- For the Grand Chase character, see Elsword (character).
The Elsword logo
Elsword is a game whose synopsis and storyline are very similar to Grand Chase. Elsword was developed by KoG Studios and published by Kill3r Combo, later being renamed to KOG Games after picking up Grand Chase, It is the spiritual successor to Grand Chase.
Elsword is also the name of one of the playable characters in the game.
Background Information
Elsword follows the adventures of Elsword and his teammates, Aisha and Rena, as they travel to various locations in search of the El. Along the way, the trio encounter the head of the Velder Rebellion, Raven; the Queen of the Nasods, Eve; and the Guardian of Hamel, Chung.
The game itself was originally a reboot of Grand Chase, even featuring Arme and Lire during the game's beta testing and in the game's files (now Aisha and Rena, respectively) and Elsword was supposedly the younger brother of Elesis, whom was temporarily renamed to Elsa. Many aspects of Grand Chase were also found in Elsword, such as holding the attack button to activate skills and the lobbies. Both games became vastly different with each other, with little to no relation to each other, though the relationship between Elsword and Elesis remained. However, the relationship had made a comeback when Grand Chase: Chaos, the fourth season, came about.
Relationship to Grand Chase
- Elsword (character) has the same synopsis as Elesis. Elsword is a young swordman who was raised and trained by his older sister, Elesis, the leader of the Red Knights. One day, she left him to grow stronger, but never returned, prompting Elsword to set out on a journey to search for her.
- Elesis was originally named Elsa. Elesis also being the leader of the Ruby Knights is very similar to Elsa's leadership for the Red Knights. Additionally, there is a concept art on Naver Blog of Elesis and Elsword as siblings, and this is true.
- The Sword Master's weapon, the Giant Sword, is a similar weapon wielded in her Grand Master job class from Elsword.
- Elsword's Sheath Knight class makes use of two swords, similar to Savior.
- Some of Elsword's attacks share the same name as Elesis' and Lass', although they are performed differently.
- Elsword's Mega Slash is one powerful swing.
- Elsword's Sword Fire enchants his own blade with flames and strikes the ground, erupting flames. After the attack, the sword will continue to burn temporarily, giving him the opportunity to attack with flame damage.
- Elsword's Storm Blade summons numerous magical swords in the form of a spike around him that constantly rotates, piercing the enemy.
- Elsword's Windmill does a constant, horizontal swing for five seconds while moving around. His variation can also be done in mid-air and has Super Armor.
- Elsword's Double Slash strikes twice, the latter bringing down a powerful swing.
- Elsword's Fatal Fury smashes the target four times with the sword and ends off with a quick spin.
- Elsword's Final Strike generates a black hole that pulls in all enemies and then creates an explosion that deals massive damage.
- Elsword's Splash Explosion creates a rune and then destroys it, creating a small explosion.
- Elsword's Unlimited Blade uses multiple swings before bringing down a Mega Slash. In Awakening Mode, the Mega Slash is replaced by a Flaming Geyser.
- Elsword's Rage Cutter stabs the ground to send numerous swords skyward, identical to Kanavan Strike.
- Elsword's Assault Slash is a straightforward dash thrust.
- Elsword's Air Slash was based off of Elesis' Circle Blade, although the second hit of Air Slash is 180 degrees upward.
- Lass' Blade Spirit and Ronan's Erudon's Sword were based off of Elsword's Armageddon Blade. However, Erudon's Sword follows the concept more closely.
- Dio's Vengeful Sword was based off of Elsword's Wind Blade, Rising Slash, and Luna Blade.
- Dio's Fly Away was based off of Elsword's Sonic Blade, as both attacks utilize a quick full spin and allows its user to move before the animation completes. The only difference is that Fly Away causes the opponent to fly across the field while Sonic Blade just stuns the opponent.
- Like Elesis, Elsword has many attacks that share the same word in them. In Elsword's case, many of the attacks have either the word Slash (Mega Slash, Assault Slash, Air Slash, Double Slash, Rising Slash) or the word Blade (Unlimited Blade, Armageddon Blade, Sonic Blade, Wind Blade, Storm Blade, Luna Blade) in them.
- One of Elsword's classes is named Infinity Sword.
- Spell Knight Ronan's third MP special with the Erudon Sword was based off of Lord Knight Elsworld's Hyper Active, Gigantic Slash,
- Aisha has the same synopsis as Arme. For a reason, both Arme and Aisha were driven to look for magical power.
- Both Arme and Aisha are 15 years old.
- One of Aisha's classes is called Battle Mage.
- Aisha has an attack called Lightning Bolt which shoots a short-ranged burst of lightning.
- Aisha has an attack called Death Field which summons an apparition of Death who uses its dark power to curse enemies, dealing some damage while reducing the target's movement speed and disables special actives from being used, and then causes the victim to explode.
- Aisha's Meteor Shower was based off of Arme's Meteor, although Meteor Shower leaves flames on the floor.
- Aisha's Pyro Storm was based on Arme's Fire Storm, although Pyro Storm is a whirlwind while Fire Storm is a burst of flame.
- Arme's Fire Shield Lv 2 was based off of Aisha's Chain Fireball.
- Aisha's Meteor Call was based off Arme's Big Bomb.
- Aisha's Dark Cloud was based off of Arme's Killer Cloud.
- Aisha's Blizzard Shower was based off of Arme's Blizzard although Blizzard Shower appears in the form of blue meteors (much alike Arme's Meteor or Aisha's Meteor Shower) and completely freezes the opponent ice solid.
- Aisha has an attack called Magic Missile, which shoots a sphere that constantly follows its opponents for a short time.
- Aisha's Elemental Storm was based off of Arme's Chain Rush.
- Aisha's Abyss Angkor resembles Ley's Real Dark: Both summon an entity that shoot out a large beam. The difference is that Abyss Angkor is a vertical beam instead of Real Dark's horizontal beam.
- All of Ley's job clothing as well as her ability to cast dark spheres and summon bats is similar to Aisha's Void Princess class.
- Aisha, upon advancing to Dimension Witch, gains an idol-like attire and attitude similar to Amy's.
- Rena has a similar synopsis to Lire, although their stories differ from each other; Rena's race living within the mortal world is jeopardized as the power of El is weakening.
- Rena is defined as "affectionate", much like Lire's personality.
- Similar to Lire, Rena lacks a 'true' backstory as her background description only refers to what her race and tribe had done in the past.
- Both characters are Jack Of All Trades, with the ability to use a ranged weapon, physical kicks, wind, nature, fire, and ice magic, and a melee weapon. Both also have considerable combo ability, attack power, agility, buffs and debuffs, and mana regeneration.
- Rena's combat style was largely based off Lire's Nova job.
- Rena's Dive Kick Bombing was based off Amy's Grand Finale.
- Rena's Siege mode was based off Lire's Shooting Mode.
- Rena's Fatality was based off Lire's Beat Rush (animation) and Lass' Fatal Fury Tempest (fatality mechanic).
- Rena has an attack called Freezing Arrow where she shoots a single frost arrow in a linear path, hitting and freezing up to two enemies.
- Rena has an attack called Call of Ruin where she fires multiple traps and attacks using a wide slice with her sword, causing the traps to explode.
- Rena has an attack called Evoke which consists of launching a spherical wind that erupts into a large blast on contact.
- Her sword, Erendil, is named after Earendil.
- Rena's Shooter Destiny was based off of the combination of Lire's Arrow Spiral and Big Shot.
- Uno's history involves a girl named Reina. This name may be a play on Rena.
- Raven was particularly based on Lass' in terms of storyline, while Dio's personality was based on Raven's.
- In the storyline, Raven was a soldier who worked for the Velder Kingdom and was being promoted to Tactical Captain. However, this status caused the Nobles of the land to dislike him, so Raven was framed right to prison. Seemingly destined to die after his co-workers and fiancee were murdered trying to rescue him, Raven was taken by a messenger to King Nasod, signing a contract for rebirth and power. However, Raven blacked out after the agreement and became a test subject for Human-Nasod augmentation, and was possessed by the mechanical equipment, specifically the prototype Nasod Arm. He soon becomes the leader of the Velder Rebellion, blindly fighting to destroy the kingdom he once protected. After being defeated by Elsword, Raven realized his terrible crimes and joined the group to atone his sins.
- Dio's Rake Hand was based on Raven's Nasod Arm, as they both cause destruction in their wake.
- Raven has an attack called Hypersonic Stab where he cuts through enemies, causing one or multiple sword slashes upon the foes impacted.
- Vengeful Gaikoz's Danger attack where he instantly dashes and slashes in a straight line may have been based off of Hypersonic Stab.
- Raven has an attack called Shockwave where he throws down one large, powerful wave energy.
- The attack frame of Shockwave was based off of Lass' Final Strike Chaser.
- Raven has an attack called Charged Bolt where he forms a barricade of spikes around his body.
- Mari's Wing Drive Weapon was based off of Raven's Arch Enemy.
- Rufus' Expunge's cross explosion bears a striking resemblance to Raven's Guardian Strike.
- Raven's Extreme Blade was based off the motion of Lass's Shadow Stranger Lv2, and the effect of Lass's Spatial Divide.
- Raven's Sword Taker class was originally named Soul Taker during its development.
- Raven seems to share the same preference of weaponry and combat style as Lass, mostly with Raven's Sword Taker path. His methods in using his Nasod Arm however, is similar to Dio's, mostly with the Over Taker path.
- Both characters wield similar weapons: a lightweight curved blade, claw/s, and a katana-like sword.
- Both characters have the ability to phase through enemies (Raven, however, activates it as a technique, while Lass does it as part of his moveset.)
- As Sword Taker, both Lass and Raven specialize in delivering attacks with extreme speed.
- Though similarities are not entirely equivalent, both Dio and Raven perform stabbing techniques/specials, claw-based attacks, and possess the ability to enlarge their respective arms.
- Eve was based on Mari. Eve descended from an ancient civilization known as Nasods and was once considered their "little queen". However, as the power of El (their power source) weakened, the Nasods began to decline, and rebelled against humanity and started a war with them in order to seize the El, but ultimately lost. Eve retired into stasis in order to avoid the catastrophe for many years, but when she awoke, she discovered she was the last of her kind (those who actually did survive went completely rogue and refused to acknowledge Eve); thus, she was determined to revive her race.
- Eve's specialty revolves around summoning and machinery much like Ley and Mari, respectively.
- Eve has an attack called Hornet Sting where she fires a single missile that deals two powerful hits.
- Eve's Lunatic Scud was based off of Rufus's Expunge: both skills makes use of all their weapons at the same time.
- Chibi Edna's pet attack was based off Eve's Space Wrench, which is based on Magnus Dan's Blinding Cross as well.
- Mari's Final Judgement was based off on Eve's Psychic Artillery.
- Some of Chung's attacks share the same name as Elesis' and Lire's attacks, although they are performed differently.
- Chung's Leap Attack causes him to launch himself at enemies and slam his cannon down at opponents.
- Chung's Shooting Star fires twelve or fifteen homing missiles.
- Chung's Head Shot fires a single shot that pierces through enemies.
- Chung's Artillery Strike was based off of Magic Missile.
- Mari's Nuclear Strike was based off of Chung's Artillery Strike - Quantum Ballista.
- Ara's Energy Cannon was based off Dawn Rin's Final Flash of Light.
- One of Ara Haan's classes is named Asura.
- Add's has a psychopatic, perfectionist, and obnoxious personality, like Asin or Veigas.
- In addition, his art shows he smiling intensively while his pupils are standing out in the same way as Asin.
- Add's main weapon, the Nasod Dynamos, was based off of Geas's Soul Takers.
- Add's Apocalypse summons a cube that assist him, similar in how Deus assists Veigas. The difference is that the former is treated like a summoned monster: it has its own HP, attacks the enemy by his own, and disappears if is destroyed or its duration expires. On the other hand, the latter must be commanded by Veigas in order to attack.
- Add's Paranoia was based off of Starlet's Elegant Flow: both skills inflict a multitude of debuffs on the opponents.
- Lu and Ciel's gameplay style is based of off the Grand Chase's Tag PvP Mode, where the player could switch between two characters via a button. In Lu and Ciel's case, swtiching characters will enable them to make best use of their Combination Mode.
- Lu was based off of Ley; Both have a loyal and powerful servant (Jeeves and Ciel), both are Asmodians, humanoid demons, and both demon girls attack with spells.
- However, her synopsis resembles Dio's, as both Asmodians have lost a great deal of their powers to reach Elrios/Aernas: Lu's power was mostly sealed by a traitor vassal, but she managed to teleport herself to Elrios with the remaining powers she had; however, transferring between dimensions without appropriate magic power may lead to unpredictable consequences. Thus, when Lu reached Elrios, an accident occured, where her appareance was changed into one of a small child.
- Dio, on the other hand, sealed most of his power willingly when going to Aernas in order to avoid being spotten by the Extremists, as their senses are able to pinpoint source of high demonic power with precision.
- In addition, Lu's 2nd job Noblesse is the equivalent of Ley's 4th job Dark Matriarch: both have mastered their magic potential and adopted a noble and prepotent attitude.
- Lu's weapon, the Magic Gauntlets, was based off of Ley's Ultima, although the size and shape of her Gauntlets resemble more Dio's Rake Hands instead.
- Lime is an Elven PvP NPC whom is a self-proclaimed "forest ranger", using archery, powerful physical kicks with long combos, and a grappling hook.
- Edel may have perhaps been based on Raven's Sword Taker/Blade Master class.
- Both characters are labeled as fencers.
- Both possess a technique that involves striking the feet of the target, hampering their movement.
- Both have a special that unleashes a shockwave that causes multiple hits.
- Both Raven's Hyper Active and Edel's Imperium Skill are graphically identical.
- Uno's design and playstyle is similar to that of Elesis' Dark Knight/Crimson Avenger class, while his Blood Dancer attacks are functionally and visually very similar to Raven's Veteran Commander technique Fatal Wound.
- Elyos is likely a play on "Elrios", the name of the setting in Elsword.
- The Night Savers Guild was based off of the Silver Cross Thieves.
- Elsword and Aisha tend to quarrel with each other often like Elesis and Arme do. Lire/Rena is the one who breaks up the fight.
- Jin's Burning Mode and Sieghart's Rage Mode were the base of Elsword's "Awakening Mode", where the characters engage a form that provides a colored aura and increases their attack power. Awakening Mode is achieved by obtaining Awakening Beads, which is by hitting enemies and getting hit.
- Elsword uses a Skill Tree to build up the character's abilities, which was later used by Grand Chase.
- Grand Chase's Action Point System was based from Elsword, though Grand Chase uses five commands (A S D F G) instead of Elsword's usual four (A S D C).
- Elsword Hyper Actives were based on Grand Chase's fourth MP bar speicals, as both of the skills feature insane damage along with cool eye-blasting effects. The difference is that the Hyper Actives cost 300 MP, have 180 seconds of cooldown and require an item called El Essence to consume upon each application instead of the 130 MP and 45 seconds cooldown in Grand Chase.
- Dark Nephilim was loosely based off of Dark Anmon. Both are demonic Nephilims with powerful dark magic, had attacked a kingdom, and are in some way related to gods.
- Shadow Stinger is a name of a demonic enemy that uses its spikes on various parts of its body to attack.
- The Ents found in The Whispering Woods provided a base for the Ents found in Elsword as they were corrupted and attacked travelers against their will, and when defeated, would go into hibernation.
- The Ents found in Elsword also bear a physical appearance similar to Treant.
- Victor is a name of a demonic brute who also affected a certain place's water. He was also a pawn to a greater evil.
- Demonic forces have invaded both game's settings through the use of Dimensional Portals. Though in Elsword, while they do cause ceaseless destruction, the demons have been known to take over kingdoms as opposed to outright destroying them.
- The Dark Elven Rider's steed is very identical to the Cockatrigles.
- Dahlia is based off of the Elsword enemy Chloe. Both are recurring dark elves who had betrayed their own race and aided the demonic forces. Both are also exceptionally skilled in archery, physical combat, and strategic retreat, have used daggers and bows in combat, and have fought the heroes more than once with more than one form. They also summon a behemoth demon to attack a kingdom and the protagonists.
- Demon Ashtaroth's appearance and attacks resembles King Nasod's.
- Special Active abilities are identical; they delay/freeze the area around the character with a darkened background followed by an image of the character/job.
- The Counterattack system functions similarly to Grand Chase; by holding down the attack (Z/X) buttons, the character will receive the attack as a knock down, allowing them to perfectly escape the attack. This requires at least 100 MP, or one bar.
- Some status ailments are named similarly, but work differently.
- Freeze reduces the opponent's defense by a certain percentage while slowing their movement speed in contrast to freezing the opponent ice solid while reducing their HP.
- Petrify will encase the opponent in solid rock while increasing their defense, although they can be attacked until the effect ends, where the enemy will continue what action they were doing or causing a knock down in PvP, in contrast to slowly petrifying the opponent before large damage is dished out.
- Confusion works the same way; the left/right controls are reversed.
- Burn works the same way; the character is on fire which reduces their HP, although in Elsword the opponent can become defeated with Burn.
- Poison reduces the opponent's attack speed by a certain percentage while reducing their HP in contrast to reducing the opponent's movement and attack speed while reducing their HP.
- Super Armor works the same way; the monster/character gains a red outline and is unable to be knocked down by any means necessary.
- Like in Grand Chase, monsters throughout Elsword sometimes possesses an attack which gives them Super Armor for the duration of the attack.
- Bleed works the same way; the enemy bleeds out which reduces their HP.
- Like in Grand Chase, if the monster has a property, then it has increased vitality.
- Underwater Combat is essentially the same, although oxygen nodes are replaced with air bubbles and attack, movement, and jump speed are greatly affected.
- Previously, the difficulties in Grand Chase Chaos (Normal, Hard, and Very Hard) are the same as those in Elsword.
- Voicing for "Fight" and "Win" is used in both games. In Elsword, it is also used in Dungeons as well.
- The "DANGER" sign for when an enemy uses a special attack is used in both games. In Elsword, however, the voicing is not used, the word appear in red outlines rather than yellow letters, the word is placed in at the top middle of the screen rather than fully centered, it is not accompanied by a blue bar that spans the entire screen length, and the sign is accompanied by the name of the attack and how to dodge it. It is also used when encountering a mini-boss/boss.
- The arcane circles in Frosland's and Trivia's dungeons are based off on Elsword's arcane triangles, which also block dungeon progression until all the monsters in the section of the room the player is in are cleared.
- The manga-styled dialogue found in Asin's and Lime's Trial Forest introduction, Monster Train 301's introduction, and Kounat's Collapse's ending are similar to those of the Elsword character introductions.
- The boss of Sander's final dungeon, Karis, apperas to be a genderbend version of Dio.
- Due to the similarity of the music in certain sections of the tracks, several soundtrack fragments in Grand Chase appear to be remixed and reused in Elsword's soundtracks.
- The pet Archangel was taken straightforward from Elsword's Mount Ramiel.
- Elsword's Raid Boss Perkisas bears a strong resemblance of Berkas, since both of them are two humogonous fire dragons. However the former is fought in a method similiar to Harkion's, as he has ??? HP bars in stage, he just flies away after the battle, and players get a reward depeding on how much damage they inflicted to Perkisas. Also, like Harkion, Perkisas has a total amount of HP points which is decreased for every party who challenges him.