Back when BDO first launched, I was just another grinder. Head down, silver on my mind, PvP was a nuisance—an interruption. I’d curse the red players, the griefers, the spot takers. I thought they were ruining the game.
But last night…
It came to me in a dream.
The sounds of Serendia Shrine echoing with footsteps that weren’t mine. My horse, dying to a stray striker. A red name blinking into view. I-frame dodging through mobs. Potions flying. My heart racing. I woke up sweating—and smiling.
That chaos, that unpredictability, that edge is gone now.
What we have now is clean, organized. Arena of Solare? Great system, but it’s a queue. It’s a schedule. It’s PvP in a box.
But the real PvP was never in a UI menu. It was out there, in the wild. Unscripted. Unfair. Unforgettable.
Somewhere along the way, we tamed this game. Karma changes, Marni zones, protection buffs, safe grinding.
We wanted peace, and we got it.
But we paid with our soul.
I was part of the problem. I just wanted to grind. I ignored the war. And now that it’s quiet, too quiet… I miss the noise.
So here I am, posting this not as a top-tier PvPer or some salty vet, but as a former PvE enjoyer who finally understands what we had.
Bring back open world PvP. Not just the mechanics—bring back the spirit of it.
We don’t need perfect balance. We need the thrill
Which game modes? :) I think a very common place for this type of pvp spenders is to go hunt unprepared people in the open, especially for those that don't have much skills for Node wars, where they can meet more equal opponents.
Modes with equalized gear are the only place one can feel safe from such spenders.
Back when BDO first launched, I was just another grinder. Head down, silver on my mind, PvP was a nuisance—an interruption. I’d curse the red players, the griefers, the spot takers. I thought they were ruining the game.
But last night…
It came to me in a dream.
The sounds of Serendia Shrine echoing with footsteps that weren’t mine. My horse, dying to a stray striker. A red name blinking into view. I-frame dodging through mobs. Potions flying. My heart racing. I woke up sweating—and smiling.
That chaos, that unpredictability, that edge is gone now.
What we have now is clean, organized. Arena of Solare? Great system, but it’s a queue. It’s a schedule. It’s PvP in a box.
But the real PvP was never in a UI menu. It was out there, in the wild. Unscripted. Unfair. Unforgettable.
Somewhere along the way, we tamed this game. Karma changes, Marni zones, protection buffs, safe grinding.
We wanted peace, and we got it.
But we paid with our soul.
I was part of the problem. I just wanted to grind. I ignored the war. And now that it’s quiet, too quiet… I miss the noise.
So here I am, posting this not as a top-tier PvPer or some salty vet, but as a former PvE enjoyer who finally understands what we had.
Bring back open world PvP. Not just the mechanics—bring back the spirit of it.
We don’t need perfect balance. We need the thrill
People have given many ways to fix it but still have it be opt in but the odds of this happening are so slim. We will never get back what we had but if they made for examples guilds opt into it based on the type of guild they are or which wars they were geared enough for fights would happen again.
And regarding the red players trying to live in the past they don't want pvp they want to slaughter you over and over even double or tripple teaming you make you leave because thier not real pvpers. Pvpers are the ones who like the dance of trying to catch your opponent and punish thier mistakes if your double or tripple teaming 1 dude out grinding your not pvpers.
Conflict is what makes open world games exciting. Yes, it's sometimes toxic, but there are ways to alleviate the issues.
Games are about struggle, not easy solutions. Players initially got angry when they were ganked at grindspot, or their balance full of t4 barter goods was sunk. Some of them, me included, were looking for ways to get stronger. Tales of rivalry, stories about hardships of fighting stronger enemy and ways to overcome, adapt and outlast adversary. Some of us were fortunate enough to be part of it, and I wish every BDO player could see this angle of PvP.
I'm truly sad that PA did not try to help these players find their courage to fight back. It's not surprising people were scared to compete, but it was PAs job to introduce them into PvP, encourage to grow and fight.
I miss the BDO I bought, years ago.