Ahead of Crimson Desert, the game’s MMORPG counterpart is free to keep for a limited time

I didn’t get into the MMORPG genre until last year, and it’s because it feels impenetrable. Every single longstanding entry has years of lore, characters, content, and player culture baked into it, making the prospect of entering their persistent worlds more daunting than exciting. This is why MMOs need to work extra hard to give new players an easy way in, and that’s exactly how Final Fantasy 14 won me over with its gigantic free trial. So if you’re excited about the upcoming action-adventure game Crimson Desert, and want to try out its MMO counterpart Black Desert Online, you can own it for free for a limited time.

With the Crimson Desert release date still some time away, now’s the perfect time to try out Pearl Abyss’ colossal MMORPG. With a completely different visual style to the likes of WoW and FF14, Black Desert Online offers a markedly distinct experience. BDO’s combat is more action-based than most other MMOs, with a real sense of fluid movement in every single fight.

You can take this combat into the new Black Desert Online 600-person PvP mode as well. Added in the recent War of the Roses update, two teams of 300 players either defend or storm a castle, with siege vehicles and hand-to-hand skills both needed to survive. It is only for veteran players, though, so if you’re new you’ll just have to look forward to it.

If you love all the different jobs in FF14 as much as I do, I recommend you give BDO a try. Earlier this year we got the new Black Desert Online Dosa class, which wields a sword and pipe, with the latter summoning ghostly fighters during combat. That’s not all, though, as the Western-inspired Deadeye has also just been added to the MMO’s global lab for you to test. This class moves incredibly fast while using multiple revolvers and a shotgun, dodging in and out of enemies for quick damage.

You should also know that Black Desert Online requires no subscription in order to keep playing. Usually, you’d pay $10 / £9 to own the game (or you can give the free trial a go first), but all of the MMO’s subscription models are optional. If you end up pumping hundreds of hours into BDO, as I did with Final Fantasy 14, you’ll likely want to buy the Value Pack subscription, but it is not a requirement. The VP comes with more inventory space, storage, an EXP boost, unlimited customization, and a whole lot more.

Pearl Abyss is offering Black Desert Online at a 100% discount on Steam, making it entirely free to keep until Monday January 6, 2025. You can find it here.

Our writer Ken also played Pearl Abyss’ upcoming action-adventure game during his Crimson Desert preview at Gamescom, so be sure to check out what he had to say about it ahead of launch as well.

If you’re about to jump into BDO for the first time make sure you check out all the Black Desert Online codes, alongside our comprehensive Black Desert Online beginner’s guide.

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