Help!!!

[FredricoKnight]

Hey everyone, i have came here today to ask question and i hope you will help me with that

 

So i started playing this game when it was released but quit after while due to my bad Pc and not being able to play it decently, now i can play it but i'm not quite sure if this game is worth playing right now or not. in additional my GF is going to play with me, we both will begin from 0 so i would like to know if this game is

 

1. Worth playing ?
2. Worth paying for the Premium membership ? 
3. What classes are the best for Pve ?
4. Will we ever be able to catch up to players who's been playing for years ?
5. We will probably please in EU so which server has the highest population in EU ?
6. Are there still new comers players ( Like my and my gf ) or it's only old players ?
7. How's the community and are people willing to help or they will just bully / troll us ?
8. What are the things we need to know before starting playing this game
9. Is the game going to be fun to be played by 2 players together. i mean the story will be both be doing the quests together at same time ? 
10. Lastly your honest opinion should we play the game or should we hard pass ?

Thanks for Reading and hope you all have nice day  

[WhySoSeriousBro]

1. It's best MMO out there as of this day, imo. So it depends. Everyone will have their own opinion on this.
2. No. The only good thing about premium was - wardrobe. It's free now. So I wouldn't say it's worth it, unless you have spare money and you just want to waste it. I'm premium member myself tho, but I got 1 year premium only cause of the samurai outfit.
3. All classes are good. It depends what role you want to have and what play style you prefer.
4. No, unless you swipe with your bank card and spend a lot of money on the game. Or unless you play 24/7 and even then it will take some time.
5. Jynsoyun server.
6. I guess there are, but not as much as a year or so ago.
7. BnS community in general is retarded, toxic and new players unfriendly. But there still helpful, friendly and nice people and clans out there.
8. This game is pay to progress or nolife to progress. Nothing else noteworthy to tell about BnS.
9. Every online game is more fun to play with some1 you know.
10. Hard pass. Not cause the game is bad, but cause of how NcWest manage this game. IMO

[RAID]

Hi @FredricoKnight 

Your questions are reasonable, therefore you deserve reasonable answers too. I'll try to make things simple but also going into the detail - if that's ok for you :P

Feel free to ask me about any further questions. As things go beyond just fun and gameplay, these things can easily be affected from the publishers and/or developer's business model of the game as well as of political circumstances.

I do publish my projects on other platforms outside of the BnS forums, though I don't mind sharing my knowledge here too.

 

- Worth playing ?

This may sound weird, but I'd say Yes and No.

It very much depends on your expectations about the game, and what the game can offer to you. Hopefully this will be answered to you within the next questions you've had.

 

- Worth paying for the Premium membership ?

Considering the cost-benefit ratio, the benefits are not really what you can expect for the value of the Premium Membership.

The gains are poor, the price should be lowered or the gains further increased to make it valuable. However, there are still parts where you'd not like to miss the Premium benefits, as it becomes kind of comfortable for players who mainly want to play the game as their favourite MMORPG as it makes the poorly created game-system less of a pain.

Simply put, if you truly want to get on the game not just as a casual but as a constant player, then it's worth to try out Premium to see if it can make a gain for your gameplay-style, otherwise don't bother with Premium Membership.

 

- What classes are the best for Pve ?

It's hard to say which one is the best. Best way is to try out the different classes, and pick up the one which suites your gameplay-style the most.

However, the most wanted classes are classes which can be a proper tank (BM/KFM/WAR) and give damage increasing buffs to the party (WL/SIN/KFM/WAR).

Yet also the other classes which I didn't mention too have essential unique party skills in order to execute specific mechanics for either protection or damaging, or just healing/resurrecting the team etc.

The best way is always to go with a balanced team though, so either way, you will not want to have multiple players of the same class in your party. Sometimes it's hard to make such a balance, and you'll be forced to accept multiple players of the same class due to the lack of players playing either at that time or finding them with the qualifications required.

 

Tip:

As I understood from your further questions below, I'd suggest that you and your girlfriend shouldn't play both the same class. Try to find a liking to a class other then your girlfriend's to have a better balance, if you want to play together.

 

- Will we ever be able to catch up to players who's been playing for years ?

The game did have changes in the past, which made it easier to new players to get into a base gear from which it is easier to catch up - at least - to the older content.

If you want to reach the true end-game however, which is always the most recent additions, you will still have to obey the game rules, which is very highly grinding oriented and therefore not very comfortable for Casuals.

There is a reasoning behind this method though. It's not because the game is an Asian MMORPG and therefore people arguing with that it's obviously a grinding based game or any of this sort. The true reasoning behind it is the mere business model of the game, which is based and accommodating for microtransactions (MTX). In order to make MTX attractive to the player, they have to adapt the game-system to the likes of the MTX in order to give them a reason to make use of it. That's of course not how quality-oriented publishing works, because just having the option to buy or not buy MTX doesn't make a profit- and quantity-based game suddenly a quality-oriented game (even if it's free to play). It will affect the player's experiences in a lot of ways, as it affects the balance of the general system in the game such as economy, classes, content and even community as your achievements can be easily denounced by players who made use of a lot of MTX using their real money. Reaching the maximum possible gear has no meaning in this game, it will not reflect your skills, nor the fame when you could say that you have reached it with mere and fair gameplay which then again may drain a lot of motivation to play the game, because the person next to you "cheated" using MTX. Of course people couldn't care less about it, if they don't care at all about such things, however then my question would be: why is this an MMORPG then?

You can expect content being delivered to always accommodate MTX, they went even that far so Loot-Boxes have even become part of events in the game such as the Treasure-Trove which is nothing less then something you could call paid loot-boxes - it's just a different visual type of its form, so they don't have to call it "loot-box" because loot-boxes generally have a bad reputation.

You can also expect that, even if you don't care about MTX, that it will forcefully still affect your gameplay and make your life harder in the game, because the alternate way is farming and grinding hard, or trying your skills in power trading with the in-game market which could become difficult sometimes, due to the MTX affecting the market to an negative extent.

 

- We will probably please in EU so which server has the highest population in EU ?

Jinsoyun is the most populated Realm in the EU-Server region. Yet, don't expect a big community though. As of current situation and my very own experiences I can pretty much confirm that the community is definitely decreasing from time to time, you'll see the same faces more often and at late hours it'll be harder to find proper teams to play together with, due to the less amount of players in the game - which also is affecting the gameplay in a lot of ways.

 

- Are there still new comers players ( Like my and my gf ) or it's only old players ?

I think most people who starts playing the game quit in early stages, once they realize the current issues with the game, not just affected by MTX (Microtransactions) but also by how badly the game-support is provided by NCSOFT. The Client performance is very bad and cannot fully utilize the capabilities of your Gaming PC. The game is also full of bugs which were never fixed, and every new patch content is being delivered with new content, but no bug fixes, causing even more bugs and trouble to the game.

This are all factors which forces many new players to retreat from Blade & Soul, and also the reason for Veteran players who decide to quit the game for good, as they get annoyed by all the problems the game has.

 

- How's the community and are people willing to help or they will just bully / troll us ?

Simply put: I pretty much agree with what @WhySoSeriousBro already said.

Unfortunately the general community in Blade & Soul is not very well educated, not just because in the EU region - unlike in NA - many different cultures are coming together into one place here, but also due to the ability to have a proper understanding of MMORPGs, as this game is free to play people don't think about consequences of their doings.

The fact that this game is an Asian MMORPG, will also attract people who can be really annoying - such as Weeaboos or Koreanophiles (no offence lol) and many shy players who avoid voice-chats preferring text-spam during combat failing their roles to execute proper mechanics.

 

- What are the things we need to know before starting playing this game

All the details I wrote above. This is a forum after all, therefore it's better to explain things once and detailed, having the ability to always check back if something was missed, instead of short and repeating in a endless spam of chat.

 

- Is the game going to be fun to be played by 2 players together. i mean the story will be both be doing the quests together at same time ?

I would say yes, but the main quests cannot be done together entirely. There will be solo quests during the main quest. However, all the other quests such as dailys can be done fairly together. You will also require teamplay to properly execute mechanics in dungeons and raids, so even more than 2 players will be required for these.

 

- Lastly your honest opinion should we play the game or should we hard pass ?

Several reasons I mentioned already, you'll never find a quality MMORPG as long as Microtransactions are part of it. Of course the developers wants to earn from their project, however there are a lot other ways to accomplish the profit too, even with free-to-play games. Blade & Soul already has a bad reputation, and the recently announced Unreal Engine 4 update, which will be hopefully provided soon in the future, won't change much. The game engine is not the code, if the people working behind the code still conduct on the business model NCSOFT has planned to the game, and if they don't provide the necessary game-support to fix issues, then even the best Game-Engine in the world will not make the game any better. Most people don't understand this part because they don't have the knowledge of programming in entertainment software development.

 

Yet, the game still provides good things, and one of the most appreciated is the general combat-system which is in fact very unique and not available in this form in any other MMORPG as you may know already. It is the only reason for quite a group of players in Blade & Soul, and one of the last few reasons for them to still keep playing it every now and then. It is the same for me too, but I also found good friends in the game which I like to play with.

Sometimes new content updates also do provide things which is fun when played in teams with friends, even though mostly the grind-part is still there.

 

You can give it a try and see how things go during a few weeks and if you can find an attachment to the game with your girlfriend. In order to help the fun factor to increase, I'd suggest to find a friendly clan where you can get help and play even end-game content decently together. Finding such a clan may take a while though, so do it while you play through the story you will surely find a nice Clan where you will feel comfy.

If you don't get any progress at all, getting annoyed or if the game feels like a job to you, then stop playing it. Don't force yourself to play it.

 

Overall I'd call Blade & Soul fairly an average, perhaps even below average MMORPG.

 

 

I hope I could answer your questions in a way you may have expected it to be.

Trust me, it took me less time then what you'd think to write all this, as I am used to it since I am writing much more in my other platforms, and my full reviews are even more in-depth and detailed which my readers likes and appreciate a lot.

Anyway, Feel free to ask if you want additional info. I'll be happy to help.

 

Cheers

[FredricoKnight]

@RAID .....That was more than i even asked for. but dayum it was both epic and nice to read a bit to long. but it was well written and perfect answers for my questions... well my conclusion of what you wrote is just to stay away from the game and forget about it even tho it looks like it's good game, well it is but apparently the company sadly isn't doing that much of great work which makes the game below average. which kinda sad, hurtful and painful. because developers years ago was really taking care of running games and caring less about profit and more on actual project. but i guess that time is gone now sadly.

I want to Humbly thank you for your time and effort of writing all that so i'm really grateful and thankful, so thank you very much for your time, effort and help. 

Well if you don't mind i want to point something

1. You seem like gamer who really loves playing games and appreciate the games for what they are regardless of the developers / company running them
2. Seeing from that reply of your's, you truly are a person i would love to play and contact with about games in daily basis
3. Your Honesty is kinda surprising is kinda surprising, same as your effort and work. most people would just answer the questions with 1 line or less and that's it or some would of have hated / attacked the game and developers for their foolishness or way of handling stuff, but your reply was both mannered, well informed and quite detailed that makes the asker satisfied with your reply.
4. As person who loves games for over 15 years now. You truly are someone i wish to be gaming buddy with and play with. follow and work hard to catch up to you. now a days many people play games just to troll other or ruin the pleasure of gaming to others but you're like Knight in Shining armour who's sincere and  honest with what you do. which is admirable. 
5. Lastly of course people loves your work. who wouldn't. ( other than haters and trolls of course ) your work is just simply amazing and honestly cant described with words. well i surely cant. your reply was pretty much of masterpiece to be honest. 

well that's sums up what i wanted to say. i kinda wish wish if we could become friends and play games together, however i shall not force myself into it. Respecting others and their lives is a must. well that's what i was taught when i was child. 

anyways once again i want to say thank you very much for your reply, and also apologize for my bad written reply, i kinda am bad at these things lol. well i hope you have nice day and hopefully we can meet again. i'll keep my mind on this post for while just in case you replied. but my answer to playing this game will be " Negative " Sadly. 

[MassiveEgo]

1. Kinda. If you don't get in a guild, it's not worth it;

2. If you plan to trade a lot, you will need it, otherwise the amount of trade items/day will be rather unimpressive;

3. All of them;

4. Get in a guild and play regularly and you'll be on 70% in about 4-5 months;

5. Jinsoyun;

6. People come, go and return all the time. There is always someone in faction chat asking newbie questions;

7. You get the full package. Mostly you'll get advice when you ask for it. Trolling happens after midnight or when an incredibly stupid question is being asked;

8. Patience is key. Also temper your sense of humor, cause here anything and everything flies. Dark humor is like a perma buff of the chat at late evening and night (we keep the chat as pegi as possible till 22-23 CET;

9. With a few exceptions, you will be doing everything together. There are a number of solo story segments. You don't need to break party or anything like that, but you won't see each other in said segments;

10. I don't know you so I can't say;

[Grimoir]

20 hours ago, FredricoKnight said:

• Worth playing ?
• Worth paying for the Premium membership ? 
• What classes are the best for Pve ?
• Will we ever be able to catch up to players who's been playing for years ?
• We will probably please in EU so which server has the highest population in EU ?
• Are there still new comers players ( Like my and my gf ) or it's only old players ?
• How's the community and are people willing to help or they will just bully / troll us ?
• What are the things we need to know before starting playing this game
• Is the game going to be fun to be played by 2 players together. i mean the story will be both be doing the quests together at same time ? 
• Lastly your honest opinion should we play the game or should we hard pass ?

1. No one can answer that for you. Every game is what oyu make of it. Its worth for me cause i play with my bf and friends.

2. remote storage = totally worth it! Also free outfit stamps.

3. Every class is good for PVE, depending which you choose determines the role as some have heals, some have dmg boosts, party protects etc...so general consensus is : play what you like

4. You can catch up, but it will be very hard. Getting to like an average point in terms of gear is easy.

5. No idea, i am from EU but i play on NA because of people.

6. ther are still new players coming

7. there are people who help, but 85% of the community is toxic.

8. You just need to know one thing: trust no one and good luck!

9. Yes. when you get to a certain gear point there are even dungepons you can duo.

10. Play it, see if yuo like it, if you like it then stay and play.

 

Word of advice tho try finding a good clan as that will help you out a lot.

[RAID]

@FredricoKnight

Thank you very much for your feedback

As of BnS, I mean you could still try it out and see if you get a liking on it. You wouldn't lose anything but time if it's just to check it out for a few days (no need to buy Premium either). It's still fun to play at some cases.

I am also still playing the game thanks to a few friends I am playing it together with. I will most likely quit it, once they leave too. So in the end, there is not really much which may motivate you from continuing to play the game. So the information I gave you on my earlier post was just so you can be aware of the circumstances you embark onto.

 

Perhaps for Veterans this situation is easier if it comes to decide to keep playing the game, because they may already have a high item level of gear, due to their total playtime. I for example started playing BnS since Headstart, and I never quit. My gear is not maxed out, but it's high enough on my main character so I am capable of clearing all the new contents, also the newest raid. Once you reach such a state, it is not forcefully required to grind as much, because the gear still lasts for quite a while, so even if the gear progression is slow, at least requirements raising slow too. This is something which can help for players who casually play the game after a while when they already had a lot of (total) playtime and grind in order to get a decent gear to reach end-game.

But for new people who just start playing at this point, it's a huge hill which you need to climb first to reach that state, and perhaps here some people may give up before, because you'll have to grind a lot during this time.

 

I wouldn't mind if you want to contact me, feel free to add me on the DiscordApp, I can send you my ID via PM :P

[ClassicMan]

Tbh I recommend staying away from the game until UE4 then check back to see how things are running. I don’t even play anymore really, just log in to do dailies and chat with clan members.

 

Once Last year and Hide or Die, or anything else interesting that can take my mind off BnS comes out I’ll probably stop playing for good.