The developers of Black Desert have introduced new content for 2021 during a live event. However, a significant change is approaching the game in the new year. The contract with the publisher Kakao Games has not been renewed, which many see positively.
What happened? On December 12th, the Calphe:ON Ball took place. This is a regular event – always under slightly different names – where innovations for the MMORPG are presented.
The biggest change will happen in February. Pearl Abyss will take over the publishing of Black Desert itself. There will be a transfer of accounts, which you will need to apply for. However, you will have several months to submit this application.
In addition to the publisher change, new content has also been announced, including the Nova class, which will launch before Christmas. We will discuss further innovations throughout the article.
Players are excited about the change, but one thing raises concerns
Why are many excited about the announcement? Kakao Games was not very popular as a publisher in the West. Many criticize the support for tickets (via reddit), the general communication (via reddit), the handling of cheaters and bans (via reddit), and see Kakao as a reason for the long gap between releases in Korea and the West.
If the developers release their game themselves, many hope for faster releases and, above all, a strict approach to cheaters. According to reddit user Divesound, this is exactly what happened in Russia when PA took over the publishing.
However, there is one point that concerns players: the advantage packages. These provide additional inventory slots, experience points, increase carrying capacity, and offer bonuses on marketplace sales. The item can be purchased in the Western version for in-game currency, while in Korea, it is only available for real money.
Why is Pearl Abyss publishing it themselves now? The developer of Black Desert has grown significantly in recent years, partly due to the West. Over 40% of their revenue comes from the EU and North America. They have set up their own studio in Los Angeles and plan another one in Amsterdam. Additionally, they are building a new, huge headquarters in Korea.
For their upcoming games Crimson Desert, which is set to launch in 2021, DokeV, and Plan 8, Pearl Abyss will also take over the publishing in the West. Therefore, it seems logical that this is also happening with Black Desert.
Already Black Desert Mobile was released worldwide by Pearl Abyss independently.
BDO receives new PvP content, areas, and a dungeon
What is changing for Black Desert in 2021? One of the major changes concerns the server structure. Currently, players can play on any server and switch freely. This will also remain the case in the future, although guilds can assign themselves to a specific server and thus receive bonuses. Additionally, a new invasion system will be introduced – also for guild servers.
At the end of 2020 and in the first half of 2021, PvP will be the focus:
- Work is being done on the nodes, so guilds will be able to attack multiple nodes in the future and hold up to 10. Additionally, some areas will become new nodes.
- A “Bounty Sheriff” system will be introduced. Weak players can call for help to be protected by stronger players.
- New 10v10v10 PvP content will be introduced, focusing on Capture the Flag.
But there will also be innovations for PvE fans in 2021:
- A new world boss will be introduced for the area Star’s End
- A new hardcore grinding spot will be introduced at Sycraia
- An open-world cooperative dungeon named Atarxion will be introduced. This is designed for 3-5 players, but it is not instanced
- There will be a new region, “Mountain of Eternal Winter”, where it will be frosty, and there will be mini-events as well as a world boss
- Beyond 2021, a new continent is in development – Great Expedition Part 2.
Pearl Abyss is therefore planning numerous contents for Black Desert despite new games. For those currently looking for tasks in the game, we have compiled an overview of activities:
9 things you can do in the MMORPG Black Desert in 2020
