Tomorrow sees the launch of Blade and Soul on western shores. Its been a long time coming and there are many who have waited years for its arrival. The wait is finally over and there’s every chance it could be a huge success, especially considering it’s free to play right out of the gates, bypassing any future drama should it not live up to lofty expectations. Despite that, a friend and I were talking today about why we’re looking forward to Blade and Soul.

As someone who has played Guild Wars 2 for the past few years, I’m excited to not only move on to covering something new but to also begin to explore a new world with an exciting combat system. I’ll freely admit that the majority of classes aren’t my cup of tea (I dislike melee) which makes choosing a class particularly difficult. Fortunately the Summoner is right up my street - I adore classes with an AI component and the capability of healing and dealing damage. It’s the perfect class for me and I can’t wait to truly get to grips with it.

Aside from class choice or the obviousness of a new game world to explore, it’s probably the prospect of a new community to become part of that’s top of my list. The Guild Wars 2 community has always been great and like any other, has its ups and downs. However, Blade and Soul is the first MMO I’ve ever played where my real life friends aren’t following and I know absolutely no one who has tested it. That’s a strange feeling when you’re used to diving into a game with a band of allies behind you.

Communities make or break an MMO and there’s no doubting we’re a picky bunch. We want polish, content, balance and everything between and if it isn’t there, we tend to shout loudly or march on to the next game. I’m hoping for something different with Blade and Soul because the game itself feels rather different. Such an emphasis on PvP and personal skill is always welcome and at times I’ve missed that in Guild Wars 2 (especially with their current Meta). It often felt like 1 on 1’s were based solely on your ability to bunker, often resulting in a need to constantly have someone else strapped to you to ensure you could actually participate. I’m hoping things are vastly different here.  

Finally and without digressing too much, I’d like to know why you want to play Blade and Soul. Are you bored of the current crop of MMO’s? Is it simply the prospect of a new game that’s attractive or is it specifically the classes available and the combat that’s on offer? Whatever your reason, do let me know below. While you’re at it, if you fancy joining me and helping me formulate my Blade and Soul review (NCSoft will soon be asking how I’ve made use of my time!) then I’d love your help.

I’ll be rolling on Windrest under the name Mizaki. Feel free to contact me!