Leveling in MMORPGs has always been one of the main priorities of players. In games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, reaching the highest rank is one of the first things adventurers aim to achieve to unlock all the available content. Black Desert Online is unique because it does not have a level cap. However, players are still highly encouraged to gain experience for their characters.
No Level Cap in Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online is one of the very few MMOs that does not have a level cap in the game. However, just because BDO does not restrict your character progression doesn’t mean you can do power leveling. Black Desert has a steep leveling curve, as many adventurers will find that the grind needed to rank up starting from 60 becomes exponentially high.
While there is no max level, Black Desert Online has a concept for soft and hard caps. The former refers to where the grind for either AP, DP, or rank becomes significantly more complicated. The latter refers to a milestone that only a few people in the game have achieved. Skilled players will always aim to reach the hard cap due to the various benefits.
Why Level Up in Black Desert Online
Progressing from 60 onwards would require players to do hours of gameplay, if not weeks. If leveling up in Black Desert Online takes so long, why would adventurers actively exert time and effort in this aspect of the game? Fortunately, the answer to this question is as simple as your characters becoming more vital.
In both PvP and PvE scenes of Black Desert, there are a lot of stats that you can get just from leveling up. By becoming stronger, you can access more features with ease. Here are some of the benefits of ranking up in BDO:
- Increased Accuracy
- +1 AP per Level
- Resistance
- Skill Points
The most important benefits are increased accuracy and +1 AP per level. At higher grinding spots, monsters have high evasion, so if you have less than recommended, it will take players ages to defeat even a single one. Gaining that much-needed accuracy ensures that your attacks against elite mobs will hit most of the time.
Black Desert Online players will understand how hard it is to gain Attack Points in the game once you reach the 270+ soft cap. One of the many reasons players would continuously grind their level is to get that additional +1 AP per level. This is the only sure way of getting extra attack power because all other sources require silver and perfect RNG.
What are the Soft Cap and Hard Cap in BDO Level
When players start as fresh adventurers in Black Desert Online, they will find that the leveling process from 0 to 56 is relatively easy. This step can be done in a few hours or just one day. Likewise, reaching level 60 from 56 is relatively quick, but gamers will see a noticeable increase in the grinding hours.
Level 60 is considered the soft cap in Black Desert because leveling up from now on will take days to weeks. The hard cap is around 62 or 63 because this process will become significantly more challenging. Many players take months of grinding to get past 63 and will take substantially longer to reach 64.
The current highest level attained in the game is 67, which is said to have taken years of grinding. While the rank progression is tedious and grindy, the payoffs are incredibly worthwhile. Some of the strongest players in the different data centers are those at the hard cap level tier.
How to Level Up in Black Desert Online
From 0 to 56, it mainly revolves around you just doing the main story quests. If you have a friend willing to boost you, BDO power leveling is undoubtedly one of the fastest ways to get to the awakening chapter of your character. By 56, you should start grinding in Valencia until you are strong enough to transition to high grind spots in Kamasylvia. Here are some of the best zones in the desert region:
- Desert Fogans
- Desert Naga
- Gahaz Bandits
- Pila Ku Jail
Where you grind depends on your AP, so be mindful of your strength because it will dictate how long it will take to kill specific mobs. From 60 to 62, the best spot to grind in is arguably the Mirumok Ruins, but you will need to find a party for this zone because it is hard to solo. However, the Valencia grind spots still provide decent EXP rewards, but they will get noticeably less efficient. Aakman and Hystria Ruins are great places to farm. However, it would help if you had an excellent gear score since the mobs here are deadly and hard to kill.
All in all, leveling in BDO is very tedious and will take a very long time to progress in. However, the benefits of ranking up are worth all the effort, which is why many players actively pursue leveling up. If you are keen on becoming an elite Black Desert player, you should put your back into grinding your level.