Classes of Black Desert Online, Part 1: from Archer to Drakania 

In this blog post we'll begin our series of articles describing various classes in the Black Desert Online MMORPG. If you're still unsure of which class to pick, don't worry: it's in fact not a simple task to pick 1 out of 26. Not many MMORPG give you such a wide choice, let alone the one that matters. Each class here is truly unique and understanding the difference among them will take you some time. You also can't do that by just reading about them or watching videos. You gotta play the game too. Hence consider this series of posts your ultimate beginner-friendly encyclopedia that is absolutely enough to make your first choice in BDO.

We go through the class list in the alphabetical order, so we'll start with A and end with Z (W, in fact, since there are no classes starting with Z in BDO yet, but still). In this article we'll cover 5 classes from Archer to Drakania. Apart from those 2 classes, that will also include Berserker, Corsair, and Dark Knight. Let's roll!

Archer

Easy to pick up? Yes.

Easy to master? Yes.

PvP role: ranged DPS

It so happens that the first class that we're going to discuss is an exception. Unlike all other classes that have 2 specializations – succession and awakening – Archer has only one and that's awakening.

Archer's gameplay is not very complex yet it involves lots of kiting. That is, shooting enemies while staying at a distance from them. Naturally, you'll have to move away from your enemies when they come too close. Your defence is very low and if you let enemies approach and attack you for a while, you're not likely to survive for long.

Despite the focus on kiting, this class is quite good for new players since there are not too many buttons to press and not too many complicated combos to learn to do enough damage to stay alive. And even kiting is much easier than it might sound now, so don't worry much about it. You'll likely get good at it during leveling.

Cool features of this class include super-long distance attacks that can hit an enemy that is hardly visible to you. It's also a natural born DPS king as its single target damage is almost unparalelled by any other class. However, when it comes to fighting multiple enemies, Archer becomes a bit less awesome since it doesn't have many AOEs.

Obviously, it's only good in PvP when you know how to position yourself right. That is, staying unreachable for opponents. Watch out for assassins as they are likely to give you a hard time with all their skills that help them cover great distance fast.

Here's a brief video guide by BlueSquadron:

Berserker

Easy to pick up? Yes for succession. No for awakening.

Easy to master? Yes for succession. No for awakening.

PvP role: front line tank (succession), mid-range assassin (awakening)

Unlike Archer and like most other classes, Berserker has 2 personalities: the succession one and the awakening one. As it's quite often the case, they differ a lot cause that's the whole point of making 2 specializations.

The succession Berserker is a natural tank who has lots of ways to engage in fights, chase enemies, sustain incoming damage, and deal some decent damage himself. Sounds like a perfect character and it's a really great pick for new players indeed. It's very easy to pick up since the main rotation pattern is quite straightforward. However, don't expect this spec to be very deep as it's deliberately made to be plain and effective but not very customizable.

The succession Berserker is a great tank in PvP activities. The only thing it should be really afraid of is lots of ranged DPS and control. If Berserker can't come close to opponents and suffers damage coming from afar, chances are he's not gonna make much difference in a fight. You're not a one-man army after all so take care.

As for PvE, the succession Berserker's gameplay is quite relaxing and undemanding. You just slay enemies left, right, and center with all those jumps and AOEs. Since you're quite resilient, you don't have to care much about your HP, too.

The awakening Berserker is a whole different story. When you pick this spec, you turn into a mid-range DPS or some would even say assassin. You can deal lots of damage but it comes at the cost of being able to thoughtlessly jump straight into the fray. You're less resilient, less powerful in melee. But instead you get a beast of a hand cannon that is now your best friend. If used right, it will make up for all those drawbacks. But it takes some time to learn. That's why the awakening Bers is not really recommended for new players. However, if you already have some experience with the class or the game in general, going awakening might be a great way to find some of the most interesting ways to play BDO. This spec has lots of potential as its skill ceiling is significantly higher than that of the succession Bers.

Here's a short video guide by BlueSquadron to help you visualize it:

Corsair

Easy to pick up? Yes for both.

Easy to master? Yes for succession. No for awakening.

PvP role: melee front line (succession), mid range DPS (awakening)

Corsair is s a good example of how a class' theme can be divided into 2 equally exciting ideas. The succession Corsair is the master of tides who controls sea waves and turns into a mermaid while the awakening Corsair is a real pirate with all those pistols and cannons.

The succession Cors is a tank destroyer. She has lots of bonuses to eliminating enemies' defences and is always a good addition to the team when the opponents' one is full of Berserkers, Guardians, Warriors, and the like. However, the succession Cors is not very powerful against other types of characters. She's quite vulnerable to control and without proper assistance won't survive an encounter with a class who has lots of it. That's PvP, however – in PvE, where crowd control is not that dangerous, she is even more effective. She's quite tankly, deals good damage – what else can you ask for! She's definitely good for beginners.

The awakening Cors is more squishy yet more deadly. She deals lots of damage at mid distance with pistols, cannons, and a crew of funny monsters. She also gets lots of utility and can greatly enhance the team's effectiveness with healing and buffing. A great thing about the awakening Cors is how easy it is to start playing it as there are not many mind-boggling combos to learn. However, learning to position yourself the right way and using your skill set in the optimal way are way harder with her than with the succession spec. That raises the ceiling for it higher but it's well worth the effort.

Here's a lovely visualisation by BlueSquadron:

Dark Knight

Easy to pick up? Yes.

Easy to master? Relatively easy for succession. Not easy for awakening.

PvP role: melee assassin (succession), mid range assassin (awakening)

Dark Knight is a class that is capable of inflicting tons of damage upon your opponents but it also requires some special care to do that effectively. It's one of the best classes with the number of buttons / damage done ratio – that is, you don't have to play your keyboard like a piano to land effective combos. In fact, there are not that many combos in her arsenal – just using a single ability is enough to nearly oneshot a mob.

The succession Dark Knight is a high-damage assassin that is also quite squishy. Since you fight at a close distance, you can't afford just standing in one place and pressing buttons. You have to move all the time to avoid attacks coming from your enemies, since even single such attack can seriously weaken your character. The succession Dark Knight also doesn't have much crowd control, so just stunning an opponent and hitting it hard with a chain of skills won't work. So prepare to move around a lot and learn how to position yourself the right way – that's essential for this spec. That's why new players might find the experience quite tiring with her but the learning curve isn't very steep.

The awakening aspect is also damage-focused but it gives you a bit more room since it adds lots of mid-range abilities to your kit. That means that your moving patterns is defined by kiting enemies, not by just avoiding their hits. Your damage is still high but positioning becomes an even more complex thing to understand, hence it's a bit less suitable for beginners. You get some crowd control abilities in return though, so it's not all that bad.

Here's a little video by BlueSquadron to give you a better idea of how this class works:

Drakania

Easy to pick up? Yes for succession. No for awakening.

Easy to master? Yes for succession. No for awakening.

PvP role: melee front line (succession), melee assassin (awakening)

Drakania is a melee class with 2 different approaches to this kind of gameplay in its 2 aspects. The succession Drakania is about sustainability and slow-paced battling. You deal fair damage but nothing crazy – however, it doesn't require any combos, too. So it's quite beginner-friendly. The succession Drak doesn't have much speed and moves around quite awkwardly in comparison to some faster classes but it's not a problem either. You don't have to constantly change your position – the succession Drak is quite resilient and can sustain lots of damage. She also has an ability to drain opponents' mana which will prevent them from casting spells. It's a very useful PvP thing.

The awakening Drakania ia s pure melee assassin. She's much more mobile than the other spec as her effectiveness depends strongly on how fast she moves. That's because she becomes much more squishy, too – she can't sustain as much damage as her succession sister. So you gotta move and move fast. You deal lots of damage with your skills and have dizzying long-distance jumps that help you engage in fights. The gameplay with her is sorta busy so not all beginners will appreciate it. However, veteran players who like playing melee assassins will enjoy it. And since the skill ceiling is quite high, they will have lots of room for improvement too.

Here's a video for more visuals:

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Those were first 5 BDO classes that we've taken a look at. Some games have as many classes in total but Black Desert has as many as 26! So we'll have a couple more parts in this series.

And if you've already made up your mind and picked the class you want to play, you can significantly speed up your leveling progress with the help of our Black Desert Online services! Check out our BDO catalog to learn more or just get in touch with us!

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