“Why the Buffs Are Not Balance — They Are Temporary Outliers” 

One of the most important historical patterns in BDO is this: 

Classes are not buffed to be balanced. They are buffed to become temporary outliers — hyper‑competitive, unsustainably strong, and intentionally short‑lived. 

This is not speculation. It is observable across years of patches. 

✅ 1. When a class enters the spotlight, it is not made “viable” — it is made dominant 

The buffs are not subtle. They are not careful. They are not tuned for long‑term stability. 

They are over‑tuned: 

1. excessive protections 

1. inflated damage 

1. unrealistic stamina efficiency 

1. overtuned accuracy 

1. inflated PvE clear speed 

1. disproportionate mobility 

1. overloaded kits 

These are not “balance adjustments.” They are temporary power spikes engineered to force migration. 

✅ 2. The dominance is not meant to last — it is meant to trigger spending 

Once the class becomes: 

1. popular 

1. profitable 

1. saturated 

…it is nerfed back down, often brutally. 

This cycle repeats with mathematical consistency. 

✅ 3. This is not balance — it is controlled instability 

True balance aims for: 

1. long‑term stability 

1. fairness 

1. predictability 

1. competitive integrity 

BDO’s pattern shows the opposite: 

1. short‑term dominance 

1. engineered outliers 

1. forced meta churn 

1. predictable collapse after profitability 

This is not an accident. It is a business model. 

✅ 4. Why this is deceptive 

Pearl Abyss presents these changes as: 

1. “balance patches” 

1. “ecosystem adjustments” 

1. “fairness improvements” 

1. “responding to player feedback” 

But the historical pattern shows: 

1. the buffs are too extreme to be balance 

1. the nerfs are too predictable to be accidental 

1. the timing aligns with monetization cycles 

1. the power spikes are intentionally unsustainable 

This is deception by design: 

Players are told the changes are for balance, but the actual purpose is to create temporary outliers that drive reroll spending. 

✅ 5. Why this qualifies as malicious deception 

Under this framework, deception becomes malicious when: 

1. the deception is intentional 

1. the harm is predictable 

1. the harm is necessary for the business model 

1. the company continues despite knowing the harm 

BDO’s history satisfies all four. 

The over‑tuning is not a mistake. It is the mechanism. 

The nerf is not a correction. It is the reset. 

The cycle is not balance. It is profitable instability disguised as balance.