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. 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
  2. kyriores
    Aug 1, 2017
    3
    Good game, but do yourself a favor and play on a private server. You won't have to deal with Kakao's greed, which is pretty much the only thing that's ruining this game.
  3. 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
  4. Juniperus
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    you can ignore almost any bad review for three reasons.

    1. Reviews whining about the cash shop. There is absolute no reason at all to EVER use this shop. You won't need anything of this shop. There is not a single pay2win item in this game and no one needs those silly looking costumes. 2. Complains about Game mechanics: This is the first mmo that actually feels and plays like the    you can ignore almost any bad review for three reasons.

    1. Reviews whining about the cash shop. There is absolute no reason at all to EVER use this shop. You won't need anything of this shop. There is not a single pay2win item in this game and no one needs those silly looking costumes.

    2. Complains about Game mechanics: This is the first mmo that actually feels and plays like the REAL mmorpgs before WoW came and ruined it all. Raids are most horrible and boring crap that ever happened to online gaming. WoW is pure grind compared to black desert, where you have a multitude of things to do. I just played a whole weekend without grinding for 1 minute. Don't listen to WoW-Players, no one is less qualified to judge over a mmorpg.

    3. The Game is ridiculously low priced and you don't have to pay a subscription fee. So, compared to the last real mmorpgs of this kind, you'll pay a fraction of the cost.

    If you ever played something like Everquest or DaoC, Eve, or just like to play a mmo with more depth, then give it a try and don't let cheapskates and wow-victims take this experience from you.    … Expand
  5. luislmf
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Black Desert is, since Everquest, the best MMORPG. It really nails the really important things al mmorpg should have and its not buy to win, dont believe it, just play it and see for yourself. For 30 euros and no subscription its a really good investment, this game has content for years.
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Zombiemold
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    This is a fantastic Sandbox MMO aimed at hardcore MMO audiences. It's not perfect, but quite deserving of very high marks. A lot of great content and updates are lined up, and I am excited for what is to come.
  10. TheVVhiteRabbit
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    Best MMO hands down that I've played since Vanilla WoW.

    Absolutely NOT pay to win, that's absurd. In WoW you can BUY a max level character hahaha yet people say it's not pay to win, ok sure. This is amazing, don't listen to the negative reviews, other people are freaking out because they're still playing ESO, GW2 or WoW and they're upset that this is clearly better and they wasted their time.
  11. 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
  12. ealaidh
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    I was given this game as a gift, so this review comes from experiencing it post-release rather than trying to defend my purchase. Also, I would rate this game as an 8.5 to 9.0, but due to the ESO brigaders I need to rate it a 10 to try to balance things out, so thank you for further breaking the system here.

    POSITIVES: - Combat: A common complaint is that combat is too easy, but    I was given this game as a gift, so this review comes from experiencing it post-release rather than trying to defend my purchase. Also, I would rate this game as an 8.5 to 9.0, but due to the ESO brigaders I need to rate it a 10 to try to balance things out, so thank you for further breaking the system here.

    POSITIVES:

    - Combat: A common complaint is that combat is too easy, but people should wait until they’re done killing goblins to judge. When you storm rebel strongholds and have to deal with wizards throwing fireballs that can knock you down while other rebels charge you to stab you in the back for massive damage and more shoot arrows, then you can judge. And when it comes to the solo bosses? Those are some of the most challenging and fun encounters I’ve had in gaming. On top of that, each class is wildly different (barring Wizard/Witch), so you’ll have a new experience each time you swap characters.

    - Options: I had aspirations of getting to level 50 in the first few days so that I could do world bosses and do GvG. Instead, I found myself spending a lot of time getting into the subsystems. Trading, fishing, crafting, cooking, and gathering are all intricately done and explain why the game is built like it is. Instead of getting to level 50 quickly, I ended up spending almost four days setting up a trade network and getting my workers settled so I could build a nice boat to eclipse the rafts my friends had built in just a couple hours of work. Leaderboards make it even better, and I’ve spent the last two days competing with an old guild leader from a previous game over who was the better cook. I am.

    - PvP/GvG: This game boasts the kind of PvP that other games have been trying to pull off for ages. It has a huge, open world and makes PvP a threat. However, do too much of it and you risk having guards attack you in cities and having your guild drop you for reducing their karma too much. That’s why GvG is a thing. In-game you’ll regularly see guilds declaring war on each other as they fight over nodes that give access to different resources and bonuses. The game hasn’t been out for a week, but if you have system notifications on you can see wars begin dozens of times a day. Players drive this system, and players are enthusiastic to do so, all because it was built to be rewarding.

    - Graphics: The game looks really good. Better than any MMO I’ve played before, and on par with some single player games I’ve played. And on top of that, it’s optimized really well. Certainly better than anything EA does with their games. I’ve never played another MMO with the potential for beautiful settings, because you have an incredible amount of landscape to explore in this game.

    - Immersion: People complain about the lack of fast travel, or the separate banks in different cities, and I’ve even seen complaints about not being able to store your crafting supplies in one place à la Guild Wars 2. Those systems would ruin the sandbox nature of the game, where a lack of fast travel is required for the entire trading system to function. This is not a themepark MMO, where everything is handed to you. It’s older fashioned, leaving it up to the player to piece things out and collaborate with others as they go.

    - Characters: You can create beautiful and handsome characters, you can create monsters. It’s incredible. There are sites set up to help share amazing creations done on NA/EU servers or across the world. The only item I whole-heartedly recommend buying in the cash shop is the 30 day appearance coupon, which is $10 and lets you customize ALL your characters on a server as many times as you want for 30 days. I’ve heard complaints of Same Face Syndrome, but if you actually make an effort you won’t make the same half-assed sorceress as everyone else.

    - Loading Screens: After you load your character, there are no loading screens. Not one. You can go across the entire world without having to wait while a new screen loads, even going into housing without a hiccup.

    NEGATIVES:

    - Voice Acting: It's spotty. It goes from tolerable to abysmal, and only for a few NPCs is it decent to good.

    - Translations: The translations aren't always perfect. This usually doesn’t cause issues, but can occasionally when you’re trying to gather a certain type of fish when the game needs you to get another. It’s better than other localized Asian MMOs, and I rarely notice glaring issues.

    - Cash Shop: Even though Daum hasn’t used the same ridiculous monetization the Korean BDO used, things are too expensive. That being said, the game is not P2W. This isn't ArcheAge, where you could buy the best armor and weapons. There is no way to turn real money spent on the game into in-game money, which can be used to get the best items. You can only get a 10% experience boost in the cash shop, and getting to 50 10% quicker means nothing when you can get the same boosts in-game.

    All in all, I'm enjoying the game more than anything else I've played recently.    … Expand
  13. daaeeneeryys
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    I see a lot of 0 which makes the score go down by a lot, and that's not a 5 game at all. So, i will vote an 8 because i do get upset with a few things, but this doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the game. The game is awesome, there are tons of things to do that you will just get lost, the combat system is awesome, there is a lot of grinding and the feeling that you get from achieving hardI see a lot of 0 which makes the score go down by a lot, and that's not a 5 game at all. So, i will vote an 8 because i do get upset with a few things, but this doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the game. The game is awesome, there are tons of things to do that you will just get lost, the combat system is awesome, there is a lot of grinding and the feeling that you get from achieving hard things to do like building a **** boat is incredible.
    But, yes, it has cons.
    The lack of in-game costumisation of your outfit it's a big meh, and it's important on a mmo to have that without having to spend money on shop when you already had to pay for the game, i really hope they start changing this things, but we'll see
    The buffs you get from things you can only get from shop (example: pets) it's another hit, they are not reeally enough to say its p2w, but if it goes that way it will end being it, and that will ruin it all. They have to make this things just p2f so you can get pets in game but at cost of time, i would be OK with that.

    Tweaking this things and adding more PvE content would just be perfect for this impressive mmo, hope they don't ruin it.    … Expand
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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!!
  17. 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.
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. 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.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. SimplyMog
    Mar 5, 2016
    4
    This is a hard one to review, but i'll be trying to be as unbiased as possible... The game has a brilliant character creation system, by far the greatest i've ever used, to the point i spent hours in it. The graphics are nice and controls fairly easy to get the hand of. Unfortunately, in it's current state the game is in a bit of a mess...

    There is a point where everyone leaves their    This is a hard one to review, but i'll be trying to be as unbiased as possible... The game has a brilliant character creation system, by far the greatest i've ever used, to the point i spent hours in it. The graphics are nice and controls fairly easy to get the hand of. Unfortunately, in it's current state the game is in a bit of a mess...

    There is a point where everyone leaves their horses in certain spots, and due to not being able to toggle them from your own vision, the screen can get fairly clustered with other people's horses, not just yours. The game feels also quite like a mobile game, in the sense there's quite a few "waiting" portions, however, while some may have a problem, the game offers multiple ways to shorten that time, if you're observant.

    While my biggest complaint is directed at the character customization, and don't confuse that with character creation, it's much different. When you first receive new armor or a weapon, you're excited to equip it to change your characters default look, only to realize, it doesn't actually change. Some going in blind to this game will be incredibly disappointed, for a game that stresses character customization there is a significant lack of.

    One of the "best" ways to change your looks is through the cash shop, where my other large complaint comes in, through purchasing of costumes and accessories. I completely understand vanity items, and that they're not a necessity, but $30 for a full set, or $16 for the torso/main piece only. If this had been a F2P game, i would completely ignore this matter, but that isn't the case.

    However, this game does offer a lot in the sense you can leave your computer running, and it will accumulate points for various sections of the game, and even when offline. However, while this is a nice time saver, this relates back to the feeling of a "Mobile game", which it shouldn't be, it's an MMO on a PC.

    Combat is nice and fluid, but some classes are more interesting than others. The skill tree system (currently) feels vast enough for me to say it's enjoyable to try out new skills when I get them.

    Voice acting in the game is... actually really bad. It pains me to say it as they must have put a lot of work into it, as a lot of NPC's speak when you're simply idling in town. If i had the option to just have the korean audio, i would take it.

    Overall, BDO gets a 4, a deserving 4. Does this mean the game is crap, no, no it does not. Does it mean you should throw your wallet on the screen, as i did, no, no you should not. The developers need to really consider what it means to have a game "Buy to Play", for as it stands, it feels like i've been playing a glorified farmville, apologies for the analogy to those hurt by that comment, but think about it...

    You start out with nothing, go out do missions, eventually get to crafting and the core section, and things start costing points that are returned by waiting: making food costs points, chopping trees costs points, making swords costs points, and getting those points back takes literal time. There are ways to get points back besides quests and waiting, through "loyalties", or real money, speeding things up, like a mobile game.

    I, like others, believe Black Desert will go F2P if things continue as is, and that's a shame, as i would love to see it prosper.    … Expand
  27. DDonut
    Mar 3, 2016
    10
    Not for people who like to give up, Who dont enjoy spending 100 hours perfecting your play to the utmost and making a name for yourself in a game that has no limit. You will never forget the days u see your first ents walking through the forest. Or the first time u hammer on a cyclops in a far of forest. The first time u succeed in building a fishing boat and go on the hunt for whales orNot for people who like to give up, Who dont enjoy spending 100 hours perfecting your play to the utmost and making a name for yourself in a game that has no limit. You will never forget the days u see your first ents walking through the forest. Or the first time u hammer on a cyclops in a far of forest. The first time u succeed in building a fishing boat and go on the hunt for whales or just see the sun rise above the islands. Cant praise this game enough but its not for people who dont like the grind. This is for people who like to work for their stuff and wait for that feeling when u finnally get that +15 upgrade on your weapon.… Expand
  28. LypseDK
    Mar 5, 2016
    2
    The Bad..
    Voice and text are not matching.
    The black spirit... who thought that whine when summoned was a good idea.
    Mobs die in one hit.. then at the first real fight with the summoned imp you almost die... very strange.
    So many systems in place, that are just diffrent grinds?
    I got the most fun out of the character generator, then it fell apart after that...
  29. snooze4321
    Mar 4, 2016
    4
    Black Desert Online is enjoyable if you like pvp or running goods between cities for profit. But the games pros are outweighed by its cons.

    Pros: - An amazing parkour system where you can climb over any wall and onto roofs etc. - The game looks great and has good optimization - The autorun feature means you can set a destination to a quest or location and just hit your run key - The    Black Desert Online is enjoyable if you like pvp or running goods between cities for profit. But the games pros are outweighed by its cons.

    Pros:
    - An amazing parkour system where you can climb over any wall and onto roofs etc.
    - The game looks great and has good optimization
    - The autorun feature means you can set a destination to a quest or location and just hit your run key
    - The lack of fast travel gives the game a more life like feel to it. Combined with a trading system that has you running goods between cities.

    Cons:
    - THE ENERGY SYSTEM. Everything you do requires energy, if you cut down 10 trees you then have to wait HALF AN HOUR to cut down another 10.
    - The voice acting is atrocious
    - Such little effort has gone into the quest text and dialogue, combined with how fast you level it might as well not exist
    - The ludicrous cost of cash shop items. An outfit will cost the same amount as the game itself. Your auto loot function costs $10. And the dye system is a joke.
    - Daum's business practises. The way they interact with the community, the prices they put on items and the fact they had you waive your rights to a refund if you pre-ordered the game all ties into the fact that Daum can not be trusted. I really would not be surprised if they made the game free to play 6 months later.

    You will get enough fun out of $30 if you can ignore the cons just don't support bad business practises; don't buy cash shop items.    … Expand
  30. boxgurl160
    Mar 3, 2016
    0
    Black Desert Online Is a buy to play MMO with a price tag of $30

    This game has a lot of issues. Most mainly being from it's terrible publisher DAUM. I think it's quite clear that this game for them is nothing more then a quick cash grab. Let's talk about DAUM's communication skills If there's anything this last week proved it's that DAUM is terrible about communicating to their    Black Desert Online Is a buy to play MMO with a price tag of $30

    This game has a lot of issues. Most mainly being from it's terrible publisher DAUM. I think it's quite clear that this game for them is nothing more then a quick cash grab.

    Let's talk about DAUM's communication skills

    If there's anything this last week proved it's that DAUM is terrible about communicating to their player base. During the 2nd closed beta people were given a look at the cash shop items, a lot of people were upset with the pricing and RNG items. A costume would cost more then the actual game. So DAUM created a thread on the official forums to keep all the angry players in one spot. A whole week of people complaining and DAUM said nothing to anybody. At the end of the week it was the last day to pre-order and still DAUM had said nothing about it. Only the day after the pre-orders ended did people finally get a response. It's almost like they purposely waited till after pre-orders ended to release a statement to make sure they got no more negative press. They also didn't get the response from DAUM, they got it from MMORPG, that's right a third party site.

    Did they listen to their players? Well yes and no. They did reduce the price---of just the costumes, and only by $3 from $32 to $29. In fact it almost seems like they lowered the prices by $3 just to shut up the people who were complaining about costumes being more then the game itself. Everything else stayed the same in the cash shop.

    During the Early Access stage of the game people like myself who spent $100 on the game tried to claim our pre-order items had many issues. What happened when you tried to send in a support ticket asking for help? Nothing, Till this moment I still haven't gotten a response to my ticket asking for help. Sure eventually I got my items after the game launched, but it's really telling when DAUM can't be arsed enough to even reply to support tickets asking for help.

    on 3/3/2016 the game officially launched. When it went live there was a 1 gig patch. Normally with a MMO you expect for there to be some sort of patch notes. So was there any patch notes? Nope, apparently 1 gigs worth of changes isn't important enough to tell their players about.

    Now let's talk about character customization.

    BDO has a very detailed dye system, and a good amount of dyes. How do you get dyes you ask? Well through the cash shop of course! There's no way to obtain dyes in the game itself without paying for them. Oh did I mention that the dyes are rng one time use items? I hope you don't have a certain look you want because good luck getting the dyes without spending $100.

    I bet you're thinking "well if I can't dye my gear surely I can just use a wide variety of costumes at my disposal!" you'd be wrong. Each class has about 4 different outfits in the game, that's right 4. There's more in the cash shop of course. So really if you want to look different then other people you're gonna have to pay money at some point. It's almost mind boggling, since you can play mmos from 16 years ago that offer more character customization then BDO does(without using cash shop items). Heck even modern F2P games have more customization then BDO does.

    Being able to style and customize your character in an mmo is a very important feature, and has been a fundamental part of MMOs for over a decade. The fact that DAUM has restricted that customization to the cash shop is disgusting.

    DAUM sold a B2P game which has a worse cash shop then most F2P games. I like the game, but I would not recommend it to anyone with how greedy and lazy the publisher DAUM is. Black Desert Online does not have a bright future if DAUM keeps up with their shenanigans.    … 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

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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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