Black Desert Online has 24 classes, and there will be more shortly, where you choose what is best suited for your game style. This guide will show how each class performs in PVE, Siege Node War, small scale, and one versus 1.
Each class has two branches: awakening and succession. Awakening is at level 56, which will unlock and allow you to use a second weapon. Succession focuses on your character’s starting the main weapon and enhances its starting skills and abilities.
Two classes are unique in this game so far: Archer and Shai, because they do not have such branches that all other classes have.
Try a class you like before fully investing your time and other resources to become your main character. You can do this with a trial character at the character selection bar.
Below is the list of the currently available class in Black Desert Online and a brief overview of what they are and can offer. By the end of this guide, you should be able to decide what class to try out later in the game.
CLASSES
- Wizard and Witch
- Dark Knight
- Sorceress
- Hashashin
- Sage
- Corsair
- Tamer
- Striker
- Mystic
- Nova
- Ranger
- Ninja
- Kunoichi
- Musa and Maehwa
- Lahn
- Warrior
- Valkyrie
- Berserker
- Guardian
- Drakania
- Archer
- Shai
Wizard and Witch
The Wizard and Witch classes use staff and a dagger in succession. Wizards use Godr Sphera, and witches use Aad Sphera as their awakening weapon.
A Wizard’s and a Witch’s successions are similar regarding skills. They can teleport, are long-range casters, heal themselves and allies, and control crowds or a swarm of enemies.
They can also cast a protective AOE barrier using a skill called Protected Area, which can also increase their allies’ defense.
This protective barrier lasts a short time but can help the team push offensively during the war.
The only difference is that a Wizard’s succession has a quick cast ability that instantly casts skills as long as you chain them correctly.
At the same time, the Witch suffers in mobility because they cannot chain teleport separately when it is still in cool down.
The awakening of both classes unlocks Summon Pets that help boost their skills if linked correctly.
Wizards have a grab in awakening and focus on fire and water elements, while Witches focus on earth and lightning and have more range AOE’s skills than wizard awakening.
Witches also have a block ability that enhances their resistance in a short amount of time.
Dark Knight
A Dark Knight is an Elven class that uses Kriegsmesser as her main weapon and an Ornamental Knot as her awakening. This class has a very high damage output in PVE and is one of the strongest classes in the game.
Players choose this class because her skills are flashy. Her mobility is good with invincibility frames in her Dashes.
However, a Dark Knight is not good in Siege and Node Wars because of her defense. But, in a 1v1 battle, it is the opposite of that.
Sorceress
The next character, a female class, uses an amulet and talisman as her main weapon. She also uses a scythe as her awakening. This class is called the Sorceress.
Sorceresses have a high potential in skills but are very difficult to play, not to mention squishy in all aspects.
A Sorceress outperforms classes over gears than her chaining skills and re-CCing the opponent. Dodges, hits, damages, and her unbelievable invincibility frame make her the strongest offense unit of the game.
Her succession is one of the strongest types of PVE, while her awakening shines in PVP, both in a Solo and a Group War.
Her succession is one of the strongest types of PVE, while her awakening shines in PVP, both in a Solo and a Group War.
An experienced Sorc can kill an army of enemies. As you progress in the game, you might consider her your main character, but a Sorcesser is not a beginner-friendly class.
Hashashin
Hashashin is a class whose abilities focus on sands, snake traps, and tornadoes. His succession focuses on his tornado abilities.
This character’s role in War is an assassin, hiding and waiting for an opening to attack because he has great mobility that allows him to quickly back out of a fight.
His succession performs great in PVE, while his awakening focuses on Sand Snake with trap skills. If you plan to play Hashashin, succession is the best choice.
This class uses a Shamsmir as his main weapon, a Haladie as his off-hand weapon, and a double edge blade as his awakening weapon.
Sage
A Sageclasst uses Kyve and a talisman as his main weapon and a Kibelius spear as his awakening. His awakening has a grab focused on the lightning element with great AOE damage but suffers in his mobility. In contrast, his succession focuses on mobility called Rift Chain, which confuses enemies of his position and then CC them with his AOE skills.
The Succession of Sage is squishy and annoying but is a great offensive class. In PVE, the Sage awakening outshines the Succession. Mobility is the highlight of the latter, being fast moving from pact to pact of monsters, the awakening’s AOE damage is greater than his succession in high-end spots. Sage is fun to play but not that strong compared to other classes.
Corsair
A Corsair is a mermaid-like pirate-themed character that uses Sereneca and Mareca as her main weapon and Patraca as her awakening. She performs well in both low-end and high-end grinding spots. Her succession mobility is also good, and her AOE skills are great; these make her the best companion in Wars and group fights.
This pirate character’s awakening has a summon skill, and her gameplay can change into a ranged one. With this, she also has a ranged grab. However, such a tactic is very difficult to land. The Corsair class also can neglect and destroy your block fair easily. She is one of the most underrated classes in the game, next to Nova.
Tamer
A Tamer is the only class in BDO with a pet company; herss is called Heilang. She is weak defensively and hard to master, which takes a lot of dedication. Her pet Heilang has a random crowd control when you order it to attack, and the tamer has the quickest grab in the game and has incredible burst damage making her one of the most deadly in 1v1 PVP.
In group fights, a Tamer is okay but not that great. Her role turns out to be one of the flankers in the team. Her mobility is okay in succession and awakening compared to other classes, but her succession is weaker than her awakening. This class’s PVE potential and burst damage in PVE are very high; it is just that she needs to give her awakening block up and some mobilities in exchange for such potential.
This class uses a short sword and a staff for her awakening weapon. The Tamer class has the most loyal player base; once a tamer, always a tamer.
Striker
A Striker is one of the two classes that have passive magic resistance to the other classes. He has magic abilities, with a gameplay similar to his counterpart class called the Mystic. Striker uses a gauntlet and vambrace as his main weapon and a Gardbrace as his awakening weapon.
Striker’s Awakening is one of the stronger classes in the game, while his Succession in PVE clear is above average compared to the Awakening. This class is tanky, thanks to his passive magic abilities: reduction and evasion buffs. In the recent update, as of December 2022, developers boosted his damage in Succession, making him one of the fastest grinders in low-end and endgame spots of the game’s world.
Mystic
The female counterpart to Striker, the Mystic, uses the same main weapon as the Striker and Cestus as her Awakening weapon. Although she isn’t as good as a Striker, her output is very close.
Mystic Awakening is more defensive than Striker and has many utilities andlcrowd-controll abilities. The said Awakening has a water dragon summon that looks cool but lacks damage compared to her Succession.
A Mystic’s Succession is one of the best in terms of protection and can link protection infinitely. Sorceress classes hate her for that since it has great mobility and burst damage. Her Succession has better PVE clear than her Awakening but suffers in group PVP. A Mystic is also a very good 1v1 duelist, but her Awakening is much better in group fights.
Nova
Nova is a character who has very great damage output in both PVP and PVE Battles. Her AOE damage is insane thanks to her summoning pawns and the king of the dead bursting her damage output in exchange for her Health. She also has Gravity Orbs, called Vacuum, that are very effective in group PVP scenarios that prevent enemies from running away. Nova is considered one of the most underrated classes in the game.
Nova’s Succession is so strong that she’s in the top rank of Solare as of the time of this writing. She shines in a 3v3 PVP match because she can maintain her survival in fights and CC the enemy with the help of her summoned pet. Her PVE potential is great in high-end spots, but she suffers in the low-ends as you start using her, but it eventually pays off as you progress through the game.
Awakening for a Nova is different. While Succession gameplay sticks to blocking and casting AOE ice elements with her pet, her Awakening is fast-paced combat. Another feature of this Awakening is an ability called Acceleration, which makes Nova an even faster unit that simultaneously deals an incredible amount of damage for a short time. Awakening is incredible in all aspects—low-end and high-end grinding spots—but it is difficult to control the first time you start playing this class.
This class uses Morning Star as her main weapon, Quoratum Shield as her off-hand, and Sting as her Awakening weapon.
Ranger
A Ranger is a female elf class who has been seen as an average class for a long time. Both her Succession and Awakening in PVE are just average. Regarding 1v1 PVP, her Succession is considered one of the worst due to her lack of protection. Her Succession role in such battle is kiting the enemies while keeping her distance and CCing them. With this, enemies struggle to get close to her as she melts down on you before you get close to her.
Ranger Awakening is more flexible than Succession. Her gameplay involves flanking enemies in group fights, which is hard to master. Despite this, the Ranger is still considered an average class if you choose her as your main.
This long-ranged character uses a Longbow, a dagger for her Succession, and a Kamasylvian sword as her Awakening weapon.
Ninja
Ninja is an assassin class who is probably one of the coolest-looking classes in the game. He is in the top tier in terms of PVP, thanks to his dueling potential, which is very high both in Succession and Awakening. His role in Wars is as a disruptor or flanker.
Ninja in PvE is okay, but you must exert much effort to maximize his damage fully. You will feel burned out and tired as you play him since his game style needs a lot of input.
This assassin uses a short sword and katana as his awakening weapon. Ninja is a good choice but not a beginner-friendly class.
Kunoichi
A counterpart to the Ninja class is the Kunoichi. She has a similar gameplay style to the Ninja, specifically in her Succession, and even uses the same main weapon as Sah Chakram as her awakening. Her awakening in Pve is decent, with her kit having protection succession however has a bit of damage in terms of output, depending on the spot where she’s grinding.
In PVP, Succession is the strongest when it comes to the offense—both in PVP Wars and in Group Fights. However, Kunoichi is more squishy and annoying than Ninj if we’re discussing defensea. She is close to Ninja’s gameplay but seems to have been left behind in PVE.
Musa and Maehwa
Musa isconsiderede the top of all classes in terms of damage, while Maehwa focuses on slowing down opponents. Both have a mobility that is insane in Awakening, in which the opponent in PVP will struggle to catch them. Musa ranks top in PVP because of his incredible damage at the time of this writing. He can tear down an opponent’s defense and block off some classes. He has even named a flavor of the month class.
Musa and Maehwa classes use a Blade and Horn Bow as their main weapon and a Crescent blade as their Awakening weapon. In PVE and PVP, both classes have the same game style but differ in damage. Musa is recommended for beginners as playing him requires less effort than Maehwa.
Lahn
Lahn uses a pendulum and dagger as her main weapon and a Glaive as her awakening. She is recommended for beginners.
Lhan is considered the top class in terms of PVE because her Succession’s PVE damage output is high and easy to use. However, her Awakening leans more towards the PVP side of the game. This class can fly, and airwalk and her Awakening has a ranged grab. But, if you miss that grab, you will be disengaged while in the fight state. You must wait for your grab to cool down and then engage again to make it work.
The cons of this class are that her skills use a lot of stamina, so you need to finish the opponent as quickly as possible, or you will lose the fight.
Warrior
A Warrior is a classic character and is one of the most solid among other classes. This class has almost everything, but, despite being good in 1v1 PVP, he suffers in War due to lack of AOE damage.
When playing Warrior, people usually choose Awakening because his kit is so flexible. His mobility is insanely great in catching quick-moving classes like Musa because he can grab and 1-hit combo them. He can easily re-CC them where they are struggling to disengage.
However, Awakening Warrior is not that easy to master, but this class, in general, is one of the recommended classes for beginners.
The Warrior class uses a short sword and shield as his main weapon and a Great long sword as his awakening.
Valkyrie
The Valkyrie is a female class that looks like the opposite-gender counterpart of the Warrior. A Valkyrie uses long swords and shields and Lancia as her Awakening weapon. Her PVE potential is high, especially in the Awakening branch, making her good in low-end and high-end spot grinding. But despite all these, her gameplay is very different.
The Awakening Valkyrie is hard to master in PVP, but it pays off as you play her in the long run. Her role as an Awakening is a support tank with her supporting abilities like heals, buffs, and neglecting damage, making her a great asset to the team. She can also be a very deadly offense unit if played correctly.
The downside to playing as a Valkyrie is that she moves a little slower, and this mobility drags her down. She is also not one of the simple classes to play, so Valkyrie is not recommended for new or beginner players.
Berserker
A Berserker is a class designed for offense and mobility. Lasses like the Ninja. His PVE clear is good enough, while his Succession and Awakening are strong his Succession and Awakening are strong in PVP War and group fights. His PVE clear is good enough, while in PVP War anhis Succession and Awakening are strong d group fights; both his Succession and Awakening are strong.
The Berserker’s Awakening has great crowd-controlling abilities that are good in tactical situations. His Succession is leaning towards being an offensive class that can wipe out an army of enemies with his ultimate skill. This class uses Axes as his main weapons and an Iron Buster for his Awakening.
Berserker is a good class to choose if you are in an offensive gameplay style. However, it should be noted that his mobility kit, despite being insanely good, is hard to master.
Guardian
The Guardian is a demi-human class usbly the most recommended class for beginners. Despite being slow-moving, the Guardian has great resistance and has large AOE skills. Her gameplay is easy to get familiar with because her skills only require minimal input. She uses an Axe and Shield as her main weapon, and Jordan has her awakening weapon.
In PVE, a Guardian’s clears are very high in low-end and high-end spots, and in PVP 1v1, War, and Group battles, she can help wipe out opponents effortlessly. This makes Guardian the best of having both offensive and defensive classes. She also has a passive skill that makes her resistant to grabs.
If you want to progress fast in this game, Guardian is the best class for botcession and awakening.
Drakania
Drakania is a dragon knight-inspired class where her Awakening unlocks her wings, which allows her to fly. This makes this character’s gameplay a bit more fun and unique.
The damage she can deal with Succession in Group PVP and War is insanely high, giving her the most kills in Siege and Nodewars. However, in 1v1, she suffers without a grab ability in her kit.
Drakania’s Awakening, on the other hand, has a grab ability in exchange for some of her protection in the skills.
This Awakening has unique mechanics in her kit because it allows her to switch from burst mode to fast pace combat style: Drakania has three: the Succession and the two types of Awakening: Burst Mode, Dragon Form, and Hexe Mode. The latter has a fast-paced combat style.
This class’s Succession form is easy to master, unlike the Awakening one. She uses a Slayer and Shard as her main weapon, but the weapon she uses in Awakening is a Trion.
Archer
An Archer is an elf class with a different progression because he does not have a Succession branch and is an Awakening form that already has a weapon available to him at level 1. He uses a great bow and s crossbow as his main weapon and shines as a strong main DPS.
Aside from his offensive capabilities, he also has mobility that is so good, which allows him to maintain his distance from an enemy in PVP.
While he shines in War PVP, in a 1 vs. 1 situation, it is the opposite for an Archer. In PVE, the Archer also performs well, especially in low-end spots. But, he suffers in the high-end grinding spots.
Regarding defense, this class is one of the weakest and struggles in most of the game’s contents.
Shai
Shai is the most unique class in the Black Desert. This is because she does not hAwakentalentSuccession, but rather gains Talent when leveling up.
She is a support life skills class, where her gameplay role is healing the team and providing party buffs.
She is the best asset in War and Group PVP with such abilities. She also has damage reduction, where almost all of her skills make enemies miss when they try to hit her.
However, in 1v1 PVP battles, Shai does not stand a chance.
A Shai’s PVE clear is surprisingly high in high-end grinding spots, not to mention her insane amount of defense.
Unfortunately, Shai’s mobility is pretty bad, but despite this, she is still very easy to play. For Life Skills Gathering and Alchemy, Shai already has them in Professional 1 by default, and she has a passive that is decent for her class to start Life Skilling.
One of her best features, which is a defense-based build, can also be a downside of a Shai. This is because you will have to builexpensivetup, which is kind of expensive to do in the game’s current state.
Another feature that adds uniqueness to Shai is her ability to compose music using an in-game composition engine.
You can then share the composed music with the community in the game, where you can gain ratings depending on the community’s likes and dislikes. You can also make a band with other Shai players and perform in the game.
