We have praised Black Desert Online’s non-targeted combat before as one of the best examples of its kind. As far as action MMORPGs go, this is one of the best, hands down. So, it’s not that big of a surprise to see it being put to good use in a clever Battle Royale mode. If you want to try Black Desert for free including the new Shadow Arena mode, follow the link in the video description.

Better yet, you can get Black Desert Online for free if you slay five players in the Shadow Arena until March 13, 2019!

The most striking thing about Black Desert’s Shadow Arena is that unlike most Battle Royale games, there are no classes to choose from; or in fact, there are. Allow me to explain.

Smells Like Black Spirit

When you and your opponents enter the Shadow Arena, everyone is a black spirit. All of you, little black balls of pure evil are eagerly expecting in the waiting area for the necessary number of players to join. At least 40 players will do, but the maximum count can reach 50 players. You can go solo or join a party comprised of three adventurers.

The big twist here is that every black spirit will be tossed up into the skies and as soon as they hit the ground running, so to speak, they must scour the land for the body of a trapped adventurer. What this means is that there is a non-negligible and much appreciated randomness to each match, as you may stumble across your favorite class in a few seconds. Or you can roam around hopelessly, cursing the skies as you fail to find the Berserker, the Valkyrie, the Archer or the Dark Knight, for example, whichever class is your favorite. There is no need to go into detail over the 17 classes, as they feature some of the best examples ever seen in an MMORPG, both visually and in terms of depth.

One thing that Shadow Arena inherits from the other Battle Royale games is the stripped beginning. Every adventurer starts with nothing but the most basic gear, and barely any useful skill as well. Only by slaughtering creatures and finding chests you will earn gear and skill books, becoming stronger and better prepared to face other players, who are no doubt running rampant and collecting every piece of equipment that will upgrade their stats. Killing some boss creatures may get you some valuable gear, but make sure that you can afford to take the risk. Take a close look at the pieces of gear and armor that your character is wearing – these affect your attack and defense stats, so always be on the lookout for better gear.

One nice touch is the ability to auto-equip a superior piece of equipment, which means that you won’t be spending any time fiddling around with the inventory and comparing stats, something that can translate into sudden death in a Battle Royale game. Everything is smooth and natural, you just need to keep moving and worrying about getting more and better gear and skills.

Obviously, the arena will keep getting smaller and smaller, as the Dark Fog pushes everyone together and forces combat to happen more often. A deluge of skills and visual effects ensues, as two, three or more players join the same fight and deal unprecedented levels of damage in a small area. Since it is both a case of player skill and equipped gear, it is difficult to be certain about who will get out alive of a brawl – it has a lot to do with your ability and who you just happen to be facing.

All in all, Shadow Arena is a great addition to Black Desert Online. The random element at the beginning is possibly its greatest strength, and this is a solid PvP mode that will surely find many fans. Use the link in the description if you want to try it for free. Have fun!

Original post published on FreeMMOStation.com

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