Blade & Soul utilizes an action combat system, allowing you to truly feel like a martial artist. Being aware of your surroundings, correctly positioning yourself, knowing when to defend, when to attack, and choosing the best response to your opponent are all key to being able to truly master your martial prowess.

Targeting

In order for your attacks to have their intended impact, you generally need to be facing your opponent. Some skills have a ranged impact, where everyone who’s standing in front of you will be damaged as long as they’re within range. These can generally be used at any time, and anyone who gets in your way will be hit. The Destroyer’s Axe Sweep ability knocks down everyone in front of him:

Some abilities require a target to use, and usually the opponent that’s directly in front of you and within range of your abilities will be targeted. You’ll know when you’re targeting someone when the cross hair cursor snaps to them, and their information appears on the top of the screen.

Action & Reaction

The combat in Blade & Soul is dependent on your actions and reaction, and many of your martial abilities are triggered upon certain events. Your action bar at the bottom of the screen shows the skills you have available in general situations; however, these skill bars will shift to display abilities that are available to take advantage of a given situation.

For example, if you’re knocked down as a Destroyer, your skill options will change to a give you a number of different abilities that allow you to jump back up into the battle. But be quick, or you could lose your chance to respond.

Much like you are able to block and counter an opponent’s attacks, the other martial artists within the game are able to do the same to you. You can counter their block, and they can counter your counter, and so on!

It’s a combat system that will keep you on your toes and have you be ready to react when an opportunity arises. We’ll share more on how combat for each class works as we get closer to launch, but we’ll also be showing you some of these combat basics in our livestream on September 9 at 10am PDT.

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