Greetings Adventurers,

It’s already been over a month since the Heidel Ball on June 8th held in Korea! Since then, we’ve received a great deal of feedback from our Adventurers.

There were many fun ideas that we hadn’t even thought of, and ideas we had considered before previously.

As we reviewed the valuable feedback sent by our Adventurers, we wanted to answer some of them as soon as possible. Please understand that we will not be able to give answers for topics that are undecided or difficult to reveal through the GM Note.

Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor your feedback and regularly answer them. So, please look forward to the future GM Notes. Now then, shall we take a look at the feedback sent by our Adventurers? 

Q. Please buff Kunoichi.
A. Many have agreed with you regarding Kunoichi buffs. So, after conducting internal tests and reviewing the data, we released a relevant balance patch on July 10. Future balance patches will look to improve not just Kuinochi but other classes as needed.

Q. Please add more hair customizations.
A. Creating new types of hair takes more time than one might expect. Nevertheless, as a result of our Adventurers’ ardent requests, we have decided to add new hair types. Presently, we are creating new hair types for both male and female classes, as well as making distinct hair types for specific classes available to other classes.

Q. Please increase the customization options for irises, facial shape, etc.
A. It’s extremely difficult for us to add options for facial shape within a short time. If it’s a feature on the level of being able to completely change the facial shape, then it would be more truthful and accurate to say it would be in season 2 of Black Desert customization. That’s why it’s too early for us to comment on this part. However, we plan on expanding and developing the existing customizations options, as well as the aforementioned irises.

Q. Are there any plans for a male version of the small and adorable Shai class?
A.. Unfortunately, there are no current plans. Still, as previously announced, we are working hard to introduce you to many more races of the Black Desert world, so we hope you look forward to them.

Q. Please reduce the 15 minute cooldown time between server changes.
A. The reason behind the 15 minute cooldown time between server changes is to prevent the monopolization of certain in-game content, such as Trade, Imperial Delivery, and etc. Additionally, we are not considering plans to reduce the cooldown time between server, as there may be other problems that may arise from reducing the cooldown time. Instead, we will aim to provide more information to reduce the burden of moving between servers. The current character selection screen displays some information on other servers, such as mounts taken out. Recently, we added a mark to show whether a character has taken out their mount from the character selection screen. Likewise, if more information about other servers is viewable without changing servers, then this will help to reduce the inconvenience.

Q. I would like to be able to save my auto-navigation paths.
A. This is something we want to quickly provide as well. For those that enjoy training, we think it’s a needed feature, and for those that do not, it'll still be nice convenience for travel around the world. As announced at the Heidel Ball, we are preparing a unified UI, and if the development schedule allows it, we will try our best to implement them together. The console version has a feature to bookmark any location on your World Map, and if it is applicable, we will be adding this feature to the PC version. While it isn’t finalized, our goal will still be to make things more convenient to use.

Q. Please make an option to conceal sub-weapons!
A. The customization of a character’s appearance is also content, and this includes dying and concealing certain parts. While we added the ability to conceal helmets and capes, the reason we did not include main/sub-weapons is because they must still appear when using skills during combat. Helmets or capes can be concealed without regarding combat/non-combat applications, but main/sub-weapons need a separate method for it to not appear out of place. Thank you for your valuable suggestion, we will reconsider the best way to implement this naturally.

Q. Please display the probability of a horse’s skill change at each stack.
A. In the process of displaying the success probability for enhancement and pet exchange, we considered displaying the success probability of a mount’s skill change. However, it’s not easy to display the probability of mount skill change as the probability calculation is completely different from enhancements. We believe that simply displaying the probability will not solve the inconvenience caused by skill change. It's obviously an inconvenience for those of you who enjoy training, so we’ll look for other solutions.

Q. The problem of falling underground in Hystria is urgent!
A. We are working on fixing this problem where characters may sometimes fall underground after being knocked down by a monster’s debuff. We first tried to change the monster’s debuff in order to fix this issue, but this could hurt the existing flow of gameplay, so we are looking at other ways to solve this problem. Meanwhile, we plan to change the Escape function while in the Hystria Ruins, so you will be moved near an NPC within the ruins. (This is already implemented in the Black Desert Global Labs, and we thank the many Adventurers’ who provided their feedback.) This will be updated to the live servers as soon as possible, and we also have other more fundamental/stable fixes besides just changing the terrain.

Q. Please add an expiration warning or notification.
A. We are improving the receipt/collection of items with expiration date/usage periods by making a notification and warning message pop up.

Q. There are still many monsters stuck in rocks or the ground.
A. Monsters that are stuck in rocks or the ground, and monsters that block mounts on auto-navigation. We will fix these two as soon as possible. Also, any cases where the monster location is unintended, even if it will require a total inspection, will be fixed quickly.

Q. Please change matchlocks to reload automatically.
A: After receiving this suggestion, we ran several internal tests with an automatic reload system. While it did feel convenient, there were some frustrating instances when it reloaded unnecessarily. Thus, we discarded the switch to automatic reload, and are now reconsidering increasing the amount of bullets that can be loaded depending on the Hunting or Mastery level. Although this isn’t finalized, this will be first updated in the Black Desert Global Lab.

Q. The penalties for negative Karma are too harsh. 5~6 crystals are broken.
A. We believe there must be appropriate consequences for those who attack or kill others. Basically, penalties are applied in stages based on Karma. Adventurers with very low Karma will have the strongest penalties. This is intended, and there are no plans to revise this.

Q. The whale bug is really bad! Whale bug!
A. The blue whale’s travel distance is very long, so it’s volume is exceedingly big. There were various kinds of issues related to the blue whale during the game optimization process. We tried patching several different changes to the internal logic to fix these issues, but we haven’t been able to completely fix the issue such as where the blue whale would sometimes move through islands or their corpses would sink into the ocean. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we hope to improve this after the Great Ocean update.

Q. Please improve the Rich Merchant’s Ring!
A. Before the change of the previous Marketplace, the Rich Merchant’s Ring was so popular that it was called the ‘One Ring’. That’s why we made it so difficult to obtain. With the implementation of Central Market, we agree that the Rich Merchant’s Ring also needs improvement, and we are preparing a rework that will put its effect at the previous level. The difficulty in obtaining the ring will most likely be changed to match the changes to the specifications.We will reveal the ring on the Black Desert Global Lab once the rework is decided.

Q. Please add new Dream Horses.
A. The Dream Horses, which are characterized by their unique abilities, are one of Black Desert’s end-game content. Besides the current three Dream Horses - Arduanatt, Diné, and Doom, we have been continually conceptualizing new Dream Horses, but none have fit into Black Desert, so development has yet to start. Of course, we will consider any good concepts, so please send them in.

Q. When I’m in shooting mode in a hunting area, and another Adventurer comes along, the deer run away. Please make them not run away.
A. We want the shooting mode to an enjoyable part of hunting. We’re a little wary of mentioning this, but in our planned improvements to life content, there’s a ‘Shooting Zone’ space being made. This location may be a remote island or some other region. Once it’s prepared, we’ll announce it through our update notes.

Q. Please make more diverse titles!
A. We wanted to make titles that could represent our Adventurers’ play style or inclinations in the Black Desert World. That’s why we did not give any abilities to titles in order to prevent the usage of only certain titles, and instead we greatly increased the number of titles (there are currently over 1,500 titles). However, we learned through these recent suggestions that many Adventurers enjoy the process of acquiring titles. We understand this motivation, and in the future, we will be adding more titles that can be acquired in a diverse set of ways. For example, the ‘Don Keyxote” title, which is the prize for the last week’s International Donkey Race event.

Q. As time goes by, the appeal of the processing item trade is losing its appeal. Are there any plans to improve this?
A. The processing item trade is a trade content that turn steady time investment into silver. Unlike trading other items, the processing item trade needs preparation time, and you can think of it as more of an indirect additional silver revenue rather than an activity that directly turns out silver. Although there are preparations being made to improve and rework trade, we are looking into quickly improving transportation of processing items, as many find it to be the most inconvenient part.

Q. Regular trade lacks anything to do.
A. Other than the trade of processed items, we agree that the merit of general trading is very low. While there have been some improvements, we understand that it’s not enough. It’s still a little too early to introduce the entire rework, but we’re working on ways to make the trade system more meaningful and interesting. We will continue to improve the trade system.

Q. I want there to be buffs based on our Hunting level.
A. As announced at the Heidel Ball among the life skill improvements, we are considering the addition of convenient benefits based on life skill levels. For now, we’re reducing the gaps between each Life Skill, and afterwards, we plan on enhancing the Life Skills which levels aren’t effective, such as Hunting,

Q. I would like to be able to acquire Housing Items through Gathering.
A. Thank you for your great suggestion. This is something we agree with, and for the long-term, we want to add not just Gathering, but also the other many different activities of Black Desert as a way to obtain them.

Q. I want there to be more cooking recipes available for higher Cooking levels and to be able to add my own ingredients to recipes.
A. A personalized recipe is currently very difficult to implement into our cooking system. However, if Adventurers really want personalized recipes, then we may be able to provide this through events and other ways. We believe we can provide a better answer after revamp of the Life Skills, including the benefits from Cooking level.

Q. The Pearl inventory isn’t enough space.
A. We’ve continuously received feedback that the pearl inventory isn’t enough. Therefore, we are considering the possibility of multiple pearl inventories, for example pearl inventory 1, 2, 3 etc. However, this is still in the discussion stage, so we hope you understand our lack of confirmation. Once a decision is made, this will be first updated to the Black Desert Global Lab.

Q. I think there needs to be revamp to the direction of how all content is becoming about earning silver.
A. This is also something we’ve also been thinking about. When hunting grounds were revamped last year, each hunting ground was given special characteristics, such as the obtainable amount of Black Stones or Skill EXP, in order to alleviate this problem. Beginning with the Savage Rift, then with Shadow Arena and Altar of Blood, these were also attempts to solve this problem. Of course, it’s important that each content has its own unique qualities and is fun. And, we understand that prioritizing these won’t satisfy all our Adventurers. We consider your suggestion to be something that we always need to work on. So, we’ll continue to think and test ways to solve this issue.

Q. When will the area below Mediah, left of Port Ratt, be opened?
A. We are planning on expanding the area around Port Ratt after the Great Ocean update. For the area beneath Mediah, there is something being prepared, but it’s still too early to reveal it. We hope you understand.

Q. Please help the growth of small guilds!
A: We fully understand that it is hard to grow a new or small guild. We’ve already added guild support funds and patched it so that sea monster loot will be transferred to guild funds. Hence, for those that enjoy the game, there is support for the growth of a small guild, nevertheless there are still difficulties, such as guild scores. We are looking into various ways as a possible solution.

Q. There needs to be more variety in the Guild Boss summons and a role for weaker players.
A: When we first designed Guild Boss summons, it was intended for all guild members to participate in together, even if they were weaker. So, the priority was “Participating Together” and not the “Clear”. We would rather think that Adventurers would enjoy the Guild Boss summon together instead of how someone that is weaker isn’t helpful. And for those weaker Adventures, we believe them to be mostly new or returning. For these new/returning to be welcomed, we’ve introduced the Afuaru's Map so that everyone can find enjoyment. We want to keep this direction and make this a priority for the future as well.

Q. Why can't the Apprentice ranks become mercenaries?
A: The reason why we added the Apprentice rank feature was to prevent abusing of guild bonuses by moving from guild to guild every 24 hours to collect. Therefore, we will continue to keep the Apprentice rank, and ask for your understanding. We suggest you use the apprenticeship to get to know the guild, and start your fun mercenary career afterwards?

Q. Please let guild content be possible alone.
A: This is something we are not considering. We want guilds to be about participating with others, not alone. We could consider new guild content for smaller numbers, but we believe guild content for a single Adventurer is not the right direction. Black Desert is more fun game with others, so if you’ve made a guild, we recommend you try recruiting guild members and find enjoyment in new challenges together.

Q. Please let us know how many times a guild member has pressed the join Node War button when distributing guild incentives.
A. There are probably still many guilds who take screenshots of the platoon window to manage this? We are not yet sure how this will be done, but we will improve this system.

Q. It would be nice if guild mission deposit statuses are displayed.
A: We plan to set an authority requirement to be able to access guild funds or guild related items. We hope guild masters can effectively use this system to smoothly operate their guilds. Additionally, we are developing a method for guild funds to be displayed as a system message. We will work hard so you can hear the good news from the Black Desert Global Lab.

Q. Why can guild missions be accepted by everyone, but only be completed by certain ranks?
A: We are careful when it comes to the authority to accept and complete guild mission, as there is room for abuse and misuse. We have plans to add more positions to the current ones, and will take your feedback into account when we develop them.

Q. Please add more guild activity content, so we can feel more like a guild.
A: Many guilds that enjoy the game in their own ways are a special characteristic of Black Desert. We are trying to evaluate the sense of belonging to guilds from a broader perspective. Our focus is on how guilds can find enjoyment in Black Desert, rather than just making things for guilds.

Q. The number of people in Node War needs to be urgently fixed. 30 people for Tier 2 is too small. Why is there a limit in the number of people?
A. We regularly examine the number of participants in each tier of Node War. Our goal is for guilds to adjust to each tier of Node War and challenge the next tier once they are ready. But of course, we understand that many Adventurers feel the limit to the number of people to be rather excessive. While we are presently considering adjusting the number of participants by further subdividing each Node tier, it is something we approach very cautious since the Node War is content for everyone. We will take all this into consideration when we make improvements to the rules of Node War in the future.

Q. Let us select and summon an elephant in Node War!
A. We haven’t been able to quickly implement this as the structure needs a lot of changes. We’ll look for more solutions, but it will be difficult to update this anytime soon.

Q. I want a more strategic battle that uses siege weapons!
A. Our goal is to open a path for a weaker guilds to overcome an incredibly powerful guild, no matter how much weaker the guild is. That’s the reason why we Ballista and other similar siege weapons, while also providing mounts like the Ogre. Still, we know that this is not enough. As we’re familiar with the balance of Conquest War, we will be more prudent in our improvements.

Q. I want a diverse set of strategic elements for Node/Conquest War, such as a guild chat panel, an assortment of pings, a memo function for pings, and more.
A. We recognize the need for a variety in strategy, tactics and communication within Node/Conquest War. We’ll look into the best ways of implementing them.

Q. The EXP from hunting monsters needs to be adjusted.
A. As Hunting level becomes increasingly important, we fully acknowledge that some hunting monsters needs their EXP adjusted. Starting with the blue whale, we plan to continuously adjust the EXP.

Q. What’s the response for the sea monster back attack nerf?
A. Here’s what we’ve got to say regarding sea monster’s back attack. We intended for these monsters not to be able to receive back attacks. But for Hekaru, back attacks were enabled in all situations because of a mistake in the settings, and there was an issue where back attacks were possible in certain situations for other sea monsters. Although this was fixed to be as intended, we apologize for the confusion caused by the lack of a sufficient explanation. After the Great Ocean update, we are thinking of improving the sea monster hunt and updating ships as well.

Q. Garmoth’s knowledge is only earnable through a quest or a final blow… are there any plans to add more ways of earning it?
A. Originally, everyone needs to join forces to defeat a boss, as bosses are that fearsome. Hence, our concept of learning this knowledge through the words of special NPCs or other NPCs that reside in the world of Black Desert. That’s why you earn this knowledge through NPCs, and not just by defeating the boss. Yet, the process and experience of defeating the boss can also be considered a part of the learning knowledge, so we plan on allowing you to get knowledge through defeating the boss as well.

Q. I experience heavy frame drops in some hunting grounds (Abyssal/Hystria/Etc). Are there any solutions?
A. While the causes behind the frame drops in several situations have been identified, we are experiencing difficulty in rectifying them. We will solve this as soon as possible.

Q. Besides equipment upgrades from defeating monsters and bosses, are there any plans for additions to character in-game appearance?
A. We’re preparing new in-game appearance options that are different from pearl outfits and in-game crafted outfits. This resource has been under preparation for some time, but it has been difficult to mention as it is still in the developmental stage. We expect it to look pretty amazing.

Q. How do you obtain the Sherekhan’s Military title? I can’t obtain it even after defeating the monsters.
A. Each title provides a hint, but for the Military Title, it seems that we did not provide a clear hint, so we’ll look to add another hint.

Q. The Peridot Wagon gets stuck on the road to Gahaz, even when it’s automatic pathing.
A. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we will fix this as soon as possible.

Q. Please add ‘dance’ motion social actions.
A. We design all content with a careful consideration to the general atmosphere and feel of Black Desert. Originally, there were no plans on creating dance social actions. However, due to continued requests, we began the creation process about a year ago and even finished prototypes. In order for a high-degree of quality, we implemented a diverse set of movements that could be customized, so that many different dances could be performed. Yet, after further discussions, we concluded that these dance moves were too excessive and harmed the game’s atmosphere. Thus, all related development has been discontinued and for the time being there are no plans. Instead, we will implement more diverse movements and improve the various actions a character can currently perform.

Q. Please let us see the game information on mobile as well.
A. Recently, we have been considering a feature that allows you to view some of Black Desert’s information from the convenience of a mobile device. Our first attempt was the mobile Central Market. We’re contemplating the possibility of further support, and ask for your patience.

Once again, thank you for all your feedback, until the next GM Note!

Thank you.