PREVIEW: Blade & Soul NEO Seems To Be Learning From The F2P Monetization Mistakes Of The Original

As you get downloading today ahead of the Blade & Soul NEO global release later this month, you may still have more than a few questions about NCSoft's actual plan with the MMORPG's new Unreal Engine 4 version. I mean, Blade & Soul still exists and will continue to do so, so what's the point? I had many of the same questions. Luckily, I was able to join a press demo last week hosted by Senior Producer Andrew Long, Community Manager Andrew Gant, and Senior PR Director Doug Perry.

As for getting a look at the game, it really wasn't one of those types of demos. We didn't get to play some early build with other press members or anything. Honestly, what we were actually shown of the game itself really just lines up with things we've already seen and know about.

Yes, the new visuals look much better than the original. The upgrades to textures, lighting, and even what seemed like a bit of UI cleanup all pop. Don't quote me on that UI thing, though. It certainly LOOKED a bit cleaner, but I'm not sure if we were seeing the full default UI or one of the staff's custom changes.

Some maps have even received more love than that and been revamped with new or improved structures, so yes. There will be a lot of "oohs and ahhs" from BnS vets, I'm sure. Hell, while I don't have all that much personal nostalgia for BnS, some other members of the press were feeling quite the nostalgia hit as we watched some of the opening story play out. Maybe you'll get the same from the video below if you were an avid Blade & Soul player.

On that front, no, nothing is changing story-wise. Expect the same story as the original BnS, at least for a while. The team did express that they COULD go in a different direction down the road, but that'll depend on players and their feedback. NEO won't be on par with the original for quite some time content-wise and that's if it ever gets there.

Other things that are staying the same include the same 4 playable races available in the OG title, and the original starting seven classes. Don't worry about losing some of the functionality of Blade & Soul's character creation tools. They've certainly been visually improved, but you can still make some absolute monsters of a character in there with all the customization options. Your jiggle physics, highly-revealing female outfits, and the ability to view your creation under different lighting and environments are all there.

After we all got a look at character creation, it was time to look at content. Again, there wasn't much "new" here info-wise. NEO will feature PvP and PvE. You can wear your faction outfit out in the world to flag for PvP, you can PvP with parties, and there was a quick nod to a new NEO-specific PvP zone that seemed to play a lot like the old World of Warcraft open world arenas PvP. By that I mean "get to the chest and open it before dying" type gameplay.

PvE dungeons are a thing, working together is still a thing, and staying out of boss one-shot abilities is still a thing.

When it came to "new," the largest piece of info we saw was a quick dip into the new Weapon Soul Cores which can be slotted on a weapon to give you abilities certain bosses have, the new Mantra system which was basically a gear-gemming system to customize stats and buffs a bit, and a Skill Books system that allowed you to alter your class a bit so you weren't exactly like every other Blademaster out there.

Honestly, it all seems great if you were a fan of the original. If you like the original but, like me, the eventual monetization drove you away, then I might have the best news from the demo for you.

It seems that NEO is learning quite a bit from the mistakes of the original when it comes to making cash. Now, whether this will actually work out for the game long-term or not is an entirely different story, but there have been many seemingly player-centric changes made.

Yes, NEO will have a battle pass with a free track and a paid track. However, this pass will not offer anything that enhances advancement besides maybe a few "bonus XP" type potions that you can earn in game anyway. No, there will not be a separate, optional premium subscription for the free-to-play game. That's all great, but my real problems with BnS started when the Trove was added and your enhancements were driven through items obtained there.

NEO will not have any such system.

Instead, gear drops with random stats and mantra slots. If you don't like those stats, farm a new version of that weapon. Mercifully, there is no "0-10" or "0-20" upgrade system here. You'll be taking your favorite weapon and upgrading it directly to Awakened and True versions. You could get a new core as part of those processes, but gone is the Trove and "leveling" system.

The item shop will offer cosmetics only and will not be using any "gacha" random item elements, either.

From the team, "We want to make a game people enjoy playing then worry about making money." This was in response to me asking if NCSoft was ok with this given the company recently called Throne & Liberty's monetization a "weak revenue model." The team seems to think they can survive by doing right by players and they even stressed that many cosmetics will be available via gameplay. The cash shop cosmetics would just be more "elevated" versions of certain outfits. One such outfit included the knees of the character model being removed so it looked like just flames connected the top and bottom portions of the player's legs. I quite liked that cosmetic, actually.

Now, let's see where it is 6 months from now. I remember BnS didn't seem to shabby at launch either. It is good news in my book so far, though.

Expect the global version to always be a shade behind the Korean version of NEO, but fans who remember the "Loading Screen" art contests and other similar events should expect more of these types of community contests in NEO. There's even a few planned via the game's Discord for launch itself.

If you were hoping to see the title on console (or hell, even Steam), don't hold your breath. At launch it will only be available via NCSoft's Purple launcher. I think this is a terrible mistake and the team said they are considering other platforms, but not at launch.

The presentation, and mainly the monetization information, actually has me more interested to give the game another shot. I don't know how into it I would be if I played the original as my main game since this is the same story, but for a causal like me? I'm looking forward to the ability to Windwalk as much as I want without a stamina bar.

Are you headed into Blade & Soul NEO later this month? Let us know your thoughts so far below. If you haven't already, make sure to pre-register on the official site for some free gifts on launch day.