Heidel Ball 2026 Notes

Introduction

Heidel Ball 2026 is a live presentation by Pearl Abyss, which is live-streamed worldwide and aims to share upcoming content for the second half of 2026.

The Heidel Ball 2026 Livestream took place on 25th July 2026 in Southern California, and was hosted by GM Lemoria.

If you missed the presentation, you can catch it at the following official links:

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/blackdesertgame
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackDesertOnline

Coupon and Gifts

You can redeem coupons either by going to the Official Website Main Menu > Shop > Redeem Coupon Code, or directly in-game through the ESC Menu > Adventurer Support > Redeem Coupon Code

Special Login Rewards

• July 30 (Thu) after maintenance – Sept 17, 2026 (Thu) before maintenance

• Sept 17 (Thu) after maintenance – Oct 22, 2026 (Thu) before maintenance

Upcoming Schedule

• 29th July (KR), 30th July (GL)
  • Hyperboost progression
  • New class “Agent”
  • Sulfur Golem new monster zone
• 5th August
  • Guild Fame
  • Marni’s Combat Analyzer
• 12th August
  • Edania Part 2 Regions and Items
  • Max Level 70
• 26th August
  • Great Ocean: Cheongsa island, Sea monster, Yellow Grade Ship Gear
• August (no exact date)
  • DirectX 12, FSR 3.1/DLSS
  • Console NA server move
• 2nd September
  • Unified Life Skill Gear
• 9th September
  • Content Scheduler
• 16th September
  • Edania Part 2 Hadum boss and Main story
• 23rd September
  • Great Ocean: Barter Navigation Improvements
• September (no exact date)
  • AMD FSR 4.1
• 7th October
  • Max Level 75 and EXP adjustments
• 14th October
  • All-in-One PVP Rankings
• November (no exact date)
  • Family Dispatch

New Class – Agent

• Agent will be the 32nd class and will be launched on the 29th July 2026 in KR (30th July for Global, 6th August for Console)
• You can test the class now on Global Lab
• Edward Henry Canary is Agent’s real name and he is the brother of the Deadeye class.
• He shares his mainhand weapon with Deadeye, but has a different style to his sister and uses grenades and his Hexround weapon to deal a mix of both ranged and melee attacks.
  • Mainhand: Revolvers, Sub-weapon: Hexround
• Agent will be a Succession and Awakening class, with the Succession available first and Awakening is set to release in winter 2026.
• Moving forward, Pearl Abyss plans to add 1 new class each year – Succession in summer and awakening in winter each year.
  • They explained that with this plan, they will have more development time polishing the class, and also will give them more time to focus on class balance

Character Swapping and Family Dispatch Function

• The instant character swap teased at the previous ball has now been polished and scheduled for November 2026
• There will be a new loading screen (cutscene) which plays when swapping characters.
• The cutscene can be skipped when loading has finished, and the overall loading time has been improved so the cutscene will be faster than the current loading screen.
• The characters in your family will also appear in the world, and if you interact with them at their location, you can instantly swap with no loading/cutscene.

• In addition, the Family Dispatch Function will be added. You will be able to assign characters to perform activities automatically (gathering, processing, fishing).
  • Eg., you can assign a character to fish at Velia Beach, and another character can process from your Altinova Storage
• This system will be simple at first but possibly expanded in the future.
• The amount of materials you earn through the Family Dispatch Function will be less than if you were to do the activity yourself, but it allows your characters to perform an activity while you are logged on a different character at the same time.

New Region – Edania Part II

• Edania Part 2 will be added on 12th August 2026.
• 5 new bosses and monster zones (domains) will be added in the new Edania region:
  • Agris’s Domain
  • Markthanan’s Domain
  • Elion’s Domain
  • Aal’s Domain
  • Hadum’s Domain

• The Hadum boss and main story quest will be added at a later date (16th September) but Hadum’s Domain (grind zone) will be available with the new region.
• Elion’s Domain will feature both a solo and party grind spot, with Elion’s Followers around a brazier.
• The grind spots have a recommended AP of 400 – 420 depending on the spot, and 470 – 510 DP recommended.

• In addition to these new grind spots, a sulfur golem grind spot will be added on 29th July 2026, which drops the Olun’s Merchant Ring Piece and is a solo grind spot.

• Ekleta Accessories will be added with Edania part 2. You can exchange a NOV Kharazad for a base Ekleta accessory, and a DEC Kharazad for TET Ekleta.
  • Ekleta Accessories cannot be listed on the central market.
  • Their stats include both AP and DP.
  • The accessories are enhanced using materials from Edania part 2 monster zones and the enhancement stone is different depending on the accessory you are enhancing.
• Aperion Accessories will be added as well. These accessories have the same stats as Ekleta accessories but offer a different progression method.
  • Unlike Ekleta, they can be listed on the central market.
  • The accessories are crafted using materials from Edania part 2, and are harder to enhance than Ekleta accessories.
• The reason there are 2 different accessories is so that players have the choice to continue their progress through their Kharazad accessories, or can bypass Kharazads by going straight to Aperion accessories.

• WON/BON/JIN/HAN Wandering Origin Crystals and HAN Reforge Stones added
• Margahn’s Artifact added – New life skill artifact
• New Life Skill Perfume, Perfume of Verdure (crafted using Perfume of Swiftness + Olvine Powder), Viridian Draught added
• New pigments dropping at end game grind zones – turquose, yellow, and white pigments
• A special appearance/costume similar to La Orzeca will be added. This new appearance is called Godslayers Armor and can only be obtained by collecting Ember of Ynix from the Edania Part 2 bosses. There are 4 separate parts for armor, helmet, gloves and shoes. The cosmetic features glowing red eyes and a cape on fire.

• Throne of Edana will also be featured in Edania part 2 but with changes
  • Dawn – All AP crystal is required

Combat Analyzer and All-in-One PVP Ranking

• The Marni Combat Analyzer will be added on 5th August 2026.
• This shows detailed combat data in a separate window and can record damage dealt, damage taken, and CC counts
• You must press the start button to begin recording combat data, then when you stop recording the details will be shown in the window.
• You cannot view the data “live” and it is only shown when you manually stop recording the session
• You can assign a hotkey to start and stop recording combat data.

• The All-in-One PVP Rankings will also be added on 14th October 2026.
• This shows all gameplay data for each class and you can check data for different PVP content such as node wars, AOS, Red Battlefield, etc.
• The data shown is based on the averages and shows actual gameplay data, so you can check class trends.
• The data will be updated every day at midnight.

Great Ocean Update

• The Great Ocean Update will be added in 2 parts, with the first update on 26th August 2026 and the 2nd update on 23rd September 2026.
• A new sea monster will be added called “Lyngbakr”. The sea monsters travel in a swarm and will be at the current Saltwater Crocodile location. Saltwater Crocodiles will be moved further west.
• Lyngbakr swarms will spread out and attack you from all angles, making them difficult to defeat. You must defeat the source of the sea monster’s power by attacking the black shard that appears. This will cause all the sea monsters to gather together and make the easier to defeat.

• They drop Blue Whale Oil, Coral Crystals, and Margoria Crystals. In additon, they also drop new materials called Lyngbakr’s Bone/Scale/Fluid. These items are used to craft the new yellow grade ship gear.
• Yellow grade ship gear will be available for the Carrack and Panokseon. They are crafted using +10 blue gear and the new materials.
• The Yellow grade ship gear has PVP stats and designed for blue battlefield. It will also be enhanced differently than previous ship gear, and the gear has a chance to downgrade (can be protected using cron stones)
• There is also a new island called Cheongsa Island in Land of the Morning Light. This is where the new Panokseon gear is crafted.

• There will be quality of life improvements to bartering as well. You will no longer need to press the disembark button to sail away and the navigation will be improved as well.

Ferrica Mount

• A Ferrica Mount is still in development and currently being tested internally.
• The mount will be just as convenient as a horse, and will have unique animations for skills such as Instant Accel, gliding etc.
• It is too early to share a release date, but development is progressing well and more will be shared when it is ready.

Life Skill Update

• There will be a life skill gear update on 2nd September 2026.
• Life Skill gear will be unified with the equipment window now holding tools, accessories, artifacts, etc.
• You will be able to switch gear instantly as you do each life skill. The gear can also be used with the Family Dispatch Feature.

• As Life Skill gear has been changed, some changes have been made to make a clear divide between combat and life skill gear.
  • Life Skill artifacts can now only hold Lightstone of Flora
  • Life alchemy stones and Vell’s Heart will now be a passive effect (no need to toggle or recharge)
  • The Crystal Slot and Dawn Crystal – Life EXP that were activated when equipping Preonne accessories will be removed. – preparing measures for people who already have the crystals
• Functional Costumes can now be extracted to become a crystal. You can equip the crystal instead to use the effect of the costume. This is so that you can wear whatever outfit you want on your character while also still gaining the effect.
• The conversion tool to extract the functional costume will be affordable and can be purchased from an NPC shop for silver.

Guild Fame System

• Guild Fame system will be added on 5th August 2026, where you can earn guild fame through different guild activities.
• For example, you can earn fame points by logging in, participating in node wars, guild missions, guild bosses, etc.

• As your guild earns Guild Fame, the entire guild will unlock benefits.
  • 100,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Combat Experience Gain +100%
  • 200,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Life Skill Experience Gain +50%
  • 300,000: Enhancement of the Realm of Nothingness
  • 400,000: Enhancement of the Touch of Guru Masters
  • 500,000:  Fortuna’s Blessing Enhancement
  • 600,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Item Drop Rate Increase +20%
  • 700,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Life Skill Proficiency +50
  • 800,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Max Weight Increase +100LT, Added High-Level Guild Missions for Hunting/Life/Trade
  • 900,000: [Passive Guild Skill] Additional Monster Attack +8
• You will also gain a bonus daily guild wage based on the guild fame you have individually earned, and the bonus wage is not deducted from the guild funds. Daily salary bonus up to 900% based on Guild fame
• Your guild can also choose to spend their Guild Fame for perks, such as an extra guild boss spawn, an extra CTG, and more
  • Guild War Declaration costs 400,000 fame
  • Reset Guild Base Server Cooldown costs 100,000 fame
  • Gumiho/Duoksinni Guild Boss Defeat costs 25,000 fame
  • Guild Boss Raid Recharge costs 25,000 fame
  • Additional Command to Gather costs 25,000 fame
  • Guild Reputation Golden Bell costs 20,000 fame
• You can spend Guild Fame to forcefully war dec on another guild (one sided dec).
• Guild Fame is deducted every week and it is possible to go into negative fame, but if your guild has negative guild fame, they can be war dec’d freely by any guild, and cannot participate in certain content such as node wars/conquest wars.

Graphics/Tech Update

• A graphical/tech update is scheduled for August and September.
• Graphics technology updates: DirectX 12, FSR, DLSS
• The update is for both PC and Console

Level System Revamp

• A level system revamp will take place and roll out in 2 stages.
• Currently, there is no reason to level up past level 62, but with the revamp a level cap will be introduced, and rewards will be introduced.
• The max level cap will be level 75.
  • For level 70 – 75, you will gain AP against monsters +3 and Monster DR +3 per level
  • This effect also applies to your tagged character as well

• With the new level cap, the leveling process will be adjusted and it is expected to take approximately 2 months to level to 75 at the new exp rate.
• EXP amount will be displayed at each monster zone in the Monster Zone Info window.
• You will also be able to gain EXP from other content, such as node wars, black shrine, guild bosses, arena of solare, guild league, etc.
• Even if you do not grind any monsters, you can still expect to gain 1 level once a month (from 70+) only through participating in other weekly/pvp content.
• On 12th August 2026, the max level will be set to level 70 and you will not be able to gain EXP past level 70
• Then on 7th October 2026, the max level will be set to level 75.
• A special title will be given to players who reached level 70 or higher before 12th Aug, to honor their achievement.
• Breath, Strength and Health EXP revamp is also planned at a later date.

Progression HYPERBOOST (Catchup)

• There will be new catchup progression for new and returning players, called “HYPERBOOST” progression which will be added on 29th July 2026.
• You can now expect to be around 730 gearscore after completing season and Olvia academy.
• Olvia Academy will reward you with more Obsidian Hammers so that you can get a total of 5 PEN Blackstars
• There will also be support for crafting your Sovereign weapons, as you can gain Primordial Embers through exchanging seals, and can obtain a Gem of Twilight to help craft your weapon.
• You will also be able to hand over Essence of Dawn to obtain a PEN Kharazad Accessory, and complete an Adventure Log for a PEN Kharazad.
  • A hammer for HEX and SEPT Kharazad can also be obtained.
• Slumbering Armors (Fallen God, Labreska, Dahn’s, Ator’s) can be gained through Calamity 8 Land of the Morning Light bosses.
• As well as the Garmoth’s Heart you can obtain through your (Y) challenge rewards, you can obtain another Garmoth’s Heart from Olvia Academy rewards.
• The Ancient Anvil (pity) amount for armors is also reduced, and Desperate Origin will be more obtainable.

Content Schduler and UI Improvements

• A Content Scheduler will be added on 9th September and will allow you to pin daily quests, weekly quests, and content.
• You will be able to see all content in one UI and see what content you have already completed (like a checklist).

• Adventure logs have been unified and will be all in one place, in a clearer UI. This is expected to be added in October, after Edania Part 2 main story quest.

• A Treasure codex will be added to display treasure info in one place. You will be able to track your progress and once you complete a treasure, the date you created the item will be displayed in your Treasure Codex

• A Guild Strategic Route feature will be added so you can now draw a route on the map and share the route with your guild members. The route can also be seen on the mini map.

• Fairy appearance/skin and the skill that comes with the appearance will be separated so that you can now choose whichever fairy appearance you like to use with whichever skill you like.

Other Updates

• These updates will be added in between the larger updates revealed during Heidel Ball.
• An enhanced boss “Dark Bonghwang” may appear in place of existing Land of the Morning Light bosses
• Defeat world and field bosses for a chance to obtain boss equipment costumes that are equipped in the Pearl appearance slot that are exchangeable for cron stones
• Rawr rawr field boss has been upgraded to a world boss and reduced matchlock durability loss chance
• Field bosses will have improved rewards and Black Shadow has been removed as Black Shadow now flies over Markthanan’s Domain in Edania
• Pit of Undying promotion quests will be simplified, and new tiers will be added (up to DEC)
• Altar of Blood current abyssal illusion will be removed and higher difficulties will be added for Edania part 2 gear
• Black shrine light orbs will be removed and C1 – C7 will now be based on your gear. Black Shrine Party Normal mode will be changed to the current Hard mode difficulty, and Hard mode will be rebalanced for new gear
• Red Battlefield and guild league queue status will be displayed to show active and queued player count
• Arena of Solare will have improved matchmaking accuracy and automated voice chat
• A sniper hunting and khalk hunting area will be added in Edania part 2
• Workers’ skills will be reviewed comprehensively, and inefficient skills will be improved.
• Higher tier items that increase breath, strength and health EXP will be obtainable through cooking
• The items for exchanging Imperial Seals are being improved, and other seals are also being reviewed.
• A new treasure item, Pet Feed, will be added to the cooking lifeskill, which prevents pets from needing to be fed. The acquisition difficulty will be similar to Star of Nostos.
• The duration of buffs for elixirs and perfumes will be standardized to 20 minutes.
• Elvia’s Realm will be removed – existing monster zones and quests will be moved to separate entry system

Master Class: World Finals

• Black Desert’s first-ever global world championship, “Master Class: World Final,” to claim the top spot in the world, is coming this autumn.
• 2025 Master Class Winner vs. 2026 Master Class Winner Fight
• One winner from each of the 32 classes was selected from 10 regions.
• A total of 320 participants will be selected for the Master Class: World Finals.
• Location: Pearl Abyss Headquarters, South Korea
• Schedule: First half of 2027
• Pearl Abyss Support Items: Flights, accommodation, meals, and support for all tournament preparations
• WORLD FINALS is scheduled to be held every four years.

New Costume: Lifeguard and Nendoroid Collab

• New Lifeguard costume for summer will be coming soon!

• [Black Desert X Nendoroid] Woosa figurine will be available for preorder