Pearl Abyss has unleashed the latest Black Desert Online expansion, keeping up the pace at which new content is released to one of the currently most played triple-A MMORPGs. Each expansion usually brings a set of new features such as a new class or an awakening advancement, but for Land of the Morning Light, the spotlight is on the massive new region of the same name. Inspired by the Korean medieval Joseon era, with folklore serving as the fuel to the tales and bosses, this is a story-based update that should provide fans with many hours of exploration and twists, finely balanced with a remarkable dose of boss battles.

Stranger Tales

The Land of the Morning Light is this huge island with plenty of terrain to uncover riding your trusty mount in pure Black Desert Online style, which is the equivalent of saying that there are countless opportunities for character posing and picture snapping, as this game remains one of the most beautiful MMOs ever designed. Interestingly, new players can choose to start their adventure straight away on this island, although the challenges here are more suited to veteran adventurers, so take a deep breath and ponder seriously before embracing your choice. Furthermore, this is such a complex and in-depth game and world that going straight to the latest expansion may just be a bit too much for anyone.

There is no new class this time around, something that could be explained by the sheer amount of narrative content and boss creatures that you are in for this time. A huge game becomes even bigger with the various quest chains in this expansion, with eight different stories, eight different folklore-inspired bosses to defeat, complemented by dozens of cutscenes and sketches unraveling the mysteries. Most of the time you will discover the stories of a very eclectic cast, some menacing, some funny, with a few supporting elements leaning on the comic relief side, a welcome introduction considering that Black Desert Online can be a daunting game for the unwary.

Dolswe, for one, is a remarkably loyal and awkward companion, one that may not be quite on par with Lando from 2022’s expansion Eternal Winter in terms of goofiness factor, but he ranks as a close second. Stumbling on words, trying to be helpful and willing in overly formal terms, he is the kind of aid that everyone wants to have, until they realize he should dial it down a little as he wants to do too much. Since The Land of the Morning Light is stuffed to the brim with dialogue and quest text, it’s good to have these breaks to a story that often takes some serious and dark turns.

One of the most interesting aspects of this expansion is how each story feels unique and yet as part of the whole series; sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, and other times spooky. There’s the occasional bit of stealth thrown in for good measure, tons of adventuring in the new areas, fishing and gathering will be requested by some characters, but you’ll be able to immerse yourself in various ways, with some crossroad questlines forcing you to make a decision where there’s no turning back, no time for regrets.

The story of Bari may pique your interest over the origins of this odd human and give you some chills when you face her, while the tale of Songakshi may also raise the hair on your arms, as you unearth the reasons for this ghost to terrorize the poor villagers and culminate in a spooky boss battle. Finish one story, then pick another one at your will, a non-linear approach that makes this collection of tales even more appealing.

Defeating all the bosses paves the way for the ultimate monster of Land of the Morning Light – Imoogi, a gigantic serpent-like creature with sights set on becoming an actual dragon. It looks just as impressive as the rest, maybe slightly more than the bosses that came before, a testament to the terrific work with these beasts of varying sizes, shapes, and attack patterns.

Bosses, Bosses Everywhere

A Boss Blitz mode allows you to try your skills with the new bosses, using light orbs to manage your aura and get some extraordinary and varying buffs for the battle. This is a chance to prove yourself against other players in a leaderboard that is sorted by class and updated on a weekly basis. With clear times and calamity levels to increase both difficulty and rewards, this is a mode that is bound to prove very popular among veteran Black Desert Online players.

That’s not to say that Black Desert Online is perfect; there are some visible niggles that may be attributed to an engine that isn’t in its youth anymore, a remarkable one for sure, but they’re visible nonetheless, such as the way your horse skids like it’s on ice when you were barely throttling. Or the incessant quest accepts and dialogue skips that could be a lot more enjoyable if you weren’t required to click every second.

Still, with Land of the Morning Light, Black Desert Online goes for a bold and ambitious approach to its central mechanics, ditching the traditional monster grinding and introducing exciting boss fights. It’s a change that is bound to be welcomed by the community, a more pleasant take on the massive adventure, making you feel more involved in this world and less of a character with the sole instinct to grind, grind, and grind, while also providing a colossal share of challenges to go with the narrative.

Score: 8/10

Pros:

• A pleasant focus on narrative and adventuring
• Interesting Korean folklore tales, some of which with a nice touch of horror
• Boss Blitz mode takes you straight to battle
• Still a gorgeous, postcard-worthy game

Cons:

• A few mechanics are starting to show their age
• Unavoidable abundance of fetch quests

Black Desert Online Land of the Morning Light review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.