Black Desert Online is a sandbox-style MMORPG developed and supported by Pearl Abyss. The game launched back in 2015, but only appeared on Xbox One in 2019. This is a pretty fun game for solo or co-op, which has expanded to 16 classes over the course of its existence and received a huge world. Despite the advantages of the game world and gameplay, the player may encounter one bug – “error code: 5” when trying to connect to the servers. Not so long ago, the number of these problems has increased many times, this is the time for the release of material on ways to eliminate the malfunction.
Reasons for the appearance of Error Code 5 in Black Desert Online
During the preparation of the article, numerous methods were tried. Among them were useless, partially working and absolutely workable solutions. On their basis, it was possible to determine the causes of the error.
- Important game files are missing. With a high degree of probability, we can assume that there are simply no files in the game folder. Their game tries to turn on at the time of connection and an error crashes. At the moment of launching the application, all data is not loaded, so the game loads normally. Right before entering the server, all elements of maps, skins, characters and other things are already included. The absence of just one file can cause the problem.
- Administrator rights required. In some cases, administrator privileges are required to run game files. Windows may consider some tasks to be confidential, so you cannot run them with standard rights. Transferring administrator privileges will help solve the problem with the error code 5.
- The IP address has been banned. It may be that the server administrator has blacklisted the IP address from which the connection is made. This does not always mean that it was the reader who was trying to ban. Perhaps cheaters or hackers were on the same IP address. Most ISPs provide a dynamic IP, so reconnecting should help. However, if the user has a static IP, then it makes sense to order a change of address service or ask for a unban on the server.
- A firewall is blocking the game from connecting to game servers. To fix the problem, it’s worth turning off Windows Defender.
- An outdated version of the Steam client. The Steam gaming platform requires regular updates to function properly. If the user has too long a session, the next update might not be installed. Restarting the client initiates the start of its update.
Once you understand the nature of the problem, it’s time to move on to fix it. In fact, there are several ways: one for each of the listed reasons. If there is an assumption about the exact source of the problem in a particular case, then you should go to the appropriate method. Otherwise, it is better to follow the instructions and follow the steps in the order in which they are presented.
Method 1: Granting Administrator Privileges
If the game needs elevated rights to use some files, it is worth granting them. There is nothing wrong with that and BDO will not steal data or edit files that are important to the user.
- Make a right-click on the exe-file shortcut and select the “File location” option.
- Select the original executable file, right-click on it and click on the “Properties” element.
- On the “Compatibility” tab, set the selection next to the “Run this program as administrator” item.
- Click on the “Apply” button, close the window.
Now we need to check if this solution worked. If not, then you should use the following method.
Method 2: check the integrity of game files
If the game does not work properly due to missing files, then it is easy to fix it even without reinstalling the application. Steam has a file integrity scan feature.
- Open the Steam client and log in (if necessary).
- Go to the “Library” section, right-click on Black Desert Online and click on the “Properties” item.
- Activate the “Local files” tab and click on the “Check the integrity of the game files” button.
- Wait until the procedure is complete and try to start the game.
Method 3: change IP address (applicable to dynamic IP)
Most ISPs give the user a dynamic IP address, which is used until the equipment is rebooted. In such situations, blocking the netmask on the server will make it impossible to connect to it. However, when the equipment is restarted, the IP should change. There are also providers who charge money for changing IP, offering it as a paid service.
- Disconnect the power cable from the Wi-Fi router.
- Wait about 5 minutes in the disconnected state and reconnect the cable.
- Wait for network access to be restored and check if there is a problem.
Method 4: add BDO to the firewall exceptions list
Windows Firewall can block connections to servers from within the game. In order not to disable the function completely, but to prevent a similar problem, it makes sense to add BDO to the whitelist.
- Press the key combination Win + S and insert “Windows Firewall” into the search.
- Select the variant of the same name from the found results.
- Click on “Allow communication with an application or component in Windows Firewall.”
- Click on the “Change settings” button.
- Scroll down the list and check that in front of Black Desert Online there are checkboxes in the “Private” and “Public” columns.
- Repeat the previous point, but for Steam.
- Click on the “Ok” button.
Method 5: Allow Steam Updates
Steam is updated fairly regularly. Some might say that it is even too regular: when a new update arrives, the Steam client asks for its restart, which, given the frequency of the release, can be pretty annoying for many players. However, sometimes it happens that the user simply does not receive new updates for a long period of time. This is a bug that can be fixed by manually checking for updates.
- Right click on Steam and select “Run as administrator”.
- Click on the name of the application in the upper left corner.
- Select the item “Check for a Steam Client Update”.
- Wait until the check is completed and try to start again.
These instructions have already helped more than a dozen users and, most likely, were able to fix the current problem of readers. By the way, the same steps could help in troubleshooting other related problems.