The MMORPG Black Desert is finally getting a feature after five years that has long been standard in other representatives of the genre: a co-op dungeon. However, there is a catch.
What kind of dungeon is it? Atoraxion, the “last fortress” is a co-op dungeon in Black Desert. Players must solve puzzles and engage in battles together here. The dungeon is divided into four areas: Desert, Ocean Depths, Canyon, and Forest.
The first area is the Desert, with the subsequent themes becoming progressively harder. Each biome has its own challenges and battles.
Black Desert advertises that the dungeon is designed for five players – but that is only partly true.
How does Atoraxion work? The area is also integrated into the open world, like dungeons in the MMORPG so far. In most areas, you can encounter other players and explore together with them and defeat existing enemies. It serves as a “normal grind spot.” The official website states:
“While Atoraxion is a co-op dungeon, the areas outside the group-exclusive boss zones are an open combat field, similar to monster zones, where you can encounter other adventurers” (via playblackdesert.com).
Only the final boss of the area is instanced and can only be entered by your group of five players. Here you fight without randomly appearing other players, just like you know it from dungeons in other MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or ESO.
First “real” dungeon arrives on July 21
When can I play the dungeon? On Wednesday, July 21, 2021, Atoraxion will open its doors on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. All players will have access to the dungeon at normal difficulty, while players on the Elvia server will have a higher difficulty level available.
However, you must fulfill some requirements for entry:
- reach level 57
- complete the main quest “Black Spirit”
- gain knowledge about the “Seal of the Black Sun” in the Mediah quest line
- complete the quest lines for “Awakening” and “Succession” for your class
As a preparation, there is actually an event until July 31 with voucher codes for various content. You can find the codes and rewards on the official Black Desert website (via playblackdesert.com).
How it has been so far: Black Desert previously had no instanced areas for co-op gameplay, as you would know from other MMORPGs. While there were “dungeons” and “raids”, these were more open-world areas where players could farm together or alone.
Particularly stronger players with strong equipment and good skills often played solo here. Black Desert is often known as a sandbox game and grinder. Atoraxion is only somewhat different here.
If the boss idea of Atoraxion is well received, it could be likely that more content in this form will come or at least MMORPG players will be attracted to play with friends. If the dungeon does not excite you, you can find in our list on MeinMMO the currently best MMORPGs of 2021
