In BDO, sharp black crystal shards (and hard black crystal shards) are needed to make concentrated black stones. They, in turn, are used to enhance weapons and armor to PRI and beyond. This, obviously, makes them a really important part of the game and usually the demand for them is quite high. Now, while I will generally refer to sharp black crystal shards in this page, the same info also applies to hard black crystal shards.
At the moment this is written, the fastest way to get both hard and sharp black crystal shards is to simply buy them off the marketplace. However, should they not be available at some point or you find it to expensive to buy them then the following will be very useful to know.
Getting Sharp Black Crystal Shards From Gathering
Gathering materials is the simplest way to get your hands on some sharp black crystal shards. Every gathering action has the same chance of dropping a crystal. This means that you can either focus on gathering materials that you need and hope to get sharp crystals as well, or you can figure out which gathering activity is fastest and focus on getting as many sharp black crystal shards as you can. In both cases, you should first try to get the fastest gathering speed possible.
How to Increase Gathering Speed.
First, you will need to get your gathering stat to level five to get the best gathering speed, regardless of your gathering skill level. The easiest way to do that is to either be in or join a guild that already has a +3 bonus to your gathering stat level. Then you just need to buy a Life Spirit Stone from the central marketplace and equip it. Once activated you will have your gathering stat at level 5.
Now if you are lacking in the guild department you can also get a +2 Silver Embroidered Gatherer’s Clothes from the central marketplace and use some consumable which gives a bonus to your gathering stat, such as Balenos Meal (+2) or Grain Soup (+1).
After this, you should always aim to use the best gathering tool which your skill level allows you to use up to and including sharp tools (gathering skill level 5). With your gathering stat at level 5 and using a sharp gathering tool, you should be gathering at about 2-3 seconds each action.
When you can use magic tools (gathering skill level 5) you need to consider the cost vs the benefit of the item. Supposedly, using a magical tool does increase the chance of getting a hard or sharp black crystal shard. However, it is not quite clear if this benefit is also present if you already have your luck stat at level 5. You can also read more about gathering here if you want to get a better understanding of how to maximize your gathering proficiency.
Fastest Gathering Method to Get Sharp Black Crystal Shards
Once you have minimized the time needed for each gathering action you can start thinking about which type of gathering would be best. Personally, I would go for logging. The reason is that each log gives the most silver of all the standard gathering materials and the fact that logs will always be in high demand due to them being needed for building boats, such as the Epherian Sailboat.
Now where you do your logging also counts. You want to be in a forest that is a bit of the beaten path, has a high density of trees and where you can gather in peace from monsters. I prefer using the forest just southwest of Calpheon as I spend a lot of time there and the trees are rather close together. Alternatively, the forest south of Velia is also rather packed and is another decent choice.
Special Mention: Pilgrim’s Haven
Another great place for fast gathering is at Pilgrim’s Haven. Pilgrim’s is located in the Valencia Desert, just east of Sand Grain Bazaar (see the image below). The beauty of this place is the sheer number of rocks which are in a tight formation. There is no other place in Black Desert Online where you can gather faster. However, it is somewhat far from the usual hubs of players, which means that you need to account for travel time (unless you have an alternate character set up there only for gathering). And because of that, I would personally choose another gathering method unless I really needed to get rough stones as well.
Gathering Water Into Bottles for AFK Gathering
If you’re not up to actively gathering and want to go for a more afk approach then you can decide to gather water from rivers and springs into empty bottles. To do this you first need to buy bottles from a material vendor you can find in almost every town in BDO.
When you have a reasonable amount of bottles you need to find a river or spring where you are safe. My favorite is the spring which is located in the marketplace in Heidel. Jump into the spring (or a river of your choice) and right click your bottle, check the box where you are prompted if you want to repeat gathering and you are now afk gathering water into bottles. Now, this is just a semi-afk approach as you stop gathering the moment you get either a hard or sharp black crystal fragment. This is also a great way to farm crystal shards if you intend to do alchemy as river water is needed to make purified water, which is one of the ingredients for Clear Liquid Reagent.
Melting Witch’s Earrings and Other Accessories.
Now if you don’t want to spend the time or effort gathering but have another way to make silver you can get your hands on Sharp Black Crystal Shards by melting specific accessories, such as the Witch’s Earrings. Melting these accessories usually gives 1-2 crystal shards of either the sharp or hard variety. Note that you can only melt the basic variety, if the accessory is enhanced (PRI) it cannot be melted. Also, if it’s worth less than a million silver it won’t drop shards.
But keep in mind that this can be an expensive approach and, unless you like burning money, should only be an option when there are no shards available on the marketplace. I also assume that your processing skill has something to do with the number of materials you get on average when melting accessories.
Blue Accessories That Give Hard and Sharp Black Crystal Shards
- For Sharp Black Crystal Shards melt
- Ancient Guardian Seal
- Necklace of Good Deeds
- Witch’s Earring
- For Hard Black Crystal Shards melt
- Bensho’s Necklace
- Necklace of Good Deeds
- Scarla Necklace
The following blue accessories do not drop crystal shards or cannot be melted
- Mark of Shadow
- Kagtum Submission Ring
- Rainbow Coral Ring
There may be more accessories which give hard or sharp black crystal shards, but these are the accessories which I have confirmed myself.
So that’s about it. If you know of any other way to get Hard or Sharp Black Crystal Shards then I would love to see it in the comments below. Otherwise, if you found this explanation helpful then please share it with your friends and allies in Black Desert Online. Also, feel free to look at my other BDO guides.