- This guide was written with a focus on “season servers and season characters”, both of which are advantageous for the progression of new Adventurers.  

Server Selection 

When you log into Black Desert, you’ll see the Server Selection window.  

It doesn’t matter which server you select, as you can freely switch between servers in Black Desert.  

However, it is recommended for new Adventurers to use the Season-1 server, which provides a variety of benefits for your progression.

▲ Connect to the Season-1 server on the very top. 

Season Character Creation 

After you select a server, you can create a character. Select an empty slot on the right, then press the “Create Season Character” button.  

▲ You MUST create a season character. (Important!) 

Class Selection 

In the next step, you have to decide which class to adventure with.  

Before you select a class, refer to each of the videos for each class’ main weapon and awakening weapon from the screen.  

Looking into the details on the Class Introduction page and class introductions on the Adventurer’s Guide on the official website may provide additional helpful information. 

▲ Select a class of your preference as each class has its own unique appeal.  

Customization 

After selecting a class, you can start customizing. You can customize the details of your face type, hairstyle, body shape, and a variety of other features.  

You should take the time to customize your appearance exactly to your liking, since you can only change it via Appearance Coupons and Value Packs, which are cash items.  

Press the Beauty Album (Screenshot) on the bottom of the screen to check out the works of other Adventurers who are skilled at customizing and apply their designs to your character right away.  

※ You can freely change your customization even after creating your character if the Oasis buffs are being applied.  

Have you completed customization? Now, enter a name for your character and check the Create Season Character box, then press the Create Season Character button.  

The Start of an Adventure  

Once you start the game after you finish creating your character, a cutscene like the one shown below will mark the beginning of your adventure.  

Starting Point Selection 

After a series of cutscenes and tutorials, the screen where you choose between one of the two main crossroads questlines, either the Ancient Stone Chamber questline or the Mountain of Eternal Winter questline, will be displayed.  

If you are an Adventurer playing Black Desert for the first time, it is recommended that you start at the Ancient Stone Chamber to experience the full storyline, and for faster progression.  

※ Upon selecting the Mountain of Eternal Winter questline, you’ll begin your adventure in a newly added region of Black Desert and experience quests specifically for that region.

1. Progress via the Main Questline

The first goal to keep in mind for fast progression after stepping into the world of Black Desert with a Lv. 1 character is the completion of the [Reliving the Darkness - Apocalyptic Prophecy] quest which is part of the Mediah main questline.  

As you complete main quests, you’ll be able to obtain weapons and enhancement materials required for progression. You can also quickly reach the mid-50's in level with ease. When you are confused about which are the main quests, press the “O” hotkey to open up the Quests window and check the quest on the “Main” tab.  

▲ Check out the Main tab and continue your adventure in order. (You can change the Quest Type on the bottom of the screen once you reach Lv. 20.) 

You must focus on enhancing your gear to defeat enemies that grow increasingly stronger as you progress. A good initial goal would be to enhance the Naru gear you obtain from the main questline step-by-step. For more details, refer to the gear guides. 

Tip 

Along your adventure, if you have a lot of items piled up in your inventory, use an NPC Vendor’s “Sell All Junk Items” function. It is recommended to use the storage in each town if you aren’t sure of what to do with the remaining items in your inventory. 

2. After the Mediah Main Questline – Succession & Awakening 

Once you complete the [Reliving the Darkness - Apocalyptic Prophecy] quest, your level will likely be in the early to mid-50s.  

Once this is done, you should then aim for reaching Lv. 56 at which time you can proceed with Succession or Awakening for your character. 

(Please take note that the Desert Naga Temple and Titium Valley are monster zones that’ll help you reach Lv. 56) 

Open the World Map (M) or check Item Drop from the Menu (ESC) to view other monster zones with recommended AP ranges that are either similar to or slightly lower than your current AP. It is recommended for you to have DP stats that equal around 1.2 to 1.4 times the zone’s recommended AP.  

If you’ve reached Lv. 56, talk to the Black Spirit to accept an Awakening questline.  

After completing the Awakening questline, you can continue with the Succession questline. Once you’ve completed both the Awakening and Succession questlines, you can select one of the two and continue your adventure.  

Awakening & Succession  For most classes in Black Desert, you can select the combat type through Awakening and Succession. Succession Awakening Succession Ranger (Longbow)  Awakening Ranger (Kamasylven Sword) Upon selecting Awakening, your character will use its awakening weapon and learn unique skills that are new and more powerful for a different type of combat.   On the other hand, if you select Succession, the current combat type and skill type will be maintained. However, you can learn higher level skills versions of skills and become more powerful just like as in Awakening.     You must equip both your main weapon and awakening weapon regardless of whether you select Awakening or Succession. However, the damage applied against enemies will come more from your awakening weapon in Awakening and from your main weapon in Succession.

3. Reaching Lv. 61

Once you’ve completed Succession and Awakening, set your final season goal to be reaching Lv. 61.  

There is no max level limit in Black Desert, but your combat strength depends more heavily upon your gear than your level, which is why it is recommended that you defeat monsters in monster zones appropriate for your current gear or enjoy a variety of other content once you reach Lv. 61.  

There are three major ways to reach Lv. 61.  

The first is leveling by defeating monsters, which is the most basic way. Level up quickly after checking out the various buffs that boost your combat strength and EXPs from the section on defeating monsters in the guide mentioned in the "Progress via the Main Questline” section of this guide.  

The second way is known as the “Chenga Run.” The Chenga Run refers to leveling up quickly with the EXP you obtain from completing the quests of a certain region from Lv. 59 to Lv. 61. You can normally reach Lv. 61 more quickly this way than from defeating monsters.

The third way is leveling up via the main questlines. Black Desert main questlines continue on to the Valencia, Kamasylvia, Drieghan, and O'dyllita regions after you complete the Mediah region. Although this may be the best way to experience interesting storylines within Black Desert, it can be a longer and tougher process in comparison to the prior two methods in regards to the rate at which you level up and level of difficulty.  

Once you reach Lv. 61,

you should complete the challenges on the Season Pass and enhance your Tuvala gear up to PEN (V) with your season character.

If any classes other than your current class catch your eye, try using Fughar’s Timepiece. You can copy over your current character’s Combat and Skill EXPs to another character, and as a result, you'll have two Lv. 61 characters.

Please refer to the guides on leveling your gear for more details on how to level your gear beyond PEN (V) Tuvala. At this point, we would also like to recommend checking out another appealing aspect of Black Desert: Life Skills.