Black Desert Online is one of the most controversial games ever created. Players either love it or hate it – there is no middle ground. It is a free-roaming style fantasy MMORPG. It was published by Pearl Abyss, a Korean company, in 2015. You can enjoy it across five different platforms: Windows, Android, iOS, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (it will be released August 22, 2019). It is set in a world at war between two rival nations the Republic of Calpheon (materialistic) and the Kingdom of Valencia (spiritual).

Getting started with BDO is a headache itself. Once you create your character and go through the longest customization in the world of gaming (minimum of two hours, and that's if you already know what you are doing) the only help you get in the form of a tutorial is how to use the W, S, A, D keys. If you stand any chance of understanding what you are supposed to do, you have to google it or ask for help in the general chat.

Despite having many negative features that you can read about in the next section, BDO's best aspect are the graphics. It is known as the MMO with “the best graphics currently on the market.” They have perfected the three most critical graphic sectors: Support, Performance, and Quality.

Reasons why BDO is a failure:

• PvE (any Raids, Dungeons or group content) is non-existent in the game, the devs decided to skip it. The only type of PvE you can do is sea monster hunting (full of bugs), a lot of world bosses (repetitive and if you want a substantial reward you have to do them hundreds of times) and of course grinding (it's better solo anyway).
• Questing is also a pretty lousy experience. If you aren't circling from an NPC to NPC, you have to craft something hard. The only good thing is you get to travel and see the picturesque virtual world of the game.
• There is no fast traveling from one place to another. You either have to walk or ride (preferably) on your mount, for which you have to take good care, so it doesn't die on you.
• If you want to have an advantage, there is only one way to do it – BUY IT. For example, the companions are essential because they have special skills and buffs, but you can only get them at the Cash Shop or if you are very, very lucky one might pop-up in the Central Market (in-game currency).
• Housing is another option the game offers. It's like The Sims 4 version of BDO. You have many great choices, but again, most of them are locked behind the Cash Shop.
• There is no lore, cinematics, or voice-overs to speak of. They are simply lacking.
• For a game with a big budget, BDO's User Interface is one of its weakest points. To fully understand the controls, you have to study the UI for hours or even days.