Hello!
I need to travel for a while and I need a laptop with me because reasons. I plan to buy new one, but I also want to cut the cost a little bit by not paying for Windows preinstalled, this way I can get slightly bettwer hardware and install Linux. I have not decided which distro I'll install, it probably will be one of most widely used (Fedora/Ubuntu or maybe Debian, or Mint).

Can anyone share experience running BDO on Linux, preferably in detail?
I did some research and I can see it is possible using Wine/ProtonDB/Lutris software I am not familiar with, yet. People do it successfully, this means I can do it as well.

I think I am somewhat experienced Linux user since I worked as DevOps for 3 years, not the guru though, but I definitely can search and find problem solutions and understand underlying technical stuff.

I also would like to know how running BDO on Linux is not against ToS/EULA/etc, and will not trigger some anti-cheat systems resulting in banning my 4+ years account I invested so much time, efforts, and money.

Thanks in advance!

I dual Boot Bazzite and Windows The  game does work very well on Linux I would argue it runs way better on linux then windows and its not even close.

  less wierd dips higher FPS like talking 30 fps gains at teh minimal compared to windows for me. main reason my guess would be its not dealing with all of the Windows bloat. I use lutris to Launch it I was using Steam to launch it as a non steam game but this broke recently so swapped to just using Lutris to launch.

When you launch BDO make sure you use  either Proton 9.0(beta) or GE-Proton  8-28 these both work very well. I have had trouble with other versions. 1 thing to note about 8-28 is some menus like the dice roll wont show up  switching to 9.0 beta is what fixed that for me. but GE 8-28 was the most stable known version for a long time so always try that one if you have issues with others. Thier current anticheat they swapped to is the reason linux is possible the older anti cheat would not have allowed it.

o7 good luck

Thanks for your imput!
Can you also tell which distro and desktop environment you using and why, and what are your rig's specs?
My research shows AMD (both cpu and gpu) work much better on Linux than nVidia, and its not too late for me to change laptop from nVidia 5050 to AMD.

If I still will have to stick with nVidia, the Internet recommends this:
- distro: Pop!_OS (nVidia proprietary drivers preinstalled) or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS;

- GUI: KDE Plasma + Xorg (though I've been usinf XFCE all the time because lightweight);

Whats your thoughts about this setup? Maybe its better to just go full AMD and not have drivers problems at all instead of solving it and risk instability after buying nVidia?

specs:
RTX 3070
32 GIGs ram
AMD Ryzen 7 7800 X3D

Bazzite-nvidia-open-43.20260101

Nvidia can run into more issues from what I understand but I didnt really hit any snags.

BDO runs fine for me on Linux. I have no specific comments because I've had no issues. I've been playing BDO on linux for over a year now.

I will say - AMD > Nvidia for linux. I started with an nvidia 3090 and replaced it with an AMD 9070xt. On paper, and in Windows, the 3090 is equal or better despite being older. However in Linux, going to AMD and leaving nvidia improved my performance in most games noticeably. It's just how it is. 

This is my system:

 OS Garuda Linux x86_64
├ Kernel Linux 6.18.5-zen1-1-zen
├󰏖 Packages 1358 (pacman)[stable]
└ Shell fish 4.3.3

 DE KDE Plasma 6.5.5
├󰧨 Window Manager KWin (Wayland)
├󰧨 Login Manager sddm 0.21.0 (Wayland)
├󰉼 WM Theme Sweet-Dark
├󰉼 Color Themes Dr460nized (Sweet) [Qt], Sweet-Dark [GTK2/3/4]
├󰀻 System Icons BeautyLine [Qt], BeautyLine [GTK2/3/4]
├ System Fonts Fira Sans (10pt) [Qt], Fira Sans (10pt) [GTK2/3/4]
└ Terminal konsole 25.12.1

󰌢 PC Desktop
├󰻠 CPU AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (32) @ 5.76 GHz
├󰍛 GPU AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT [Discrete]
├󰍛 OpenGL 4.6 (Compatibility Profile) Mesa 25.3.3-arch1.3
├󰍛 Vulkan 1.4.328 - radv [Mesa 25.3.3-arch1.3]
└󰍹 Display(s) 3440x1440 in 34", 100 Hz [External]
└󰍹 Display(s) 3440x1440 in 34", 100 Hz [External]

Okay, I'm still here and fine! BDO runs on Linux now on my new laptop. It's been almost a week now. I will describe what I did for the sake of history just in case someone else will be switching to Linux.

Laptop specs: ASUS TUF Gaming F16, CPU Ryzen 7 model 260, GPU nVidia RTX 5050, RAM 16GB, SSD.

OS: Ubuntu 24.04

#uname -a: Linux ASUS 6.14.0-37-generic #37~24.04.1-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu Nov 20 10:25:38 UTC 2 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

#nvidia-smi
Wed Feb 4 19:47:00 2026
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 590.48.01 Driver Version: 590.48.01 CUDA Version: 13.1 |
+-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
| GPU Name Persistence-M | Bus-Id Disp.A | Volatile Uncorr. ECC |
| Fan Temp Perf Pwr:Usage/Cap | Memory-Usage | GPU-Util Compute M. |
| | | MIG M. |
|=========================================+========================+======================|
| 0 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ... Off | 00000000:01:00.0 Off | N/A |
| N/A 51C P8 3W / 55W | 92MiB / 8151MiB | 0% Default |
| | | N/A |
+-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Processes: |
| GPU GI CI PID Type Process name GPU Memory |
| ID ID Usage |
|=========================================================================================|
| 0 N/A N/A 2718 G /usr/lib/xorg/Xorg 35MiB |
| 0 N/A N/A 4059 G ...nstallation/ubuntu12_32/steam 2MiB |
| 0 N/A N/A 4225 G ./steamwebhelper 2MiB |
| 0 N/A N/A 4346 C+G ...on/ubuntu12_64/steamwebhelper 5MiB |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Install process (in general):

- install OS, update, upgrade;

- install Steam;

- install Lutris and Wine;

- download BDOInstaller.exe;

- in Lutris: press + in top left corner, add BDOInstaller.exe, let it finish downloading game content - it may take long time, it will write in Log Window when it's done);

- in Steam: Games - Add Non-Steam Game to my Library - choose BDO Launcher.exe;

- Game Properties: Compatibility - check "Use Compatibility Tool", from drop-down menu choose "GE_Proton_10.29";

- Game launch options: gamemoderun PROTON_NO_NTSYNC=1 DXVK_ASYNC=1 PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1 WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY=8:0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14 PROTON_LOG=1 %command%

- at some point I had to install and run ProtonUp-Qt, Winetricks, Protontricks;

The game runs mostly fine, I still experience occasional random freezes, re-launching the game usually helps;

Regarding TOS/EULA and anti-cheat: I'm still not banned and havent receive any notifications on this matter.

I wrote to the Support and they answered:

ME:

Hello!

I managed to install and play BDO on Linux on my laptop I carrying with me during my travels. Could you check thoroughly and confirm that my account does not trigger any security, anti-cheat, or any other violations while I'm playing? I did not modify any game files and dont run multiple instances of BDO simultaneously. I know many players have success playing BDO on Linux. At this moment, I only do my usual activities in the game (lifeskill and Academia questing). I need confirmation I dont break any rules so I can proceed with my gameplay. I know there is no official support for Linux, but I can provide this information, just in case: Laptop: Asus TUF Gaming F16, CPU: Ryzen 7 model 260, GPU: nVidia RTX 5050 OS: Ubuntu 24.04 Compatibility package: Lutris, Steam + GE-Proton10-29 BDO version: non-Steam (so-called "website" or "standalone").

Thanks in advance!

THEM:

Thank you for reaching out and for explaining your setup so clearly. I completely understand why you would want reassurance before investing more time into your journeys, especially while traveling.

That said, I want to be fully transparent: the Support Team cannot “pre approve” or individually certify an account as safe from detection or penalties based on a specific operating system or compatibility layer. We also cannot monitor your account in real time to confirm whether something will or will not trigger security or anti cheat systems in the future.

What we can confirm

• Black Desert does not officially support Linux.

• Because Linux is not an officially supported environment, we cannot guarantee stability, compatibility, or how the game and its security systems will behave under compatibility tools (such as Proton, Lutris, Wine based layers, etc.).

• Even if you personally do not modify files or run multiple instances, third party compatibility layers are still not something we can validate or certify as compliant or risk free.

We can’t provide a blanket confirmation like “you will not violate any rules,” because enforcement depends on what our security systems detect and the surrounding context of the activity.

However, based on what you described, you are already doing the right things by:

• Not modifying game files

• Not running multiple instances

• Not using automation or macro tools

• Only doing normal gameplay activities

If you choose to continue playing on Linux, the safest approach is:

1. Keep your environment clean

• Avoid any tools that inject overlays, modify input behavior, automate actions, or interact with the game process in unusual ways.

1. Do not use unofficial modifications

• No file edits, no modded DLLs, no third party “performance” or “tweak” packs.

1. If you want maximum certainty

• The only way to play in an environment we can fully support is using a supported Windows installation.

If you notice any of the following, please stop and contact us right away:

• Unexpected anti cheat warnings

• Abnormal disconnections tied to security messages

• Account restrictions or alerts

• Errors that begin only after enabling a specific compatibility component

If that happens, include:

• The exact error message and time it occurred

• A screenshot of the message

• Your launcher type (standalone, which you already noted)

• Any recent changes to Proton or Lutris versions

Thank you again for being proactive and asking before it becomes a problem. I know it’s not the definitive “yes or no” confirmation you hoped for, but I’d rather be honest than give you false reassurance.

END of Support Answer

As I see it, pretty honest and legitimately satisfying answer. We do know BDO is not supported on Linux, so we play hoping for the best. I can add, its pretty obvious NOT to use any automation means to gain unfair benefits while being AFK. Still, we can auto-fish. I personally will never risk my account for any gains automation can provide.

Okay, so it's been ~2 weeks so far, I'm not banned, FPS is acceptable for filthy casual like myself doing only lifeskills/questing and few grind solo; still, I'm getting random game freezes, but I think it's matter of fine tuning I havent done yet, these freezes went down from more frequent after consulting with our AI assistant friends who helped a lot on this matter. Maybe I'll even tune more to eliminate freezes entirely, just not today.