Bless
Bless is a fantasy MMORPG that drops players into a continent split by an ongoing faction war. After picking a race and class, you venture through a large open world, follow quest lines, run instanced dungeons with groups, and take part in PvP that ranges from casual duels to faction based conflicts.
 | Publisher: Neowiz Games Type: Fantasy MMORPG PvP: Factions / Duels Release Date: May 28, 2018 Shut Down Date: September 9, 2019 Pros: +Seamless world that encourages exploration. +Robust character creator with lots of sliders. +Large variety of collectible, tameable pets. Cons: -Notable performance and optimization problems. -Translation and localization quality is inconsistent. -Combat pacing and responsiveness can feel awkward. -Steam build felt incomplete compared to expectations. |
Bless Online Shut Down on September 9, 2019
Bless Unleashed, a new version of Bless, launched on August 6, 2021
Bless Overview
Bless is a faction driven fantasy MMORPG built around the conflict between Hieron and Union. Your race choice is more than cosmetic, it determines which side you fight for, which starting zones you see, and which players you naturally ally with in the broader realm war. From there, the structure is familiar to genre fans: questing across wide regions, tackling dungeons with parties, and joining PvP that can escalate from small encounters to large faction clashes.
Visually, the game aims for a grounded, medieval inspired look, with politics and culture that lean toward European Renaissance themes. It is powered by Unreal Engine 3 and notably used Epic Games’ landscape toolset to create sweeping terrain and highly detailed vistas. The presentation is supported by a soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer, which gives the world a more cinematic feel than many MMORPGs of its era.
On the PvP side, Bless pushes realm-versus-realm as a core pillar. You can approach that in different ways, whether you prefer direct frontline fighting, scouting and disruption, or playing a more opportunistic role as a mercenary. The game also places a strong emphasis on story delivery for an MMO, tying the war into questing and zone progression rather than treating narrative as an afterthought. In the West, Bless originally launched as a buy to play release, then switched to free to play on October 23, 2018.
Bless Key Features:
- 10 Classes – Choose between 8 races and 10 classes with distinct play styles. (Most of these aren’t out yet in the English version)
- Story Forward Progression – The two warring nations shape quest lines and create a sense of changing pressure across regions.
- High Fidelity Zones – Unreal Engine 3 visuals paired with large scale terrain tech deliver expansive, realistic landscapes.
- Realm PvP Focus – Multiple PvP formats support everything from quick skirmishes to coordinated faction battles.
- Character Customization – A detailed character creator offers extensive control over facial structure, body shape, and overall look.
Bless Screenshots
Bless Featured Video
Bless Review
Bless is an MMO that, on paper, checks many of the genre’s biggest boxes: a large open world, faction warfare, and a cinematic presentation built on Unreal Engine 3. In practice, the experience is defined by contrast. The world design and ambition are easy to appreciate, but day to day play is often undermined by technical and usability issues that make it harder to recommend, even to dedicated MMO fans.
A world built for scale
Exploration is one of Bless’ more consistent strengths. Zones are laid out to feel like real stretches of countryside and fortified settlements rather than narrow corridors connecting quest hubs. The terrain technology helps sell the sense of distance, and when performance cooperates, the game can look genuinely impressive for its generation. The art direction aims for a more realistic medieval tone, which gives armor sets, towns, and wilderness areas a cohesive identity.
Questing and progression
Progression follows the classic MMORPG loop of story quests, side tasks, and dungeon runs. The narrative framing around two nations at war does help give purpose to the journey, and it is clear the developers wanted the world conflict to be more than a background detail. That said, the quality of storytelling can be difficult to fully enjoy due to localization problems, with awkward phrasing and inconsistent text clarity sometimes getting in the way of immersion.
Combat feel and class identity
Bless offers a wide range of classes, each meant to fill recognizable MMO roles and play styles. Class identity is generally readable, you can quickly tell what a character is built to do in a group setting. The bigger issue is feel. Combat can come across as stiff, with responsiveness and animation timing that do not always match player expectations. For an MMORPG that wants PvP to be a centerpiece, those rough edges matter, because small delays and clunkiness are amplified when fighting other players.
PvP as the headline feature
Faction PvP is where Bless aims to stand apart. The concept of realm-versus-realm conflict, with battles ranging from small engagements to larger confrontations, gives the game a clear identity and a reason to coordinate with others. When fights are stable and organized, the format can deliver the large scale MMO moments many players look for. Unfortunately, the same optimization and performance concerns that affect the open world can also affect PvP, where frame drops and stutter can turn exciting battles into frustrating exchanges.
Customization and collectibles
The character creator is one of the easiest features to praise. It provides plenty of control, allowing players to craft distinctive faces and body types rather than settling for a handful of presets. The pet system also adds a strong collection hook, giving players another long term chase outside of gear progression. These features support player identity, which is crucial in a social MMO.
Business model shift and the Steam version
Bless launched in the West as buy to play, then transitioned to free to play on October 23, 2018 after exiting Steam early access. While the shift lowered the barrier to entry, it did not fully solve the core complaints around optimization, localization, and overall polish. The Steam release in particular was often viewed as lacking expected content, which hurt confidence at a time when the game needed momentum.
Overall, Bless is best understood as an ambitious MMORPG with strong visual goals and a clear PvP focused premise, but one that struggled to deliver the smooth, complete experience required to compete long term.
BlessLinks
Bless Official Site
Bless Source [Fan News Site]
Bless Wikipedia Page
Bless: How to play with a VPN (MMOs.com)
Bless System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 / 8 / 10 64 Bit
CPU: Intel i3-550 / AMD Athlon II X4 620
Video Card: Geforce GTS 250 / Radeon R7 240
RAM: 4GB
Hard Disk Space: 60GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 / 8 / 10 64 Bit
CPU: Intel i5-2500 / AMD FX-6300
Video Card: Geforce GTX 560 / AMD HD 6950
RAM: 8GB
Hard Disk Space: 60GB
Bless Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon…
Bless Additional Information
Developer: Neowiz Bless Studio
Game Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Director: Jacob Han
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Korea
Closed Beta: February 20, 2014
Final Closed Beta: September 17, 2015
Open Beta: January 26, 2016
Russia
Closed Beta: October 25, 2016 – November 4, 2016
Open Beta: December 5, 2016
Shut Down: May 25, 2017
Japan
Closed Beta: April 28, 2017
English Release Date: May 28, 2018 (Founders)
Shut Down: September 09, 2019
Development History / Background:
Bless comes from Korean developer Neowiz Games, with development handled by Neowiz Bless Studio. The game runs on Unreal Engine 3 and was the first title to take advantage of the engine’s landscape tooling, created by Epic Games in collaboration with Neowiz to support large, detailed outdoor spaces. In Korea, the first Closed Beta started on February 20, 2014, followed by a final Closed Beta on September 17, 2015, and an Open Beta on January 26, 2016.
For Western release plans, Aeria Games initially signed on to publish Bless in Europe and North America, but that agreement later collapsed. Neowiz ultimately chose to self-publish. The Western version launched as a buy to play game, then moved to free to play on October 23, 2018 when it exited Steam early access. The global service later ended, with the shutdown occurring on September 09, 2019.