Is it worth playing?
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Black Desert Mobile was launched last December, after months and months of hype. This was one of the most anticipated MMORPGs on the market, and for a reason. Now, some time after its initial release, we’ve decided to take another look at the game and see everything it has to offer.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Development
It has been downloaded over 5 million times on Google Play alone…
As most of you probably know already, this game is a mobile adaptation of Black Desert Online – one of the most popular MMORPGs of today. It’s been developed by South Korean video game development studio, Pearl Abyss. Ever since its release, Black Desert Online has been growing in popularity, and it didn’t take long until the devs announced the mobile adaptation of this acclaimed MMORPG back in August 2017. In 2018, BDM was released for select countries in Asia, and after more than 2 years of waiting, it has finally arrived at the western market, following the successful pre-registration campaign in which more than 4.5 million users signed up in a bit over 2 months’ time.
About three months since its initial release, it has been downloaded over 5 million times on Google Play alone, where it currently sits at 4.3 out of 5 user score with over 220 thousand ratings. On the iTunes App Store, it has 4.6 out of 5 user score with around 20 thousand ratings and is #53 game in Role-Playing genre.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Graphics
Probably the best looking mobile game of today…
Since game was praised universally for its graphics, it’s only fair to cover this aspect of the game first. From the get-go, as soon as you get into the character creation screen, you will notice that all the stories and praises about the game’s graphics were true. The amount of detail that was placed into character models is simply astounding. Without exaggerating, this is probably the best looking mobile game of today, and its graphics are on par with modern console/pc titles.
Also, all of the spells and abilities have flashy animations tied to them, and these look simply phenomenal. Each of the spell animations is unique and has a distinct look and feel. Other than that, the environment is very well done and will bring a nice feeling of immersion to the game as a whole.
Now the questions you’ve all probably been wondering about – “How taxing is this for my phone? Do I need a powerful smartphone to play this game?” To put it simply, you can play it on most of today’s phones without needing to have a gaming smartphone. The reason for this is the game’s optimization. Game possesses a wide array of graphic settings, and in case you don’t have the latest smartphone, you can still play it if you tone down the graphics. Of course, this comes at the price of significantly worse visuals, but at least it allows pretty much anyone to play the game. And if you are one of the lucky people to possess a powerhouse gaming smartphone, you can always crank the settings up to max, and feast your eyes upon the magnificent visuals it has to offer. The only downside of it is that this will quickly drain your battery, but at least you’ll enjoy every moment of playing teh game while you’re at it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
GAMEplay
Hats off to developers for allowing players to customize their characters in such great detail…
Now, this is where things get interesting. Once you start the game, you will get to choose the server you want to play on, and shortly after, you’ll get to the character creation screen. There are six classes to pick from, and each has a very unique and distinct playstyle. You can choose to play as Warrior, Ranger, Witch, Giant, Valkyrie, or Sorceress. Each of these classes has several unique abilities, and each class excels at some aspects of the game.
After picking a class, you will be able to customize your character’s appearance. The developers really went above and beyond with this feature. In BDM , you can pretty much customize any aspect of your character’s looks. You can change hair, eyes, facial structure, height, width, and pretty much anything else that comes to mind. There is also a character customization feature that would put to shame most other MMORPGs on the market, including PC ones. Hats off to developers for allowing players to customize their characters in such great detail.
Shortly after you’re done creating your character, the game will start, and you’ll be thrown into the magnificent world of Black Desert Mobile. The tutorial segment is fairly well done, and it will introduce you to some basic mechanics, and will gradually teach you how to play a game. To be honest, even if you are not familiar with the MMORPG genre, you will easily be able to grasp core aspects of the gameplay, and frankly, BDM does quite a good job at slowly introducing new mechanics as you level up, so you wouldn’t get overwhelmed at any point. Once you get accustomed to the basics of the game, you will get to learn some advanced stuff, like comboing abilities, improving your gear, and etc.
The game also has some neat and interesting features. When you reach a certain point in BDM , you will be able to build your own camp. This will act as your own personal haven, and you will get to recruit workers, build various buildings and upgrade them, or just chill around while you take a break from adventuring.
When you grow powerful enough, you will be able to fight World Bosses, which will put your skills and knowledge of BDM to the test. These bosses yield some nice rewards, so once you’re able to best them, it will definitely feel amazing.
And also, there is a multiplayer aspect of the game too. As with most other MMORPGs, you will get to meet and interact with other players, play together, make some friends, and even form or join a guild. This is pretty standard for most modern MMORPGs, and this game is not much different in that aspect.
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Atmosphere
Boss fights can really get your blood pumping, especially the first time you encounter them…
This part of BDM is kind of subjective and heavily depends on the activity you are doing in the game. Certain features of BDM, like boss fights, can really get your blood pumping, especially the first time you encounter them. Like with most MMORPG games, obtaining some rare items can feel pretty rewarding. Also, successfully performing skill combos and annihilating scores of enemies will bring you an immense feeling of satisfaction. Still, while you’ll enjoy many aspects of the game, you will also come to the realization that there are certain repeatable tasks within BDM that can quickly start feeling like chores, and that can ruin the overall feel. Thankfully, there is a lot of content for players, so it will take quite a while to reach a point where you won’t have anything to do.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Tech Compatibility
For the breathtaking visuals, you will pretty much need to have a powerful device…
As mentioned before, if you truly want to experience the beautiful world of BDM and everything it has to offer, it is highly recommended to have a powerful smartphone. Yes, the game can run perfectly well on some low-end devices, but the toned-down graphics will look much worse and may ruin the overall experience.
As far as the optimization of the game goes, it does run smoothly on most supported devices. For Android users, the minimum requirement is an Android 5.0 compatible device, while on iOS, the minimum requirement is having a device that supports iOS 11. Overall, this isn’t too high of a requirement, but if you really want to enjoy the breathtaking visuals, you will pretty much need to have a powerful device.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Free-to-play Friendly
Experience all of the aspects the game has to offer for free…
This is a question many people are asking about BDM . Is it possible to play as completely free to play player? Well, the answer is simple, yes. While the game does offer microtransactions that can definitely make things easier for players that plan to spend some money, it is entirely possible to experience all of the aspects the game has to offer as a completely F2P player. Granted, you will need to play longer and it will take you some time to progress, but nevertheless, you should be able to enjoy this game without spending money on it.
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Verdict
Pearl Abyss really went out of their way to create a memorable MMORPG that players can enjoy in years to come…
So, here’s the main question everyone’s been asking – Is this game really worth playing? When you factor in all the content the game has to offer, you will quickly realize that it is richer than most other MMORPGs on the market. Also, the player base for this game is huge, which is one of the main things that determine whether or not an MMO will live long. All things considered, Pearl Abyss really went out of their way to create a memorable MMORPG that players can enjoy in years to come, so if you are a fan of this genre, you should definitely give it a try.
Black Desert Mobile guides and TIPS
How to improve your gaming experience and gameplay…
Note: Use the button “GUIDES” in the lower right corner to jump back to this section.
Here is the part when we get a bit more in-depth. We compiled a list of useful guides, tips, and tricks that will help you throughout your gaming journey and hopefully make it more fun and easy! Enjoy!
Use links below to jump to the guide sections.
FAST LINKS:
- How to tame/catch a horse?
- How to play with friends?
- How to get contribution points?
- How to tier up a pet?
- How to level up a horse?
- How to increase CP?
How to tame/catch a horse?
This guide should help you understand how to tame a horse. Taming horses is a life skill that allows you to get extra mounts. In order to tame a horse, you will need to have Horse Taming Rope and some Raw Sugar. Both of these items should be purchasable at a town, so be sure to get them beforehand. Next, you’ll need to find a location that has horses. Luckily, you can find horses in many of the open areas, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Your minimap should help you with it. Look for a horse or a horseshoe icon on the map and proceed there. Once you spot a wild horse, proceed to walk slowly towards it. If you run, you will spook the horse and it will run away. When you get close enough, you should get two options, Tame Horse and Feed Sugar. In order to increase your chances of taming a horse, you should feed it sugar first. After feeding it several times, your chances of succeeding should be significantly higher. Then, hit the Tame Horse button. This will start a mini-game in which you have to keep the balance slider inside the green zone. Do this successfully a couple of times and you’ll be able to get a brand new horse.
How to play with friends?
In order to play together with friends, you need to be in the same channel. To do that, you need to visit your friend’s camp first. This can be done by clicking on the “Visit Camp” icon located in the top left part of the screen. Once you get to your friend’s camp, all you need to do is press the “Exit Camp” button, and you will be placed in the same channel as your friend. This will allow you to play together with your friends and help each other while progressing through the game.
How to get contribution points?
Contribution points are used in various aspects of BDM . In order to increase your contribution level, you need to earn contribution exp. This can be done simply by completing various quests in the game. Increasing your contribution level will also increase the number of your maximum contribution points, so simply do as many quests as possible, and you won’t have problems with this resource.
How to tier up a pet?
You can collect many different pets in this game. These possess valuable skills that will help you while playing. Each pet can have up to four different skills. However, in order to have a pet with four skills, you need to upgrade its tier to tier 4. This guide will explain how to do it. Initially, each pet starts at tier 1 and only has one skill available. In order to increase its number of skills, you need to upgrade its tier. This can be done using the Exchange tab under Pets options. This allows you to exchange two pets and get a resulting one that can be higher tier. Also, you will get to choose which pet’s skills or appearance you want to keep while exchanging pets. Bear in mind that it is not guaranteed that the resulting pet will be higher tier, so you’ll need to have some luck on your side when using this option.
How to level up a horse?
Horses can be leveled up. There are several ways to do it, and this guide will explain some of them. Normally, you can level up a horse simply by killing monsters. This will grant your horse some experience, and eventually, it will level up. However, if you want to be very efficient about it, the best method to level up a horse is by doing Boss Rush. Boss Rush will grant your horse a lot of experience, and is by far the most efficient way of leveling it up.
How to increase CP?
CP, or Combat Power, is a measurement of your character’s power. This generally represents if you’re capable enough to take on some challenging task or quest. There are numerous ways to increase your CP, and this guide will try to cover some of those. Firstly, your CP will always increase once you level up. This means that you should constantly aim to find efficient spots to farm EXP and increase your level. Secondly, your gear also influences your CP. Try your best to upgrade your gear as you progress since this will significantly influence your CP. Thirdly, upgrading your skills will also affect your CP, so try and upgrade these as you level up. Fourthly, leveling up your camp and your workers will also affect your CP, so keep that in mind. Fifthly, leveling your Black Spirit also affects your CP, which is another way of increasing it. Other than that, you will get some bonus CP by Embedding Lightstones, equipping costumes, and so on.