The MMORPG Black Desert Online has recently attracted many players. Both on Steam and in its home country Korea, the numbers have significantly increased. In Korea, the numbers grew so much thanks to the new season servers like Diablo 3 that even more servers were brought online.
What’s going on? Black Desert is currently enjoying a large number of players. As the developer Pearl Abyss announced (via inven), the player count in Korea increased by 171% within a week. The number of newcomers to the MMORPG rose by 168%.
But Black Desert also made gains in the West. On Steam, the MMORPG reached its highest value of average players per day in the last 30 days. There, 21,731 players checked in to Black Desert daily (via Steamcharts). An increase of 45% over the last 30 days.
It’s hard to estimate how high the total player numbers for Black Desert are, as the game is also available on PS4 and Xbox One. In Korea, according to the ranking website Gamemeca, the game is ranked 19th among all online games, right behind CoD: Modern Warfare, Blade & Soul, and Path of Exile.
What is causing the great interest? The good player numbers seem to be due to a mix of various factors:
- At the beginning of March, a weekend took place where one could obtain Black Desert for free and continue playing without purchase.
- The coronavirus is currently forcing many people to stay at home. Online games are very popular as a pastime.
- New season servers were released in Korea.
Pearl Abyss apparently underestimated the rush for the new type of server and announced in a message to the community that two more season servers will be opened in Korea.
Season servers like Diablo 3 attract new and old players
What are the season servers? On the season servers, everyone starts over at 0. The season model has already proven itself in Diablo 3: it guarantees a restart and brings excitement back into the game.
Additionally, the season servers have adjusted rules that are especially designed to help newcomers. At the same time, they serve as a “temporary booster” for veterans:
- There is faster currency and experience points.
- The servers do not last forever but will be closed after a set period.
- The created characters are not deleted but will then be transferred to the regular servers, along with their achieved level and equipment.
This way, newcomers can reach the endgame faster and catch up with veterans. This is not easy in Black Desert.
Where is the problem? In the MMORPG, there is no maximum level. Players keep grinding and it takes longer and longer to set new records.
Only in January did the first American reach level 66 after thousands of hours of play. For 1% of the level, he needed about 12 hours of play. But some players are already working on level 67.
It is virtually impossible to catch up with these heavy players. With each level-up, there are slight bonuses to health and mana points. This can offer an advantage in combat.
The season servers could at least somewhat reduce this advantage.
When will we get the season servers? It is very likely that the servers will eventually make their way to the West. However, in the roadmap for the first two quarters of 2020, there is no mention of this.
Currently, the updates include only the new region Odilita, which is supposed to come out in the 2nd quarter. Depending on the new content, there is usually a gap of two weeks (for the class Shai) to several months compared to Korea.
- Those who love the combat system in Black Desert and want to dive into PvP immediately might find the new game Shadow Arena interesting. In it, you can experience the MMORPG in just 15 minutes.
