A Review. 8.5/10

JDis25

Things I like about BnS:

-No grind required to PvP on equal terms
-Not a timesink in general, but rewards playing often at the same time.
-Combat and Combos - fun as hell.
-No "Trinity" means quick dungeons and group play.
-PvP is insanely good. Very competitive and deep
-PvE is pretty fun, especially when it's challenging towards end game/max level.
-Visually gorgeous. 
-Many cosmetic outfits available in-game or straight purchase. (no RNG Boxes)
-Music is top-notch
-Story/Cut-scenes are cool, main quest text is fully voiced.
-Not P2W at all really, unless you count being able to avoid some minor rng-based grinding.
-Lots of world bosses, OW PvP quests, an open raid dungeon - things that get people playing together in the world.
-Movement is fun (running up walls, gliding, etc.)
-Crafting in this game has a purpose and is useful in making $$.

Things I don't Like:

-Questing is a bit generic...
-PvE End game has dailies..
-To level your weapon you will run the same dungeon a bunch of times. Some don't mind like myself but others will.
-PvP is only "semi-balanced" until level 50 cap. This is what my trusted guildmates are saying. Destroyers, Summoners, and to a smaller extent Blade Dancers dominate the PvP game at least in average and below skill level. This becomes only a minimal advantage if you are an expert at your class.
-Lacking any sandbox features that the MMO genre has been asking for.
-Lacking minigames, pets, housing, mounts or anything that lets you have fun for no reason.

Conclusion:
I hope if they keep updates steady, balance PvP a bit, and give us more goodies to strive for like costumes and such, this could move to a 9/10. Plus I need to see how the story ends!  While it is similar to MMOs you have played, it's also remarkably different. You will hit cap so fast, combat and dungeons are much different than traditional. I'd say like GW2 but better. PvP gear-equalized and similar to a fighting game. Gear is upgraded not aquired so it seems like a type of crafting rather than phat l00tz.

holdenhamlet

I pretty much agree all around.  Maybe .1 reduction for the music- while it is very good and thematic, I've heard better in MMOs.  I'd add that .1 back for the tag-team pvp system which looks amazing.

All in all I'm very surprised at how good this game is.  It wasn't really on my radar and I started it up just as filler until BDO.  It's growing on me by the day, though.

Thorkune

I just don't see why you gave it a 8.5/10 with all of the negatives you listed. Personally, I would give it a 4/10 since it's the same old same old.

filmoret

I like how simple the upgrade system is.  I'm only lvl 25 so idk if it changes a lot endgame.  Personally running a few dungeons over and over for an item makes a game more fun.  So long as I get the item in a reasonable amount of times.  5 runs and I'm happy.  10 runs and I'm aggravated.  There are also a lot of people who will simply trade for their item or you can pick it up on the AH.  But not always of course.

Alders

The two most important aspects for an MMO for me are group/party play and exploration/game world.

Both are extremely subpar. 

jmcdermottuk

Not sure it's 8.5 but a solid 7 for me. Yeah it's a bit shallow and you level very quickly but the main story is quite good and the combat is amazing. I'm also enjoying the Wuxia style movement, which carries over into combat, again. Some of the animations and combo's are completely rediculous but so much fun to watch.

I knew about this for ages but never really paid it much attention until about a week before release. Finally decided to give it a go the day before release and I'm really glad I did. It's about the best fun I've had in an MMO in the last 5 years. The fact that it still only gets a 7 from me just shows how bad MMO's have been for too long now.

Anthur

At some point when you have played one MMO too much of the same kind as BnS you just can't stand any other. So I won't judge over BnS, wouldn't be fair. But 8,5 seems a little high imo, even if you still like this kind of game a 7 seems be more than fair.

Personally I couldn't play any MMO with dailies anymore. I would rather shoot myself into the knee before ever ever ever doing one more daily over and over and over... and over again. You probably get my point

JDis25

Anthur said:

At some point when you have played one MMO too much of the same kind as BnS you just can't stand any other. So I won't judge over BnS, wouldn't be fair. But 8,5 seems a little high imo, even if you still like this kind of game a 7 seems be more than fair.

Personally I couldn't play any MMO with dailies anymore. I would rather shoot myself into the knee before ever ever ever doing one more daily over and over and over... and over again. You probably get my point

Normally yes, I would agree. However BnS does enough different to stand apart. Dailies, yeah they kind of suck, but if you play for just Arena PvP or Craft, you could skip dailies.

There is no reputation or anything, dailies are only to get more gold basically. If you craft you could eventually be self sufficient and avoid Dailies.

Quests are same old quests yes, but there are plenty of quick+ (green) dungeons (i'd say like 20-25) between levels 1-44. then a couple at max plus a few full (blue/purple) dungeons from 1-45 as well. The story and cutscenes break up the grind as well, and also you will not find a quest that requires you to kill more than 15 enemies. You hit max pretty darn fast as well. So that's why I forgive the questing.

Open world bosses, and open world Pvp are always there as well.

LacedOpium

JDis25 said:

Anthur said:

At some point when you have played one MMO too much of the same kind as BnS you just can't stand any other. So I won't judge over BnS, wouldn't be fair. But 8,5 seems a little high imo, even if you still like this kind of game a 7 seems be more than fair.

Personally I couldn't play any MMO with dailies anymore. I would rather shoot myself into the knee before ever ever ever doing one more daily over and over and over... and over again. You probably get my point

Normally yes, I would agree. However BnS does enough different to stand apart. Dailies, yeah they kind of suck, but if you play for just Arena PvP or Craft, you could skip dailies.

There is no reputation or anything, dailies are only to get more gold basically. If you craft you could eventually be self sufficient and avoid Dailies.

Quests are same old quests yes, but there are plenty of quick+ (green) dungeons (i'd say like 20-25) between levels 1-44. then a couple at max plus a few full (blue/purple) dungeons from 1-45 as well. The story and cutscenes break up the grind as well, and also you will not find a quest that requires you to kill more than 15 enemies. You hit max pretty darn fast as well. So that's why I forgive the questing.

Open world bosses, and open world Pvp are always there as well.

What many people don't realize is that this version of BnS is behind in content when compared to other regions.  There is a whole slew of content that will be forth-coming that will enhance the fun factor quite a bit.  The first expansion will be released in a couple of weeks and that will add more PvE/PvP content, increase the cap level, add more costumes/items, etc.  And that's just the first expansion.  There is much more waiting to come after that one.  The best thing BnS has going for it is the potential for longevity. Arena PvP has been widely praised, is garnering a whole lot of attention, and is pretty much dominating twitch streams.  That bodes well for the future of BnS.

Thane

just answering to that semi balance thingie, there are always cookie cutter specs, it is nearly impossible to balance multiple classes in every way the gamers will come up with.

if you want balance, you have one class with one skill :P  THAT is balancable

Kyleran

8.5 is a rating I would give for the best titles in the genre, and only after years of enhancements and polish.

Can't take your rating system seriously as it's more like a school grading system, where failure really is at 59%.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

JDis25

Kyleran said:

8.5 is a rating I would give for the best titles in the genre, and only after years of enhancements and polish.

Can't take your rating system seriously as it's more like a school grading system, where failure really is at 59%.

Best titles in the genre would get a 10/10 for me, that's why they are the best and deserve the best score. Blade and Soul isn't the best, could be better but is still really awesome 8.5/10

By comparison: I would give ESO an 8 when it released. I'd say it's an 8.5 now and with the removal of vet ranks has potential to go to a 9 or above depending on how it's implemented.

Wildstar I gave a 6.5 on release. Mainly it was too hardcore with attunements, telegraphs weren't fun combat for me but the PvP was fun. typical themepark grind.
Archeage: I gave a 7/10 - now probably more of a 5/10. That game will die because of RNG in waaaay too many aspects of gameplay and cash shop transactions. If I buy a crate for a costume and spend $40 and still don't have a costume that is just wrong. Awesome sandbox game in theory though.
Warlords of Draenor I gave a 7.5 - too much of the same recycled junk. Too instanced. But it's WoW so it has a solid foundation in terms of combat, classes, content.
Skyforge I gave a 6 - too lobby based, class system was a grind right off the bat, PvP sucked. Story was there but terrible presentation.
Echo of Soul would be a 5.5/10 - the PvP was ok, but the rest of the game was immensely generic to the point of a legitimate clone to numerous games. I think people believe Blade and Soul is the same way, it's not.
Devilian: 6/10 - fun combat, decent PvP/PvE. First ARPG MMO of it's kind. Only 4 classes, everything else was generic MMO.

WoW Vanilla and Burning Crusade would be 9.5/10 for me. Archeage alpha 9.5/10

I also consider value as a factor. Wildstar, ESO, WoD were all $60 with subscription at release, Blade and Soul is "free" but you could spend a lot less than $60 to have a grand old time.

a game that is a 3/4 out of 10 would be a game that is literally 30% of a complete game. therefore trash. a 1/10 would be a game that was so bad you literally couldn't play it without bugs everywhere, ugly, just no fun AT ALL.

LacedOpium

JDis25 said:

Kyleran said:

8.5 is a rating I would give for the best titles in the genre, and only after years of enhancements and polish.

Can't take your rating system seriously as it's more like a school grading system, where failure really is at 59%.

Best titles in the genre would get a 10/10 for me, that's why they are the best and deserve the best score. Blade and Soul isn't the best, could be better but is still really awesome 8.5/10

IMHO it is a 10/10 for what it does.  It is a lightweight, arcadey, action combat RPG with the best combat I have personally experienced in an MMORPG game, and a really good story line with good voice acting and cinematics.  It is heads above any other MMORPG of its kind out there right now.  What it is not, is a full-featured AAA MMORPG ala FFXIV, ESO, GW2, SWTOR, Wildstar, Archeage etc., and it is not fair to compare it to those AAA full-featured MMORPGs.  

You have to take what BnS gives you which is excellent combat action mixed in with a fun cheesy story with nice music, balanced and competitive arena PvP play, and just have fun with it.  Its a hybrid type MMORPG and pretty much in its own category right now.  Trying to nit-pick it apart by comparing it to all of these other mainstream AAA MMORPGs does it no justice.  People just need to chill and enjoy it for what it intends to do because what it sets out to do is done really well and is loads of fun.  This is a consensus that is pretty much reflected from all differing reviews and opinions on the various gaming forums about BnS.

JDis25

It is AAA though, just 3 years old, which makes it seem less AAA by today's standards.

Blade and Soul along with Archeage are the latest to release in NA, which come from a line of games influenced from Lineage, Lineage II, and Aion. Blade and Soul is still very popular in Korea almost to the level of Lineage and Aion, but not quite.


Even WoW seems less AAA sometimes in relation to it's engine and certain animations. Blizzard does a good job of cranking it to the limit though.

HellboundHeart

Thorkune said:

I just don't see why you gave it a 8.5/10 with all of the negatives you listed. Personally, I would give it a 4/10 since it's the same old same old.

He's a white knight in disguise.

reeereee

HellboundHeart said:

Thorkune said:

I just don't see why you gave it a 8.5/10 with all of the negatives you listed. Personally, I would give it a 4/10 since it's the same old same old.

He's a white knight in disguise.

Well, white knighting is an area you're an expert in, so I'll take your word for it.

JDis25

HellboundHeart said:

Thorkune said:

I just don't see why you gave it a 8.5/10 with all of the negatives you listed. Personally, I would give it a 4/10 since it's the same old same old.

He's a white knight in disguise.

I'm sure more negatives will arise after playing for so long, but I like good games and generally have more positive things to say on here. If I dislike something, I may mention it's flaws in other posts, but I don't generally start a post bashing a game. That being said, They are doing more right in the game's implementation than many launches in the past and that's a nice change.

Let's face it, a solid launch, SWTOR and ESO making important changes. We get to see if Black Desert will live up to it's reputation as a premium B2P product w/ Cash shop or whether it will be a shallow grind/p2w fest. 2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year for MMOs.  Plus I enjoy actual launches, not early access/kickstarters/test builds etc. I appreciate a finished product, and this game is free and I didn't pay much to experience it. Much more value than a WoW expac so far, not that WoW's expansions aren't good, but they are expensive compared to the gaming market today.

AngryElf

LacedOpium said:

JDis25 said:

Anthur said:

At some point when you have played one MMO too much of the same kind as BnS you just can't stand any other. So I won't judge over BnS, wouldn't be fair. But 8,5 seems a little high imo, even if you still like this kind of game a 7 seems be more than fair.

Personally I couldn't play any MMO with dailies anymore. I would rather shoot myself into the knee before ever ever ever doing one more daily over and over and over... and over again. You probably get my point

Normally yes, I would agree. However BnS does enough different to stand apart. Dailies, yeah they kind of suck, but if you play for just Arena PvP or Craft, you could skip dailies.

There is no reputation or anything, dailies are only to get more gold basically. If you craft you could eventually be self sufficient and avoid Dailies.

Quests are same old quests yes, but there are plenty of quick+ (green) dungeons (i'd say like 20-25) between levels 1-44. then a couple at max plus a few full (blue/purple) dungeons from 1-45 as well. The story and cutscenes break up the grind as well, and also you will not find a quest that requires you to kill more than 15 enemies. You hit max pretty darn fast as well. So that's why I forgive the questing.

Open world bosses, and open world Pvp are always there as well.

What many people don't realize is that this version of BnS is behind in content when compared to other regions.  There is a whole slew of content that will be forth-coming that will enhance the fun factor quite a bit.  The first expansion will be released in a couple of weeks and that will add more PvE/PvP content, increase the cap level, add more costumes/items, etc.  And that's just the first expansion.  There is much more waiting to come after that one.  The best thing BnS has going for it is the potential for longevity. Arena PvP has been widely praised, is garnering a whole lot of attention, and is pretty much dominating twitch streams.  That bodes well for the future of BnS.

. 

The same was said in defense of ArcheAge, and we all know how awesome that game turned out to be. 

reeereee

AngryElf said:

LacedOpium said:

JDis25 said:

Anthur said:

At some point when you have played one MMO too much of the same kind as BnS you just can't stand any other. So I won't judge over BnS, wouldn't be fair. But 8,5 seems a little high imo, even if you still like this kind of game a 7 seems be more than fair.

Personally I couldn't play any MMO with dailies anymore. I would rather shoot myself into the knee before ever ever ever doing one more daily over and over and over... and over again. You probably get my point

Normally yes, I would agree. However BnS does enough different to stand apart. Dailies, yeah they kind of suck, but if you play for just Arena PvP or Craft, you could skip dailies.

There is no reputation or anything, dailies are only to get more gold basically. If you craft you could eventually be self sufficient and avoid Dailies.

Quests are same old quests yes, but there are plenty of quick+ (green) dungeons (i'd say like 20-25) between levels 1-44. then a couple at max plus a few full (blue/purple) dungeons from 1-45 as well. The story and cutscenes break up the grind as well, and also you will not find a quest that requires you to kill more than 15 enemies. You hit max pretty darn fast as well. So that's why I forgive the questing.

Open world bosses, and open world Pvp are always there as well.

What many people don't realize is that this version of BnS is behind in content when compared to other regions.  There is a whole slew of content that will be forth-coming that will enhance the fun factor quite a bit.  The first expansion will be released in a couple of weeks and that will add more PvE/PvP content, increase the cap level, add more costumes/items, etc.  And that's just the first expansion.  There is much more waiting to come after that one.  The best thing BnS has going for it is the potential for longevity. Arena PvP has been widely praised, is garnering a whole lot of attention, and is pretty much dominating twitch streams.  That bodes well for the future of BnS.

. 

The same was said in defense of ArcheAge, and we all know how awesome that game turned out to be. 

Not the same at all.  ArcheAge was a trainwreck before it ever reached our shores.  They were IP blocking Korea on the Russian servers to keep everyone from leaving the Korean servers because the changes they were making in the Korean version were so hated.  That game had ample drama before Trion even got ahold of it. 

simsalabim77

reeereee said:

HellboundHeart said:

Thorkune said:

I just don't see why you gave it a 8.5/10 with all of the negatives you listed. Personally, I would give it a 4/10 since it's the same old same old.

He's a white knight in disguise.

Well, white knighting is an area you're an expert in, so I'll take your word for it.

Savage.