As a seasoned player returning to Black Desert Online, I find myself increasingly frustrated and yearning for significant improvements in the game. My deep-rooted passion for this immersive world has begun to wane, primarily due to a series of recurring issues that have remained unaddressed. I feel compelled to voice my concerns and advocate for changes that could enhance the overall gaming experience for both veterans and fresh adventurers alike.

After investing countless hours into Black Desert Online, I believe it is crucial for the developers to listen to their player base. There are numerous aspects of the game that, while once captivating, now seem stagnant or even detrimental to player satisfaction. Whether it's the grinding mechanics, lack of meaningful party content, the balance of PvP, or the economic systems that often feel unbalanced, there’s a growing sentiment among many returning players that these issues are diminishing the excitement that originally drew us in. I've gone from logging in and actively playing for hours on end to logging in afk'ing and collecting login rewards.

In light of these ongoing challenges, I am calling for a renewed focus on community engagement and feedback-oriented development. Player voices matter, and by taking into account our experiences and suggestions, the game can evolve in ways that reignite our passion. It’s time for Black Desert Online to embrace change and innovation, fostering an environment where both new and returning players can find joy, adventure, and fulfillment within its vibrant landscapes.

So, hypothetically, PA comes and reads this.. what exactly are they supposed to get from this? I read "general discontent" but a lack of specifics. 

Im a newer player, and i have been having a blast learning various aspects of the game, I have some topics that i have feelings about, but i know that criticism should go hand in hand with suggestion. 

For example, I would love to see adjustments to how making feed works. Currently each recipie you load into the tool requres a specific fish, and with how fishing works it is kind of tedious to keep re-adding the materials in the same amounts but with a different fish. It would be nice if there was some sort of generic "green fish" or Blue fish and below" type of ingredient or something that would let me mass-create feed without all the tedious micromanagement of switching fish every 3-4 attempts. 

-clear indication of the pain point

-example provided 

-suggestion for improvement

Thats why I put it under 'general' gameplay lol, Im not here to list the plethora of reasons on why this game is not improving because in the 3 years ive played Black Desert Online, the gameplay loop has remained the same and certain aspects are in dire need of updates/overhauls and redesigns. A game is supposed to evolve overtime and keep its playerbase engaged and wanting more, right now the only thing thats worth looking forward to is the Balls they throw each year, but at this point im honestly just waiting on the freebies because the content or proposed content they talk about is always lack luster and not what we the players have been fighting for. PA should take notes from games like palword and cyberpunk where they work hand in hand with the community, and create a game that the players love. 

Look at the most successful Western (American) MMO's

What is the main driving point behind each of them ?
In the past 20 years we have 3 that were trend setting.

Everquest
World of Warcraft
Final Fantasy XIV

The one thing each of these games have that makes them successful ?

Social Teamwork.

Games with alot of social interactions, grouping, raiding, very in depth guilds working together to do group and raid content.

Black Desert has none of that.
Black Desert will never ever have none of that.

So it begs the question we all have to ask ourselves ?

When do we cut our losses and end the circle of sunk cost fallacy ?

rng enhancing shouldnt be removed imo, though i prefer us being able to grind for raw materials to craft whatever we need or enhance gear through gathering materials, you got all the mats you need? okay heres your upgrade, not you got all the mats you need? well heres a 3.12% chance at your upgrade, goodluck;

I'm going to agree with you. There are many things to love about Black Desert, but there are also areas for improvement. I think you were helping me figure out how to improve my green/blue gear so that I can finish a few quests that have areas with a recommended AP (like 230). I later learn I can use reform stones to upgrade but it won't be much. It would be nice for green or blue gear to have some use, but most people would opt for fully upgraded season gear or Fallen God's gear (or similar gear). If not, then allow us to upgrade Narchillian gear, and they can easily reuse assets or modify a few quests to accommodate this. I know it isn't the greatest of gear, but it's a good starting point, and it would be nice if it got some love.  It doesn't have to be on the same level as the Fallen God's gear or Black Star gear.

I would love to have options for upgrading gear rather than having two options of either grinding on a season character until they reach 61 or grinding on bosses to get gear than grind some more for better gear (I'm doing the latter, and I'm saving money from the marketplace when I have all but one item). I doubt they would do anything in the meantime, and we might not see more options for some time.

 One thing I would love is upgrading the Mediah and Valencia lore/main questline. I was told they were in the works, or we might hear something in the Heidel Ball. A lot of the lore isn't up to date with the current main questline (from what I gathered from Black Desert Online Discord). Some on that server do think we'll get the upgrade when Alyaelli main questline drops. But who knows?

I know other things would benefit if PA looks into it. Sure I do love the new content but there are things ingame that do need some upgrading. 

As someone who used to main BDO and now main FFXIV

My reasons:

1. Devs give af

2. Music slaps

3. Daily activities are more varied

4. Social grouping reason exists

5. Group content slaps and has worth while rewards usually just cosmetically but that's why we play these games

6. Years and years of content that keeps stacking  up  there's always something to do if content fits what you want to do.

7. Story is one of the best for a video  game and especially for  an MMO. 

Con of ffxiv:

Pretty long content droughts ( only an issue if you dont have other games you want to play or don't want to do content in the game your not interested in)