[Black Desert Online] Interview with the Pearl Abyss Developers: "A New Skill System and the Great Sea Will Arrive This Summer"

▲ From left to right: Designer Jae-sang Joo; PD Jae-hee Kim; Designer Jae-suk Jang; Service Manager Do-sung Go.

It's been 40 days since Pearl Abyss began self-servicing Black Desert Online in Korea. There were many concerns at first, but PA proved themselves more than capable of managing the game on their own. 

May 30th, on the day of PA's self-servicing transition, the player count saw a tremendous increase - about 15 times more from the original player number before the transition. BDO KR's daily active user(DAU) also doubled with nearly all servers overrun at all times. Simply put, the game grew enormously.

PA also began more closely communicating with their players. At the most recent Heidel Ball, not only did PA share their entire update roadmap for 2019, but they took as much feedback as possible from the players and had begun updating the game in the direction of that feedback.  

On the 12th of July, our team ran into an opportunity to hear from the developers at a press conference. What more can we expect from the Black Desert franchise this summer? Let's find out.



■ Summer Content Update

"There are three major contents that we have and are currently preparing for the summer. The first one was Shai. Her version of awakening, 'talent', will soon be added to the live servers. 

The second content is the 'Great Sea' update. Before we throw this into the game, however, we'll have to reshape the current ocean system.

The third is 'Jeon-seung'(Korean word for "be passed down," or "be handed down"). We found that a lot of players found difficulty adjusting to their class after awakening - for example, the ranger class uses nothing but the bow pre-awakening, but the class is suddenly given two blades to wield after hitting 56. The 'Jeon-seung' skill system was an idea that we came up with so that the players can continue to enjoy the pre-awakening theme of their class post level 56."



■ Press Q&A

*** Please note that the terms/names used in this article are not official and are subject to change when the associated update is released on the NA/EU server. The 'Jeon-seung' system that was mentioned above will be referred to as 'succession' in the Q&A for better readability.

Q. Can characters who have already awakened use succession weapons?

Jae-hee Kim: It's possible, but you won't be able to do it mid-combat.

When we talk about the awakening system, the biggest flaw to it is that the classes' playstyle sees a large change once you awaken. Although there were a lot of players who didn't like that sudden change in playstyle, they were still forced to play the awakening part of their class due to how powerful it is. This was a mistake from our part, and it always bothered us. With the 'succession' system, we feel that some of those complaints towards awakening will disappear. Simply put, the succession skill system allows players to opt out of awakening and continue the pre-awakening side of a class's skillset. 


Q. Black Desert Online's group content used to be very limited. However, the newly added Shai class specializes in group play. A lot of fans began hoping for more group content as a result, but nothing significant has been added so far. 

Jae-hee Kim: Shai isn't necessarily a class that "specializes in group content." Instead, she is an experimental class that we wanted to test different things on. The other classes that we launched before Shai have many "cool" and powerful combat skills, and in truth, releasing combat-oriented classes bring in more players. However, if we continue this trend, BDO will have nothing but combat classes. There are players that want to enjoy the game in different ways, and that's why we developed Shai. We already have a lot of cool or awesome classes. Therefore, we thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be okay to try something different just this once?"

With all that said, we had to think really hard on how we should balance Shai. As she was developed to bring in a "different type of fun" to the game, we saw it unsuitable to make her powerful in combat. Sure, statistically speaking, releasing combat-oriented classes bring in more players, and that Shai's release set us back. However, I believe that this is a growing pain that BDO has to endure. We're going to continue to add classes that are unique to their name in the future.


Q. What is the difference between Black Desert Mobile's(BDM) and Black Desert Online's succession system?

Jae-sang Joo: In BDM, if you choose to go with the succession route, you can only use succession weapons and skills. The same goes for awakening; if you choose to go with the awakening path, you're stuck with nothing but awakening weapons and skills. In BDO, however, you won't be forced to play just one of the two - you won't have to sell your awakening weapon once you take the succession route. Even if you are playing a succession character, we're planning to allow that character to take a few awakening skills and use it freely. 


Q. From a character designer's perspective, I'm curious as to what you guys found the most important while developing Shai. 

Jae-sang Joo: Cuteness.

Jae-hee Kim: We thought really hard on how we should approach Shai. At first, we were reluctant to release her as we believed that 'cuteness' isn't a suitable theme for the BDO universe. But many players requested such a character, and she's a race that already existed in BDO. Our character designers poured their heart and soul into Shai, and that's how she was born. 


Q. The succession system revolves around powering up the pre-awakening skills. How will you make the new succession skills unique for classes such as Witch and Wizard who share nearly identical pre-awakening skills?

Jae-hee Kim: That's something that we're currently thinking about. Succession skills on classes such as Witch-Wizard and Ranger-Archer will undoubtedly share a lot of similarities with each other. That's because the basic skills are nearly identical to each other. But for Witches and Wizards, I feel their succession will revolve around Lightning and Fire respectively. 


Q. Which class will get the succession system first?

Jae-hee Kim: Warrior. Valkyrie and Ranger's succession are also being developed currently, but I'm not sure which one will be released first from the two. 


Q. Could you provide us with exact numbers as to how successful PA's self-servicing has been?

Do-sung Go: A public announcement of such could affect us in multiple ways, so we'd rather be careful of releasing such information. But I could tell you that in terms of BDO's daily active user(DAU) count, we peaked at three-times more players than before the transition. The number did dwindle a little bit since then, but we still have on average, twice as much DAU than before the transition.


Q. Could you skip awakening entirely and move straight to succession?

Jae-hee Kim: It's possible. Depending on your playstyle preference, you can choose which path you want to take.


Q. Out of the 18 classes, some have HP recovery on attack, while some don't. This could put the latter classes at a significant disadvantage when grinding. What's your opinion on this subject?

Jae-hee Kim: We're always thinking of ways to properly balance the different classes. However, we aren't going to simply add HP recovery on hit or Resource recovery on hit to classes that don't naturally have them. If you want to play that type of class, you can play something different. Our direction in balancing is to maintain each classes' unique features while ironing out the inconvenient ones. 


Q. Some classes are largely inferior to the others in PVP. How will succession affect this?

Jae-hee Kim: A lot of players have complaints regarding their class. I believe that succession will solve a lot of the existing balance issues. 


Q. In regards to the Great Sea update, I'm curious if it will bring an entirely new type of content... or if it will simply revolve around grinding/life skilling

Jae-sang Joo: You could say that it's an entirely new type of content. The gameplay will be completely different from the one that you are used to on land. A lot of the gameplay mechanics from land will not apply in the Great Sea. You can pretty much consider the Great Sea to be a separate game from BDO. In the Great Sea update, you can create your own vessel, hire crews, hunt pirates, and commerce with others. 

Currently, BDO players largely divide themselves to life skillers and PVP/PVE players, as if the two are playing completely different games. But in truth, both sides still do a little bit of everything. The Great Sea will be different. When it's released, I have a feeling that the player base will be divided into 'sea players' and 'land players'. The basis of the Great Sea Update will center around venturing the vast sea and its islands. 


Q. For the last question, please tell us how you'll develop and manage BDO moving forward

Jae-sang Joo: We're of course going to do our best. Not only will we work hard, but we'll do well. Please continue to show love and support for Black Desert Online. 

Jae-suk Jang: I feel the same. I'll sincerely do my best.

Jae-hee Kim: Black Desert Online is our very first title. It's a game that grew to what it is today with its players. Now that we're self-servicing the game, we'll pay more attention to the management side of BDO and quickly fix 'inconveniences' that the players may feel. 

Do-sung Go: The root of BDO's IP is its online features.  That's why we're putting a lot of emphasis on that part. We'll do our best to keep Black Desert Online fresh and entertaining, whether it be 5 or 10 years from now. Please watch over and root for us!

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Comments :28

Best Comment

  • 5

    level 1 Ecchi-Bunny

    After using this site to get a lot of info about BDO for a while i had to make an account and say thanks for the hard work and good info. It helps alot.

  • 0

    level 1 Jony_Rizzla

    3

    • -2

      level 1 Jony_Rizzla

      @Jony_Rizzla

      People sick of Kakao's greediness.

    • 0

      level 1 JamminOnE

      @Jony_Rizzla

      Just created an account to tell you: stop whining. Nobody is forced to buy anything. Are you jealous of Porsche owners aswell? Get over it.

    • 0

      level 1 JamminOnE

      @Jony_Rizzla

      Just created an account to tell you: stop whining. Nobody is forced to buy anything. Are you jealous of Porsche owners aswell? Get over it.

  • 1

    level 1 DC2K16

    Let us transfer shark, desert, flute to other characters

  • -1

    level 1 DJFUSCAO

    1

    Only one question, why does Musah not have a Grab?

    • 1

      level 1 Veroncia_Pratt

      @DJFUSCAO

      Because Musa is plenty strong without a grab. He doesnt need one. c:

  • 5

    level 1 Ecchi-Bunny

    1

    After using this site to get a lot of info about BDO for a while i had to make an account and say thanks for the hard work and good info. It helps alot.

    • 0

      level 1 lunamoonraker

      @Ecchi-Bunny

      Agreed, such a great resource of information from KR. Thanks for all the efforts
      Woo "Ready" Hyun.

  • 0

    level 1 Keldorn_Corbec

    @Woo "Ready" there was a question about Kuno. Do you know where it is?
  • 0

    level 1 Beloti

    Getting no man sky vibes with that sea update.

  • 0

    level 26 Tiri

    Wait, have I missed something? What succession system means? Players asked about that thing the way they know some info...

  • 0

    level 1 Darius_Suwardi

    No Korea patch this week?

  • 0

    level 1 Rn_r

    "Jae-hee Kim: A lot of players have complaints regarding their class. I believe that succession will solve a lot of the existing balance issues. "


    i hope they do something for Witch, worst class ingame 1vs1...non awak is even worst than awak, super slow, maybe if they made it insta but stil no mobility, no grab, no dash, no iframe, no down smash , maybe is time to change it..

  • 0

    level 1 ZedRuisu

    Balancing classes? Lmfao

    Waiting years for DK buffs or changes to classes overall.

    They should start try to listen to the playerbase and if its just a bit.

  • 0

    level 1 Agito

    Male Shai please!

  • 1

    level 1 Drino_PON

    So it's going to kill most of the class that heavily depend on awakening and pre-awakening mix combo. RIP ninja/archer

  • 1

    level 7 That_Guy

    Did they stop updating BDO in Korea? Wheres all the patch notes?

  • 0

    level 4 Harry_Wilson

    5

    So the information flow from BDO KR seems to have dried up? No more recent updates/info about this "new skill system" since the middle of last month. No actual updates at all since around that same time frame. This is unnerving...a potentially negative change like the CC changes over a year ago...and the communication goes dark...

    • 1

      level 1 Rade9098

      @Harry_Wilson

      Information from Korea hasn't dried up. Invenglobal being a timely and reliable source for translations of BDO news has stopped.

    • 1

      level 1 Insi

      @Rade9098

      There use to be lot of information in past.. but now I think invenglobal is lack of breath in case of news in world of BDO or am I wrong?

    • 0

      level 4 Harry_Wilson

      @Rade9098

      Any new source, that actually keeps up?

    • 0

      level 1 Rade9098

      @Harry_Wilson

      Only one I'm aware of is manually using Google translate on the official sources, unfortunately.

    • 0

      level 3 Anita

  • 0

    level 2 valmery1

    to day 21 aug

    no news ?

    we are watting

  • 0

    level 3 Adam_Jensen

    Too sad... No more patch notes translations for over a month. We have only google translate as an option and it sux.

  • 0

    level 1 KILLpearlabyss

    BUFF MAEHWA OR DIE YOU FAGGOT DEVELOPER PEARL ABY$$

  • 1

    level 1 BlondChick1

    xD How much do you guys spend on this game? I decided to not spend a single penny unless they improve their economy, which is just pathetic. Why is buying black desert accounts not so much popular? Do people really like to spend more money than they have to? I bought an account from https://mmoauctions.com/black-desert-online/accounts and had pretty much everything unlocked. Not only did it save me money, but also the time I would need to invest in order to get it - and no, I wouldn't feel satisfied if I would put my time to get it, because the guy next to me spends like $1k on bdo MONTHLY, which is nuts! With that money you could do so much more instead. Ehh, who am I talking to anyway... that's a loss cause, and shallow ppl.

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