The context of this email is around, but likely quite buried in old email posts - some in other forums on Oracle in fact. After Crimthan asked today, I figured it would be a DAMN good idea to gather and re-post (with a sticky) information about Black Desert Online and where KGB is hanging out!


Which Server Do We Play On?
===========================
Server: Edan
Channel: Varies (see below) - but "typically" Balenos E2 or Calpheon E2

We post the server and the "prime" channel that we are playing on in the TeamSpeak "General Discussion". Since Node Wars and Sieges are run on all of the "E1" channels, we typically run as a group on a selected "E2" channel. Depending on how "busy" the Calpheon E2 gets - folks may jump over to "Balenos E2" or some other channel while grouped up for a grind/scrolls/etc.

What Kind Of Game Is BDO?
=========================
This was taken directly from mmorpg.com

Black Desert Online is a sandbox MMORPG from Pearl Abyss. BDO is an MMORPG that features castle sieging, trading, crafting, player housing, parkour, animal husbandry, investment banking, fishing, cooking, carpentry, and loads more.

Players will enjoy jaw-dropping graphics, intuitive skill-based combat, and and immersive story encased in an expansive world just waiting to be explored. Accompanied by a Black Spirit, a companion whose destiny is intertwined with their own, players will discover the secret of the Black Stones and the history of their corrupting effects.

CLASSES:
Warrior (m) / Valkyrie (f)
Ranger (f)
Sorceress (f)
Berserker (m)
Wizard (m) / Witch (f)
Musa (m) / Maehwa (f)
Ninja (m) / Kunoichi (f)
Tamer (f)

More to come over time

FEATURES
Robust Character Creation Tools | Make the character YOU want to play

Seamless Movement Throughtout the Game World | No loading times other than when entering instances.

Unique Weather and Climate | The weather and climate will have an affect on zones that players can adapt to.

Parkour | Players will be able to run up walls, jump over balconies, and more with the parkour elements.

Action-Based Combat | Take part in action-based combat with skills that can be activated through combos. Without a true healing class, timed dodging and blocking will be key.
Mouse & Keyboard or Gamepad Support

Day / Night Cycle | Gradual progression of lighting effects with some NPCs becoming unavailable as they go home for the night. Various monsters may only appear at night as well. Different content will be included based on the time of day.

Instanced Player Housing | Anything from tents to palaces and everything in between. Players furnish and equip their own homes and can even hire NPCs as traders

Mounted Combat | Mounts are gained through taming and players can breed new and unique types. Mounts will need to be cared for, housed and protected as they can die in combat

=================== My Notes =================
The classes are gender-locked, and although similar (wizard / witch for example) they have different spells and abilities. I put a (m) or (f) next to them above to show the sex.

All are "human" except for (currently) the Ranger which is similar to an "Amazonian Elf" (tall and strong) and Berserker which is a Giant.

BDO was developed in South Korea, so definitely has a lot of Asian influence (moves/characters/emotes/artwork). You gain levels in many forms, not just a character level. For example your character has stats and life-skills that level when used. You also have contribution XP gained by exploring and talking with NPC's (this is used to connect nodes or open up housing/construction buildings in the open-world sandbox). You gain character levels by combat XP primarily, but also some XP is gained during crafting and other things.

Korean game - isn't that Grindy a hell??
Well, just like many MMO's there are lots of things to kill, and yes you get XP for killing them. You don't have the rinse/repeat grind for gear like WOW, where you constantly are working towards some new/leveled set of gear. In BDO you can play with the SAME gear at level 58 as you do at level 1, there are no restrictions on gear level. Many folks will hand leveled gear DOWN to one of thier new characters and give them a huge boost to level up. You will want to talk to a current BDO player (or refer to guides) to know what type of gear to work on for the best benefit to your class, but in many cases this same gear can be re-used if you make a new character.

When you get to the HIGH-END of the upgrading of gear - pushing it to the next upgrade level IS hard, and expensive. But you don't have to throw your wallet at it (with real $$) and there are many ways in-game to help the upgrade process. This is too complex to explain here - but you do have a LOT of options for leveling your gear in BDO.

Hope this intro-guide helps, feel free to comment or PM me if you have any questions.

Taxman

"Any group is weaker than a man alone unless they are perfectly trained to work together."
- Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers