Warriors, Assemble! Blade & Soul Heroes Awaits

The Blade & Soul series from Korean developer NCSOFT continues to evolve with its latest free-to-play collectible action MMORPG, Blade & Soul Heroes. It may go back in time in terms of the story, but in all other ways it’s a leap forward. Set three years before the events of Blade & Soul and Blade & Soul Neo, the game begins as sword-wielding heroine Yusol still reels from the attack that laid waste to her clan. Getting the band (of heroes) back together is the first order of business—your playable team is the result—and then the glorious PvE and PvP, wuxia-flavored action can begin. Intel Gaming Access caught up with Jungwon Kang, the producer and creative director for the Blade & Soul Heroes development team at NCSOFT, to talk trials, raids, and rewards.

“Heroes provides a new experience which combines the strategic gameplay of turn-based combat with field-based action gameplay, all while maintaining the core IP identity,” Kang tells us. “Blade & Soul Heroes introduces a real-time strategic combat system based on collection RPGs. While the original game provided an immersive, story-oriented experience set in an open world, Heroes has a greater emphasis on strategic depth, such as skill timing, hero combination, and synergy between characters. In addition, we structured the game to include various timelines and characters from the Blade & Soul universe, so that the fans can experience a reimagined version of the familiar world and characters.”

 The series is less than a decade old, but for those who have yet to unsheathe a sword in its open world, here’s a handy summary: “Blade & Soul Heroes is an MMORPG that combines character collection, strategic battle, and Blade & Soul’s unique martial arts fantasy universe,” Kang enthuses. “This game is for both casual and hardcore MMORPG gamers who prefer short, intense, match-based battles, as well as long-time fans who love the IP. The game will especially appeal to players who enjoy the in-depth growth system and competitive PvE content provided every season.”

Heroes allows players to collect and grow more than 50 Blade & Soul heroes. As Kang explains, players can “combine them to participate in various PvE scenarios, such as solo Boss Trials, massive Boss Raids, and collaborative Guild content. With the players’ ability to form parties, use skills in real time, and control the flow of battle, the appeal of combat is in taking direct control of the action and strategy, instead of relying on auto-battle. Additionally, the game is designed to incite lasting interest through new stories, balanced changes, additional heroes, and rewards provided with each update. Many people expect the game’s focus to be on Blade & Soul’s existing characters and weapons, but Blade & Soul Heroes aims to introduce new, compelling original characters.”

These include a boxing cat, a mouse-eared poppet, and a raccoon armed with a lethal… well, we’re not sure what it’s called, but we want one. “Players can expect a lot of narrative twists with this setup,” Kang continues, “such as being able to play characters who were only mentioned in the past, or a known villain becoming an ally in an alternate timeline. In addition, the ‘Guardian’ system can be used to add significant strategic depth, offering Buff, Debuff, or Status Effect combos in combat, and other benefits outside of combat.”

Pushing the envelope can create new challenges, as Kang and team discovered. “The biggest challenge we faced during early development was how to incorporate Blade & Soul’s unique action into the collection MMORPG framework. Through several prototype tests and internal playtesting sessions, we decided to incorporate action elements, such as joint attacks that can disrupt enemy skills by combining Heroes’ unique skills with a parry mechanic triggered by dashing at the right time. Another challenge we faced was graphics optimization. To ensure that Blade & Soul Heroes’ visual quality is maintained while operating smoothly across various devices, we’ve come to make good use of Intel Xe Super-Sampling 2 (XeSS 2) technology along with a Unity-based custom rendering pipeline. The application of XeSS 2 to Blade & Soul Heroes significantly improved the image quality even at low rendering resolutions, especially in fast-moving scenes with complex character details. These improvements will provide a much more immersive visual experience for the players. And with the help of XeSS Inspector, we were able to track and fix interworking issues quickly, which enabled us to implement many features in a short period of time.”

And now, with blades sharpened and souls stirred, Heroes is ready to go. But what comes after? “With preparation starting in 2025, 2026 will be the first year of great expansion for the Blade & Soul IP. Heroes will continue to introduce new characters, meta, and event content every season.” Heroes of mouse and keyboard, stand by.

Wishlist Blade & Soul Heroes on Steam