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. fishgeekted
    Mar 3, 2016
    9
    There is plenty wrong with this game, but there is plenty right too. They are trying to push a game into a different direction and it shows. Their biggest fault is that they weren't courageous enough to go the whole distance and they ended up keeping the game firmly planted on the land of familiarity.
  2. timmerino
    Aug 29, 2023
    9
    I had given Black Desert a pretty low score a few years ago, but Pearl Abyss honestly deserves a lot of credit for the work they have done on this game in recent years. PA has added an enormous amount of content in 2023 alone and the game feels much more fleshed-out, the world feels truly vast, and there are so many things to do regardless of your playstyle. If you love PvP, the PvP isI had given Black Desert a pretty low score a few years ago, but Pearl Abyss honestly deserves a lot of credit for the work they have done on this game in recent years. PA has added an enormous amount of content in 2023 alone and the game feels much more fleshed-out, the world feels truly vast, and there are so many things to do regardless of your playstyle. If you love PvP, the PvP is incredibly deep, complex, and satisfying. If you love professions (called "life skills"), the professions are incredibly deep, complex, and satisfying. If you just love exploration, the world feels so much bigger, and frankly well-rendered, than any open world game I've ever played. Exploration has always been my personal favorite part of the MMO experience and BDO has some breathtaking environments to discover.

    BDO doesn't get a perfect score from me because there are still some annoying, gambly mechanics in the gear upgrade system, but even that doesn't feel so burdensome to me anymore because PA has added other ways to get decent gear.

    Overall, it's super cheap so just give it a go and if you don't like it that much, well, you didn't pay $90 for it.    … Expand
  3. Bloodsugar
    Jun 16, 2017
    9
    With over 2000 hours in BDO I'd like to say it's one of the best, most well made MMO's to ever hit the scene. This game gets low ratings and flame due to it's tough entry. Simply put, it doesn't cost 10 or 20 dollars. It has an initial buy in price of 10$ but when you dive deeper into the game you will realize you need to spend more money in the game store. It's not pay-to-win, however youWith over 2000 hours in BDO I'd like to say it's one of the best, most well made MMO's to ever hit the scene. This game gets low ratings and flame due to it's tough entry. Simply put, it doesn't cost 10 or 20 dollars. It has an initial buy in price of 10$ but when you dive deeper into the game you will realize you need to spend more money in the game store. It's not pay-to-win, however you need simple things like a costume (20$) and pets (10$) to be competitive. Log-in rewards and Auction house sniping allows you to buy these for FREE but it takes patience and time as there are thousands trying to snipe with you.

    The second thing that drives people away is knowledge. Knowledge is power in this game. If you know, you can abuse. If you train in it, you can abuse it. I once went from level 52-56 in 28 minutes. Normally it would require many hours. I know how to abuse it. I can make 30-40 million a day without killing a single monster. I put in the hours to get the advantage. When you first start off, this game is far too massive to accept all at once.

    Pros:
    -Huge crafting system with many fun professions.
    -A good MMO model (Other players give PvE some depth and give a chance to make friends and enemies)
    -Huge adventure aspect. Want to go sailing? Sure. Want find hidden caves? Sure. Want to go deep sea underwater treasure hunting? Sure. Want to find new monsters and gain knowledge on them? Sure.
    -The game basically does away with the old questing MMO model. Do whatever you want to do to level up- be it a farmer, a trader, a fisher, a monster hunter, a whale hunter, ect. There is no wrong way to play this game.
    -Hugely detailed conversation system, allowing you to make friends with NPCs. Since it is all about who you know, you must talk to many people before being able to befriend certain NPCs.
    -Huge detailed worker system allowing you to hire NPCs to do the material farming for you. Fire, Hire, and promote them at your leisure.

    Cons:
    -Definitely costs more than 10$ to play. Need to spend about 40$ for level 50 and above. If you want to sail you might need a sea costume which is another 20$. It's the price of admission people, either take it or leave it.
    -A few easily fixable bugs especially with swimming.
    -AFK'ing is part of the game. Literally. If you are a student and you need to study, you will love it. If you are a busy person with only 1-2 hours a day to play you may not like this game.
    -PvP is measured in order by: Gear, Skill, Level, and then class. All classes can excel and be the best, however if you don't pony up to a competitive gear score then you will get obliterated.
    -This is what I call a "google game". You need to google many tutorials to figure out what to do in this game. The game is VERY big. Similar to EVE online.

    Lastly my one big advice to give about this game is if you do buy it. HAVE FUN. Don't focus on grinding, finding a good guild, getting massive gear upgrades, or sticking to one character. Do what you want to do and enjoy the game. The #1 reason people quit is they just get bored with grinding over and over again to get to level 60. Level 60 is nigh impossible for a beginner to get. Don't try for it. If you join the game looking for a competitive scene off the bat you are going to have a bad time.

    Listen to the story, do silly quests, talk to people, discover nodes and activities, ask people to go sailing to Margoria on their flag ship, have people take you to new areas, ect.

    Have fun and thanks for reading    … Expand
  4. jamessamuel
    Mar 3, 2016
    9
    Black desert online brings a fresh breath of air in the MMO genre. The graphics and smooth gameplay is what sets Black desert online apart from its action combat competitors like TERA online. Lets start with optimization, the game runs extremely well and is well optimized for PC. With a gtx 960 and i5 4690k i had no problem running the game on high settings at 60fps. The game graphics areBlack desert online brings a fresh breath of air in the MMO genre. The graphics and smooth gameplay is what sets Black desert online apart from its action combat competitors like TERA online. Lets start with optimization, the game runs extremely well and is well optimized for PC. With a gtx 960 and i5 4690k i had no problem running the game on high settings at 60fps. The game graphics are the best MMO graphics i have ever seen in an MMO and art style is quite intriguing. But it all comes down to gameplay, and Black desert online shines in this category as well. Gameplay is smooth and flashy, with interesting class diversity and mechanics. Overall i give Black desert online 9/10 certainly one of the best if not the best B2P MMO to ever come out. The Only criticism i have is that its abit grindy.… Expand
  5. 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
  6. zaftgun
    Apr 25, 2020
    9
    As of right now the game is very impressive. Better than all the competitors I've played in terms of interactions and world set up.

    The part thats most well done is the martial arts actions and combos and gameplay. The action is fast and exciting and will easily fly by. However, the life features such as fishing, gathering, processing etc... is very slow. The 2nd part thats most well    As of right now the game is very impressive. Better than all the competitors I've played in terms of interactions and world set up.

    The part thats most well done is the martial arts actions and combos and gameplay. The action is fast and exciting and will easily fly by. However, the life features such as fishing, gathering, processing etc... is very slow.

    The 2nd part thats most well done is the character interactions, there are numerous and numerous npcs with role in the world and contain quests, functions or information. But the interactions are limited by energy. You have a max level of energy that levels up and increaes but interactions can cost a lot of energy and its difficult to replenish. The system makes the world and characters feel very real. This is a very detailed and well done game. I have not come across any game that goes to into this much details.

    The worst part of the game, type setting(font) looks pretty bad and quests has a separate screen that you have to press R to confirm which makes it feel very crude and sub-standard not to mention annoying.

    At the moment this game doesnt waste time. If you want you can probably finish the main story in just over a week no sweat, without spending all day and all night. And it should come with moderate enjoyment.

    One other thing to note is that the graphics of this game is not as vibrant and dont feel as sharp and clear. Other than that I'm thoroughly impressed.

    You have to realise a game is only grindy when you are not enjoying it and it is slow. Which this game is not. Numbers are super super super inflated in this game and the fast pace action makes large numbers pretty meaningless.

    Things are intuitive but sometimes bits and pieces of explanation is off or missing. This is not a brainless game unlike many others including big titles.    … Expand
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Dunhilda
    Mar 3, 2016
    9
    Be warned many of the reviews with 0 are salty children that are crying for some reason, simple research on this title will show all of the mas being wrong and clearly talking out of their asses, hell click on some of the mand see their other reviews... ESO with 10s

    They are fan boys, salty ones at that. 5,000 words isn't idel for me to explain the whole game to you, you're best bet    Be warned many of the reviews with 0 are salty children that are crying for some reason, simple research on this title will show all of the mas being wrong and clearly talking out of their asses, hell click on some of the mand see their other reviews... ESO with 10s

    They are fan boys, salty ones at that.

    5,000 words isn't idel for me to explain the whole game to you, you're best bet is to do your own research in to this title, take a look at streams on Twitch, check Youtube, and read up on this game

    also, no it doesn't have P2W, the pets are very close to P2W, but that just it, they are close to it, many games have a Free to play model or Buy to play and offer you a subscription for more Exp or Gold gain (ESO) we don't sit down and claim that to be Pay to win.    … Expand
  10. Justos91
    Mar 7, 2016
    9
    Ignore all reviews from 0-3. This game is WELL deserving of a 7-10. Great gameplay, mechanics, and its FUN. Guys, this isnt a monthly sub game, play the **** out of it and move on. Its a ton of fun.
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. Elitist
    May 9, 2016
    9
    This is another game that has suffered discrimination by the video game industry in the USA. The aspect I want to mention since other reviewers are saying what is good about it generally, is that the Sandbox elements in the game have all but been ignored and minimized by the video game journalists.

    This is huge because the USA industry has scorned sandbox games for a long time (a decade    This is another game that has suffered discrimination by the video game industry in the USA. The aspect I want to mention since other reviewers are saying what is good about it generally, is that the Sandbox elements in the game have all but been ignored and minimized by the video game journalists.

    This is huge because the USA industry has scorned sandbox games for a long time (a decade at least) in favor of munchkin themeparks that US couch potatos, floozies in San Fransisco and southern lobotimized conservatives lap up. You see them in other mmos pop up in lines queueing to do the same thing over and over like drones.

    On the negative side, I want to highlight the lack of clothing options and the developer should be criticized for this. The developer should also be condemned for the naming of the game "Black Desert" which is just tacky and obscure. The ingame currency is lining up to be a bad source of grievance too.    … Expand
  17. Sinnuhe
    Jan 18, 2017
    9
    Black Desert is the MMORPG more completed the actully market. Black Desert is the other world, the world life and completed. All actions is real, if the world rain, the road is wet and you character run more slow... this game is a big detail. The diferent class have a big personality and requered a big skill to do a lot damage. This is a excelent MMOrpg. Please, game a this title!
  18. Crazyy
    Nov 6, 2017
    9
    Amazing MMO with Stunning graphics, an immersive world, and Great combat mechanics.
    I have roughly 1000 hours in the game and absolutely love it. The diversity in the classes makes it refreshing to make new characters. Every class has an entirely different feel to it, from fast pace strikers to stealthy ninjas, Powerful wizards, and mighty tamers. The one aspect of the game that a lot of    Amazing MMO with Stunning graphics, an immersive world, and Great combat mechanics.
    I have roughly 1000 hours in the game and absolutely love it. The diversity in the classes makes it refreshing to make new characters. Every class has an entirely different feel to it, from fast pace strikers to stealthy ninjas, Powerful wizards, and mighty tamers. The one aspect of the game that a lot of people tend to dislike is the amount of grinding that is required to farm levels and money. However, all the grinding becomes well worth it when they step into the PvP aspect of the game. The biggest part of the game is the node wars, where massive guilds of up to 100 people clash sometimes being up to six guilds at a time. it does require a decent computer to run on the highest settings however even on low settings the game is still greatly enjoyable. I recommend this game to anyone who is willing to put the time into playing and grinding their character to higher levels.    … Expand
  19. KesslerE
    Dec 26, 2017
    9
    Best MMO to have ever been released - hands down.
    Pros -
    - Character creation is really well done. - The combat is really, really good. I'm talking bayonetta good here. - The visuals are easily superior to all other MMOs out at the moment. - So many different playstyles to choose from - Progression system, while it is grindy, is satisfying - True open world. You can go    Best MMO to have ever been released - hands down.
    Pros -
    - Character creation is really well done.

    - The combat is really, really good. I'm talking bayonetta good here.

    - The visuals are easily superior to all other MMOs out at the moment.

    - So many different playstyles to choose from

    - Progression system, while it is grindy, is satisfying

    - True open world. You can go from one end of the map to the other without hitting an invisible wall or a loading screen

    Cons -
    - Story is meh in my opinion

    - A somewhat toxic community. They like to complain about literally everything Kakao and Pearl Abyss do. So do be prepared for that.

    - Pretty grindy.

    (Just for those who are curious, I have around 223 hours total on the game, excluding idling.)    … Expand
  20. Jeveux95
    Apr 28, 2018
    9
    Awesome grafics and so many options about things u can do in the game.U can pve all u want and pvp at the same time.Games populerity is so crowded and and growing bigger
  21. HelloweeN
    Apr 29, 2018
    9
    El MEJOR MMO EN LA ACTUALIDAD en graficos, jugabilidad, mundo, aun si dicen que es pay to win, me parece que no es asi yo ya gaste mas de 800 dolares pero todos en cosmeticos, asi que depende como tu juegues y a que juegues, tu eliges si te rindes ante lo dificil del encantamiento o progresas con tu esfuerzo, si algo se valora mas es proporcional a cuanto te ha costado.
    En temas de    El MEJOR MMO EN LA ACTUALIDAD en graficos, jugabilidad, mundo, aun si dicen que es pay to win, me parece que no es asi yo ya gaste mas de 800 dolares pero todos en cosmeticos, asi que depende como tu juegues y a que juegues, tu eliges si te rindes ante lo dificil del encantamiento o progresas con tu esfuerzo, si algo se valora mas es proporcional a cuanto te ha costado.
    En temas de optimizacion, estabilidad yo que lo jugue desde la 3 CBT la unica dificultad con conexion fue el dia de la beta abierta, pero lo experimentaron todos debido a la gran cantidad de jugadores intentando ingresar, desde ahi no volvi a tener problemas de desconexiones ni de optimizacion, basta con comparar un juego como overwatch calienta mas mi tarjeta que black desert, creo que eso lo define en cuanto a calidad y amabilidad con tu hardware.
    Las criticas negativas que vi se centran en malas conexiones, eso no deberia contar para descalificar ningun juego pues son responsabilidades externas al contenido de los juegos, seria el equivalente a descalificar una pagina web por el mal servicio de tu compañia de internet, no tendria logica.
    El verdadero punto o puntos malos del juego se centraria para mi en que pearl abyss no le da la importancia que el lore del juego se merece, pues es uno de los puntos mas altos para mi, siendo fan de GoT y LoTR el universo de BDO me parece simplemente fascinante.
    Adjunto que me parece un acierto hacer que tu vayas descubriendo el Lore del juego, pues si tu personajes empieza con amnesia deberias descubrirlo todo tu mismo haciendo que quien note este genial detalle se inmersa mas en el mundo.
    En resumen si quieres un MMO diferente tanto como dificil este es tu juego.(no necesitas mas que tu esfuerzo e inteligencia para llegar a los maximos niveles, el dinero solo te accelera un poco tu progreso pero relativamente pues se tiene un RNG muy loco XD)    … Expand
  22. Aifrait
    Oct 6, 2019
    9
    Un gran juego MMOnline, puedes disfrutar de muchas misiones, varias profesiones, desde su remastered tiene un apartado gráfico que ningún MMO tiene que yo sepa.

    Varios modos de juego y una gran colección de personajes. Cada semana es actualizado corrigiendo bug o actualizando contenido.
  23. Kronic_gaming
    Jul 17, 2020
    9
    Honestly one of the best MMO’s I’ve had the pleasure of playing. There is literally anything for you to do. Also a decent story that’s not short and gets you mid gear for after story line. A HUGE amount of content from sailing and hunting sea monsters to fighting world bosses and enchanting armor and weapons. You can enjoy your time playing this action combat game, the combat is like DMCHonestly one of the best MMO’s I’ve had the pleasure of playing. There is literally anything for you to do. Also a decent story that’s not short and gets you mid gear for after story line. A HUGE amount of content from sailing and hunting sea monsters to fighting world bosses and enchanting armor and weapons. You can enjoy your time playing this action combat game, the combat is like DMC in a MMOz just try it out, it’s worth it. Only problem is you need to buy pets that’ll run you like 30 bucks… Expand
  24. logic
    Mar 3, 2016
    8
    Come on in and join the fun. BDO is a huge open world sandbox MMO with wonderful features. You can be whatever you want to be in this world. A rich trader, a badass fighter, a slum lord, an adventurer. Very nice graphics on top of first class mechanics. The translation from Korean to English can be a bit sketchy but with everything this game has to offer, that's a minor annoyance.
  25. Soujirop
    Oct 25, 2016
    8
    Black Desert is indeed like no other MMORPG you have ever played. Let's start with the good things:
    -Amazing immersion: next gen graphics, artistic direction that reminds of Skyrim, realism (characters collide with each other, clothes and hair have excellent physics, characters get wet under raining or in water, get stained by mud and blood when fighting, even sweat when fighting, going    Black Desert is indeed like no other MMORPG you have ever played. Let's start with the good things:
    -Amazing immersion: next gen graphics, artistic direction that reminds of Skyrim, realism (characters collide with each other, clothes and hair have excellent physics, characters get wet under raining or in water, get stained by mud and blood when fighting, even sweat when fighting, going to de desert produces dehydration and therefore the need of drinking water periodically, etc.)
    -Sandbox elements: housing, complex farming system that reacts to temperature and weather of each region, horses can be tamed in the wilds and have different skills, they can be breeding, used for racing, etc; you can trade goods from town to town, you can befriend merchants and they will give you secret quests, sell you hidden goods, etc. You can go hunting whales and other creatures with a rifle, take a nap in your home to quickly recover energy... Sandbox really is a thing in this game.
    -Population all around the world: Everywhere you go in black desert, there's someone. This is achieved mainly with 4 features: 1) there's no fast travel in black desert, 2) The leveling is not quest-based, but grind-based. 3) End game content very is spread out: world bosses are very apart from each other etc. 4) Each main town has it's own advantages so people do not gather in just one place, ie one town might have the best daily quests, other town will have merchants selling stuff you won't find anywhere else, other might be coastal and very close to a profitable fishing or grinding point, etc. Also towns have their own marketplace and item warehouses, with their own taxes, etc. All this ensures people is constantly going around the world and do not stay in one place.
    -More complex action combat than in any other MMORPG. Classes are therefore very difficult to master which makes for a very rewarding experience.
    -No pay to win system.
    -Very long lasting. Having top gear in this game takes... Forever.
    -PVP content. Eg guilds do not recruit players for free but rather contract them. Guilds can conquer towns and other places that will give them weekly tax money. This kind of guild wars are truly spectacular with players building forts and towers, and other players besieging those buildings with cannons, elephants, etc.

    Now the bad things:
    -Poor PVE content. This aspect of the game really is in very early stages and there's no guarantee it will go much further. Main story is cliché and you won’t be paying much attention to it. Monsters lack any tactical approach (do not expect monsters with mechanics you need to learn like in TERA) and are generally very easy to kill. Bosses are sealed within scrolls and you can only acquire one scroll daily so you will only be doing 1 boss daily with a very low chance of it giving anything valuable to you, moreover the bosses are a joke meaning you can solo kill them easily in less than a minute. Another PVE element is world bosses. Those are big monsters that spawn at certain locations once/twice a day. There are only three of them and they are not soloable, they can’t be killed with a party either, they are ofc not instanced, and, in summary, they are zerg fests of 30+ characters, destroying your fps, and also you might not even reach the boss before it’s killed... There are currently two dungeons in game, both are super end game so this part of PVE will not be available to you for a LOOONG time. Drops are not worth it considering the gear you already need to have to be there, experience isn’t good either because mobs take too much time to be killed, dungeons are not instanced which is great from a PVP point of view, but we are talking about PVE now aren’t we? In summary, in BDO there’s hardly any PVE content to enjoy most of the time.
    -Odd leveling and learning curve. First 50 levels are super fast, which means you will not enjoy the world since you will outlevel the region you are in very fast and feel the need to move on. This fast leveling makes difficult/impossible to learn the class properly until you are already level +50 and therefore quite advanced in the game. So you just learnt how to play but suddenly Awakening (class upgrade) comes at level 56, renders useless most of your skills and combos, and forces you to re-learn the class with a new weapon, very different mechanics, etc. It really is frustrating.
    -No open world pvp. Remember TERA where you could kill anybody anytime? Age of Conan? Wow PVP servers? That’s gone. PVP doesn’t start till you are lvl 45, once you reach that level, you will have huge penalties for killing more than 3-4 people a day. Penalties will literally cost you millions, like losing enchantments on your gear, loosing durability faster, even a chance of dropping your gear! Penalties are reduced in the Valencia Desert, but nobody goes there because the area lacks any interesting incentives.

    You start to see the problem here, right? No PVE, and not REALLY a PVP world.    … Expand
  26. Bahska28
    May 13, 2016
    8
    Now that im farther in (gave it another shot) i'll re write my review.

    Im only34 so i cant say how "end game" is etc but i have dabbled in crafting etc and im 34 currently so i can talk about somethings. I had previously ranted about the pop in and lag and while i still think the pop in should be fixed as its easily the worst part of the game the lag has gotten way better since    Now that im farther in (gave it another shot) i'll re write my review.

    Im only34 so i cant say how "end game" is etc but i have dabbled in crafting etc and im 34 currently so i can talk about somethings.

    I had previously ranted about the pop in and lag and while i still think the pop in should be fixed as its easily the worst part of the game the lag has gotten way better since launch and i applaud them for that.

    I put the game down for those two reasons but recently hopped back into the game and i have to say i haven't put the game down for anything else this past week. Unlike others i didn't go grind instantly i worked on my professions and got my worker empire up and running and then went and grinded the start of my set.

    This game is very different from Warcraft or games like it, its not all about the gear or getting to higher levels. Most of that 5 days of non stop gaming was working on professions and i feel that you wont like the game if you jump into combat and the gear grind and dont play the rest of the game. Professions, figuring out your goal for crafting and working on your worker nodes (which btw worker node system is like final fantasy 10-2 or path of exiles talent tree's, you have a goal then you try to branch out and connect each node to gather crafting mats with your workers as efficiently as possible as there is a soft cap around 250 CP currently. There is start nodes, connector nodes, big city/camp nodes most which are free, and small and big crafting mat gathering nodes some of which you have to unlock via investing a bit of energy) Worker node system is a huge part of the game whether you want a crafting empire or just go in for combat as you make alot of money via gathering and if you dont even dabble in it you are missing out and will likely have issues, get bored and eventually quit.

    Only after i got my crafting and professions up and running did i jump into getting gear at around level 25, and while i had fun i still feel like the gear grind a bit of a side show to the rest. I went to a zone i had seen a streamer go to gear up his friend. Connected the nodes to it as you get a higher drop chance having the node connected to your network leveled up the node a bit with energy for a even higher drop chance and left heavily rewarded for my time and around 7 levels higher, i then choose to work on quests for more Contribution points to expand and work on the extremely important black spirit quests. (Don't worry if you expand your node network in the wrong direction, best thing to do i s experiment at first. Only thing you lose is the energy you invest, you get your cp back if you change your mind, i also highly recommend using http://bdomap.mmoguild.org/ to plan out your nodes later on)

    Like every other mmo if you only like 1 part of it you'll likely not stick with it. If all you want is dungeons and raiding, a gear grind and a game that holds your hand probably not the game for you.
    However if you want a sandbox mmo that you can do what you want, that if you delve into its many many systems you'll always have things to do (For me personally im never bored cause there is always 5 more things i wanna work on or try) and a mmo that's not all about the gear grind and one that rewards you for taking your time, not rushing to higher levels and delving into its deep crafting, worker, node. player housing and profession systems you'll have amazing time.

    Like every other mmo it has its issues. Server issues were a big deal it's gotten much better though, the pop in is easily its worst issue and unlike others i wont say "You get use to it" it needs to be fixed or at least worked on. Its jarring to look at and takes away from the otherwise beautiful world and experience. (Not everyone has the pop in as bad...game is un-optimized for newer gpu's. 900 series + or AMD equivalent especially)
    The game is super complicated and is semi hardcore in some of its systems and almost goes out of its way to be unforgiving in some areas of crafting your gear and while i think that actually gives the game some of its charm i know some wont like that again if you are looking for wow 2.0 you'll likely be disappointed. I can't talk about "end game" as i haven't made it that far, i have only watched others play that content and there may be issues i haven't experienced. I can say this is my new life :P what ive seen so far up to 35 has hooked me. I dont give games a 10 cause that's un-realistic there are always places to change and fix for the better. No game is ever truly finished, this game isn't finished. This game in my opinion in its current build (5/13/2016) deserves a strong 8.

    Like always i recommend reading many reviews, watching some live streams, maybe even asking nicely on the un-official fan made reddit for a trial key and then making your choice whether or not to jump in. I really enjoy the game, you may not.    … Expand
  27. Jaz
    Jun 22, 2016
    8
    In short, game is good, perfect no. details:
    Have played this game enough and feel i can make now a review at its current state (node wars). In short:
    Pros -Character customization in character creation, best i ve seen so far. -Interesting classes. -Great combat, one of the best in mmos. -Great looking world, even with average pc, that feels "real". -Tons of things to do besides    In short, game is good, perfect no. details:
    Have played this game enough and feel i can make now a review at its current state (node wars). In short:
    Pros
    -Character customization in character creation, best i ve seen so far.
    -Interesting classes.
    -Great combat, one of the best in mmos.
    -Great looking world, even with average pc, that feels "real".
    -Tons of things to do besides combat ie crafting, fishing, horse breeding, sailing, farming, exploring etc
    -Fun group PvP in Node/Castle Wars.
    -Animations in/out of combat look realistic.
    Cons
    -Community on average is bad, there are of course good people, have to try harder than other mmos to find them.
    -RNG ie items have a random factor on how they improve. See below
    -Grind, lots and lots of it at higher levels and in order to get better items, As i said in pros combat is great and enjoyable but even that has its limits. All mmos have grind of course, this one has some extra.
    -In game learning curve. Game has a ton of concepts and does a bad job explaining them or smoothly implementing them. Google will be your best friend. Felt completely overwhelmed in the beginning, still do many times.
    -While you can customize your character enormously, you dont have many choices in outfits, most are in, see next
    -Cash shop. Not really pay to win (have seen much worse in b2p/f2p games) but still has a lot of items that make life much much easier and help lots in grinding. Pets are cash shop only and must have, not that expensive tho. Outfits on the other hand are only a handful/average looking in game and lots/expensive/great looking in cash shop. So much for customization, most ppl look almost alike in game.
    Mixed impressions
    -Gender locked classes, personally i dont care.
    -Open world pvp (after lvl 45) . Happens, especially when guilds are at war. If you re afraid of random ganking, it is very rare unless you want to grind in highly contested areas. Even so its not that common. After all you might win, lvls arent that different, or your guild might declare war vs those who won you and help you. Even if killed in pvp -if others attack first- you loose no exp or armor damage, just your pride is hurt!
    Verdict (again)
    As i said in the beginning, game is mostly good and improving. Lots and lots of expansions so far at no extra cost. Highly recommended to try it, but be warned that it is not for everyone's taste. Some will really love it tho.
    PS
    I m getting tired from people who havent played a game but review it in Metacritic- 0 of course- just because they want to "support their game'. No game deserves 0 anyways.    … Expand
  28. MacheteDontText
    Nov 11, 2017
    8
    If you are a carebear in MMOs like myself then you are gonna have a lot of fun with this, there are a lot of cool non combat activities to keep you entertained and honestly thats mostly what I care about. If you are in for PvE than forget about this, its utter **** there is absolutely no dungeons or any meaningful PvE content, too bad cause the combat is the best I ve ever seen in an MMO.If you are a carebear in MMOs like myself then you are gonna have a lot of fun with this, there are a lot of cool non combat activities to keep you entertained and honestly thats mostly what I care about. If you are in for PvE than forget about this, its utter **** there is absolutely no dungeons or any meaningful PvE content, too bad cause the combat is the best I ve ever seen in an MMO. Cant say anything about PvP, never touched it. The UI is just piss poor as usual, but I didnt really hinder my enjoyment.… Expand
  29. GabrielKD
    Mar 7, 2016
    8
    The game is b2p and it has a cash shop with cosmetics such as armors/weapon looks, dyes and quality of life stuff such as inventory space/weight limit. You also get to increase your weight limit/inventory space by questing in game which is great. It does feel a bit restricted at first, but once you learn not to pay too much attention to every little trash you find, it gets better.

    The    The game is b2p and it has a cash shop with cosmetics such as armors/weapon looks, dyes and quality of life stuff such as inventory space/weight limit. You also get to increase your weight limit/inventory space by questing in game which is great. It does feel a bit restricted at first, but once you learn not to pay too much attention to every little trash you find, it gets better.

    The combat, graphics and overall feel of the world and the level immersion is amazing.
    It is however not for people expecting run of the mill theme-park mmo, it has extremely large "life" elements, like trading/farming/sailing/guild wars/ sieges/ etc.
    There's a questing system that isn't lacking in quests but it is pretty "run of the mill", nothing extraordinary but nothing to scoff at either.
    The voice acting is a bit .. bad, but in a rather funny way that, for me at least, doesn't detract from the world.

    I can't praise the combat system enough, I've played Witch quite a bit so far, but I've never felt so good playing a "mage"-like character, hurling those spells feels insanely satisfying. Valkyrie melee combat feels very good too, the hits feel like the connect in a very satisfying way, I'll need to play more to get a fee for it thou.
    The combat is amazing, I can't stress that enough, especially once you start unlocking your higher-level skills and combos. And for a game that emphasizes world-mob-grinding so much, this can only help immensely.
    There is no "level cap" but rather a soft-cap at 50/55 and then it gets progressively slower to level.

    All your characters are in a "family", they basically share the same family name and many things from the world progression, such as contribution/workers/knowledge.
    The world is teeming with so many systems it would be hard to go over all of them here but it's great to discover and use them.

    Again, this game is not for everyone, it's somewhat far from the standard mmo and the lack of instanced dungeons/raids and "standard" treadmill end-game will put some people off.

    Now if you'll excuse me I have a billion things to up my world progression.    … Expand
  30. pessimist93
    Mar 4, 2016
    8
    Pro:
    - Large beautiful world without a single loading screen in the entire game
    - Surroundings which feel alive thanks to the immersion in the game - Awesome graphics - Many minigames to relax from fighting and questing which also give exp and money so you dont have to fall behind while not progressing the story and quests - Cash Shop Items are mainly just cosmetical and give only    Pro:
    - Large beautiful world without a single loading screen in the entire game
    - Surroundings which feel alive thanks to the immersion in the game
    - Awesome graphics
    - Many minigames to relax from fighting and questing which also give exp and money so you dont have to fall behind while not progressing the story and quests
    - Cash Shop Items are mainly just cosmetical and give only minor buffs
    - Open world PVP and huge GvG (something that a game called Guild Wars 2 still doesnt have lol)
    - There is always something to do, you can choose your endgame by yourself and dont have to follow a carved out path
    - Character editor which makes you feel like a plastic surgeon

    Neutral:
    - Voice acting isnt that good but isnt bad either. Some characters are well voiced while others completely are out of place
    - Story: Slowly developing (which is fine) but they could have put more effort into telling it
    - Translations are really strange sometimes so some sentences doesnt make any sense at all
    - Costumes and skins are very expensive. They are well made however

    Bad:
    - The loot system looks like it was made in the last millenium. The one who either hits first ordeals the most dmg gets the loot. They should have rather give everyone their individual loot.
    - Dye system is a total rip off. Not only dyes are RNG based but also you can only use them 1 time, and ofc its also expensive as ****

    The game definetly has it flaws but its not worth 0 (nice try ESO Fanboys, next time you try to push a game into a negative score use a different account than the one you used to push ESO into the positive).
    Its a alternative to GW2, which is pretty much dead, and a game with potential.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

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