[GM Notes] 2025 Master Class: Behind-the-Scenes Interview

GM Notes Dec 31, 2025, 11:00 (UTC) 2025 Master Class: Behind-the-Scenes Interview

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Master Class 2025: Behind the Scenes Interview

Welcome to the Master Class 2025: Behind the Scenes Interview!

Celebrate our 30 Master Class finalists while they participate in our exclusive questionnaire.

Scroll down now to check out more!

The content of this Interview is based on information provided by the Master Class Winners. Please note that some responses may have been adjusted to fit the flow of the Interview

Master Class 2025 Winners

Master Class 2025 WINNERS

[CM] Etsu

Hello Adventurers! Welcome to the Master Class Behind the Scenes Interview.

Today's Interview will be directed by yours truly, [CM] Etsu and [CM] Ronin!

[CM] Ronin

That's right, and it is good to be here! First of all, congratulations to our finalists for once again winning the Master Class 2025 tournament!
How does everyone feel?

[NA] Multimeltor

I'm feeling pretty good now. Right after winning, my heart was pumping like crazy! Even after my match ended, I couldn't calm down for hours.

[NA] Rhya

I've been playing BDO since the last Master class, and all I've ever wanted out of BDO was to win this tournament. So it's definitely a great feeling to be able to accomplish that! Even so, there are still plenty of achievements to go for. The job simply isn't over yet.

[EU] Vaphroy

It's all a bit surreal still, I thought I would go far but didn't think I would win!

[EU] Neosaurus

I've been excited for this tournament since it was revealed at the Heidel Ball. It was great being able to take part in this tournament and come out victorious, definitely a memory I'll be holding onto.

[EU] GoldFireNOR

The tournament has been all I could think about, so I felt insanely relieved once it was all set and done. After I won, I just felt happy and couldn't stop smiling for over an hour.

[CM] Ronin

Would anyone else like to add their thoughts?

[NA] Cory

Succession wins all!

[CM] Etsu

Based Answer Cory! :D

Let me ask the second question!

What was your first impression when you saw the tournament bracket?

[NA] Mehguh

I asked myself, "Why are all the gamers in my bracket???"

[EU] MichuKPK

Seeing Lua as my first opponent was quite a shock! I felt that the win could have gone to either one of us, making this by far the most important match for me.

[NA] BackstepSlash

I was worried! My first match was up against Shortfuse, a really skilled player who had won a previous Best-In-Class on Guardian. Also in my bracket was Kexi who I faced in the semifinals, another extremely experienced player with solid PvP knowledge.

[EU] Warlocked

At first, I was discouraged when I saw that I was in a bracket full of known Awakening Hashashin PvP players, because I think Awakening Hashashin has an advantage over Succession in the matchup. However, I decided to practice and just show up and do my best regardless.

[EU] FTP

When I saw my bracket, I knew I’d have to be fully locked in from the start. Every matchup was tough, and I especially knew my first round against Emilie would set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

[CM] Etsu

I see that even the mightiest are capable of feeling fear!

Are you curious about who the winners faced?

Please check the page below. (૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭

[Master Class 2025] Finals - Schedule

https://www.naeu.playblackdesert.com

Papu came to see

I was curious, thanks for the link - pu

[CM] Ronin

Okay. Next Question! I'm sure it took a lot of effort to secure your victory. Could you tell me...

How did you practice, and how much time did you dedicate to preparing for the finals?

[EU] CCaJJ

Just want to say that it was a genius move by PA to have a ranked Arena of Solare season right before the tournament. Without it, I would have lost quite early… My training relied on that, as well as running some 1v1s hours before my matches with Tassader. That might have been why I was kinda late… XD

[NA] Millky

A friend of mine was gracious enough to help spar with me leading up to the finals. I don't think there was a single day I did not practice. Outside of Nodewar, I don't partake in Arena of Solare, so if I was not grinding, I was 1v1ing both Succession and Awakening specs. Not only that, running the 1v1s taught me a lot more about CC timers and good follow-ups based on the situation.

[EU] Osku

To prepare for the tournament, I dueled my friends Kemorus and Draclye on EU, and even crafted a more serious damage 1v1 combo with my buddy Arise. On NA, I practiced with Choice and Nanohunters.

I probably spent 10-15 hours dueling people total? Especially before my matches to warm up. On top of playing the class for years and actively PvPing on it almost daily!

[NA] Phabi

I just tried to do 1v1s every day and ran duels while waiting for my matches to start.

[NA] Liuty

For the prelims, I actually couldn't find any opponents to practice against who weren't also in the tournament, despite asking multiple people.

So my preparation basically just came down to watching some Awakening Ranger guides/Arena of Solare vods, creating an Awakening Ranger alt to figure out exactly what all the skills do, learning to recognize each one, and then theorycrafting some ideas for opportunities to try for CCs, getting damage off safely, and avoiding getting grabbed.
Still, because I didn't expect to make it very far, I didn't prepare as much as I should have.

For the finals, most of my preparation came down to watching footage from the preliminary matches (mostly my own) to see where I could have improved and further analyzing the matchup as a whole. I realized that each Awakening Ranger had a different approach to the Succession Ranger matchup, and so I decided not to practice against any tournament opponents for the finals out of fear that I might grow accustomed to any particular player's individual play-style, instead of relying on my ability to adapt to each player's playstyle.

Yes, I could see how my final opponent played against other Succession Rangers, but I had no reason to assume they wouldn't change their approach as well.

[CM] Etsu

Wow! You guys are showing exactly why you took home that sweet victory!

Time for the next question:

Which moment during the tournament did you find the most nerve-wracking?

[NA] Bobobuddy

The moment I found the most nerve-wracking... Has to be when I was on the back foot during my match with Zerodenhunter. In the first round, he took me out within seconds....

I was so overwhelmed and forced to flee, and just hanging on by a thread.

The second round of our match was also down to the wire. It was not until I had evened the score that I felt a sense of relief.

Round 3 of our match, I was fully LOCKED IN!!!! I took him out within seconds in order to reclaim my honor. Side note... I believe this is the only time I've lost a round this tournament... so yeah, it was nerve-wracking for sure.

[EU] Draco

Definitely the preliminaries, in particular the first match.
My opponent was really locked in, and since it was my first match ever in a tournament, I was shaking and could hear my heart beating in my ears, and even choked in the first round.

I ended up bringing it home though, but he played it so well, he didn't deserve to go out in the first round for real!
Afterwards, the more rounds went on, the more I got used to the nerves. I still ended up choking the first round a couple of times, however, I played really clean.

[NA] NoGambleNoLoss

I felt most nervous when fighting Matroskin in Round 2. He managed to dodge 6-7 grabs in a row (which is exceptionally difficult to pull out) and pushed me to the corner til the last 10 seconds.

If I did not land the very last grab, he would have won the match by HP. Afterward, I asked him to practice with me for the finals and it directly contributed to my win in the finals..

[EU] Yuniexd

The only round I lost in the whole tournament in the quarterfinals. I was winning the trades but got too confident, got CC’d twice in a row, and had to come back from 0–1.

[NA] HeartKing

When Revyii was winning the 1s in Arena of Arsha, I was a little panicked. Glad I got to practice against a succ class because they have so much more damage that's so much faster than you that you gotta play it super slow like a coward.

But you can't wait too long because they have such an insane advantage in the smaller circle round. I wouldn't have learned that without practice.

[NA] AgonyOST

Pick any round against Ehsap or TDE, and you'd be nervous too. Their matches all went to the final minute, but that's just how the matchup plays out with good players.

[CM] Ronin

Reading your responses has even me at the edge of my seat!

Congratulations once again to all of the Master Class Winners!

Papu came to see

So inspiring! - phew!

[CM] Etsu

Yes indeed Papu! So much so that it has inspired me to ask: What do you believe gave you an advantage over your opponent in the finals?

[NA] Liuty

Charging Wind!
But in all seriousness, my ability to stay calm and collected and adapt to my opponent when everything was on the line, and I was one misstep away from losing, has been my saving grace throughout the entire tournament. Adapting to each opponent was the key to each match, which makes sense in retrospect, as Succession Ranger is a very reactionary class.

For Example, if I see Awakening Ranger try to play for Forward Guard damage trading, my response should be to either push out more unprotected damage and also look for opportunities to get behind their Forward Guards, like we saw in the semifinals. If I see them playing for protected CCs and aggressively looking to get behind my Forward Guards and otherwise rotating safe movement, my response should be instead to play safe and play for chip damage, as we saw in the finals. Yes, Succession Ranger is strong, but also consider that Awakening Ranger has had many of their tools nerfed, such as mouse movement and grab.

In addition, Succession Ranger has an inherent weakness against ranged classes in general. Yes, the small circle is very claustrophobic for Succession Ranger, but consider the perspective from an Awakening Ranger: An Awakening Ranger can no longer escape damage pressure coming from Succession Ranger. It can no longer back up to recover cooldowns, Forward Guards, or stamina for free.

Also, with HP bars coming down to 50% at 1min anyway, it is the only logical time for me to E-buff, as any chip damage before the 50% HP mark usually doesn't end up mattering anyway.
Overall, still a double-edged matchup.

[NA] PIG

There are a couple of things that I believe gave me the advantage. Firstly, the sheer amount of PvP I do was a pretty large factor. Another advantage I had was dealing with nerves during my matches, including the finals.

I've been entering basically every tournament form I can for the past 5 or so years, so being able to recognize that you're nervous, while not letting it negatively impact your gameplay, is a huge advantage.

[EU] Meiler

Scholar has been very niche, so the mirror matchup is something most of the few players we have don't know or practice. Hamsti did well for the amount of time he's played, but there was a clear difference in experience/playtime.

[EU] HyrkoontheHero

Even though teleporting backwards might look like a defensive move, using the first teleport as a Witch actually forces my opponent to chase me with theirs. That gave me the advantage of having my second teleport come off cooldown earlier, allowing me to catch my opponent off guard during the next exchange.

[NA] RuJynX

My biggest advantage in the finals was how much nerdy tech I know with the specific niches of Woosa. There are a lot of small details that don't normally make any difference in Node/Conquest War, Guild League, Arena of Solare, etc., but when rounds are coming down to ~1% hp differences, every little bit matters.

I was looking at my debuff bar all throughout the first round to figure out what addons Sais was running, then I played to dodge all of his DP debuffs, AP debuffs, bleeds, and I modified the normal flowchart to make sure I was countering most of his skills. I also used a lot of specific tech like burning DPS skills just to animation cancel my dashes faster, which led to me getting a few key catches in the midrounds to burn his V.

[CM] Ronin

Wow! I feel like I need to step up my game after reading those!

I'm really curious about question six: Was there a moment during the finals when you knew that you'd won?

[EU] Horseyy

I knew it when I filled the formular!

[NA] Gunism

I wasn't prep'd for a defensive playstyle. All the Sorceresses I practiced with played aggressively. This forced me to adapt in a way that would secure me wins. This meant conceding any attempts at CCing my opponent and instead playing for the timer and HP win-con.

I learned after the second round that I could win the SA trades throughout the entire fight if I didn't get caught. So I played a bit slower, to preserve my Emergency Escape (V) and to avoid taking chip damage (especially nearing the end of each round).

[EU] lamStarside

I think I played the first two rounds that I won very strongly, but the next two, I was too anxious to perform in any capacity. For the last round, I reached a zen state and felt pretty confident, especially when we reached the small arena with my E + V buffs remaining, along with a HP advantage.

[NA] DisPearBruh

There wasn’t a moment when I knew I’d won at all. It was down to the wire the whole match.

[EU] Draco

After all that practice/scheming + knowing the opponent and myself, I was 99.9% confident I would win. That's why I practiced so much, to make sure that even if I was suffering from nerves, I would still be able to consistently bring it back anyway.

[CM] Ronin

Whoa, being able to adapt on the fly is a skill all its own! I can see why you all won the finals!

Ready to ask the seventh question Etsu?

[CM] Etsu

Yes! Which 1st place reward are you most excited about?

[NA] Zackiskip

The Arsha Greatbow! Being able to be the 2nd archer to get one after the person who taught me how to small-scale means a lot.

[EU] Sweeepstar

The Griffon Mount! I had already thought it was cool, but after using it more, I am even more blown away by it!

[NA] Quix

I'm ecstatic over getting the Glorious Arsha Sledgehammer! It looks great, and I've been eager to get my hands on it ever since it was first shown.

[EU] Meiler

Initially, both the Cron Stones and Pearls felt very appealing before I won, but after winning, dropping the Griffon as a flex has become my new favorite thing to do.

[NA] Quix

Definitely the flying Griffon Mount!

[CM] Etsu

The Griffon Mount is definitely a solid flex! Kinda jealous!

[CM] Ronin

Me too! Time to ask our finalist the eighth question!

Any words for the runner-up who fought until the end?

[NA] Gunism

Cass, your performance was outstanding. I did not expect you to play the way that you did, and it certainly threw me off. Seriously well done.

I remember not too long ago when you asked me questions about our class, and I was happy to see some new blood. From then until now, you've improved significantly. Keep your head up high and don't stop practicing because you're certainly a formidable opponent.

[EU] Osku

RAMBEAU!!! My goat! I saw he practiced like crazy and played really well in the finals. 🙏

We spoke in the Arena of Arsha before the match and agreed that no matter which one of us wins it, it'll at least go to a real zerker main

[NA] Belly

To my knowledge, Ila had little to no tournament experience before this year. I was very impressed by his scores in the bracket, and he demonstrated that he is a great player. In the finals, he played solidly.

I hope the finals aren't stinging too badly for him, as his overall performance represents a strong tournament debut. Good fight Ila!

[EU] Warlocked

I think Crandall played very well, and having watched his matches on his journey to the finals, I was very impressed by his win against Saffe, who is a very good Awakening Hashashin and was one of the tournament favourites. He punished Saffe's gaps and failed grabs very well without leaving himself exposed.

[EU] HyrkoontheHero

Reaching the finals is already an achievement in itself. Nieshie was someone I had encountered in the game before, and they put on a really impressive performance throughout the tournament

[NA] Calb

Everyone played great, and I hope to see them at the next tourney!

[CM] Etsu

Now that's good sportsmanship!

[CM] Ronin

Could agree more Etsu. Once again, hats off to everyone who participated!

The next question is: Any tips for those who want to try your class after watching your matches?

[EU] Vaphroy

I would say passion and open-mindedness. Succession Valkyrie plays very differently from anything in the game and has a rough learning curve..

[NA] Miss

Kunoichi is insanely fun! Not only is her Awakening one of the most protected kits in the game, but she also has good movement, damage, and lots of CCs. I also suggested locking a few skills as well, starting with Shadow Slash, which lets you swap to Awakening with Half Moon slash. From Awakening, you can use Flash Slash or Tendon Cutter to swap back to pre-Awakening.

Succession is super fast in its movement and damage. It's all about managing your stamina and cooldowns. I recommend setting up your UI to track cooldowns for your movement and protected skills.

[EU] Shaizella

Definitely recommend KamiNoSane's guides. That's who I learned from!

[NA] Chisien

Awakening Ninja has three protected movement skills in the Awakening Kit. Murderous Intent, Murderous Sever, and Shadow Slash. This is a tip I learned from Armin, but try not to use all three in quick succession because that leaves you without any protected CC movement. I used to be really bad at blowing through those skills too recklessly, but spacing them apart really makes such a massive difference

[CM] Etsu

Now that's some valuable advice! I hope everyone is taking notes!

If you aren't, then you'd better start now because the next question asks:

Do you have any advice for Adventurers who are interested in learning PvP but feel unsure or hesitant about how to start?

[NA] Bobobuddy

For newer players that don't PVP..... I think they should know that PVP is very exciting! The thrill of winning from a hard fight is nothing but bliss. The best way to start is by participating.

There are so many ways for newer players to get started on PvP, Pearl Abyss has released seasonal Arena of Solare and practice mode. These game modes put you in your elo and MMR. But the main thing is.... You have to be willing to learn... at any stage of PvP, a true master is an eternal student.

[EU] LUK114

Be prepared to spend a lot of time practicing, and don't be afraid to jump right into things. Try to "Duel for spot" to get an idea of your current skill level, go into the Battle Arena to learn about other classes, try out Red Battlefeld to learn how to manage your skill cooldowns, and use nodewar/siege to learn how to position.

[NA] Layfonda

My best advice is just bite the bullet and jump right in! Try out Arena of Solare's ranked or practice mode and keep playing regardless of whether you win or lose. Go into Battle Arena with a friend and run the 1v1s for a few hours. Join a Node War guild and go to every war you can. The only person you should fear is yourself. You have to beat that anxiety and feeling of inadequacy inside of you to truly learn how to PvP, no matter the class. Once you conquer that, you'll find that PvP is easy and a lot of fun.

[EU] INFINITY

Learn the fundamentals of the PVP system. What protections there are: Super Armour, Forward Guards, and invincibility frames. Learn what CCs are: Floats, Knockdowns, Bounds, etc. Once you understand these things, you can start adopting them in movement chains and in combos. After you have some mechanics down, you can start PVPing and getting class matchup knowledge.

[NA] ForestHunter

You will never learn if you don't fail. You can only get better at PVP if you try it out! There is no shame in losing, as long as you learn from it. In time, you will see yourself improve.

[EU] Ceiny

Usually, the biggest advice I give to players who want to start PvP on a new class is to start doing PVE using PvP combos to get used to them, and watch YouTube guides. Learning core mechanics and how they work is mandatory regardless of the class you play.

[CM] Ronin

Such invaluable advice from our top-tier finalists! Moving on to our next question: How did your guild members, friends, or family react?

[NA] Seh

With overwhelming support, cheering me on the entire way through. It was especially nice to see some friends who don't play BDO tune in and cheer me on.

[EU] Jixia

I got a lot of endorsement from those who are close to me. Very thankful to everyone who cheered me on!

[NA] Venav

My wife also plays BDO. She was very interested from the beginning and watched all the matches. She was very proud of me when I won the match. The guild members were watching the match together and were supporting me live. I got so many messages from guild members, I couldn't even eat dinner lol.

[EU] Carryhard

Guild chat was cheering, I actually had some irl friends that never played BDO before watching the finals live on Twitch and they were loving the chat and the cast even if they didn't have a clue what was going on in the games ahah.

[CM] Etsu

Last but not least, it's time for our final question:

Any last words for your supporters or anyone else you'd like to mention?

[NA] Divios

Shoutouts to the CM team specifically. Compared to previous tournaments, this one was insanely well put together and ran very smoothly with very few hiccups. Always love to see the passion come out of PvPers whenever it's Arena of Solare or Tournament time (THOUGH IN THIS CASE BOTH).

People getting all hyped up/practicing in the Battle Arena and raging when things go wrong always makes me excited to play. Finally, thanks to all the people in my stream and guildmates who supported me throughout the years of tournaments. I love y'all! ❤️

[EU] YuberCrypt

Big thanks and GG to grizzmine and TAMER, the practice and preparation we did before the tournament was probably just as fun as the tournament itself!

[NA] DvMcqueen

I was underestimated a lot. People did not expect me to win, especially since I am not really known in the PvP scene. To all who underestimated me and did not believe in me, all I can say is "I MADE IT", and "THANK YOU". If it weren`t for all of you, I wouldn`t have tried to better myself in PvP. I am just the type of person to prove anyone wrong. Any special mentions for helping me up the ladder, you guys already know who you are mwah mwah. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.

[NA] Belly

Thank you to DomFeng, Huntler, Feed, and Yuzumorri. These four exemplary mages were the core of my practice group, and with their help, I was able to become more confident and develop reliable strategies.

I would also like to thank Typical and JariWeis; without their encouragement and support, I never would have been able to qualify.

Lastly, thank you to everyone else who supported me in-game and during the stream! When I compete, my hope is to represent the Witch class and to inspire people. So I hope that you enjoyed watching my match. Thank you!

[CM] Etsu

Our finalists are so humble and kind ;_;

It looks like this wraps up the Master Class 2025 Interview. Once again, thank you to all the Adventurers who took part in the Master Class tournament!

[CM] Ronin

And thank you to all of the Adventurers reading this behind-the-scenes Master Class Interview. Before you head out, be sure to check out some stunning screenshots featuring the griffon mount and our Master Class finalist!

End of Interview.