Black Desert Online is a massive game. There’s a ton of content you can do in the game.
It can be a bit overwhelming for a new player to get into the game without a proper path to follow.
So in this quick guide, I will share with you a few simple steps you can take to get into Black Desert Online without frustrations.
This guide can be used for Black Desert Mobile as well. Keep reading if you’re excited to try this MMO.
1. Create A Season Character
Black Desert Online (BDO) now has Seasonal content. A season lasts for 3 months and it’s the perfect time to get into the game as a complete beginner.
Seasons allow you to level up your character much faster while collecting better resources and better gear.
Usually, there’s always a season running in Black Desert Online. So you won’t have to wait long to get into a season server.
To get access to Season servers, you need to create a new Season character. Be sure to select the Season Character option at the character creation screen to enable this option.
2. Pick A Beginner-Friendly Class
There’s a lot of classes to choose from in BDO. Most of these classes are really fun to play and offer a different experience. But, there are a couple of classes that are most suitable for beginners.
Guardian is the ideal class for beginners. Her combat and skills are really effective against mobs of enemies. And her Awakening is perfect for grinding later on in the endgame.
Wizard, Witch, Nova are also great options you can try out in your first playthrough. Of course, you can check out gameplay videos on YouTube to see which class is suitable for your playstyle.
3. Follow The Main Questline
Once you get into the game, you will be bombarded with lots of information, hundreds of different types of resources, currencies, and game mechanics.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by all of this. Just focus on doing the main questline, for now.
At any time, you can bring up the Main quests tab by pressing the O key on your keyboard. Or using the main menu.
The main questline offers you the best beginner experience as it introduces you to all the basic game mechanics one at a time.
It’s also the best way to earn better gear, valuable resources for leveling up the gear, and free inventory slots to expand your inventory.
4. Don’t Worry About Gear or Loot, Yet
In the beginning, your character won’t have great armor or weapons. That’s totally fine.
Don’t worry about buying the best gear from vendors or trading on the Central Marketplace.
For now, you should simply try to progress in the main questline and understand the game mechanics.
When progressing in the game, you will earn armor and weapons called Naru gear. Equip these gear items as soon as you get them.
You can also upgrade them using Beginner Black Stones, which can be obtained by completing quests.
Then you can use the Black Spirit to upgrade your gear. Keep upgrading your gear while you’re leveling up.
5. Focus On Reaching Level 56
Each class in BDO has a kind of specialization. At level 56, you can choose either Succession or Awakening specialization for your class.
This is where the fun begins for your character. So at first, focus on leveling your character to Level 56.
But don’t try to grind your way to Level 56 in one day. Try to enjoy the game while you’re leveling up.
BDO is a grindy game but there’s plenty of grinding you can do once you reach the endgame. So for now, just enjoy the leveling up process and the questline.
6. Remember To Graduate
If you’ve created a season character, be sure to graduate your character at the end of the Season.
This converts your season character into a normal character so that you can keep playing the game with the same character after the season ends.
This conversion process is called graduating. Following the right steps will allow you to graduate with your currently equipped gear and enjoy the game with better gear.
Check out this video guide to see how to graduate with your gear. By the way, EvilDoUsHarm is a great YouTuber you can follow for BDO content and tips. Be sure to check out some of his videos.
7. Decide What To Do In Endgame
If you only follow the main questline in BDO, you can reach endgame fairly quickly.
Most BDO players will tell you that grinding is the only endgame in BDO. The truth is there are many different ways you can play the game.
Here are just a few different things you can do after reaching endgame:
- Grinding: This involves killing mobs and boss enemies to find better gear and earn more money
- Hunting: This lets you hunt monsters to earn a decent amount of money. It’s super fun
- Fishing: You can level up your fishing skills to earn a ton of cash even when you’re not actively playing the game
- Sailing: You can get a boat and go sailing the massive oceans in BDO
- Horse Breeding: You can catch and train horses for profit
- Gathering: Gather resources and sell them on Central Market
- Cooking: Cooking different recipes is another great way to make a ton of money in the game
- Fashion: If looking good is more important to you, focus on earning more money to buy better outfits and gear for your character
You can also go do dungeons with other players, join a guild, do trading, and so much more in the game.
What About PVP?
Yes, there is PVP in Black Desert Online. PVP is activated after your character reaches Level 50.
This means a player can attack you at any time in the game. But don’t worry, PVP does not affect your gameplay much.
Even if a jerk attacks you for no reason and you die, you can respawn with all your gear and resources. You don’t lose anything for dying in the game.
If you’re into PVP, there are lots of PVP activities you can take part in as well. I’m a PVE-only guy so I’m not the right person to give you tips on that. Just try YouTube or Google.
In Conclusion
BDO is a very complex game. There are more mechanics and steps involved in each step I’ve mentioned above.
But I kept things simple to help new players understand the game without having to worry about things like failstacks or RNG.
When you feel like you’re ready to dive deep into the game, you can check out the BDO Wiki to learn more.