Today, Pearl Abyss pulled the veil back on some of the upcoming content, from the Land of the Morning Light Seoul, as well as a new class, the Dosa.
During the Heidel Ball, the event being held in the real-life medieval French city that inspired the in-game location of Heidel, developer Pearl Abyss announced the new class, which is inspired by Korean folklore, much like the Woosa and Maegu before it, which launched previously. The MMO has been leaning into its Korean roots with the recent Land of the Morning Light expansion and is set to launch the second part of this expansion, Seoul, in August (in Korea, at least).
New Class: Dosa
Coming on July 3rd, the new class, Dosa, and will be the MMO’s 28th class.The Dosa, which the trailer shows wielding his sword and a pipe to deal out damage, with his backstory rooted in the upcoming Seoul update.
His sword, the Hwando, seems to be inspired by a real-life Joseon general, Yi Sunsin. He also brings a pipe into battle to summon the “power of Do arts.” He wields both, harnessing umbral energies and summoning the Warriors of Fog with the Pipe to protect and fight alongside him.
The team describes the combat of the Dosa as fluid and precise, and says that the class is enjoyable even for beginners hopping into BDO for the first time. The Warriors of Fog will also react accordingly to the amount of enemies surrounding him at any given time.
The Land of the Morning Light: Seoul
The upcoming expansion for Black Desert Online, Land of the Morning Light: Seoul, also got a look this morning, with the MMO developers showcasing locations from the upcoming expansion, as well as some of the real-life places they are inspired by. It's fitting that this is announced in the real-life town that inspired one of the major cities in the MMO, and much like the first part of the Land of the Morning Light content, which was released in 2023, it looks like a love letter to the developer's homeland of Korea.
The montage of locations is set to a moving piece of music, melding modern instrumentation and traditional Korean instruments, adding to a sense of place. From majestic vistas, large Korean-inspired locations such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, and more, Seoul is set to bring about the conclusion of many of the storylines we encountered in part 1 of the Land of the Morning Light.
A new Manor set right within the capitol itself is also coming, which will give players another area to decorate and make their own, especially with the new furniture and more coming with the update.
Everyone's favorite companion, Dolswe, is also back, helping you navigate what the developers call an "unbearable crisis." The team is bringing back its Tales format from part 1, with eight stories for players to explore that are, just like the ones in Donghae Province, inspired by Korean folklore, though the developers mention there is a bit of political drama thrown in for good measure. The team also teased that there are two secret bosses in Seoul for players to explore.
One of the bosses, Uturi, is depicted as a magpie, with his soldiers designed as the food a magpie might eat, such as millet, red beans and green beans. Black Shrine 2, unlike the first iteration from part 1, is designed for cooperative play. There is also no HP recovery from traditional means; instead, you are healed through orbs that spawn during battle.
Auras are also a bit different this time around, with the auras helping determine your role during the fight, such as the Sun aura’s crowd control triggers, while Earth summons those HP orbs. While the Black Shrine 2 isn’t a guild raid, the team does hope it’ll provide some benefit for Guilds participating, with completion rewards and a Guild rankings ladder to compete against other Guilds for the Boss Blitz.
A new Palace Management system is coming in Seoul as well, allowing players to effectively automate production, completing trade items to sell to vendors and merchants, creating a new stream of income in game.
Sovereign weapons are also coming, taking over the top spot from the previously obtainable Black Star weapons. The Sovereign weapons are the most powerful weapons moving forward, offering three different ways to craft them. Sovereign weapons will require exclusive materials to enhance the weapons, with the weapons having ten enhancement levels.
Players can choose their own weapon effects, allowing players to effectively customize their weapon to their playstyle. Five effects can be applied to a Sovereign weapon, and more unique effects will be harder to obtain, adding to their power. More effects will be coming in post-release content.
To help give players a leg up on the road to a Sovereign weapon, Pearl Abyss is giving all players a PEN Blackstar Weapon. This weapon cannot be registered on the market and will have some requirements to obtain, but it’s quite the in-game gift.
Upcoming Content
Black Desert is also getting a new Hardcore server, running in a Seasonal format. This new server will start players at level 60 with pre-ordained gear. This gear can be enhanced, but it doesn’t sound like you’ll ever get new gear on the server.
PvP is always on, which is likely a way of trying to bring back those emergent gameplay moments that find itself missing nowadays in the PvP community. However, unlike other Hardcore servers, such as WoW Classic Hardcore, dying doesn’t seem to be the end, but instead BDO will ship your character off to a jail where you’ll need to earn rest points to get out.
Or you can fight other prisoners to speed this up, creating a literal Gulag in Black Desert.
Guilds are also getting a few updates, such as guilds being able to tag themselves to be more identifiable for those looking for a guild. This new feature will also allow guilds to be ranked against each other, with guilds able to earn fame, which can grant a new mount.
#BlackDesert #HeidelBall2024Stay stylish and beat the heat with the new Summer outfit, Badakka (coming soon)! This outfit takes customization to the next level, as it comes in several variations to spice up your look! pic.twitter.com/l8jYPbSgQj
— Black Desert Online PC (@NewsBlackDesert) June 22, 2024
More summer events and outfits are also coming, including variations of the summer outfit with customizable cape options, new looks, and much more. Some of the outfits are inspired by Black Desert merchandise, and are a more modern approach versus the more traditional fantasy outfits found within Black Desert normally.
We also got a short comparison video of the existing PS5 version and the dedicated PS5 port, highlighting the visuals and framerate improvements. Jaehee mentions there is a final test in December, with an ETA for when the update is being applied after that. No mention of an Xbox Series S|X port was made, however.
July 14th will see the War of the Roses PvP update begin, incorporating changes based on feedback from the preview period. The Land of the Morning Light: Seoul is being shipped in Korea on August 7th, with a “Fall” target for the global release after localization is complete.
In the future, players will be able to explore a new adventure in a sequel to the Eternal Winter expansion, the Mountain of Dawnbreak. In this new region, players are able to explore the Everfrost mountains, as well as a 100-level dungeon to explore.
Also showcased was a snapshot of Demon Land, or Demon Castle as Jaehee mentioned on stream, since the region is being designed as one giant massive fortress. The team also gave a glimpse of an even farther future, in which the Magnus is able to transport you back in time to a time when the Black Desert world is much different than we see it today.
You can catch all of the announcements, as well as all of the goodies that the Black Desert team is giving away to celebrate the MMO, on the official Youtube channel, or in the embed below.
