Welcome to the Latest Global Lab Patch Review
The June 20 Global Lab patch for Black Desert Online introduces a new flying mount — the Doom Collar Dragon. While these notes are subject to change before hitting live servers, they offer an early look into how Pearl Abyss is shaping PvP, especially Node Wars and Siege content. If you're a regular in large-scale battles or just curious about the new mount mechanics, this guide breaks everything down.
Introducing the Doom Collar – A Fire-Breathing PvP Dragon Mount
Black Desert Online is rolling out another temporary dragon mount, the Doom Collar. While similar in design to previous flying pets like the Dusk Dragon, this mount stands apart due to its Siege War functionality. The mount isn’t permanent — it’s a 14-day trial unit meant for large-scale PvP testing.
It comes with fire-based attacks, area denial capabilities, and utility skills designed for group warfare. Despite looking visually impressive, previous iterations of dragon mounts have been criticized for clunky movement — especially when compared to smoother flying systems in other MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV.
How to Get the Doom Collar Mount
Players will need to complete a specific Guild Questline to access the Doom Collar. This involves talking to a special NPC and initiating a multi-step objective set. While full quest details aren’t entirely clear yet, the reward appears to be a summonable PvP-specific mount usable during Node Wars or Conquest (Siege).
Expect this quest to become available for two weeks, echoing similar temporary mount events in past updates.
Mount Abilities – Fire-Based AoEs and PvP Control
When active during Conquest Wars, the Doom Collar mount provides massive area denial with its fire-based abilities. One of its core skills allows you to rain fireballs onto enemy forces. The visual effect resembles Drakania's Awakening skills — large-scale, cinematic destruction.
The mount also gains several combat tools:
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Direct Fireball Attacks
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Damage over Time Burn Effects
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Knockback Mechanics
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Debuffs for Damage Reduction and Evasion
This turns the dragon into a PvP utility weapon, disrupting enemy lines and setting up coordinated strikes.
Concerns About Balance in Siege Warfare
The introduction of a flying siege-specific mount has sparked concerns. PvP in Black Desert has traditionally focused on player skill, gear, and class execution. Adding a flying mount that delivers high-impact debuffs and AoE damage raises questions about whether Guilds can win by spamming mount skills instead of relying on strategic combat.
The hope is that the Doom Collar will complement traditional combat systems without overpowering them.
Using the Dragon in Real PvP Scenarios
During Node and Siege Wars, the Doom Collar can be summoned at specific intervals. Players seem to need a new interface or summoning system, as implied in the patch. Once summoned, the mount appears with usable skills, potentially allowing a player to dive into enemy formations or hover from a distance while launching attacks.
The icons and UI elements tied to mount control are new. We'll likely learn more from real PvP testing over the weekend once more players get access.
First Impressions: Looks Great, Feels… Clunky?
The dragon mount is undeniably visually striking, but early footage suggests movement may be unresponsive. Similar to earlier flight systems in Black Desert, there seems to be a delay when turning or repositioning in mid-air.
The speed boost — reportedly 33% faster than the Twilight Wings — could make up for the lack of agility. Still, some players may find it frustrating to use in tight battlefield conditions.
Patch Notes: Class Fixes for Valkyrie and Sage
Beyond the mount, several class-specific issues were addressed:
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Valkyrie: Fixed an unnatural animation sequence when “Celestial Spear” was on cooldown.
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Sage: Fixed skill linkage issues following evasive maneuvers.
These tweaks aim to polish skill fluidity and reduce unintended skill lockouts during active play. The fixes are minor but help reinforce class reliability during combat.
Quality-of-Life Adjustments to Items and Icons
Several in-game icons — including enhancement levels and alchemy stone buffs — have been visually refreshed. The new design provides a cleaner interface but doesn’t drastically change the game’s UI logic.
The changes include:
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Alchemy Stone Buff Limitations Clarified: You can’t use two destructive buffs at once anymore.
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Improved Icon Contrast: Material icons now have better texture clarity and visual differentiation.
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Florin Scroll Updates: Life skill scrolls have received clearer visual identifiers, which matters more for heavy lifeskillers.
Node War Zone Rotation and Tier Adjustments
This patch cycle also includes a rotation of the active Node War zones. Some of the new regions include Kosilia and Calon, which tend to be favorites for active war guilds. Rotating zones help keep PvP fresh, prevent stagnation, and give guilds reasons to revise their strategies.
War tiers have also seen adjustment:
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Tiered Node Wars now reflect the gear level and PvP skill expectations more accurately.
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Some nodes now carry no gear cap, increasing their competitiveness.
This dynamic approach helps ensure all guilds — from casual to hardcore — can find content that suits their setup.
Ulakita Region Warehouse Improvements
A smaller update, but a welcome one: When using the maid/butler UI in the Ulakita region, the warehouse list now defaults to a smarter selection — usually from Asertan and Muzgar.
Sorting within the warehouse list has also been refined. This may not seem major, but for players managing large inventories or engaging in trade and crafting within Ulakita, it’s a minor yet appreciated change.
Siege-Specific Utility and Balance Impacts
The Doom Collar isn’t just about flashy visuals — it introduces serious mechanics that can influence outcomes in Siege battles. One standout skill includes a massive debuff: reducing both Damage Reduction (DR) and Evasion by 45%. In the highly competitive Siege environment, where small stat differences often mean life or death, this is a huge shift.
If timed correctly, this debuff can leave entire enemy squads vulnerable to high-damage classes like Wizards or Drakania. The debuff alone could justify deploying the mount, even if its mobility is suboptimal.
Knockbacks and Burn Damage Mechanics
The mount's knockback ability adds another layer of disruption. Used near bottlenecks like gates or choke points, it could displace enemies and interrupt casting animations or channeling skills. Meanwhile, burn damage adds a damage-over-time (DoT) threat, which could soften targets before frontliners engage.
The patch notes suggest that the burn is applied after a successful knockback, but the strength of the DoT hasn’t been confirmed. If it stacks or persists longer than expected, it could lead to imbalance.
Skill Impact on Castle Defense vs. Offense
Whether defending a castle or leading a push, the Doom Collar has roles to play:
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Defense: The mount can rain fire near gates or enemy siege towers, softening enemy groups before they breach.
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Offense: Knockbacks and fireballs could help clear walls or create space during tight pushes.
Castle defenders might get more value since the mount can linger and reposition more effectively when not pressured. But attackers can also exploit openings by disrupting defenders’ formations.
Black Spirit Rage (BSR) Interaction
Interestingly, the Doom Collar mount interacts with BSR (Black Spirit Rage). One of its skills helps restore BSR, though most top-tier players typically redistribute BSR manually to teammates. While not game-changing, this interaction adds some minor utility, especially in guilds that don’t coordinate BSR trading as efficiently.
It’s likely a filler skill but worth noting for players who don’t micromanage BSR in PvP.
Graphical and UI Changes: Some Useful, Some Confusing
Not all visual updates hit the mark. Some material icons appear nearly identical to their older versions — confusing players trying to distinguish new assets. Others are better designed with added textures or effects that indicate item rarity or type more clearly.
Examples:
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Positive: Icons with glow effects or color-coded categories make sense.
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Neutral/Confusing: Some reworks appear to be simple image flips or minimal edits.
It seems like an ongoing UI modernization effort, though the priority of these changes has been questioned by parts of the community.
Monster and Worker Interface Tweaks
Another small patch addition allows players to view packaging skill levels for their workers. For lifeskillers and production node managers, this makes it easier to decide which workers to assign where — especially when packaging for Imperial delivery or crafting.
Monster changes weren’t detailed, but likely include minor stat or behavior adjustments. These tend to be background updates rather than core gameplay changes.
Categories and UI Clean-Up in Ulakita
Pearl Abyss is slowly refining the game's overall user interface. One effort in this patch includes the removal of unused categories and UI sections, especially in newer regions like Ulakita.
This not only improves performance slightly but also reduces visual clutter in menus. Especially helpful for new players or those overwhelmed by Black Desert’s notoriously complex UI systems.
Bug Fixes and Minor Tweaks
The patch also rolled out a standard list of bug fixes:
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Animation issues
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Incorrect tooltip descriptions
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Misaligned UI elements
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Skill behavior bugs on various classes
Nothing game-breaking here, but a constant stream of fixes shows the devs are actively maintaining the game even outside major expansions.
Community Feedback: Excitement Meets Caution
Initial player reactions are mixed. While many are excited about the idea of controlling a dragon in Siege, others are cautious about balance. Pearl Abyss has a track record of over-tuning new content before slowly scaling it back after feedback.
The dragon’s skills — especially the DR and Evasion debuff — are likely to draw attention during the first few test weekends. If they prove too effective, expect quick hotfixes.
Our Verdict on the June 20 Global Lab Patch
Overall, the Global Lab update brings exciting additions but also prompts balance concerns. The Doom Collar mount feels like a bold move into siege-specific content design. If handled well, it could enhance gameplay variety. But if overtuned, it risks undermining PvP integrity.
The UI changes, quality-of-life tweaks, and node war region rotations round out the patch as a solid mid-season update — nothing revolutionary, but definitely impactful.
Conclusion: A Fiery Update With Strategic Implications
The Doom Collar dragon mount introduces a new dynamic into Black Desert Online's PvP scene. Its siege-focused toolkit brings impressive visual flair and utility but also raises concerns about balance in large-scale battles. The new skills — especially the damage reduction and evasion debuff — have the potential to heavily influence outcomes if not properly tuned.
Beyond the mount, the update includes meaningful quality-of-life changes, UI improvements, and Node War adjustments. While not a complete overhaul, the patch sets the stage for active testing and community feedback in the weeks ahead.
As players prepare for the next wave of Node Wars, this update ensures they’ll need to adapt their strategies — not just around gear and class, but also around dragonfire from the skies.
FAQ (in Text Format)
Q1: How do I obtain the Doom Collar Dragon Mount in BDO?
A: You'll need to complete a special Guild Quest, initiated by talking to a specific NPC. The mount is time-limited (14 days) and PvP-focused.
Q2: Is the Doom Collar a permanent mount?
A: No, it’s available temporarily — similar to previous dragon mounts from past events.
Q3: Can the Doom Collar be used outside Siege or Node Wars?
A: No, it's designed specifically for large-scale PvP events like Conquest Wars and Node Wars.
Q4: What are its most impactful abilities?
A: It features knockback, burn damage, and a powerful debuff that reduces both DR and Evasion by 45%.
Q5: Are there balance concerns with the mount?
A: Yes, especially due to its debuff potential. Players worry it could become a deciding factor in Siege results if overtuned.
Q6: What other changes came with the patch?
A: UI updates, icon reworks, class bug fixes, and region rotation for Node Wars — particularly in Ulakita and Kosilia.
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