The large question thread submitted by Daum Europe to the Developers based upon the communities questions has come back and 17 of the (Best?) questions have been answered. While most of the answers only offer hints of what lies ahead for Black Desert Online, some offer more concrete details on what we can expect in the future. I am offering my opinion on some of the questions that Daum has touched on, if you want to read the full post, you can find it on the forums here.
On Male Mirror Classes for the Ranger, Sorcerer, and Tamer
Sadly, there are no plans to include include male counterparts for these classes (I would assume that a female Berserker isn’t in the cards either), although the Developers go on to say that we may see a similar class with different abilities in the future, such as with the Warrior and the later released Valkyrie.
Personally, I think that this is a bad move by Pearl Abyss. While I can understand going in a different direction than the Wizard/Witch being identical pre-awakening (this largely occurred by accident, as many of the Korean players wanted an alternative to the older Wizard-and thus the Witch was rushed out), I was hoping to see that most of the original classes would receive a counterpart similar to the way that the Blader/Plum and Ninja/Kunoichi were handled. For those unfamiliar with the Korean version of the game, these classes share a common line of skills, although there are some differences which makes each counterpart class unique. They also receive different Awakened Weapons (a new weapon you will gain access to at level 56).
Also, the Warrior and the Valkyrie aren’t really mirrors of one another, as each possess very different skills and I could easily see a female and male counterpart to each (say the Amazon for the Warrior and the Templar for the Valkyrie).
I really hope PA decides to reverse this decision on further feedback from the community. Considering the last several classes have been mirror designed, it just feels incomplete that the older classes (or at least the majority of them) won’t be receiving this treatment.
On the Addition of New Races
Pearl Abyss says that they are interested in adding new races, but acknowledge that race is very much based on personal preference. Personally, I’d prefer more options in character creation to allow those who are trying to make a dwarf or elf looking character (Dwarf Berserker FTW!), but a class tied to a specific race could have possibilities, if the class truly demonstrated features that exemplified the race in question. Only time will tell what PA has in store for us, although I suspect we might be getting new racial classes with the Elf and Dwarven regions that have yet to be officially announced (but teased in Korea).
On the Introduction of Craftable/Earnable Dyes
The developers have come to understand that the ways to acquire dyes could be improved upon, and could possibly offer basic dyes for purchase with silver (or earned another way), rather than going to the cash shop. I am personally am not a fan of the way dyes are acquired at all. You need to pay for random boxes of one use dyes and a single piece of gear/costume has multiple dyeable areas, meaning if you want to dye your chestpiece blue, you are going to need more than 1 blue dye just to properly dye that specific piece.
I think that the dye system could be fixed either by allowing for a dye to be unlocked and used repeatably when acquired, similar to Guild Wars 2, or allow dyes to be slotted and removed, similar to the way Star Wars: The Old Republic handles dyes. A third possibility could include allowing a single dye to dye as many parts of a piece of armor as you want. Regardless, I don’t intend on buying many dyes until a better system is put into place.
On Creating Healing and Support Classes
Pearl Abyss states that while conventional MMO games offer classes with designated roles, BDO offers a different style of gameplay with its action combat. They hint that more support and healing abilities could be added to existing classes in the future, as well as being included with new classes that will allow players to provide additional support, pointing to some of the healing and buffing abilities possessed by both the Wizard and Witch classes as a start. I personally agree with this stance 100%. I have grown tired of the MMO Trinity (Tank, DPS, and Heals), but would like to see more support abilities found in the various classes, or a combo system that allows classes to synergize skills off one another for additional benefits, ala Guild Wars 2 or Elder Scrolls Online.
On increasing the Mapsize
The developers have stated that in addition to the new regions we can expect in the future, older established regions will see the their borders (currently covered in fog) expanded in the future. We can expect to see more than just new than settlements, nodes and mobs however, as PA also talks about adding enhancements that will expand upon how we play the game. A reference is made to the third Valencia update which will feature maritime trade, gathering, and even naval warfare.
On Stealing Trade Packs
A feature found in Archeage that some have been asking for in BDO, Pearl Abyss has indicated that they need to be careful about the implementation of such a system, as it can be quite frustrating to some players, while others quite enjoy it. They also indicate confidence in their ability to strike a balance between the two.
I believe we will be getting some sort of a theft mechanic system, but I suspect that it will be tied to the previous answer. That is, having new areas that can change the player experience. I could easy see a system added where you could make lucrative amounts of money by implementing a system in a new region that requires trade runs that could be intercepted and looted by other players, say in Valencia or Southern Calpheon. I am cautiously optimistic about the possibilities such a system could present.
On Adding Instanced Dungeons and Player Raids
Pearl Abyss states that while we could be seeing more dungeon content in the future, we will never see the instanced grindable dungeons for loot that has become the mainstream in most MMOs today. We should expect to see advanced raid type content in the future. I’m looking forward to what PA has in store for us.
There are also some thoughts on improving AI intelligence, creating apps allowing players to manage aspects of the game, crafting, adding lengthy and more challenging quests, and remapping keys to allow for additional customization of how the game can be played. All of the answers point to “we are open to the possibility” rather than this is something that is being actively being worked on.
Overall, I am a little disappointed that Pearl Abyss answered so few of the questions put forward by the community. While I understand that there are many barriers with the difference in languages, and the fact that the developers are going to be hesitant to committing to future content updates, I really feel that more could've been answered, or at least touched upon. I would also like to know what happened to setting pathing “loops”, and if we are going to be seeing any further tweaks to experience granted from monsters.
I was also hoping to get some sort of update on any changes being made to the pricing of the items in the cash shop, because as of right now, the prices of some items are just too high (costumes...cough). I really hope we do receive some sort of update before the pre-order period ends, because I personally have heard from more than a few people that they are waiting for an announcement before they pull the trigger and purchase the game.
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