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Blade & Soul premium membership detailed

While Blade & Soul's in-game content will largely follow what's available in Eastern regions, there's one key difference that the Western version of the game will have.

Ozzie Mejia

June 23, 2015 6:00 AM

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As Blade & Soul has continues to see success overseas, the game is preparing to enter uncharted territory with its upcoming Western release. Now that NCSoft has revealed what the game itself is about, the publisher is now looking to explain the game's business model and how it will differ from its Western counterpart.

NCSoft is not planning to compromise the game's free-to-play goal. None of the game's content will feature a price tag of any sort, as the world will be fully explorable and all of the dungeon content will be accessible right out of the gate. NCoin currency will be used to purchase cosmetic items, quality of life improvements (character and inventory slots), and convenience items.

Where Blade & Soul's Western release will differ is with the game's premium membership. Members will be entitled to special windwalk effects (i.e. a blue wind trail), gold and XP boosts, and a currency boost. The membership will feature five tiers, with great bonus percentages allocated for each tier. A player's tier will rise the more they spend in-game currency or NCoin, regardless of whether they're active members. This means that even if a player becomes a member for the first time, if enough in-game currency has been spent, that player can start with a tier 5 membership.

NCSoft is also planning on more details about pre-order packs in the coming weeks, only noting that these pre-order packs will include closed beta access. For more on Blade & Soul, check out the game's website and watch the new trailer below.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?