Highlights
- Starting Zone choice in Black Desert Online determines the depth of story or gameplay a character can experience.
- Players can go back to Velia and retake their ideal adventuring path if they want to keep their Seasonal Character.
- The Land of the Morning Light is recommended for veteran players, as it offers a new region and allows them to catch up on the latest updates in the game's story and lore.
Unlike other MMOs where a player’s choice during character creation usually focuses on class choice and server choice, Black Desert Online also pays attention to which Starting Zone players choose for their specific character. Due to the number of classes available to players and the rather extensive lore of the Black Desert story, a Starting Zone determines just how deep into either the story or gameplay a character could get.
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However, despite the game offering three Starting Zones, the player’s choice can have a large impact on their overall gameplay experience depending on their method of progression. In this regard, just which Black Desert Online starting zone works for their needs?
4 Going Back To Velia
Access Ancient Stone Chamber Faster
Keep The Seasonal Character | Players can go near Nampo Village and dive into the Sea Palace via the whirlpool to the east of Nampo. The far right corner should have a map where players can fast travel to Velia, after which players can retake the path to the Ancient Stone Chamber |
|---|---|
Can’t Keep The Seasonal Character | Players can delete the character. Before doing this, they can put everything into the Storage and the horse onto the Stable |
Non-Seasonal Character | Players can simply ignore the Non-Seasonal Character and create a new Seasonal Character |
Players who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of starting in the other zones and getting overwhelmed by the number of things happening around them might feel like they’ve made the wrong Starting Zone choice. For players who spent hours creating their perfect character in Black Desert Online, the idea of starting from scratch can seem like a total waste of time. Thankfully, there’s a way to go back to Velia to retake their ideal adventuring path.
This method works best for Seasonal Characters who players want to keep. If they started in Eternal Winter, they can head to Nampo Village and dive into the whirlpool to its east. The process takes them to the Sea Palace, wherein a map exists that can take them back to Velia. If they started with a character they can delete, they should first put any valuable items in the account-wide Storage.
3 Land Of The Morning Light
Get Swept In The Crises In The Haso Continent
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Begin in the newest region in the game | Extremely long quest chain can be overwhelming or even boring for new players |
Veteran-encouraged area that lets players catch up to the latest updates in the game’s story and lore | New characters are usually underleveled, undergeared, and underskilled to tackle the new mobs and bosses efficiently |
Explore the homeland of the Lahn, Maehwa, and Musa Classes in the new Haso Continent | Difficulty transferring back to the mainland due to lack of proper transportation methods |
Unique story mode lets players choose their own progression, with major quests having different endings |
Recommended for veteran players is the Land of the Morning Light, the newest Starting Zone that spices things up in Black Desert Online gameplay. At its core, the Land of the Morning Light is also the area where the Korea-inspired Lahn, Maehwa, and Musa Classes have come from. Located in the new region known as Haso Continent, the Land of the Morning Light was teased as far back as the Heidel Ball 2022, with an official reveal in the Calpheon Ball 2022.
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The zone itself is a large volcanic island that is relatively isolated from the mainland, which implies that it’s a Starting Zone separate from the activities of the core Black Desert Online experience. On top of accessing the Land of the Morning Light as a starting area, it’s also available after unlocking the following conditions:
- Get “Emma’s Invitation” as a starting quest
- Talk to Black Spirit as part of the Main Quest, which leads players to Igor Bartali at the Bartali Farm
Recommended For Veterans
Unlike the other two zones, Land of the Morning Light is highly recommended as a veteran-only area due to its inherent isolation from the rest of the game world, to the point where it’s not possible to get to the area via horse. Players being swept into another major story with no other clue of the major events in the main story can make the Land of the Morning Light rather disorienting, especially when players eventually reach this point of the original story anyway.
Moreover, Land of the Morning Light may end up making new characters both underleveled and underskilled, making it much tougher to tackle its series of bosses. Veterans who want a change of pace for their new character may opt for Land of the Morning Light and proceed to their usual leveling zones to make their ideal game builds.
Notable Activities
Upon reaching the Land of the Morning Light, players will eventually find themselves involved in an incident with the NPC Dolswe, which eventually prompts Donghae Warden Lee Duksoo to become the player’s “guardian” during their stay on the island. Players may eventually find themselves dealing with matters separate from the main story involving Illezra the White Witch and the Ancient Relics, eventually getting themselves roped into:
- A non-linear Story Mode: The self-contained Story Mode in the Land of the Morning Light allows players to explore the land on their own, gathering clues and making progress on their own terms
- Unlock different endings via the Storybook: Thanks to the Storybook menu, players in the Land of the Morning Light can access eight short stories that they can solve. All stories are available in the village and may be completed in the order players choose, but they have to complete their current story before selecting another one
- Worthwhile rewards: Completing the Storybook gives players +1 DP and +1 AP for their entire family. They can also get two Crystal Slots upon consuming the Kkeibwater Quest Reward, allowing players to get closer to their ideal builds
- Instantly get back to the mainland: Players can use the Magnus to teleport to other areas in the mainland, although transport costs begin at 16M (Velia, Balenos) and go as high as 20.8M (Zvier Highlands, Everfrost)
- Travel back to the mainland: Players can ride the NPC Ferry for free to get back to the mainland, although this takes them from Nampo Moodle Village to Oquilla’s Eye before catching another ship from there to Velia. This process takes around 40 to 60 minutes
2 Mountain Of Eternal Winter
Explore A Winter Area With A Decent Story
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Fully voice-acted and cutscened quests | Cannot do the simplified questline on the Seasonal Character |
Relatively short questline compared to the other starting zones | Lack of heavy combat might turn off action fans |
Decent storyline references other stories, complete with more digestible lore | Begins after events from Atoraxxion, meaning the story begins in the middle of the main storyline |
Packs manageable mobs and bosses that can help players get decent gear, skills, and levels for their characters |
Originally a region exclusive to Korean servers in 2021, the Mountain of Eternal Winter made its chilly entrance to the global Black Desert Online experience in 2022. Despite its chilling addition of the Frostbite debuff alongside a slate of new regions and unlockables, its storyline explains how the magnificent Golden Mountain had become the Mountain of Eternal Winter after its former ruler had become obsessed with power.
The Mountain of Eternal Winter’s storyline is connected to the main Black Desert Online story, although it can exist as its own entity that packs enough content for both newcomers and veterans to enjoy. On top of choosing the Mountain of Eternal Winter as a Starting Zone, players may be able to enter the Mountain via the following conditions:
- Talking to the Black Spirit with a Level 56 character who already completed the “Atoraxxion: Scrakea” main questline
- Accepting the “[Mountain of Eternal Winter] Memories Return” for characters who started in the Ancient Stone Chamber without completing the Scrakea questline but completed the Drieghan questline
- Accepting the “[Mountain of Eternal Winter] Memories Return” for Level 58 characters who started in the Ancient Stone Chamber, unlocked the Drieghan region, but have yet to complete the "Atoraxxion: Sycrakea" main questline
Recommended For Newcomers, Veterans
At its core, the main appeal of the Mountain of Eternal Winter as a Black Desert Online starting area has more to do with its digestible story that boasts impressive voicework and cutscenes that make full use of the MMO’s magnificent visual assets. Its relative lack of heavy-duty combat might turn off veterans.
Due to the relative connection of the Mountain of Eternal Winter to the main lore, newcomers who start in this region might miss out on certain story elements available to the Ancient Stone Chamber start. Moreover, the build-up of gear and skillsets to fight Eternal Winter’s challenges may be worthwhile should players begin at the Stone Chamber.
Notable Activities
Players who begin in the chilly landscape of the Mountain of Eternal Winter may encounter a winter-heavy zone that’s quite unlike other locations in Black Desert Online gameplay. In this regard, players may want to take note of certain activities and elements unique to the area:
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- Frostbite Debuff: Prolonged exposure to snowstorms in the region will have characters incur the Frostbite Debuff, which is a damage-over-time effect that can only be cured with Citron Tea or Well-brewed Mesima Tea
- Winter Tree Fossil - Zvier Highlands: Interacting with these shard towers and then consuming 100 Energy can summon waves of monsters that players can kill for loot
- Murrowak’s Labyrinth - Sherekhan Abandoned Iron Mine: Players can engage in a unique experience called the Labyrinth, where six players are assigned to one room where they have to clear mobs before all are teleported to a boss room that can drop relevant items. Only six players can enter a Labyrinth at a given time, with others only being able to enter as others exit
- Okjinsini - Jade Starlight Forest: This solo grinding spot needs players to kill a series of mobs with their skills or nearby brazier and lamps. The area can sometimes spawn Guardian of the Lost Winter - Erebox as a boss, although her strength is usually on par with a party of five
- Etherea’s Limbo: With the Forgotten Witch’s Token, players can enter Etherea’s Limbo where they need to clear specific doorways to access a golden reward room. Killing the chests here and opening “Etherea’s Gift” will unlock rewards
1 Ancient Stone Chamber
Begin A Traditional Black Desert Experience
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Teaches much of the game’s basics for easier progression | Bosses can be overwhelming for new players, especially if they’re unfamiliar with class synergies and boss patterns |
Packs a shorter story that condenses the overall Black Desert Online story | Mountain of Eternal Winter’s storyline takes players to the Ancient Stone Chamber (Balenos) anyway |
Has a decent mix of story-heavy and combat-heavy sections | |
May lead to older quest lines that can help players get into the story further | |
Finishing the story up to Mediah in the same account with a previous character gives characters to skip these parts via Alustin |
Considered the original starting point of the base game, the Ancient Stone Chamber in Balenos is exactly where the beginning segments of the game continue for new players. Described as ruins protected by tree spirits, visitors of the Ancient Stone Chamber will notice its architecture as more different and far off compared to those of modern times. The Chamber itself contains artifacts and walls with Ancient Language hieroglyphics which, when translated, could gleam relevant insights on the history of the world. It’s rumored that the famed archeologist-adventurer Edan and his companions were able to accomplish this feat.
When players choose this particular Starting Zone, they continue right where they left off in the game’s final beginner cutscene. This sends them straight to the Mediah main questline, where they end their progress in their Level 50s with the “Apocalyptic Prophecy” quest. Given the relative age of Black Desert Online, the Ancient Stone Chamber does contain a mixed bag of old-style quests with barely any cutscenes and voiced dialogue alongside flashier modern quests that boast these immersive additives. Should players decide to enjoy the slate of comforts Black Desert Online gameplay offers outside of combat, then the Ancient Stone Chamber is the most hassle-free among the game’s available starts.
Recommended For Beginners
At its core, the Ancient Stone Chamber provides a decent starting point for players who want “the quintessential” Black Desert Online gameplay experience, especially with a PVE-focused Class. The depth of lore present in the MMO on top of its wide variety of gameplay features is best explored through the Ancient Stone Chamber, especially since the game’s content releases are built upon areas explored only after completing this area.
Granted, the Ancient Stone Chamber does have segments where chunks of lore are thrown at players regardless if they want to learn more about Black Desert Online’s world or if they simply want to engage in the game’s action-packed combat. The only setback Ancient Stone Chamber has for veterans is the length of its story, which is a considerable length that Seasonal Characters may spend a significant time finishing the main questline than seasonal objectives.
Notable Activities
Despite the nature of the Ancient Stone Chamber as the basic start of the Black Desert Online experience, players may be delighted to know that there are specific activities that they can still enjoy with this Starting Zone. Notable activities include:
- Complete story elements until Mediah for future convenience: Players who finish segments of the story via Ancient Stone Chamber until they reach Mediah will have an easier time in subsequent seasons. Completing this allows players to choose a simplified story when they make another Seasonal Character, allowing them to start in Balenos without bothering with much of the story
- Slower gearing but steadier pacing: Players who want to "breeze" towards the MMO's endgame wouldn't be able to immediately do so with an Ancient Stone Chamber start, but its slower gearing can help players acclimate themselves to the game's fast-paced combat
- Eventual access to other starting zones: Players who don't want to go back and forth between areas should consider Ancient Stone Chamber, especially since their progress will likely take them to the Land of Morning Light and Mountain of Eternal Winter in the long run
