NARAKA: Bladepoint is a 60-player battle royale focused on melee combat with martial arts-inspired movement and a rock-paper-scissors counter system. What sets it apart from other BRs is the grappling hook that lets every player Spider-Man across the map and the deep melee system where timing parries and focus strikes matters more than gear. Each hero has unique abilities that change team fight dynamics, and the Soul Jade system adds RPG-style buffs found throughout the match. Regular seasonal updates add new heroes, weapons, and maps.
Starting NARAKA: Bladepoint can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
NARAKA: Bladepoint is a action game built around grappling hook mobility and melee combos. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Yoto Hime | Good (but demanding) | Engage at mid-range with Spirit Slash poke, build ultimate through skirmishes, then deploy the spectral blade in team fights to deal AoE damage from safety. |
| Matari | Good (but demanding) | Use teleport dash to close gaps or escape, go invisible with ultimate to reposition behind enemies, and burst them down with fast weapon combos before they can react. |
| Tarka Ji | Excellent for beginners | Rush into melee range, use dashing punch to close distance, activate fire form ultimate when outnumbered to tank damage and trade aggressively. |
| Viper Ning | Excellent for beginners | Stay near teammates, use Bind to stun priority targets for easy focus-fire, and deploy ultimate during chaotic team fights to reveal and slow all enemies. |
| Temulch | Situational | Position near teammates, deploy wind barriers to block incoming fire, and use wind storm ultimate to break enemy formations and create space. |
Our recommendation: Start with Matari. Matari is the premier stealth hero with invisibility on her ultimate and a teleport dash on her skill. She can reposition instantly, escape bad fights, and ambush unsuspecting enemies. Her stealth ultimate makes her nearly impossible to track in 1v1 situations.
Avoid Temulch as your first pick. Temulch summons wind barriers that block ranged attacks and creates a wind storm ultimate that disrupts enemy movement.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn grappling hook mobility
Every player has a grappling hook on a short cooldown that attaches to any surface, building, or tree. It launches you toward the anchor point at high speed, enabling rapid repositioning mid-fight. Advanced players chain grapples with dodges and wall-runs to maintain aerial momentum and approach from unexpected angles.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how grappling hook mobility works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to Morus Isle
The original tropical island map with beaches, temples, and mountain terrain. Features dense vegetation that enables ambushes and vertical temple structures perfect for grapple hook plays. The central temple area is a high-traffic zone in the final circles.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Katana — it's the most accessible early upgrade. A fast weapon with quick combo strings and excellent mobility during attacks. The Katana's special sheathe attack deals high burst damage when timed correctly. It rewards aggressive play and benefits from attack speed Soul Jades.
Step 4: Understand melee combos
Each weapon has light attacks, heavy attacks, and unique combo strings. Light attacks are fast but can be blocked, heavy attacks break through blocks but are slow and telegraphed. The combo system rewards learning each weapon's specific string patterns — for example, the Longsword's charged horizontal sweep can hit multiple opponents.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Holoroth
A snowy mountainous map with open terrain and scattered village compounds. Long sightlines make ranged weapons more viable here. Ice surfaces reduce traction, affecting movement and dodge timing. The hot springs provide temporary healing zones.
Essential Mechanics Explained
grappling hook mobility
Every player has a grappling hook on a short cooldown that attaches to any surface, building, or tree. It launches you toward the anchor point at high speed, enabling rapid repositioning mid-fight. Advanced players chain grapples with dodges and wall-runs to maintain aerial momentum and approach from unexpected angles.
melee combos
Each weapon has light attacks, heavy attacks, and unique combo strings. Light attacks are fast but can be blocked, heavy attacks break through blocks but are slow and telegraphed. The combo system rewards learning each weapon's specific string patterns — for example, the Longsword's charged horizontal sweep can hit multiple opponents.
focus strikes
Focus strikes are charged attacks (glowing blue) that counter normal attacks but lose to blocks/parries. The RPS triangle is: Focus beats Attack, Attack beats Dodge/Parry, Parry beats Focus. Reading your opponent's next move and countering correctly is the core skill that separates good from great players.
soul jade system
Soul Jades are collectible buffs found in chests, drops, and from eliminated players. They come in offensive (red), defensive (blue), and utility (green) categories. Each jade provides specific bonuses like 'heal on kill' or 'increased focus charge speed.' You can equip up to 6 jades and they stack with hero abilities.
hero ultimates
Each hero has a unique ultimate ability that charges through combat. Yoto Hime summons a massive blade for ranged slash attacks, Matari turns invisible and gains movement speed, and Tarka Ji enters a fire form that blocks all damage temporarily. Ultimates often decide team fights when used at the right moment.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Spamming light attacks without mixing in focus strikes or parries — predictable attack patterns are easy to counter once opponents recognize your rhythm
2. Using the grapple hook in a straight line toward an enemy — they'll simply charged-attack where you're landing
Instead, grapple to the side and approach from an angle.
3. Ignoring ranged weapons entirely — even in a melee-focused game, a charged Musket shot before closing to melee gives a massive health advantage
4. Popping hero ultimate at the start of a fight — save ultimates for when you're outnumbered, low health, or need to secure the final kill in a team fight
5. Fighting in the open field instead of near structures — buildings and grapple points give you escape routes and verticality advantages that flat ground doesn't
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand grappling hook mobility and melee combos
- Choose Matari as starting role
- Clear Morus Isle main content
- Acquire Katana or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Holoroth
- The RPS system (Focus beats Attack, Attack beats Parry, Parry beats Focus) is muscle memory you must develop — watch your opponent's blue glow (focus) or white shimmer (parry) and react with the correct counter.
- Always repair your armor mid-fight using armor repair pickups. A common mistake is ignoring broken armor — purple armor absorbs roughly 40% of incoming damage, so fighting without it is a massive disadvantage.
Tips for New Players
- The RPS system (Focus beats Attack, Attack beats Parry, Parry beats Focus) is muscle memory you must develop — watch your opponent's blue glow (focus) or white shimmer (parry) and react with the correct counter.
- Always repair your armor mid-fight using armor repair pickups. A common mistake is ignoring broken armor — purple armor absorbs roughly 40% of incoming damage, so fighting without it is a massive disadvantage.
- Chain grapple hooks by immediately grappling again at the peak of your swing. This creates a Spider-Man traversal loop that crosses the map in seconds and makes you nearly impossible to hit.
- Crouch attacks bypass blocking entirely. If an opponent turtle-blocks repeatedly, crouch and attack to break through their defense for free damage.
- Pick up every Soul Jade you find even if your slots are full — you can swap out weaker jades for better ones, and denying jades to enemies is a valid strategy.
- In trios, focus-fire one enemy at a time. A coordinated team that eliminates one player quickly turns every fight into a 3v2 which is almost unloseable.
- Use ranged weapons (Bow, Musket, Cannon) to poke enemies before closing to melee distance. A charged Musket headshot deals massive damage that gives you a huge advantage entering the melee exchange.
- When the circle is closing, position near buildings or structures you can grapple to. Getting caught in the open without grapple points is a death sentence in late-game.
- Practice weapon swapping mid-combo — starting a combo with a Longsword and switching to a Dagger mid-string creates unpredictable timing that opponents struggle to parry.
- Heal behind terrain, not just behind distance. Experienced players will grapple-rush you during healing animations, so break line of sight behind rocks or buildings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NARAKA: Bladepoint free-to-play?
Yes, NARAKA went free-to-play in July 2023. All heroes and gameplay content is accessible without paying. Monetization is through cosmetic skins and battle passes. You can unlock new heroes through gameplay currency earned from matches.
What is the best beginner hero in NARAKA?
Yoto Hime is the best starting hero because her Spirit Slash skill is easy to aim and her ultimate is straightforward (giant sword slashes). Matari is also beginner-friendly since her teleport provides easy escapes from bad fights. Avoid Tarka Ji until you're comfortable with melee fundamentals.
How does the ranking system work in NARAKA?
NARAKA uses a Solar ranking system from Bronze through Solar. You earn or lose rank points based on placement and kills in ranked matches. Top 3 placement always gives positive points. The rank resets each season (roughly every 2 months), dropping you a few tiers.
Can you play NARAKA: Bladepoint with a controller?
Yes, NARAKA supports controller play on PC. However, mouse and keyboard is strongly recommended due to the precision required for grapple hook aiming, focus strike timing, and ranged weapon usage. Controller players can compete but will be at a disadvantage in high-level play.
What to Read Next
- NARAKA: Bladepoint Builds — Optimize your role once you've learned the basics
- NARAKA: Bladepoint Walkthrough — Full progression path
- NARAKA: Bladepoint Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
