Black Desert Online Great Expedition Update Gameplay and Impressions

Great Expedition is the name of the latest and free content update for the stunning action MMORPG Black Desert Online. This update launched on October 23 and considerably enhances the sailing aspect of the MMORPG, taking players on a journey to a new world. As sponsors of this amazing MMO, we want to remind you that while it is a premium game, there is a 7-day free trial for everyone who registers through the link in the video description. Often, there are events where you get to keep the game for free, so keep your eyes peeled for those.

The Great Expedition is expanding on Black Desert’s ocean content in a bid to make it as appealing and full-fledged as the current land adventure. This is high level content aimed at the best players, so you should be able to see the difference when you first experiment with the new sailing systems.

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Sailing is now a more engaging experience, with variables that affect your seafaring expeditions. New sea currents and wind systems were introduced, affecting the handling and speed of your ships. A simple UI indicator will tell you what to expect so that you can adjust your route accordingly, but the currents and wind will become more pronounced as you set sail to the high seas.

A new questline and lineup of ships and sailors comes with the update. You can upgrade your Epheria sailboats and frigates to a new version, and there’s the new Epheria Cog and Epheria Carrack caravel as well.

To get these big ships sailing, you’ll need some extra hands on deck with the new Sailor system. You can hire sailors according to the ship cargo space, but watch out for their hunger and sickness. Sailors are useful in many ways, including exploring the islands for riches and spontaneously catching some fish as you are venturing across the seas.

Sailing the high seas without a purpose would be meaningless, so there are a few incentives for you to set out exploring. The big one, and I mean that literally, is the new sea boss Khan, a behemoth that many Black Desert players who are already familiar with the Vell will surely fear. To take this massive beast down, players must cooperate and use their cannons in a heavily concentrated effort.

The other incentive in The Great Expedition is the new bartering system, which is an evolved trade system where time is of the essence. You buy items in one location with the goal of selling them in another place for a hefty profit, but you must hurry because those literal weasels have a keen eye for business. More importantly, the prices of the goods change every four hours, and this is where the true importance of mastering the winds and currents lie – finding the optimal route will give you that boost that could result in an awesome deal. Bartering items will yield you Sea Coins, a valuable currency that allows you to purchase some extra-rare and useful items.

Obviously, the sea is dark and full of terrors capable of chewing up your boat and spitting out the remains. But it is also gorgeous, a staple of Black Desert Online, with unrivaled graphics in any MMORPG and a fast-paced, skill-based real-time combat system. The character creation is one of the best available, if not the best, as we’ve said since the first day that we had the chance to try it. The vast open world is so beautiful that it’s almost witchcraft how you can roam the land without seeing a single loading screen.

But I digress. The Great Expedition is another huge content update for a massive game, the latest in a long line of updates. It’s a welcome break from the succession of brilliant character updates, of which there are currently 18 unique classes to choose from. I’ll finish by reminding you that you can play Black Desert for free during seven days by clicking the link in the video description, and this should be more than enough to convince you of the game’s qualities. As for setting sail with The Great Expedition… well, that will take new players a bit more time, so what are you waiting for? Have fun exploring new worlds!