Linux Review:

Black Desert

Played by over 20 million Adventurers - Black Desert Online is an open-world, action MMORPG. Experience intense, action-packed combat, battle massive world bosses, fight alongside friends to siege and conquer castles, and train in professions such as fishing, trading, crafting, cooking, and more!

Black Desert

PROTON TIER: GOLD


Black Desert Online is an open-world, action MMORPG with intense combat, large-scale battles, and a variety of professions.

Status Check: Runs well over Proton. Gold rating on ProtonDB.

TWEAKS & TRICKS:

  • Frame Time Spikes/Freezes: Unstable frame times leading to noticeable freezes. Solution: WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY="8:0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14" %command% (adjust based on your CPU core count).
  • Low FPS in Crowded Areas: Reduced frame rates when many players are present. Solution: PROTON_DXVK_GPLASYNC=1 MANGOHUD=1 PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1 WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY="7:2,4,6,8,10,12,14" %command%
  • FPS Boost (Esync/Sched-ext): Marginal FPS gains possible using alternative scheduling methods. Solution: Use Esync by default; Sched-ext can provide further gains with beerland and scx_flash lowlatency options.
  • Reduced Frame Rate (General): Lower FPS issues. Solution: WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY="8:0,2,4,6" %command%
  • NTSync Issues: Potential issues related to NTSync. Solution: PROTON_NO_NTSYNC=1 %command%

Verdict: A solid buy for Linux gamers, particularly with the Proton configuration detailed above. The ability to substantially improve performance over Windows is a major plus.