BDO Gear Progression Guide (Black Desert Online)

The main and sub-weapons you get from the main story line are sufficient to get you through the beginner zones and even well into Mediah. However, the quest chains can be quite lengthy and you may hate questing.

For players that don’t want to depend on quested gear, or can afford more, there are many options available on the Marketplace. But, we repeatedly see the same 4 weapons in player recommendations.

Top 4 Recommended Main Hand Weapons:

Which one is best? I’m going to leave that up to you. Green grade weapons just help you get to better weapons. Don’t get too heavily invested in them, as you will want to focus on obtaining a boss main hand ASAP. Don’t enhance green grade past TRI.

Traditionally, players opt for the highest AP, but there are those who swear by Bares “effective AP”, etc. For more info from the pro-Bares camp, visit the guide linked above. They also recommend max Accuracy for a sub-weapon.

Highest AP Sub Weapons (Green Grade for Beginners):

• Axion Shield: Warrior/Valkyrie/Guardian
• Steel Dagger: Witch/Wizard/Ranger
• Jubre Talisman: Sorceress
• Oros Ornamental Knot: Berserker/Dark Knight
• Needle Trinket: Tamer
• White Horn Bow: Musa/Maehwa
• Estique Kunai/Shuriken: Kunoichi/Ninja
• Scale Vambrace: Striker/Mystic
• Ganatte Ra’ghon: Archer
• Oros Vitclari: Shai

Mainhand – Elsh
Elsh often recommended, but it is a sort of pipe dream because it’s difficult to get. The accuracy and damage to all species buff is the same as the Kzarka boss mainhand. The AP is low, but in later levels you may use your Awakening weapon more, depending on your class, play style, and level. The Elsh accuracy and damage buff will make you do more damage with your Awakened skills. It also has a 5% chance to heal HP on hit. But Elsh weapons are only obtained via one quest ([Boss] Black Spirit and the Giant Imp) and could be challenging to obtain via the Marketplace. Enhancement could be tricky and expensive. Also, Kzarka boss weapons are the easiest boss gear to obtain. So whichever green grade weapon you pick, it probably wont last for long.

Rosar
Rosar provides 2 crystal slots and has the highest AP of all the green grade weapons. (unless “effective AP” is calculated.)

In my humble opinion, if you aren’t satisfied with the main quest line gear, just buy an enhanced weapon that’s cheap off of the Marketplace.

All Mainhand Recommendations:

• Elsh: Extra Damage to All, High Accuracy, 1 Crystal slot
• Rosar: High AP, 2 Crystal slots
• Kalis: High AP, 1 Crystal slot
• Azwell: Medium AP, 1 Crystal slot, Good Accuracy
• Krea: Medium AP, 2 Crystal slots
• Yuria: 1 Crystal Slot, Increased Damage to Humans (Good for PVP)
• Bares: high “effective AP” (Extra Damage to All Species), 1 Crystal slot

Armor pieces can be upgraded to +5 without chance of failure.

Grunil and Heve are the most recommended armor sets.

Grunil Armor Set:

• 2 Crystal Sockets:
  Allows you to socket higher attack speed, movement speed, and evasion.
• Powerful Set Effects:
  2 piece set effect: +5 AP
  3 piece set effect: +150 HP
  4 piece set effect: +2 AP

Heve Armor Set:

• 2 Crystal Sockets:
  Allows you to socket higher attack speed, movement speed, and evasion.
• Powerful Set Effects:
  2 piece set effect: +250HP
  3 piece set effect: +50HP

Weapon and armor NPC shops in regions of Calpheon and Serendia sell already enhanced gear. This list is a sort of last resort list, if you can’t find anything on the Marketplace. I don’t see this as happening, but you never know!

NOTE: the Silver cost for this NPC sold gear may be more expensive than the Central Market at the moment! Check there first.

The Root Treant Accessory set is easily purchased from Grandus in Calpheon City.
He is the <Armor Vendor> located near the Northern <Storage Keeper>.
The set gives a nice bonus to Weight Limit: +150 LT and has a ton of Accuracy. This set has higher AP than unenhanced Bares, but is lower AP than most other beginner sets, like Jarrett’s. But it’s good enough to move from Calpheon into Mediah, if you enjoy a challenge.

Root Treant Set Stats:
21 AP
90 Accuracy
150 LT
5 Damage Reduction

TOTAL SET COST: 2 million silver

• Root Treant’s Leaf Earring (+3 AP, +16 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/11843/
• Root Treant’s Stem Ring (+3 AP, +16 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/12049/
• Root Treant’s Petal Necklace (+5 AP, +24 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/11645/
• Root Treant’s Petal Belt (+4 AP, +2 Accuracy, 50LT) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/12242/

→ → →

Here is another accessory option that’s not neccessary, but you may have fun obtaining them anyway. The Treant Spirit’s Accessory set is obtained by hunting in SW Calpheon.
The set gives a nice bonus to Weight Limit: +130 LT.
This set trades Accuracy for AP compared to the Root Treant set.

Treant Spirit’s Set Stats:
33 AP
26 Accuracy
130 LT
5 Damage Reduction

Treant Spirit’s Set Drop Locations:
Necklace: Treant Forest
Ring: Mansha Forest
Earring: Lake Kaia (Catfishman)
Belt: Rhutum Outstation

• Treant Spirit’s Whisper Earring (+5 AP, +4 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/11844/
• Treant Spirit’s Echo Ring (+5 AP, +4 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/12050/
• Treant Spirit’s Cheer Necklace (+8 AP, +8 Accuracy) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/11646/
• Treant Spirit’s Hope Belt (+5 AP, +2 Accuracy, 30LT) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/12243/

→ → →

This is a nice armor set, but it’s not neccessary. It’s optional for those who don’t have enhanced Naru Gear and need more AP/DP before venturing into Mediah.

• Loure’s Lost Gloves (Drop or Quest)(+11 equivalent) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/10995/
• Loure’s Lost Helmet (Drop) (+11 equivalent) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/10993/
• Loure’s Lost Armor (Drop) (+11 equivalent) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/10994/
• Loure’s Lost Shoes (Drop or Quest)(+11 equivalent) https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/item/10996/

Treant Spirit’s Set + Loure’s Lost Armor Set + Ultimate Delphad + Sub-weapon of Sealed Magical Power
View gear set on bdocodex.com Gear Planner

This gear set has 97 AP and 132 DP. This gear set provides a gear score that would allow you to venture into Mediah. The easiest hunting zone in Mediah (Abandoned Iron Mine) has a gear recommendation of 75 AP and 110 DP.

I’m including these, just for that completionist’s sake. At the very least, you can sell these at the Marketplace for extra silver.

Calpheon has a kill quest chain that will reward you with 3 Witch’s Earrings. Witch’s Earring is a nice blue grade AP earring with 5 AP and 2 Accuracy.

These quests are available for characters Lv. 51 or higher. Just enter the Hexe Sancuary node area and you will automatically recieve the quest. Hexe Sanctuary is located South of Calpheon City and East of Behr.

– Accessory Filled with the Witch’s Power I (Kill 300 Hexe Sanctuary mobs.)
– Accessory Filled with the Witch’s Power II (Kill 700 Hexe Sanctuary mobs.)
– Accessory Filled with the Witch’s Power III (Kill 1500 Hexe Sanctuary mobs.)

Before leaving Calpheon territory, you will want to see if you are eligible to obtain up to three Cliff’s weapons. (Main, Sub-Weapon, and/or Awakening) The best time to complete the quests for these weapons is at level 55 and below. When you are 56+, the quests change and are much more difficult with 3 players recommended.

• Cliff’s Weapon quests are for New or Returning players only.
  • New players are those who are 30 days (720 hours) or less from having first created their Family Name.
  • Returning players are those who have not logged in for at least 30 days (720 hours).
• These quests are not available for accounts that have completed and earned Cliff’s weapons through previous event quests (Feb of 2019).
• The character completing the quests must have completed either the quest “[Boss] The Witch of Horrors” or “Looking for Adventurers” from the Main Black Spirit questline in order to accept the Cliff’s weapon quests.

IMHO the best weapon available from the Cliff’s Weapon options is the Awakened Weapon, which is superior in many ways to the blue grade awakening. You may want to just get 3 of these weapons and forgo the main/subweapon, if you want the best Cliff’s weapons to use for your Alts. (Cliff’s Weapon box can be put in storage and opened on a different class character.)

The sub-weapon is the worst, but you may consider obtaining it and the main hand, if you have had trouble acquiring wealth as a new player and are using a weak main or subweapon. (You will get a +15 Liverto main hand for free soon. This weapon is better than Cliff’s, eventhough it’s blue grade.)

To learn more details about Cliff’s Weapon options and stats, please see our Cliff’s Weapon Guide.

The following gear is obtained in Valencia, by completing the Main Valencia quest line. Must be level 56+. The main quest line including Calpheon/Mediah Main quest lines are all required in order to start the Valencia Main quest line.

You may need help for this quest line from a friend. There is a Coop quest, in which you have to run inside a dangerous area and run back out. If you are quick and have good enough gear + HP pots, you might make it.

The gear really isn’t that good, but maybe you are having trouble obtaining anything better. Perhaps you can get a friend’s help for the tougher Coop quest in this quest line.

Valencia Main Quest Start (from Black Spirit):

– In Search of the Eastern Sand Kingdom

Valencia Gear	DP	Gear Effect	Obtained By
Honorary Combatant’s Gloves Almost equivalent to +15 Ultimate Taritas Gloves. High evasion gear.	DP 38	Critical Hit +1 Evasion 80 Damage Reduction 19	Torenandu’s Declaration of War
Valiant Katan’s Boots Almost equivalent to +14 Ultimate Taritas Shoes. High evasion gear.	DP 36	Movement Speed +1 Evasion 76 Damage Reduction 18	Bashims’ Answer

A TRI weapon and a DUO subweapon with DUO level armor + Asula Accessory Set meets the recommended AP/DP for many areas in Valencia. See an example of this DUO Armor set in bdocodex.com gear planner. This gear set has 175 AP and 226 DP.