Blood of Steel is the free-to-play PvP MOBA coming to Steam this Spring. Two years since it’s successful launch in China with over 100k DAU players on the Chinese server and over 20 million downloads, Evolution Studio, development studio of YC Games, is now bringing the game to western markets. As the team prepares for the launch of the full game, every two weeks we will be releasing more information on the game. Today, we are pleased to introduce two of the playable characters: Harald Sigurdsson and King Arthur.
Harald III Sigurdsson, also known as Harald the Ruthless, was King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. In 1030, at the age of 15, he joined his half-brother and Norwegian King Olaf’s war against the Danes. When Olaf died in battle, Harald fled in exile to Kievan Rus (Russia). After spending some time in the army of the grand prince of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise, he moved on to Constantinople and soon rose to the rank of commander of the elite Byzantine Varangian Guard in 1034. After amassing a great wealth during this time he returned to Kievan Rus’ in 1042, in preparation for his campaign to reclaim the Norwegian throne. In 1046, Harald became King of Norway and began invasions of Denmark and England. He died while fighting at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, a moment widely considered to be the end of the Viking Age.
In Blood of Steel, Harald is a military commander and the first general in the game to have a heavy attack. In the beginning of the sixth era, Harald the “Relentless” rules 160 islands with brute force claiming to be the ruler of the western seas and is hailed as “the last Viking King”. His Viking fleet is infamous for assaulting small harbors to warships without distinction. Caesar the Great supported Harald with this fleet in a bid to rule the western seas, a decision which will cost him dearly.
Harald fights with his axe and shield and has the special abilities: ‘Bloodthirsty Instinct’, ‘Rage Warfare’ and ‘Wind of Recovery’. ‘Bloodthirsty Instinct’ is where Harald’s violent state reduces the physical cost of heavy attack and the killing of an enemy restores health to all soldiers. With ‘Rage Warfare’, Harald orders all soldiers into a state rage, substantially increasing their attack, attack speed and movement speed at the cost of continuous bleeding damage. And when using ‘Wind of Recovery’ Harald can continue to recover health outside of battle. His troops can use their axes like projectiles, throwing them at enemies close enough to be in range.
King Arthur was a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. The details of Arthur’s story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention. The most famous folklore tells of Arthur being a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies and as the leader of the Knights of the Round Table. His existence is controversial and not proven.
In Blood of Steel, Arthur Pendragon, known as King Arthur, is the legendary king of ancient Britain. Known throughout Celtic mythology and medieval literature, legend has it that he is leader of the Knights of the Round Table, wields Excalibur, the sword of the rightful king of Britain.
Arthur fights with a king’s sword and shield and has the special abilities: ‘Knight’s Will’, ‘Master Riding’ and ‘Spare Horse’. When using ‘Knight’s Will’, Arthur’s whole army dismounts to combat the enemy on foot with greater increase in their attack and defence for 45 seconds. The ‘Master Riding’ technique causes shock damage to nearby enemies when activated. When in an area where calavary can move, Arthur can use ‘Spare Horse’, summoning 6 war horses to the battle. In addition his mounted Knights of the Round Table are formidable horse riders and are deadly while charging.
In Blood of Steel, you command the army of a legendary commander from world history to conquer cities and expand your territory against other players online to ultimately rule the world. Set throughout the Middle Ages, players choose from multiple authentic battlefields as they engage in 5-v-5, 7-v-7 or 10-v-10 legion-based battles, with each individual player allowed to lead up to 40 AI soldiers. Clever use of terrain, management of different troop types and adapting to dynamic weather systems incorporating variables such as rain and snow are the keys to victory. As well as the legion-based warfare, players can play a one-on-one duel in PvP battles in the Heroes Arena, offering them a chance to truly show their mastery of the complex fighting system.
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