Blood of Steel
Blood of Steel is a free-to-play 3D third-person medieval MOBA that mixes hero brawling with light RTS-style unit control. Instead of playing a lone character, you pick a legendary commander, bring a troop contingent into battle, and win matches by completing mode-specific objectives across both PvP and PvE.
 | Publisher: YC Games Playerbase: Medium Type: 3D Third-Person MOBA Release Date: October 20, 2020 Pros: +Attractive art direction even if the tech feels a bit older. +Quick, tactical melee that rewards timing and positioning. +Heroes feel distinct with varied unit pairings and roles. +Strong atmosphere thanks to music and impactful SFX. +Controls are approachable and responsive. Cons: -Client instability at times (freezes, crashes). -Modes and match flow can start to feel samey over long sessions. -Interface is busy and sometimes hard to parse. -Some cosmetics look out of place for the medieval setting. |
Blood of Steel Overview
In Blood of Steel you step into the boots of an “Awakener”, a human vessel carrying the expertise and persona of a famed commander. That framing is mostly there to justify what the game does best, letting you select from a wide roster of historical heroes drawn from both Western and Eastern traditions, then pairing each hero with a signature set of battlefield units. The result plays like a hybrid, you are fighting in the scrum with hack-and-slash mechanics while also issuing orders that feel closer to a streamlined real-time tactics layer.
Matches are built around objectives rather than pure team deathmatch. Terrain and line-of-sight matter, formations can decide whether a push collapses or holds, and situational factors like positioning and timing often outweigh raw aggression. You can personally lead a charge, weave through melee with quick movement tools, or stay slightly safer while directing troops to screen allies, lock down lanes, or punish overextensions.
Unit variety is a big part of the rhythm. Shielded infantry can stall and create space, archers pressure from range and punish exposed targets, and cavalry is at its best when it has room to build momentum and flank. Coordinating with teammates and stacking unit roles together is where the game feels most “MOBA-like”, especially when teams time engages and retreats around cooldowns and troop availability.
Blood of Steel Key Features:
- Legendary Commanders – pick from a broad lineup of iconic leaders and heroes from ancient cultures, including Leonidas, Caesar, Joan of Arc, Hua Mulan, Godfrey, and more.
- Combo-Based Action Combat – read opponent intent through directional attacks and defense, then respond with blocks, counters, guard breaks, and chained combos to create openings.
- Tactical Medieval Battles – lean on unit matchups, map geometry, fortifications, and changing conditions to set traps, defend objectives, or break a fortified line.
- Multiple Game Modes – jump between PvE and PvP options such as a 5-man co-op campaign, duel arenas, capture-the-flag, legion wars, siege wars, and guild vs guild territory wars.
- Unlock Heroes & Skins – expand your roster over time and customize favorites with cosmetic items and outfits.
Blood of Steel Screenshots
Blood of Steel Featured Video
Blood of Steel Review
Blood of Steel (developed by Evolution Studio) takes a different route than most MOBAs. Instead of top-down clicking and strict lane play, it puts you behind your hero in third person and asks you to fight alongside troops you can command. If you enjoy games in the Mount & Blade orbit, or you have tried Conqueror’s Blade and wanted something that feels more “match-based” and easier to jump into, this is a compelling alternative, even if it comes with some rough edges.
Combat Feel and Controls:
The core is directional melee, attacks and defenses come from multiple angles, and success often comes from reading what the opponent is trying to do rather than simply trading stats. Movement options like quick dashes and evasive rolls make engagements more fluid than older, heavier melee systems. It is also fairly easy to get into, basic controls are straightforward, and training tools help you understand how to layer hero actions with troop commands.
Where it shines is the moment-to-moment decision-making. Do you commit your hero to the frontline to secure a pick, or do you play safer and micro units to win the larger exchange? That push-and-pull creates a tactical tempo that feels distinct from typical hero brawlers.
Modes and Match Variety:
Blood of Steel offers a wide set of ways to play, including PvP formats like Legion and Siege, plus PvE content such as Campaign missions. Larger-scale competition exists too through Territory Wars and guild-focused modes. The variety is a plus, but the underlying match loop can start to blur together after long sessions, especially if you gravitate to a narrow set of heroes or get repeatedly queued into similar objectives.
Visuals, Art, and Animation:
Visually, the game lands in a “good enough” zone. Environments and character designs have a pleasing medieval-fantasy sheen, though the underlying tech can look a little behind modern standards. Animation quality is mixed, some basic movement and unit actions can appear stiff, while hero skills tend to be more dramatic and polished. That contrast is noticeable, but it becomes less distracting once you are focused on positioning and unit flow.
Localization and Interface:
As with many titles developed in China for a global audience, localization is inconsistent. You will run into awkward phrasing and occasional errors that make tooltips feel less trustworthy than they should be. The interface also tries to do a lot at once, with numerous menus for events, rewards, progression, and modes. It is functional, but busy, and it can take time before you know where everything is and what actually matters for your next session.
Business Model and Progression:
It is free-to-play and generally stays playable without hard paywalls. The bigger friction point is pace, earning currency for new heroes can feel slow, and cosmetic pricing can be high relative to what you get. The upside is that matches still reward execution and coordination more than spending, so dedicated free players can remain competitive if they commit time to learning matchups and fundamentals.
Population, Bots, and Stability:
The community sits around a medium playerbase, and depending on time of day and region you may see bots filling lobbies more often than you would like. On the technical side, connection quality is usually fine once in a match, but the client can be temperamental, with occasional freezes or crashes that undercut longer play sessions.
Final Verdict – Fair
Blood of Steel succeeds at combining hero-based combat with meaningful unit tactics, and it is one of the more approachable entries in the “commander plus troops” subgenre. Strong atmosphere, readable controls, and distinct heroes make it worth trying, especially for players who want a more MOBA-structured take on Conqueror’s Blade-style battles. Its long-term appeal is held back by a cluttered UI, uneven polish, and a progression and cosmetic economy that can feel grindy or overpriced, but the foundation is solid for the right audience.
Blood of Steel Links
Blood of Steel Official Site
Blood of Steel Steam Page
Blood of Steel Facebook Page
Blood of Steel Twitter Page
Blood of Steel Wiki
Blood of Steel Subreddit
Blood of Steel System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista Windows 7/8/10
CPU: Intel Core i5 4-Core Processor and above
Video Card: NVIDIA Geforce GT 430 or AMD HD5550
RAM: 6 GB RAM
Direct X: Version 9.0c
Hard Disk Space: 25 GB available space
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista Windows 7/8/10
CPU: Intel Core i5 4-Core Processor and above
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or AMD HD7850
RAM: 8 GB RAM
Direct X: Version 9.0c
Hard Disk Space: 25 GB available space
Blood of Steel Music & Soundtrack
Coming soon!
Blood of Steel Additional Information
Developer: Evolution Studio
Publisher: YC Games
Platforms: PC (Steam
Engine: In-House Evolution Engine
Open Beta: November 29, 2019
Steam Release Date: October 20, 2020
Development History / Background:
Blood of Steel is a free-to-play 3D action combat title developed by Chinese studio Evolution Studio and published by its parent company, YC Games. It was revealed publicly in September 2016 and later entered open beta on November 29, 2019. The launch plan shifted several times, with the release originally targeted for January 9, 2020, then moved to February 20th, then to March 13th, before ultimately arriving on Steam on October 20th of that year.