Dragon Oath
Dragon Oath, known in China as Tian Long Ba Bu (TLBB), is a free-to-play wuxia MMORPG developed and published by ChangYou.com and Sohu, launched in May 2007 and based on the martial-arts novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Louis Cha (Jin Yong). Set amid eight warring empires in Song Dynasty China, players train in one of nine martial arts styles across classes like Shaolin, Beggars Alliance and Taoist, backed by an extensive pet-taming system and social features emphasizing clan and family ties. The game became one of China's most successful self-developed MMORPGs, with reports of over 75 million registered players worldwide by 2010, but declining engagement led publisher GTArcade to close the North American and European servers on July 25, 2016; the game continues to operate and receive updates in China under the TLBB name, and unofficial fan communities such as Dragon Oath II run private continuation servers using ChangYou's official client for former Western players.
Platform availability
Highlighted platforms are confirmed in MMOFinder’s current profile. Dimmed platforms have no confirmed listing.
MMO DNA
A visual fingerprint built from MMOFinder’s current verified catalog fields—not a review score.
Both PvE and PvP are recorded
Both PvE questing and faction PvP warfare are recorded
Solo questing is viable; faction wars favor group play
Structured questing zones are the stronger catalog signal
Tab-target combat is recorded
Why you might like it
- A story faithfully adapted from Louis Cha's acclaimed wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils gives Dragon Oath unusually rich literary source material compared with most generic fantasy MMORPGs.
- Nine distinct martial arts classes rooted in Chinese kung fu traditions, combined with a deep pet-taming system across three pet tiers, offer substantial character-building variety for players who enjoy theorycrafting.
- The game's massive scale and longevity in China (peaking near a million concurrent users and running continuously since 2007) reflects an unusually deep, mature endgame economy and community structure for players who do connect to the Chinese servers.
Things to consider
- The official Western (North American and European) servers were permanently closed on July 25, 2016, so English-speaking players today have no official regional server and must either play on Chinese-language servers or seek out unofficial fan continuations like Dragon Oath II.
- Even before Western closure, contemporary reviews noted ChangYou was slow to bring the US version up to date with the more frequently updated Chinese original, creating a persistent content gap.
- As a 2007-era MMORPG with dated production values by modern standards, expect generic-feeling core gameplay loops and translation quality issues on any Western-facing client, official or fan-run.
Research record
- Last checked
- 2026-08-28
- Profile depth
- Full
- Source note
- Official developer feature documentation, Steam/store listings and community wiki cross-checks
What MMOFinder has checked
- Gameplay featuresStructured gameplay fields were source-checked for this profile.Verified
- Gameplay mediaTwo source-attributed gameplay images are recorded.Verified
- Source trail2 linked sources are recorded for review.Verified
- Last reviewedCatalog fields reviewed Aug 28, 2026.Verified
Coverage measures documentation completeness—not game quality, popularity or an endorsement.
How verification worksGame details can change. MMOFinder separates verified catalog fields from information that has not yet been confirmed.
Dragon Oath relationship map
Follow verified catalog signals to another world.
Connections use current MMOFinder catalog fields—not review scores or paid placement.
Dragon Oath timeline
A concise timeline built only from dates and lifecycle fields recorded in MMOFinder.
- 2007Released
MMOFinder records Dragon Oath as released in 2007.
- CurrentCatalog status
Active in China (as TLBB); Western servers closed July 25, 2016
- 2026-08-25Research checked
Core catalog fields were reviewed for this profile.
Dragon Oath screenshots & gameplay
Two verified gameplay screenshots and a gameplay video for a quick look at the game in action.
Source: Verified YouTube gameplay video
Gameplay, availability and research notes
Dragon Oath is recorded as Chinese mythology MMORPG. Dragon Oath, known in China as Tian Long Ba Bu (TLBB), is a free-to-play wuxia MMORPG developed and published by ChangYou.com and Sohu, launched in May 2007 and based on the martial-arts novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Louis Cha (Jin Yong). Set amid eight warring empires in Song Dynasty China, players train in one of nine martial arts styles across classes like Shaolin, Beggars Alliance and Taoist, backed by an extensive pet-taming system and social features emphasizing clan and family ties. The game became one of China's most successful self-developed MMORPGs, with reports of over 75 million registered players worldwide by 2010, but declining engagement led publisher GTArcade to close the North American and European servers on July 25, 2016; the game continues to operate and receive updates in China under the TLBB name, and unofficial fan communities such as Dragon Oath II run private continuation servers using ChangYou's official client for former Western players.
The lifecycle record is Active in China (as TLBB); Western servers closed July 25, 2016, with verified platforms of Windows. MMOFinder lists ChangYou.com as developer and Sohu as publisher.
The guidance and platform availability above were checked on August 25, 2026 against the linked sources. Continue through Similar Games, filter the MMO database, or compare profiles side by side.
If you like Dragon Oath…
These alternatives share verified genre, platform, access-model or gameplay signals with Dragon Oath. Connections describe catalog overlap rather than a quality ranking.
Why it connectsThe First MythThe same chinese mythology mmorpg classification; shared mmorpg signals.Chinese mythology MMORPG · Online service
Why it connectsPerfect WorldThe same chinese mythology mmorpg classification.Chinese mythology MMORPG · Free to play with item shop
Why it connectsBlack Gold OnlineShared mmorpg signals, though genre labels differ (Chinese Mythology MMORPG vs. Steampunk fantasy MMORPG).Steampunk fantasy MMORPG · Free to play
Why it connectsEntropia UniverseShared mmorpg signals, though genre labels differ (Chinese Mythology MMORPG vs. Science-fiction MMORPG).Science-fiction MMORPG · Free to play with a real-cash economy (in-game currency PED converts to real money)
Why it connectsMeridian 59Shared mmorpg signals, though genre labels differ (Chinese Mythology MMORPG vs. Fantasy MMORPG).Fantasy MMORPG · Free to play
Why it connectsZhengtuShared mmorpg classification signal, though genre labels differ (Chinese Mythology MMORPG vs. Chinese-mythology MMORPG).Chinese-mythology MMORPG · Free-to-play (closed)
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