FAQ

Release Date, Beta Testing & Early Access

What is the release date for Bless Early Access?
Bless EA will begin in May 2018.

What is the payment model for Bless?
Bless will be Buy2Play.

How much will it cost?
Will be announced soon.

How long will EA last?
The length of EA will be dependent on the player feedback received during EA and on the stabilization of the Bless service.

Will progress be wiped after EA?
No. Players in EA will not have their progress wiped. EA will be considered a “soft launch.”

I’ve heard that there will be beta testing before EA. How can I participate?
There isn’t currently a public beta test planned.

Will there be ongoing testing and test servers for new Bless content that is in the works?
Yes, there will be an internal closed test server for that purpose.

Will there be name reservation before Early Access?
No, there will not be name reservation before Early Access.

Will there be a pre-download for Bless (so the game can be already downloaded when the servers go live)?
This hasn’t been determined yet.

Game & Development

Will Bless be Pay to Win?
No. Whatever the monetization model ends up being for Bless, it will NOT be Pay to Win. We have heard the community loud and clear that this is not wanted.

What are you working on, and why isn’t it done yet?
We’re working on many things, including localization, performance improvements, features, and gameplay adjustments. We are taking the time needed to make sure Bless is in a great state for its Steam release.

How far along are you in development of the Steam version of Bless?
About 70% done as of February 2018.

Will there be player-to-player trading?
There currently isn’t player trading enable for the JPN or KOR versions of Bless. It is likely that the Steam version will also not allow player-to-player trading.

Will there be controller support?
There aren’t currently plans for controller support, but “never say never.”

Will there be region locking?
No, with the exception of a few places where there are existing publishing partnerships.

What will the servers be? Where?
Where the servers will be located and how many hasn’t been announced yet. More info will follow on this later.

Will there be housing in Bless?
Guild housing is planned for development for Bless. We will have more info on this in the future.

Is leveling grind-y?
No, Bless Online’s leveling content is focused on questing, story, and dungeons - not mob grinding.

Are you working on a console version of Bless?
Neowiz is interested in Multi-platform and is investing in R&D for a potential console version, but we do not have any announcements for that specific goal yet.

Are you going to be improving performance for the Steam version?
Yes, we are actively working on optimizing and improving performance.

Will the combat be different for Steam?
Yes, many changes are being made to the combat. It will be different from what has been seen so far.

What will be some things that we see after release?
A few things planned for post-release are a 20 person open world boss, a 40 person raid boss, a high-level open world PvP area, 10v10 and 15v15 battlegrounds, and a large-scale war system.

Why aren’t you switching from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 4?
We decided that switching from UE3 to UE4 would be both time-consuming and cost ineffective.

Will there be a customizable UI?
Players will be able to set a few shortcut icons for some options, but the overall locations and sizes of UI are not customizable.
Will there be PVE and PVP servers, so that people who do not wish to do open world PVP at all can avoid it?
No, there won't be any PVE or PVP exclusive servers.

Will there be a way to avoid PvP if you do not wish to fight?
Yes, there will be an item used for avoiding PvP. We will discuss this and how it works at a later date.

Will the “avoid PVP” item be something from the cash shop, or something all players can obtain without spending real cash?
Players can purchase the “avoid PVP” item with in-game currency. It will be easier to purchase it during the early stages for an undisturbed gameplay experience than the max level because we think that if a max level player can easily evade PvP or RvR (Important elements in Bless Online) then it will no longer be any fun.

Races & Classes

Will there be any races or classes locked behind a paywall?
No, all races and classes will be playable with free updates.

What classes will be playable during Early Access?
We’re planning on announcing the EA classes at a later date.

Steam Version - What's new?

Rhythmic Combat
Players need to pick two stance skills out of six, as well as four general skills that will go well with their class. Using these skills in combos during combat will lead to extra effects (1. Select a stance, 2. Use your starting skill 3. Use a skill combo).
In combat, there is more action and it has gotten more difficult due to the new dynamic combo system. Depending on how good a player is at making combos, they can bring out the full potential of their class.

Growth Mechanics
We have rebuilt the mechanics behind both skill acquisition and skill leveling. In the Steam version, in addition to advancing your equipment, learning and leveling up skills are main parts of growing your character. There is a variety of ways to obtain the gems that are used to level skills. As we aim to avoid P2W, the amount of money you spend on the game will not affect the amount of gems you can get.

Party Buffs
We believe that the best way to enjoy any MMORPG is by playing with others. As an incentive for players to play the game with a variety of people, we have decided to introduce party benefits!
Depending on the number of members, classes, and races of the party members, the party leader can choose one combat effect and one lifestyle (non-combat) effect from a selection to be applied to party members! With this feature we hope that not only those who enjoy combat, but also those who prefer the lifestyle (non-combat) aspects of MMORPGs can enjoy playing with other players!

User Friendly Monetization
Along with having no P2W in the Steam version, Bless Online’s monetization system will be user friendly. -Content token shop: We have designed it so that players can use content tokens (special in-game currency earned by just playing the game) to purchase functional items.
-Lumena shop: Players can use Lumena (in-game currency purchased using real money) to buy a variety of convenience and cosmetic items.

Also, with the addition of the Lumena Exchange Center (name is WIP), players will be able to convert their content tokens into Lumena. This feature will allow even players who only buy the game (and nothing more!) the ability to use the Lumena shop to purchase convenience and cosmetic items.

Tutorial Zone
Many new players reported that they did not have the best experience playing Bless due to the game being designed with experienced MMORPG players in mind.
In the Steam version, there will be a new area specifically for new players to practice basic skills. Those who are experienced MMORPG players or who already know the basics can skip this, but even if you skip or complete the tutorial, you can always go back to it.

Guide Quests
These quests will teach you things the tutorial does not.
They are much easier to understand than the pre-existing introductory quests.

Improved Content Pacing
In Bless, players can take part in most activities even if they are only level 1. As a result, some new users reported difficulty in knowing where they are supposed to start.
To address this, we have improved the pacing at which users are exposed to new content so that they can adjust to Bless in stages instead of being overwhelmed right from the beginning.

Upgraded Monsters
In Bless, players level up through PvE combat and by experiencing a variety of events. As much of the PvE combat was relatively easy and repetitive, most players were quickly bored.
In order to solve this problem, we have updated the mobs with special skills. We are also currently developing more features that will make leveling up an exciting adventure!

Community

Will there be any kind of community/partner program that passionate players and fans can participate in?
Yes, please check the Emissary Program here http://blessonline.net/emissary

Will there be in-game events? Will there be community events, such as costume design contests etc?
Yes and yes!