Blade and Soul Heroes shows off more features ahead of its September release

In a world that’s drowning in MMORPGs, with players who don’t necessarily have the time to invest in multiple games, you need to stand out. When Blade and Soul came out with its wuxia-inspired action-oriented combat, it did just that. Now, Blade and Soul Heroes is speeding towards its September 2nd release date, and NCSoft held a preview event to show us more of what to expect.

You will be stepping into the shoes of Yusol, a warrior whose clan was destroyed. It will be your job to rebuild it, which includes an opportunity to rename it that I am more excited about than I should be. To do this, you will need friends, and how do we make friends in this day and age? Correct, with gacha banners. And don’t forget to stuff your new pals full of those resources you collect to upgrade them. 

After creating a team, you will hit the battlefield for real-time action combat, although unlike some of its competitors, Heroes lets you pack a team of five. What I like the most, however, is that you don’t have to keep frantically switching playable characters to whip out skills. You can choose your main, and just have your allies pop onto the field, do an attack, and then disappear back to the aether.

Another fun addition is the turn-based combat modes. Mind Training will see your characters use their skills in slower, more strategic ways, with the opportunity for combo attacks if you use moves in the right order. There is even a PvP mode, which you can set running in the background in auto-battle as you flip back to the action gameplay. Sure, you lose some control, but who can resist bopping foes for that long?

Blade and Soul Heroes is available to pre-register on the App Store and Google Play.