Abyss One - A Black Desert Odyssey 🍜🍜🍜

After a long hiatus, we're coming back with more content. Of course we'll still continue to swing #blackdesertonline into the mix, but we're keeping it fresh with other games and content going forward!

A lot has changed in the MMO front in this past year and that includes #BDO , and there is a lot to unlock there, especially with the new Twins Class coming to both mobile and PC. For now though, we're gonna focus on what's had us back in the game and focusing our time there recently.

There is always the standard grind with BDO, most MMOs really, but the new content, Abyss One, adds a surprising layer in terms of milestones for the game.

First, Abyss One is a standalone optional quest line, that has you take on a series of puzzles through a central instanced hub accessible by the player through abandoned wells in the game. Yes you jump down into abandoned wells scattered across the realm to get into Abyss One.

The place itself appears to be a construct of planar/dimensional space that is a central hub for chaotic abyss energy. As the player progresses the quest chain, they will teleport throughout the lands from region to region as they unlock milestones in the quest. The interesting part is that the fast travel remains part of the game for the player character that completes it.

But that's not all, while traveling the inter dimensional lei-lines that are the Abyss, that regions storage now becomes accessible from any other storage as the player unlocks them through the quest chain. Meaning that while you are in Heidel, not only can you view all your storage in Calpheon, you can access it and take items from there, even through your maids as well.

Oddly, this type of content is not something we have come to expect in Black Desert, and if it was present some type of pay wall like the camping tents would seem appropriate (though there is a silver fee for using the teleport system, but for most players the cost will be negligible). This only cost your time and fairly standard length Black Desert quest line (yes we know, but at least this one is mostly voiced, surprise, surprise.)

Even more surprising is that the lore behind the Abyss, the story the player interacts with, and the puzzles it has you solve, though odd at times or reskins on an idea and at points just busy work, are a spin on how the game handles quest historically and actually bridges content in Shadow Arena; tying up lose ends scattered through the robust, though broken, lore already in the game.

This gives the developers a chance to re-ground the lore back into the game, which they do by having each NPC involved in the first part of the Abyss quest chain continue on to persist in the world and allow the player character to wrap up their personal story lines (enter introduction to the Land of the Morning Light, aka what's behind door number 1 in Port Ratt).

Abyss One touches on a few areas, but definitely the lore if you can weed through it adds another layer to BDO. From the experience we learn that the land beyond Port Ratt is sealed off for more than just xenophobic reasons, those misgivings are rooted in something called the Black Death, which ravaged the region at least 50 years ago, and is now apparently gone. Hopefully we get the full story with Maegu and Woosa.

The next spin, is that each class has a unique, and in some cases quite good, new ability that is unlocked by progressing this story. This new ability generally is a main skill ability that can weave in seamlessly with your awakening, and can in most circumstances get skill addons as well.

However, there is no catch either! For all of the above, players need to only run the quest on the one character they choose. To unlock it all on another character simply talk with the black spirit.

With cinematic cut scenes, voice acting, fully fledged out story plots reviving aspects of the game's lore, it really does seem that #PearlAbyss has set its sights on reforming and revisiting the PvE aspects of the game. Although, with teasers of the #CrimsonDesert project now available, it's not too surprising to see this turn.

After jump you can catch some of the raw footage of the experience, along with some of the new game play elements we've tried regarding artifacts and lightstones. Catch the live content at #redmarmotgaming or tune in here at 8bitramen.com or Twitch. Check out our discord for the latest details, game nights or to join a steam live. This dish is pretty good, but it's not the spiciest ramen and for that we give🍜🍜🍜 out of 5 servings. Cheers!