Author: Sharley (Pet lover, community idol, adores art)
Although the core of the game is similar to BDO, some gameplay mechanics differ considerably. To make the most out of your BDM experience, here are some tips to help you along the way.
The functionality of the world map
The world map is in the upper left corner of your screen. Click it, and a small window will pop there, with several icons. One of them is an Earth-like globe that will take you to a full-screen map containing all the locations and areas in the game. You are now looking at the world map.
Here, you can click on any zone, including those that are way above your paygrade, and find useful information about them. This includes the type, level, and combat points of the monsters in the area, the loot available, and whether the territory is friendly or hostile. Depending on this information, you’ll quickly learn to navigate your way around the world map and boost your progress considerably.
Use the fast travel option
You can unlock fast travel at the Altars of Memory in each city you’re going through. This way, you will boost your leveling capabilities significantly, especially during your first levels. With this in mind, you should always seek to unlock Altars of Memory as soon as you reach a new city on foot. Many people forget to do that in the heat of things, putting them at a disadvantage later on.
Furthermore, unlocking the Altars will provide you with a comprehensive profile of the area. This includes information about the NPCs available, quests, unique and repeatable side-quests, shops, etc.
Learn the perks of Amity
Some NPCs like the popular Eileen, which you will come across pretty soon, have the Amity option in their dialog window. This allows you to take on optional quests, which work like favors for that specific NPC. They might not sound like much, but there’s a catch.
Increase your Amity level with that NPC, and you will unlock hidden rewards and even secret quests. Grinding Amity quests is ideal, especially during the early levels when any help makes a huge difference.
Learn about gear bonuses
Gear bonuses help you passively boost your gear’s capabilities significantly. You have three options to keep your eye on here:
Bonus Effects – These are passive effects that you get as your Combat Points (CP) reach certain milestones. When your CP reaches 1900, you get permanent + 50 to Attack Power and Defense. When it reaches 2200, you get permanent +300 HP, etc.
Gear Resonance – These bonuses change depending on your gear’s level. If your entire gear is level 15 and above, you get a +3 to your Attack Power. If it’s all 18+, you get + Attack Power and +2 Defense, and so on. Remember, you need to occupy all of the gear slots before Resonance comes into effect.
Accessory Resonance – For the first bonus, you will need to have all your accessories level 3 or above. This will give you a bonus of +1% to all your damage types. These include weapon-based and skill-based damage types, which fall under different branches. The bonuses will increase along with the level of your accessories.
These gear bonuses will give you tremendous advantages in both PVE and PVP. Make sure to keep an eye on your progress and always focus on reaching these bonus milestones; they will get even more rewarding towards the end-game.
The hidden dangers of gear enhancement
As you may already know, you can enhance your gear in BDM using Black Stones. The more advanced your gear is, the more Black Stones it will require. But here’s the catch. Black Stones give a % chance of enhancement success. When it comes to low-level gear, one Black Stone could give you a 100% chance of enhancement, which is pretty self-explanatory.
High-level gear will require multiple Stones, each bringing different percentages to the table, up to 100 maximum. I advise you to only go for 100% as often as you can, preferably always. While 95% may seem like good enough, I assure you, it’s not. More people fail at 90% and 95% than the value would suggest. Play it safe and always aim for the maximum value, even if it takes more time to collect the Stones as a result.
Level up your Black Spirit
The Black Spirit is your loyal companion who takes care of the enhancement, comes with quests, and provides CP bonuses. To increase the CP bonus, you must increase your Black Spirit’s level as often as you can. You can do that by feeding him unusable gear and weapons. Scratch his back, and he will scratch yours.
Buy gear in Auction House
All that AFK farming, grinding, and question will provide you with a lot of silver to spare. Many people have no idea what to do with it before end-game, so here is a good idea – purchase gear from the Auction House. Here, you can find anything for every level, so make sure to check regularly to catch on the exclusives.
It’s not that rare to have a beginner throwing an expensive item on the board, not knowing its real value. It may not happen that often either, but being on the lookout for these opportunities will pay off in the end.
Join a Guild
By joining a Guild, you will get access to daily quests, providing you with Quest Points and Guild XP. This, in return, will increase your CP as a result. Furthermore, your Guild Leader can purchase passive Guild Effects, which apply to all members of the guild.
Again, this will significantly boost your PVE, as well as PVP, capabilities in the long run. Not to mention becoming part of a community, making friends, getting help, and providing help in exchange.
The perks of exploration
If you click the icon in the upper right corner of your screen, it will take you to the overview settings, where you can click on My Info. That will take you to your character’s overview panel. Click the Check CP option, and the game will display your stats, as well as CP and where you got them from.
The Knowledge section is critical here, because it relates to exploring the game for outstanding benefits. Simply by discovering the map and finding information about monsters and bosses will award you with CP bonuses. If you’re looking to maximize your CP, you must focus on exploring as much as possible and uncover the world around you.
Buy a pet
Owning a pet will not only boost your resources but in-game capabilities as well. Depending on the pet’s level and type, you may get fishing, hunting, or logging bonuses, as well as Dark Energy XP, Knowledge Gain, or Combat XP.
Many people complain about pets being P2W, except everybody can buy them off the Auction House, including F2P players. Many pets cost approximately 2 million silver, which you will gather with relative ease. Especially when considering that you can get that amount or more from one quest alone.
Ultimately, how you approach the game will determine your progression and effectiveness, both in PVE and PVP. Make sure to boost your CP as much as you can, acquire better gear, feed your Black Spirit, and you will have already exceeded the potential of average players.
There’s no denying that, to increase your proficiency in the game, you will need to learn everything you can about classes, perks, progression system, etc. It is a steep learning curve, but one that will be worth following.
Use this guide to boost your knowledge and in-game expertise, and you will become unstoppable. Join us at Discord – Eden of Gaming for futher discussion
