Black Desert

BDO RULES! best combat graphics and class choices ever

One of the best MMO's around.
Gonna cost you some time and is a Little P2W, but its a lovely MMO with great graphics!

I like that I can be so tall, like uncomfortably tall. makes running places a breeze.

unplayable it does not work on controller

I'll preface this review by stating that I'm not the most eloquent writer or even the deepest of thinkers and so, I must apologize for my babbling.

This game is a grind and a bit of a time-sink, but it's been fun. As of this posting, I have a bit over 6500 hours into it, across multiple characters. Much of that time has been spent AFK leveling Life Skills, but that was a welcome change and scratched an itch I didn't realize I needed to scratch until I played BDO. The game actually ended up ticking many boxes on my proverbial list as I was searching for something that was graphically stunning and provided fun and engaging gameplay, as well as adequate character customization. BDO provided more than I was expecting from a game that was nearly 10 year old by the time I'd decided to finally give it a shot, though. The open-world that somehow manages to feel alive, the visually appealing hack-and-slash combat, the freedom to adventure however you want, and the interesting story that unfolds as you progress through your adventures are always drawing me back in. Let's not forget about the amazing community, either, as the other players of BDO have been nothing but helpful when I've reached out to them regarding any inquiries I may have had. Whether they provided me with links to resourceful information or just plain insight I've never been ignored, treated like background noise or, otherwise, unwanted. If you're looking for an undeniably stunning MMO and have the time to spare and haven't pulled the trigger on BDO yet, you have nothing to lose in giving it a shot.

The game is in an unplayable state. The amount of pop in is insane, whole castles and half of small areas full of enemies will have them just appear and disappear. Can't see more than 50m infront of you

sup

Game is massive, content and size. the combat is amazing with flashy skills and speed. all new things added are free with the exception of the pearl store which has some p2w features but with time you don't need to use it.

the combat is flashy but doesn't actually seem interesting

the story is boring, and I don't care about the quests as I do them

from what I've seen and experienced so far, the game is very grindy--which would be fine if I had something to grind for. there isn't, and it's just a waste of time

best price i have ever paid 0.89p wow had little problem at start making menus larger did that only been playing for a few hours so far and i am loving this game and many hours of fun still to cum and its not hard that hard at all with key bored and mouse give it ago reviews down size the game i think its beautiful so far

《黑色沙漠：欲罷不能的遊戲！》

黑沙真的是一款讓人愛恨交加的遊戲，本來想停下來，結果還是每天登入，根本戒不掉 草。整個世界觀超讚，角色設計細節滿滿，老婆們都超可愛 。戰鬥系統很滑順，打怪的爽感真的無敵啦！

優點：

捏臉系統太強了，老婆越捏越漂亮，每天都可以捏新老婆 (真香 ✿◠‿◠)
世界很大，滿滿的探索自由，風景美到爆
戰鬥系統超級順，動作流暢，打擊感一流
伺服器穩定，之前常常延遲，現在好很多
缺點：

太肝了，每天都要花好多時間
偶爾還是有一些BUG，蠻煩的
P2W太誇張了，讓人又愛又恨 草
課金內容實在太多，壓力很大...
總分：8.5/10

雖然有些地方讓人頭大，還是無法擺脫黑沙的魅力！如果喜歡這種大世界的自由感，一定要來試試看！老鐵們，贊一下啦！今晚繼續直播捏臉！

Grind, Grind, Grind. Die by pay 2 win player, grind, grind, grind.

With hundreds of hours of gameplay invested in this MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online), I can say that “Black Desert” offers a unique and immersive experience, but not without challenges and controversies.

Strengths

1. Graphics and Art Design:
One of the most obvious strengths of “Black Desert” is its exceptional graphics. The graphics engine was developed by Pearl Abyss and allows for incredible detail of the environment, characters, and animations. The landscapes are stunning, from sunny beaches and dense forests to elaborate cities, with every detail contributing to the creation of an immersive world. The character customization features are among the most advanced in the industry, giving players the ability to create unique characters with fine detail.

2. Dynamic Combat System:
The combat system in “Black Desert” is one of the most captivating aspects of the game. Unlike many traditional MMOs that use a tab-based system, BDO adopts a real-time combat system, allowing players to execute combinations of attacks, abilities, and escapes. This approach gives the game tactical depth, requires a certain degree of dexterity, and makes confrontations more interesting. Each class has a distinct fighting style, and the ability to switch between available classes adds a nice variety.

3. Activities and Economy:
“Black Desert” is not just a fighting game; it offers a wide range of extracurricular activities. From fishing and farming to trading and crafting, the game allows players to engage in various economic activities. The economy system is complex and interconnected, and players can take advantage of trade opportunities to build their wealth. Crafting activities, in particular, are well-developed, and obtaining the materials needed to create rare items can be an exciting challenge.

4. Community and Events:
The community in “Black Desert” is diverse and active, with numerous guilds and groups organizing events. The game also benefits from seasonal events and frequent updates, which bring new content and challenges. This interaction with other players contributes to a sense of belonging and brings an important social dimension to the game.

Weaknesses

1. Steep Learning Curve:
One of the main drawbacks of “Black Desert” is its steep learning curve. At first, the game can seem overwhelming due to the complex systems and multiple options available. The combat mechanics, economy, and character progression take time to master, and new players may feel lost without proper guidance.

2. Grinding Issues:
While there is a variety of activities available, some players may find the excessive grinding required for progression frustrating. Increasing experience levels, obtaining rare equipment, and developing skills require significant playtime. This can make the game feel repetitive in the long run, especially for those who don’t enjoy the side activities.

3. Microtransactions:
Another controversial aspect is the implementation of microtransactions. While the game is free to play, there are payment options for various items and perks, which can create a “pay-to-win” feeling for some players. This has drawn criticism from the community, especially for those who don’t want to invest additional money in the game.

Conclusion
“Black Desert Online” is a game that brings together spectacular graphics, a dynamic combat system, and a wide range of activities. However, the steep learning curve and potential grind may discourage some players. With an active community and regular events, BDO offers a robust and engaging MMO experience, but it requires time and effort to be fully appreciated.

Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
I HAVE FIGURED OUT APPROXIMATELY 0.0000001 PERCENT OF THE GAME YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
Me spam keyboard: Monsters die
Complete quest
Sell junk
UPGRADE STUFF YAY
NEW MAIN QUEST AREA YAY
I HAVE FIGURED OUT APPROXIMATELY 0.0000002 PERCENT OF THE GAME YAY

grindy game like all mmos but its very chilling its quiet fun when playing with friends if ur new to bdo i recommend doing a seasonal character as the gear u get for the seasonal is basically boss gear :)

I think now would be a good time to write a review. I actually feel like if I don't do it now, then I probably never will. Over the years I had people commenting or asking questions: "so many hours, yet no review?", "don't be a lazy ass, go write a review", "any particular reason why you haven't left a review after 15 000 hours?" The thing is, I usually leave a review after I finish playing the game. With single-player games it is quite easy. There is the beginning of the story and there is the ending. Black Desert is an MMO which means it never really has the ending until you decide to leave or quit.

I know that it is fashionable lately to complain about everything and I am not gonna focus on the positives or the negatives. Game has both. I guess it is up to you which one you wanna focus on. I was actively playing for years, was feeling mostly positive and excited about the game's content, met a lot of great people, seen guilds rising and falling, been there through all the highs and the lows. It was a beautiful journey, but sadly I feel like I reached the destination. I hardly ever feel excited about anything in this game, and I probably had all the fun I could have out of it. The excitement kinda wears off, and game kinda doesn't feel the same anymore. I guess that is why they say it is about the journey and not about the destination. I do appreicate the experiences I had playing this game.

And this review is kinda pointless for most of people probably, because it doesn't really give any good or accurate insight. But for me it was always about what game makes you feel and experience. You might not experience the things mentioned above because of the timing and the state the game was in back then but give it a try, you might find something even better, or worse (who knows?)

How can I trust the man who breached the walls of my city?
Well, I'm starting to think I'm no longer the same man who breached those walls.
That's a short time for a man to change so much.
Perhaps.
It sounds as if you've discovered something here.
And what might that be?

Con mas de 37000 horas de juego, la ganancia que haces grindeando no se ve reflejada a la hora de mejorar equipo, puedes invertir 200 horas de grindeo para que al final solo aumente tu daño en 1 punto, ademas el RNG aunque tengas 99.9% te falla el 101% de las veces que intentes mejorar algo.

I've been playing bdo for around a decade, I remember when betas and pre character creation came out it was the most ambitious thing of its time, the best looking mmo and the best combat skill animations that were simply eye candy but as of recently the past year has been nothing but the devs killing the game slowly through messing up the good and putting out bad things no one asked for, every last promise hollow and unreliable. The changes to large scale pvp are a bad bandage to a already bad system and even admitted that its a temporary thing rather than releasing a change that actually fixs the root cause, pve is a completely dead content that is all the game has left. the early to mid game is fine but once youre 2-4 months past season and have real gear around 670-690 gear score only thing left is dumping your silver gained from grinding circles or sitting at a tower into the marketplace to buy outfits from the whales of the game who will likely soon quit cause of the changes to the game. theres only one gear path after you hit the end game and its crons and deboreka accessories and the release of the new accessories announced in the dev update changes almost nothing. more crons from the black smith at x2 the cost or off marketplace or a deep wallet with a healthy bank account to aquire bigger gear numbers to go right back to the same circles for another 500 trash loot an hour while you pray for a deboreka accessory drop to either tap or sell to get pen debo accessories. the new gear simply will make gear progression pointless as there hasnt been a new spot thats worth grinding and actually meaning full since 2022.
I loved this game, my hours reflect that. the combat was amazing and simple but complex and hard to master until the new classes that just 1-5 hit kill anything right out the test servers and focused more on curating to the low apm and thoughtless class kits. sadly the devs dont listen to the KR EU or NA server playerbase and take the comments and feedback and criticism and just say sorry here's some Tylenol for your headache.

If you wanna play it for the early game feel free during a get the game free time period but once you hit end game don't expect to do any pvp as pvp is pretty much dead, small scale and DFS never happens anymore unless you're on the pvp server where you'll never get any grinding done, GVG's never happen, large scale is dead only 5-10 guild acutally participate per server region when theres 20+ spots for guilds to hold forts and another 20-30 to drop on said spot per server region, even EU doesnt participate in siege at all, devs dont listen to end game content suggestions and only the things existing before last year are worth playing anything after is simply grind circles for debos to use them for no new content

I have a couple of hours in here so I know a few things.

This is an honest review, from someone with more then 5k hours if I add the non-steam version.

To break this down quickly and effectively here is how I will rate this game:

1. Community
2. Gameplay
3. Story/Quests
4. Graphics
5. Early/Endgame

With that being said, here is what you can prepare for BDO in 2024.

1. Community.

I start with the community because like in every MMORPG it has the biggest impact.
If you want to play solo games, then there are plenty other choices.
The problem with this game though, which used to be community driven, now feels like a solo MMO.

I won't compare the "good old times" with what it is now.
What you need to know is that, if you don't join in an active guild, there is close to 0 community in this game.

Especially when seasons hit.

Meaning that, there are times where BDO feels like it's dead, and all of the sudden it feels like it's christmass and the whole world is playing it.

A lot of people, if not most of them, are returning players. They take breaks, and come back when the moment is right. I, am one of them.

So what you can expect from the community is not like in other MMO's as the gameplay, which we will discuss next are now heavily concentrated in solo gaming.

Excluding PVP.

Conclusion: If you want to play the game solely because of the community aspect, you will be dissapointed.

2. Gameplay

One of the best. If not the best in my own opinion. The combat system is incredibly amazing. Addicting, and forceful.

The gameplay itself in BDO is like any other MMO. Vindictus comes a bit close with mechanical combos, but not as in depth as BDO.

Every class has it's own specialty. And there are tons of materials you have to learn to get decent in combat with any class.

Especially PVP. There are a lot of things you have to be aware of when fighting.

The PVM aspect is very satisfying with any class.

There is not much to talk about the Gameplay itself because it's simply divine in my opinion.

It's really beyond any MMO I've ever experienced and the only one that made me into a human slob, couldn't get away from my keyboard for weeks on end.

3. Story/Quests

The devs did an amazing job here. Story is rich, quests are plenty. Content is really huge, and it feels like there is no stop to it. If you are a beginner, you have plenty to go through. They revamped a few of the main quests, and made the story somewhat better. You can pick now various paths of certain stories in order to feel the game somwewhat differently even as a Veteran.

You won't get bored if you are the Story and Questing type of MMO Player.

4. Graphics

Now, I'm going to be honest. The game requires A LOT if you are playing for the visual purposes. If you are blessed to have an endgame PC that let's you play at the highest possible quality in BDO, you will get addicted instantly.

Everything feels surreal. The combat, the landscape, the small details, the effects, literally everything. They put a lot of effort into it and you can see it.

On the other hand, if you play on low settings, it can be frustrating. You won't really get the grasp of high quality MMO without playing with better resolution. That goes for BDO of course.

There are other MMO's that let's you slip, excluding high graphics and still enjoy the game as you should.

But I personally feel like, if you can't play BDO on a good-high resolution and quality, it doesn't offer you really quality visuals.

So if you do have a great PC, you should absolutely give it a try, at least to experience the visuals which trust me, you won't be dissapointed.

5. Early/Endgame

For new players, you're in luck.

I said I won't be doing a comparison with the old days. But believe me, now? The game became quite easy, if not really easy-mode when starting out. Especially with the possibility with creating a Seasonal Character. Which when completing and reaching level 61, you are prepared for the early end-game. And that is achievable faster then you could imagine.

You are guided and rewarded for every step you make in the game. Heavily.

I know a lot would argue about better gearing, and you need to ivnest some real money to do this and that.

But that is simply not true.

It was true, back in the day where you would use your one month grinding savings to enhance something, failed and quit the game.

But now, you can get around that very easily.

You don't have that stress factor anymore.

And BDO is not that competitive anymore as well.

Meaning you don't need to spend a single dime to enjoy the game, even in end game.

One thing I want to mention though, when it comes to buying in game things with real money, is that, there are certain benefits that help you a ton along your journey. Like a tent, some inventory space, weight and certain pets.

But you are totally fine without them as well.

Especially when starting out now.

You will get so many valuable incredible things that were simply out of reach when I started playing.

Like a dream horse.

For free... yeah.

If you don't know what it means, it simply means you will be quite fast around the huge map.

Now for the sad part.

I know, I know.

The end game content.

It's...boring.

When you reach endgame, there always will be other stuff to pursue.

Gear Wise.

Content wise?

Pretty much over.

Spending hours on end in the same spot killing monsters ALONE.

They implemented a few co-op things.

But nothing really special.

Or at least I don't see close to nobody doing them. Together.

That's what I meant in point 1 with Community.

The game feels at times dead.

And there is not much to do but to grind for yourself, alone.

If you are lucky enough to find a guild that is very active and do thigns together, it's different.

Basically you create your own content, goals to pursue, and things to achieve, as well as stuff to do together.

Conclusion:

Early/Mid game, great.

End game, boring if your focus is just getting stronger for no real apparent reason.

So, here is a bonus insight:

IF you never played BDO, it's worth the shot, the money, and the time invested.

There are so many thigns to do. Really. At least until you truly learn everything about the game, you won't get bored. The nodes systems, the workers, the different life-skills that I haven't mentioned.

There is really a lot to do and to get joy from.

BDO is not only focused on Combat, given that it excells at it. But also, if not more, about the various things you can do and achieve within the game.

My favorite gaming moments were made with BDO.

I've been using my fingers on a keyboard since I was 6.

I am 28 now.

And this right here, is the game that brought me most joy in it's peak era.

It might not be at it's peak now.

But there is still room for new gaming experiences if you enjoy and love this hobby.

This is one of the few reviews I actually put effort in.

I hope you could gain some clarity from it.

I appreciate you for reading this, and perhaphs we can bring in some more people into the game so it can grow.

Лучшая ММОРПГ в истории, играла во всякое, но тут идеальное сочетание интересной активности, графики и геймплея

I spent 11k hours in this game. This game is about grinding gears (or paying). Everything else is secondary. The would is beautiful. The character creation engine is the best in the business, surprisingly unmatched even after 10 years. Like any MMO however, it has, in recent years, desperately tried to copy aspects of other mmos that made them consistently successful in hopes of squeezing the last remaining drops of cash out of a perpetually dwindling playerbase for reasons I will share below.

Being your classic Korean cash grab mmo that was never intended for a service life beyond a few short years, its harsh RNG gambling mechanics meant to sink players' time in its inception in 2014 has now come to chomp itself in its samgyupsal back, and the only way the publisher have found to entice new blood into its sacrificial pit is to throw free endgame gear at new players. Gear that old players had to suffer ridiculous gambling enhancements to get, and has been doing so for the past 3 years.

It's real good for fresh newbies with more time than what they know to do with to get into the game, your progression will be fantastic. Skip a decade of grinding and laugh at the unfortunate vets who want to quit but cannot due to PTSD as you bunnyhop your way to endgame gearscore. It's great for new players, you only need a quarter of the effort needed to get seriously good gears. If you're thinking of trying it out, go ahead, you'll get your fair share of fun.

Just note that in the next 2 years, the time you've sunk in to grind for your gears will become irrelevant as the developer will do onto you what they have done onto us; your efforts and time spent to grind for gears in the past few years will be made redundant as the gear you spent so much time farming will become free gear given to new players. The only thing remaining is the skills and experience for your class that hopefully you picked up along the way.

How much value that has, is up to your personal interpretation. To me, it's clear these people do not respect their players' time, and I personally dropped the game. But hey, you do you. As I said, new players are treated like kings, and while that's just a facade, at least you get to enjoy the delusion for a good amount of time, and maybe meet some people along the way.

Felky Fun Meter

|----------->-|| [11/10] Out of control fun!

I still dont know why people keep offending pay to win games, but rate them as positive.
And those who are not pay to win are being rated as negative.

Big hypocricy.

Black desert online is nothing but grinding in circle for hours, days , weeks or months.
In the end you have enough silver to upgrade, and if youre lucky, you downgrade and lose all your progress.

This game is just a singleplayer game, there is no real class system.
Group content has been added but the game remains the same pile of ....

Nothing got improved.
Only get to spam R for Hours and autowalk up mountains.

Its boring as fuck. Still mircotransactions everywhere and you get spammed with rewards like in a mobile game.

Fantastic game. Ruined by incompetent devs with don't understand anything about their player base.

the system for gear up is really shit and bad its about rng and you can lose anything with single click but game are really good in gameplay and graphic. try it if you lost your mind and if you dont care about your life and time

Even before Steam I played this game via Kakao games launcher for thousands of hours, I only came back to try it again on Steam because it was no longer published by Kakao games, hoping that Pearl Abyss will do a better job, but the game is still P2W garbage.

start off with good loot n shit for story i guess and then get it all stripped away idk why games do this sometimes

This game has the most stressful, bloated, unnecessarily complicated UI of any game I have ever played. Literally half of my play time could be attributed to trying to unclutter the UI, but it's impossible. The Simple UI mode didn't remove any of the obnoxious UI elements, and in fact it added more buttons that i haven't been able to turn off. Dumpster fire doesn't even begin to describe the interface. I'm certain there's a correlation between time spent trying to decipher the UI and a sharp increase in my blood pressure. What a mess. Kudos to you if you pushed through it. The game looks nice.

This game sucks all you'r time and doesnt listen to its player base and has caused its own downfall. No veteran player wants to stay anymore unless ur life is grinding in circles endlessly and not being able to use whatever you achieve. The game gives you all the gear and things you need at the start after playing for just a few hours, after that everything you achieve is pretty much unusable since PvP is capped at certain gear (the gear you get at the start).I see no point in playing this game since ur time is pretty much wasted.

It's time to go. As an mmorpg, it has taken away too many features and most of the veteran community has left. It's fine to play to take a look and whatnot, but play it as a single player rpg and don't spend too much time on it.

Would I recommend BDO? No.

I have roughly 3000 hours split between consoles, steam and the old launcher. Played on off since beta.

1. Devs don't care about their playerbase.
2. Jae (CEO) only cares about profits and bottom line.
3. PvP is dead.
4. No new content.
5. PvE is non existent. (you run in circles or stand still farming a single spawn point 99% of the time)
6. Game systems are shallow.
7. Cash shop is expensive and they have designed it for you to spend more and more.
8. Don't get addicted to this garbage. It's not worth your time, money, and effort.

Literally no new content and all you do is run in circles grinding mobs.
Systems are designed to get you to spend money.
The gear progressing is completely atrocious and they keep devaluing items faster and faster to try and bring in new players, by giving higher tiers of gear away for free.

Don't waste your time. The game will bleed you dry financially and time wise. Then spit you out and leave you with nothing left to show for it.

The only way I'd play this game was if I streamed and actually made a substantial amount of money, or played with a bunch of friends and had fun. Otherwise, nope.

Everything that made this game great once is now gone. Devs literally don't listen to feedback but proceed to tell you everything is fine. Game is probs still nice to play as a new player for a few weeks till the initial hype over graphics and combat is gone and you realize there is no content in this game that would incentivice you to keep playing. PvP Is completely gone, new content consists of refurbished copy n paste content with new skins or new outfit bundles to make you buy them for cron based rng progression. Just milking the remaining playerbase (that's decreasing by the day even though the just released their so called biggest content update in years) for more money to put into Crimson Desert.

I used to be obsessed with this game from 2018-2020 to an extremely unhealthy degree. I would wake up in the morning thinking about bdo and go to sleep thinking about bdo, because that's how much fun the game was for me at the time. Now when I get on the game I just feel sad that I can't feel the same way that I used to.

If you're looking for a fun open world pvp oriented mmo that also has good large scale pvp then you won't be finding that here. I'm not sure when the change started to happen it might've been with the karma system update that was hellbent on punishing any natural open world pvp, but slowly but surely PA has been making sure that pvp in their game becomes nothing but dead content and it sure feels like they've succeeded in doing that. Frequent and natural open world pvp that used to be enjoyed at pirates, helms, sausans etc back in the day? I can't remember the last time I saw natural open world pvp at a grind spot outside of maybe the highest end spot in the game, but a few years ago it didn't really matter where you went to grind because pvp would be something that would happen often and would be fun and that's just not the case anymore.

I don't want to rant but I really don't think PA understands the niche that their game fits in. This game has no meaningful worthwhile pve content and yet that's the direction they want to go in? It just doesn't make sense, this game will never compete with WoW or FFXIV in the pve department so why not just go all in on the pvp and make it better? I'll never understand why the game had to go in such a nonsensical direction and try to focus on pve that doesn't even reach lfr WoW quality. Maybe the focus on pve wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep killing pvp with every single update as if they're trying to turn bdo into the next generic pve mmo, but your niche has always been and will always be pvp. It's what your game has been known for since it came out, the game used to even be marketed as an open world pvp mmo. Even after all of this and with all of these changes the most meaningful pve content for the past 8 years up to now is still running in circles for hours on end killing braindead mobs to make silver.

The thousands of hours spent grinding used to feel meaningful because you weren't just gearing up to kill more braindead AI, you were getting that gear so you could perform better in pvp. Even many years ago a lot of the community weren't happy with the state of pve where all you do is run in circles for thousands of hours, including myself, but the difference back then was that many of us could tolerate it because of the end goal usage of the gear we were grinding for. Maybe if this game started out as a pve oriented mmo people wouldn't care, but a lot of the playerbase that has stuck around for all these years loved pvp and to see that all gearing has turned into is this boring loop? It's depressing.

I could probably write 25 different essays on how this game fell from grace and how depressingly boring and mundane everything has become but it just makes me sad to think about. I'll always love this game and the memories it gave me years ago but I just can't support the betrayal of your long time players that enjoy pvp just so you can cater to pve players.

So do I recommend this game?

Do you enjoy killing braindead mobs 24/7 so you can make gear progress to kill more braindead mobs and just repeat this forever? Then yeah this game just might be for you.

Do you want fun open world pvp, or maybe large scale node wars or castle siege? Or maybe you're not a pvp enjoyer but you want some meaningful and difficult pve content? Well sorry to say but both of these groups are gonna have to look elsewhere because this game doesn't provide that whatsoever.

rant over thanks to the non existent pa dev who will never read this and just get ready to add in the next overpriced cash shop item

I enjoy playing Black Desert Online, but I wonder why it’s so hard to get cron stones. I need 5,000 cron stones, but I can only get about 25 per day. I don’t know what to do now; I thought this was a free-to-play game, but I was wrong.

in my opinion this game is 1 of the best mmo rpgs, sadly its basically pay to win for cool cosmetics but there r ways to get around it but its very difficult, its a hardcore grind that would destroy ur life if u grinded to end game, but if u really enjoy this game its great for the most part, i hope they make this game better tho cuz it still needs alot of work cuz even after all the updates its new player friendly but not nearly as much as it should be.

Don't mind the hours, I have over 10,000 on the launcher version.
This comes from the perspective of someone who has played almost any mainstream MMO, from BDO to G2W to ESO, WOW, POE, Final Fantasy so on and so forth, u get the idea.

This is a critique of the game, for future players, current ones and the ones thinking of returning, cause we all know the devs don't give a shit to read reviews.

And one more thing, the game cause I still see this discussion, the game is P2W, you can buy costumes and sell them for silver and then buy gear, the moment you can buy something with real money that can be traded for in-game currency in any way, it is P2W, I don't care about ''oh but its expansive'', yea, for you and me maybe, but its still there for the whales.

I'm gonna break down the game into 3 parts: Lifeskill, PVE and PVP; and then a list of formal complaints lol

Life skill:
Probably the best in any MMO I've played, the only one who comes close or even better in some aspects is Archeage
The endgame loop and diversity is there, of course, some life skills are more profitable than others, and in this game, if its not profitable its not worth doing.
While there is a preferred and recommended soft cap to do well in lifeskilling, that being 1200 mastery, I do believe its the easiest form of content to get into, but also some of the hardest to make constant money due to the amount of time you have to invest in things like Alchemy and Processing.
PVE:
The game revolves around it, you want to make money? PVE.
The only thing keeping people sane having to grind for hundreds or thousands of hours is the combat and maybe the visuals. I do believe if the combat was any worse no one would grind.
Aside from the running in circles you also have some group content, although its 99% on a weekly basis, meaning you could do all the PVE ''content'' in a day.
Said ''content'' includes guild bosses, solo bosses in the form of boss blitz in the newest region, group bosses from the latest update also in the newest region and the so called ''dungeons''.
PVP
HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD, and I'm not even a PVP player, I probably spent 10% of my total time in PVP, HOW would anyone enjoy doing PVP in this game. Yes combat good, gear score matters, git good. More on PVP down below.
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Now for the complaints:

Mostly for recent things, as I don't want to repeat what has been said time and time again by every player.

Depending on when you read the review, it has been almost a week since the release of LOML Seoul.
The new content includes, 4 world bosses, 6 co-op bosses and the new Sovereign Weapons.

The world bosses are a joke, they die in less than a minute, the loot was good the first day and a half, afterwards the market crashed.

The co-op bosses are fun, but if ''new content'' means you can have 2 hours a fun per week, no thank you.

The new weapons were not necessary now, they should have been introduced withe the palace of the Demon King or whatever that zone will be called. To go back to the P2W point made at the start, you're telling me the average guy playing the game has 100-300k crons lying around? or 900 bil to buy them? What kinda content is this where people got X on the new weapon in the first day lol.

The PVP is fucked, the classes are unbalanced even to this day. I don't think they will ever fix PVP, you can't tell me they haven't heard the complaints, they just choose to ignore everything. As I said, I can't comment anymore since I'm not a PVP'er, but my main problem is that even after 8 years, even after countless updates and fixes, the game still runs like shit, I have upgraded my PC 3 time since starting this game in 2016.

How can anyone enjoy playing on the lowest possible graphics, seeing polygons just to be able to PVP, this is the best looking game on the market, if i have to turn down the settings to potato mode, just to try and enjoy the content that this game is supposed to be centered around, that is PVP, no thank you. And before some smart ass says ''uhhh its because there is many players duhh'', yes, the game's been out for 8 years, they had plenty of time to fix it, there's other games where this isn't an issue and there's still many players in large scale PVP.

Grinding is shit, same same, but different: ''So we decided that our players have ran in circles for far too long, they are so dizzy from running in circles that they've lost brain cells and that's what's keeping them from buying costumes from the pearlshop, so we introduce Dekhia, the new ''grinding'' spots where instead of running in circles, listen to this, YOU ALMOST STAY STILL.
But sadly this is the only way to make money, if you don't wanna suffer at the hands of RNG you just endure hours upon hours of grinding to buy one item.

I'm not good at reviews so I'll keep the end short:

I've probably missed a few things, but nowadays, for every complaint players have, there's at least 1 Youtube video on the matter.

Don't come back, don't bother starting, get out while you still can, they're not developing the game for you anymore, they don't even know who their audience is, all they see are wallets.
Its sad, this game has so much potential, there's so much to do and see, I truly believe, that in the hands of a more competent developer this game could be so much more.

most stupid game ever i play...buy 1 billion silver box at pearl shop to get stupid item...waste my time ...stupidd dev...never make game anymore...

Good combat gameplay
Good graphics

That's all I can say about the game that is positive. The price of the game is pretty low but it still doesn't offer enough enjoyable content for me. Just play FFXIV

Game used to be really nice when I bought it back in 2017. Played it on and off and really enjoyed the love hate relationship with the game. Progressing now feels absolutely useless as core mechanics which was my purpose for progression such as anything PVP related has been gutted out of them game and / or replaced with beyond mediocre content. New update was nice but ended before you can feel much about it, and the "boost" in progression (power creep if you wanna call it) you got from it felt like throwing a leaf at a wall... not even a crumpled one bc that might actually have more effect at damaging the wall.

Don't buy this game. The devs care more about which color of bugatti they will be buying with the revenue than the playerbase.

6500 hours of gametime,
Probably the worst mmorpg progression wise that ever existed.
Best combat available even in 2024.
Game is dead. Endless grinding in a loop for thousand of hours for one upgrade on one gear piece which essentially does not help you in any way or form.
No end game just repetitive korean grinder.

Would not recommend to anyone.

Black Desert is the DPRK'S idea of the perfect MMO:

Once upon a time this game was intuitive to play. Now you need a PhD to fish. If you do not have someone walking you through how to do something, there are ZERO in game tools to teach you how. What was simple is now buried in endless menu options, apparently catering to console players....all 13 of them, none of which can figure out the controls. And where PC players once knew how to do things, the console changes have ruined that. Be ready to use discord and read the last 8 years worth of comments just to figure out basic controls.

The lore is great, the delivery sucks major rear juice. Prepare to spend 30 hours running from NPC to NPC for a 1 minute fight you will not remember. While the lore is rich, the delivery makes you long for your Algebra teacher. The quest system is probably the most boring of any MMO ever released. 90% of the text is meaningless blubber.

BDO has a beautiful world, utterly undermined by moronic graphical decisions that limit player's ability to mute aspects like Bloom...which appears to be set to max. Ever stare at the sun? That is what it is like playing Black Desert. As beautiful as the graphics are on higher settings, you cannot actually see them as all the graphics are blinding with no slider to tone them down. It could be midnight in game, and the sky will still shine like it is noon....unless you scroll up and look at it, then it will dim so you can see the stars. Until you look away, then it is noon again. Unless you are in a cave, then you can see absolutely nothing unless you use an in game item from the general store that turns your toon into the sun; problem being the item cannot be cancelled meaning the moment you leave the cave you can see absolutely nothing except yourself....being the sun and all. Fail.

Insofar as PvP goes, who wins is based entirely and 100% upon who has the biggest sword and best armor. Combos and skill do not matter in the slightest, despite an intricate and immersive skill and combo combat system...just who paid the most money for their gear. Pearl Abyss doesnt even pretend anymore. You want to PvP, be ready to spend $10k for enhancement items or be content being cannon fodder.

Still, it isn't like gaming studios are pumping out MMO's. Black Desert can entertain for a moment. But it will cost you. And for some, a few thousand dollars is worth their desired MMO. It is a true shame the game doesnt come with sun glasses so those few players can actually see their game.

PA...Go back and shape your game to one people can actually play and enjoy past the release year. Vast changes were made to the user interface, menus, and basic controls for console and mobile users. For the nostalgic, options were added to revert to the most useless features of the old UI. But what used to be 'equip a fishing pole to fish' no longer works. Now you have to find the option to change to the fishing stance hidden among endless icons. Essentially. you have to research Discord and beg players to tell you how to fish now. And the same goes for just about all of interactions in game,

The only reason this game still has official servers is because a couple thousand people keep giving PA money, well past any benefit to themselves....purely hoping the company that made this beautiful world wakes up and uses it. The world and system has potential. But that potential will never be realized. PA's idea of content these days are endless quests of rambling nonsense supposedly honoring Korean Lore.

People speak of how great the character generator is. But I disagree. You pick your class, then you can change your hair and skin colour, but 99% of what you look like is utterly and totally based upon the class you picked....which btw is gender locked. Your class determines your gender. Most of the character options to change your appearance do absolutely nothing on the vast majority of the classes. You pick how you look by choosing your class. That is it. You cannot even pick your gender. Reviews stating otherwise are obviously written by people who did not actually play the game or use the generator, or who flat out lie. And the newer the class, the fewer character generator options work. The game just does not allow you to change the body shape or size of your class, and doesn't allow you to choose your genitals. At best you can take an inch off your arms or legs. You have no real options. Now you have close to thirty classes, but dont think for a second you can create your imagined avatar. You are going to play someone else's wet dream...which is prob great for some. But the character generator....lots of options, none work for most classes.

Still, this game perhaps has the most potential of any MMO on the market. BUT Pearl Abyss has taken advantage of none of that potential. And there is no evidence they will in the future. PA wont even add massively requested graphical options. They utterly ignore their player base....most lately to add Korean history and lore to the game in the most boring and mandatory fashion they could imagine. They are killing the game themselves. Witches are girls and Ninjas are boys. That is how it is. Not happy? Here is a free upgrade.

it can be confusing at times, as you can only save interface/keybinds past level 15, before that, they reset when you log out.

but other then that, its a ok mmo, good enough one could say, and looks nice aswell.

After 1000s of hours and 100s of USD spent, I came back from a break to find out my account has been permanently deleted. Don't waste your time, don't waste your money.

Dear fellow adventurers, wanderers, and impulse spenders,

Let me tell you about a little game called Black Desert Online, a game I didn’t just play—I practically moved into it. With over 2200 hours in the MENA region, I’ve officially spent more time here than I have in my own apartment. Who needs real-world responsibilities when you can chase pixelated horses, fish for hours, and slap on armor that costs more than my real-life car?

Speaking of investments, let’s address the $5,000 elephant in the room. Yes, I’ve spent a small fortune in this virtual world. Could I have bought a second-hand car, gone on a vacation, or funded a questionable business venture? Sure. But did any of those things come with wings, glowing outfits, or the ability to mercilessly AFK fish while pretending to be productive? I think not.

The Gameplay: Let’s get one thing straight: Black Desert Online doesn’t care about your “casual” lifestyle. You thought you could just drop in for a few minutes a day? WRONG. This game is a time vortex. You’ll start fishing to relax, then suddenly it’s 3 AM and you’re knee-deep in a crafting empire so vast that Jeff Bezos would weep. But hey, you’ll have the most pristine boat ever crafted by human hands to show for it. And isn’t that what life’s really about?

The combat? Oh, sweet adrenaline. It’s like choreographing a beautiful dance of death, but the choreography is done by an over-caffeinated squirrel on a sugar high. The combos are so fast, so fluid, you’ll start believing you could actually fight like this in real life. Spoiler alert: you can’t. I tried, and now my cat thinks I’m a lunatic.

The Graphics: These graphics are so stunning that I’m convinced my PC is running on the tears of my wallet. The world is so detailed and gorgeous that sometimes I forget to fight. I’m just out there, staring at the sunset, wondering why I’m not this captivated by real sunsets. Nature: 0, Black Desert: 1.

Oh, and let’s not forget character customization. Remember when I said I moved into this game? I mean it. I’ve spent more time tweaking my character’s cheekbones than I’ve spent on my actual skincare routine. And let’s be honest, nothing quite hits the spot like logging in and seeing your perfectly sculpted character flexing in ultra-HD. Chef’s kiss.

The Cash Shop: Now, for the pièce de résistance: the cash shop. You know that “one more outfit” feeling? Black Desert took that and cranked it up to 11. Why settle for a basic character when you can deck them out in gear so blindingly flashy it can be seen from orbit? And pets—oh, the pets. I’ve got so many little companions following me around that it looks like I’m leading a furry cult.

I’ve spent so much in this shop that at this point, I’m convinced my wallet has a Stockholm Syndrome. It begs me to stop, but I see that shiny new armor set and suddenly, my bank account is like, “We ride at dawn!” Do I regret it? Nope. Not one bit. Because in the world of Black Desert Online, you can’t put a price on looking fabulous. Well, you can, and it’s $5,000, but let’s not dwell on details.

The Verdict: If you’re looking for a game that will consume your free time, wallet, and maybe even your sanity, Black Desert Online is your ticket to paradise. It’s more than a game; it’s an alternate reality where you’re the hero, the merchant, the fisherman, and occasionally, the poor soul who spent an hour running in the wrong direction.

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely. But don’t blame me when you’re 2200 hours deep, broke, and staring at your glorious collection of virtual horses wondering where it all went right. It’s a wild, beautiful, slightly ridiculous ride, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

See you in the desert—don’t forget your wallet.

awul storyline, questing system is one of the worst I ever seen you just walk around for 10 hours without seeing really any gameplay just to unlock the main story quest (and you have to go through all the awful dialogues and cutscenes or manually skipp - not all are skippable) just to keep autowalking for another few hours. Graphics are decent but apart of that there is not much of a game included.

Game has gone through many improvements.

However, the gap between a top-end PvPer and a new player is years of grinding.
Progression after graduating from Seasonal Servers requires months to years of grinding for a single item upgrade (1 out of 13 items).

If you are a new player, do not expect to be PvPing for at least a year. (6 months if you are grinding every single day, every single hour).

Otherwise, you could be a casual solo lifeskiller like I did and enjoy this game like a retirement home for MMO players tired of the current MMO market offerings.

Gathering, Cooking, Fishing, Sailing, Trading has been enjoyable to play through at my own pace, while ignoring guides, min-maxing meta, and the community. It almost feels like a better-looking OSRS.

As a old player from 2016 or 17 and its not that bad of an mmo. If you're used to grinding and doing pvp then this is definitely the game for you, especially no lvl cap. The only issue about the game/ Dev team is that whatever you spend with real money my get erased by them. Logged on one day and of all the 100s of dollars ive invested with all the character that got to 60+ ( which were deleted also) and game-time spent isn't something they should have the right to do. If you so choose to invest you're time in this mmo world i suggest NOT SPENDING A DIME. This game was also free at time when i started playing

I tried playing this game 3 times and every time I feel annoyed. The main things that annoyed me at first were the cluttered screen, and too many notifications of what other players are doing. After two or three hours of playing I figured out how to hide those things and turn them off, but there were still a few annoying things I could not turn off.

Another thing that annoyed me was the bright arrows that pointed you to your next quest area. This game has nice views and graphics but I can't enjoy them with those big arrows everywhere. And there are also big white circles around the person you have to talk to next in the quest. It's very annoying for me. It almost seems like the game was made for stupid people that need their hand held.

The last thing that made me stop playing the game was a boss fight in the main quest. After I beat the boss, and the boss was saying his final words... in the background, other players triggered the same quest and spawned two other bosses at the same time which were fighting in the background and I could not hear what the boss that I beat was saying. I understand that this is a multiplayer game, but these boss fights are done in the wrong way. I believe there are better ways to do multiplayer boss fights in the main quest line.

Anyway, that last boss fight made me exit and uninstall the game. I've watched reviews on YouTube saying that the game gets better after a while and that there are many things you can do in the game.
Sadly, I won't be checking them out because of these little annoying things in the beginning of the game.