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Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Online may seem like another grind fest sand box MMORPG. But underneath the surface it has one of the most unique character and NPC interaction systems that the genre has to offer. The Horoscope Signs and Amity system is arguably the most major of them all. But the game’s poor localization and explanations have left many people confused. Read our guide below to get a better understanding on what they do and how they can impact your character on a deep level.
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Horoscope Signs
When creating a new character you will be given the choice between 12 Horoscope (Zodiac) signs. While these signs may seem like they have no impact to your character, they actually define your in-game personality and affect how you interact with NPCs. When talking to an NPC with the same Horoscope you are more likely to have a successful conversation thus earning more amity.
- Boat – Free, Optimistic, Relaxed, Wanderer
- Camel – Docile, Enduring, Patient, Witty
- Dragon – Attentive, Exalted, Prestigious, Sensitive, Social
- Elephant – Committed, Crass, Honorable, Strong, Trustworthy
- Giant – Ambitious, Dreamer, Nimble, Observer
- Goblin – Adaptable, Intelligent, Linguist, Materialistic, Opinionated
- Hammer – Brave, Combative, Conservative, Cooperative, Righteous
- Key – Attentive, Determined, Relaxed, Scholar
- Owl – Naive, Stereotypical
- Sealingstone – Careful, Ephemeral, Quaint, Secretive
- Shield – Deliberate, Disciplined, Rational
- Wagon – Ambitious, Calculating, Noble, Wealthy
Amity
Every NPC that you encounter in Black Desert Online has Amity towards you. Amity is the game’s way of measuring how much you are liked, and you can gain it by engaging in conversations.
Conversations cost varying amounts of energy depending on your Amity with the character you are talking to. Energy regenerates at a rate of 1 every 3 minutes and will acquire more energy as you progress through quests.
To even be able to converse with an NPC you need to obtain a certain level of knowledge. This knowledge is generally earned by talking to other NPCs while questing, killing a certain amount of mobs, etc. The amount of knowledge required is different for each NPC but is lower if they have the same Horoscope sign as you.
Raising your Amity with an NPC will reward you with more options. They may share more knowledge with you to unlock other NPCs, have additional conversation options, give you new quests, or even allow you to purchase special items from them.
Amity Mini Game
If you have enough knowledge with any NPC you can open up an “Amity mini game”. Once started you will see an Interest and Favor indicator on the screen.
- Interest is your chance of winning the mini game.
- Favor is the amount of Amity points you could potentially earn for winning the mini game.
- Sparking Interest is a real time success indicator that will go up and down as you complete more rounds.
- Accumulated Favor is the amount of favor you have gained so far.
- Maximum Favor is the amount you would earn if you played everything perfectly.
The overall object of the mini game is to insert knowledge that you have gained into the Horoscope sign. In the bottom right of the screen is a wheel of knowledge. Each NPC will have a different Sparking Interest with that knowledge. If you have enough Knowledge with the right levels of Sparking Interest you can insert them into the Horoscope. Finding the right combinations of Knowledge to insert is how you “win” the game and earn the most Amity.
