Getting into Blade & Soul China is much more simple than you might expect. Unlike Japanese or Korean games, any foreigner can play as long as they create a QQ account and verify it properly. There is no need for a social security number nor a need for a proxy to make an account.
There are a lot of guides on how to install, and register for, and play Blade & Soul CN out there, but even so I found myself having issues. I want to help others running into the same troubles I did by covering this step by step.
The steps we’re going to follow are:
- Change your system locale settings to Chinese
- Sign up for a QQ account
- Verify your QQ account
- Download the game
- Download the fan-made English patch
- Install the game
- Apply the English patch
- Choose your server region
The English patch steps are optional, but if you knew Chinese you wouldn’t be here in the first place. So let’s get started!
1. Change your system locale settings to Chinese
The version of Windows you are running will affect how this process goes. The easiest way to describe it, is you must go to Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Administrative -> Change system locale. You want to change this to Chinese (Simplified, PRC).
Follow these links for direct instructions from Microsoft on changing your settings if you are new to this process:
You must complete this step in order to launch the game. If you install Blade & Soul before changing your regional settings you will have to reinstall. Changing these settings requires a reboot.
Note: If you get launcher errors with literal gibberish (and not actual Chinese), you did not change your locale before you installed. Check your settings, uninstall, reboot, and install once more.
2. Sign up for a QQ account
This step is luckily in English.
Follow this link and fill in the information it requires. Be sure choose that you want a standard QQ number on the left, and to accurately fill in the requested information.
The number it gives you is your QQ number and is required to log into Blade & Soul as well as every other Tencent-run MMORPG. Save this number in a .txt file or in a way you can be sure you will not lose it.
Keep the file you are saving your QQ number to up. You are going to need it for the next step.
3. Verify your QQ account
This step is entirely in Chinese, so I will be providing pictures.
First follow this link to the QQ verification login page. You must verify you are 18 years or older during this process, or else there will be limitations on you in-game or in other QQ-based services.
Once you login, you want to see the screen below. Click on the underlined link to change your verification method.
Clicking on the link will bring you to this page:
Before you do anything, click on the first drop-down menu and choose the option highlighted below to change your verification method to passport number:
You do not need to use a valid passport number to be verified. If you do have a passport, I do recommend using your actual number in this field. However, if you do not simply input a random 9 to 10 digit number.
Save this number in the same file you have saved your QQ number. You will need this in case you lose your password or need to recover your account after a security breach.
Once you have done this you can fill in the other fields. The blue button to the bottom left is to confirm your inputs and the one to the right is cancel. Try to keep these hanzi/words in mind for the installer.
If you have done everything correctly you should be taken to a page displaying the following (sans the red English text):
4. Download Blade & Soul China
Head on over to the official site’s download page and choose the option with a thumbs up.
From here you will have to launch the downloader, which will begin the full game download. This will likely take several hours. The downloader is easy to navigate and self-explanatory.
This method often takes some time because it is the non-VIP option and because of the distance between your computer and the game’s servers. Just be patient.
Alternatively there are torrents floating around, but be careful they are for the Chinese client and that they are safe.
5. Download the fan-made English patch
This step is not mandatory, but it will make Blade & Soul easier to play if you are not familiar with the Chinese language.
The fan-made English patch can be found on Blade & Soul Dojo and it is completely safe. Be sure to carefully read the original post in this thread to properly use the patch.
6. Install the game
This is a very straight-forward step. The installer is in Chinese but is just as easy to navigate as any other installer.
7. Apply the English patch
Again, carefully follow the original post in the thread to apply the English patch properly.
Something to note about the patch is it requires a file your client download may not have provided. This is an old client patch that is not necessary to normally play, but is required to install the English patch. Some users may need this and some may not, but I certainly did.
Please keep in mind you may not necessarily need this file, or you may need a different one. I cannot specifically comment based on the number of variables that will affect your English patcher. Refer to the BnS Dojo thread for assistance if you are having trouble. I cannot help you with this part past this basic information.
8. Choose your server region
Not really a part of the download and registration process, but something you need to know about nonetheless.
This is the current Blade & Soul launcher:
Clicking on the red, upside down triangle to the right will bring up the server region list:
You can see your approximate latencies for each of the options listed, though this will not necessarily be reflected in-game. Once you have chosen, the red button at the bottom of the launcher will take you to the login screen.
After you create your character, you will be presented with a large list of servers to choose from. Once you have done this you can finally play Blade & Soul CN! Be aware you will probably need a VPN service to play the game with reasonable latency.
Published: Jan 23, 2014 01:38 pm