Could Blue Protocol be the Best New MMO of 2023?
Last week we wrote about Throne and Liberty, an upcoming MMO set for release this year. As it turns out, NCSoft appear to have a major competitor, with Amazon and Bandai Namco's new MMO Blue Protocol also coming out this year.
The two games have some important similarities, but also many differences. Below is a quick overview of Blue Protocol, to help you decide if this game is worth keeping your eye on.
What is Blue Protocol?
Blue Protocol is an upcoming MMORPG, set for release in the second half of 2023. The game is rendered in an anime art style, making interesting use of cel shading to bring its characters to life in the 3D game world. The game is planned to be free to play, making its money via the in-game cash shop.
The MMO is currently planned to be entirely focused on PvE, with no direct PvP combat to speak of. At least to begin with, the only way to compete against other players will be on PvE leaderboards.
One of the main similarities that this game shares with Throne and Liberty is the lack of a restrictive class system. Blue Protocol does include classes, each of which are tied to a weapon, but you can change your class at any time by simply swapping your weapon out.
Classes in Blue Protocol
Right now we know about five different classes in Blue Protocol. These are:
- Aegis Fighter - Equipped with a sword and shield, the Aegis Fighter has both offensive and defensive abilities, but is more heavily focused on defense than other classes. This makes this class the most obvious choice for tanking in Blue Protocol. While playing this class, you will need to manage a resource called Shield Gauge. Blocking attacks will deplete this resource, and when it reaches zero you will not be able to block anymore. It will regenerate when you are not blocking.
- Twin Striker - Wielding two axes, the Twin Striker is a melee DPS class which rewards the player for fast and aggressive play. You will gain bonus damage for successful combo attacks, and you will also be able to heal yourself by dealing damage to enemies.
- Blast Archer - The Blast Archer is armed with a bow, and is a dual purpose class, acting as either a ranged DPS character or being more focused on group support. Blast Archers are rewarded for extra damage if they hit enemy weak spots, and can also make use of buff and debuff abilities to help control the flow of combat.
- Spell Caster - The Spell Caster is a primarily ranged DPS character, commanding powerful magic spells to damage enemies. The Spell Caster makes use of the traditional three elements expected in RPG magic - fire, ice and lightning. Some spells require mana to cast. Mana does not regenerate passively - this has to be done manually by using an ability such as Concentration.
- Heavy Smasher - A melee heavy hitter equipped with a huge hammer, the Heavy Smasher can fit into a tank role or be used for close range DPS. If you like using brute force to smack enemies around, then the Heavy Smasher is probably a good choice for you.
Is the Cash Shop Pay to Win?
We can't answer this question for certain until we get to play the game for ourselves, however statements from the developers have been promising so far. They have stated that the cash shop will only offer cosmetic features, so paying extra shouldn't earn you any extra advantage.
Speaking of the cash shop, the game is also expected to have a season pass included to support its free to play model, allowing players to earn extra cosmetic items by purchasing the pass.
Are there Mounts and Pets in Blue Protocol?
Blue Protocol includes something called Echoes - there are three types of these.
Battle Echoes are pets that will assist you in combat and give you some extra buffs on your character. Inner Echoes are pets that don't have a direct impact in combat, but assist you indirectly with passive stat boosts.
As for mounts, these come in the form of Mount Echoes, and function in the same way you would expect a mount to, helping you to traverse the map at higher speed.
We don't know the specifics of how these are obtained just yet, however.
What Else is Available in Blue Protocol?
We know that there will be a housing system in Blue Protocol, and there will also be player guilds implemented at some point, although we're currently not 100% sure if these will be in the game on release day.
There are no plans for trading or a player auction house, and there are also no plans to implement PvP combat of any kind.
The game will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.
We hope you enjoyed this article about Blue Protocol, an upcoming MMORPG in 2023.
