Black Desert Mobile is currently in a soft launch in the West and can already be played in the first countries. We received a version from Pearl Abyss and would like to show you how the mobile version compares to the PC version.
What is Black Desert Mobile? The MMORPG for smartphones takes place in the same world as Black Desert Online, and PC players will immediately recognize areas, certain NPCs, and enemies.
However, the two games are not identical. The differences mainly lie in the combat system, the instanced world, and various small details. Consequently, there is no crossplay, not even with consoles.
Who can already play Black Desert Mobile? BD Mobile was released on October 24 in various countries. Currently, only Sweden and Ireland from Europe can try out the new game.
However, the mobile game is supposed to be released in every country by the end of the year. Fans from Germany will therefore get access by December at the latest.
Update: Black Desert Mobile is set to release on December 11. It is also already known where and when the pre-load for Black Desert Mobile starts.
Info about the preview report: Below, we will take a closer look at Black Desert Mobile and will conclude with a summary of the mobile MMORPG.
Our author Alexander Leitsch played for nearly 7 hours and shares his impressions with you. An Aquaris X with Android 8.1.0 was used for this. Unfortunately, Black Desert Mobile could only be played at medium graphics.
Extensive character editor, few classes
How does character creation work? At the launch of BD Mobile, I created a new character. The character editor of Black Desert is known for being very detailed and deep. The mobile game is no different.
At the beginning, I could choose from various templates or adjust every detail myself. With the help of the touchscreen, I could modify cheekbones, nose size, and chin at will.
The editor can impress with a large selection. For example, I have 20 different hairstyles available in 256 colors for my Valkyrie in the image above. There is also a save function, which allows me to secure my settings and use them again later.
What classes are available in BD Mobile? While the character editor can certainly compete with the PC version, the situation is different with the classes. Currently, only 5 are available, each only offering one gender, just like the PC version:
- Warrior – Male
- Ranger – Female
- Witch – Female
- Giant – Male
- Valkyrie – Female
In Black Desert Online, I currently have access to 18 classes, including the relatively new Shai class. However, many of these were added later, so the new mobile game could also be expanded in the future.
Action combat system – Does it work on smartphones?
How is the combat system in BD Mobile? The biggest difference between the mobile and PC versions lies mainly in the combat system for me. Black Desert places great value on dynamics and fast, action-packed battles.
The mobile version also tries to implement this, but suffers from the fact that I only have 8 skills available. Additionally, the game loses some dynamics because I often got stuck on objects or items in the world.
In the fight against Rednose, a boss from Black Desert, small stones were repeatedly in the way, and the walls quickly felt constricting. Together with the small display, frustration replaced dynamism for me.
Nevertheless, fighting was more enjoyable compared to my previous mobile experiences with Lineage 2 Revolution and Perfect World. This was also because there was no auto-fight available, although I had seen this in videos from Korea.
I even found this positive because, although some dynamics were lost, fighting was certainly fun. This was also due to the good integration into the UI:
- There are white circles around the combat skills that represent the number of uses. These skills also recharge mana.
- Below the large attack button are three small white bars. They display my stamina, which I can use to perform rolls.
- Four additional skills are located on page 2 of the skill bar, which can be accessed by swiping to the right. This allows for quick switching between the 8 skills.
Differences in gameplay between PC and smartphone
Instances in Black Desert Mobile? My experiences in the mobile game start in Velia, a fishing village that can also be found in the PC version. There, I complete the first quests, which can be quickly done with auto-run.
However, I notice that there is a short loading screen after leaving the city. The world of Black Desert Mobile is occasionally instanced, while the PC version is entirely free of transitions. This seems to be a compromise for playing on a lower-performance platform.
However, in Black Desert Mobile, some aspects are intentionally instanced. The fight against the goblin Rednose takes place in a separate scenario. In the Black Desert Online, the same boss is found in the open world.
In fact, I later learn in my camp that there are boss challenges that take place at different difficulty levels. I can challenge Rednose repeatedly, with increasing difficulty each time.
What is the camp? The most interesting aspect for me in Black Desert Mobile is my own camp. There, I can build buildings, such as the rush board where the boss fights take place.
But I also have a town hall, a pub with new tasks, and a personal storage available. Additionally, there are own fields that can be farmed and harvested.
I can assign workers to either building or gathering tasks. However, they require accommodations, which also need to be built, and they keep working even when the game is not running.
A fun activity if you want to play a bit of Farmville alongside the MMORPG. However, some workers can also be lazy, get tired, or need to be fed by me.
But it is worth it in the end because, for example, the refinery rewards me with black stones, which I need for upgrading equipment.
Dungeons in Black Desert Mobile? Also in the camp is the expedition gateway. There, you can set off into a kind of dungeon with up to five players. This offers another PvE content alongside the repeatable boss battles that Black Desert does not have on PC.
However, I could not try this because my equipment level was too low. This video shows that the Ancient Warrior is a larger boss battle.
How does crafting work? Black Desert Online is known for its freedom, good crafting, and economy. At first glance, the systems in Black Desert Mobile do not seem as deep.
Much seems to take place in the camp, which I personally find more enjoyable. However, a more detailed description would require a more thorough test.
The same goes for PvP, which I have not been able to test so far.
Commonalities between the games
What connects the two MMORPGs? While I have mainly written about the differences so far, it is now time for the commonalities. And there are plenty:
- The game world is the same, with many familiar places.
- Bosses like Witch Marie or Kzarka can be recognized instantly.
- Some NPCs, the Black Spirit, or other details also feel familiar immediately.
- You can flag yourself for PvP in the open world.
- There is an enhancement system for equipment that is also associated with luck.
Nice graphics on the smartphone, if it is good enough
How does BDO look graphically? In many tests, Black Desert Mobile is primarily praised for its good graphics. This is probably true if you can play the game at maximum graphics and then consider the small screen.
However, I could not maximize the graphics on my Aquaris and find the result on the PC monitor rather disappointing. You have already gathered some impressions from the screenshots.
On the other hand, I have already seen some videos and screenshots that look significantly better. There are many settings available, so the game can run on many devices. The result would probably have been much better with a high-end smartphone.
How is the interface? I have mixed feelings about the interface in Black Desert Mobile. While I’m completely convinced by the UI around combat skills, I find it somewhat cluttered otherwise.
However, it is positive that you can collapse the map. This significantly gains space.
How is the battery life? I was also surprised by the heavy drain on my battery. In tests, about 70% of my battery was drained in roughly 2 hours of gameplay. My smartphone has a built-in LiPo 3100 mAh battery that lasts from morning to evening under normal usage.
Pay2Win in the shop?
What does the Black Desert Mobile shop look like? I cannot currently answer this question. The pearl shop was disabled for me. Apparently, there were some things in the shop that fall into the Pay2Win category.
I found this video from November 4. It gives you an insight into the shop:
Positive impression, yet a pared-down PC version
Will Black Desert stay on my smartphone? After about 7 hours, I can say that the time was not wasted. The boss battles and my camp particularly appealed to me and kept me entertained.
Especially the camp made sure that I checked in on the go (from Wi-Fi) into the game. Something that no other mobile game has managed. Accordingly, Black Desert Mobile gets many things right that other mobile MMORPGs fail to achieve. These include:
- The combat system is fun, and the opponents are challenging. I died with Rednose, just as I did with the goblins when I pulled too many. This did not happen to me in Perfect World and Lineage.
- There is a good achievement system, and it feels very rewarding.
- The UI looks neat.
- The graphics are very good, even if not on weak smartphones.
- The camp offers many side tasks that always encourage checking back in.
The only downsides currently are the shop, which already looks quite Pay2Win, and the controls in general. I find this difficult with many mobile games.
Black Desert Mobile has individual gameplay features that excel in their own right and distinguish the game from the PC version. That’s why it stays on my smartphone. However, there are many areas in which I prefer the PC version, also because I prefer playing MMORPGs with mouse and keyboard than on a smartphone.
