So, BDO is supposed to be a Sandbox, right?  You're supposed to get immersed in this world and live it, right?  You should be free to do what you want, and when you want to do it, right?  If I want to fight a rift boss, it should be fine, right?  If I want to fish in a place other than certain major cities, that should be fine, right?  If I want to play on a certain server and use a certain character for lifeskilling, that should be fine, right?  If I want to play the game for the story, that should be fine right?  If I want to lifeskill, that should be fine, right?

So, first and foremost:

PA: what is your endgame?  Why should we play?  To only fight at high-end PVE zones?  Is that why we'r'e supposed to have fun?, If so, I should never fight or have anything to do with the "starting" and "mid-game" regions right?  Because if I'm supposed to have fun at top-tier places, I'm not supposed to be there, right?  So, it seems, due to all you attention being focused on end-game places, all the other places are being "streamlined" out of existance.  Like half the rift bosses.  Apparently, no one wants to spend time in the desert, Mediah (based on the music there, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to be there), or Calpheon, as you've nuked those bosses.  Never to be seen again.  Thanks.  And, since we need to play at end-game only places, spending any time at early-mid game areas is pointless, as you need an obscene amount of silver to compete at top tier PVE.

PvP obviously isn't end-game, because Tuvala gear is all you need due to capping.  Thanks to perma-season, and how flipping easy it is to get PEN Tuvala, you can do most PvP modes after a month of play.

Playing the story obviously isn't end-game because, first, it's poorly written, and poorly executed in this game.  Also, there are no real rewards for doing it, except seeing how you guys can take such amazing lore and do very little with it.  Players have very little choice with the story because the Black Spirit makes all your choices for you.  The player in this game ususally has to do selfish and questionable things while questing.

Is end-game joining a certain guild?  Ok, so only a few of us players are actually doing what we should do, right?

Is end-game making gear for other people?  Well, Tuvala is all most people need, unless top-tier PVE is what we're supposed to do, right?

Is it cooking or alchemy?  What's the real value in that, except for flexing?  You have to dump hours into getting ingredients.  And again, you're only supposed to make certain things, because that's how you get silver.

Is end-game getting silver?  Why?  To play end-game PVE?  'Cuz you don't need silver for Tuvala.

Is it make green grade or blue grade weapons and armor for beginning or intermediate players?  Tuvala.

Is it having a character of every class?  Some classes are loved by you, PA, more than others.  It shows.

Is it to get to like a particular class?  No, because you're going to nerf it, or change something about it we like, or skills will be changed or nuked, as has happened time and time again.

Is it enjoying a free, open world?  No, because we have to trade only in certain places, fish only in certain places, grind only in certain places, fight only certain bosses, do only certain quests, wage war at certain times and against certain people.  And there's Marni, too.  So, nope, that can't be it.

Is end-game fighting world bosses?  To be honest, I don't know why I'm still fighting them.  Must be a force of habit.

Is the point of this game to play as a single player, doing everything for myself, making gear for me (Tuvala, right?), grinding only for me, because parties only let you get less exp and loot.  It shows.  Is the point of this game only to suit my own needs?

If we form a community, is it just to help other people help themselves?

Why do we play BDO?  Half the reasons why I do have been nuked do to "streamlining", because someone, somewhere declared that they needed it to be gone for them to feel better about this game. The world in this game is growing more sterile and meaninless  because you, PA, thought things weren't important anymore.  So, you got rid of them, or you made them pointless.  So many things in early-late game have lost all their significance.  This world should be alive: everything and everyone should be significant.

Why do I play BDO?  Because somehow, years ago, you made a game that was amazing.  And you've been destroying it quite well this past year and a half.  My reasons for playing are dwindling and the questions I'm asking about playing are growing.

Why am I playing BDO?  It's still fun, but half the fun is gone.  It is shrinking, rather than growing.

And you're not helping.

Peace

On this one point: outside of the nightmare bosses, all you need is Tuvala there too. Good enough to face tank most of them just standing there.  I seem to remember that not being the case a couple of years ago.  Maybe it's because of the availability of cheap DR artifact / lightstone / crystal setups, but even without those there's little damage.  And as for rewards being proportional to damage: RNG seems to trump any effect there by far.

Still a bit of fun though.  Although it's more like RP these days.

Everything you said is wrong.  This is a sailing game :D

Lol!

Man, I've been wrong this whole time!  Now I see the light....

This game stopped being a sandbox MMO a long time ago. When PA took over from Kaykao, it was the final nail in BDOs playability coffin. This game has lost its ability to be a true sandbox because of how it is operated and managed. I play western run MMOs like fallout 76 and eso. I stay away from eastern run or eastern governed MMOs.

I just wished BDO could be ripped and be made available to be played offline in Single Player.

Dang you play two trash games? That's wild. As for your wish in single-player, Crimson Desert Gameplay Trailer.

Clearly you didn't play enough back then to compare how things are now. Anyone who's been around for both Kakao and Pearl Abyss is aware how drastically things have improved since the transfer of service.

Some things have been improved, some things have gotten worse.  BDO is more welcoming to a casual playerbase now.  But, in turn, has turned its back on end-game players due to a lack of meaningful goals in this stage.  OP asked many questions, many "why's" and they're all valid concerns, IMO.  Would be cool if you'd address those questions from a verified player rather than an obvious stab by an unlinked, unverified account, Mr. Ambassador, sir.

LOL, why the "sir" shit bro.
There's nothing for me to address, I have no say in anything whatsoever. It's also pretty clear there are no real questions here, homie's been around since 2020 and it's obvious the questions being asked are to strengthen their point. This is something you'd want P.A. to reply in, not widdo old me.
I just came here, read what OP had typed, and felt like I had nothing to say. I read the comments and found something I wanted to reply to because it's very clearly a shitpost.
Ain't a big thing...

Well I can tell you that I had been playing this game since launch, and it was a true sandbox back then, Daum was crap at management and operations. Then Kaykao came and it was good. Then PA came, and messed everything up so bad that I no longer want to continue to play it.

I was banned for a year for so called disruptive gameplay. Up until PA took over, I could truly do whatever I wanted in game. I got hit with a perma ban, appealed it to a 1 year, am almost done serving it, but will not be coming back. I had to find out from third parties that I was actually banned because I had taken an excess of stalker skins to make money on the CM. I was told that my family name and character names would be randomly changed and id be issued name change coupons, id be getting a new profile because they want to allow me to reform my behaviour and to be allowed one final chance to change my ways. This game was supposed to be a sandbox and stopped being one when PA took over. PA has known about the guild bank system and has the ability to make changes to prevent this, but prefer to ban people instead.

No, I wont be back in game, yes I will be here every 3 months to see if an operator change happens and then I might play.

As for crimson desert, I thought they cancelled it. I am glad to see its back on. Only I will be pirating it in an effort to recover money I have spent on their premium items and services that they deprived me of.

Fair is fair. See ya.

BDO was never as much of a sandbox MMORPG as you might think. Simply because players can't trade with each other directly. For any real sandbox MMORPG, free trade is essential.

Admittedly, BDO used to be much more sandbox in its game concept. Today, most of it is linear. As a new player you are supposed to follow a linear MSQ. Every new system or content wants you to do some other MSQ, have a certain level or some other requirement that is just there to artificially drag it out. I've hated questing in BDO since the introduction of season servers. Before that, I used to do quests voluntarily from time to time, just for the story and as a change of pace. Today I only do the quests because I have to do them if I want to go to a new area or if I want to use a new system.

This development is already familiar from other older MMORPGs. The season servers have not only damaged the sandbox concept, but have also made the "level phase" so meaninglessly easy that this "end-game" mentality has been created and encouraged. The game tells you to get to lvl 61. The game marks this level as a "level phase" for you. Since this is insignificantly easy, everyone wants to get through to the "end game" quickly.

This is essentially the reason why WoW Classic was created.