Skills are an important part of Black Desert to understand. Each class in Black Desert utilizes skills to engage in combat, and skills deal damage as well as providing beneficial effects to user such as healing, extra damage buffs, and protections from Crowd Control skills.

As your character grows, you will be able to learn new skills that unlock as you level up. However, that is not all that is needed to learn skills. As you kill monsters or complete certain quests, you will also earn Skill EXP, which will help unlock the skill points needed to learn new skills/skill levels.

Early on you may find that your level and possible skills you can learn outstrips your ability to earn skill points. There is no need to worry, as killing monsters as you progress through the game will allow you to earn skill points, which can then be used to either unlock the new skills that you can learn, or power up the ones that you already do.

When you reach a certain amount of obtained skill points, you will find that the acquisition rate slows down, and it becomes more difficult to obtain skill points. By the time you reach this point, you should be able to access most of your characters skills, and with some planning, be able to use the most powerful versions of the skills you use most often, while leaving other skills at lower levels to level up later.

 

1. Learning Skills

2. Skill Types

3. Be Careful When Learning Skills!

4. Skill Preset

5. Skill Effects

 

Learning Skills

Skill points are essential for learning skills and are obtained primarily through defeating monsters and quests. There is a small amount of Skill EXP that can be gained through Life Skills, however the majority of Skill Points will come when you defeat the various monsters around the world of Black Desert. Once you have the skill points, you will be able to learn new skills in various ways.

 

1. Certain skills will automatically be learned at the first skill level upon reaching the unlock requirements.

2. Open the skill window (Start>Character>Skill), navigate to the skill you want to learn then press A on that skill.

3. You can also learn skills through the skill instructors located in various towns.

 

※ You can find out how many skill points you have available by looking at the Axe and Sword symbol on the top left of your screen, above your Health Bar.

 

▲ Here you can see the amount of skill points available.  

  

After reaching level 56, your Character will be able to accept the Awakening/Succession/Talent questlines. By completing those questlines, you will be able to use even more powerful skills. In the case of Awakening and Talent, you will be able to use an Awakening weapon in conjunction with your main weapon.

 

Succession will allow you to unleash the full powers of your main weapon skills, plus use 3 key Awakening skills.

 

You will have to learn Succession and Awakening skills as they are not learned automatically. You will need to spend skills points in order to learn them.

 

Skill Types

Skills can be divided into active and passive skills.  

Active skills are skills that can be used through controller inputs or via the Ring Menu. The input must happen before it can be used.

Passive skills are skills that are used without inputs, meaning the effects are continuously applied by just learning it.

 

Keep in mind that certain skills cannot be used through the Ring Menu, whereas others can only be used via Ring Menu. For the full list of skills of your Character, go to the Skill window to see how those skills can be used.

 

▲ Check out the skills in the Skill window to see the inputs for skills. Certain skills will state that it can only be used via the Ring Menu!

 

A lot of skills can be used while on horseback. However, in order to use skills on horses, you will need to have ‘stirrups’ on your horse. The inputs for skills on horseback may be slightly different than when you normally use the skills, so be sure to read the skill description in the skill window!  

 

Be Careful when Learning Skills!

As you gain skills points, the skill experience required gradually rises as well.

 

If you learn the skills you can learn right away, you may have to fight with low-level skills to defeat monsters, which isn’t too effective. Therefore, you need to check what kind of skills your character has and learn them more effectively.

 

Through skill descriptions and demos you can learn which skill you need to focus on and finish your own skill tree.

 

Skill Window

You can access the Skill window via the main menu or the default Ring Menu.

 

On the left side of the screen, after you select a skill, you can see a skill demo. The right side of the screen is where all of your skills are listed.

 

You can check between your main skills, Awakening/Talent/Ascension skills, and skill enhancements using LB/L1 and RB/R1. The Awakening/Talent/Ascension window can be learned/accessed after completing the questline that unlocks them. However, you can still view them.

 The skill enhancement window can be accessed once you reach level 56.

 

  

 

 Main skills are divided into main, secondary, and passive skills. You can press on the title bars to open and close them.

 

You can learn a skill once you have enough skill points to spend. Select a skill and then press A/X in order to learn it. Alternatively, you can learn multiple levels of the skill by pressing LT + A or L2 + X on a skill, learning the max level possible given the limitations of skill points/Character level.

Certain skills can be reset by pressing Y/△  on a skill. You can also reset all skills by pressing on the reset icon located beside the skill points. Keep in mind that you can freely reset skills prior to reaching level 56. After 56, you will require certain items to allow you to reset skills.

  

- Black Spirit’s Rage versions of skills can be viewed by going to a skill that has a Black Spirit icon on it. Press LT + X or L2 + □ to view the Black Spirit’s Rage version of the skill. You can disable Black Spirit versions of skill through the Main Menu > Character > Black Spirit’s Rage.

 

Skill Preset

Skill presets allow you to have different skill loadouts and switch between said loadouts. You can get more skill preset slots by using the Skill Preset Coupons.  

 

Two Skill Preset Coupons can also be obtained as rewards for completing each character’s Awakening and Succession quest (Talent/Ascension for Shai/Archer). Once completed, you can accept the “[Skill Preset Coupon] Using a Variety of Skills” quest from the Black Spirit to get a Skill Preset Coupon.

 

The Skill Preset save feature can be used wherever, whenever, but you’ll need the Secret Book of Old Moon or a Skill Instructor to load a saved skill preset.

  

 

 

There’s a 10 minute cooldown time if you load a skill preset with a Skill Instructor, and a 1 hour cooldown time with a Secret Book of Old Moon. In addition, you can only load a skill preset at a Safe Zone when using a Secret Book of Old Moon. 

 

Lastly, your character will perform an animation when loading a saved skill preset.

 

Skill Effects

If you look at the skill descriptions, you may notice that there are a variety of effects that can be applied when using certain skills. Knowing how to utilize these effects is imperative for an Adventurer as when these effects are used properly, it can make battles turn in your favor.

 

For example, certain skills have a ‘Down Attack’ effect, which will cause more damage to an enemy if they have been downed. Likewise, ‘Back Attack’ effects allow the skill to do more damage to an enemy when struck from behind. Knowing when to use skills and their effects to your advantage will allow you to maximize the damage done by a skill.

 

BACK ATTACK

When attacking an enemy from behind, 120% of the damage is applied. 150% is applied to monsters.

 

COUNTER ATTACK

When a monster moves towards you, attacking with a counterattack skill will apply 200% of the damage. This effect only applies to monsters, not to other adventurers.

 

DOWN ATTACK

120% of the damage will be applied to the knock downed enemies. 150% of damage is applied to monsters.

 

AIR ATTACK

170% of the damage will be applied once using skills with the attribute of ‘Air Attack’ to airborne enemies. 200% of damage is applied to monsters.

 

SPEED ATTACK

150% of the damage is applied when attacking with skills with speed attack properties, but only to monsters.

 

※ In the case of certain enemies, the basic state is being in the air or on the ground.

If you are aware of the nature of the enemy, you can conduct an effective combat.

 

In addition to increasing damage based on certain situations, there are also ways to neutralize the enemy (effects commonly known as CCs). You can ‘stun’ your enemy so that they cannot do anything for a short period of time, or you can use the ‘Knockdown’ to down an enemy.

 

Bound

It is an effect that causes an enemy to bounce off the ground. This effect is applied to down attack and down smash.

 

Knockback

It is the effect that pushes the enemy and neutralizes it for a short time. It is similar to a stiff effect, but since you can push off an enemy who came nearby so you can escape from a threat.

 

Knockdown

It is an effect that pushes and knocks down the enemy far away. If monsters or enemies are knocked down, the effect of the down attack and down smash effects will be applied as well.

 

Stun

It is an effect that stuns an enemy and neutralizes it for a short time.

 

Stiff

It is the effect that stiffens the enemy for a short time. Most of the skills with stiffness effects are quick to activate and can be useful in situations of urgent combat.

 

Floating

It is an effect that defeats an enemy in the air and makes it defenseless. While the enemy is floating in the air, it is affected by air attack and air smash, after the enemy has fallen to the ground, they are subjected to the effect of down attack and down smash.

 

Grapple

Grapple the enemy and attack. If you cannot grapple the enemy, you will be smash your body to enemies and can make them stiff and apply damages.

Down attack and down smash effects are applied to enemies that are on the ground after a grapple attack.

 

Down Smash

It is an effect that blow enemies away when applied to enemies who are down. No text or effects are indicated.

 

Air Smash

It is an effect that blows enemies in the air far away. No text or effects are indicated.

 

In addition to attack effects, there are also defensive effects that Adventurers should know about.

Invincibility

While invincible, you will not receive any damage or status effects. However, allied health skills and buffs will also not be applied.

 

Super Armor

While using the Super Armor effect, you will not be affected by status effects with the exception of grab skills. All damage is still applied.

 

Forward Guard

Forward Guard blocks attacks from the front. However, if attacked from behind, the damage will apply as normal. Much like Super Armor, you will not be affected by status effects from the front except for grab skills.