Black Desert is a grinding game.
A great grinding game
But a huge grinding game.
There are so many little things you can do to optimize the grind, ranging from trivial to incorporate and utilize, to so incredibly obscure that I wouldn’t even bother. The true min-maxers will do everything they possibly can to push out every bit of silver per hour possible, but for more chill grinders like me, I will happily settle for a bit less if it means I can relax while doing it.
Honorable Mention
Picking a chill grinding class! It is imperative that a chill grinder plays a chill grinding class! Now, not every chill class is necessarily considered a low APM class. For example, I find Succession Hashashin pretty damn chill for what it is, but it’s not exactly slow or devoid of inputs. Ultimately, you want to find a handful of classes you feel you would enjoy, make a trial version of that class, and spend a little bit of time getting a feel for them. You won’t get the full picture of course, but between that, watching a few videos, and narrowing down what you feel you’d enjoy will go a very long way.
Some very popular classes that are considered easygoing and chill for grinding (note: not necessarily the best): Succession Berserker, Succession Lahn, Succession Woosa, Succession Maegu, Awakening Striker, Succession Sage, Awakening Guardian, Awakening Valkyrie*, Shai*, Awakening Witch, Awakening Musa, Awakening Wizard, and Succession Drakania.
(*These classes are either low APM in specific spots, typically low end, or have much more involved nuances that may take time to learn, but you can be effective in the interim)
House and church buffs
Church buffs are incredibly cheap, and the cheapest attack buff lasts for two hours, making it ideal for shorter sessions. The longer option is 5 hours long, so if you’re really trying to get those hours in, you don’t have to go back! You can make 10 mil silver back in quite literally seconds, so a free 8 AP and 8 accuracy will never hurt.
Finding a spot before using Marni’s Realm
Marni’s Realm is one of the best additions for grinders, but jumping into it from the get-go may not be the best use of it. If you’re in a guild, you likely have access to three servers you can freely jump into and out of. Take full advantage of this when looking for a grind spot, especially if you’re in an area that has multiple grind spots you don’t mind taking, like Red Orcs and Bloody Monastery. This allows you to find a spot without having to worry about using up time in your Marni’s Realm, and if you don’t find a spot, or if you lose a duel for a spot or get your spot taken, then you can utilize the free hour you have. It sounds like a small thing but can really help you out when you end up grinding in multiple sessions throughout a day.
Group spots!
One of the easiest ways to grind for me is to do it with a friend. Additionally, some very strong mid to late-game grind spots are party spots. My personal favorite right now is Abandoned Monastery, but Upper Gyfin, Oluns, and Turos are all great. Being able to chat and talk with someone passes time like it’s nothing, especially when you’re both looking to make gains.
Two Birds with one Black Stone
What may also help your grind is doing more than just grinding for silver. That shiny new TET Distortion Earring probably needs a cup, so you’ll probably have to hit up Bloody Monastery or Swamp Fogans eventually. Sure, you won’t make as much silver as Orcs, but the difference is negligible when you’re also working towards an upgrade you’ll not only have to farm yourself (just look at the preorders), but an upgrade that’s permanent for your account. Knowing that I’ll cover more bases in my grind makes me want to do it even more.
Taking care
As fun as I find grinding, I make absolutely sure I take a 5-10 minute break every hour that I grind. I do not care how long I plan on grinding or how contested a grind spot tends to be. I would like to play video games 15-20 years from now, and there is no amount of min-maxing that will make me not take a break. The more you take care of yourself, the more you’ll be able to play. Hydrate, stretch, and take breaks. The grind will always be there.
Changing keybinds
If you have a mouse with more than the standard three buttons, it may behoove you to keybind some more annoying or difficult keys to it. For me, the ‘F’ key is really frustrating to press on quite a number of classes because of how awkward it can get with other combinations (W+F is the most egregious for me). I highly recommend spending a lot of time figuring out what works for you!
Occupy your time
So you have a chill class, your inputs are set, and you’re ready to take it easy and relax while making some shiny silver. The most important step here is to put up your favorite podcast, video, or stream, and let that take up your background sound. This is by far the easiest way I’ve found to pass the time, and it just makes it that much easier.
Grinding can be a very time-consuming activity, but it doesn’t have to be unbearable or boring. I hope these tips helped you even a little bit, and I also hope that you couldn’t tell I wrote this whole thing while grinding Orcs!
