A Guide to Choosing Which Class to Play in Blade & Soul

Blade & Soul is the latest big-budget MMORPG to hit the Western market. It's quickly propelled itself into spotlight due to its favorable action combat system and delightful presentation. But many have found difficulty in choosing a class to play due to its unorthodox class design.

There are a total of seven classes in Blade & Soul, and all of them have a distinct taste that doesn't quite equate to conventional MMORPG principles with every class being capable of filling multiple roles through specialization. To help you find the class right for you, below we have an overview for each of them.

Assassin

Pros: High burst damage, high mobility, can choose battles using stealth

Cons: Low defense, requires high attentiveness to achieve positive results

Weapon: Dagger

Difficulty: Hard

Available Races: Jin

Recommended For: Players who enjoy Rogue and Thief-oriented classes will enjoy Assassin for its quickness, outstanding burst damage, and unique ability to stealth.

Final Word: ​The Assassin is the only class in Blade & Soul that can stealth and surprise opponents with an onslaught of decisive attacks. It excels at punishing low-armored opponents who are out of position.

Blade Dancer

Pros: High AoE, high mobility, effective ranged attacks

Cons: Low to moderate single target damage, loses potency in longer battles

Weapon: Sword

Difficulty: Average

Available Races: Lyn

Recommended For: Players seeking a hybrid class that can remain engaged with enemies at melee or range with flashy, high area of effect attacks will enjoy playing as the fabulous Blade Dancer.

Final Word: The Blade Dancer is a mixture of the elemental-oriented play of the Force Master and the high-speed sword attacks of Blade Master. It is a versatile class with beautiful moves that leave enemies in awe.

Blade Master

Pros: High parry and evasion, strong counters, stances provide means for adjustment

Cons: Relies on sustain with low burst damage throughput, low armor results in difficult active tank playstyle

Weapon: Sword

Difficulty: Hard

Available Races: Yun, Jin

Recommended For: Players who enjoy deflecting attacks to keep themselves alive while they deal steady damage to foes will enjoy heading into the fray as a Blade Master.

Final Word: Blade Masters are a pain to deal with for melee classes used to punishing enemies with high burst. Their parry, evasion, and counters reward quick reflexes with battle-altering moments.

Destroyer

Pros: High defense, high control, moderate AoE

Cons: Slow, low single target damage throughput

Weapon: Giant Axe

Difficulty: Average

Available Races: Gon

Recommended For: Players who enjoy controlling the battlefield with stuns and grabs will enjoy stomping around as the Destroyer.

Final Word: Destroyer's have a unique toolkit that allows them to head into battle, control the positioning of opponents, and then stay alive as long as possible through passive defense. Their comrades value them for their unequaled melee-range utility.

Force Master

Pros: High control, moderate damage, ranged attacks

Cons: Very low natural defense, requires attentive kiting to keep alive when targeted

Weapon: Chi Bracelet

Difficulty: Average

Available Races: Yun, Lyn, Gon

Recommended For: Players who enjoy playing Mage classes without relying on a pet will find Force Master delightful.

Final Word: The Force Master redirects attention away from his or herself and controls enemies in a way that significantly dampens their potency. When positioned well and kept form harm's way they give their comrades a desirable advantage.

Kung-Fu Master

Pros: Single target proficiency, high speed and evasion, counters provide powerful sustain

Cons: Low AoE, requires extreme attentiveness to achieve positive results

Weapon: Fists

Difficulty: Expert

Available Races: Gon, Jin, Yun

Recommended For: Players who enjoy high skillcap, fast speed classes will find the Kung-Fu Master's fist-oriented gameplay to be a blast.

Final Word: The Kung-Fu Master excels at overpowering opponents through sheer quickness using counters. Known as being the most difficult class to play well in the game, seeing a skilled Kung-Fu Master in person is a sight to behold.

Summoner

Pros: Strong support, moderate survivability, moderate control

Cons: Low damage, reliance on pet

Weapon: ​Wand/Staff

Difficulty: Easy

Available Races: Lyn

Recommended For: Players who enjoy pet classes and/or a low skill skillcap will find that the Summoner summons a lot of fun.

Final Word: The Summoner relies upon a pet "familiar" and several ranged attacks to fell opponents. They're cute, but don't let that fool you. They're ready to pounce in violent fashion.