Black Desert Online

 PC
  • Publisher: GameOn
  • Release Date: Mar 3, 2016
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1667 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,021 out of 1667
  2. Mixed: 105 out of 1667
  3. Negative: 541 out of 1667

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  1. demigod_
    Aug 21, 2023
    7
    This game has come a long way, and the p2w stigma is really not true anymore, outside of a remote repair/buff access campsite. The mob density is really engaging and i enjoy blasting through big groups of enemies.

    The main complaint I have is it's hard to know what's going on, what to do, etc. There are tons and tons of different questlines and your log will quickly fill. There are also    This game has come a long way, and the p2w stigma is really not true anymore, outside of a remote repair/buff access campsite. The mob density is really engaging and i enjoy blasting through big groups of enemies.

    The main complaint I have is it's hard to know what's going on, what to do, etc. There are tons and tons of different questlines and your log will quickly fill. There are also way too many items, these two things lead to a very confusing new player experience.    … Expand
  2. TheGvH
    Aug 21, 2023
    6
    Black Desert Online brings an impressive combat system that truly shines. However, the rest of the game can feel overwhelming with its excessive content. It undoubtedly offers a vast amount to keep players occupied for an extended duration. The combat mechanics stand out as a highlight, offering a captivating experience that captures attention. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of contentBlack Desert Online brings an impressive combat system that truly shines. However, the rest of the game can feel overwhelming with its excessive content. It undoubtedly offers a vast amount to keep players occupied for an extended duration. The combat mechanics stand out as a highlight, offering a captivating experience that captures attention. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of content might be too much for some, potentially detracting from the overall enjoyment. If you're prepared for a substantial commitment, Black Desert Online has the potential to provide long-lasting engagement and a memorable combat experience.… Expand
  3. RoninLTStradale
    Apr 26, 2023
    5
    This game have beautiful landscapes and characters but in other hand the developers change the RNG as they wish, i'm playing this game since 2017 in SA servers and i'm also a developer and with propriety i can tell you one thing about the RNG of this game, they can change as their wish and also change the values to dont let you progress in the game as should be. This game is not fair forThis game have beautiful landscapes and characters but in other hand the developers change the RNG as they wish, i'm playing this game since 2017 in SA servers and i'm also a developer and with propriety i can tell you one thing about the RNG of this game, they can change as their wish and also change the values to dont let you progress in the game as should be. This game is not fair for old players, Pearl Abyss just help the new players that are starting the game or are returning from a long period without playing.

    ►There's no Great Rewards for players who like PvP Content
    ►The game is a infinity grind system and also a infinity Life Skill content if you really want make money
    ►The game needs to have a balance with the all classes in PVE/PVP because theres only few classes that work good in the end of the day.
    ► Lot of Bugs that needs to be fixed    … Expand
  4. Acevi6
    Jan 6, 2023
    6
    Overall an okay game. The combat is fluid, graphics are amazing, and the depth is crazy. You can do almost anything in this game. But thats the thing, since you can do anything, newer players will get confused and move on to another game.
  5. Vitalick
    Sep 2, 2022
    7
    Típico mmorpg koreano muy vistoso y con un gameplay un tanto peculiar . El juego es un poco kaótico pero está entrtenido y es muy bonito visualmente
  6. RafiGinat
    Jun 13, 2022
    6
    PVE great
    PVP clunky

    Nothing much to elaborate just need to fill in the 75 required chars to complete this review.
  7. SweetTato
    Dec 8, 2021
    7
    Black Desert Online has the best combat in any MMORPG I have played or seen. It is also a gorgeous game to look at too. Although the game is extremely grindy. Sometimes I felt like I spent more time leaving my character AFK than actually playing the game, and that's what got old for me.
  8. Zhiend
    Apr 22, 2021
    6
    Здравствуйте! Я поиграл в BDO 4 дня, набил 33 лвл и знаете всё шло слишком гладко. Но вскоре, столкнулся с большим количеством багов и ошибок самой игры. Да, сдесь классная графика, очень много режимов оформления персонажа, но про игровой процесс помоэму совсем забыли. Во-первых много багов с автопутем,когда персонаж просто идёт в стену и эму все рано. Во-вторых некоторые квесты невозможноЗдравствуйте! Я поиграл в BDO 4 дня, набил 33 лвл и знаете всё шло слишком гладко. Но вскоре, столкнулся с большим количеством багов и ошибок самой игры. Да, сдесь классная графика, очень много режимов оформления персонажа, но про игровой процесс помоэму совсем забыли. Во-первых много багов с автопутем,когда персонаж просто идёт в стену и эму все рано. Во-вторых некоторые квесты невозможно пройти по причине багов карты. Например: Есть начальное задание с приручением лошади, когда доходит до тренеровки на маникене, игра отказывается засчитывать попадание. Я посмотрел даже гайды(ничего не помогло). Также много багов с картой , когда показывает неправильное направление к квесту . Очень много не интересных квестов, которые напоминают: прийди, убей,отдай . Да, сдесь крутые анимации атаки, а если выбрать мага, то тут вообще прям фейерверк сплошной, но скучно понимаете. Честно, я удалил игру ибо перестал получать хоть какой-то интерес. Но, мне понравилась данная игра . Забыл сказать :ОНА АБСОЛЮТНО БЕСПЛАТНАЯ и все мои минусы можно перечеркнуть одним аргументом. Кому не хватает денег на подписку в ВОВ можете спокойно играть в BDO… Expand
  9. crazyplaney
    Jan 7, 2021
    5
    I've been playing this game since 2018. like literally every day. I logged in and do some activities in-game, and decided to retire in early 2020. returned to play the newest class Nova at the end of 2020, and quitting again in early 2021. I got 5000+ hours on this game (rookie number compared to the AFK player, I rarely AFK tho). my main class was valkyrie (nerfed hard, and still badI've been playing this game since 2018. like literally every day. I logged in and do some activities in-game, and decided to retire in early 2020. returned to play the newest class Nova at the end of 2020, and quitting again in early 2021. I got 5000+ hours on this game (rookie number compared to the AFK player, I rarely AFK tho). my main class was valkyrie (nerfed hard, and still bad compared to other classes now), and then Guardian, the last one is Nova just to give you how much I spend my time at the game.

    The game itself is good looking and got plenty of things to do. you can literally swap your real life for this game because there is so much you can do, and it requires a lot of your time. Therefore "grindy" is the word for this game. If you played it like the same amount (or more than) I do, investing some of your time might be worth it (?), but if you are new (decided to play in 2021) I can only say that you got a LOT of things to catch up, and the "finish line" will just going to keep getting farther and farther from you (as the game keep getting updated). but if you just want to enjoy the sandbox world, then no review can stop you.

    The game's natural progression is based on rng (random number generator) or you can say based on chance (or luck). so the only way to have the best chance is to try more, not try harder. and that is the part where the game isn't fun. imagine doing a workout every day, but your muscle grow based on chance. sometimes your muscle grows for just a one-hour workout, sometimes your muscle didn't grow even though you workout every day for a month straight. Not fair, yeah. But since the game isn't new anymore, you can actually buy "growth" in the in-game market with in-game money (requires you to do more activities tho), so money = time. you can pick which one is your way.

    I give a 5/10, because of how old it is. you really need self-motivation on this one, as the multiplayer content isn't that good on this one compared to the other MMORPGs. (only PvP is a good multiplayer content, no dungeon, no roles, no good PvE content). People tend to do solo activities in this MMO. the only motivation you got from others is competing over equipment (who got the highest attack and defense). So yeah, make sure you know what you want to do first.

    It's not a bad game, it is well crafted moreover a beautiful game. but the grindiness and the ever-growing "content" (the new content usually just an increased capacity of equipment, so player have the illusions of never reached the finish line), the progression based on luck is enough to tell me not to play again.

    at this point, the developer will not be going to give you free endgame gear as it will betray the current player base (not like the other old MMOs which give you endgame characters with more expensive packs or something). so prepare to grind and then face your own luck just to reach the endgame where you can finally catch up and enjoy the game (before another update comes).

    P.S. I just want to write this review so I didn't feel like I wasted too much time on this game. 5k hours is 200+ days... I had fun, but that was when the game is still young.    … Expand
  10. kezzyhko
    Aug 30, 2020
    5
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  11. Volsyden
    Mar 17, 2020
    5
    this game is definately beautiful. there is a lot to do in this game but i do believe its pay to win. with all the stuff you have to pay for it sure does make it difficult to play, the people to spend more in the game have way more than the usual player. when it comes down to gear, that can really impact your character. so yes... pay to win.
    it is missing dungeons. i play mmo's for    this game is definately beautiful. there is a lot to do in this game but i do believe its pay to win. with all the stuff you have to pay for it sure does make it difficult to play, the people to spend more in the game have way more than the usual player. when it comes down to gear, that can really impact your character. so yes... pay to win.
    it is missing dungeons. i play mmo's for dungeon content with other players. thats my opinion. i enjoy going into an instance and fighting through till the boss to get loot.
    speaking of loot, there really is basic gear then small amount of boss gear so your loot options are limited, either you have a decent green weapon or you go for the boss weapon... nothing else

    if gear had as many options of like.... world of warcraft, and some dungeons this would be awsome. other than that its just pay to win. i would give it 10 score if that were the case

    this is just my opinion and its what i like to see in a game, i dont care what else you say or what this game is like in your opinion. no i dont play it anymore if you ask. i like my games to have certain things to have fun and unfortunatley this does not. thats what i like, dont care what you like.    … Expand
  12. arostislavna
    Feb 29, 2020
    6
    Pretty good game, but vote brigading is a scummy practice to get the sheeple to purchase it and eliminate truthful, diverse opinions of the game.
  13. Superstone
    Feb 11, 2020
    5
    Pros:

    ++The game looks good on first glance ++Character creation is pretty good ++++Currently, there are 19 classes to choose from, most unique +++Combat is pretty fun and varied on the classes with lots of skills ++Variety of activities (fishing, training, trading, gathering, grinding) Cons: --The game does not have good view distance, so the beauty only happens about 50 feet    Pros:

    ++The game looks good on first glance
    ++Character creation is pretty good
    ++++Currently, there are 19 classes to choose from, most unique
    +++Combat is pretty fun and varied on the classes with lots of skills
    ++Variety of activities (fishing, training, trading, gathering, grinding)

    Cons:

    --The game does not have good view distance, so the beauty only happens about 50 feet around your character. Remastered mode makes everything look like Vaseline rubbed on the screen.
    --No involving storyline
    --Many systems seem half-baked or intentionally clumsy to make P2Convenience more desirable (energy recovery (slightly), weight limit system (very) , inventory system (very), horse death reset coupons (situational for trainers), higher in-game taxes on non-Value Pack accounts (depends on what you're selling), literal item drop rates via Blessing of Kamasylvia (min-maxing, but having 20% increased item drop makes up cash at the marketplace especially in conjunction with Value Pack), character skill resets (truly gross), etc.)
    --Some parts of the game are not completely implemented/clumsy/pointless like stealing which is very situational and completely unnecessary, some of the slash commands for social actions don't work. Try to actually type in "/Lie Down" and it will not work outside of clicking it on the pop-up action menu. I tried in upper- and lower-case, spaced and unspaced, capitalized and not for both first and second words, all the ways I could try type the words that the game showed me to take the action to /Lie Down and it only worked when I clicked the words in the pop-up menu, but my personal favorite: when you hit 50, the game pops up a clickable window that shows you stuff you can do from 50 onward, okay? When you click ANY of the options on the fully drawn, clickable, pop-up, another pop-up in an in-game browser opens to what it says is the official BDO wiki and NO DEVS OR GMS OR CMS BOTHERED TO WRITE ANY OF THE ARTICLES LINKED TO! Shoddy and half-baked and it wasn't even there when I first played and level 50 took a couple days within months of NA launch.
    --Out of combat movement is clunky, terrain interaction is spotty (getting caught on stairs, rocks, wagons going horizontally while ground drops away, players floating above elevators, some getting caught in animations/transitions are slow at times, etc.)
    --The community can't decide if the game is a PvE game or PvP game (it's a PvE game) that has PvP in it but there is few tangible rewards from PvP and no reason to PvP outside of Node Wars for tax rights which is a PvE system. The sole exception is there is a couple of crystals from the only organized PvP battleground, Red Battlefield, but they are only Best in Slot in one piece of gear and are optimized for PvP CC resistance, which is a whole other can of worms because at high gear levels one knockdown and death is the meta in this game's version of PvP.
    --Getting knocked down is pretty much the only mechanic in PvE, especially in Dark Rifts, which are solo versions of World Bosses designed to give people who aren't on during boss timers some way to get some possible boss rewards, they are on a 12 day timer, which is fine in my opinion, and doesn't give them as many chances as people who are on all the time, but there's still a chance with the boxes they give.
    --The gear enhancement system is a bottomless pit of materials no matter what activity you pursue, whether lifeskilling or combat/grinding which is unfortunate because the game is...
    --Grindy as hell when it comes to experience past a certain point. Also grinding is best way to make money actively so it will be the majority of the gameplay if you are trying to make the most money possible as quickly as possible, and you will need to make the most money possible because...
    ---------THE MOST MEANINGFUL MEASURE OF PROGRESSION IN THE GAME IS PURCHASABLE FROM THE IN-GAME MARKETPLACE (there is no progression of bosses or content, all progress is solely a set of AP/DP numbers to hit and it is a rich-get-richer situation where players who have certain "brackets" hit, will get even more bonuses from already having gear such as dozens more AP than other players at the same actual level or up to 20% extra damage reduction (at the absolute highest DP bracket currently)

    All this said: I still give the game a 5 because I do like the world, but I find most of it clumsy, half-baked, and bad. Still, the classes are fun for short bursts, the game does implement catch-up mechanics, and even if the only way to make your character bleeding-edge is to dump money into ca$h $hop **** and P2Convenience advantages, you don't 1000% have to to have some fun with it and they do keep releasing classes and updates which keeps it relatively fresh, even if it is to just play Barbie Dress Online for about 30 bucks every six months.    … Expand
  14. Merggy
    Feb 2, 2020
    7
    Quite a fun game that doesn't require a monthly payment like many MMORPG's. It's annoying how every character will end up doing the exact same quests over and over and how some classes are male or female only. This alongside the "Kakao Cash" lowers my score down to a 7. Despite this, it's quite a fun game with spot on outstanding fights and moves. 7/10 game I'd say - it's good.
  15. Gu5
    Nov 3, 2019
    7
    After 3 months of inactivity and actively returning into the game (with more content opened - Valencia) I'd say say that the major downsides are: "Korean typical heavy RNG" and the possible amount of power gap caused by a gear level...

    If there was an MMO like BDO with purely skill-based combat - i'd call it the best MMO out there...

    BDO is not perfect, but still it is enjoyable.
  16. DaxRazor
    Jun 10, 2019
    5
    Black Desert Online is a great game in many ways it is highly complex and has loads of things to learn and do. Inventive character classes, no level limit, Progressive combat skills, fast paced combat. Classic MMORPG elements like the "Grind" for gear drops or treasure to purchase new items off of a player driven economy with blind seller/buyers so no "favoritism" or gaming of theBlack Desert Online is a great game in many ways it is highly complex and has loads of things to learn and do. Inventive character classes, no level limit, Progressive combat skills, fast paced combat. Classic MMORPG elements like the "Grind" for gear drops or treasure to purchase new items off of a player driven economy with blind seller/buyers so no "favoritism" or gaming of the marketplace.

    The game does a lot of things well! From limiting the impact of PTW Whales on the game to a great knowledge based reward system for learning about the world.

    BDO also features a great Guild based PVP system called Node Wars and Conquest plus Guild Wars so PVP players can engage in open world combat with another guild, it even has a decent single player Red Battlefield event.

    Great Family (Account) based sharing of resources across 6-7 characters in your stable...which reminds me of the awesome horse capturing and breeding system!

    Now here is where it all goes wrong... It has Force Mode PVP that is a mode where you can force PVP combat on any other player in the world that has reached Level 50.... regardless of your level. So a long term level 61 player can camp out a level 50 zone and kill other players that cannot possible defend themselves for fun. It has a Karma system that is a joke among the community to punish "Red" players or PKers. It doesn't work.

    Black Desert's Tag Line is "Become your True Self". Unfortunately for the game and its Open World PVP System many gamers true self is not a person you want to run around a virtual world with, or run into would be more accurate.

    Great Game bad Community. No hope of changing. So if you are OK with getting killed while chopping a tree down while wearing worker clothes (no combat level) by a random person in a Gillie Suit (hides their character labels) or you are a Psychotic Rage Machine player forged in the fires of Fortnite and Call of Duty wanting to gank lower levels and AFK players for jollies then this game is for you.    … Expand
  17. cableguy3333
    Apr 30, 2019
    7
    This is an xbox review as there is no review page for xbox on this game. It's kind of world of warcraft during the vanilla years with much better graphics. Combat is fun and fast or that's what it seems at first but after a while it's just button bashing. Why I haven't scored it higher and that's because of it's pay to win system once PVP becomes involved
  18. Shperax
    Mar 13, 2019
    7
    The game has the most potential to be the best MMO ever created. You will have a wonderful time your 1st time from level 1-50. Sadly that doesn't take long and the gear enhancement system totally destroys the rest of the game. You really can't progress against PVE without getting at least a full set of +17 TRI which is super RNG
  19. kiba12
    Nov 5, 2018
    5
    I first played BDO back in the western release in 2016, but stopped quickly. I returned for the Remastered Update and was considerably sucked in to the game. I've played hundreds of hours now and I feel I have a good understanding of it.

    Pros: - Astounding combat gameplay, seriously the best action combat I've ever played so far. - Breathtaking graphics, fantastic models and effects    I first played BDO back in the western release in 2016, but stopped quickly. I returned for the Remastered Update and was considerably sucked in to the game. I've played hundreds of hours now and I feel I have a good understanding of it.

    Pros:
    - Astounding combat gameplay, seriously the best action combat I've ever played so far.
    - Breathtaking graphics, fantastic models and effects of skills.
    - Lots of variety in gameplay, you can farm, raise horses, cook meals, craft tools
    - World is richly detailed and feels very much alive, the inclusion of a vast array of npcs in towns standing and interaction in very realistic ways makes BDO feel like it's a real world that people could live in.

    Neutral:
    - Open world PvP ( I keep this neutral because I don't like PvP in most games but I know lots of people do )
    - PvP centric game, there's lots of PvE content but the game is focused around fighting each other in the open world. So despite me never attacking anyone because I don't care for PvP that does not mean that some stranger will not jump on you and one shot you.

    Cons:
    - Horrific pay to win micro transactions (You will need to spend over $300 to have a decent time with BDO.
    - Selfish Publishers, there is no incentive to play the game. The login rewards are unimpressive except at the end of each month where you get an rng box to try and get super nice loot. But again, it's rng.
    - RNG RNG RNG RNG, everything in this game is rng. You want to improve you items? rng You want to improve your pets? rng You want to farm for an item that will help your build? rng
    - Grind is tedious more than enjoyable, progress is slow, very slow in this game. You will be spending months and months getting even slightly close to strong enough to hold your own against other players or high level monsters.
    - Story is highly lacking. I find myself unimpressed with the narrative arc of the campaign, but that's not the main draw of the BDO, fortunately.
    - Lack of trust with the developers, I'm not sure what I mean with this, but let me try. When I play Warframe, the developers are so generous and give you so much as a thank you for playing that I WANT to give them money, because they are providing such a positive and enjoyable game experience. BDO provides nothing, I feel no connection with the developers or the game as it feels like they couldn't care less you're playing the game.
    - Overwhelming gear gaps between players, being a PvP focused game, you can fight any time you wish aside from being in a Safe spot like a city or village. But, people aren't going to attack you unless they know they are stronger, and usually, they are. The game is not balanced with the way people can get their gear and even worse now they can just pay money to have an easier time improving gear.

    All in all, BDO is a very meh experience for me. But I understand the draw. I hope the developers and publishers can come to some kind of version where the game feels worth playing. But until then, I'm out.    … Expand
  20. hijackk
    Aug 20, 2018
    7
    This is a great MMO game, but only if:
    - you want to make this game your only mmo game for many years,
    - you have some monthly source of money you can spend every month on BDO. There is no official subscription whatsoever, but if you want to play seriously, you will be forced to pay an unofficial subscription by many free account restrictions - You have a lot of free time. Bcs u will    This is a great MMO game, but only if:
    - you want to make this game your only mmo game for many years,
    - you have some monthly source of money you can spend every month on BDO. There is no official subscription whatsoever, but if you want to play seriously, you will be forced to pay an unofficial subscription by many free account restrictions
    - You have a lot of free time. Bcs u will need it if you want to achive something before you get old.

    If you are not affraid of those things, BDO will give you best MMO fighting system u ever seen, huge amount of things to do, many development paths, best graphic and great community to share your hobby with. This is a life-time MMO, so prepare to progress slowly!    … Expand
  21. ORevisor
    Mar 30, 2018
    6
    Criação de personagem divertida vc pode passar horas nele, um sistema de combate fluido com muita ação, graficamente um dos melhores do estilo. Pontos negativos: * sistema de arma e armadura simplório, como não há lv lock para usar qualquer arma e armadura (exceto as despertadas) raramente você troca de equipamento seu char vai ter sempre a mesma aparência caso não queira gastar dinheiroCriação de personagem divertida vc pode passar horas nele, um sistema de combate fluido com muita ação, graficamente um dos melhores do estilo. Pontos negativos: * sistema de arma e armadura simplório, como não há lv lock para usar qualquer arma e armadura (exceto as despertadas) raramente você troca de equipamento seu char vai ter sempre a mesma aparência caso não queira gastar dinheiro de verdade no cash shop; * Qualquer coisa no cash shop é muito caro; * O jogo tem tanta coisa para se fazer e treinar que fica confuso e um pouco entediante especialmente para novos jogadores… Expand
  22. yesterdayatnoon
    Mar 1, 2018
    6
    This is an alright game with a mix of really strong negatives and positives. The game looks great and runs great. The combat is entertaining focusing more on target control than damage. The non-combat activities such as crafting and gathering are handled in a phenomenal way and are really worth looking at on their own. The game also offers lots of idle play. You can leave the gameThis is an alright game with a mix of really strong negatives and positives. The game looks great and runs great. The combat is entertaining focusing more on target control than damage. The non-combat activities such as crafting and gathering are handled in a phenomenal way and are really worth looking at on their own. The game also offers lots of idle play. You can leave the game running and fish or process or craft, but you end up with a strong incentive to leave your PC cooking all day and night to keep up your progress.

    The game also doesn't offer much for endgame. There's gear that's harder to upgrade that is mildly better than what's easily obtainable, but you can do most of your improvement at the auction house. The game is tedious to play if you don't spend another forty or so dollars buying pets to loot monsters for you. And you are forced into PVP after a day or two of leveling, and the pvp is not balanced either between classes or levels.

    The game is still enjoyable and worth looking at. Again, the gathering and crafting portion of the game is really interesting and worth emulating in future games. All in all, I like it and I think I'm even playing it at the moment in another tab. Yep... still processing.    … Expand
  23. Shekky
    Feb 12, 2018
    5
    This game has a great concept but its a battle to get geared up in some of the farming spots as a lot of top end geared players like to grief new players. The pearl shop is filled with a lot of overpriced items to add more function to your character but there is no real pay 2 win options in the pearl shop and those claiming its pay to win is just too lazy to grind. A lot of the items onThis game has a great concept but its a battle to get geared up in some of the farming spots as a lot of top end geared players like to grief new players. The pearl shop is filled with a lot of overpriced items to add more function to your character but there is no real pay 2 win options in the pearl shop and those claiming its pay to win is just too lazy to grind. A lot of the items on the pearl shop can be purchased on the market board as well so you just need to be patient.

    Character classes can be boring to play a lot of classes need to be reworked or redesigned completely the grind in this game is real but not as bad as it was. A better catchup system needs to be implemented to combat those who like to grief new players and a system needs to be implemented to prevent players 59 and above from playing on the Olvia servers which are meant for new and returning players even after the limit is supposed to be level 58. Its hard to pick a class if your just starting out I originally started as a Mystic but didn't realize about life skills that I had spent so much time leveling to realize I didn't want to level beyond 49 or I could be pked. So I ended up having to make a new mystic and level it up to 56 and unlock awakening only to realize I didn't like Mystic as awakened classes are quite a bit different from pre-awakened. I spent a lot of time leveling characters and gearing them up to not like most classes.

    Everything in this game is RNG if you hate that idea as much as I do than you might want to focus primarily on getting money and buying everything you need that way. Anyways to wrap this up I give it a 5 out of 10 as it has a lot of potential but the classes are lacking in how fun they are as well as gearing is an extremely high end priority in order to be viable at end game. With the bonus xp servers top end players have still been able to play on Olvia servers and from the information gathered online they should not have access to the servers anymore with no system in place to boot them from the servers. RNG in this game is a pain in the ass and good luck to anyone who can beat this system.    … Expand
  24. Rinfeer
    Aug 12, 2017
    6
    I'm playing this game about one year and i will try to be short.

    Pros: +Graphics. +Character creator. +Big open world. Cons: -Very expensive cash shop , if u wanna play in comfort , get top gear , u definitely need donate about 400 euros , and it's not a joke , just deal with it. Pets, weight , inventory slots , trousers etc. -No dungeons . To be clear social system in BDO is    I'm playing this game about one year and i will try to be short.

    Pros:
    +Graphics.
    +Character creator.
    +Big open world.

    Cons:
    -Very expensive cash shop , if u wanna play in comfort , get top gear , u definitely need donate about 400 euros , and it's not a joke , just deal with it. Pets, weight , inventory slots , trousers etc.
    -No dungeons . To be clear social system in BDO is pretty weak. No point to play in group so far.
    -Grinding. Too much of it. Actually problems starts when on your favourite spot comes dude with + 20 gear in round and takes your spot.
    -No equipment system. This is something that bores me a lot. There is no changes when you upgrade your gear.
    -End game is too boring. U just grind mobs 24/7 and kill field bosses. Trying to get tet or pen. And this is your end game.
    -This game is hell for newcomers. It's too hard to get top gear , when u start from nothing . Let's say if u wanna play this game better buy an account . U will save money and your nerves at some point.

    Summing things up . I just wanna say , this game is basically pay to win. I beg u, if you're new please avoid of playing this game. Just w8 for another better MMO.    … Expand
  25. Poopmaster
    Mar 26, 2017
    6
    Pluses and minuses i can point after over 150hours of gameplay.

    OPENING SENTENCE. Boring and heavily time consuming to be anywhere near competitive level/gear to play any kind of PvP. NOT P2W There is nothing at cashshop at all i would call P2W there is no items that directly upgrade your characters level or dmg/gear score. Onyly exception is item that allows you to repair    Pluses and minuses i can point after over 150hours of gameplay.

    OPENING SENTENCE.
    Boring and heavily time consuming to be anywhere near competitive level/gear to play any kind of PvP.

    NOT P2W
    There is nothing at cashshop at all i would call P2W there is no items that directly upgrade your characters level or dmg/gear score.
    Onyly exception is item that allows you to repair armor/weapon 3x faster, you need to spend 100s of $ to make it worth though.

    BORING GAMEPLAY
    Game is all about killing mobs like asians mmos from early 2000s, not even quests just look at map, go to mob camp for your level and mash buttons until you have level high enough to go to the next camp.

    TIME CONSUMING
    After over 150 hours i wasnt even close to top tier of players.
    I had to find on internet best spots to farm money to be even able to level my gear above +15.
    If you wont farm special places for cash you will end up undergeared on high "competitive" character level.
    I advice you to spend atleast 8hours per day if you want to be top tier before 2019, when all nolifes will die out from the game community.

    ENCHANTING IS ****
    Enchanting system in BDO made me quit the game, most players in game praise it as entertaining and highly rewarding.I disagree with their opinion, one unlucky roll and your DUO weapon that you spend over 70milion gold on goes back to PRI. looses 50 milion value and sends you down by 10-20 AP points, wich is alot in this game.
    I wont even start writing about trinkets, job costumes and boss weapon/armor enchanting.

    VERY BAD SOUNDTRACK
    No music at all, soundtrack gets boring and repetitive very fast with how gameplay is made.

    GORGEUS GRAPHICS
    One of the best graphics i have ever seen in video games, even now it can compete with newest games in that matter.

    FRIENDSHIP
    Game heavily depends on having friends who are willing to play it with you.
    Not gameplay wise you can do almost everything alone but it gets really boring really fast.

    6/10
    +no p2w at all
    +good graphics
    +good combat mechanics
    +good pvp when you finnaly are at strong enough gear level to compete

    -bad soundtrack
    -boring main story
    -boring gameplay after 1 to 50 hours depends from player obviously
    -enchanting system that artificialy longers gameplay by throwing you down constantly
    **** costumes design that costs 30euro per 1    … Expand
  26. Ghost67
    Oct 8, 2016
    5
    BDO has a beautiful world. Its rich, immersive, its huge, you always have something to do and somewhere to go. It has a deep economic and industrial side to the game. The mechanics of Energy and Contribution is unique and a fresh take on virtual economies. It has awesome flashy combat with no tab targeting and auto attack.

    Then why does it have a 5? Because BDO is a Themepark MMO    BDO has a beautiful world. Its rich, immersive, its huge, you always have something to do and somewhere to go. It has a deep economic and industrial side to the game. The mechanics of Energy and Contribution is unique and a fresh take on virtual economies. It has awesome flashy combat with no tab targeting and auto attack.

    Then why does it have a 5?

    Because BDO is a Themepark MMO that plays like a single player game, that pretends to be a sandbox. It sounds like a sandbox and quacks like one, but it isn't. It feels very similar to SWTOR - it feels like it should be a single player game, but it's not.

    New players are practically forced into doing boring, inane quests, huge grinding quest chains. We're talking hundreds upon hundreds of quests. I love how we use the word "quest" for really stupid tasks. We're talking usual fetch quests all the way to retrieving a stranded cat or knocking over a pickpocket. Seriously? Getting someone's stray cat? NPC's provide long dialogues, some poorly voice acted - but really, who cares? This is an MMO. I came here to play with other people.

    Players must grind, but new players are especially forced into an upfront investment of time and energy into questing because they need the experience to level up their Energy and Contri points. Without those, they will not have any purchasing power. There is a large RNG element in BDO as well and its frustrating.

    This of course ends up in massive power gaps, as you have hardcore players with awesome gear able to 1 shot other players in PvP. No strategy, just boring domination.

    For such a beautiful world, mobs are a pushover. If you somehow stumble upon a powerful mob, the game will flash red telling you that you should run. How exciting. This is beyond themepark. The excitement of exploration just isn't there.

    There is hardly any death penalty. No one groups, except for specific endgame tasks. BDO players will tell you it has the "quality" of a single player game....??? It gets even more ridiculous - you can't trade with other players. You are forced to use the global Auction House, and you cant even set your own prices, you're forced by the game to set a certain price!

    PvP is also pretend-sandbox. The karma system is broken - when you initiate PvP, you gather karma. Get too much Karma and there is no penalty for another player to kill you, and you might drop items. What ends up happening is practically no one initiates PvP (excluding guild vs guild) except for the hardest of the hardcore because of the repercussions and the exploitation of the "innocent" players. There is no death penalty for innocent players.

    There is no character customization. BDO's little brother, Archeage, at least gave you the ability to mix and match different skill trees to create customized classes. There is practically no customization in BDO, the only thing separating your warrior and the warrior next to you is, yep, your gear!

    Combat is enjoyable enough for PvE, but for PvP its totally broken. PvP fights are very brief and usually comes down to who hits first. No strategy is really involved because of combat mechanics - its just spam spam spam, with healing potions. Yes, the animations look great, you can pull off cool combos, but as far as tactics, skill, builds - it really doesn't matter.

    Guild turf wars make the game somewhat interesting and there is an element of politics due to territory changes, but the guild battles really dont matter that much, once again due to the fact that theres no interdependence.

    I really wanted to like BDO, because alot of work has clearly gone into it. But you spend more time conversing with NPC's then REAL PEOPLE. Theres even a mini game where you gain favor with NPC's so they share with you more information. How ironic in an MMO. Its a tragedy. The world is beautiful and vast, but feels stale and hollow because there is practically no interdependence.

    The sheer amount of upfront investment for new players to grind out just to join the ranks of guilds will doom the game. Who joins an MMO, a virtual world to adventure, only to spend it catching cats for NPC's? In a year I predict that BDO's playerbase will shrink significantly and will be relegated to the only people that will thrive in this kind of environment - ultra hardcore gamers that enjoy grinding 24/7, and have the time to do it.    … Expand
  27. Nothv13
    Jul 16, 2016
    6
    As someone who had put in more than 1000 hours into this game between the KR version and the Western release, Black Desert had/possibly still has the chance to shake up the stale western MMORPG market.

    A possible great game with some inherent design flaws. The knowledge system (you get more energy from gaining more knowledge in game), contribution system (allows you to buy workshops,    As someone who had put in more than 1000 hours into this game between the KR version and the Western release, Black Desert had/possibly still has the chance to shake up the stale western MMORPG market.

    A possible great game with some inherent design flaws. The knowledge system (you get more energy from gaining more knowledge in game), contribution system (allows you to buy workshops, houses, stables, farms, etc) are marvelous features that I'd love to see in future games. You can even go out and lasso horses to tray and tame them, and then breed them to get better horses. Great siege system where you have to build forts and simultaneously defend it while attacking the enemies'. Fun Guild Wars where you can make wagers on who will win or not. There is also the smaller things such as small hidden caves, sailing, whale hunting, and the upcoming Naval content.

    What brings it down in the western market is the Korean aspects. An over reliance on RNG for one. Normally rng is ok. Item drop rng and variable damage from rng is just part of RPGs, even action heavy ones. this game however takes it to the next level. Drop RNG, RNG to enchant your gear, rng to get fail stacks to lessen the rng to enchant. RNG on whether you lose expensive crystals on death. RNG on whether you get CC'd or not. They even have RNG on the auction house.

    The drop rng is also bad, I'm talking sub 1% chance to get items. Spending 1000s of energy to get 5-10 of a rare needed item only to see someone spending half that and getting upwards of 10x what you got is just ridiculous. What makes this worse is that those needed items are only found during gathering. People who are trying to progress are barely playing the game. They are mainly digging in one spot for hours upon hours in the day, while those that had rng on their side are actually playing the game.

    This get even worse as these items are needed to upgrade your gear, and at the level you need them gear gap gets larger making you skill in the action combat system mean less and less. In the end, your performance will come down how blessed you are in rng, then time, then level, and finally how skillful you actually are. If you have horrible results with the RNG, you could fall weeks to months behind in the span of a few days, at which point you should just give trying to PvP.

    I love this game overall, and really hoped that they would have properly adopted it to the west as both the publisher and developer flat out stated the west market was different than the Korean market and would need special changes to be a success there. Daum even stated (as a decently successful launch) to want 1 million active players within a year. With as much negative feedback they have gotten recently about things such as RNG, gear gap and the currently very restrictive way to progress, I do not see Daum meeting that goal, or even getting close to it.

    Couple alternate title for this game: Digging Desert Online (since you will spend most your time digging to progress), and Casino Desert Online (since your progression and thus effectiveness relies mainly on RNG, along with how many parts of the game are actually ruled by RNG).    … Expand
  28. mijxero
    Jun 24, 2016
    5
    I got a 7 day pass for this game and despite its beautiful graphics and flashy combat I just really didn't get it. I'm not saying it was bad, but for me it was just a lot of style over substance.
  29. armchairjerk
    May 22, 2016
    6
    If you thought you knew what a grind was, you really dont till you play this game. Its not that its just an insane grind, its the fact that none of it is fun. Be prepared to use the same 3 move rotations over and over again for 50+ hours.
  30. blammo
    May 17, 2016
    5
    It looked promising but only a few minutes into the game exposed a bunch of confusing and annoying UX/UI issues. They could have stuck with the tried and true UI of other games so that people could get into the game easily but jeeze it's a mess.

    In particular, the dialog ui is bafflingly terrible. It could have easily been a simple conversation tree like half the other games out there    It looked promising but only a few minutes into the game exposed a bunch of confusing and annoying UX/UI issues. They could have stuck with the tried and true UI of other games so that people could get into the game easily but jeeze it's a mess.

    In particular, the dialog ui is bafflingly terrible. It could have easily been a simple conversation tree like half the other games out there but it's an indescribably bad system for conversing with NPCs. The other UI's and screens are confusing and frustrating as well. There's no need for it, trying to differentiate themselves has just made everything a mess!

    I'm sure once they get into it, people will probably overlook all the bad UI stuff, but not me, I feel stupid for paying $40 for it primarily because because the character creator looked awesome.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Merlin'in Kazanı (Turkey)
    Jan 1, 2018
    80
    With it's massive and unique open world, Black Desert Online is inviting you to a great adventure.
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  2. Digital Chumps
    Jul 27, 2017
    50
    Overall, Black Desert Online is a typical MMO in every single way. While I disagree with their claim that it’s the “next generation” of MMOs, I did find the character creation to be the most robust of any MMO out there. Unfortunately, the character customization is the game’s biggest highlight, and many of the other elements of Black Desert Online can be found in many other MMOs.
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  3. The Overpowered Noobs
    Jun 11, 2017
    70
    Black Desert Online comes to the table with an intricate character sculpting tool, gorgeous graphical presentation, and a nuanced, exciting combat system overlying a less immediately apparent, but very unique, sandbox-style resource management simulation. Those looking for a rich narrative, complex or groundbreaking PvE questing, or highly unique monster design may be disappointed, but those seeking a mechanically rich, visually striking MMO will find themselves at home.
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