I gotta be honest: I wasn’t entirely convinced this day would ever come. I’m referring to Bless Online’s de facto launch, of course. That’s because we’ve been watching this game’s development across the sea since 2011, and when it finally was announced to come westward in 2016 – after the Korean servers had already started merging down to just two – the port was almost immediately entangled in delays and do-overs until the western publisher, Aeria/Gamigo, backed out and Neowiz itself stepped into the void to self-publish.
And now, here we are. The headstart launch is slated for 1 p.m. EDT today, allowing preorder customers to charge into what is effectively a soft launch open beta that will not be wiped. Of course, there’s no preloading, and Steam founder packs don’t go on sale until the same time, so you’ll actually just be struggling to buy and download the game, but that’s sort of the same. Welcome to MMORPG launches!
https://twitter.com/BlessOnline/status/1000927065703510016
Want to get caught up on everything that’s happened with the game? We’ve included all our updates and deep-dives since 2015!
Hans Zimmer is scoring Bless
Bless gets an English trailer and a final KCBT date
BLESS shows off character customization in video
Bless’ action combat is currently ‘a bit wonky’
Here’s how Bless looks in its last beta test
You can tame pets in Bless, but they won’t fight for you
Here are a few more gameplay vids from the Bless beta
Here’s a look at the Ranger in Bless’ beta
Bless has been delayed ‘indefinitely’
Bless enters focus group testing until December 20th
Bless Online to deliver 2016 game plan in January
Bless Online launches a new website with a countdown to the announcement of open beta
Bless Online begins Korean open beta this month
Check out the customization options and race selection for Bless Online’s open beta
Bless Online stumbles in its open beta
Take a tour of a pair of Bless Online dungeons
Experiencing Bless Online’s open-world PvP
Bless Online confirms western release… some day
Take a look at the endgame setup in Bless Online’s current beta
Check out the experience of fighting Bless Online’s world bosses
Bless Online is merging its Korean servers
Bless Online strives to balance its PvE and PvP communities
Aeria Games to publish Bless Online in the west
Bless Online AMA gets all of the questions, has few answers to give
Bless will be down to two Korean servers after its next round of merges
Online games publishers Gamigo and Aeria are undergoing a ‘strategic merger’
Aeria Games lays off over 100 employees
Bless starts selling Russian founder packs
Aeria says Bless ‘project is bigger than expected’, postpones test schedule
Bless Online preps huge Korean update for October
Bless Online Russian closed beta begins October 25
Bless Online’s Blazing Fire patch is live in Korea this week
Bless Online hosts Russian open beta this weekend
Bless Online releases English trailer, promising 2017 launch
Bless Online explains the reason for its delay
Aeria rebuts Bless North America cancellation rumors
Bless Online merges servers again in Korea
Bless Online aids altoholism with free level boosts
Bless Online’s Korean version is getting a massive content injection
Bless Online bribes players to come back
Japanese closed beta starts up for Bless Online on April 28th
Bless Online shuts down Russian beta for revisions, preps Japanese test
Rumor: Aeria Games no longer publishing Bless Online for western audiences
Neowiz confirms axing Bless Online western publisher Aeria Games
Bless Online’s western version has been canceled over ‘quality standards’
Bless Online isn’t canceled in the west after all; Neowiz will self-publish
Bless Online is being heavily overhauled by Neowiz before coming west
Bless Online’s Rebuild Project homes in on character growth
Bless Online kicks off its Rebuild testing
Bless Online starts its second closed beta in Japan on October 12
Bless Online will launch on Steam in 2018
Bless Online addresses Steam launch questions, but still has no public monetization plan
Bless Online teases its solo, story, and raid dungeons ahead of 2018 rollout
Bless Online team promises that the game is coming to early access ‘as soon as possible’
Bless Online interview: Soft launch plans, why Gamigo bowed out, and avoiding pay-to-win
Bless Online looks ahead to new races, housing, and a possible console edition
Check out voice recording from behind the scenes of Bless
Bless Online’s concept art is so damn pretty
Exclusive: Explore Bless Online’s Hieron races, including elves and werewolves
Bless Online hits Steam early access in May – here’s the new trailer
Bless Online interview: On soft launch, monetization, classes – and no lockboxes
Bless says its excessive attention to environmental detail is in the service of immersion
Bless Online shakes up and builds out its combat system
Bless Online details the origin and reasons behind its faction conflict
Bless Online outlines key changes for its Steam release
Bless Online teases players with a class overview before launch
Bless Online previews the Guardian and Paladin classes with fresh videos
Bless Online shows off the Paladin’s healing abilities in new video
Bless fansite leaks founder pack info and partial subscription plan ahead of today’s stream, and people aren’t happy
Hands-on with Bless Reborn at Neowiz’s San Francisco media reveal
Bless outlines its new box price and sub plan, which it does not want you to call a sub
Bless Online details its massive taming system and 660 tame-able critters
Bless Online’s monthly subscription puts some countries at a financial disadvantage
Bless Online posts Q&A on pre-loading, regions, and how long founder packs stay up
The newest Bless Online trailer previews founder pack goodies
No, Bless Online’s naked pets are probably not going to make it to the west
The headstart for Bless Online’s early access open beta begins… now
Bless Online struggles with downtime on its first day, offers refunds and plans for the future
Bless Online players riot and request refunds over missing endgame PvP, cash shop shenanigans, and duping as Steam reviews plummet
Bless Online producer apologizes for early access mess, promises content and dupe fixes are on the way
Bless Online Steam reviews climb to ‘mixed’, Neowiz addresses duping bug but doesn’t ban anyone
Bless Online patches in a new battlefield while weakening attacks and buffing defense
Leaderboard: How do you decide whether to refund an MMO or wait it out?
Bless Online apologizes for poor game balance while players find novel ways to break the game
Bless Online buffs Rangers, nerfs Guardians and Mages, and plans targeting changes
Bless Online goes on an all-out offensive with its upcoming 140-player battle
Bless Online turns its attention to proper localization, hires new temporary support staff
Bless Online explains why it chose early access, lays out the content coming soon
Bless Online cuts back its influencer program following conduct mishaps
The Stream Team: A first look at Bless Online
Bless Online patches in a 3v3 arena and class buffs as players call for server merges
Bless Online plans a big server merge for the end of July
The Stream Team: A Bless Online first look, take two
The Soapbox: The western port of Bless Online feels like a curse
The Stream Team: Bless Online’s return of the protector
Bless Online is rolling out a big update on July 4
Interview: Neowiz on Bless Online’s tech, class balance, gems, PvP, and more
Bless Online’s 4th of July patch offers content for PvE and PvP players
Bless Online’s 4th of July patch adds new PvE dailies and a PvP battleground this evening
New Bless Online producer’s letter tackles optimization issues and hacking
Bless Online outlines next week’s Migra Turis update, plus balance and combat changes to come
Bless Online has added a new elite dungeon and pushed out the planned class balancing patch
Bless Online’s new video series discusses new staff and PvP balance after server merges
Bless Online: Server merges, compensation, and ‘summer camp’ with daily rewards
Bless Online shares details about the upcoming Assassin approaching from behind
Bless Online shares more about the Assassin class and holding dominion
Bless Online’s latest community video goes into depth on the Assassin update
Interviewing the Bless team on the Assassin, merges, PvP, and concurrency as the patch goes live today
Bless compensates for downtime, is 67% off this weekend
The Stream Team: Is Bless better at higher levels?
Bless shares stats from its Assassin update
A fluffy casual’s starting perspective on World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
Bless Online is getting an Xbox One version from Bandai Namco as ‘Bless Unleashed’
More on Bless Unleashed for Xbox One: Release date, key differences, and impact on Bless Online PC
Bless Online is going to add random dungeons and a wave defense mode
Bless Online highlights login bonuses and offers a new Bless Unleashed trailer
Neowiz previews Bless Online’s Rift of Space and Time, slated for next week
PAX West 2018: Bless Unleashed is nothing like Bless Online
Bless Online’s Rift of Space and Time update is live with new endgame content
Bless Online cracks down on bots, sketches out maintenance compensation plans
Bless Online’s last remaining Korean servers are shutting down
Interview: Bless Online on early access, pay-to-win, and its western refuge on Steam
Bless Online rolls back 18 hours of progress and offers players compensation
Bless Online previews its upcoming Patala raid and Halloween events
Bless Online launches free-to-play on October 23, new raid and Halloween event today
The Stream Team: A Bless-ed Halloween
Bless Online says its early access met a ‘mismatch of expectations’ between studio and playerbase
Bless Online is replacing Founder’s Packs with new launch DLC packs
Bless Mobile shows off its character creation in a new video
Bless Online has officially launched out of early access open beta as a free-to-play MMORPG
MassivelyOP’s guide to MMO Halloween 2018
Leaderboard: Are you giving Bless Online a second chance?
Bless Online is making some enhancement changes with its next patch
Bless Online’s Ruins of Shaqqara update will increase level cap to 50, add new dungeon and new zones
Interview: Neowiz on Bless Online’s now-live Ruins of Shaqqara and the state of the game
Bless Online is dropping the Ruber Ossuary dungeon just in time for Thanksgiving weekend
Bless Online introduces a new dungeon and new DLC options
Bless Online previews its 2019 plans, including the Mystic class and new RvR content
Bless Online brings back the Rift of Time and Space and kicks off the Winter Festival next week
Bless Online opens up its Winter Festival and Rift of Space and Time stage 3
The best Massively OP streams of 2018
Steam lists Elder Scrolls Online, Black Desert, and Warframe among 2018’s best sellers
Bless Online is adding a new dungeon on January 9
The best Massively OP MMO community polls of 2018
Bless Online’s latest content update adds the Wise Ones’ Mausoleum elite dungeon for endgamers
Jukebox Heroes: Bless Online’s soundtrack
Interview: Astellia’s western team on pay-to-win, themeparks, and dodging early access and battle royale
Bless Unleashed is still happening in 2019 – here’s the latest class trailer
Bless Online previews its upcoming Urdaata War Fortress raid dungeon
Bless Unleashed previews the archer class, re-confirms 2019 Xbox One launch
The Survivalist: When survival sandboxes are more MMO than actual MMORPGs
Xbox One hopeful Bless Unleashed reveals its next class: The Berserker
Bless Online previews the changes and additions of its upcoming balance update
PAX East 2019: Bless Unleashed’s overview trailer actually looks good
PAX East 2019: Bless Unleashed really isn’t Bless Online (to its credit)
Neowiz’s Bless studio is dissolving and merging back into Neowiz
Bless Unleashed previews the Crusader in its latest class video
Exclusive: MMORPG Astellia Online deep-dives its Warrior and Scholar classes
Closed beta for Bless Unleashed on Xbox One begins this weekend
Bless Unleashed offers up a trailer for the Priest class
Bless Unleashed unveils a trailer for the Mage class
Bless Online’s Japanese server is sunsetting in August
Bless Online’s western version will sunset on September 9
Storyboard: Exploring religion in MMOs
Bless Unleashed is crawling with monstrous field bosses to kill
Bless Unleashed explains the lore of the Dreamscale Ruins
Bless Unleashed says it fixed 99% of crash bugs ahead of this weekend’s closed beta
Bless Unleashed has kicked off another closed beta for Xbox One testers – check out the patch notes
LOTRO Legendarium: The first year of LOTRO’s operation
Diablo III’s 18th season arrives on August 23 and StarCraft II opens its BlizzCon 2019 War Chest
Bless Unleashed heads to Xbox One open beta in November with big revisions
Here’s a kindly old chili cook to tell you about Bless Unleashed’s regenerative Soul Pyres
WoW (Classic) Factor: The journal of Nieve Vinther – second entry
Bless Online has officially sunsetted – RIP, Bless
UK parliament committee calls for ban on selling lockboxes to kids, deems games industry ‘wilfully obtuse’
Bless Unleashed announces combat changes arriving to the first open beta
Bless Unleashed devs say they’ve ‘drastically reworked the entire crafting system’
Bless Unleashed explains the multi-tiered process of equipping your character properly
Bless Unleashed kicks off open beta tomorrow on November 7
Bless Unleashed has officially entered open beta on Xbox One
Dang, Astellia Online is sunsetting in its native South Korea
Bless Unleashed discusses adjustments to open world PvP after open beta feedback
Bless Unleashed outlines a variety of adjustments on the way for crafting and upgrading items
Neowiz takes another stab at the Bless IP with mobile MMO Bless Eternal
Black Desert PS4 will release the Valkyrie class and Awakening on January 9
Bless Unleashed unveils the Union system and crafter-centric society
Bless Unleashed plans a stress test starting at the end of January
Bless Unleashed shares open PvP changes and casts a spotlight on the PvP-minded Court of Ravens Union
Interview: Barunson on the state of Astellia Online as it launches on Steam today
Bless Unleashed kicks off a weekend-long server stress test
Bless Unleashed outlines plans for guild mechanics in the future
Bless Unleashed launches on March 12, founder pack purchases are live
Bless Unleashed details its Valor Perks character-buffing cash shop item
Bless Mobile is built from the ground up as a different game from the original Bless
Bless Unleashed offers a two-part preview of its cash shop
Bless Unleashed details head start events for founder’s pack purchasers
Xbox Series X offers a look at ‘the next generation of gaming’
Preloading is live for Bless Unleashed’s headstart launch this afternoon
Bless Unleashed is hard at work fixing bugs and errors
Bless Unleashed’s latest trailer touts its combat over tab-target MMOs
Bless Unleashed is back online after fixing a ‘critical hit critical issue’
Here’s what the first 90 minutes of Bless Mobile look like
Bless Unleashed maps out content updates through November
Bless Unleashed’s spring update adds two new dungeons, reward changes, and much more
Bless Unleashed offers apologies and goodies for Estate bugs and erroneous account bans
Bless Unleashed’s Saurin Deception patch is live with new dungeon and story quests
Bless Unleashed plans a launch on Steam in early 2021
The Stream Team: Needing that AQ3D nature wisp!
Bless Unleashed kicks off its summer event through August 12
Jukebox Heroes: The ultimate guide to MMORPG music
Bless Unleashed is heading to PlayStation 4 with a closed beta already planned for next week
Bless Unleashed launches for PS4 on October 22, with preorder packs live now
Bless Unleashed has begun head start access on PS4 ahead of its October 22 release
Bless Unleashed preps November 4 closed beta for its PC edition
Bless Unleashed has officially launched on PlayStation 4
Bless Unleashed’s latest update adds a new region, new dungeons, Elemental Weapons, and passive upgrades
Bless Unleashed opens up pre-registration for its next PC closed beta and notes upcoming improvements
Bless Unleashed highlights UI and UX adjustments coming to PC in the next closed beta
Bless Unleashed shares a final list of improvements for the PC closed beta
Desert Oasis: Avoiding burnout in Black Desert Online
Bless Unleashed kicks off its second closed beta test on PC
Bless Mobile opens up for global pre-registration ahead of its impending launch
Bless Mobile has officially made its global debut on Android and Apple devices
Bless Unleashed is adding new weapons, timed dungeons, and gear and stamina tweaks this spring
Bless Unleashed’s spring update introduces auto-pathing and anniversary gifts
Bless Unleashed is reworking the game’s interface and controls for PC
Bless Unleashed details planned changes coming to field combat and dungeon mechanics
Valheim can now be played in VR thanks to a modder
Bless Unleashed sets final PC beta for May 12, will test UI and cash shop
Bless Unleashed adjusts Timed Dungeons and removes master enhancement in latest update
Bless Unleashed has released its Secrets and Scions update
Bless Unleashed’s final PC beta has begun, and yes you can play right now
Bless Unleashed offers a compensation package for its final PC test event
First impressions: Bless Unleashed’s PC beta is just enough of an improvement over the original Bless
Bless Unleashed answers player questions on PC with a whole lot of nope
Bless Unleashed pushed back its PC launch for further polish improvements
Bless Unleashed will finally launch on PC August 6
Bless Unleashed hypes up its August 6 Steam launch with a new trailer
Bless Unleashed opens up with its founders packs ahead of launch
Bless Unleashed dev discusses PC version’s release, post-launch content, and cash shop promises in video
Bless Unleashed formally launches on PC today, counting 40K players in final test
Bless Unleashed’s PC launch is marked by 61K arrivals, server issues, region block, and rough Steam reviews
The Stream Team: Live first impressions of Bless Unleashed on PC
Bless Unleashed will now let PC founder’s pack buyers redeem their rewards on all servers
Astellia Online has now officially announced an October 29 sunset
Bless Unleashed PC celebrates a new China server’s opening and holds a contest for Japanese players
Bless Unleashed plans weekend events, patches fixes to frame-limiting and chat
Bless Unleashed PC counts a million downloads on PC since its Steam launch
Bless Unleashed PC says it’s cracking down on illicit RMT with 30-day bans
Bless Unleashed brings around a summer event of tracking down salamanders
Bless Unleashed gets a boost from Chinese players as Round8 renames servers
Bless Unleashed suggests Xbox players who duplicated cash shop currency may be ‘required’ to buy it back
Bless Unleashed PC says it’s cracking down on cheaters and RMT
Bless Unleashed PC promises improved UI and class balancing, shares a content update arriving September 15
Bless Unleashed PC adjusts blessings for character classes and continues to swing its banhammer
Bless Unleashed answers a whole slew of player questions
Bless Unleashed PC introduces a new high-level boss fight and new dungeon in latest update
Bless Eternal Mobile releases in full to Chinese players – here’s some gameplay footage
Bless Unleashed PC plans new skills and blessings, an Assassin class, and a profession system in roadmap
Bless Unleashed’s Awakened update for consoles adds new blessings, weapon fusion, and harder bosses
Bless Unleashed PC offers a preview of its next patch and answers player questions about its next updates
Elyon opens up a third European server as it fights for prominence
Bless Unleashed PC adds new lair challenge, field boss, and PvP season in latest update
Bless Unleashed PC answers questions about high-level rewards, gathering, PvP balance, and more
Bless Unleashed PC preps November 29 update with new dimensional dungeons
Bless Unleashed PC adds a Potential system, a dimensional dungeon, and new equipment in latest patch
Neowiz will transfer service and development of Bless Unleashed PC over to Valofe on January 26
Bless Unleashed’s content roadmap will be impacted by its sudden publisher change
Bless Unleashed is now officially in the Valofe wheelhouse
Bless Unleashed PC is becoming a blockchain play-to-earn MMORPG
Bless Unleashed celebrates its one-year anniversary while ignoring its play-to-earn announcement
Bless Unleashed on console becomes the latest Bless title to shut down
Valofe resurrects the sunsetted Diablo-like MMO Cronous in a Steam re-release
Astellia Online is back again as a crummy blockchain MMO called Astel of Atra
MMO Cartographer: Elyon, dead game walking
Bless Global is a blockchain-linked version of Bless that’s headed for Steam and mobile devices
Bless Global is back again, this time on mobile and Steam as a shambling blockchain horror
Bless Global is already delisted on Steam after trying to push crypto racket
MMOs You’ve Never Heard Of: Swordsman X Survival, Legend of Lunia, and X8
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SoulWorker hands publishing duties off to Valofe ‘for its continued enhancement and maintenance’
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