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. Gades
    Apr 29, 2016
    6
    Lot of expectaction for a game that only partialy meet them.
    The game has a lot of ideas (mostly coming from archeage) but poorly implemented.
    You can see it as an opposition to Guild Wars 2. GW2 is quite a standard and "casual" mmo but it's really good on that. Black Desert has some good innovations but the implementations of these innovative things are quite far from perfection. (a    Lot of expectaction for a game that only partialy meet them.
    The game has a lot of ideas (mostly coming from archeage) but poorly implemented.
    You can see it as an opposition to Guild Wars 2. GW2 is quite a standard and "casual" mmo but it's really good on that. Black Desert has some good innovations but the implementations of these innovative things are quite far from perfection. (a bit too far i think).
    I give it a 6.    … Expand
  2. Chilissy
    Apr 26, 2016
    6
    Yeah, the trailers was awesome as always in rpg fantasy games. I thought this game would be really enjoyable. I was dreaming about pro mechanics stuff, also with additional plot. I've played it for first time at my friends home. I was really grateful to myself, i didn't bought that game. Its not as crap as some others "mainstream" rpg's, but uhmm... it's far behind top rpg's. Well, butYeah, the trailers was awesome as always in rpg fantasy games. I thought this game would be really enjoyable. I was dreaming about pro mechanics stuff, also with additional plot. I've played it for first time at my friends home. I was really grateful to myself, i didn't bought that game. Its not as crap as some others "mainstream" rpg's, but uhmm... it's far behind top rpg's. Well, but its playable.… Expand
  3. AdamM88
    Apr 24, 2016
    0
    If you want a game with 0 story, an awful, empty world, ugly, unimaginative monsters, server side disconnects every 30 minutes that require you to restart the client and log in again, a game where botting is a FEATURE, where the content literally IS grinding the same mobs over and over by the tens of thousands, where your inventory is tailored to be extremely tiny in order to make you buyIf you want a game with 0 story, an awful, empty world, ugly, unimaginative monsters, server side disconnects every 30 minutes that require you to restart the client and log in again, a game where botting is a FEATURE, where the content literally IS grinding the same mobs over and over by the tens of thousands, where your inventory is tailored to be extremely tiny in order to make you buy inventory extensions from the cash shop, then BDO is for you.… Expand
  4. UNlVERSE
    Apr 19, 2016
    3
    This review is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys PvP/PvE to the fullest. This game is beyond an utter disappointment.

    Leveling in this game takes little to no effort whatsoever, maxing at the soft-cap of 50 quite literally for anyone who simply looks up the correct areas to grind. When you get over the flashy combat, you'll realize this game is completely overrated. Best    This review is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys PvP/PvE to the fullest. This game is beyond an utter disappointment.

    Leveling in this game takes little to no effort whatsoever, maxing at the soft-cap of 50 quite literally for anyone who simply looks up the correct areas to grind.

    When you get over the flashy combat, you'll realize this game is completely overrated. Best part? You forfeit your right to a refund. "Well you can try it for free from a friend!" Implying you know anyone that plays this game. Simply watching YouTube videos of this game is like any other, watching BF4 trailers and demos made BF4 look great, devs hyped it to all hell. What was the end product? A beyond overhyped and trash game.

    This isn't even counting the fact the character balance in this game is horrid, and to be expected. At-range characters will dominate PvP team-play, hence why a vast number of people who play this are Range/Wizard etc.

    PvE wise this game is obviously lacking. Just another run of the mill "spam spam spam" for your daily fun. Mod grinding is the same as any other game and the quickest way to level.

    For virtually $50 the amount of customization is an abysmal joke. Sure, you can toy around with the physical appearance of your avatar (their physical body), but other than that and dyes, you're left with a extremely lackluster customization for something you just blew $50 on. Lets also mention that you'll be spending another $10-20+ on the cash-shop cosmetics that for the most part look ridiculous.

    As most Korean MMO's are, they utilize gear enhancement. This game doesn't focus on skill, and rather focuses on who can camp and grind PvE for hours upon hours on end to enhance to +15 and above. Achieving such enhancements simply because you have less of a life than most people, and then entering into PvP where your "skill" (gear) will be made apparent is what does it for many people.

    To top it all off, this game has severe connectivity issues on the NA servers. Constant disconnects as well as authentication errors frequently make grinding out in this game that much more annoying when you're constantly having to relaunch your client.

    All in all, the only positive thing about this game are the graphics. Sure, there's some variety in this game, things that have already been done and quite honestly if I wanted to fish, i'd go to RuneScape and grind out a few hundred hours for 99.

    Maybe if their customer support and game-policy wasn't such an utter joke, I would have considered recommending this to a friend.

    Like many Korean MMO's, I really don't see this game lasting as many years as other more successful MMO's.    … Expand
  5. JimbotMeta
    Apr 19, 2016
    4
    Took an almost immediate dislike to this game. Most of the bad stuff has already been said - total lack of guidance on how to do things or why you should/nt, no customisation ofr armor and bad voice acting.

    Combat is really good and that format should be the norm for mmos moving foward but the real problem...the total lack of story, the incredibly bad voice acting and translations and    Took an almost immediate dislike to this game. Most of the bad stuff has already been said - total lack of guidance on how to do things or why you should/nt, no customisation ofr armor and bad voice acting.

    Combat is really good and that format should be the norm for mmos moving foward but the real problem...the total lack of story, the incredibly bad voice acting and translations and the really bad music throughout. It ruins the whole ambiance of the game.

    There might be a lot in it and a ton of depth - but if found myself saying "why should I care" - i dont care about this world at all or any of the characters in it. There is no lore, no history no story its just absolutely awful in terms of creating an atmosphere.

    If you enjoyed Wow or Swtor or any game with story/structure like that - this game is NOT for you.

    That said if you dont care about the things i mentioned and you love PVP and good combat then this would be    … Expand
  6. Lederzwerg
    Apr 17, 2016
    0
    Hello,
    why giving 0 points? It´s a really simple reason - rng. The game was published first in 2014, it´s no real asia grinder cause of its strong restrictions in many parts of core gameplay, like no trading, high ah taxes, NO real multiplayer features. Just uninspired, lazy developers with no ideas. So everyone wanna try this game, be aware it´s more RNG you reach something or get    Hello,
    why giving 0 points? It´s a really simple reason - rng. The game was published first in 2014, it´s no real asia grinder cause of its strong restrictions in many parts of core gameplay, like no trading, high ah taxes, NO real multiplayer features. Just uninspired, lazy developers with no ideas. So everyone wanna try this game, be aware it´s more RNG you reach something or get something than you can effect getting it!    … Expand
  7. Megalon
    Apr 14, 2016
    4
    I have played the game for 500 hours now. I am not sure how i feel about it exactly so I used a random number generator to generate a random number between 1 and 10. The rng said 4 so the game gets a 4/10.
  8. guided_fate
    Apr 11, 2016
    6
    This is going to be my first review since I started using Metacritic, but after seeing the high praise and flat zero's I had to write something as objective as possible. This game is not for everyone, it's a classical Korean MMO, and what I mean by that, is that there is no definitive endgame. In fact, The entire world is open, and there isn't much that you can't do as soon as you finishThis is going to be my first review since I started using Metacritic, but after seeing the high praise and flat zero's I had to write something as objective as possible. This game is not for everyone, it's a classical Korean MMO, and what I mean by that, is that there is no definitive endgame. In fact, The entire world is open, and there isn't much that you can't do as soon as you finish the first little tutorial tidbit. There is a metric **** of things you can do, aside from classical MMORPG raiding. This game is not meant for the old school raiders of the Everquest and Vanilla World of Warcraft days; it is, however, perfect for people who enjoy crafting, fishing, player housing, and grinding.

    To whoever said this game is not a grind, you should delete your Metacritic account effective immediately. If you want to be a crafter, you have to grind. Fishing? You have to grind. Any aspect of income regarding the game's highly intuitive economy requires some kind of grind. Yes, the game requires you to work for the "endgame" gear and items, but none of it revolves around endgame content.

    There are a lot of problems with the game on a technical level. Game optimization is lackluster, the user interface can very easily clutter your screen and it is very counterproductive for speedy recovery of items, settings, and other important gameplay aspects. The text and the voice do not match at all and the translation from Korean to English is very shoddy. It's these issues that tank the score to about a 6 or 7. You shouldn't have to pay for ANY product and have to wait for immersion-breaking bugs to be fixed.

    The combat in this game, what can I say, it's mindblowing. If there was actually a large variety of enemies to fight, raiding, or any hardcore endgame pve content, this game would be more deserving of an 8. The problem, for me, is the lack of all of these features. My opinion here doesn't effect the score as this game is not advertised as such, so it would be wrong to grade it subjectively. It is first and foremost a sandbox game with some PvP and PvE elements, though they are not as prevalent as the in-depth economy. Will I ever play this game again? Probably not, I'm not into this style of MMO, but for those looking for an excellent economy-based sandbox MMO, this is a must buy. I'd say to wait a bit until the bugs have been patched, though.    … Expand
  9. Jaliver
    Apr 11, 2016
    4
    Black Desert Online is one of those MMOs that either makes it or breaks it for gamers, unfortunately for myself, BDO broke it for me. My review will be as unbiased as possible and only discuss the details.

    Pros: 1. Amazing life-like character generator, although I wish you weren't bound to a set appearance by class, BDO provides one of the best character generator systems in the MMO    Black Desert Online is one of those MMOs that either makes it or breaks it for gamers, unfortunately for myself, BDO broke it for me. My review will be as unbiased as possible and only discuss the details.

    Pros:
    1. Amazing life-like character generator, although I wish you weren't bound to a set appearance by class, BDO provides one of the best character generator systems in the MMO market, I've spent more time creating characters on BDO than any mmo before due to how in depth it is.

    2. The game has some realistic traits, due to fast travel not really being a thing, you have to explore the entire map yourself, this may seem tiresome to many but to myself, there is nothing more enjoyable than traveling around a diverse fantasy world rich in graphics and exploration.

    3. Combat in BDO doesn't really go stale, due to many different classes and possibilities in pvp matchups, no fight in BDO is similar to the next unless of course you literally play all day fighting everyone. Even PVE by yourself isn't too bad as BDO isn't a point and click mmo you need to actually fight tough enemies intelligently.

    Cons:

    1. Money Sink, this game is terribly corrupt, for a game that stands strongly with character creation, you'd think there would be more diverse options in what kinds of clothes you wish to wear. Unless you're really balling out of control in life, you'll find it kind of ridiculous to pay 30 dollars for an outfit in game when the game itself cost you 25 dollars. This game has a Free to play model which for a game you have to purchase is pretty ridiculous.

    2. The energy system, energy works exactly like a mobile game function for your phone. Basically in a mobile game you may be given a token that recharges in 6 hours or something after using one and with those tokens you can do various actions and that sadly is exactly how the energy system works.

    3. Very antisocial MMO. BDO has one of the most competitive communities in existence for an MMO and its not good. The game itself doesn't encourage players to talk to each other but instead encourages competition among each other and because of this most players will never be able to play with older players on the game. Everyone keeps trying to climb and climb the competitive ranks on the game so for every day you're not playing BDO other people are and they are passing you. This means you will not be able to get into most guilds, play with your friends who started the game earlier or later than you etc.    … Expand
  10. pythag0ras
    Apr 7, 2016
    4
    Not even sure where to begin with how bad this game is. I think people are starved for mmos so they are willing to put up with all kinds of stuff in a game and still give it good ratings. first of all , any 10 is automatically disregarded and down voted as nothing can be a 10. Nothing. So that makes you a fanboy or an employee if you voted 10. NOW that that's established, on to the game...Not even sure where to begin with how bad this game is. I think people are starved for mmos so they are willing to put up with all kinds of stuff in a game and still give it good ratings. first of all , any 10 is automatically disregarded and down voted as nothing can be a 10. Nothing. So that makes you a fanboy or an employee if you voted 10. NOW that that's established, on to the game...

    -open pvp

    I could stop at that but ill go on.

    -ridiculous learning curve
    -takes forever to do anything
    -everything costs points! you cant just go gathering for a while , unless youve saved up pts from waiting...
    -tons of wait mechanics
    -progression was much too slow for me , not trying to marry a game ... felt more like a job lol

    a 4 from me. Im just not as starved for an mmo as some of these reviewers.    … Expand
  11. Chaosclone
    Apr 6, 2016
    10
    A new groundbreaking MMO that isn't getting the spotlight / recognition it deserves.
    My top 5 Pros:
    -Extremely detailed customization. -An active combat system requiring precise manual aiming, dodging & comboing, unlike the tab-targeting system seen in older MMORPGs. -A dynamic, worldwide weather system which will include large scale events such as typhoons and will influence gameplay.    A new groundbreaking MMO that isn't getting the spotlight / recognition it deserves.
    My top 5 Pros:
    -Extremely detailed customization.
    -An active combat system requiring precise manual aiming, dodging & comboing, unlike the tab-targeting system seen in older MMORPGs.
    -A dynamic, worldwide weather system which will include large scale events such as typhoons and will influence gameplay.
    -Fun crafting systems.
    -Stunning graphics.    … Expand
  12. Tahoenvy
    Apr 5, 2016
    9
    BDO is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played and I've played almost every game of any consequence that has released since EQ in 99. The detail they've included in this game blows my mind everyday, the combat is fun and gets more challenging as you level. You will need to do your research with this game, it's not intuitive but that makes it even MORE fun for me. Also youBDO is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played and I've played almost every game of any consequence that has released since EQ in 99. The detail they've included in this game blows my mind everyday, the combat is fun and gets more challenging as you level. You will need to do your research with this game, it's not intuitive but that makes it even MORE fun for me. Also you tend to get side tracked alot because there is SO much to do, I am NEVER bored. It's incredibly immersive, sometimes when Im playing and a storm starts I actually feel like i'm in it. The bad reviews for this game are most likely by people that have not put in the effort to learn and experience this game. I have and I LOVE this game.… Expand
  13. Alatreon
    Apr 4, 2016
    5
    Extremely average MMO. Initially very exciting, tinkering with workers and nodes etc, but it soon devolves into an insane amount of grinding and **** RNG based gear progression system in a game with a pvp system that purely revolves around gear. Basically there's a massive gap between the "Hardcore" players who grind for 10 hours a day, and the average "casual" player who maybe grinds thatExtremely average MMO. Initially very exciting, tinkering with workers and nodes etc, but it soon devolves into an insane amount of grinding and **** RNG based gear progression system in a game with a pvp system that purely revolves around gear. Basically there's a massive gap between the "Hardcore" players who grind for 10 hours a day, and the average "casual" player who maybe grinds that much in a week. The combat is also initially incredible, fast paced and visually impressive but again, becomes an absolute chore after you've killed your millionth mob in the inevitable grind that comes later.

    Honestly the most fun I've had in this game is AFK fishing. The MMO is a bunch of great ideas poorly executed. On paper it seems to have massive potential but it simply becomes very boring especially after you hit the soft cap of 50. It's extremely grindy, the story is forgettable if not completely irrelevant, voice acting is **** atrocious. Not much here except an excessive amount of grind.

    That being said though, there are definitely some good aspects to the MMO. Exploration and the crafting system is very good. Doing stuff like building a boat and sailing around the Islands, then fishing etc, are all tonnes more fun than gear progression and combat elements of the game.    … Expand
  14. Lumicron
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    this is the best mmorpg ive ever played, and ive played em all, the only one that comes near black desert online is the lord of the rings online, the rest is crap or almost all of the rest
  15. Moriwenne
    Apr 2, 2016
    7
    I am a fan of mmorpgs. I am also a fan of beautiful graphics which makes exploring a treat. I don't shy away from action combat games either so, I picked up this game and played it for some 50 hours.

    The game has many different systems in play. Housing, workers, nodes, crafting, trading, transport of goods, npc minigames, questing, etc. I first tried to play the game just by going    I am a fan of mmorpgs. I am also a fan of beautiful graphics which makes exploring a treat. I don't shy away from action combat games either so, I picked up this game and played it for some 50 hours.

    The game has many different systems in play. Housing, workers, nodes, crafting, trading, transport of goods, npc minigames, questing, etc. I first tried to play the game just by going through the motions, trying to experience a bit of everything. I am experienced with such games and usually figure things out. I failed with black desert in this regard. I believe the game does a very poor job of explaining itself to you. I had to find a bunch of guides and videos elsewhere to get me going.

    I am not a crafting freak. I mean, I like crafting. I like the option of creating my own items and the ability to participate in the market and earn a bit more money and I don't mind some mild gathering. But this is a means to an end. What I really want is the money and the items that will improve my character. Some might enjoy a fishing minigame and I don't mind doing it a couple of times, any mini is ok if only repeated 2 or 3 times but after that? No thank you.

    I am not a housing freak. I don't mind building a house and decorating the outside like you could do with Archeage. It's something that will exist in the game, serves an aesthetic purpose and that's ok. But putting furniture on an instanced house, that no one will see, takes time and effort that is just not fun FOR ME.
    Transporting goods, fixed warehouses, these things add a bit of a real feel to the game's towns but honestly, it's a limitation I could do without. I have to transport things myself, do some actions to move things around and I don't get any fun out of it. I remember doing trade runs in archeage and basically having to walk things over long distances. The goal there as well, was the money at the end and the trip itself gave me no pleasure. In fact, I often just played another game like hearthstone on another screen whilst my character walked. I did enjoy the aspect of danger associated with the trade runs though.

    The towns and cities never felt distinct to me. I like feeling that a place is special and has interesting characters. The towns and cities felt a bit too overcrowded with npcs that don't matter. You can talk to too many people which serves no purpose. There are these minigames that you can perform with too many npcs forcing you to spend time and literally energy so that you can get a discount on some goods and this is true for so many npcs, it's just unnecessary.

    I enjoy some pvp. In my 50 hours of play, the game didn't create any opportunities for me to pvp. Low lvl pvp is as fun as high lvl pvp as everyone learns the game and it offers different challenges. In BD i didn't find any. In comparison to say GW2, there was an arena that I could join at any time to improve my fighting skills and learn how to fight other classes. There was an entire pvp map where only pvp mattered (solo and grouped), with objectives, which is fun too, and you could do that from level 1. I like having these different options as they offer variety to one's tasks and stop boredom from setting in.

    I like solo play but I also enjoy grouping. I like it when a game throws a grouped area in your path as you progress through the leveling. Maybe even, have a dungeon area that offers a map with specific gameplay that a group of people must figure out. Again, this offers variation from the usual grind or 'go kill x' quests. In my 50h of game I found no real group options with the exception of a couple of gathering guild quests.

    I like visuals. I like to change the looks of my character as the game progresses. You see someone's armor and you know their strength. You see someone wielding a specific weapon and you recognise his power and also, it just looks good. This progression should exist in the early levels and not just when you reach max level. After 50h my wizard still looks like gandalf and all wizards around me also look like gandalf. Also, I like to play females and the game not allowing me to create females with every class...in a modern mmorpg....it boggles the mind. The game's graphics are quite nice though and the character creation is a treat.

    In conclusion, the game accomplishes many of the things it sets out to do and fails on some others. The stuff that fails at like the interface, creating some sort of story, having good localization, cash shop, some combat stuff…some of these things I could tolerate. But as a whole, given my tastes, the game doesn’t offer enough to keep me engaged.

    PS: The point of reviews in my opinion is not to complain. The idea is to explain the game to others whilst inserting your own tastes into it so that people with similar tastes might take something out of it. If this helped someone then hey, quest completed!    … Expand
  16. nextgengameflop
    Mar 30, 2016
    4
    Between the stat boosting cash shop items and the childish community, this game is worth a fat zero.

    I don't care how good the mechanics are when a game is this much of a cash grab with that MTX shop slapped over it. This game is pay to win just like every other MMO to come out recently. On top of the **** cash shop is the horrid pop-in this game suffers from. The game has piss-poor    Between the stat boosting cash shop items and the childish community, this game is worth a fat zero.

    I don't care how good the mechanics are when a game is this much of a cash grab with that MTX shop slapped over it. This game is pay to win just like every other MMO to come out recently. On top of the **** cash shop is the horrid pop-in this game suffers from. The game has piss-poor optimization and a 15 meter render range that cannot be increased.

    Some examples (non-exhaustive):
    - You can spend real money to increase the value of your horse by resetting the death and/or breed counters. This means you can just keep breeding the same higher tier horses with out ever having to worry about breeding the lower tier ones because it failed.

    - All armor and weapons look exactly the same as the starter gear you have in the tutorial. If you expected your appearance to change equipping new items like I did, prepare to be disappointed. You will need to shell out an additional $50 for 1 costume for a single character if you want your armor to look different.

    - You can buy a ghille suit to hide your guild and character name from everyone on the server for PKing and griefing. Go to any town or popular farming zone and you can see someone exploiting this cash shop item.

    - You can instant revive anywhere buy just spending real money.    … Expand
  17. thovader
    Mar 30, 2016
    3
    Since I do not like PvP and gathering stuff like fishing, cooking, mining, housing etc. I will NOT review those aspects. They are supposed to be pretty good though.

    I bought the game for one reason only, the combat system. And I was hoping to get enough PvE content out of it to keep me entertained for around 30-60 hours. I knew from the beginning on that this game's end content    Since I do not like PvP and gathering stuff like fishing, cooking, mining, housing etc. I will NOT review those aspects. They are supposed to be pretty good though.

    I bought the game for one reason only, the combat system.
    And I was hoping to get enough PvE content out of it to keep me entertained for around 30-60 hours. I knew from the beginning on that this game's end content consists of PvP only.

    For every fan of PvE content and challenging (PvE) combat I can now say: "stay away and do not buy this game!!!"

    There's pretty much no PvE content to speak of and the quests are just lame and irritating. For me, this didn't even matter that much since I only wanted to have fun with the awesome combat system. I don't even mind games where you have to grind a lot... and this game is grind in the truest form!

    Don't get me wrong, the combat system is great but enemies are way too weak and the game is way too easy :( ! I played for around 10 hours and the game never ever got even a tiny bit difficult. Those 10 hours I was wondering whether I did something wrong and never left the tutorial area... it seriously is that easy. At first I planned all those special skills and combos and tried to use tactics whenever possible. But very soon you ask yourself "why"? The combat is so easy that you could easily use the standard attack without having to dodge, block or use anything powerful.

    Later on you encounter world bosses that randomly appear and bosses that you can summon using scrolls. Those are more fun and harder to kill but those events occur far to seldom to be of any use for any fan of PvE.

    It's such a shame because I really wanted to like this game.
    Like I said before, I knew that eventually the game wouldn't be for me with its focus on PvP and all that, but I hoped to get at least some fun hours of PvE content out of it. This wasn't the case though.
    The superb combat system cannot shine if there's nothing worth using it for. I wasn't looking for a Dark Souls either, but this difficulty is ridiculous.
    Fortunately I "only" spent 30 € on my sad/bad experience with the game...    … Expand
  18. ShodanSpectre
    Mar 29, 2016
    7
    This is a review of the North American server, a couple weeks after it's launch in March 2016. Other servers may provide a somewhat different experience.

    I used to play L2 in its early years, and have been waiting for a game that could be L2's successor. BDO showed some promise, so as soon as it was released I gave it a go. Pros: Obviously - the graphics are very good, I'll give it    This is a review of the North American server, a couple weeks after it's launch in March 2016. Other servers may provide a somewhat different experience.

    I used to play L2 in its early years, and have been waiting for a game that could be L2's successor. BDO showed some promise, so as soon as it was released I gave it a go.

    Pros:
    Obviously - the graphics are very good, I'll give it that.

    Character creating as well.

    The physics - are quite good for an MMO too - jumping and climbing onto things. There may be some things that you walk through but at least if something looks like you can jump/climb onto it - you probably can. There aren't that many MMOs where you can climb onto very tall and thin towers, and then sit atop some pillar to meet the sunrise (which indeed looks beautiful).

    It's possible to use the environment to gain tactical advantage - if you're good at parkour you can jump/climb up something and start shooting from there, and kick back enemies that try to reach you through the one narrow ladder/stone that allows access to your "sniping position". That said, the range of attack isn't REALLY sniper-level.

    Goes along with the fact that the open world is indeed open. Not even like in L2 where you had invisible walls - here the highest mountains are climbable, if you find a way. The view from the top... Well, you gotta see for yourself :-)

    Combat is dynamic. Non-target, kind of (although there is some kind if "sticky" reticle for the Ranger/Archer). It's not an advanced melee slasher game nor a full-scale shooter, but there is real-time evasion that depends on the player's skill, which is good. The game combat does depend on player skill, not just the character skill.

    The main quest (Black Spirit) is kind of fun. Not on high-end single RPG kinda level, but for an MMO intro main line - rather fun. The Black Spirit is somewhat repetitive but has a simple, cynic sense of humor.

    Cons:
    General PvE is meh strategy-wise. But I guess most MMOs have rather simple mobs, which aren't intended to be interesting enemies. The monsters are on a VERY short leash (follow you for like 20m if you run away) - after which they "reset" - become invincible and run to their spawn point. And reset to full HP. So - no luring them away, no picking one by one, leave alone anything interesting like luring a boss or a train of mobs into a village (like was possible in L2 and early WoW).

    PvP is locked till lvl 45 or so.That's -2 points for me 'cause of that alone. Granted, one can reach 45 in about 20 hours of play, or less if they just grind hardcore, but... "what the hell, man???" (c)

    Swimming is time-limited, you start losing HP after about a minute in the water (on the surface!). And no diving at all.

    The quests you find in the world are your typical MMORPG quests... Go there kill that go there find that bring me 'cause I can't walk over 200ft... Here BDO didn't make any revolution :-D

    The dialogues with NPCs are rather disconnected. Maybe it's the Western translation but NPCs say totally random things at times.
    The looping of their animations and idle dialogues is very short and obvious.
    Some NPCs can be found in different locations at the same time.

    The storyline quest was kinda OK. I previously posted that it broke after lvl 13 - but no, it resumed later, by some combination of gaining a couple levels, taking a seemingly random quest from an NPC and visiting a certain location. I bumped the review from 6 to 8 due to this and due to discovering that some NPCs actually do substantial damage and have a running speed greater than my Ranger's strafing speed. The difficulty went from super trivial to "fairly-easy-but-don't-fall-asleep" around lvl 14.

    Gender locked characters... Ok let's say there are no male sorcerers because of the lore, similar to the Witcher world, but why, o why can't I play as a male archer?

    The mechanics are pretty good, I can see a great amount of tactical combat emerging with such a combat system: positioning, exploiting 3D obstacles, movement, combos, quick fingers - all that would matter a lot in a game with non-target, fast-paced mechanics and rather advanced physics.

    It seems Pearl Abyss created a good PvP-oriented game, which has a prerequisite of grinding through a single-player RPG aka tutorial, before it lets you start the game for real.    … Expand
  19. tuniel
    Mar 28, 2016
    4
    really enjoyed the game at first, but the further along you get the more shallow you realize this game is. the very satisfying combat system is wasted on terrible pve content (grind the same mobs thousands and thousands of times) and seriously unbalanced pvp (gear > skill, absolutely no question). when you can bring yourself to smash your face against the horribly boring pve grind, you'rereally enjoyed the game at first, but the further along you get the more shallow you realize this game is. the very satisfying combat system is wasted on terrible pve content (grind the same mobs thousands and thousands of times) and seriously unbalanced pvp (gear > skill, absolutely no question). when you can bring yourself to smash your face against the horribly boring pve grind, you're likely to be pushed out of your spot by the uber geared no-lifers that plague this game. you can be griefed to no end, and even worse, you can lose 1% exp at end game. this doesn't seem like a lot, but it can take hours to grind just a few percent of a level post50. open world pvp is fun at first, but eventually youll realize it doesnt matter how well you know your class or matchups, all the matters is your luck with loot RNG and upgrade RNG. pvp is also plagued by horrible desync and latency issues, as well as significant bugs with certain class-defining abilities. I will say, the gear upgrade system is the least awful system ive experienced in a korean mmo to date, but it still sucks. I really wanted to like this game, especially because of the hundreds of hours I spent playing it just in its first month, but it really sucks. Is it better than ArcheAge? Hell yes it is, but it's still a shallow, grindy mess. spend your time elsewhere… Expand
  20. SunnieMach
    Mar 27, 2016
    1
    The first several hours are fun...but then once you realize that all the "complexity" of this game is just a mask. Grows very, very boring very quickly. The voices and sounds of this game will annoy you beyond belief. It is not p2w whatsoever, though, so I did offer it a 1 instead of a 0.
  21. crnppscls
    Mar 26, 2016
    6
    Hina beauty sim, or Black desert online in the new mmo by Daum.
    Yes that first statement is a slight but a justified one.
    Actually, it is really hard to review a mmo because the experience you expect is subject to what is delivered and what you are used to, or the mmo you just came from. Let's crack on with the positives: Character creator is very good, if you're the type that    Hina beauty sim, or Black desert online in the new mmo by Daum.
    Yes that first statement is a slight but a justified one.

    Actually, it is really hard to review a mmo because the experience you expect is subject to what is delivered and what you are used to, or the mmo you just came from.

    Let's crack on with the positives:
    Character creator is very good, if you're the type that spends hours on dolly dressup on newgrounds, you will love it.
    Combat is dynamic and fluid, i thought i would hate it but actually it works really well, the combo system is intuitive and you feel you are rewarded by choosing the right skills.
    Fishing and crafting are fun, no really. It's a good time waster.
    The world is beautifully rendered.

    What i didn't like:
    The pve is generic and dire, everyone knows what i mean by this , so don't make me elaborate on it. We've all done these quests.
    There is no endgame. Which in turn means nothing to aim for, nothing to gain kudos from your peers, that you have endured good content, just that inane banter that you wonder what plum or blader will be like, and whether it will be premium or free.

    This is intentional of course because data mining shows that on average, a gamer spends 6 months on an mmo (average) and also for the ones that stay longer, the same mining shows that the longer duration gamers are more likely to spend money in the first 6 months of play. This is the ethos by which titles are sold, some do it differently but in the boardroom is not a flowchart showing improvements and ways to improve the game, there's just a graph with a proposed generated income that the programmers have as gospel and work around it.

    Cash shop and content are the bugbears of this game. It's worth pointing out that this is ftp in korea but not so for us and maybe they forgot this in their cosmetic pricing.

    Is a major fundamental cosmetic pricing in a game that uses aethetics as a selling point ?
    Of course it is, anyone coming from gw2 would give testement to the fact that there are better and cheaper ways to deal with costumes and dyes. Daum don't have the resources of Ncsoft but still, the game does smak of having a ftp store in a btp game.

    The game isn't bad, it's not great either but you have to be aware that the company just wants you there in the short term, maybe after you've bought plum and ninja from the cash shop.

    Just for the truthful record, i got a refund yesterday from Paypal because it just wasn't for me.    … Expand
  22. CptBadger
    Mar 25, 2016
    9
    Pros:

    Huge open world sandbox(ish) MMORPG. Feels super alive. Best graphics in any MMORPG to date. Great action combat, combo based. World is huge and immersive. Is PvP focused: castle sieges and guild wars. Lots of people playing. Lots of side activities besides combat. Nice player housing system. Good, in-depth crafting. Has boats, mounts, wagons, pets, etc. And... did I mention    Pros:

    Huge open world sandbox(ish) MMORPG. Feels super alive. Best graphics in any MMORPG to date. Great action combat, combo based. World is huge and immersive. Is PvP focused: castle sieges and guild wars. Lots of people playing. Lots of side activities besides combat. Nice player housing system. Good, in-depth crafting. Has boats, mounts, wagons, pets, etc.

    And... did I mention AFK fishing ?

    Cons:

    Cash shop is expensive, classes are gender and age locked (character creator is amazing otherwise though), no player to player trading, no full loot PvP, not for the hardcore open world PvP'ers

    For the price, it's a steal. Go buy it!    … Expand
  23. ThecriticGoD
    Mar 24, 2016
    5
    The combat system is Pretty good and graphically it's a very nice game, but let's face it, this is not a good game. Storyline is way too bad and slow-paced, there's no pvp, there are no dungeons, leveling is so easy and quick, this is definetely not what to expect from an MMORPG, specially if you come from WoW's golden era, and you are seeking a new game that give you the same sentationsThe combat system is Pretty good and graphically it's a very nice game, but let's face it, this is not a good game. Storyline is way too bad and slow-paced, there's no pvp, there are no dungeons, leveling is so easy and quick, this is definetely not what to expect from an MMORPG, specially if you come from WoW's golden era, and you are seeking a new game that give you the same sentations wow once did, this just won't do it, adds very few things to the already over-exploited MMORPG genre and it lacks way too many things that are VERY important for MMORPGS.

    However it's not as bad as some people is suggesting, it's ok to play this game for a few hours, it's funny at the very beginning, but don't expect to get immersed on it unless you have 0 experience with MMORPGs or you have a terrible taste, you'll most likely get tired of it after a week of playing (max). People should really stop making reviews the very first day they try a videogame, almost every game is good the first day.    … Expand
  24. Asashikun
    Mar 22, 2016
    10
    For me is the best MMO in years. Not is a theme park mmo, that is a real MMO sandbox Old School. If u want a fantastic game a very durable... this is your perfect game.
  25. BOXTiger
    Mar 22, 2016
    0
    Looks like this game has stunning graphics, Amazing Combat system
    Unfortunately Graphics are not good at all. Blur has all the way of you can easily find it.
    (Characters, scenery like a Bloodborne.)

    Uncomfortable, also non-intutive UI/Interface

    **** exaggerated FX/Effects NEVER can't be helped ever.
  26. Dubrute
    Mar 19, 2016
    10
    This is a unique MMORPG where you can and have to grind monsters to get experience points and level up.

    Some main quests give some exp, but that's nothing compared to the experience you get from killing monsters. Myself, i hate doing boring go talk to that guy quest or just questing in general. In all MMORPG's that gets stuffed through your throat (With a few exceptions of course).    This is a unique MMORPG where you can and have to grind monsters to get experience points and level up.

    Some main quests give some exp, but that's nothing compared to the experience you get from killing monsters.

    Myself, i hate doing boring go talk to that guy quest or just questing in general.
    In all MMORPG's that gets stuffed through your throat (With a few exceptions of course).

    In Black Desert it's OPTIONAL!
    Game just requires you to finish some main (black spirit) quests which mainly are getting to new cities, killing some monster or killing bosses.

    But they give great rewards and don't feel like a drag.

    Most (bad) reviews came from player who only had a few hours in the game.
    The fun starts when you start understanding how everything works and get stronger.

    The real fun starts when you hit level 50 (Which will require 20-25 hours of gameplay)

    The world just completely opens then,

    So in general.
    The more you play this game, the more you'll like it.    … Expand
  27. Pinkyz
    Mar 18, 2016
    10
    This game does not hold your hand. You will need to do your research. I suggest joining a great guild. The game has so many discoveries. The depth of the game is truly amazing. This game is everything Arch Age was suppose to be and failed. Do not discount this game. It will suck you in and take away your life. ;-)
  28. Yulie
    Mar 18, 2016
    10
    The game looks so alive and amazing. It is completely immersive. The open sandbox feel is wonderful. The game has so many things to do. All these things can be done in any order I want. One day I log in and grind out levels, another day I log in and work on my housing, then another day I log in and work on my professions or maybe trade, or maybe just work on my horse breeding. OfThe game looks so alive and amazing. It is completely immersive. The open sandbox feel is wonderful. The game has so many things to do. All these things can be done in any order I want. One day I log in and grind out levels, another day I log in and work on my housing, then another day I log in and work on my professions or maybe trade, or maybe just work on my horse breeding. Of course, I can't forget the guild could have a PvP event (FUN)! What a breath of fresh air!… Expand
  29. Zarella
    Mar 18, 2016
    10
    BDO is gorgeous, Amazing, and a Blast! There is always something to do. This game is what I been waiting for. I was standing in the forest farming and the scene was surreal. A stream was running through the forest. The way the water flowed over the rocks, the trees gently blowing in the wind. The tufts of wildflowers around the river...And it all sounds like I am really standing in aBDO is gorgeous, Amazing, and a Blast! There is always something to do. This game is what I been waiting for. I was standing in the forest farming and the scene was surreal. A stream was running through the forest. The way the water flowed over the rocks, the trees gently blowing in the wind. The tufts of wildflowers around the river...And it all sounds like I am really standing in a forest listening to all the wildlife. This game has changed how I look at mmo's.… Expand
  30. MagicSquid
    Mar 17, 2016
    1
    I came back to give this game a lower score/review. I had uninstalled it and decided to re-install it. Despite its bugginess, the general lack of enemy AI that I had seen, and all the other issues, I figured I'd give it another chance.

    Well, upon creating a new character, I loaded into the game and found that every single one of my key bindings, including the Escape button to bring up    I came back to give this game a lower score/review. I had uninstalled it and decided to re-install it. Despite its bugginess, the general lack of enemy AI that I had seen, and all the other issues, I figured I'd give it another chance.

    Well, upon creating a new character, I loaded into the game and found that every single one of my key bindings, including the Escape button to bring up the menu to re-bind the keys, as well as the mouse buuttons, had been unbound.

    Currently there's no way within the game to re-bind the keys, so the game is completely unplayable. This game breaking, massive bug, on top of all the other issue I encountered and the utterly lack-luster combat system that I had seen, earn the game a dismal 1/10.    … Expand
  31. Eyelite
    Mar 17, 2016
    10
    PRO's :

    Graphically a pleasure to look at despite some small issues with draw distance that will hopefully improve as the title matures. Audio is is very fitting and I have not yet turned off the in game audio off in favor of my own sound track. The story is not as engaging as I would have liked it to be, but that is mostly lost in translation during its western localization. Game    PRO's :

    Graphically a pleasure to look at despite some small issues with draw distance that will hopefully improve as the title matures. Audio is is very fitting and I have not yet turned off the in game audio off in favor of my own sound track. The story is not as engaging as I would have liked it to be, but that is mostly lost in translation during its western localization. Game play is well thought out an fluid. I really like the fact that they opted for diminishing returns on actions rather than having to wait for cool downs on your abilities. No level lock is a major bonus, some will look at this as a major "grind fest" but the reality is your character never stops growing. People saying there is no end game really have no clue what endgame is , if your idea of sitting in one major hub and waiting to do dungeons is your idea of a fun endgame you might want to consider why major publishers using this structure are struggling to keep subscribers. Oh my next wonderful point, buy once play for ever, no pay to win. cash shop is cosmetic and quality of life and plz don't QQ cause costumes are expensive, its a choice to buy these things not a requirement. Honestly I feel like I could go on and on about the positives, crafting, gathering, PvP all these systems are well done.
    Character creator is very detailed and probably one of the best implementations to date.

    Con's :

    Currently the only issue I have is .... hummmm nope not going to say yet as there is still more to come as it is not caught up yet and there will be several patches including content, player classes , systems and more coming over the next few months. At that point I will revisit my review.

    Verdict

    Truley 10/10 for me , best MMO i have played and probably GOTY    … Expand
  32. Atahal
    Mar 17, 2016
    0
    Since when graphisms and character personnalisation are more important than gameplay, end game, and PvP?
    For me, it's not the case.
    And that's why i put 0/10 There is no way a game with horribles quests, no instance/dungeon, no world boss and a **** pvp can have more than 4/10. And i wont talk about the sandbox, which is currently 404 not found (Sandbox without wild pvp lal). The only    Since when graphisms and character personnalisation are more important than gameplay, end game, and PvP?
    For me, it's not the case.
    And that's why i put 0/10
    There is no way a game with horribles quests, no instance/dungeon, no world boss and a **** pvp can have more than 4/10.
    And i wont talk about the sandbox, which is currently 404 not found (Sandbox without wild pvp lal).
    The only "good" stuff about this game is the fight system. Probably the only reason we can found people defending this game. But let's be honnest.
    This game is a disaster.    … Expand
  33. desperx
    Mar 14, 2016
    10
    Simply amazing at every aspect. I don't understand the low scores from WoW and ESO players probably all their friends left them becouse of BDO, there are 3 servers with like 10 chanells each and they are full even at morning,

    The game has so much depth, you won't ever get bored. At first site might looks like another generic Korean MMO but this one is different, I was getting hooked    Simply amazing at every aspect. I don't understand the low scores from WoW and ESO players probably all their friends left them becouse of BDO, there are 3 servers with like 10 chanells each and they are full even at morning,

    The game has so much depth, you won't ever get bored. At first site might looks like another generic Korean MMO but this one is different, I was getting hooked after lvl 20 when I started to kill real monsters lika Nagas or Orcs.

    The monsters looks like from Heroes of MM 5-7. Who world is beatifull, enviroment change, from cute farms with peasants to rocky hills, deep woods full of undeads, swamps etc.

    The sandbox is real, you can go anywhere and do whatever you want.    … Expand
  34. Tensha
    Mar 14, 2016
    9
    lvl44.
    A real open world mmorpg
    It has a little cons like gear aesthetics without use shop.
    Graphic and part of the living world inspired by the witcher 2 IMHO.
  35. Odettehr
    Mar 13, 2016
    9
    i love this game, many people say bad things because, this game is not easy, you need be very social with many people, endgame is fully oriented to massive pvp, the craft system is fun, this game have full of details, this game is new in America, the future could include more content
  36. Mamoulian
    Mar 12, 2016
    10
    This THE BEST MMO RPG I ever played so far and I boy did I play a lot of them. I always wanted to play something where I might say to myself "how could they make it so right" and this is just it! Black Desert Online is incredibly complex, highly motivating, great looking, its combat rocks and has that really being in-there feel the best of them do. Character creation and RPG levellingThis THE BEST MMO RPG I ever played so far and I boy did I play a lot of them. I always wanted to play something where I might say to myself "how could they make it so right" and this is just it! Black Desert Online is incredibly complex, highly motivating, great looking, its combat rocks and has that really being in-there feel the best of them do. Character creation and RPG levelling elements are fantastic, deeply complex and rewarding. There is fantastic trading, crafting, fishing, questing, gathering resources, special new knowledge and NPC interaction systems, horse breeding, boat and wagon crafting, ecology and weather systems.. I dont know where to even begin. There is so much to do and everything is so incredibly thought-through and detailed its like a dream come true. Do not listen to morons who play MMOs just to grind-level up and then they grind the same endgame nonsense over and over just to get better gear and nothing more. This whole game is an endgame and its going to give you tons of fun and incredible adventuring if you just let it. For 30 EUR best money/fun ratio investment of my life, wholeheartedly recommended!… Expand
  37. ImSoto
    Mar 12, 2016
    4
    Edit; It has come to my attention that both an subreddit called /r/BlackDesertOnline and the Official forums participated in vote brigading(downvote negatives, upvote positives reviews) of Metacritic because people have different opinions then them. The saddest part was that both the moderators of each site allowed this to happen freely and seemed to support this action by not evenEdit; It has come to my attention that both an subreddit called /r/BlackDesertOnline and the Official forums participated in vote brigading(downvote negatives, upvote positives reviews) of Metacritic because people have different opinions then them. The saddest part was that both the moderators of each site allowed this to happen freely and seemed to support this action by not even attempting to do anything to prevent this type of thing.

    Also if you noted, it was even encouraged by them to create new accounts just to submit an positive review at the same time so they could get the average user score from 5.1/10. This just goes how immature the majority of the playerbase including lacking common decency.
    -------------------

    This review is based on me owning the conquers pack and logging 60 hours, having access to CBT1&2 and currently having an level 51 Tamer and an level 46 Archer.

    First of all, for anyone giving this game an 10/10 please don't write an review if you're just going to follow along with the flock and try to fit in. I can see other people giving this game an 8.5/10 at best, however this is simply not an 10/10 game. This also apply's to people giving this game an 0/10, lets be honest this game is no way your worst game of the year by any standards.

    So down to the review I'll be breaking it into my basic cons and pros to help shorten this list as much as possible.

    Pros:
    - Graphics (I'd say on-par with Witcher 3 on low, however for an MMORPG is very impressive of itself)
    - Combat (Currently one of the best, if not the best combat systems in any MMORPG currently out)
    - Theme park sandbox (Plenty of things like fishing,trading,crafting,harvesting,worker management, etc)

    Neutral:
    - Parkour system (An very shoddy attempt which leaves an bad taste if you've played other great parkour systems done right like Thief, Dying Light, Sleeping Dogs, AC Series, Etc)
    - Living World (It's decent, however it requires an high activity of players to feel like its immersive)
    - Plot (Great story writing, however the voice acting really ruins what the writers have achieved)
    - Customizability (Its locked behind an paywall, sadly to say so most of the time you're going to look just like everyone else, so much for that character creation)

    Cons:
    - The Community (Read the edit at the top)
    - PvP (Mostly dead due to the Karma system and this was expected, yet Daum games chose not to address this issue so most of the great PvP will be happening in GvG and not in the world itself)
    - PvE (WAY TOO EASY, from the tutorial mobs at the beginning to the end game mobs there is virtually no difference in difficulty. We're talking about those "epic" boss summons you can do, well the fact is you can do them when you're 15 levels behind and still have an easy time)
    - No real type of raids or dungeons (because the only difference between an summoned quest boss and the open world boss for guilds is literally one soaks up way more damage. That's all the challenge)
    - General game mechanics (None of them connect into any meaningful systems, which is quite disappointing given how much time must of been put into each of them)
    - Daum themselves (After seeing them banning players on forums for pointing out their mistakes and then lying about it (If you're interested I'd suggest googling there's plenty of drama on the subject), enforcing non-existent rules,dropping all communication with the community, etc. It really shows an lack of control or caring about the players in general)
    - "P2W" (This is an very hot topic and I define anything P2W that offers anything not obtainable VIA in-game methods EXCEPT for the standard EXP boosting items that help later joiners/less time available players still be able to play reasonably well. However the fact is you have abilities, stats, customizability being locked behind an pay wall which the game itself is B2P is sickening and the defenders of this have some type of Stockholm syndrome from previous games that abused these type of cash grabbing before)

    TLDR REVIEW; The game is average, nothing more and nothing less. For $60($30 base and $30 for 3 pets) its really up to you. I'd advise you to get an 7 day guest invite and play it the game until that guest period runs out to decide if you'd play this over other MMORPGs you'd like to try out    … Expand
  38. Kerbox
    Mar 12, 2016
    5
    Nothing groundbreaking here, I got the been there done that feeling even if there are a lot of little things to do. A lot of cheesyness here to find which is very typical of all asian MMORPGs out there. Good graphics though but that alone will not hold me for long.
  39. MagicSprocket
    Mar 12, 2016
    10
    We can climb everything and sit everywhere. You can sit on everything you climb and climb everything you sit on. We can also lean on walls but it's more fun to climb them and sit on top. GOTY
  40. bigbob123
    Mar 12, 2016
    0
    This game looks good on the surface, then you realize that everything that makes an RPG fun is either gated by $, or you will be punished for doing it via the idiotic energy system?

    You like to pvp? Cool, go try some open world pvp and get punished for killing people. You like to trade? Awesome, you won't be dictating any terms of the trade. You can't trade with other people and the    This game looks good on the surface, then you realize that everything that makes an RPG fun is either gated by $, or you will be punished for doing it via the idiotic energy system?

    You like to pvp? Cool, go try some open world pvp and get punished for killing people.
    You like to trade? Awesome, you won't be dictating any terms of the trade. You can't trade with other people and the auction house prices are chosen for you.
    You like collecting loot? Me too! Get loot all day but it wont matter, your guy will still look homeless unless you spend $$ on the shop.

    No AOE loot, instead you need to pony up $$$ for pets that will allow you to loot faster.

    Oh, and don't even THINK choosing the gender for your character. They devs did the thinking for you.

    You want to chat in general? That costs energy... You want to craft? Energy, you want to do anything outside of battling the dumbest AI we have seen since ET for the original Atari? Then you better be ready to pool your energy for those 15 minutes of "fun".    … Expand
  41. MusclePig
    Mar 11, 2016
    0
    Saw this on reddit and it pretty much sums up why I am so EXTREMELY disappointed:

    "The looks of your gear will stay pretty much the same through the entire game; The visual differences between each set are usually only minor. If you want to customise your looks you can do so by dyeing your gear or buying cash shop costumes." What the hell? Grinding your way up to a sweet, cool,    Saw this on reddit and it pretty much sums up why I am so EXTREMELY disappointed:

    "The looks of your gear will stay pretty much the same through the entire game; The visual differences between each set are usually only minor. If you want to customise your looks you can do so by dyeing your gear or buying cash shop costumes."

    What the hell? Grinding your way up to a sweet, cool, awesome character is the main reason why I play MMO's. And it's not even f2p! You have to buy the game first before you can buy more stuff ingame    … Expand
  42. Rouce
    Mar 11, 2016
    10
    The thing with this game is that it's hard to grasp at first. It's a sandbox MMORPG, so there are mostly no explanations whatsoevere on professions, the node management, conversation minigame, the crafting system, etc. etc. Also killing mobs seems to be very easy at the beginning, the potion cooldown of only 5 seconds gives the impression that PvP just might be potion spamming, theThe thing with this game is that it's hard to grasp at first. It's a sandbox MMORPG, so there are mostly no explanations whatsoevere on professions, the node management, conversation minigame, the crafting system, etc. etc. Also killing mobs seems to be very easy at the beginning, the potion cooldown of only 5 seconds gives the impression that PvP just might be potion spamming, the real-time fighting with its keyboard combo controls can feel off at first, and whatnot.

    It took me a whole week of playing until I understood what the game is all about and where the enjoyment comes from. But now I love it. The combat system really is something special and a great diversion from tab targeting. Also it feels really fluent once you've created and memorized your own combos. Looking up how everything works made me feel like playing a MMORPG for the first time again. Mobs are geting harder and harder the further you progress, especially if you want to quest while being a bit underleveled. Potion spamming is a thing in this game, but since there are no other ways of healing it's just a different system than most MMORPGs. It won't do much in endgame, the one who outplays his enemy first will be the winner regardless of potions. The graphics are totally fine. They've got its up- and downsides but overall they look really, really decent. Especially the lighting.

    Remarkable pros:

    -New and great fighting system without tab targeting, fluent gameplay and nice combos
    -Amazing player housing. You can buy hundreds of different houses scattered around the world and customize it freely with self-created or bought furniture. It also grants different benefits, so there is a reason to visit your home
    - Mounts aren't just a different model but a real entity in the world. They'll stay where you left them and you can equip them with armor for defense/saddles for speed and other things

    But I'll definitely remark that the game isn't for everyone. It's not your usual MMO with a lot of handholding and conventional gameplay. Be aware of this and preferably do some more research before buying this game.    … Expand
  43. Aeonhunter
    Mar 11, 2016
    9
    I had to make an account just to write a review for this game as the amount of VERY negative reviews is absurd.

    I have played this game now from launch and I find it to be very amusing: The combat is great, visuals are stunning and the aspect of REAL adventure is really there! I enjoy it on every levels and find it disturbing to see those 0 reviews. So first let's speak about the    I had to make an account just to write a review for this game as the amount of VERY negative reviews is absurd.

    I have played this game now from launch and I find it to be very amusing: The combat is great, visuals are stunning and the aspect of REAL adventure is really there! I enjoy it on every levels and find it disturbing to see those 0 reviews.

    So first let's speak about the negative feedback this game has gotten and then I write a little conclusion of my own of the state of the game at this very moment (11.3.2016). Let us begin:

    It feels messy and I don't know what to do!
    --> EVERY MMO feels bit messy when you log in the first time. This game is not an exception. But then there is games where you don't care to find out what is going on and then there is games where you really want to find the information. I find this game to be the latter. And after all, it is a SANDBOX game, so it's not that self explanatory what you should do. Do what you want to do!

    It's too hard!
    --> ;) life is. Well seriously speaking the fact that the bosses for example hit hard and takes some carefulness to kill HAS to be a good thing. Too many easy games out there.

    UI is messy!
    --> I personally like it. And it can be modified in different kind of ways. Make your own UI and if it's still messy... Well look to the mirror to see who to blame.

    Gender locks destroyed my plan to be amazing MALE witch!
    --> I hate to tell you this but normally witch it gender locked even in real life. But this one I give to the haters. If you find it depressing that you can't do one EXACT class in the gender you want then yes, this aspect is there. BUT some of the classes are like the same, only with different gender (Warrior - Valkyrie, Witch - Wizard)

    It's P2W even it's B2P!
    --> It really ain't. It has one aspect in pearl store that could be considered as P2W and that is pet, which only loots but it will surely make your life easier. The game is P2W in regions where it is F2P, but they made it in EU B2P because we hate P2Ws, don't we? And I've heard rumors that pets will be added to the game by qs in EU, so let's keep our fingers crossed. (You can buy pets from other players with in-game silver anyway)

    It feels like F2P, all that energy and stuff, UGH!
    --> Well I certainly see your point there. But I see it differently. You can't chop logs all night long in real life, can you? Neither you can in this game. The energy stops me from spamming some actions in game and that makes me want to make my gold in the most efficient way possible. So I see this thing as a pro instead of a con. But everybody have their own opinion and I'm fine with that!

    I have a superüber computer but still it runs like crap!
    --> All I can say is that I have mid range computer and I can't run it with highest settings, but with high mid setting it works like a charm. It looks stunning even with these graphics. The negative feedback on this section is that with mid graphics the objects pop pretty near your character. That is a little visual problem when dashing down the road with your horsey but won't affect your normal visual experience.

    The combat system is confusing, I want my global CDs and hotkeys back!
    --> I personally thought the same. For an hour. After a while you really get into the combat system and BOY, then it feeeeeels good! It's the best combat system in any MMO I've played. And trust me, I've tried many of them. It feels pretty flawless and comfortable and you can really enjoy smashing all the monsters. You can hotkey most of your strikes tho if you so desire.

    The conclusion:
    There is so much more I would like to correct and tell you about this game. But I'm pretty sure most of you don't mind reading this long reviews (and tbh the character limit is closing threateningly) so let's wrap this up:

    There is always some cons and pros as game can't be perfect. And with this particular game I have to say it isn't for everybody.

    Pros: It's stunningly great looking game that offers you a huge world to explore as you will. It offers a lot to do in many forms, so there is always something for everyone: crafting, housing, boss fights, exploring, money making, horse taming and breeding, lore hunting, PVP, guild wars etc... It's sandbox game, so the way you are meant to play ain't introduced to you as you are in control. The game offers some fresh and lifelike inventions which are badly needed for the genre to keep it alive.

    Cons: The fact that leveling up is solely by mob killing is the largest restriction in this game. You have to grind some mobs to get to that soft cap (which is 50 and it isn't THAT bad to reach) and if you don't like action combat gameplay and some monster smashing then sadly, this game isn't for you. The lore is ok/good and so is voice acting (for a MMO-RPG), but if you are expecting AAA solo RPG game storytelling it will be a small letdown. The core game mechanics will divide opinions as some of us like it more classic.

    Hopefully this helped!    … Expand
  44. kaelan36
    Mar 10, 2016
    9
    I LOVE this game! I had everything anyone would want and really defines the sandbox genre. The combat is the most addictive. There is just so much to do! I love all the small mechanics like the parkour-elements. They just have so many neat little things in the game. The PVP is different from other games where as in this game you wait until LVL 45 and then when you leave a safe zone anyoneI LOVE this game! I had everything anyone would want and really defines the sandbox genre. The combat is the most addictive. There is just so much to do! I love all the small mechanics like the parkour-elements. They just have so many neat little things in the game. The PVP is different from other games where as in this game you wait until LVL 45 and then when you leave a safe zone anyone LVL 45 and over can engage in PVP. I also love the guild war system also how guilds can capture towns/ farms/mines/etc.. I haven't gotten around to being in a guild yet, but I can't wait. The character customization is amazing, the graphics are gorgeous for an mmo. There is just so much to do it's unbelievable. The only reason I didn't give a 10/10 was because, personally, the story was a little confusing and there is very little of it. I don't know if it's just I couldn't understand it, I just thought it was jumbled and kind of didn't have a place.… Expand
  45. dragonslayer21
    Mar 10, 2016
    10
    new game great setup played the beta very awesome mmo better then guild wars 2 ive played it so long then got so bored then one has to much to do what i have found to do
  46. Demosnslayer
    Mar 10, 2016
    10
    new mmos have hard time getting new players to like them but this one is awesome fishing crafting housing selling items great marketplace. better then wow righ tnow
  47. steve210
    Mar 10, 2016
    10
    great game one my favorite mmo this year hope it keeps up with other great mmos. wow keeps getting updates hopefully this game gets alot expansion in the near future
  48. Masterplanner64
    Mar 10, 2016
    10
    I'm giving this game a 9/10 mostly because I don't believe in giving a 10 to any game because they all have some room for improvement same with this game but anyone that gives this game less than an 8/10 its either trolling, has the patience and understanding of a 10 year old/needs things spelled out , or so jaded that they should just quit games altogether. this game does not cater to theI'm giving this game a 9/10 mostly because I don't believe in giving a 10 to any game because they all have some room for improvement same with this game but anyone that gives this game less than an 8/10 its either trolling, has the patience and understanding of a 10 year old/needs things spelled out , or so jaded that they should just quit games altogether. this game does not cater to the whims of casual play for the most part. (Grinding slow paced mobs when you char moves like lighting and afk fishing are some exceptions.) the combat is very technical for most classes and more akin to a fighting game

    the UI is easy to adjust though the edit UI menu and if you turn off the tutorial videos you will get lost but the game has a built resource called the BDfoundry for hints and tips on how to play but this game doesn't just give you all the answers.

    This is the opposite of WoW nothing is instanced except for player housing atm you pvp for guild halls/houses/castles and resources and taxes on other players. the big raid bosses are world bosses and summons the. end game is many different things not just a gear grind raise the best horse build the best boat be the highest ranked guild have the highest ranked house, be the best trader, fisherman, gatherer, farmer. etc. you can also benefit from making alt and playing them give the best gear to a lvl 1 no soulbound gear.

    So where can it improve? well lvling is fast, focused on large groups of mob grinding in spot to the next the difficulty is relatively low but but fun nonetheless true grind though comes at lvl 50 soft cap (no true hard cap, past 60 though is a practical halt) the mobs aren't completely brain dead but move slow in attacking and movement. more variants in mob difficulty and rewards would be a nice improvement.

    Some designated or even instanced pve dungeon would be nice

    and the rest is being address with the blader and nija classes coming soon as well a instanced 40 v 40 pvp BG

    all said and done Black Desert is the best MMORPG ive played thus far and that's all the action combat mmorpgs wow for 10 years and many niche f2p mmos. It is worth you time the more time you put into to it.    … Expand
  49. Kaarilala
    Mar 10, 2016
    8
    lmao, I love that all these reviews came in on the exact same day, by a bunch of keyboard face smash names, all with 0's, all with only a single review... seriously, Metcritic you need to do your job better, clean up the obvious bots out of here.

    As for my Review, Honestly, is it the best PVE game? Nah, not really, it's very focused on PvP. the game has a very fun combat system, it's    lmao, I love that all these reviews came in on the exact same day, by a bunch of keyboard face smash names, all with 0's, all with only a single review... seriously, Metcritic you need to do your job better, clean up the obvious bots out of here.

    As for my Review, Honestly, is it the best PVE game? Nah, not really, it's very focused on PvP.
    the game has a very fun combat system, it's very much a combo based system where you string together abilities by using directions and key inputs, no hotbar smashing for your primary combat abilities. some abilities do require hotbar use though, stuff like buffs, etc.

    for the PVE they do have, it feels very organic, its a very open world that feels alive, random NPCs wandering around, crowded spots of monsters, no barron empty areas ive run into so far. players can participate in zone control PvP, Trade between towns, etc. you can be a professional in this game and not even touch combat if you really wanted to.

    honestly, im enjoying the **** out of this game, it's 30 bucks, and ive gotten more then that worth out of the game. the cash shop is exceedingly expensive for what it offers, but honestly, its all optional, the "pay 2 win" ghillie suit, is barely an advantage, the "advantage" it gives you, anyone can do without the ghillie suit anyway... just crouch... >.> It's that easy.

    anyways, back to the game, as someone who works full time, and only has a few hours a night to play, this game has been a lot of damn fun.    … Expand
  50. cardosy
    Mar 10, 2016
    6
    Good systems and great potential spoiled by cheap korean MMO stuff. The monetization method is awful, and some of the UI and mechanics are dubious at best.
  51. fukwa
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Overhyped mess of a game. I've got best performance PC you could as for, and this game doesn't run good. Getting 20-30 fps what the hell. Go free to play already, you don't deserve to be b2p. who even plays this wtf
  52. zubawa
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    To be honest I've seen worse games, however this community is just horrible with it's accusations just because others prefer better/way more popular mmos. I've seen some horrible fanboys over the years, but BDO fanboys have to be the worst. Yeah really cool to go search for a conspiracy when your game is not good enough.
  53. kolinka
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Just as I though I was getting bored of Guild Wars 2, this game came along. And I was all hyped and that. I even spent 60$ on it. The end result? Bad product. This is the worst MMO I've tried so far, and that's saying a lot. I guess I'll just stay in GW2.
  54. nuia
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    BOOOORINGGGGGG...........

    If you are expecting a good story, quests or whatever, don't bother playing BDO. I've found the hard way that BDO is all about grinding with no meaning.
  55. julaw
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    I'm absolutely digusted by the performance issues. The game is crashing every 5min. It's not even a new game, you'd think the game would have been fixed by now, but no.
  56. ljuaw
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    People saying it's a conspiracy, no game sucks. Releasing a low quality korean grindfest and putting a price tag on it, do you think we western players are that stupid to play it? Apparently we really are that stupid to buy it, and drop it in a week as the quality is just not there. You could it takes much more to satisfy a player in the west because we're not used to so bad games.
  57. macho41
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    This childish community can't take a criticism so I'm giving it a zero...

    Othervise the game is not that bad it's just not as good as the others.

    My biggest gripe with it is that it doesn't have any pve content...
  58. mieal
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Have we really gone so low that we have to play this kind of mmos :)? I'd rather watch a paint dry than play black desert, it's so boring and uninspired, on top of that even very buggy and unoptimized.
  59. mary94
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Maybe I'm just too old, but there is nothing that Black Desert does, which hasn't been done before or done better. Same old, just of a mediocre quality. Might as well play WoW, at least it has some PvE.
  60. jon43
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Is this the new trend? Releasing crappy korean MMOs?

    PROS - Graphics, character creator

    CONS - everything else

    TLDR: Get a better MMO..............
  61. alanaw
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    The game is probably more like 4 or 5, but I'm just giving it 0 to even the score for all those fanboys giving it 10. It's perhaps worth the 30$ price tag, even though it won't last you for more than 1 month, unlike other AAA mmos.
  62. misal
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Pretty graphics don't make a game. Black desert is a perfect example of that. What a souless game. Besides why the hell asians can't create a good action combat is beyond me.
  63. kosa
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Black desert probably has the most immature community I've ever seen. Well at least it seems very similar to WoW, so that's bad enough. If only the game was that great to tolerate all these kids.
  64. japaba
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    This game is not a sandbox. The company lied and I was very mislead. I guess I'm staying with EVE till a true sandbox game comes along. It's way better anyway.
  65. kokolo
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    BDO is anything but decent. This grindfest mess that they've created deserves to die, and I'm sure it will very soon. If blade and soul didn't make it, Black Desert has no chance at all.
  66. davana
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    Lol people going nuts because of 2 or 3 guys said they prefer ESO. I'm not even playing ESO, but I can at least see where they are coming from. When I played ESO there was at least high quality stuff, I don't see anything that good in BDO. Get a better taste people.
  67. julama23
    Mar 9, 2016
    0
    My god this is hilarious. Aren't we done with these korean garbages already? Blade and soul failed 1 month ago and now this failure. Korea just stop, you suck.
  68. Tokenblackman
    Mar 9, 2016
    10
    Black Desert, to sum it up is Likely one of the Greatest potential. MMORPG's to come around, the Game Does in Fact have a PVE. Since the Game is in the Very 1st stage of its life (western version) with no Current expansions, out this is a Game Build around PVP. with Guild castles, a war system so far as it stands to Give a Game such a one sided point of view of all of the Many classesBlack Desert, to sum it up is Likely one of the Greatest potential. MMORPG's to come around, the Game Does in Fact have a PVE. Since the Game is in the Very 1st stage of its life (western version) with no Current expansions, out this is a Game Build around PVP. with Guild castles, a war system so far as it stands to Give a Game such a one sided point of view of all of the Many classes that are going to be released.

    Down sides no game is "PERFECT" The interface is alittle clunky and the Translations Are alittle off sometime thing are a little buggy. but then again what isn't at At this point at lvl 50 there is no Real content (right now)

    also to add to that on that the next expansion that will be released will likely Require and your guild to consist. of players of Max level and also when you get the lvl cap Start working on a profession to Build up the Game economy.

    10/10 Due to the potential and there is Nothing to Compare to it Right now to Leave anything below a 5 would be unfair for any game under 1 week old unless it is unplayable    … Expand
  69. KrytyNiekrytyk
    Mar 9, 2016
    4
    Pros:
    - great graphics
    - great character creator - sandbox Cons: - boring (go to place B from place A and kill everyone, do the same from B to C etc). - no equipment system (you will look the same from lvl 1 to lvl 50, or you can pay 30 euro for some epic outfit) - hud - no tutorials - combat system has too many keyboard shortcuts, so you can be pro player if you will just hit    Pros:
    - great graphics
    - great character creator
    - sandbox
    Cons:
    - boring (go to place B from place A and kill everyone, do the same from B to C etc).
    - no equipment system (you will look the same from lvl 1 to lvl 50, or you can pay 30 euro for some epic outfit)
    - hud
    - no tutorials
    - combat system has too many keyboard shortcuts, so you can be pro player if you will just hit keyboard with your head.

    So:
    Wait for f2p or for equipment system patch, and this will be quite better (like 6/10).    … Expand
  70. Jeoul
    Mar 9, 2016
    6
    I have currently played this game roughly about 6 days so far, overall i have to say I am enjoying it. In my opinion you have to approach this game slowly - learn how to buy properties, nodes, workers, basic cooking, gathering, crafting, fishing then probably trading. I made a mistake of following my friend grinding the 'main' quest on launch and that just burnt me out.

    The game does    I have currently played this game roughly about 6 days so far, overall i have to say I am enjoying it. In my opinion you have to approach this game slowly - learn how to buy properties, nodes, workers, basic cooking, gathering, crafting, fishing then probably trading. I made a mistake of following my friend grinding the 'main' quest on launch and that just burnt me out.

    The game does feel overwhelming at first but as always you will learn and become efficient. I even managed to convince my friend to stop doing main mob quests and actually explore the game and now hes enjoying it more. I built my first raft and we just went exploring islands for nodes then went fishing (good money maker). The game is what you make of it, you go at your own pace, if you want to max level and thats your thing then do it.

    Combat is good, no alt-tabbing, pretty fluid, flashy moves, and what i appreciate the most (9 out of 10 times) is if the mob doesnt hit you as you dodge or run, it simply doesnt hit you, i know quite afew mmos where once the mob has locked on and was in range despite dodging it will still end up hitting you.

    I haven't touched on PvP yet (i'm only lvl23) which is somewhat important to me (as i aim to do epic castle sieges one day, in hopes to bring back the Lineage2 memories). I have read about the harsh karma system which is not ideal at all, you cannot gank people and steal their trade packs, if open-world PVP is consensual the initiator will still be penalized . Despite what Archeage turned out to be (total trash from a poisonous company Trion) the PvP was FUN.

    This game does require you grind (not just leveling), Strength, Stamina will require you to do certain actions, altho it doesnt 100% hinder you, it will require AFK-ing.

    But yeh overall i have to say i am enjoying this, crafting doesnt feel tedious to a point where i was forced to do it to remain relevant, the scroll bosses actually requires timing and dodging, beautiful world and graphics, fun combat.

    Enough waffling heres a break down:

    Pros
    - As everyone states good face customization.
    - Nice graphics, beautiful world, NPCs actually removing around makes the world feel more alive.
    - Combat system is quite exciting with flashy moves
    - Gathering and crafting is not tedious and i dont feel forced to do it.
    - It is giving me a little Lineage2 nostalgia (which is a huge bonus for me)
    - It feels like im on an adventure, especially when you stop questing and just explore.
    - Castle sieges
    - Mini games are present
    - In other MMos, once you reach a near peak of a mountain you will slide back down, in this game, you can climb

    Cons
    - There is practically no armor variation in the game, they all look the same, dyes will only change the color, i want to see fresh sets.
    - Therefore this leads me to this - as many arguments there are, the cash shop is BS for a b2p game. Pets should be obtainable via ingame, a costume costs nearly the same price as the game?! The ghillie suit is the only p2w element for me, i wouldnt call the cash shop p2w tho (luckily enough).
    - Inventory and warehouse (altho expandable in game) is very tedious for a b2p game.
    - Karma system is too harsh, enough of carebear players, let the players fight (i dont mean grieving for the sake of it but when you're farming, having to look around incase of a PK adds alil excitement)
    > especially if its consensual NOONE should be losing karma from that.
    > PvPing will bring more drama and 'emotion(?)' to guild wars
    - One thing i slightly miss from later MMOs is open world events, this one doesnt exclusively have any (might be wrong, so far it doesnt)?

    probably missed afew points but you get the overall message
    -    … Expand
  71. Rohaldos
    Mar 9, 2016
    7
    I will keep it short.

    The game has a brilliant character creation tool, it could have been perfect if the game was not gender/age lock. 8 out 10 The game offers a very good if not one of the best crafting and trading system that you could ever find in a mmo game. The AH and the player 2 player trade seems designed to keep prices fair with no exploits The combat is more like an    I will keep it short.

    The game has a brilliant character creation tool, it could have been perfect if the game was not gender/age lock. 8 out 10

    The game offers a very good if not one of the best crafting and trading system that you could ever find in a mmo game. The AH and the player 2 player trade seems designed to keep prices fair with no exploits

    The combat is more like an action game which I find fantastic, very similar to vindictus. 9 out 10

    There tons of quests and things to do. 9 out of 10

    At the moment the only complain that I have is the pearl shop, the items are way overpriced for a B2P game. For example if you want to purchase a full set armor(including weapons), an armor for your horse and a pet this will probably cost you over $50. 0 out of 10

    I like the game and I want to support it but I am not so foolish to pay for "skin" all that money.    … Expand
  72. Fure
    Mar 9, 2016
    10
    Stop Complaining with the Cash shop... Because in this game it is EASY to make money with at least a brain... And you can get some of the cash shop item from the auction if people want to sell them. So probleme resolved.

    You people who told us that lvl 50 no PVE then its only the 3 march so Did you get 50 so fast? Or Its just some rumors you heard. There is a lot of PVE content all    Stop Complaining with the Cash shop... Because in this game it is EASY to make money with at least a brain... And you can get some of the cash shop item from the auction if people want to sell them. So probleme resolved.

    You people who told us that lvl 50 no PVE then its only the 3 march so Did you get 50 so fast? Or Its just some rumors you heard.
    There is a lot of PVE content all around the progression of your caracter. NPC Friendship NODS/connecting Discontinuer Slaves Commerce Finding new knowledge Crafting And muche more.

    You enjoy the real life aspect of the game? No fast travel for exemple? Cuting down a Three takes few time fishing also... That real life aspect most people like it and the same groupe of people complain about the energie systeme... its full contradiction. because In REAL LIFE you need energie also... surprise...

    I mean The energie is systeme is a good thing because you have to manage your energie according to what you want to do next... For exemple I want to go fishing so I wont cut three I need my energie to fish...
    Real life aspect so stop complaining about that, its part of the game and its important. Life is about making choices!!! Not crying because you can't do every thing right know.

    And the combat systeme is one of the less boring I have ever seen in a MMORPG. And people who said its boring they have been rushing Bashing LVL50 in 15hours... Missing the content of the game. Forgive them.

    It's a game that require to take your time to discover it and enjoy it. Rushing is like Eating 30euro and poo it in a volcano.

    Big tips... Don't go swwiiimmmmmiinnnngggg

    I won't say more because most of the positive rewiew or good enough for me. But I wanted to counter the negative points wich are for some... HALF LIES    … Expand
  73. Dragonfire14
    Mar 8, 2016
    4
    PROS:
    - Unique character creation
    - Multiple character slots - Interesting trade route system - One time purchase CONS: - The UI is confusing and all over the place - Combat keys are random, for example to do a skill you may have to press a combination of keys such as "S, SHIFT, left click). Acts more like a fighting game. - Quest trails don't lead to the next objective for    PROS:
    - Unique character creation
    - Multiple character slots
    - Interesting trade route system
    - One time purchase

    CONS:

    - The UI is confusing and all over the place
    - Combat keys are random, for example to do a skill you may have to press a combination of keys such as "S, SHIFT, left click). Acts more like a fighting game.
    - Quest trails don't lead to the next objective for some quests
    - Boring dialog
    - Bad english voice overs
    - Male characters limited to one class (unless you want to be old or a giant)
    - Energy system that limits your gameplay
    - Energy is used on almost everything. From Gathering to talking to some npcs
    - Game feels like an alpha
    - characters sometime appear as default class looks
    - feels unpolished
    - Game mechanics are not explained (or not explained early enough)
    - classes are gender locked
    - First boss is a massive increase in difficulty compared to all the enemies you fight before hand
    - Many free to play systems in play
    - boring quests
    - random arrows that point to nothing    … Expand
  74. sodade21
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    Amazing game. You need to give it a shot and maybe force yourself for the first 5 hours of playing till you get an idea of what happening.. then you probably gonna love it! its amazing and has a bit room for improvement ;)
  75. leche
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    This game reminds me a lot of the fresh feeling of playing Runescape for the very first time. The combat is hands down the best MMO combat I have ever experienced. No question about it. When most of an MMO is combat, you better be sure that the combat is good. I'm happy to say that I am completely satisfied with the combat. The only thing I wish was that there were more in game clothing!!
  76. crypticturtle
    Mar 8, 2016
    8
    I honestly enjoy this game. The combat is excellent, the world is alive, the game has a great land and property ownership system, and you can hire npc workers to gather for you. A few drawbacks are that low-level combat is very easy, the UI feels like a foreign website, and the games trading/property system is a bit confusing at first. They also need to make an option to make other playersI honestly enjoy this game. The combat is excellent, the world is alive, the game has a great land and property ownership system, and you can hire npc workers to gather for you. A few drawbacks are that low-level combat is very easy, the UI feels like a foreign website, and the games trading/property system is a bit confusing at first. They also need to make an option to make other players parked mounts invisible since they clog up cities.… Expand
  77. TheMerryGambit
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    10/10 Would buy again... well personally its an 8.5 or 9 out of 10 But I'm giving this game a 10 because it truly deserves a much higher score than a 6 And here are the reasons why:

    TLDR: 1) Combat - The combat in this game is Fluid, dynamic, and Amazing. When I first saw it on videos I thought "What is this hot mess?" All I could imagine was button mashing for the win. But that    10/10 Would buy again... well personally its an 8.5 or 9 out of 10 But I'm giving this game a 10 because it truly deserves a much higher score than a 6 And here are the reasons why:

    TLDR:

    1) Combat - The combat in this game is Fluid, dynamic, and Amazing. When I first saw it on videos I thought "What is this hot mess?" All I could imagine was button mashing for the win. But that is NOT THE CASE AT ALL. You have to be skilled with your combos and time them correctly to pull them off. But if you chain them together you can create a masterpiece of destruction... and it FEEELS SOOO GOOOOOD!

    2) ABSOLUTELY NO PAY TO WIN - Accomplished VIA:

    >> A Semi Fixed Marketplace with anti botting measures
    >> No player trading allowed (very intentional to stop gold farming) Again at first you might shake your fist at the sky and cry "TYRANNY!" but This essentially completely locks down all gold farmers and craps in their faces. I love it so much I could cry.
    c) higher cash shop prices for vanity items (and few character clothing customizations in game) in order to pay for more amazing content.

    The vast majority of the negative reviews on here are people **** about the cash shop costumes being too expensive or that there are no refunds for pre-orders after you play the game etc. But they are truly missing the point as to why the cash shop is the way it is. Think of it as paying to keep the game devs generating amazing content without pay to win abuse and you'll realize it's well worth the cost.

    3) Stable Marketplace economy - At first it might seem too fixed but there are so many complex facets to the economy you'll be thankful you have a stable marketplace at it's central hub. `

    4) Graphics Are Amazing... like ridiculously amazing. They roads even stay wet and have puddles that you can create ripples in for a while after the rain clears and they dynamically go away after a while of the sun drying them out.

    5) Housing System is amazing - While some of you might miss the "claim and concor" aspect of Archeage, BDO takes a different approach. In BDO your housing is a part of your economy. you essentially buy multiple properties to build up your own empire similar to a Sim City or RTS game... its actually pretty badass.

    6) Economy/Trading System. This backpacks off the above and ties in with the crafting system... there is literally so much to this system that it would take a while to explain but needless to say it's in depth and awesome with such variables effecting price as market trends, player relationships, distance travelled, type of location/NPC you are selling it to, environmental factors etc. etc.

    7) Crafting systems - Again these are so large and so expansive I would have to write a book. Needless to say you will invariably end up picking 1 - 3 aspects of the crafting system to focus on and just learn and explore all that you can within that discipline. For me that's fishing and Gawd Damn it's satisfying in this game.

    8) Story and immersion - no fast travel at all... this might upset some... but it's a godsend. Really it's hard to pin point it down but the story is actually good even though it has its translation and voice acting hiccups. there is quite a political war going on between 2 of the main hubs of the world and all in all you feel like you're in the middle of a big ongoing conflict.... hard to lay my finger on it but It's very similar to the Witcher 2 even with all of its flaws.    … Expand
  78. Avengersoul
    Mar 8, 2016
    9
    Ignore the ESO user base that is threatened by this game giving it a 0, they collectively came here after recruiting in the ESO chat to come and drop the games score down bringing it from a mid 8 to mid 5.

    That aside, Black Desert Online is the first MMO I've played in 10 years that actually has me invested in the world and doesn't feel like it will fail in a couple of months (ESO    Ignore the ESO user base that is threatened by this game giving it a 0, they collectively came here after recruiting in the ESO chat to come and drop the games score down bringing it from a mid 8 to mid 5.

    That aside, Black Desert Online is the first MMO I've played in 10 years that actually has me invested in the world and doesn't feel like it will fail in a couple of months (ESO anyone?)

    BDO boasts a huge world with tons of lore to back it up, there is lore for everything. It's also not going to hold your hand and let you get around quickly skipping the content. If you want to get from one end of the map to the other you'll be running either on foot or on your mount, there are some transportation NPC's that will taxi you to certain places but there is no fast travel! There is however a waypoint and autorun system in place allowing you to make your way to any destination of your choice.

    The crafting system in place is fantastic. One of the most in depth crafting in an MMO I've seen. Each has tons of recipes to learn and it feels rewarding when you finally make what you were after. From player crafting to hiring workers and assigning tasks there really is loads to do in the game if you prefer trading instead of combat. Want to go explore the ocean, gather material and build a boat. Want to be the best fisherman, grab a pole and cast that line! Everything is ranked in the game, if you're good at something you will get credit and be known!

    If you like questing there are tons of quests. You have your basic kill quests but also tons of other quests that range from profession related to small tasks like helping a girl get her kitten down from a roof. You'll never get bored or run out of quests to do.

    Combat is also great, it's an action combat based system that relies on combo's to do massive damage. The animations and overall feel of it really makes it seem that your abilities are actually hitting your target. The game can be a bit grindy but with the combat system the grind flies by and you're never left feeling bored killing anything for a long period of time.

    There are countless ways to make money in the game as well. Fighting normal mobs or bosses, fishing, gathering, making potions....but the greatest thing in this game are trade runs. You can pack certain goods in crates or purchase goods from a trader in a city, load up a wagon and hit the road to other cities for massive profits, the further the distance the more you make. There are certain factors to watch out for doing this as there is a weight system in place, goods can degrade over time and you can run across thieves while transporting goods but the system is a lot of fun to take part in.

    Another great thing about the game is it's an open world. Only a couple things are instanced base, player house being one of them however arena's, dungeons are all in the world, you won't be hitting any loading screens while playing.

    Housing is another great thing in the game, you can purchase up to 5 "residences" in town that you can enter and decorate. There is furniture in the cash shop, npc's selling them or you can craft them. You can decorate however you wish and housing is also ranked based on a point system for what you own, you can even invest money into your property if you're the top ranked out of everyone that owns that same house and earn interest off your investment.

    PVP is also in the game, I haven't experienced much but there is open world pvp and a karma system to help with gankers. The main focus currently are guild wars which is free of the karma system. I believe later we will be getting sieges.

    Lastly the game is gorgeous! This is one of the most beautiful MMO's I've played that has a realistic look to it. There is a day/night cycle that runs two hours for each and the nights are very dark, sometimes requiring a lantern to see. The game also runs really well on a variety of systems, if you have a high end system it will definitely show but even extremely low end systems can run the game extremely well, I tried the game on my laptop which has i5 integrated graphics and was able to run about 30 fps on low which still looks great.

    The game is B2P, starting price is 30 dollars which is a very good price for the amount of content we have or will be getting in the future. There is a cash shop, the prices in the shop are very overpriced sadly but there is no P2W in this game, Daum (the publisher) has listened to the community and removed the P2W aspects from the game that were there in the Korean/Russian release.

    I could go on and on about the game all day, there really is too much to talk about even in the 5k character limit here.

    I rated the game a 9/10, no game is perfect. This game also won't be for everyone, I would suggest trying to snag a guest pass if you want to try it out. There has been some launch issues regarding preorder items but for the most part the launch has been pretty good. I haven't had any issues playing the game.    … Expand
  79. Tolmos
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    Black Desert Online manages to scratch the old school MMO itch that many players have felt over the past decade. With open world PvP, guild vs guild fighting, a complex economy and supply chain management system, tons of side content such as involved crafting and gathering as well as housing, and finally an action combat system that relies heavily on combos and player skill, this game willBlack Desert Online manages to scratch the old school MMO itch that many players have felt over the past decade. With open world PvP, guild vs guild fighting, a complex economy and supply chain management system, tons of side content such as involved crafting and gathering as well as housing, and finally an action combat system that relies heavily on combos and player skill, this game will keep you immersed from day one. And if graphics are your thing, you won't find yourself disappointed there, either. Simply back up to a wall and lean against it to activate the free flying camera and enjoy all the sights your local environment may have to offer!

    While players who are used to endgame gear grinds and hand-holding quest content may be disappointed, players who are looking for an involved and living world will find plenty to interest them. The game identifies itself, on its home page, as a "life simulator". The towns feel truly alive, and quest rewards are designed in such a way that even if you return to old cities long since visited, you will still find that helping out the locals is a rewarding experience. The lack of fast travel truly makes the map feel massive, while the addition of an "auto-pilot" to waypoints set on the map helps avoid creating unnecessary tedium in the acts of managing your workers and resources in other cities.

    While I have nothing but praise for this sandbox MMO's gameplay and core mechanics, I have an equal amount of loathing for the voice acting and general story. The English voices sound like various interns were asked to play the part during their lunch breaks, and the story is dragged down greatly by this. The underlying premise seems interesting, but the amazing immersion created by the rest of the game is thrown out back and beaten to death by the dull and uninterested actors telling the tale.

    All together, I would say that if old school sandbox games are your style (Ultima, Lineage II, Shadowbane, EVE Online, etc), this game is for you. But if you are looking for a modern theme park with endgame raids and a story to match, you will likely find yourself quite disappointed.    … Expand
  80. redfrick
    Mar 8, 2016
    9
    This is the MMO I've been waiting for, I think. I'm hesitant to say this is the MMO I will be playing for years as so much can change and I've been burned so many times in the past. But so far Black Desert is phenomenal.

    Pros: Combat is just so much fun. You truly feel like a bada** and the animations and effects are so cool. It will be very hard to play a tab targeting game again    This is the MMO I've been waiting for, I think. I'm hesitant to say this is the MMO I will be playing for years as so much can change and I've been burned so many times in the past. But so far Black Desert is phenomenal.

    Pros:

    Combat is just so much fun. You truly feel like a bada** and the animations and effects are so cool. It will be very hard to play a tab targeting game again

    Graphically there isn't another MMO that I've ever played that could touch Black Desert. It's simply gorgeous.

    Crafting is enjoyable. Hiring workers to do my dirty work is so nice. I'm an altoholic and being able to command my workers on other characters is great.

    Fishing, yes fishing. I'm addicted to it. Addicted to filling my inventory and filling my cart up with fish and making the trek to the trade manager to sell my bounty.

    Player housing is a mini game in and of itself.

    Exploration in Black Desert is quite enjoyable. From just running around exploring to crafting a boat and sailing around the world, there is much to see.

    Sandbox aspects. I like the fact that you can do whatever the heck you want to do or totally avoid what you don't want to do.

    Cons:

    Gender locks on SOME classes. There are a 3 classes that are gender locked with the rest having an opposite sex counterpart.

    No dungeons or raids. This might be a temporary issue as from what I understand the Korean version (which is ahead of the NA/EU) is starting to implement dungeons. If dungeon/raid progression is important to you this is not the game for you at this point in time.

    PVP focus. Those looking for a primarily PVE focused game will probably want to look elsewhere or at least wait and see if more dungeons are implemented.

    No player trading. I believe this was put in place to avoid gold sellers.

    Appearance. This is really the only con that I personally have an issue with. Everyone looks so similar. There are some minor changes when picking up new gear but not significant enough. I really hope they address this in the future.

    As I said earlier I like this game. A lot. I see so much potential here that I am really excited to see what's on the horizon. Unless there are factors to this game that you simply cannot get past (PVP focus, gender locks, no tab targeting) I don't see how you will get at least a couple months of enjoyment out of Black Desert. Not bad for $30 in my opinion.    … Expand
  81. ChefJordan
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    Let me start by saying these other reviews are full on bull. This game has got me to fall in love with MMO's all over again i can see my self playing it for years.
    Also there is not a single pay-to-win aspect in the game those claiming there is have not played 1 second of the game or spent more than 5mins researching the game they are just fan boys of other games.
    Yes there is aspects of    Let me start by saying these other reviews are full on bull. This game has got me to fall in love with MMO's all over again i can see my self playing it for years.
    Also there is not a single pay-to-win aspect in the game those claiming there is have not played 1 second of the game or spent more than 5mins researching the game they are just fan boys of other games.
    Yes there is aspects of the game that could use work but people are forgetting it may have been out for awhile in Korea but we still have an early build and there are MANY updates to come.    … Expand
  82. Spoonparty
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    No other game has united my friends/gaming circle like BDO, since the Vanilla WoW days. That goes for mmos, fps, mobas and every other type of game we try to play as a group (8-12 people). Never has a game satisfied us all until this.

    I probably couldn't tell you exactly what it is that has made this occur but I'll have a go: 1. There's something for everyone in BDO and it's fine not    No other game has united my friends/gaming circle like BDO, since the Vanilla WoW days. That goes for mmos, fps, mobas and every other type of game we try to play as a group (8-12 people). Never has a game satisfied us all until this.

    I probably couldn't tell you exactly what it is that has made this occur but I'll have a go:

    1. There's something for everyone in BDO and it's fine not "to do it all". You can play the elements of the game that you want to play and do just fine.
    2. Each little aspect of the game (cooking, fishing, breeding etc) feels totally unique and like its own game in itself. Very immersive.
    3. The world feels like a world. No fast travel, no queuing stuff through a menu, no lifeless settlements. Everywhere feels alive, bustling and real.
    4. No subscription. All though I've played everyday since launch and will do for a while, I like feeling safe in the knowledge I can drop in any time free of charge.
    5. NOT pay-2-win. Take my word on this, it's not. Search for KungenTV's video on the topic. Too much to explain here.

    Anyway, you've read all this stuff before. I wasn't that interested in BDO running up to launch and don't really have a desire for Asian games, but this one has hit the spot. Everything is just well thought out and well designed. You will need to use external guides to get started and kickstart your fun during the first few sessions to get the most out of the game and realize it plays differently to what you are use to. Once things start to make sense, you'll be in love!

    Mark my words.    … Expand
  83. Kozuka
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    Black Desert is the best MMO to come out in years. Graphically very pleasing, a great mix of sandbox and theme park features, and real meaningful content that is actually satisfying to complete instead of just auto queuing for the next mindless dungeon. Every facet of the game has much more depth and complexity than the average cookie cutter MMO (ESO, BnS, WoW...) and is much more akin toBlack Desert is the best MMO to come out in years. Graphically very pleasing, a great mix of sandbox and theme park features, and real meaningful content that is actually satisfying to complete instead of just auto queuing for the next mindless dungeon. Every facet of the game has much more depth and complexity than the average cookie cutter MMO (ESO, BnS, WoW...) and is much more akin to SWG or Everquest.

    The good vastly outweighs the bad, and this is worth a purchase if you are an old school MMO fan.

    Ignore the ESO trolls, Black Desert is the game ESO should have been.    … Expand
  84. Delrick
    Mar 8, 2016
    8
    There's been a recent wave of people from another game to downvote this game, I'm not going to share which game because it's a group of people not the game, in hopes to ruin this games reputation by giving it a 0/10. Most of the negative reviews given had their accounts all made on the same day, all downvoting BDO with 0/10 and upvoting their game with 10/10 saying it's the perfect gameThere's been a recent wave of people from another game to downvote this game, I'm not going to share which game because it's a group of people not the game, in hopes to ruin this games reputation by giving it a 0/10. Most of the negative reviews given had their accounts all made on the same day, all downvoting BDO with 0/10 and upvoting their game with 10/10 saying it's the perfect game and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. There's no perfect game out there and there never will be.

    If you take a look at the negative reviews made towards this game, it's mainly "has no PvE at all" , "extremely P2W" , or "not a sandbox game."

    1. "This game is extremely P2W." BDO in NA/EU isn't P2W by any means. It's PFC (Pay for Convenience) and that's 100% accurate. You can buy yourself more bag space, weight limit, costumes, and potions that you can cosmetics for your ships / vehicles / mounts. NONE of these items are you able to trade or sell to other players as they're all either character or account bound. The concept of P2W is most commonly described as: paying real life money to advance your characters strength in game, like for example, spending $1000 and converting all of those spendings to in game money or buying yourself gear.

    2. "This game has no PvE at all, there's no end game." ----- I laughed.

    3. Not a sandbox game? There's trading, linking nodes, fishing, farming, hiring workers to do tasks for you, gathering, processing, achievements that progress your character and none of this is forced on you. You're given directions yeah, but it's not linear whatsoever. Wanna say **** leveling and pvp because you wanna go fish right out of the gate? You can and that goes with anything you wanna do. The world is MASSIVE and none of it is instanced.

    Aside from all the negativity by haters from other games trying to promote their game out of fear or anger because other games are losing players to this game, this game is genuinely a very good game. It's not a perfect game, I gave it a 8/10 for a reason. -1 Point was to the bugs and UI problems that they're having. This would easily be a 9/10 game if it wasnt for that, but hey, the game JUST came live (if these changes are ever fixed I'll gladly change my review). And my other -1 point goes to the Energy system. It's the ONLY thing I dislike about this game. The way they've implemented the energy system makes it so that it doesnt feel TERRIBLE, but it's not GREAT either. I hate limitations through recovery systems.

    What this game has to offer:
    - Amazing graphics
    - One of a kind character customization
    - A MASSIVE world
    - Its NOT P2W
    - The classes all seem so fun that it literally took me a week to figure out what I wanted to play and even after I figured out what I wanted to play, Im fully aware/certain that the character im playing WONT be the only class I ever play in this game.
    - The community is nice
    - There's so much you can do that you'll literally get sidetracked. I got realized I got sidetracked from something I wanted to do, told myself I was going to go do that now and then INSTANTLY afterwards I had gotten sidetracked again without even realizing it this time.

    I'd like to admit that yes, I made my account here on Metacritic today. I realize that my comment about all the downvotes about this game were accounts made today and here I am upvoting this game on the same day I made my account. I dont believe that these people are reasonable at all. A majority of the comments are from people who have never played this game.

    TLDR; the game is amazing, dont trust the negative reviews on this site (or any site with a review based system), and do your research about BDO. Visit the official forums, visit the BDO reddit, watch youtube videos about this game.    … Expand
  85. A_CowboyKing
    Mar 7, 2016
    8
    Pros:

    +Very interesting game mechanics (Knowledge, Energy for certain tasks, Amity levels for NPCs, Contribution Points to invest in certain areas, etc.) +Awesome action combat that relies on combos and requires you to dodge in order to mitigate damage (Somewhat similar to TERA) +Creative character creation and interesting classes (I have only played as the Sorceress but have watched    Pros:

    +Very interesting game mechanics (Knowledge, Energy for certain tasks, Amity levels for NPCs, Contribution Points to invest in certain areas, etc.)
    +Awesome action combat that relies on combos and requires you to dodge in order to mitigate damage (Somewhat similar to TERA)
    +Creative character creation and interesting classes (I have only played as the Sorceress but have watched others play as different characters. Some are fairly similar to each other, however they do differ in a few key areas. More classes will be arriving soon)
    +Fantastic graphics with a lot of optimization options (Not to mention the engine was built from the ground up specifically for this game)
    +Huge open world (no loading screens, massive playable area with more areas to come, includes large sea areas that will be expanded upon as well)
    +World feels alive (Many NPCs go about their business and even talk among themselves, hired workers travel between areas in real time, day and night cycle, dynamic weather, no fast travel, etc.)
    +So many things to do (Grind mobs to gain EXP and Knowledge, complete the ridiculous amount of quests, many different types of life skills and crafting)
    +Life skills and crafting (This includes but is not limited to fishing, cooking, farming, training, gathering, processing, etc. Each life skill can be leveled up to a specific max level, allowing you to have more success and find better items in these areas)
    +Guild vs. Guild (Siege, Nodes) and PvP (Instanced, Arena, Open-world, with more modes to come)
    +Forgoes the traditional Raids and Dungeons for World Bosses, Summoned Bosses, Guild Wars, etc. The Desert will be released soon and will include Wold Bosses as well as a Dungeon located underground)
    +Player housing that is instanced but can be visited by every single player. Each house can either be an actual house that you can decorate, lodging for your workers, warehouses. and different types of workshops
    +World Economy (Hire workers to gather and produce goods for you, game-wide marketplace, NPC trading, connecting nodes to create trade routes throughout the world, etc.)
    +Encourages alternative characters (Items, weapons, armor, and money can be shared. Contribution Points accumulate over all characters to maximize node investments. The same applies to Energy)

    Neutral:

    =Endgame is guild and PvP activities as well as life skills and crafting. I actually do not mind this as it breaks away from many of the genre's tropes to form a more organic MMORPG game
    =Level EXP is gained primarily through grinding mobs. It can still be gained through certain quests and however it is not nearly as reliable as grinding mobs. Quests give Energy, Contribution Points, Knowledge, etc. EXP for life skills/crafting is gained through performing those activities
    =Attaining mob knowledge is based on RNG as well as the level of knowledge attained. Mob knowledge can be reset in order to try get attain a higher knowledge level
    =Some gender locked classes. Some classes are similar to each other though, so this may offer a solution if you are set on one specific type of character
    =Dialog and voice acting, NPC text, and story are fairly awkward. Granted, this game was originally written in Korean and had to be translated for other regions. Although, the fact that you may be the bad guy that contains the Dark Energy that is now tainting the world is a somewhat interesting aspect
    =No player trading. Only certain items can be traded such as basic potions. I am not sure about other items and if being in a party or guild changes this aspect
    =Mechanics are not explained, forcing the player to learn for themselves. I, for one, find this to be interesting as it creates a challenge that is rarely seen in many games
    =Grind simulator. But come on, it is an MMORPG so what did you expect? However, the game does not force you to do anything and you can progress in whatever area you choose at any pace you want

    Cons:

    -Lack of a main story. I realize that this is a sandbox game and it is meant to be played however you want, but I feel that a main story (or a more thorough one) would give better insight to the world in which you suddenly inhabit
    -Lack of direction. Relates to the point above. I do not mind that the game does not hold your hand, but it would be nice to have a gentle push every now and again
    -Some textures and graphics pop up out of nowhere. Keep in mind that this is a massive game with no loading screens and it has only been officially released for a very short time now. Optimization updates should be coming
    -A lot of things to micromanage. I suppose this is okay if you decide to focus on one specific area of the game. However, when you want to become a jack-of-all-trades (especially on one character), it can become hard to manage
    -World resources diminish fast and grinding areas become overwhelmed due to the massive influx of new players
    -Parked player horses are not instanced and clutter certain areas    … Expand
  86. mishayangg
    Mar 7, 2016
    2
    No dungeons. No raids. No endgame. What is the point of gearing up? Guess I will go to max level because I was forced to buy this free to play game....
  87. notavailable
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Made an account after someone linked to this page. Holy **** this game is not a 5.8!!! It's AT LEAST a solid 8. Amazing graphics. I've had a flawless experience even with the 4 day head start. The crafting is so complex and almost everything you do is leveling something up. There are too many quests to do them all. The guild system is fun and promotes participation. I just came here toMade an account after someone linked to this page. Holy **** this game is not a 5.8!!! It's AT LEAST a solid 8. Amazing graphics. I've had a flawless experience even with the 4 day head start. The crafting is so complex and almost everything you do is leveling something up. There are too many quests to do them all. The guild system is fun and promotes participation. I just came here to defend the game that I've been playing almost nonstop for over a week.… Expand
  88. hull19
    Mar 7, 2016
    9
    Buy it once, then no subscription fee. Cash shop for a few smal lboosts or cosmetics, a bit on the expensive side. Nice graphics, with good feeling combos on the variosu classes. Wish classes you be male/female isntead of gender locked. Love the fishing!

    Can't wait for map expansion, and adding more features to classes. Disapointed that the translations are so-so. Tutorials are also    Buy it once, then no subscription fee. Cash shop for a few smal lboosts or cosmetics, a bit on the expensive side. Nice graphics, with good feeling combos on the variosu classes. Wish classes you be male/female isntead of gender locked. Love the fishing!

    Can't wait for map expansion, and adding more features to classes. Disapointed that the translations are so-so. Tutorials are also somewhat lacking, in my opinion, for more advanced gameplay features.

    9/10.    … Expand
  89. actionchip
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    The tutorial is fast, but once you get the hang of it this is actually a really good MMO. I've never seen an mmo with combat as good as this and the graphics look great even on the lower settings. Really good
  90. Uxz
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Don't mind the low scores, the game is great. There is a huge influx of angry Elder Scrolls Online players who campaign to reduce the score here in thsi game.
  91. skilliard
    Mar 7, 2016
    9
    1. Graphics (9/10)

    The graphics are very pretty, and the weather effects are some of the best I've seen in any MMO. The only issue I have with the graphics is how heavily the game relies on LoD to deliver good performance and visuals. The end result is that it looks amazing in still screenshots, but in actual gameplay objects frequently change in complexity, resulting in a "pop in"    1. Graphics (9/10)

    The graphics are very pretty, and the weather effects are some of the best I've seen in any MMO. The only issue I have with the graphics is how heavily the game relies on LoD to deliver good performance and visuals. The end result is that it looks amazing in still screenshots, but in actual gameplay objects frequently change in complexity, resulting in a "pop in" effect.

    Audio(8/10):

    The music in the game is outstanding, and the sound effects on abilities are incredibly satisfying. However, the voice acting in the NA/EU version is terribly uninspired and voices don't match character appearance. Then again, most games have terrible voice acting, so it isn't really an issue.

    Gameplay(10/10):

    The gameplay is unlike any MMO. I actually feel a reason to go out into the world. If you're looking for a WoW clone with instanced raids, battlegrounds, competitive arenas, then don't play Black Desert. Black Desert is a large seamless world where you interact with the environment around you. There is plenty of PVE and PVP, but it doesn't come in the form of instanced raids. BDO is the first game in years that has kept me entertained for more than a week.

    Story/Lore: 10/10:

    I can't say much without spoiling it, but the world is very expansive, and encourages you for learning more. You gain knowledge as you talk to NPCs which can be used to unlock new quests, which provide awesome rewards. It's not like most MMOs where questing is boring and linear.

    Monetization(8/10): The cash shop items aren't too game-breaking, but the issue is that they can't be traded to other players. This means that there's no way to earn them in game, unlike other MMORPGs like GW2.    … Expand
  92. chr0mius
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Great game with a very in depth economy and crafting system. Skills are definitely more involved and builds are far less linear than most mmorpgs. Character creation is also very good although the classes are gender locked. Combat is unique and becomes pretty natural as you learn the combos. A shame that trolls are trying to tank the rating because its a really fun game.
  93. KapiHeartlilly
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    A Fresh entrance into the Western scene, Solid Graphics and Optimisation for all people to be able to enjoy it, No Pay to Win cash shop, plenty of content to sunk your time into, Good Player vs Environment, Guild Player vs Player content and a huge amount of activities and mini games like Fishing and Trading.
  94. Jbsoom
    Mar 7, 2016
    5
    TLDR: You'll either love or hate this game. It's perfect for those who want an old school mmo/rpg.

    Pros: Best graphics hands down. Beautiful game. Real 24 hr time & weather that affects mobs & crafting Extensive crafting systems Player housing Legitimate AFK farming Huge worlds to explore It's community driven (guild quests & wars) No queue times Buy to play, no sub Cons:    TLDR: You'll either love or hate this game. It's perfect for those who want an old school mmo/rpg.

    Pros:
    Best graphics hands down. Beautiful game.
    Real 24 hr time & weather that affects mobs & crafting
    Extensive crafting systems
    Player housing
    Legitimate AFK farming
    Huge worlds to explore
    It's community driven (guild quests & wars)
    No queue times
    Buy to play, no sub

    Cons:
    "Immersion." Everything takes 3x longer to do because there are no shortcuts (e.g. No teleporting)
    Everyone looks like the same homeless scrub; hardly any weapon & armor skins. Most are in the cash shop.
    Although char customization is great, it's pretty limited within the options you have. You can't make unique chars that really stand out.
    UI is convoluted.
    Everything has a weight (move slower when heavy) and inventory space's severely limited.
    No hand-holding. Make sure you research before you screw up your char.
    No directed questing. Expect endless hours of grinding in the same spots forever.

    For what it is and offers, it's pretty great. It's just not a game for me. If you're interested def try to get a free pass from BDO's subreddit and try it out.    … Expand
  95. dirklalleman
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Amazing game, the best graphics ever found in an MMORP. To bad there are some haters knowing nothing about the game the real players did not write the reviews.
  96. Primogenitor
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Don't listen to people who say it is pay to win, this isn't Archeage, I have yet to come across anything that makes it pay to win. Everyone has access to everything. Best MMO IMO, try it. ESO fanboys keep down voting, because their game isn't do as well. 90% of things you buy from the cash shop are skins, just like League of Legends don't do much. The other 10% is expanding inventoryDon't listen to people who say it is pay to win, this isn't Archeage, I have yet to come across anything that makes it pay to win. Everyone has access to everything. Best MMO IMO, try it. ESO fanboys keep down voting, because their game isn't do as well. 90% of things you buy from the cash shop are skins, just like League of Legends don't do much. The other 10% is expanding inventory system, and weight limit.… Expand
  97. Alex2life
    Mar 7, 2016
    8
    Been playing MMOs on and off for like a decade now and I've always loved the side stuff like fishing, I just find it relaxing.

    The thing is, with most MMOs fishing is just a small side activity that might grant you a small amount of currency, achievements etc. In Black Desert I can earn a large amount of money through fishing, I can progress through fishing etc. My goal atm is to get    Been playing MMOs on and off for like a decade now and I've always loved the side stuff like fishing, I just find it relaxing.

    The thing is, with most MMOs fishing is just a small side activity that might grant you a small amount of currency, achievements etc.
    In Black Desert I can earn a large amount of money through fishing, I can progress through fishing etc.
    My goal atm is to get a fishing boat so I can fish all over the map.

    And I know other players are enjoying trading, fighting, gathering etc.
    The ui can be confusing at first but if you just take it slow and actually read the tips and such, its pretty easy to understand.

    Combat is flashy, fast and just awesome. If you find the enemies too easy, go to another place. T

    The whole node-networking is just really fun. You use contribution points (That you earn through questing) to activate places on the map so your slaves...*cough* workers can gather ressources for you.
    And if you connect towns you can sell stuff with a distance bonus - Atm, Im fishing at one town, then running to the other end of my network to sell it for a bonus.

    Cant recommend it enough - So much different stuff to do :D    … Expand
  98. Musai
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Voting 10 when my actual score is an 8. This site is a joke; downvote brigading of a game is totally pathetic. Would love to see the number of hours these people have actually spent in game giving 0-3s

    Metacritic is objectively awful.
  99. Leomaric
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    A fantastic game that gives you freedom in whatever you want to do. I definitely recommend this game to anyone that enjoys action combat, pvp, and sandbox games.
  100. Nilm
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Runs great, looks fantastic, about 30-40times better then ESO.
    Servers have never crashed so far unlike ESO
    users are better
    Less trash to deal with
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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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