In this Black Desert Online F.A.Q we provide you with a list of answers to the most common questions. As a game with a great deal of depth and diverse systems, it should help you on your way when the game launches in a few weeks time.

When does the game release?

The official launch date is March 3rd. (maintenance scheduled at 08:00 UTC / approx. 4 hours)

Is it free to play?

Black Desert Online is buy to play, meaning you’ll need to purchase a copy of the game before you can play it. There are three packages available for purchase:

• Traveler’s
• Explorer’s
• Conqueror's

All of these packages offer additional benefits and for the most part, are good value for money based on the cost of the items you receive. Each package also offers different dates on their headstart.

When does the head start begin?

There are three dates depending on which version of the game you bought:

• Head start for Conqueror’s package holders starts the 28th of February, 08:00 UTC.
• Head start for Explorer’s package holders starts the 1st of March, 08:00 UTC.
• Head start for Traveler’s package holders start the 2nd of March, 08:00 UTC.

What version should I buy?

Honestly, it depends entirely on your budget. I purchased the Explorer’s package because I wanted a horse and whistle although these aren’t mandatory (you can tame horses in the wild). As for the other packages, they all provide good value for money.

Is the game pay to win?

No. Although there are some items on the store that have caused some fierce community discussion, there are no items on the store that provide an advantage over another player. While some items are pay for convenience, no items will actually increase your power over another.

What is the best class to play?

There’s no right or wrong class to play but there are some specific class restrictions. For example, there’s no male version of the ranger, sorceress or valkyrie. In addition, there’s no female version of the warrior or berserker. Only the Wizard and Witch are gender mirrors. As to which class is best, they all fulfill very different roles. I really enjoy the ranger due to its range and mobility, but also because its bow based skills are incredibly satisfying. Several friends enjoy the berserker due to the “oomph” of wielding two giant axes and the fact melee combat is so satisfying. It’s best to have a go with each class until you find one that you like the most.

Is Black Desert Online a grind?

There is grinding in Black Desert Online and it’s the quickest way to level. Unlike other MMO’s Black Desert Online doesn’t provide experience points from completing quests so you only level up by actively killing monsters. Fortunately grinding here is a lot of fun as you’re extremely powerful compared to many enemies around you. In addition, the fast paced combat makes it super satisfying.

What is the fastest way to level?

Honestly, it’s grinding monster camps. I almost reached level 20 in closed beta 2 just from farming camps. It was a lot of fun, especially while exploring and the silver return was good too.

What is the combat like?

Black Desert Online’s combat feels like a mix between Guild Wars 2 and Tera. It has free look and aim and no tab targeting. You need to physically aim at your target to him them with skills. In addition, you can sprint, dodge and crouch and complete combo’s for more powerful attacks. Only some certain skills can be placed on your action bar, the rest you have to remember.

What crafting is available?

There are lots of different types such as cooking or alchemy but unlike other MMO’s, Black Desert Online’s crafting is undertaken by NPC’s that you hire, train and instruct. Imagine them as your own private work force. You’ll need to bring them the materials and order them about their business in order to complete your jobs.

Are there any additional activities I can do?

Absolutely! Besides PvP, you can fish, trade, gather resources, tame horses, hunt other players and even become a wanted man (hunting other players tends to do that).

Are there dungeons and raids?

No. Black Desert Online is all about open world gameplay rather than instances and having pre-set locations and bosses that go through the same routine. There are bosses in the game world and challenging encounters but none of it is instanced. It's far more immersive because of it.

What are the gear requirements?

Gear is highly flexibile in Black Desert Online. In fact, you can swap your armor between any of your characters as long as you throw it in your bank for them to collect. You can also swap weapons to an alt character as long as that class can wield it. Best of all there’s no level requirements on weapons so if you do get a good one early, you’ll be able to cut down enemies very easily.

Do I have to purchase items from the in-game store?

No. No items on the in-game store are mandatory but are purely cosmetic. Unfortunately they also look amazing so expect to want to spend money.

Can I learn every skill in the game?

Technically there is a skill point soft cap of 500 but as Black Desert Online allows you to continue leveling past level 50, you can continue to acquire skill points (and thus unlock your class skills)

What is the level cap?

As noted above, the level cap is 50 but you can continue to level past this. As you might expect anything post 50 can take a long, long time to level up. Based on that, treat 50 as your target and anything extra is a bonus to your character.

When should I spend my Contribution Points?

As far as I’m aware, you can’t ever lose Contribution Points. Instead, you trade them for something else and should you then return that item, you’ll gain your Contribution Points back.

Can you have pets?

Yes! You can get mini-pets from the in game store and they cost around $8 each or from the in game auction house. You can breed pets and they are an important part of Black Desert Online as they allow you to quickly.

What is the fastest way to make money?

There’s lots of ways to make money in Black Desert Online:

• Trade Routes
• Grinding
• Fishing
• Horse Taming/Breeding
• Foraging
• Cooking

All of these are capable of making any player rich it just depends on which you prefer to do. For me, trading and grinding are my preferred options I also like foraging (I’m an alchemist at heart).

We’ll be producing a how-to-get-rich-quick guide very soon.

Does the game have guilds?

Yes! It’s in your best interests to join a guild as soon as possible, not only for getting help and advice but guild contracts also pay YOU money for being part of a guild. I earn 7,000 silver a day from mine. Awesome!

I’ve lots more questions!

We’re not surprised. Black Desert Online is a vast game and there’s tons of questions to ask. The Reddit community is brilliant, the official forums has lots of information and if all else fails, their Twitter team is super snappy and more than happy to answer questions. Oh and we’ll be releasing our Black Desert Online guide content very soon. Stay tuned.

Have a question about Black Desert Online that you can't find answers for? Ask away in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer it! 

Click here for a special Black Desert Online purchase offer available exclusively to Ten Ton Hammer viewers and play today!