In the MMORPG Black Desert, there is currently a crisis. Some players apparently took advantage of an event through which they earned trillions of silver. Meanwhile, an item has been deactivated, but the damage is significant.
What happened? In Black Desert, a larger guild exploited a game mechanic related to “Afuaru’s Compound Treasure Map.” This is a special item that rewards new players when they join a guild.
Using the item, a guild master can summon a treasure chest containing useful loot for all attending guild members.
During the free weekend in March, players from several guilds seemingly created hundreds of accounts. They have now used these to earn massive amounts of silver.
How did the game’s developers respond? In an initial action, the treasure map was deactivated by the developers. The official explanation states that there have been suspicious activities by players.
It is still unclear whether there will be larger bans and what will happen to all that silver.
Some guilds reportedly earned trillions of silver
How severe is the damage? According to various threads on Reddit, especially two large guilds benefited from the entire action. Depending on the statement, several billions or even trillions of silver were earned in a few days by multiple players through the exploit.
By comparison: At good grinding spots, a player can earn 50 million silver per hour, maybe a bit more. To reach 1 trillion silver, one would need up to 20,000 play hours.
The action drew a lot of in-game attention. A screenshot shows some of the treasure chests that appeared, as well as the loot found in them. However, the streamer Vert did not participate in the action but only documented it:
What other evidence is there? On Reddit, users have now gathered various evidence for the action, including screenshots and audio recordings from voice chats.
Consequently, some witch hunts are currently taking place.
The exploit had already occurred in Korea in 2018
What is striking about the exploit: There was reportedly a similar action on Korean servers in 2018. There, too, the treasure map of Afuaru and free accounts played a role (via Inven.co).
Pearl Abyss reacted at the time and banned 21 accounts for 30 days and 219 accounts for 7 days. Additionally, the unlawfully obtained rewards were removed.
Why this nearly identical problem now exists in Europe and America and has not been addressed is currently unclear.
What will happen next? Some players now fear that Kakao Games, the publisher of Black Desert in the West, may be lenient with punishments.
This has allegedly happened more frequently in the past, players claim on Reddit. One example is the previous ban wave surrounding the Shadow Arena, during which many bans were later lifted.
- Pearl Abyss, the Korean developer of BDO, is facing other allegations. A rumor has surfaced that the new MMORPGs Crimson Desert and DokeV may be in crisis.
We are currently waiting for an official statement from Kakao Games.
