Black Desert Online - Under New Management - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > Black Desert Online - Under New Management

Ainsley McTree: Feb 19, 2004

PriNGLeS posted:

other than getting ganked by a wallet warrior/poo poo sock champion while trying to chill out and grind, all the pvp is segregated.

How big of a problem is that exactly? I'm curious about this game, because the lifeskills half of it looks fun, as does the combat, but getting ganked in open world PVP while I'm just trying to mind my own business in PVE is my least favorite thing about MMOs, so if that's something I can expect to encounter regularly in this, it may not be the game for me.

There are no PVE-only servers or anything, are there? Didn't look like it based on my googling.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2021 18:36

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Ainsley McTree: Feb 19, 2004

Amergin posted:

I play on PS4 so I'm assuming this still applies to PC too (I haven't played BDO on PC in years).

There's one true open-world PVP server that also has a baked-in increase to item drop rate, so when you're high level and confident in your skills you can hop over there to grind and try to hold your own. Every other server has a karma system, and griefing/ganking people to push them out of your grind spot can hurt. So most of the time, nobody will try to mess with you unless you're purposefully encroaching on their grind rotation. It's basically a nuclear option unless you're just unlucky and happen across an absolute dick of a person.

If you're grinding and someone comes to encroach on you, you can either hop to one of the many other servers OR just leave and go somewhere else/go to another spot in the area. You don't lose anything from a PVP death except a bit of time, unless a mob gets the last hit and then you might lose some exp. But overall in my experience you can craft, gather and grind all without worrying about someone coming in and ganking you 99.9999% of the time. They really tried to make it PVE friendly without explicitly banning PVP.

EDIT: Also IIRC people can't even attack you until you're level 51 (or is it 50?), at which case they can flag up and attack you unprovoked (but again, nobody really does). So if you play casually and focus on crafting and gathering, the majority of the time nobody can even attack you even if they wanted. And the grinding spots where people get territorial are mostly end-game grinding spots which you won't even be going to for a while.
It honestly is one of the more "chill" MMOs I've played. The PVP is there but only if you want it. Griefers and PKers are few and far between.

That's a relief to hear, thank you! I was getting bad wow memories of getting ganked by max level pubbies with flying mounts while trying to stranglethorn vale, so good to know BDO isn't like that.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2021 20:44

Ainsley McTree: Feb 19, 2004

punk rebel ecks posted:

So while I know that you have to spend money in this game to be "viable" and have a "smooth" experience, around how much money is that exactly?

If I may ask a piggyback question, exactly how miserable is the game going to be if you try to play it fully f2p?

# ¿ Jul 15, 2021 17:47

Ainsley McTree: Feb 19, 2004

I should also add that part of what appeals to me about this game is the lifeskills aspect of it; I like the idea of becoming a titan of industry on the backs of a workforce of drunk goblins

Is that part of the game also fairly approachable if you don't want to spend any real money, or does it start to get punishing quickly if you're just f2p?

# ¿ Jul 15, 2021 18:53

Ainsley McTree: Feb 19, 2004

Ty for the answers!

# ¿ Jul 15, 2021 21:37

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