Black Desert Online Starter’s Guide

Black Desert Online Starter’s Guide by KineticGTR

Check the video and the written guide below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4roseC1OzM

As the title says, this video and written guide is intended to show off and guide players how to get started with Housing, hiring NPC Workers, and understanding the Node system.

PLEASE NOTE: This written part is a work in progress. I don’t claim to be an expert on any of these topics. So if there is misinformation, more information that can be said to bring more clarity, or changes in the game system, I hope other viewers here will help expand and correct this guide.

The video gives more information while this written portion is simply a step by step guide to these features.

Things you will need to get started

Contribution Points – A point resource (like HP points or Magic points) you gain from progressing in the game (leveling, questing, etc) Contribution can be spent for example to get houses, workers and unlock nodes.

Vigor is another point resource that you gain more of as you progress in the game. Unlike Contribution points, Vigor replenishes over time and through other activities. Vigor is most commonly used for labor like activities for example gathering, conversation, and even to inspect workers for hire.

Money….this doesn’t need explaining, does it?

HOUSING

Housing starts whenever you begin to gain Contribution Points, which you earn as you level and quest in the game.

From the world map, you can click on the town icon, select a blue highlighted house, choose one of the functions, and pay the cost to unlock the house.

Some examples of house functions includes storage space, a lodge for your workers, material processing, crafting, assembly and even a Sims style layout to decorate furniture in. Some functions can even be upgraded to higher tiers.

If at anytime you wish to close your house, you can, AND get back your Contribution points. You can’t however, get any money you may have spent to unlock upgrade functions.

WORKERS

Hiring workers is a fairly simple process. Your first worker requires no lodge, so you can simply pay the Contribution point cost, and the money cost to get your first worker.

To hire a worker, first locate the Worker Manager, represented on the map usually by a Pick Axe icon, and talk to him. To inspect a worker that he has, you have to pay a Vigor cost. After you spend the vigor, the manager will show you a NPC you can hire as a worker.

If the worker is good enough and you want to hire it, you then pay the silver cost and your worker will now be in your employ. Hiring more than one worker will require lodge space, which you can unlock as a function when renting a house.

If the worker is NOT what you are looking for, you can spend another Vigor cost, and inspect a different worker. This can be repeated as long as you have the vigor to spend. If you run out, simply take a break and go do something else until your vigor is ready again.

Workers are another example of Sim style management. Your workers are not robots, and even robots have needs. Aside from lodge space, your workers also need food to replenish their stamina.

NODES

The Node system in Black Desert Online is one of the most interesting features. Each town, resource site, and other significant locations act as a Node that can connect to each other in a network that provides a wide variety of benefits for you.

On of the easiest examples to understanding the Node system, is our House, Workers, and the resource sites we send them to to collect materials for us.

So for example, now that we have a lodge and a worker, we can send the worker to a mining site, which is a node, and once he is done collecting mining materials, he will return to the town where your house is, which is also a node. Two locations, two nodes.

To send the worker there, we need to unlock it. Visit the site with your character and talk to the NPC that is in the area. From the NPC options, select the resource option. The world map should open and an option can be selected on the left side to unlock the main, and sub nodes to gain access for your workers to work on that site. Each unlock has a Contribution point cost. Just like our house, if we no longer want to work there, we can get a refund on our Contribution points.

Of course we can unlock a much wider network that connects towns to resources, and even to other towns. This can for example make it easy for you to send materials from one house in one town, to another town with another house, with a few simple clicks.

So a quick recap on how to get a house, hire a worker, and put him to work.

Find the worker manager (represented by the pickaxe icon on the world map). Pay the vigor cost to inspect a worker. If you like the worker, click accept, and pay the money cost and Contribution cost. Your first worker does NOT need a house to live in. When you hire your 2nd worker and beyond, you will need a house with a lodge function for housing your other workers.

To rent a house with a lodge function for workers, click on the town icon on the world map. Select a blue house, and select the lodge function. Click the accept button and it will cost you the Contribution Point(s) and money cost.

To unlock a Node, for example a mining site. If the mining site is near the town with your house, simply go to the Node site with your character, and talk to the NPC there.

After selecting the resource option when talking to the NPC, the world map will open and you can now select the Node to begin access. Click the unlock node option to spend the Contribution cost, and do the same for a sub node to allow a worker to work at the site. After unlocking the node, select it again from the map and click on your workers name, and click the option to send him there.

When the worker is done, you can find the resources he gathered in the towns storage. Make sure you have space for materials to be put there ;)

I hope this guide is helpful. I realize this is rather difficult to explain without some visual aid. I may include some screenshots in the future, till then, I recommend checking out the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4roseC1OzM