Black Desert Online Beginner Guide: UI Controls, Character Stats, and Core Systems

Family Name and Constellation Selection#

Before creating a character, you must select a server and establish a Family Name. The Family Name is a unique account identifier displayed above every character you create on that server. Once set, it can only be altered by purchasing a change item through the Pearl Shop.

During character creation, you must also select a Constellation. Constellations cannot be changed after creation. NPCs that share the same constellation as your character will feel more familiar, granting advantages such as higher initial familiarity and increased amity gains during story exchanges. You can inspect an NPC’s constellation within the Knowledge menu (H Key) or during story exchange interactions.

Potential Stats and Training Attributes#

Character efficiency is governed by two stat categories: Potential List and Training List. Potential stats modify combat and life-skill speeds, while Training attributes increase baseline survivability and transport capacity through regular activity.

Character health points (HP) match your current Health level. Lost HP regenerates over time and can be restored quickly using health potions or class abilities. If HP drops to zero, your character is knocked unconscious. When unconscious, you can choose to revive immediately using a specific item or respawn at the nearest node or town.

Screen Customization and Camera Settings#

The Black Desert interface can be reorganized via the UI Edit mode. Open the main menu with ESC and select UI Edit to move, enable, or hide specific screen widgets.

Combat actions feature dynamic camera movements that can cause visual motion discomfort for some players. To adjust or disable camera shaking, navigate to ESC > Settings > Display Settings > All Camera Effect Settings to lower the intensity.

Chat Window Channels and Configuration#

Pressing Enter opens the chat input line. You can cycle between dedicated chat channels using keyboard shortcuts:

• General Chat (Alt+1): Sends local text messages visible only to nearby players.
• Server Chat (Alt+2): Broadcasts messages to all players within the local server channel group (such as Balenos 1–3). Sending a message in Server Chat consumes 1 Energy point.
• Whisper (Alt+3): Sends direct messages to a specific player. The target character’s name must be entered in the rightmost text box of the chat bar.
• Party Chat (Alt+4): Delivers messages to your current party members.
• Guild Chat (Alt+5): Restricts communication to members of your active guild.
• World Chat (Alt+6): Broadcasts text globally to all active players across Black Desert. This feature requires an item purchased from the Loyalties Shop.
• Battlefield Chat (Alt+7): Communicates exclusively with participants inside structured battlefields, such as the Red Battlefield.

To filter chat output, hold down the Ctrl key to reveal the mouse cursor, then click the gear icon near the chat window frame. From this menu, you can toggle specific channel streams on or off and customize text colors. To create additional split chat boxes, click the + icon next to the gear icon and place the new window using UI Edit mode.

Navigation, NPC Search, and Stance Switching#

Finding quest destinations and town service providers relies on built-in pathfinding systems:

• Quest Navigation: Hover over a quest entry in the right-hand widget and right-click its title (or left-click the red navigation button) to plot a path. Press T to activate auto-running along the generated route.
• NPC Finder: Click the magnifying glass icon on the top-right mini-map frame to open the Find Near NPC menu. Select a target service NPC or type a specific NPC name into the bottom search bar, then press T to auto-run directly to their location.
• Stance Toggling (Tab Key): Switching between combat and non-combat modes changes character interactions:
  • Non-combat stance: Moves faster and consumes less stamina. Allows interaction with mounts, objects, and NPCs, but disables combat skill execution.
  • Combat stance: Moves slower and consumes more stamina. Enables all acquired combat abilities, but prevents interaction with NPCs and environmental objects.

Energy Pool and Knowledge#

Energy is a resource spent when performing specific actions, such as interacting with NPCs, building amity, or learning specialized knowledge. Key rules governing Energy include:

• Starting Limit and Cap Increases: New accounts start with a maximum cap of 10 Energy points. You increase this maximum capacity across your entire Family by completing Knowledge category topics (e.g., speaking to all merchants within a single town).
• Account vs. Character Pool: The maximum Energy cap is shared across all characters in your Family. However, each individual character maintains its own current Energy balance.
• Regeneration Rates: Connected online characters regenerate 1 Energy point every 3 minutes. Offline characters restore 1 Energy point every 1 hour. Recovery rates can be accelerated by sleeping in a bed placed inside a player residence or by turning in repeated town NPC quests.

Contribution Points and Base Investments#

Contribution Points reflect your standing across all regions and form a pool of reusable points shared account-wide. You can invest and retrieve Contribution Points freely without permanent loss.

• Primary Uses: Investing in exploration nodes to establish trade routes, investing in production bases to send workers, purchasing town houses, and renting specialized items or equipment rights from NPCs.
• Reclaiming Points: All invested or rented Contribution Points can be recalled at any time.
• Earning Contribution EXP: Contribution Points are gained by completing quests that reward Contribution EXP, exploring new geographical areas, or selling trade items to merchants.

Combat Skills, Reset Limits, and Command Inputs#

Pressing K opens the skill window, displaying available class abilities. Most baseline skill initial ranks unlock automatically as your character levels up.

• Skill Resets Under Level 56: Characters under Level 56 can freely allocate skill points and reset them at any time without cost by selecting the All Reset option in the skill window.
• Command Inputs vs. Quick Slots: Black Desert emphasizes direct key combinations over hotbar button presses. Hovering over a skill tooltip reveals its key input sequence (such as Shift + E or Left Click + Right Click).

Managing Quests and Black Spirit Progression#

Quests appear in the right-side screen widget. By default, you can filter quest visibility within the widget settings menu. Selecting Show normal quests ensures NPCs and the Black Spirit display non-combat side quests, such as fishing or gathering. For standard leveling, keeping Battle Request checked is sufficient.

For new adventurers up to Level 50, primary focus should remain on quests offered by the Black Spirit. Black Spirit quests guide you through region-appropriate combat grinding grounds, teach core gameplay mechanics, and award basic weapons, armor pieces, and Black Stones.