Greetings!
As Bless Online’s Steam EA release is fast approaching, we know that many of you are curious about the 5 classes available in the game. In an effort to help you familiarize yourself with the different class combat styles, we have prepared a little preview! In addition to specific combat-related details on each class, we are also sharing class gameplay introduction videos so that you can see each class in action.
Also, please note that names for skills, effects, resources, and stances may not be finalized.
Guardian
https://youtu.be/v0LWGhX9v24 (This preview video was taken in a development environment and therefore does not reflect the final version) Guardians in Bless are known to be brilliant strategic commanders who protect both their allies and the front lines. How do they do this you ask? Well, they need to be brave. Every time a guardian uses a combo, they gain bravery (a resource like mana). Once a guardian’s bravery meter is full, players can change their stance to activate the [Enhance] effect. When [Enhance] is activated, a guardian receives additional effects to help them eliminate their enemies and climb to victory. However being a guardian requires skill specifically, the skill to use the [Enhance] effects before they wear off, as failing to do so results in debuffs being applied. As such, how well a player utilizes [Enhance] is key to their guardian’s success in combat. On the other hand, if you ever find yourself against a guardian in battle, make sure to prevent them from receiving any additional benefits from [Enhance]!Berserker
https://youtu.be/BgydWcaw9aQ (This preview video was taken in a development environment and therefore does not reflect the final version) The Berserker has a couple of ways to approach a fight. Depending on what stance they are in, the effect [Blood Leech] or the effect [Bleed] will be activated. [Blood Leech] is, as its name hints, a defense-focused effect that reduces the damage received by recovering a portion of health from the total inflicted damage. [Bleed], on the other hand, is a high risk/high reward effect that consumes a set amount of health per use to increase the amount of damage inflicted on the enemy. When we were redesigning the berserker class, one of our goals was to make it so players could take any stance depending on their preference or situation. In other words, we wanted to make the berserker a class that could go with any playstyle. As a result, we developed 3 concepts for the class: Deadly, Defensive, and Balanced. In addition, we planned to make it so berserkers who take the Defensive concept path could become sub-tankers if they so choose.Ranger
https://youtu.be/tZEdD2_CeH4 (This preview video was taken in a development environment and therefore does not reflect the final version) Rangers are quietly and thoroughly lethal. Quite literally, no one will see them coming. However, after they draw back their bowstring that is focused with ever increasing intensity on their target, the ranger will announce their presence with a swift arrow. With the ranger class, it is possible to deal great damage or acquire beneficial effects in combat as you increase your prudence resource and minimize your movement. The way to use the prudence resource mostly lies in stance switches, and making this mechanic work well in combat was the main goal for the ranger’s redesign process.Paladin
https://youtu.be/2GF7tDv07sw (This preview video was taken in a development environment and therefore does not reflect the final version) When all hope seems lost, fear not! The paladin is here! The third skill of a combo in each of the paladin’s stances is a buff, and by changing the buff used, paladins can function either as a damage dealer or a healer. Although the paladin has fewer combo types than other classes, it requires more tactical skill as choosing the right combo for the situation is extremely important. Let's say that your party is in dire need of your healing powers, but you barely have any mana left. Do you go ahead and increase your healing powers despite low mana levels? Or do you activate your mana recharging skills instead? To master the paladin class you need to be able to quickly understand the combat situation as well as be proficient in using combos.Mage
https://youtu.be/Jg6ETFi1IgI (This preview video was taken in a development environment and therefore does not reflect the final version) With boom and a bang, the mage has the ability to leave a dramatically powerful impression on their enemies with masterful control of the elements. Mages use stance skills to acquire fire, ice, and air elements and can acquire bonus effects by consuming elements through using certain skills. These additional effects differ per stance and per the element of the skill, they are being applied to. To add an extra layer of depth to the mage class, the mage was redesigned so that players must carefully consider the situation when using the obtained additional effects.
As demonstrated here, each class has its own unique combat style, and different techniques are required to fully utilize each class’s full potential. Although it may seem a little challenging at first, it is an enjoyable combat system with enough flexibility and variety to suit each player’s playstyle. As it can be hard to decide right away on which class is the most suitable for you, be sure to give each class a try once the game is out!
Thank you,
The Bless Team