Black Desert Online is free if you can level quickly enough

Sandbox MMO Black Desert Online usually has a $10 entrance fee, but until October 17th, you can nab it for free, provided you level your character up fast enough. Grab the seven-day trial, and hit level 56 and complete the Awakening quest before time is up, and the game is yours to keep.

The event is a celebration of 10 million registered players, and from what I can gather it’ll require a moderate amount of dedication to pull off. High-end estimates put it at around 20 hours, though joining up with higher level players and taking advantage of weekend XP boosts and the like should cut that down.

After completing the Awakening quest that’s available at level 56, your character will get new skills and weapons, and you’ll automatically be given the Starter’s Package, which is the usual $10 bundle required to play. As well as ongoing access to the game, it includes ten seven day passes that you can give to friends so that they can join you – though they won’t be able to complete this challenge using those, confusingly.

The challenge isn’t available to those who have already purchased the game, and cheating will disqualify you. Full information can be found on the developers’ website, which is also the only place the offer is available. You can also pick up more expensive bundles there – $30 and $50 – which give out in-game content like clothes, a larger inventory, and pets.

According to our Black Desert online review, it’s worth a look. Steven Messner wrote that it’s “a refreshingly subversive experience,” and that it “can be confusing, frustrating, and captivating – often at the same time.”