Pearl Abyss has released additional details for Guardian, the brand-new class coming to Black Desert Online, including when you can expect to play as her. For those looking to try out the class, Guardian pre-registration will start December 24 and the character will officially launch on January 22, 2020.

"The Guardian wields a battleaxe and shield and uses heavy melee attacks to suppress her enemies," Pearl Abyss writes in a press release. "She charges enemies and grabs them by the neck to smash them with her shield as her axe mercilessly hacks away at her foes. She is the bastion of the battlefield and strikes with perfectly calculated blows to fend off all who dare oppose her. The Guardian uses a variety of skills to control the ebb and flow of the battlefield with wide and powerful strikes of her axe and shield."

Pearl Abyss details some of Guardian's abilities in the press release, such as Boulder Crush (a powerful melee attack that strikes three times) and Mountain Slam (an area-of-effect, earthquake-like attack). The Guardian has some notable combinations as well. Mutilation sweeps all the enemies in front of her off their feet, and also causes her to charge energy. This energy can be released with Black Blood Slaughter, giving Guardian a mid-range option to compliment her primarily close combat-focused abilities.

Guardian is the 19th class in Black Desert Online, an MMORPG recognized for its extensive character customization options, which are more in-depth than most games. A recent update added new Succession skills to the hit-and-run specialist Musa and one-on-one duelist Maehwa, following updates that provided additional abilities for the Warrior, Ranger, Tamer, and Valkyrie. Succession skills are unlocked at level 56, providing characters with enhanced variations of their respective starter skills.

Black Desert Online is available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. A version for iOS and Android devices, called Black Desert Mobile, exists as well.