[Warlock]]
*[[Gon]]: Darker skinned yet very muscular people. Consists of [[Kung Fu Master]], [[Soul Fighter|Soul Fighter]] and [[Destroyer]].
*[[Yun]]: Female only race. Consists of [[Soul Fighter|Soul Fighter]], [[BladeMaster|Blademaster and]] [[Force Master|Forcemaster]].
*[[Lyn]]: A rather short part animal type person. Consists of [[Force Master|Forcemaster]], [[Summoner]],[[Blade Dancer]] and [[Warlock|Warlock.]]

==[[Class & Combat Details|Classes]]==
*[[BladeMaster]]: Capable of powerful and agile sword maneuvers.
*[[Kung Fu Master]]: Uses their fists and feat to powerfully beat down foes.
*[[Force Master]]: Uses Magic and Aura to destroy enemies with the power of nature.
*[[Destroyer]]: Pure powerful machines capable of smashing through foes with a massive weapon and power.
*[[Assassin]]: Capable of invisibility and sneaking up on foes with quick and lethal force.
*[[Summoner]]: Able to summon pets that aids in combat.
*[[Blade Dancer]]: High damage, high agility class with powerful chains but lacking in defense.
*[[Warlock]] : mid-range combat and highest burst damage in game, and can summon thrall. Pretty soft, only able to block attacks from the front and low number of Iframes.
*[[Soul Fighter]] : The only class that is able to deal heavy damage up close and from a distance.

==Development==
Weeks before NCmedia day, NCSoft announced a new Unreal Engine 3 based MMORPG only known for its codename Project [M]. For the next two weeks, a teaser website was updated revealing more information about the project.

During E3 2007, Sony revealed that they had entered into an exclusive deal with [[NCSoft]] to produce new titles exclusively for the PlayStation 3. This contract included titles from both existing intellectual properties owned by NCSoft.<ref>[http://www.n4g.com/News-177924.aspx N4G] April 14 2010</ref>

On February 2010 it was announced that {{PAGENAME}} alongside [[w:c:guildwars|Guild Wars 2]] is being developed for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. However, since then, there have been no updates on the development of the titles for the consoles.

The first closed beta test was scheduled for 27 April 2011 while the open beta test and commercial release were to be determined within the year.

In July 2011, Tencent Holdings gained publishing rights of {{PAGENAME}} in China, and made its first appearance at ChinaJoy 2011.<ref>[http://news.mmosite.com/content/2011-07-21/tencent_games_blade_and_soul_is_sprinting_to_attend_chinajoy_2011,1.shtml MMOsite] February 26 2012</ref>  {{PAGENAME}} launched in China on November 23, 2013 with an open beta which seamlessly moved into official launch.

The second closed beta test was scheduled from August 29 to September 10, 2011. During this event the Assassin class was playable for the first time.

After an open beta test on June 21, 2012 with a record number of 150,000 players, NCSoft confirmed that the official Korean {{PAGENAME}} launch would commence on June 30, 2012.<ref>[http://www.bladeandsouldojo.com/topic/3662-fall-2011-recap-beyond/ Blade & Soul Dojo] February 26 2012</ref>

In 2013, Hyung-tae Kim has stated that an English version of the game would indeed be released sometime in 2014 after China commercial launch, the new {{PAGENAME}} anime in Japan alongside Taiwan and Russia.<ref>[http://cuteinkorea.com/hyung-tae-kim-interview/ 김형태 Hyung-Tae Kim Interview at NCSoft "Blade & Soul" studio] June 11 2014</ref>

On May 20, 2015 {{PAGENAME}} has been announced for NA and EU region and is set to release this winter.
Closed beta officially began on October 29, 2015.

NA and EU beta testing occurred over the course of five weekends beginning on October 30, 2015, and concluding on December 21, 2015. <ref>[http://mmos.com/review/blade-and-soul MMOs.com] January 27 2016</ref>

The official launches of NA and EU servers occurred on January 19, 2016.<ref>[http://www.bladeandsoul.com/en/news/blade-soul-launches-january-19-2016/ Blade & Soul] December 29 2015</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery spacing="small" captionalign="center">
BnS 2015-05 Announce 10.jpg
BnS 2015-05 Announce 09.jpg
BnS 2015-05 Announce 08.jpg
BnS 2015-05 Announce 04.jpg
BnS 2015-05 Announce 02.jpg
Blade and Soul Art (10).jpg
</gallery>

==Videos==
<gallery spacing="small" captionalign="center">
Blade & Soul PC Games Trailer - Trailer
Blade & Soul PC Games Trailer - G-Star 2009 Trailer
Blade & Soul Overview Trailer
Blade and Soul - What is Blade and Soul Trailer
Blade & Soul Announce Livestream - May 21, 2015
Blade & Soul Release Date Announced - IGN News
Blade & Soul - Announcement Trailer
Blade and Soul Launch Trailer
Blade & Soul Founder's Packs Revealed - IGN News
Official Blade & Soul Upcoming Content Teaser
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Wikipedia}}

==External Links==
*[http://us.bladeandsoul.com/en/ ''Official Website''] (English)
[[Category:Game Info]]