During the preview of Black Desert’s new Guardian class, one of the most surprising statements in the comments was their opinion of the game’s story. Some found it “word salad,” while others thought the story was interesting despite the clichés. But this is something we haven’t talked much about here at Desert Oasis. What exactly is Black Desert’s story?

I’ll confess first, I ignored the story when I started the game. I skipped dialogue and completed quests as fast as humanly possible. Before I even started, I already had a preconceived notion about Korean MMOs: “Maybe the story isn’t worth my time.”

Of course, things have changed since Pearl Abyss targeted the global market. Black Desert’s story was revamped in 2019, and with the announcement of Crimson Desert, it seems the company is getting serious about improving its storytelling skills.

I’m not saying Black Desert’s story is bad, but it’s messy. It has some really great story elements. For example, the Black Spirit is a unique call to action for the player character. Its chaotic neutral nature gives the player a reason to slaughter endless waves of goblins, but at the same time it’s relaxed enough that you wouldn’t mind spending all day fishing. And look at those teeth!

What makes Black Desert’s story so messy is the lack of documentation and tedious translation. Both World of Warcraft and Guild Wars have books to expand on their stories, as well as well-run wikis that delve deep enough into lore topics to keep you up at night. Black Desert is the exact opposite. No detailed novel exists, and the lore we receive is often clumsily translated. The in-game lore can be very vague, with many of the details being short anecdotes or told in first person by unknown speakers.

So let’s go over some of the more basic elements of the game’s plot to try and alleviate some of the confusion. Most of this information comes from my own research, wikis, and roleplaying websites that compile stories from various sources. I’ve also checked with Pearl Abyss to confirm that some plot points are still canon.

Calpheon and Valencia: Present day

According to Pearl Abyss, the game takes place between 285 and 286 Elion calendar. Her character follows this calendar, but it is unknown if Valencia also uses it. Her name comes from the Calpheonian god “Elion”. Elion is considered a kind and loving god, and is the god of conquering nations, so naturally he plays a role in everyone’s lives. In fact, the Valkyrie class is a dedicated disciple of Elion.

As far as I know, the central landmass in the game doesn’t have an official name. However, it is divided into the main regions of Balenos, Serendia, Calpheon, Kamasylvia, Valencia, Media, and Dryhan. Of course, these all appear under the Calpheon flag, as the Republic of Calpheon currently controls the regions of Balenos and Serendia. Kamasylvia maintains good relations with the Republic, even lending support to military operations. Calpheon, Media, and Valencia, on the other hand, are not on friendly terms. The conflict between Media and Calpheon is relatively new, but hostility in Valencia has existed for much longer. This has actually been going on for about 50 years. The story between these two powerful nations is that Calpheon is a faith-based republic, while Valencia is a very logical, science-based monarchy. They’re not at war, but there’s been tension, which is reflected in the recent patch notes. I thought this was a really fun way to combine mechanics and lore.

There’s a lot to explore when it comes to Black Desert. This week we will be focusing primarily on events in the Republic of Calpheon.

Trouble in the Calpheon Republic

It’s not all sunshine and roses in the Republic. While the cities of Calpheon, Heidel, and Velia each have a degree of autonomy, it wouldn’t be a Republic without some political drama. The growing purchasing power of Calpheon’s Xian Merchants Guild is putting a lot of pressure on Heidel’s market. Historically, the Traders’ League, led by Bobby Laurent, enjoyed prosperity and dominated Heidel’s market economy. However, the Xian Merchants Guild’s aggressive acquisition strategy is beginning to squeeze its influence over the League of Heidel, and Heidel’s autonomy is beginning to come into question.

Chamberlain Jordain Dukas does not take this harsh measure lightly and sets out on a journey to destroy Calpheon. He joins the Ancient Shadow Knights and the Cult of Kzarka and receives a sword filled with dark energy. We’re not entirely sure what it does, but we’re sure it’s not a weapon intended to kill you. In my opinion, this is a major escalation.

As for this mysterious dark energy, it seems to be everywhere. It is unclear whether these are multiple black ghosts or simply excess energy (this is where translation gets tricky), but either way, they are both out to cause mischief. Issues range from the predictable, like vegetables growing legs and attacking people, to the more dramatic, like goblins gathering in large numbers and building an altar to a mysterious god, and in the most dramatic cases, the black spirits take over a host’s body and start going berserk.

At this point, it is best to cleanse the places that seem to be emanating this black energy, at least from the player character’s perspective. An early example is the ruins of Cron Castle. Long ago, King Bartali III achieved his desired immortality. A mysterious alchemist from the desert visited him and gave him a scroll whose spell contained within would grant wishes.

We don’t know if he knew it or not, but the scroll had something to do with the dark god Hadum. Again, the translation isn’t entirely clear, but apparently the spell required the organs of “100 boys and virgins” at a low price for it to work, but was very vague. We don’t know if that meant 100 boys and 100 virgins, or a mix of 100 boys and girls, or just 100 virgin boys, but either way the spell ended in a massive explosion. Whether that was the true intent of the spell or was it Bartali III? Did I misread the ingredients list? I don’t know, but the long-lasting effects manifested in the darkness that plagued the region for many years. In this context, you are immersed in a story with weapons, black ghosts, and highly targeted memory loss.