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Black Desert Online allows you to explore the vast world, traveling to new cities and defeating powerful bosses. In addition to this, you will get the opportunity to have a boat to travel the seas. In this guide, we are going to go over how to get your first boat. There are several different types of boats available, and it can be hard to know where to start.
We are going to go over a few of the easiest ways to get your first boat. This is meant for players with little to no sailing experience. There are a few simple ways to get your first boat, including purchasing one from the Central Market, building your own, or completing a long questline. First, let's take a look at why you need a boat.
Updated on May 3, 2023: We've updated this guide for readability so you can be on your way to getting a boat in BDO as soon as possible.
Why Do You Need A Boat?
Boats are optional. You will not need a boat right away, and it is not necessary when you are first making your way through the world.
Eventually, a boat will come in handy to help you explore the north part of the map.
As you proceed north, you will come across harbor cities and islands. Many of these islands are nodes where you can send workers. Prior to purchasing the node, you will need to visit it.
This means that to successfully send workers to island nodes, you will need to have a boat first. Overall, a boat is helpful for your maritime bartering and worker management.
Finding A Port City
To get your first boat, you will need to find a port city with a wharf. These are essentially just cities along the water that have a dock. Port cities are important because they are where you will store your boat.
Similar to horses and Stable Keepers, you will store boats with a Wharf Manager, as well as register new boats. Wharf Managers can be found near the docks of a city. If you are having trouble finding the NPC, just head towards the water.
Below, you can find some cities that have a Wharf Manager. There are more Wharf Managers spread throughout the map, but these cities are recognizable and easy to get to.
- Port Epheria
- Velia
- Tarif
- Altinova
- Heidel
- Valencia
- Arehaza
- Calpheon
What Is A Boat License?
Rather than crafting or purchasing an entire boat, you will acquire a boat license. This is a paper stating that you own the boat.
Every boat requires a license, and you will need to visit a Wharf Manager to register the boat.
For example, if you have a license for a basic sailboat, you can visit any Wharf Manager to register it. The sailboat will be stored at the Wharf, and you can take it out whenever you want. Like horses, boats can be stored with different Wharf Managers.
There are a few different ways to acquire your first boat license. Let's take a look at obtaining a license through a questline.
Earn A Free Boat Through Questing
The first way to get a boat is through The Great Expedition: Oquilla's Eye questline. This is a long questline that will result in several rewards and tons of experience.
Through this chain of quests, you will get two different ship licenses. After finishing the first quest, you will be rewarded with the Bartali Sailboat license. Once you have completed the entire questline, you will also receive the license for the Epheria Cog.
To begin this quest, you will need to speak with Jarette at the Western Guard Camp. This is one of the first areas that you will come across in the story, near Red Nose.
Jarette will ask you to take a letter to Proix, in Velia. This isn't too far, and you can run there pretty quickly if you do not already have a horse. Once the letter is delivered, you will get 50 contribution EXP, a Sailor's Oath (this allows you to have sailors on your boat), and the ship license for the Bartali Sailboat.
Speaking to Jarette will trigger the questline, leading you to the two ship licenses.
Remember, The Great Expedition: Oquilla's Eye questline is long. If you just want the Bartali Sailboat, you can complete the first quest and then go exploring.
However, the Epheria Cog is a great ship, so try to eventually finish the questline fully. The boat is incredibly fast, making it great for quick exploration.
How To Build A Boat License From A Shipyard
You can create your own boat license from any shipyard in addition to completing a questline. Shipyards are housing types that can be found in any port city. They allow you to create new types of boat licenses that you can turn in to Wharf Managers.
Like other housing types, you will be able to level up your shipyard. Leveling allows you to create new licenses that you can register. Alternatively, you can sell licenses on the Central Market to make silver. These licenses will require materials to craft.
This may not be the quickest way to get a ship, but it allows you to control which ships you will receive.
Gathering Materials For A Ship License
Once you have a shipyard, you will need to gather the materials to make the boat. For a level one shipyard in Port Epheria, you can craft the license for a Calpheon Rowboat. To build this, you will need the following materials.
- 10 Useable Scantling
- 20 Fir Plywood
- 10 Iron Ingot
- 10 Cedar Sap
- 16 Black Stone Powder
This material can be gathered with the help of workers.
After you have gathered the necessary materials, you will be able to craft your first boat license. When your workers have finishing crafting, take the license to any Wharf Manager and register your boat.
The boat will appear in the Wharf and you will immediately be able to take it out and explore.
Boats On The Central Market
Instead of setting up a shipyard, you can go straight to the Central Market and buy a license. This will be expensive though.
If you have enough silver and don't really want to spend time and resources on a shipyard or doing quests, then consider buying a license from the market.
There may be some boats in stock, but if there are none available, you can place an order. When you place an order, you will be added to a list of other players who want to purchase the item.
You will notice that there are several options to choose from. To get your first boat quickly, try to find a listing that has been sold recently.
To do this, click on the boat you want. There will be a section displaying how many of the item has been sold, as well as when it was last sold. If a ship hasn't been sold in a while, it may take some time to get.
Buying A Raft
If you don't have enough silver, but still want to buy a boat, you can purchase a raft license. Wharf Managers will sell a raft license for 10,000g. This is reasonably priced, but rafts are incredibly slow.
Buying a raft is a quick and cheap way to get your first ship, but it is definitely not an efficient choice.
Rafts can also be crafted in certain shipyards. For example, a shipyard in Velia can craft a basic raft license for just 25 logs and three black stone powder.
This may sound like a good deal, but just keep in mind that rafts are slow and there are better ships out there.
If your goal is to just get to a node and back, then feel free to get a raft.