Swordsman, also called Swordsman Online, is a wuxia MMORPG developed by Beijing Perfect World and based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, the martial arts novel by Louis Cha, better known as Jin Yong. Perfect World Entertainment brought it to the West with an open beta in July 2014 and a Steam release in January 2016. It offered what wuxia fans wanted: ten martial arts schools, acrobatics across the rooftops of ancient China, and action combat that rewarded timing.

The Western service closed on June 5, 2018, announced together with the closure of Jade Dynasty. For English-speaking players, fan-run private servers are now the way back into the game, usually on a client close to the one they remember.

Ten Schools of the Jianghu

Your school is your class, and each has its own skills and style: Shaolin, Wu-Tang, E'mei, Splendor, Infinity, Harmony, the Sun and Moon Cult, Five Venoms, Zephyr and House Tong. They carry the flavor of the novel - E'mei, for example, is mostly a school of formidable nuns, though it accepts men. At level 20 you join a sub-sect within your school, such as Shaolin's Expiation sect, and pick up a new skill loadout, so two players from the same school can fight quite differently.

Combat is action-oriented, with basic attacks on the mouse and skills on the number keys, and you can choose between a classic click-to-move scheme, traditional WASD controls or a full action mode. Movement is pure wuxia: leaping across rooftops, dodging out of danger and covering ground in a way most MMORPGs never tried. The world is open to PvP, there is an arena where matches are stat-balanced, and the endgame includes instances with multiple boss encounters.

What to Look For in a Swordsman Private Server

All Ten Schools Working

A rebuilt server has to get ten skill sets and their sub-sects right. Check that the school you want is available, that its level 20 sub-sects work, and that the team fixes broken skills quickly. Ask the community which schools are strong or weak on that server, since balance can differ from what you remember.

Open World PvP Rules

Open PvP in a wuxia world is part of the fantasy, but servers set their own limits. Find out whether there are protections for low-level players, what penalties exist for killing, and where PvP is allowed. Pick the rules that match how you like to play.

Arena Balance

The stat-balanced arena was where school skill mattered more than gear. If a server keeps that balance, a new player can compete there from day one. If it has removed it, the arena becomes another gear check. Ask which way the server went.

Fashion and Mounts, Not Power

The official shop focused on cosmetics such as hairstyles, fashion and mounts. A private server that keeps the shop cosmetic leaves PvP to skill and effort; one that sells gear or stats changes both open PvP and the arena. Read the list before you commit.

Language and Translation

Swordsman is a Chinese game, and servers may run an English client, a Chinese one or a mix. Check which language the client, quests and community use. A well-translated client makes the story - and the novel's characters - much easier to follow.

Choosing Your School

Choose a school for its style, not its current reputation, and plan around the sub-sect you will take at level 20. Learn the movement early, because it makes both questing and PvP far more fun. Vote for the server you play on; rankings here start again every month, so the list below follows where players are now.