it doesn't really emphasize player interaction though. I'm guessing that will change once at Lvl 50 and you're open to PvP.
There is virtually zero meaningful player interaction in BDO except via PvP and global chat, at least in the NA version. No crafting community; a very, very limited auction house toolset; and next to no trade interaction.
These things were conscious design decisions, or rather publisher decisions for the NA community as other regions do have some of these features in various forms mostly done to curb botting and remove the sandbox from the game. They didn't want people taking any shortcuts in order to get to PvP, and they wanted as level a playing field once you go there as possible. On one hand I applaud them for that, on the other it diminished certain significant aspects of a social MMORPG greatly.
I know it's great, isn't it?
So you are a new player looking for something to do? Here is a list of possiblities.
PVE
Alchemy, Make potions, make cash.
Cooking, Like all the other crafting options cooking is very in depth and complex and can be very financially rewarding.
Horse taming, breeding, selling. Become the horse whisperer for fun and profit.
Trading, set up a massive trading empire delivering goods from one side of the world to the other.
Crafting, Set up a network of workers and build different things such as wagon parts, ships, weapons, costumes, and armor.
Gathering, Even though some gathering can be automated the rarest rewards are out there and can only be gathered by hand.
Player Housing, Find a nice house in any of the numerous towns and set up a house. You can get decorations all over the world through quests, friendships, and even mob drops.
Fishing, Build or buy a boat and head out to find the perfect fishing spot. Just watch out for pirates and vikings.
Farming, Grow crops, put up scarecrows, micromanage production. Get paid.
World bosses, Few in the game right now. While high levels are required to make a real difference all you need to do is damage the boss to be a participant. Work together or fail.
Mini-bosses, Summon and fight several mini-bosses as a way to get some of the best gear in the game.
Grinding, Grinding is one way to get the best gear in the game. While earning money is the end all be all of getting either gear or house decorations, it's always possible to grind while doing the other methods making your time twice as effective.
There are other pve things coming in the future such as small group dungeons, more bosses, pet breeding, etc. You can also roleplay in a an exclusive roleplay chat channel.
PVP
Guild Wars, Tired of that fool stealing your favorite grind spot? Challenge their whole guild to war.
Node wars, (Not currently available), Defend a node for your guild and reap certain benefits depending on where it is located. (Once a week?)
Castle siege, (Not currently available). Defend or siege a castle and reap tax benefits from it. (Once a week?)
Arenas, organized, instanced pvp battles. Also, Every major town has a little arena where you can battle it out without fear of ruining your gear or losing xp.
Crimson battle field(?), An open world kill fest where the more kills you get the more attention you draw upon yourself.
It's important to note that BDO doesn't allow ganking and your character and guild will be punished for attacking people in the open world. pvp is meant to be more meaningful, fair, and organized in this game. You can attack about 5 people before you risk losing potentially millions in gear. Open world pvp starts at level 45 and is generally reserved for grinding spot disputes.
What is a sandbox?
A sandbox is different than traditional mmos in that it doesn't hold your hand and guide you to a destination. You are free to play the game your way and to your own end goals.
If that means becoming the best horse rancher in the game then thats what you do. Want to focus entirely on fishing? Go for it. Want to be the best pvp'er in the game? Go for it.
The world is your to do with however you want.
For some people its a bit overwhelming without the constant hand holding clear direction. Just pick a path for yourself that sounds fun and only focus on that for now. Then when you get bored you can branch out into some of the other possibilities.
Don't believe anyone who tells you this game is a certain thing. The game is what you want it to be and what you make it.
BDO has a karma system. Every player starts with positive karma.
When you kill another player outside of organized pvp situations, you lose karma. In other words, if you see someone just questing or grinding mobs, and you decide to walk up to them and kill them, you lose karma.
So, after about 5 players you kill, you go into the negative. Negative karma is BAD. Really bad.
As it currently stands, being in the negative means OTHER players can kill YOU, and those other players do not lose karma. When in the negative, you're basically a free kill to anyone else. When you die with negative karma, you lose XP, and there's a chance that you will lose your gear. As in, your weapon could just vanish upon death. And if you spent millions of silver on upgrading that weapon, well, now its gone.
Note that you don't lose karma in organized pvp, such as guild wars, node wars, sieges and arenas.
I know it's great, isn't it?
My friend wanted me to give this a shot with him. The character creator looked really good, but then we got into the game and, man, I don't know how people play these. I'm not trying to be harsh, but it feels so disjointed and clunky. MMOs have completely stagnated. I would love to see some big money put into the genre again to freshen it up.
Id like a friend pass if anyone has one to check this game out. PM me. Thanks
Mmm what do you mean? The combat is fluid, tons of skills, the graphics are top notch and the world is alive with lots of little details, runs excellent FPS wise always 50-60s.
I am curious what all the grinding / farming / fishing / trade empires will be for in the long term? I read that there are level 50's already and people with millions of cash, but what will keep you playing beyond that first week?
In Skyrim my motivation was to finish the main quest and the mage quests etc, and I also wanted to complete a couple of the spell trees and visit most of the locations. In some MMO's my motivation was to get the top items and then use them to run dungeons by myself, and the loot/cash I made was always useful for something long term.
What will this game have to keep you addicted long term? Or is just gonna be a game to play for a month and then move on?
I got some replies elsewhere about the end game and it sounds pretty promising. First off someone said that no matter how much cash you have, you will always want more because you can spend millions on something and then still want more. Also people say that there is a lot of content in Korean version of the game which isn't in the Western version yet, so it is likely that there will be a lot more stuff to do soon and PVP will be a big focus for a lot of people, and you will need a lot of money and gear to do well with that. And also there is an expansion already due. And they may add a bunch of raids too. I reckon I will give it a try, I will probably just wait a few weeks until I've finished my current games and then I can focus on the game.
I am super tempted by this game now Think I might buy it. Does anyone have a spare buddy trial code thingy? Would be nice to see it before I commit.
End game sounds really promising. Also I just found this! [nsfw]. It is apparently getting a major expansion in just a couple of months!
http://www.dualshockers.com/2016/03...etting-a-major-expansion-at-the-end-of-march/
No, I know exactly what he is talking about. When I first started playing in the first beta, I thought the same. Controls felt very unresponsive, really floaty. I'm guessing they were going for a realism aspect. You know, how you can't stop on a dime when sprinting at full speed, unless you'd like to fall over? There are other things too. You have some surfaces you'll run right up, and other surfaces you catch on while running around, making you have to hit the interact button, to climb over them. I haven't figure out much of a rhyme or reason to it. When you first start playing the game, especially if you're used to playing games with much tighter controls, the game can feel very awkward.
But, after having gotten used to it, I really like the combat. Eventually you get a feel for it, and it no longer feels awkward. I guess it all depends on what your tolerance level is, and how much time you put into it, allowing you to get familiar with it.
I do like how to combat all the gold seller spam that they now made it cost energy to post in global chat