Bloodline Champions just launched a few weeks ago, so Senior Staff Writer Chris "Pwyff" Tom donned his competitive helmet once more to check out all that this arena-based game has to offer.

It's been a few weeks since the official commercial launch of Bloodline Champions (BLC), and I'll admit that it wasn't exactly a date that has weighed heavily on my mind. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not a big fan of BLC, because if you read my original preview of the game back in July, you would see that this was a game I really wanted to see succeed.

The real reason I haven't been keeping up with BLC's every move is mainly because I wanted to play the game as it was meant to be played, and I didn't want to burn myself out while waiting for it. Secretly, I think I was also afraid at the time that BLC wouldn't have the right systems in place to encourage a thriving community; were there plans for any form of in-game progression? Will BLC have the server stability that competitive gamers need? Will there ever be new and interesting bloodlines? These were all important questions that I felt would be answered (or not) at launch, so I set Bloodline Champions on the shelf and waited for this day to come.

At surface level, much of Bloodline Champions hasn't really changed since my July preview article, so if BLC is a game that you might be interested in, you may want to read that for a basic rundown of the game. To summarize, BLC is all about competitive PvP. Players can choose from a wide variety of 'bloodlines,' which are your basic characters that you will use to fight in team-based arena fights. Each bloodline has access to a unique array of six abilities and one 'ultimate' ability that must be charged up by dealing damage or healing before use. As well, bloodlines are categorized into one of four archetypes: melee DPS, ranged DPS, healers and tanks. Game play is all isometric, with players controlling their bloodline via WASD and aiming their skills with their mouse.

Now that my introduction is over, let me get down to what has changed in BLC. Originally there was some confusion as to what sort of payment models Stunlock Studios would pursue for BLC, and, in my opinion, they've taken the right path by choosing to make this game entirely free-to-play, with package deals and micro transactions added on top. Players can choose to spring for Funcom points, which cost real money, or they can save up their 'blood coins' through regular play; both of these currencies can be used to unlock anything and everything currently in the BLC store, so it's simply a matter of choice between time and convenience.

Bloodlines are obviously one of the big things available for purchase in BLC; there are four random bloodlines that are unlocked as free-to-play every week, but if a player wants to have a 'main' bloodline, they'll need to make that their first savings target with their blood coins. In addition to purchasing bloodlines, however, players can also put their hard-earned coins toward character skins, weapon skins, avatars and special titles; there is even the opportunity for players to change their chosen bloodline's gender with a unique skin purchase. It's probably not a coincidence that BLC's business model closely resembles that of Riot Games' highly successful League of Legends, because the model is great: it gives players a sense of progression without ever stepping into the boundaries of 'paying to win.'

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