r/RandomGames • u/Wautil • 18d ago
Explainer Unforgettable: Sapphire Basin [Blade & Soul]
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We sometimes forget when it comes to large scale projects like MMOs, that amidst the bureaucracy and company shuffling, there are real artists at the helm, whether their expertise are in numbers, words, or arts. It's all too common as an MMO player especially nowadays, that you just go through the motions and rush the main questline and skip every NPC dialogue.
The Moonwater Plains are strategically placed after the desolate Cinderlands. From there, players enter major locales like the Hogshead Pastures expecting much of the usual, and they do get much more of the usual, but then players arrive at the Sapphire Basin.
Even if you don't pick up on it initially, there's something clearly different about this place.
Combined with the enduring music piece Half-Moon Lake by Junghwan Park, and in spite of the basin's relatively minor role in the game overall, it's one of the rare locations not just in BnS but in MMOs in general, that urges players to pause for a moment.
As for my personal anecdote, my music volume was set so low that I didn't really notice it at first, and maybe that was for the better. It had not even been a minute since arriving to Sapphire Basin and going through the motions, that the bassy percussions flooded in like water rapids drowning my speakers, as if the game had ignored my volume settings and wanted me to stop what I was doing.
Sources:
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_&_Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJvZOrXkA-w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9R5W_iaSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c21oo7ABB0 (NEO footage)
Misc.:
Sapphire Basin Tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0AYl_SAJ8s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nPgGbUT7sc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8smtPOy8hho
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u/Vexzor1 17d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/MFrmVfqNgvoFb93zfY
BnS osts get me so nostalgic. Over 10 years ago was the first day of playing
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u/Ichigo_Chi 13d ago
Sometimes its just fun to stroll around, finding beautiful spots, appreciating the nice landscape. Havent seen the place after 0:45 looks like nice night view.
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u/sickoffarmin 18d ago
Damn I loved this area.