Black Desert Online Articles

Columns

• The Best MMOs of 2018 So Far

  It’s not been a good year for brand spanking new games in the MMORPG realm. Heck, when was the last time it was? But that doesn’t mean the games we already have haven’t been making a strong showing. In fact, some of the most popular games in the world right now are those that have been out for years already. Here is our list of the Best MMOs of 2018 So Far (in no particular order).

  Posted on 07/17/2018 by William Murphy

• Longevity

  Waiting on the next cool game can be a little frustrating. Red Thomas tried a few in the last week and had some thoughts about why Black Desert Online remains a very viable game for sating gamers during the periodic digital dry spells.

  Posted on 05/17/2018 by Red Thomas

• The 10 Best MMOs of 2017

  We recently awarded our MMO of the year to Final Fantasy XIV, and for good reason. It’s been another banner year for Final Fantasy fans and their MMORPG, but it’s not the only MMO that had a solid 2017. Sure enough, there weren’t many great new games to play in 2017. But we’re taking a look at the games we played, in beta and fully launched, and picking our favorites.

  Posted on 12/27/2017 by William Murphy

• The Dark Knight Rises

  The long awaited Dark Knight class is coming to Black Desert today. Here are some early first impressions as I play around with the class in the KR server.

  Posted on 03/01/2017 by Adam Pipich

• The Command Post - Zero Gravity

  The Command Post delivers weekly updates on Black Desert’s siege wars and the resulting guild politics. In this week’s edition Gravity renames to Lunar, and Audacity’s alliance takes Mediah Castle.

  Posted on 02/21/2017 by Adam Pipich

• The Command Post - Shifting Sands

  The Command Post delivers weekly updates on Black Desert’s siege wars and the resulting guild politics. In this week’s edition ManUp takes Calpheon, Barcode holds Valencia, and WolvesofWar is no more.

  Posted on 02/14/2017 by Adam Pipich

• The New Margoria Expansion is a Refreshing Change of Pace

  This past week the Black Desert Online world grew much larger, adding an absolutely massive ocean in its newest expansion, Margoria. Here are my thoughts and first experiences playing around with this nautical content patch.

  Posted on 01/31/2017 by Adam Pipich

• The Top 20 MMO News Stories of 2016

  2016 is in the bag folks, and after 52 weeks of MMO news, you’ll be surprised (or maybe) not to see what the most viewed stories on MMORPG.com were over the course of the year. Some of you will probably see why Black Desert gets a lot of reporting too, both here and across the web. Read on for our top 20 stories of 2016!

  Posted on 01/03/2017 by William Murphy

• MMORPG’s Best of 2016 Awards

  It’s the end of the year as we know it, and that means it’s time for us here at MMORPG.com to gather around and salute our picks for the best MMOs and RPGs of 2016, plus the ones we’re most anxious for in 2017. Read on for our Best of 2016 Awards!

  Posted on 12/22/2016 by William Murphy

• Life's Distractions - Journey to Tamriel

  I’ve felt a little lost this weekend. I don’t know whether it’s my age, the fact my children occupy most of my time or that my tastes are simply changing, but many games I have are failing to capture my attention. Several times on Saturday I attempted to play Guild Wars 2 only to login, stare at my character, and wonder what it is that I could actually do that would hold my attention for more than five minutes.

  Posted on 11/07/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Do You Enjoy Horse Breeding

  Earlier in the week there was a Reddit post where the author discussed finally obtaining a Tier 8 Horse. Named Diablo, the community was rightly pleased for the individual. Tier 8 horses are bloody hard to come by. Although I was glad the player obtained such a horse, my first thought was, “I can’t be arsed!” rather than, “How?”

  Posted on 08/29/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• How Can MMOs Be Monetized Fairly?

  What’s the best way to monetize an MMO and have it be seen as fair by the players? This is a question that’s no doubt going to ruffle a few feathers and create a few competing comments, but our own Lewis Burnell is brave enough to tackle the topic in his column this week.

  Posted on 08/22/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Are You Still Against Selling Pearl Items?

  Last week I wrote about the change Pearl Abyss were making to their in-game store and the introduction of players being able to sell Pearl items on the Marketplace. The discussion on the topic, unsurprisingly, was pretty heated. Some welcomed the change, some loathed it and some insinuated that Daum outright lied to their consumers. Irrespective of the furore surrounding the controversial change, I’m keen to hear what your thoughts are now that it’s live.

  Posted on 08/15/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Is it Now Pay to Win?

  I’ve watched with interest the community reaction to the announcement by Daum that Pearl Shop items would soon be purchasable by players from the in-game Marketplace. Their argument in support of this change is that “regardless of the region, there will always be players who, for whatever reason, do not get to experience all the features Black Desert offers including Pearl Shop Items.

  Posted on 08/08/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• It’s The Journey That Matters

  A Reddit thread caught my eye this morning with the topic titled “How hard would it be to start today and catch up and be competitive”. Despite some solid responses from the Black Desert Online community, I thought it was a particularly strange subject to raise and one that unearthed a variety of preconceived ideas as to what Black Desert Online is and what it’s offering.

  Posted on 07/18/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Is The Genre Stronger With Fluid Classes?

  As is customary with this column, most of my topics come about from talking to friends. This week's is no exception and as a small group of us chatted about classes in MMO’s, most of us agreed that they were often restrictive and unnecessary. I suspect that such a view isn’t as popular amongst the majority as it is my group of friends, but it certainly started a lengthy debate.

  Posted on 07/11/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• What Do You Dislike The Most?

  “I hate it. Absolutely bloody hate it.” said my brother. He was talking about the fact that enemies in Black Desert Online reveal nothing about themselves until you’ve killed multiple. Such a system is certainly different from the ‘norm’ and does take some getting used to. The first encounter I had with an enemy, I assumed the game was bugged for failing to reveal its health or deterioration as I peppered the creature with arrows.

  Posted on 07/04/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• The Node War Patch Falls Down, Goes Boom

  Lewis Burnell is off this week taking a much deserved vacation, and it’s probably just as well since Black Desert Online’s latest patch is, for all intents and purposes… busted to hell. In this week’s column we’ll take stock of the situation at hand and try to gather just what went wrong and when we can expect fixes to hit the live servers.

  Posted on 06/20/2016 by William Murphy

• I’d Welcome A True Support Class

  As my last Black Desert Online column for a couple of weeks while I take a long overdue vacation, I thought I’d keep this outing much more light hearted. As much as I’d like to continue to bang the drum about exploiting or players abusing the game, I think that discussion has been well and truly flogged.

  Posted on 06/13/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• How Can It Change Its Reputation?

  Last week I wrote about exploiting in Black Desert Online and how it’s seemingly rife throughout the game. With the latest expansion pack also delayed due to it, I feel there’s certainly a need for Daum to change the reputation of the game. Not only is it becoming well known for exploiting, but it being a grind is well documented. Both of these things combined with swathes of AFK players in capital cities - in the long run - are likely to do the game lasting harm.

  Posted on 06/06/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Is Exploiting Rampant?

  It appears that exploiting is a thing in Black Desert Online. Although I’ve never seen anyone use an exploit, there have been plenty of threads, posts and comments in recent months to suggest it is happening. That’s not entirely surprising as players will always cheat, in any genre, as long as there are gains to be made.

  Posted on 05/30/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• The Joy Of Being Overwhelmed

  It pains me to admit that Black Desert Online is the first MMO I’ve ever played that I’ve had to Google guides and solutions. There’s rarely been a time playing when I’m not loading a YouTube video that shows me how to do something. In the past I’ve often found it bizarre just how frequently people will use guides for the most trivial of content or things that are frighteningly obvious.

  Posted on 05/23/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Real Life Strikes

  Having had a very busy week I’ve not once logged into Black Desert Online. My time has been short and when I did want to go on the computer recreationally I wanted something immediate. In many ways I’m grateful that Black Desert Online is Buy to Play so that I don’t feel pressured to log in. On the other hand, I still feel somewhat anxious when I don’t. Years of a gear treadmill or handing over for a subscription fee tends to have that effect.

  Posted on 05/09/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Do Static NPC’s Bother You?

  “Hasn’t he been standing here since the game launched?” My brother asked. It turns out this particular NPC had and I then had to explain that as a starting area, many of the non-player characters were static or had fixed routes around set locations.

  Posted on 05/02/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Can Fishing Ever Be Fun?

  I hate fishing in Black Desert Online. In fact, hate is a generous word: I absolutely loathe it. Every single MMO I’ve ever played always has a group of players desperately wanting fishing to be implemented and yet it has to be, without doubt, the most mind numbing profession ever devised. I’ve never once fished in an MMO and found it entertaining. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s possible to make it entertaining.

  Posted on 04/25/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Does Adding Extra Classes Matter To You?

  This question is largely going to depend on whether or not you enjoy having alternative characters. There was a time when I did and in almost every MMO I’ve played I’d have one of every profession (or class). Altitis was very real in my household and even up to playing Guild Wars 2 I had one of every profession maxed out. It’s only in the last year that I’ve grown tired of keeping my alts up to scratch - the pursuit of gearing them out or keeping on top of their levels is exhausting.

  Posted on 04/18/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Is 400,000 Units Sold Significant?

  The announcement by Daum that Black Desert Online had sold 400,000 copies was quite a surprise. Not because I wasn’t expecting some sort of announcement but because the figure struck me as particularly low. For what could be argued as the last AAA title for some time and one that - seemingly - has been anticipated for an age, it’s odd to think it’s had sales of less than half a million.

  Posted on 04/11/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Have You Bought Anything from the Store?

  After many weeks of shock and horror at the sight of the in-game Black Desert Online store prices, I thought it might be worth asking the paying public (that’s you lot) as to whether or not you’ve parted with your hard earned cash.

  Posted on 04/04/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Making a Pretty House, and Investing Your Gold Bars

  This week in Black Desert Online, I managed to hit level 24… after 7 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes of playing and AFK-ing. But enough about how I’ll never hit level 50 – let’s talk about what to do with all that silver lining your pockets.

  Posted on 04/01/2016 by William Murphy

• Why BDO's PvP Isn't as Imbalanced as You Think

  If there's one piece of criticism I continually see popping up around Black Desert Online, it's that the PVP is horribly imbalanced due to "power creep". No matter how much you play, you'll never catch up to the top 1% who have already invested significant chunks of time and energy into forging all the best gear and pushing beyond the soft level cap of 50. Now, reading that, this is usually followed up with "You should probably not even bother trying." But here's where I disagree.

  Posted on 04/01/2016 by Steven Messner

• Could Open World Dungeons Work?

  I remember when playing Dark Age of Camelot that one of my favorite ‘dungeons’, Spindelhalla, was a non-instanced location set in the open game world. As a classic dungeon alongside other locations such as Nisse’s Lair or Darkness Falls it demonstrated that there isn’t always a need to instance a location in order for it to be fun and functional.

  Posted on 03/28/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• Why Do You Think BDO Has Been So Well Received?

  Some friends and I were discussing Black Desert Online earlier this week and we eventually began to chat about the wider genre and how, seemingly, many people have grown tired of the typical formulae surrounding “theme parks”. My brother, who rarely plays MMO’s any longer, asked why I thought Black Desert Online had been so well received.

  Posted on 03/21/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• The Night Is Dark And Full Of Lanterns

  There are few massively multiplayer games that can invoke a sense of trepidation when the sun sets and the night creeps in. For many years darkness is a thing that developers seem to have bypassed, as yet another obstacle players of the genre shouldn’t have to deal with. Having grown used to my eyes seeing as clearly at night as they do in the day, it’s with huge relief that Black Desert Online finally brings back a lack of vision.

  Posted on 03/14/2016 by Lewis Burnell

• BDO's Greatest Enemy is Information

  The recent buzz surrounding Black Desert Online these past few weeks hasn't been all that positive. There's been a fervent argument back and forth about it being pay-to-win, not having any relevant endgame, and even a vocal minority still attacking it for not being free-to-play. All of those are conversations worth having, but after several dozen hours spent playing Black Desert Online, its biggest problem isn't any one of those issues.

  Posted on 02/26/2016 by Steven Messner

• BDO Closed Beta Two Ignites the Community

  There is no question that closed beta two has ignited the Black Desert Online community in a variety of ways. On the one hand, there are those who have found a game they can see themselves playing for a good long while. On the other, there are those bemoaning the fact that BDO seems not to have fulfilled the dream of "the next great MMO". On the united front, the BDO Cash Shop has come under fire from all sides.

  Posted on 02/22/2016 by Suzie Ford

• MMO Predictions for 2016

  The MMO genre can sometimes feel like a whimsical sea of shifting sands, but it’s not without its axioms. Open betas will almost always mean soft launches, game development benchmarks will take longer than expected, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes will always be one of the best-conceived and poorly-executed MMORPGs ever made. Yet, sometimes the sands shift enough to reveal patterns for those who are good enough at predictions to get a glimpse of what awaits for MMOs, RPGS, and other games.

  Posted on 01/08/2016 by Som Pourfarzaneh

• Rob Predicts Lots of Snark for 2016

  For his first column in 2016 Rob takes a humorous look into what 2016 has in store. Take seriously at your own risk!

  Posted on 01/05/2016 by Robert Lashley

• The Upcoming MMOs of 2016

  2015 is in the past, and the majority of 2016 lies ahead. What games will we be playing as we crawl through the calendar year? We’re here to help figure that out. With this week’s List, we’ll take a quick look at all MMOs we expect to hit beta, early access, and launch in 2016. Click through and start adding games to your wish list!

  Posted on 01/04/2016 by William Murphy

• On Gender Locking the Classes

  One thing that everyone here at MMORPG.com seems to agree on, with regards to Black Desert, Devilian, TERA, and other imported MMOs, is that gender locking classes is an unwanted practice. As a player, you either have to come to accept it, or refuse to play what could be your preferred class. In a genre that’s original intent was to let you play the character of your complete choosing, locking classes behind certain genders seems in opposition of that intent.

  Posted on 12/29/2015 by William Murphy

• Merry Christmas from the Black Desert Online Beta

  It’s rare that an MMO comes across my desk for which I don’t have much background or context. It’s rarer still for that MMO to be in closed beta, with a lot of localization work and polish needed, and still leave a tremendously positive impression. Enter Black Desert Online (BDO), the upcoming fantasy MMORPG from Pearl Abyss and Daum Games, which just completed its first CBT this week.

  Posted on 12/25/2015 by Som Pourfarzaneh

• Igromir Producer Interview Report

  Russia's premier gaming convention, Igromir 2015, has been going on for the past several days. During the event, GameNet producers spoke with GoHa.ru and Dave Jones about Black Desert Online and the localization efforts among other topics. The following are some of the most interesting questions that were asked during those interviews and include work points, P2P/F2P launches, store items and more.

  Posted on 10/04/2015 by Catherine Daro

• Power Rankings - MMOGs Currently In Beta

  If we were to count all the MMOGs and quasi-MMOGs presently in various stages of testing, I have no doubt that the total would have three digits. Naturally, they'd differ widely with respect to how much interest they are generating. Frankly, we'd find a fair number that are effectively invisible, unknown except to the most ardent industry observers.

  Posted on 05/19/2015 by Richard Aihoshi

• Could Russia's Monetization Model Work Here?

  One of the most interesting statements from Gamenet.ru is its willingness to provide players with both free-to-play and subscription servers. They are obviously committed to being flexible with these different server configurations that respond the concerns of a community that is generally weary of the in-game stores.

  Posted on 05/06/2015 by Catherine Daro

• The Most Wanted Indie MMOs of 2014

  We already covered our all-around most wanted MMOs of 2014 last week, but did you know there were a boatload of Indie MMOs also releasing this year? We’d be remiss if we didn’t give the guys with the littler budgets and possibly bigger dreams their own spotlight, so we’re back this week with the Most Wanted Indie MMOs of 2014. Read on for our list, and be sure to comment and let us know if you agree or have something we missed to boot.

  Posted on 01/07/2014 by William Murphy