A new season starts for Naraka Bladepoint and whilst it’s Season 5 for the game, it is the first proper update for the console version. This game was a massive surprise for me when it launched into Xbox Game Pass for several reasons. Firstly, it wasn’t known until just a few weeks before that it was debuting on the Xbox platform and secondly, I didn’t realise just how much it would sink its blades into me. I have probably poured more hours into this game than any other in 2022 and find the gameplay insanely addictive, satisfying and super rewarding.

After pumping 70+ hours into the current season I have finished with a Platinum rank in Solos and Silver in both duos and trios. So not only am I enjoying the game on my lonesome, I am adoring it with friends too. If I wasn’t dedicated to ticking off many other games with reviews, I’d imagine I’d have ploughed hundreds more hours into Naraka Bladepoint. Anyone who knows me understands how much I enjoy the Battle Royale genre and the variety of different experiences in the range of games on offer. This title offers unique melee combat with plenty of game modes, free-to-obtain cosmetics and more, which extends to an unlimited gameplay loop.

New Season, New Map

For the first time in Naraka Bladepoint history, we see the addition of a brand new map. Holoroth arrived on 19th August 2022 and introduces a beautifully illustrated playground for players to get stuck into and enjoy. The new map as seen in the trailer above is separated into five different regions. Plumed Castle, Mehtaab, City of Tang, Empyreal Village, and Yushan Ruins make up the five with the Ruins not accessible currently. Seems like that will appear later on in the season as part of the ongoing events the game has.

New Ways To Play

To keep things fresh and interesting, the development team have introduced some new mechanics to the game. These features will bring new spontaneous moments to the action. You can find out what is shiny and new in the list below

• Thorny Roller: Maintains cyclic motion, knocks players airborne once touched and deals a huge amount of damage.
• Trap Clip: Interact with it to set a trap. Deals a small amount of damage to enemies stepping on it and bans Grappling Hook and Tracking for a certain time.
• Spikes: Knocks players airborne once entering the trap and deals damage. There is a cooldown.
• Cactus: Activated by player attacks, deals ranged damage to nearby players and knocks players hit to a far distance.
• Firefly Cage: Interact with it to absorb Rage. It can be interacted with multiple players simultaneously and has an upper limit for a single absorption. Upon being drained, it will enter a CD.
• Frost Moth: Activated by player attacks, releases ice mist in a wide range and freezes enemies within.
• Sand Konjac: Activated by player attacks, releases dust in a wide range and blind enemies within.
• Falcon Statues: Keep updating four statues in the Salvation Podium until they face their respective correct direction, in which case mysterious treasures will appear.
• Campfire: Interact with it to disperse the Chill brought by the Snowstorm.
• Rising Wind: Strengthens the jumping ability of players within range.
• Ghostly Hand: Silences the objectives attacked by it for a while.

New Hero – Ziping Yin

It wouldn’t be a new season without a new character to get to grips with. Ziping Yin joins the roster of available characters and can be purchased with in-game currency (Tae) or with gold from the store. Her powers consist of ligneous energy and spiritual twigs in the efforts to bring her opponents down. You can find out more about Ziping Yin HERE.

Weather Effects

As part of Holoroth, expect to see many weather effects taking place over the course of the matches you play. These can happen at any time in any region, always keeping you on your toes and prepared to deal with any situation. Below are the updates implemented as taken from the Official Website

In the game, Snowstorm, Sandstorm, and Ghostly Mist will be triggered in random areas at a random time. More advanced Troves will appear in areas affected by weather events.

Snowstorm: Occurs only in a cloudy environment. In a Snowstorm, players affected will gain Chill, forcing players into Heat Loss and reducing Rage constantly when the gauge is full. You can disperse the Chill by getting close to the Campfires marked on the map. New Troves will appear in Snowstorm areas and disappear after the weather changes.

Sandstorm: Occurs only in the cloudy or dusk environment. During a Sandstorm, a large amount of Rising Wind will appear in the area. New Troves will appear in Sandstorm areas and disappear after the weather changes.

Ghostly Mist: Occurs only in the cloudy or dusk environment. During a Ghostly Mist, a large number of Ghostly Hands will appear in the area. New Troves will appear in Ghostly Mist areas and disappear after the weather changes.

Final Thoughts

As always with any new season in a Battle Royale game, we see a new battle pass and new cosmetic items added to the store. Only time will tell if the new map goes down well with the hardcore community but I’m sure it’ll go down perfectly fine. I’ve had a couple of games on Holoroth so I need to do some more exploring, but initial impressions are good. For those who loved Morus’ Isle, there is no need to worry as it is still available and you can switch between the two or let the matchmaking do its magic and pick one at random for you. For in-depth patch notes and information on rankings for the new season, click HERE to see all. It’s time to sharpen your blades and get discovering a whole new area.