One of the best ways to improve at any game is to read up on guides.
For an intricately detailed melee battle royale game like Naraka Bladepoint, it’s even more important to look up Naraka Bladepoint guides. It’s practically impossible not to if you want to get a good grasp of its fundamentals.
Developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase, the robust title requires players to develop a whole host of skills, from grappling, parkour, ability combos, animation canceling, positioning, and of course, their trademark rock, paper, and scissors mechanics.
ONE Esports along with other press got the chance to speak with leading Naraka Bladepoint YouTube content creator Heaven aka. Penemue at the Naraka Bladepoint World Championship 2023 to learn more about how he amassed such deep knowledge about the game and his process of creating Naraka Bladepoint guides for the community.
Heaven aka. Penemue on creating Naraka Bladepoint guides: the best are not even in English!
What’s apparent at the J Cup each year is how far ahead China is in the competitive scene. In both solo and trios, they’ve dominated the competition since the game’s release.
According to Heaven, the reason why there’s a gap between China and the rest of the world is because its gaming industry is a lot more professionalized as a whole.
“In Europe, we have some very talented players who are extremely hardworking, but they don’t have the support of a professional coach, essentially a salary that lets them be part of an esports team,” he said.
Without the infrastructure that lets them commit fully to the game, they do not get in as many practice hours compared to Chinese pros.
The second key reason is due to language barriers: players in Europe and North America do not speak Chinese nor do they watch Chinese replays.
“There’s a huge difference in the kind of materials that are available,” Heaven revealed. “And as a result, the level of play in China is extremely high. And when we watch a championship like this, we sometimes see new tech or really surprising things that we have never seen before.”
Heaven is very passionate about creating Naraka Bladepoint guides and content, pouring all his free time into the game, so much so that he has gone to great lengths to uncover more about the Chinese Naraka Bladepoint scene that has a wealth of inaccessible information.
“Something I always cared about since I was very young was explaining things to others. I would feel like I never understand anything truly unless I’m able to explain it to someone who had no idea about it,” he said. “And that’s how I try to simplify very complex things.”
A lucky encounter in Portugal changed his game and content forever. He met a Chinese coach there who became his mentor and good friend. He helped him gain a deeper understanding of the combat system in Naraka Bladepoint, sharing with him information and perspectives that only a Chinese player could.
Heaven also makes an effort to talk to other high-ranking players in Europe. Putting this knowledge together with his own experience and analysis, he makes guides on YouTube.
“I have an infographic that explains the negotiation stage, a neutral stage, and combo stage where you try to squeeze out as much damage as possible [during combat],” he elaborated. “And after the combo, there’s a tech chase stage that defines who wins the next mind game.”
Even then, this barely scratches the surface because according to Heaven, there are game resources that the Chinese community has that aren’t accessible to the rest of the world.
He gives the example of a Chinese-written Dagger Soulbreak guide that includes redirection. Instead of going directly toward an enemy, there are options to go sideways or from behind.
“There’s a few people who know it. The top players analyze it by themselves. People who have Chinese friends who could translate — the bottom line is somebody needs to have learned Chinese to have created a resource so that others can learn,” said Heaven.
On top of community-driven guides, there’s yet another untapped layer — professional Chinese esports teams, who might be gatekeeping certain tech and mechanics. In this case, you’d have to be in touch and establish a relationship with them to attain such knowledge.
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