Honestly the Numbers speak for them selfs People return and BDO becomes more active during seasonal, i'm pretty sure if PA released their earnings numbers they would reflect the player counts. There is clear evidence people don't want the Open World PVP aspect of BDO, and i can understand why. If someone is limited in their time to play a game why would they waste their time where toxic Try Hard PVPers who has nothing going on in their lifes except BDO can simply roll up on people and just kill them for absolutly no reason.

Well I must say your capture is pretty accurate!

Now... I have mixed feelings about it.

I mean Bdo is known as an open world, pvp AND pve, not OR. People who start the game know that.

I won't ask as I often read "why people do start a pvp game if they don't want pvp?" (btw it's not a pvp but pvx game) because people start a game for many positive reasons, hoping it'll be a good experience. We start a game because it is seducing, graphically nice, proposes lots of contents, has a large community, shows an attractive gameplay.......... Everybody can pick his reasons!

We don't think about toxic players when we start something new. We think about what we are gonna do and discover in a positive way.

We can interpret the numbers of your screen by 2 ways:

1st -> it shows the players want to play when they know they can play without toxicity (or at least very much less) so they're more active during season, fulfill it then slow down the game.

2nd -> it shows the players just want to play season just because of the release of a new character, the seasonal events, the easy tuvala stuff and everything around it.

I believe more in the first reason since in october there was no new character and it's generally the most attractive reason. But still in your capture there's been a gap of 2800 players between september and october...

But PA already answered that they do not intent to change the main idea of BDO. I'm fine by this, I like this system as it is.

But by seeing so many players complaining about it, I just hope the answer from PA won't push away - even repel - those players.

Since "their decisions are always final", what u guys would u propose that would work?

Could you come up with something else that would help against toxicity?

No one is asking for Removal of PVP, people are just asking for a Server where they can play without the constant treath of getting ambushed by a sweaty neck beard that has nothing happening in their lifes and the only piece of happiness and joy they get is when they bully someone to log out of a video game (I should know i abused PVP in Anarchy Online for almost a decade to make people rage quit.). Arguments like "oh it's not a part of the game" "oh it's only in certain zones" is just a way of deflecting from the issue of forced PVP. Well here is my idea Make it possible to opt out of PVP, simple as that, doesn't change the game for people other than the person that dosen't want to get griefed and get their time wasted. I would imagine PA made this game with the intention of making money. Economically an opt out option would open for lots larger earnings and those who want to continue with the PVP does just that. 

Quote from the GM notes:

"Erikuraditossike - PVP disabled server 

The last post we’ll take a look at today is a controversial one. This post gained a lot of attention, with people falling either side of the PvP/PvE divide. While some commenters would like for PvE servers to exist, others state that a core principle of Black Desert is PvP.  

This sentiment has been reitereated at previous balls, and once again the Black Desert Studio has stated that open world PvP is a core pillar of the game experience. Therefore there is no change to the official stance of the Black Desert team in regards to PvP disabled servers."

Final words. Let it go and move on.

Yeah, they dropped the iteration of a Bounty System they came up with and quickly dropped it.  I forget exactly how long ago, but maybe a year or two ago?  For good reason -- what they came up with was terrible.  I forget the specifics, but I remember there were tons of exploitable holes in it.  After they released it on GLab and dropped it, we've never heard a peep about it since.

I hope they can revisit the idea.  IMO, Bounty System doesn't even need to reward silver or EXP.  Intangible rewards like exclusive titles, maybe a costume piece or a badge icon next to your name would be more than enough of a reward for it.  The fun, more than enough.  Like, hey, I get that in this MMORPG, people can RP the "bad guy" and be a red player -- that's cool and all, but it would be cool to RP the "good guy" and be a sheriff or bounty hunter too.

It all comes down to game design.  BDO is a very unique MMO, in so many ways.  The RNG, the near endless grind for hard capped items / gear, lack of expansions to buy (playerbase grows with the game), and....the lack of a full-on PVE server.  BDO is -- simply put -- unlike other MMO's, like WoW, GW, ESO, etc. -- themepark MMO's that have a full-on PVE server.  It is not designed, nor intended, to be that way.  In the previous page of this thread, I listed multiple dev quotes that describe this -- that BDO is DESGINED like this.

"...the main content of Black Desert, that is, fighting monsters in the open world alongside other Adventurers."

"Black Desert is an open-world game designed to allow you go anywhere, and let’s you freely enjoy your choice in playstyle. However, the level of freedom goes up, it means other Adventurers are able to interfere in the adventures of others..."

"By design, Black Desert aims to be enjoyed by multiple adventurers on a vast open field, which is why we consider the open field experience as one of the game's most essential features."

I can go on.

Again, BDO is a unique MMO.  In that, it houses many different playstyles under one roof, in one shared game world.  And these playstyles, whether it be PVE focused, PVP, or PVX focused, are to coexist with one another, simultaneously, intrinsically tying every playstyle together, as one.

The devs have added many things to accomodate the PVP averse, which I listed in the previous page.  If it is still not good enough (surely everything can be improved upon since nothing is hardly ever perfect), I think the problems you speak of can be alleviated in one way in particular -- and it is a way that keeps the game's core principles in tact while introducing an organic way to combat PK griefers.  And that is:

A Bounty/Sheriff System.  One that is free from exploit.  But one that is fun or exciting enough where players will be glad to enlist as Bounty Hunters / Sheriffs.  This will allow players to take care of PK griefers ourselves, putting the problem of a toxic PKer into the hands of the players -- NOT some band-aid / handout like a PVE server.  PVE server is, quite literally, a completely different game.  Gone are guild vs guild wars.  Gone are meaningful interactions over grind spot disputes and resolution.  Gone are healthy competition in grind spots (the best rotations are the most contested, this is natural, even in IRL comparisions).  Gone are meaningful choices surrounding where and when to grind. 

You eliminate SO MUCH by a PVE server.  Many important things that make the BDO experience unique to BDO, defining the type of MMRPG it is.  No other relevant modern MMO is like this right now, Ashes of Creation will be similar is concept, but is at least a few years from full release (AoC will NOT have a full PVE server either).  Maybe Archeage?  IDK if it's relevant, nor do I know if they have a full PVE server, but the point is that PVX is the experience that defines Black Desert Online -- it's been PVX since day 1. 

PVE server will, undoubtably, introduce MORE problems with it as well.  What if someone grinds over you?  What if someone kill-steals mobs from you?  How will this affect the "MMORPG" element of the game?  Doesn't PVE server make the game MORE single player?  What of meaningful interactions / choices?  PVE server, IMO, will 100% WORSEN the game by changing the game at it's core, making it into another type of game entirely -- and for the worse.  This isn't Diablo.  This isn't Warframe.  There are enough single player grinder game out there.  This isn't a themepark MMO either.  It's a Sandbox MMO, well, more "Sandpark" in recent years, but nothing like WoW (good!).

IMO, to improve upon potential toxic PKers, we take the problem into the players' hands.  Let us be Sheriffs or Bounty Hunters and let us send the toxic PKers to jail ourselves.  Don't let the system be exploitable, but make it fun and interesting enough.  IDK exactly how, I'm not a game dev, but I'm not so shortsighted and ignorant to suggest that BDO have a full PVE server either.

Link to the official source where the black desert studio dev team is saying thoses exact sames words ?

Here it is. And also GM said the same on page 5 on the same topic, that theyre not interested in making any regular pve-only servers.

[GM Notes] Let's Talk about the Adventurer Feedback Board | Black Desert NA/EU/OC (playblackdesert.com)

Just kill other mobs which have just respawned. Didn't you play season?

Also: fast travel to any node and no cd for channel change solve this problem.

Where in the mmo acronym do you have something about no solo player play? Nowhere. 

You're inventing problems that don't exist, and the problem is just open pvp.