Earlier today the official dates for the upcoming closed beta weekends for Blade & Soul were announced, with the first test slated to begin on October 30 in North America, followed on November 24 for the French and German language versions. Following the announcement there were bound to be plenty of questions from fans, so the team took to Twitch for a special live stream to discuss the test, and also showcase the finalists and winners from the Propaganda fan art contest.

For our readers who weren’t able to tune into the stream, we’ve put together the following notes on the key points of discussion. We’ll be following up with a more in-depth look at some of the points made, but for now this will help get you up to speed on anything you might have missed.

As a quick note before we get to main info, the members of the NCSOFT team conducting the stream included:

  • Nico Coutant – Blade & Soul Producer
  • Omeed Dariani – Community Director
  • Julianne Harty – Brand Manager

Blade & Soul Closed Beta Stream Notes

  • Devs from the Korean team were in attendance, and they will be getting their own interview stream on Friday. Be sure to visit the official website for details on when to tune in for the next stream
  • Questions gathered about CBT will also be included in the stream on Friday
  • Closed Beta begins on Oct. 30 – We may still see an earlier date for French and German, but those client versions are currently set for November 24 (when the EU server goes online). That one is a 7-day event, even if billed as a “weekend” event due to the long holiday weekend.
  • Regular beta weekends open at 10 AM PDT on Friday, closing at 10 PM PDT on Monday
  • Founder’s packs are one way to secure guaranteed access to the beta weekends
  • Keys will also be given away – signing up to the official newsletter is another way to get a chance to participate
  • They will be testing different things during each beta weekend event. The number of participants invited into each test will be based on the needs for a given test. So dungeon testing may require less people than something like a more direct stress test that will need a high volume of concurrent players.
  • Keys will also be given away on the official Twitter feed, as well as through giveaways with partner websites
  • Why weekend tests? These provide several benefits. They often encourage higher participation due to the limited access window. Feedback also tends to be better since the test has more focus. Finally, weekends also give time for addressing critical feedback.
  • Everyone can access the NA servers for the test – doesn’t matter where you purchase the Founder’s pack (this will also apply to the EU servers once they open up)
  • Technical Alphas are also coming that will be focused on testing the new server hardware which in turn helps make sure the CBT goes smoothly
  • Technical Alpha is bound to crash as build compatibility is tested, but you are still encouraged to participate (if applicable) as this is a truly critical testing phase
  • Surveys will open in the beta client that will allow you to provide feedback within the client so that you won’t be forced to leave the game to provide feedback. There will also be CBT forums, and customer support staff available, so those channels will also be an option for providing feedback.
  • The CBTs will also be providing critical feedback to Korean development team on what Western players want
  • Over 20 days of beta testing overall so there will be plenty of testing time
  • No wipes during closed beta, but there will be a wipe at the end of the beta
  • FULL GAME is open during the CBT, so no content gating. Level cap is 45, same as the launch level cap.
  • The cash shop will be available during the CBT – prices are subject to change, but it will be open to spend NCoin. This will not pull coin from your main account, but if you have it from Founder’s pack it will be available to spend. This will be Testing Coin – like monopoly money during test - you will still have the coin to spend in the live game even if you spend the Testing coin.
  • Premium membership is also something they’ll be testing during CBT – also looking for feedback in this area
  • Name Reservation will happen after the CBT, but right before the Head Start – email will be sent out to alert people with the date on when this opens up
  • Character Slots – 7 slots will be available during the CBT to help you test as many characters as you want and help decide what you want to play at launch
  • Game pad support will be in for the CBT
  • System Requirements will be added to the FAQ, so be on the lookout for that – the CBT client will also be Windows 10 compatible for those of you who have upgraded

Propaganda (creative contest) winners and honorable mentions were also shared with viewers during the stream, with a couple of our favorites shown below.

For more info on the Blade & Soul closed beta weekends and the upcoming stream this Friday, be sure to visit the official website.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Blade & Soul Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Reuben "Sardu" Waters has been writing professionally about the MMOG industry for eight years, and is the current Editor-in-Chief and Director of Development for Ten Ton Hammer.

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