The showcase video Blade and Soul NEO Classic Divine Gems provides a commentary-free look at several aspects of the MMORPG, including a look at its opening story segment (which isn’t really different but is pretty-fied), the game’s character creator (in case fans weren’t already making a character ahead of time), its improved visuals, the ability to infinitely windwalk (saying “whee” is optional but strongly recommended), the variety of PvE and PvP content that awaits players for both solo players and groups, and new systems such as weapon soul cores and skill books that modify attacks and item-enhancing mantras.
The video below provides a pretty comprehensive look at just what BaS NEO is offering when it arrives on Tuesday, February 25th, so make sure to set aside that time to take a look if you’re up for it. And for more about NEO’s features, update plans, and monetization, make sure to check out our own reporting from a recent press event if you haven’t already.
That was my takeaway from last week’s press preview, where NC America reps explained that it’s not exactly a progression server, but it’s not a pure classic throwback server either. Readers will remember that the game was originally marketed as Blade and Soul NEO Classic, so we assumed NC was just doing what so many MMO studios do and chucking up the old version for nostalgia gamers (and easy money).
During the session, which was hosted by senior producer Andrew Long and community manager Andrew Gant, the team made clear that this version of the game does loop back to some of the earliest years in terms of storyline and content, but the teams have made significant upgrades and in some cases total do-overs to many of its systems. Graphics have been overhauled and remastered dramatically, with new textures and lighting. Some maps have been redone with new layouts and even buildings. The new-player experience has been gussied up and made sufficiently gutwrenching. Group content has been improved, every skill in the skillbook can be customized, and the gear upgrade system has been redone from scratch. Even exploration and group combat have seen upgrades in a way that, well, sounds a lot like Guild Wars 2 – in the best way.
Perhaps most importantly, not all of the game’s full breadth of content will be accessible at NEO’s launch, which is critical as OG BandS has seen a whopping 90 updates since its release. And yet there’s no promise that buy Blade and Soul NEO Classic Divine Gems will just progress chronologically through the OG’s content, either. The plan, NCsoft says, is to maintain the freedom to take the game’s story and cadence in a different direction entirely from the OG game. In other words, it’s kind of a Classic Plus server, with a bunch of new and altered systems and potentially a different storyline. It may look very little like its progenitor when all is said and done. And when you consider it that way, the term NEO actually does suddenly make sense.
