With the recent announcement that NCSoft’s Blade & Soul was finally coming west this winter, many fans wondered just exactly how the game would be – following a long time in the pipeline since its original localization announcement years ago.

Featured above, a livestream was held with the development staff to answer fan questions, following the game’s western release announcement. While the game will be free-to-play, we know now that there will be no pay-to-win elements, and there will be no fatigue or vigor system – which is something the Chinese version in fact does have.

One of the biggest things to take away from the livestream is the fact that the game will remain completely uncensored. The western localization is not a direct port of the Asian version, so instead fans can expect the most up to date version of the game, however, it will be launching with only the first three acts of the story, so that players don’t blast through everything all at once.

NCSoft is looking at how quickly players progress through the first three acts, so they can gauge how and when to release the remaining three acts, as the Asian versions are currently up to act six. The western servers for the game will be located in Texas and Germany, and there is currently no plans to region-block, although this may change in the future. If you’ve had a character in the Asian version, you cannot transfer it to the western versions.

Finally, the reasoning behind the delay for the western version is because they’re not literally translating the text – they’re adapting it to make it more enjoyable and easier to get into. NCSoft also made a point in saying this is not only for their English users, but for those who prefer French, and German, as well.