Naraka: Bladepoint Announces New Hero, New Melee Weapon, and Wide-Ranging Martial Arts Project

mmorpg.com:

24 Entertainment and NetEase Games held Naraka Fest, and revealed a ton of new goodness coming to Naraka: Bladepoint. New content includes a new hero, the next new weapon, a collaboration with Gundam creator Kunio Okawara, and a new martial arts history project.

The next hero has been announced and she takes us way back to the first official Naraka: Bladepoint poster. Shayol Wei is the governor of the Golden Keepers of Icuria and will join the lineup sometime early next year. She's dedicated to keeping order, and she'll use many tactics to do so. She has a Vortex Shield that is capable of transforming to give her both offensive and defensive capabilities.

The next new weapon on the way is the Heng Sword, coming January 4th. This new sword is a traditional Chinese weapon and intended to balance both power and a graceful design. Some might compare it to the katana, but it is its own weapon, capable of surprise and its own distinct profile among themelee combat options.

The Martial Infinity Project is a new project that will enrich Naraka: Bladepoint. Members of the development team met with various martial arts schools and associations located all around China in an effort to shape future gameplay. These martial arts professionals helped the team with motion capture as well as design, and to help them create more accurate and varied options. The team also visited, along with professional players and content creators, a Shaolin Temple to get the full experience of immersion in martial arts culture, including 5 AM early practice.

All of this effort influences the creation of sets of hero and weapon cosmetics inspired by the clans that the team visited and their Bruce Lee collaboration. That partnership features elements from