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New Black Desert Online Winter Event, CP Rebalance, and More: January 12, 2022 Update


Black Desert promo
Credit: Pearl Abyss

After the huge class rebalances and the beginning of the Winter Season in Black Desert Online at the end of 2021, a lot has changed, but the updates keep coming! A new update has come to Black Desert as of January 12th, 2022, and there are a few important changes alongside a new event included in the update. In this article, we'll get you up to speed on the most important changes now live in Black Desert.

Class Changes and Contribution Point Rebalance

Black Desert promo
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Credit: Pearl Abyss

More tweaks have come to a number of classes following the rebalance last year. Some classes can now more easily combo into other skills while being hit, and some classes have received individual tweaks. For the full list of class-related changes, check out the official patch notes from Pearl Abyss.

In the Korean version of the game, the latest expansion to Black Desert, the Mountain of Eternal Winter, has already gone live. This update adds a new wintry region to the southern edge of the world. Included are a variety of new areas, quests, monsters, and more.

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Accordingly, a Contribution Point rebalance was inevitable. Since the primary way of acquiring CP is via questing, how many quests there are in the game set the soft cap for CP. Since this new region is bringing new quests, the CP XP table needs to be updated.

This CP rebalance has arrived for all regions, although the rest of the world outside Korea has yet to actually get access to the new region. You can check out the official patch notes for the full table, but here's what's changed in general: Across the board, the CP XP required to level up has been reduced.

Black Desert promo
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Credit: Pearl Abyss

From 0 to 299 CP, XP requirements have been reduced by 5% per point. From 300 to 349 CP, XP required has been reduced by 10% per point, and from 350 to 399 CP, XP required has been reduced by 20% per point. The soft cap for CP used to be 400, but it's now been raised to 425 CP with the required CP XP from 400 to 424 being reduced by 30% per point.

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You can still get more than 424 CP by turning in Witch's Delicacies, cooking byproducts, for CP XP, but after 424 CP, the XP necessary for each CP point is immense. You'll have to grind a lot for very little, so it's not recommended to raise your CP beyond the soft cap in most situations.

This rebalance for CP will be applied to your account the first time you acquire CP XP after applying the update, so if you load in and your CP looks the same, this is why. Complete a quest or exchange a Witch's Delicacy to get some CP XP.

New Black Desert January Event: Snow Crystal Butterflies

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Credit: Pearl Abyss

From January 13th, 2022 to January 26th, 2022, Snow Crystal Butterflies have come to Black Desert. To participate in the event, simply log in and play Black Desert to obtain Snow Crystal Butterflies.

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For 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 120 minutes of playtime you'll receive a Snow Crystal Butterfly once per family per day. So, playing two hours of Black Desert a day from January 13th to January 26th will net you three Snow Crystal Butterflies a day for a total of 42 butterflies by the end of the event.

Pearl Abyss notes that if you change servers, go to the customization menu, or go to the character selection screen, playtime for challenges may be delayed. So, playtime is likely considered to be actual in-game time once you've loaded into a channel with your character.

You can grab your butterflies from the Challenge menu in Black Desert, and your playtime rewards will stack until claimed. Though, as mentioned above, you can only claim three a day per family.

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Black Desert promo
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Credit: Pearl Abyss

You can exchange Snow Crystal Butterflies with Marsella in Velia for a variety of items, and you can exchange your butterflies for these items even after the event ends. The items you can exchange butterflies for and their amounts are as follows:

Snow Crystal Butterfly x1: Cron Stone x1

Snow Crystal Butterfly x5: Advice of Memory x1

Snow Crystal Butterfly x15: Ancient Spirit Dust x100

Snow Crystal Butterfly x20: Winter Crystal x2

Snow Crystal Butterfly x25: Advice of Valks (+50)

Winter Crystals are +30% 60-minute item drop rate buffs with a 60-minute cooldown. The item expires 30 days after receipt, and it does stack with Item Collection Increase Scrolls but not with Supreme Old Moon Scrools, Scrolls of the Glorious Battlefield, and J's Special Scrolls.

Other Recent Updates to Black Desert Online

Black Desert promo
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Credit: Pearl Abyss

If you haven't been keeping up with Black Desert, a lot has changed in recent memory. Every class in the game has been adjusted and reworked to some extent, and the Winter Season in Black Desert has just begun, giving new and returning players the chance to create new characters with access to special servers that help you level and gear up quickly.

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The new region the Mountain of Eternal Winter has yet to arrive for players outside of Korea, but this expansion is coming soon. Included in this new region will be an alternate starting location for all newly created characters alongside a slew of new locations, quests, items, and mobs.

The update will also add another gear slot to the game intended to help increase build variety. This is to say that you likely won't get major combat bonuses out of the new gear slot, but other useful effects will soon be able to be applied to your character.

As far as future updates go, a formal 2022 roadmap has yet to be announced for Black Desert Online, but many in the community speculate lifeskills will be updated next, as grinding mobs in high-level areas is currently by far the best way to earn silver in-game.

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However, Pearl Abyss has a long history of not delivering on expected updates or even previously announced updates, so we can't know for sure what's next in Black Desert until it's actually in the game.

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