Black Desert: The 16 Best PVE Classes

Highlights

• Black Desert has 24 uniquely crafted classes with flashy combat animations for a stunning MMORPG experience.
• Some classes like Berserker and Sorceress excel in PVE content with powerful elemental attacks and mobility.
• From Warrior to Nova, each class in Black Desert offers a different playstyle and exciting awakening abilities fit for any player.

Black Desert is one of the most stunning MMORPGs ever released. The game is filled with content and character classes for players to explore and level up. Currently, there are twenty-four classes in Black Desert. Each one is uniquely crafted to be completely different from the last. The crown jewel of Black Desert is its flashy combat that has incredible animations for each unique weapon and skill type.

Every class combines powerful elemental attacks with elegant strikes that can be strung together in combos against the monsters that fill the massive open world. Because Black Desert has a split focus between its PVP and PVE content, some classes perform better against the NPCs within the game. Here are some of the best classes to use in Black Desert for PVE.

Updated April 16, 2024, by C.M Edwards: Black Desert Online continues to be one of the most played MMOs on the market with a wide player base across console, PC, and Mobile platforms. Studio Pearl Abyss constantly raises the bar with frequent updates to the game, new classes, and free events for players to participate in. The world of Black Desert Online is vast and has almost no limit to what players can achieve with life skills, level grinding, and new end-game content being released. New players coming to the game will want to think hard about stepping into the game world and what type of gameplay experience they want for themselves, and in that same context, the class they want to play as. Here are some of the best PVE classes in Black Desert Online, wpdated with a few more classes to expand players’ options.

16 Berserker

Fun And Flexible

Of all the variety of the classes in Black Desert Online, the Berserker is perhaps the most straightforward and the most unique. While players can craft their characters to look however they like within reason, the Berserker acts as the only Half-giant in the game and is the only class capable of being this race, similar to the Shai and the halfling race.

The Berserker wields two massive axes and has a large move list with lots of leaping attacks and consecutive wide swings that devastate enemies. The Berserker feels powerful and is incredibly fun to use, with a large amount of cosmetic support to help him look cool visually as well. In addition, the Berserkers awakening trades dual axes for a wrist-mounted flack cannon that fires catastrophic projectiles while mixing in melee combos, similar to a magnum buster from Megaman X.

15 Sorceress

A Solid Beginner Class

The Sorceress is another magic user in Black Desert Online, but her unique move-set distinguishes her from the Witch and the Wizard. In base form, the Sorceress wields dark magic she pulls from her amulet and excels at skewering targets while inflicting debilitating effects to protect her from harm. The Sorceress also has a fair amount of mobility, with a teleportation ability that can quickly weave her out of poor positioning.

The awakening of the Sorceress elevates her close-combat abilities as she draws a large scythe and weaves powerful magic like a spellsword. As a launch class, the Sorceress may lack some of the flashiness of newer classes, but makes up for it with consistent gameplay.

14 Warrior

Strong Fundamentals

The Warrior is the common archetype among the majority of MMOS and embodies the strong foundation of offensive and defensive skills. As an ironclad warrior, players can step into battle without fear, wielding a shield and sword and maneuvering around the battlefield masterfully. With broad slashes and shield bashes, enemies will drop one by one.

Upon awakening, the Warrior trades his shield for a two-handed sword similar to Berserk‘s Black Swordsman. The skills acquired from awakening deal more damage fueled by the warrior’s rage meter, which allows for more efficient AOE attacks. The Warrior’s fundamentals make him a great starting class, best for new players or seasoned fans of the archetype.

13 Dark Knight

Flashy Abilities And Strong Gameplay

Dark Knight was an early class in Black Desert that portrayed a true RPG fantasy style with flashy maneuvers and abilities. The Dark Knight is a great beginner-friendly class while also being able to deal a considerable amount of damage while having a fair amount of mobility to weave in between enemies.

In base form, the Dark Knight wields a razor-sharp blade and infuses fast, wide-arcing attacks with dark energy. Upon awakening, the Dark Knight gains a second blade and the ability to control them telekinetically, able to skewer droves of targets in a flash of purple and pink, similar to that of Byakuya Kuchiki of Bleach.

12 Musa

Great Area Of Effect Skills

The Musa was one of the launch classes in the western release of Black Desert, and with it came a solid base from which all future classes build off of. The Musa, in its base form, is a solid class that does moderate damage and has straightforward attacks wielding a Katana-like sword, taking inspiration from the samurai.

In swift, fast, and precise strikes, players can cut anything thing in front of them down to size. Musa’s awakening replaces the sword with a Naginata, a polearm weapon that increases the Musa’s range and adds fiery after-effects to the class’s attacks.

11 Corsair

An Incredibly Mobile Class

The fury of the seven seas comes with the release of the Corsair, a class that shows just how far Black Desert has come since its initial release. The Corsair is a class that excels in high damage, high range, and extreme mobility.

The class wields a Cutlass in its base form that drags waves of sharp water on its edge, cutting foes to ribbons. Once awakened, the Corsair trades in her elegant blade for a more Gunblade-like weapon and loses her water-infused attacks for the ability to fully envelope herself as the pirate of Black Desert with summoned allies and bombardment of artillery fire that decimates wide areas.

10 Valkyrie

A Unique Class With A Fun Awakening

The Valkyrie class is a class locked to the female gender within in Black Desert. In its base form, the Valkyrie wields a shield and sword with powerful striking combos. In its base form, the Valkyrie inflicts wide arcing slashing attacks with her blade and powerful bashes and throws with her shield that also cast out waves of force to extend the range of attacks.

Like all classes in Black Desert, players can awaken the Valkyrie and gain access to her Lancia weapon, which equips the Valkyrie with a tower shield and massive lance that has wide sweeping attacks and can call down powerful light-based attacks that hit wide areas. Players can also decide to follow the Valkyrie’s succession tree and further enhance the power of her base weapon.

9 Striker

Powerful Abilities And Exciting Gameplay

The Striker is a visceral and aggressive class in Black Desert that focuses on hand-to-hand combat. In its base form, the Striker utilizes powerful strikes and kicks with bracers. At the same time, it takes advantage of the battlefield with high mobility.

The awakening of the Striker equips the class with Cestus, which unlocks extremely powerful claw-like strikes that weave intense flames for an increased range. The Striker excels with fast attack speeds and the ability to hinder enemy movements with knockdowns and stuns. In addition, the Striker is capable of dishing out extremely high damage and works well when directly in the mix, surrounded by many enemies.

8 Archer

A Great Ranged Option With Solid Mobility

The Archer class is a master of ranged combat wielding an arm-mounted crossbow that can hit enemies from great distances with a string of damaging projectiles. The Archer is able to zip around the battlefield and fire off multiple volleys of bolts that can rain down heavy damage to unsuspecting enemies and keep him mobile.

The awakening of the Archer unlocks the use of the greatbow, a composite weapon that fires hard light projectiles and can summon phantom bolts to increase damage. The Archer shines for his movement and nearly endless range that always keeps him safe while peppering enemies with attacks.

7 Nova

A Sweeping Force On The Battlefield

The Nova is an extremely powerful class when taking on the challenging content in Black Desert. The base form of the Nova is equipped with a tower shield and a mace. Paired together, the Nova can be incredibly aggressive but still retain high defensive options. In addition, the Nova utilizes the ice element in tandem with her weapon combos that can knock enemies down and hit a large area with AOE attacks.

Finally, the awakening of the Nova completely changes the capabilities of the class, changing the weapon used to a rapier-like weapon and allowing the Nova the ability to summon spectral blades to skewer enemies. The versatility of the Nova makes it an excellent pick for PVE content and new players in Black Desert.

6 Sage

A Magical Powerhouse With Style To Match

The Sage is a mage, quite like the Wizard, and excels at long-range combat. Unlike the Wizard, the Sage wields a special type of magic similar to space or gravity. The special magic of the Sage allows him unique movement and crowd control abilities. The Sage can use his magic to force enemies back, create a barrier to fend off attacks, or even create a singularity that traps enemies and causes heavy damage over time effects.

The awakening of the Sage changes his moveset altogether, equipping him with a lighting spear and turning him into a god of thunder. The Sage calls down magical spears of energy to impale enemies and chain lighting damage among large groups.

5 Lahn

Fast, Mobile, And Deadly

The Lahn is a fantastic class that seemed to have been snatched out of a martial arts movie. The Lahn wields a bladed scarf and whips around the battlefield with swift, powerful circular attacks that are great for hitting large groups. The Lahn also excels in movement, having a glide and an aerial dash unique to her class specifically.

The Awakening of the Lahn places dual crescent blades in her hand and unleashes her onto the battlefield with spinning attacks that leave enemies in pieces, greatly inspired by God Of War or Heavenly Blade. The Lahn has exceptional damage and an extremely high attack speed with impressive range making her an extremely solid pick for PVE content.

4 Wizard/Witch

Crushing Elemental Attacks

The Wizard and Witch classes share very similar movesets, but both are highly suited for PVE content thanks to their large area attacks with powerful elemental spells. Fire, Ice, and Earth are all at the disposal of the Spellcasters of Black Desert and can cause great damage while knocking down enemies at the same time.

Where the classes differ is in their awakening forms. While the Wizard’s awakening amplifies his already powerful elemental magic, the Witch gains the ability to summon elementals combined with her elemental spells to increase the damage exponentially. The amount of ground that both the Wizard and the Witch can affect makes both classes great for PVE content.

3 Hashashin

Swift Striking Power And Great AOE Capabilities

The Hashashin is a blazing sand storm in Black Desert which excels at quick attacks and maneuverability, getting in and out with ease when slashing through mobs of enemies. The base class of the Hashashin wields a deadly Arabian sword and double-bladed dagger, adopting a fighting style that fans of the Prince of Persian games will enjoy.

While weaving through combat, the Hashashin mixes in sand attacks with its melee to shred enemies apart. Once players gain access to the class’s awakening, the Hashashin will trade in his saber for a double-bladed sword and incorporate sand tornados and sand serpents into its combat, significantly boosting its damage capabilities.

2 Woosa

A Great And Unique Arcane Option For Caster Fans

The Woosa is one of the most recent additions to Black Desert and is well on the way to becoming one of the best classes in the game. The Woosa is a fresh take on the Elementalist style of combat similar to the Sage and the Maewha. The Woosa is a storm bringer, able to mix the powers of water, lighting, and wind to decimate enemies in her path.

The primary weapon of the Woosa is an embroidered fan that she can use to send powerful wind shockwaves from a distance or summon downpouring lighting to grind powerful foes into dust. The Woosa also excels at movement, having unique skills to get her to a safe distance and back into a comfortable range for her abilities.

1 Drakania

A Versatile Frontline Fighter

The Drakania is arguably one of the best classes in Black Desert and received monumental praise from the fan base for being such a fresh and unique class. The Drakania embodies the poise and power of the dragon and is able to channel electricity through her Slayer broadsword. The Drakania cleaves through foes with vicious brutality and leaves charred remains in their wake.

The Drakania’s awakening boosts the class’s power even further, allowing her to become one with the dragon, elevating her elemental attacks with wind and fire. In addition, the Drakania gains a massive movement ability to glide along the surface like a blade of grass.