Summary
Black Desertis 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 inBlack Desert. Each one is uniquely crafted to be completely different from the last. The crown jewel ofBlack Desertis 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. BecauseBlack Deserthas a split focus between its PVP and PVE content, some classes perform better against the NPCs within the game. Here are some of thebest classes to use inBlack Desertfor PVE.
Updated July 22, 2025, 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.
16Berserker
Fun And Flexible
Of all the variety of the classes inBlack Desert Online, theBerserkeris 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.
15Sorceress
A Solid Beginner Class
TheSorceressis another magic user inBlack 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.
14Warrior
Strong Fundamentals
TheWarrioris 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 toBerserk’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.
13Dark Knight
Flashy Abilities And Strong Gameplay
Dark Knightwas an early class inBlack Desertthat 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 ofByakuya Kuchiki of Bleach.
12Musa
Great Area Of Effect Skills
TheMusawas one of the launch classes in the western release ofBlack 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, takinginspiration 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.
11Corsair
An Incredibly Mobile Class
The fury of the seven seas comes with the release of theCorsair, a class that shows just how farBlack Deserthas 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 moreGunblade-like weaponand loses her water-infused attacks for the ability to fully envelope herself as the pirate ofBlack Desertwith summoned allies and bombardment of artillery fire that decimates wide areas.
10Valkyrie
A Unique Class With A Fun Awakening
TheValkyrieclass is a class locked to the female gender within inBlack Desert. In its base form, the Valkyrie wields a shield and swordwith 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 inBlack 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.
9Striker
Powerful Abilities And Exciting Gameplay
TheStrikeris a visceral and aggressive class inBlack Desertthat 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 attackspeeds 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.
8Archer
A Great Ranged Option With Solid Mobility
TheArcherclass 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.
7Nova
A Sweeping Force On The Battlefield
TheNovais an extremely powerful class when taking on the challenging content inBlack 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 andnew players inBlack Desert.
