Black Desert
Played by over 20 million Adventurers - Black Desert Online is an open-world, action MMORPG. Experience intense, action-packed combat, battle massive world bosses, fight alongside friends to siege and conquer castles, and train in professions such as fishing, trading, crafting, cooking, and more!
Black Desert is a mmorpg, massively multiplayer and open world game
developed and published by Pearl Abyss.
Released on May 24th 2017 is available only on Windows
in 11 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Russian, Thai, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese - Brazil and Spanish - Latin America.
It has received 83,488 reviews of which 62,199 were positive and 21,289 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.4 out of 10. 😊
The game is free to play on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Black Desert into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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Requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i3 (4th Generation)
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 970, Radeon RX 480
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 80 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 80GB HDD (SSD recommended)
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Been playing for years, game is more like a 2nd job but one you enjoy. Combat is very unique in a way that many other games dont have. Game can be overwhelming when you just start out, but once you find your own way to play the game it gets more fun. It's not a race, its a marathon.
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I have a couple of hours in here so I know a few things. This is an honest review, from someone with more then 5k hours if I add the non-steam version. To break this down quickly and effectively here is how I will rate this game: 1. Community 2. Gameplay 3. Story/Quests 4. Graphics 5. Early/Endgame With that being said, here is what you can prepare for BDO in 2024. 1. Community. I start with the community because like in every MMORPG it has the biggest impact. If you want to play solo games, then there are plenty other choices. The problem with this game though, which used to be community driven, now feels like a solo MMO. I won't compare the "good old times" with what it is now. What you need to know is that, if you don't join in an active guild, there is close to 0 community in this game. Especially when seasons hit. Meaning that, there are times where BDO feels like it's dead, and all of the sudden it feels like it's christmass and the whole world is playing it. A lot of people, if not most of them, are returning players. They take breaks, and come back when the moment is right. I, am one of them. So what you can expect from the community is not like in other MMO's as the gameplay, which we will discuss next are now heavily concentrated in solo gaming. Excluding PVP. Conclusion: If you want to play the game solely because of the community aspect, you will be dissapointed. 2. Gameplay One of the best. If not the best in my own opinion. The combat system is incredibly amazing. Addicting, and forceful. The gameplay itself in BDO is like any other MMO. Vindictus comes a bit close with mechanical combos, but not as in depth as BDO. Every class has it's own specialty. And there are tons of materials you have to learn to get decent in combat with any class. Especially PVP. There are a lot of things you have to be aware of when fighting. The PVM aspect is very satisfying with any class. There is not much to talk about the Gameplay itself because it's simply divine in my opinion. It's really beyond any MMO I've ever experienced and the only one that made me into a human slob, couldn't get away from my keyboard for weeks on end. 3. Story/Quests The devs did an amazing job here. Story is rich, quests are plenty. Content is really huge, and it feels like there is no stop to it. If you are a beginner, you have plenty to go through. They revamped a few of the main quests, and made the story somewhat better. You can pick now various paths of certain stories in order to feel the game somwewhat differently even as a Veteran. You won't get bored if you are the Story and Questing type of MMO Player. 4. Graphics Now, I'm going to be honest. The game requires A LOT if you are playing for the visual purposes. If you are blessed to have an endgame PC that let's you play at the highest possible quality in BDO, you will get addicted instantly. Everything feels surreal. The combat, the landscape, the small details, the effects, literally everything. They put a lot of effort into it and you can see it. On the other hand, if you play on low settings, it can be frustrating. You won't really get the grasp of high quality MMO without playing with better resolution. That goes for BDO of course. There are other MMO's that let's you slip, excluding high graphics and still enjoy the game as you should. But I personally feel like, if you can't play BDO on a good-high resolution and quality, it doesn't offer you really quality visuals. So if you do have a great PC, you should absolutely give it a try, at least to experience the visuals which trust me, you won't be dissapointed. 5. Early/Endgame For new players, you're in luck. I said I won't be doing a comparison with the old days. But believe me, now? The game became quite easy, if not really easy-mode when starting out. Especially with the possibility with creating a Seasonal Character. Which when completing and reaching level 61, you are prepared for the early end-game. And that is achievable faster then you could imagine. You are guided and rewarded for every step you make in the game. Heavily. I know a lot would argue about better gearing, and you need to ivnest some real money to do this and that. But that is simply not true. It was true, back in the day where you would use your one month grinding savings to enhance something, failed and quit the game. But now, you can get around that very easily. You don't have that stress factor anymore. And BDO is not that competitive anymore as well. Meaning you don't need to spend a single dime to enjoy the game, even in end game. One thing I want to mention though, when it comes to buying in game things with real money, is that, there are certain benefits that help you a ton along your journey. Like a tent, some inventory space, weight and certain pets. But you are totally fine without them as well. Especially when starting out now. You will get so many valuable incredible things that were simply out of reach when I started playing. Like a dream horse. For free... yeah. If you don't know what it means, it simply means you will be quite fast around the huge map. Now for the sad part. I know, I know. The end game content. It's...boring. When you reach endgame, there always will be other stuff to pursue. Gear Wise. Content wise? Pretty much over. Spending hours on end in the same spot killing monsters ALONE. They implemented a few co-op things. But nothing really special. Or at least I don't see close to nobody doing them. Together. That's what I meant in point 1 with Community. The game feels at times dead. And there is not much to do but to grind for yourself, alone. If you are lucky enough to find a guild that is very active and do thigns together, it's different. Basically you create your own content, goals to pursue, and things to achieve, as well as stuff to do together. Conclusion: Early/Mid game, great. End game, boring if your focus is just getting stronger for no real apparent reason. So, here is a bonus insight: IF you never played BDO, it's worth the shot, the money, and the time invested. There are so many thigns to do. Really. At least until you truly learn everything about the game, you won't get bored. The nodes systems, the workers, the different life-skills that I haven't mentioned. There is really a lot to do and to get joy from. BDO is not only focused on Combat, given that it excells at it. But also, if not more, about the various things you can do and achieve within the game. My favorite gaming moments were made with BDO. I've been using my fingers on a keyboard since I was 6. I am 28 now. And this right here, is the game that brought me most joy in it's peak era. It might not be at it's peak now. But there is still room for new gaming experiences if you enjoy and love this hobby. This is one of the few reviews I actually put effort in. I hope you could gain some clarity from it. I appreciate you for reading this, and perhaphs we can bring in some more people into the game so it can grow.
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I have a hard time reviewing this game to others. Not because I don't love the game, but because it is not for everyone. ----- tl;dr If you don't like grind-heavy games; this game is not for you. If you like rich, open-world MMOs with awesome graphics and a combat mechanic that stands far above any that I've experienced in not only MMORPGS, but in the RPG genre overall, then this game MIGHT be for you. If you enjoy games that reward you for playing, instead of punishing you/holding you hostage for not playing, you will at least appreciate the game. ----- My Review: I rate games based on how much value I get from them, based on a ratio of cost to enjoyment. This game has a retail price of $12.99 CAD, and I have put in over 1700 hours. In contrast, I have spent $100+ on AAA games that have given me less than 40 hours of enjoyment, and then had the audacity to charge me for DLCs. By my metric of value, Black Desert always delivers. So how do they make money off a $13 game? This is where a lot of people will complain: "Pay-to-win" I have no problem with pay-to-win. It puts money in the developers' pockets, so they can continue to work on the game. It doesn't affect my personal journey with the game if others want to spend their money. In fact, it actually means that I don't have to. By having a cash shop, I don't need to pay for a membership every month. For just $13 down payment, I can play the game how often I want, and I never have to worry about my account getting held hostage until I make another payment. Most other MMOs require you to pay anywhere from $12-$18 every month. If you decide to suspend your subscription, you can no longer play your game. This business model is archaic in my opinion. It feels like if I don't play, I'm losing money. If I had to pay $12 per month for BDO, I would have spent $576 on the game so far based on today's date. On the topic of Pay-to-Win, Black Desert is more like "Pay-to-Convenience". You don't actually need the items. You would need to pay an astronomical amount of money to actually gain any advantage. The only item that I would actually consider a "necessity" is the campsite, which allows you to fix your gear and buy potions/buffs without needing to go back to town, saving you minutes. At around $50 (one time purchase) for the campsite, the game is still under the price of most games. I got my tent at 50% off when there was a sale, so I paid even less. Overall, I have probably put around $350 into the game. I bought the campsite, an item that allows you to summon your horse from anywhere, and numerous cosmetic outfits for my characters. I paid because I wanted to, because the game provides me enjoyment, and I want to support it. It didn't require me to subscribe, and hold a knife against my throat if I refused to pay for a month when I need to take a break. I enjoy grind-heavy games. I enjoy business models that reward the time you spend in game, instead of punishing you for not playing.
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I spent $1.00 on this game, and got this in-game fish costume. Then, I proceeded to fish (with the in-game fish costume on) for 228.3 hours. The fish costume makes you look like a fish.
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Black Desert is so beautiful! I must give it a very positive review for the following reasons: [*]It's incredibly colorful, there are endless activities which you can try to do in the game. [*]It has a lovely story which you can follow (there are 10000s of quests) but it hasn't got an ending. The game regularly gets new content and it is constantly changing as it is being improved, developed. [*]It has beautiful graphics and an amazing soundtrack. Wherever I go, I just want to stop and stay there for a while until I can completely listen to the songs. Sometimes I don't even want to actually play this game but only listen to the wonderful songs in it. [*]The game (and its story) never ends and there isn't a well-defined goal. It gives you complete freedom, you have to find the activities which you like the most. [*]The world of Black Desert is vast. I haven't even explored half of it. You will always find secrets (which can actually be a purpose of playing it). [*]The community is extremely friendly. Throughout my gameplays, I have only received heartwarming words and helpful suggestions. Players often give up their own goals just to help. [*]The game has a functional anti-cheat. I have never seen cheaters or even unfair players. [*]I think the sentences Enjoy your journey not just your goal and Best Day Online describe this game fairly and accurately. I will also try to describe when Black Desert might not be an ideal game for you: [*]It is quite time-consuming. If you often don't play it for long periods of time (e.g., months), you might find that the game has considerably changed or you have missed a lot of important opportunities. Activity is key in Black Desert. [*]The game is complex and it takes time (this means years) to learn how to play it and to get gear. It supports slow and gradual progression. You won't get everything in the beginning. [*]Don't expect a shooter game-like experience or overly modern elements. This game is set in a medieval fantasy world (which is one of the reasons why I love playing it). You use some kind of sword most of the time. In order to reach distant places, you usually travel on a horse. Getting the appropriate horse is also beautifully detailed process. [*]It is grindy and certain outcomes depend on random factors. You have to accept the fact that sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are unlucky. [*]And finally, probably the most important: If you tend to compare yourself to others too much or you have a competitive mindset, this is most likely not your game. In Black Desert, you will always find people who are far ahead of you. You simply don't have a chance to reach them because they have spent several years on improving their character and skills. Fairly, you will also have to spend the same amount of time and make the same effort. Black Desert is an ideal game to be played solo, at your own pace, but it can also be played together with friends, which is also so wonderful. I also recommend that you join a guild which shares your interests. There are endless social activities to do and magical places to discover, or just try watching the beautiful stars at night while you're visiting an oasis in the desert. You can even learn to compose and play your own music.🌸
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 23 December 2024 00:31 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 22 December 2024 21:26 |
| Steam price | 23 December 2024 12:48 |
| Steam reviews | 23 December 2024 10:07 |
Online players
18,643
Developer
Pearl Abyss
Publisher
Pearl Abyss
Release
24 May 2017
Platforms