We’ve been having an absolute blast playing Crimson Desert, ignoring its story in favor of a medieval fantasy sandbox that has us thinking about it when we’re not playing it. That’s always a sign that a game has a lot to discover, and this one certainly has its share of excellent instances where we were left wondering at how massive games often pay attention to the tiniest of details.
We found quite a few memorable ones during our time in Hernand, er, Pywel, and as always, we’re here to share them all with you. Let’s get right to it!
1. The March of Armies
There is a point in the story where a rousing speech from a supporting character gets his troops mobilized and marching to the next chapter’s objective marker before the cutscene ends, and you take control of Kliff once again. The army begins moving to the battlefield, passing through a few towns and villages to get there. We decided to march alongside them instead of gliding and leaping across mountains. Those long treks get lonely even for a Greymane as seasoned as Kliff, after all.
But what took us completely by surprise was that the residents of each settlement we passed through actually came out to cheer on their brave soldiers, cheering and clapping them as they went by. There was even a second contingent that joined the troops somewhere along the way. The whole thing took a while, but it was worth every step in our book.
2. Accidental Hilarity
It can get quite hard to navigate crowded streets without bumping into people when you’re racing to your next point of interest on the game’s massive map. We kind of got used to disgruntled comments from the people we rudely knocked down, but what we didn’t expect was a man carrying a basket of fruits to drop the darn thing. Of course, his precious cargo rolled everywhere, and he actually got to his knees to begin gathering them all back up.
We would have stopped to help, but duty called, and we didn’t want to risk him thinking we were stealing his fruits, an act that might have landed us with a bounty on our heads.
3. An Authentic Weather System That Affects The Player
If you’ve been exploring Hernand like us, you’ve probably realized that its eastern mountain ranges get pretty cold. We found that out the hard way when we came across a certain area housing some pretty challenging enemies if you’re in the game’s early hours. Of course, we accepted the challenge only to find that our health kept dropping thanks to the cold winds inflicting frost damage. Even worse, Kliff got temporarily frozen in place, which wasn’t the best way to find out about the temperature gauge on the side of our minimap.
Things in the Crimson Desert are fortunately less damaging as far as we’ve explored it, but we wouldn’t be too surprised to find areas where the heat can be as deadly as the cold.
4. More Accidental Hilarity
Players have tested out the true extent of their formal alliance with one of Hernand’s noble houses, and the best way to do that was to see if its guards helped them if they were attacked by a wild animal or enemy forces. They happened upon a bear that they dutifully led back to the city, only to find that the guards were as terrified of it as its residents. They were clearly only trained to deal with bandits and the like.
They took down the bear in question, earning some valuable upgrade materials in the process, but the entire episode was quite amusing and definitely among our more memorable moments in Hernand.
5. Watch Out For Your Stuff
The game takes the word ‘discard’ quite seriously, which we found out at our own cost. We dipped into our inventory to move a few things around when we accidentally dropped a few common materials on the ground. A passing NPC took quite an interest in them, and we assume they thought it was all stuff we didn’t need. They proceeded to just pocket it all and walk away like nothing had happened.
We could afford the loss at that point, but they could have asked first.
6. Learn From The World Around You
You’ve probably already picked up a few handy skills from observing bosses use them in a fight. But did you know that training camps and challenge areas on your map can also net you a few ones for free? Find one and look out for soldiers or NPCs training, and simply observe them for a chance to see Kliff internalize their moves, and then make the skill in question usable for yourself. That’s a great way to get some free skills, and they remain unlocked if you attempt to respec your character.
That leaves more Abyss Artifacts for you to unlock other skills, or perhaps use in upgrading your gear.
7. Customize Your Drip
If you haven’t been keeping up with your Greymane camp, you might have missed the memo about dyeing your armor. While that specific quest introduces you to the basics, you’re going to be pleased to know that most of the armor in that game has multiple parts that you can dye, meaning that you can create some truly unique looks for all three playable characters AND any armor you slap on to their steeds.
We’ve been dutifully making Kliff resemble a Nazgul for our part. It just feels right given the dark motif surrounding his Abyssal abilities.
8. Spirit Regen Buff
We happened upon a lovely cliff with a great view of the land below, and stopped to take in the sights. Getting there involved a few acrobatics using up a lot of our Spirit meter, though.
And while you usually have to enter Focus Mode to regain it quickly, we noticed that it was recharging on its own despite our gear having no Abyss Gears with Spirit regen. Turns out that we were standing in an orchard of Rosemary flowers, their yellow shade being what caught our eye in the first place. That granted us a Spirit regen buff that was greatly appreciated once we dived off and spread our wings to soar to the ruins we saw in the distance.
9. Stab The Right Waterfalls
If you’ve been stabbing every waterfall you see in hopes of finding hidden caves and some great loot (and Refined Palmer Pills, of course), you’re probably spending a lot of time navigating the cliffs around you to find the right place to stab. Not anymore, as we discovered that there is a stack of stones outside waterfalls that have something to hide.
They’re called Cairns in medieval discourse, and looking for them can save you a fair bit of time if you’re on the hunt for your next piece of armor or a potent new weapon.
10. Visit Your Fellow Greymanes At Work
Have you fulfilled a request for one of your Greymanes only to find that they’re not at camp since you sent them out on a mission? While the more patient ones among you might wait for them to be done and return to camp, while others might cancel the mission altogether, we found a suitable middle ground.
Simply visit the place they’re at by speaking to Ross at the camp and finding the location. You can then walk up to them and tell them that you’ve done as they asked. Heck, you could even hire a few locals to help them out and watch the work unfold in real time!
11. Bad Weather Debuffs
If you’re stuck in the rain, know that it brings down your resistance to lightning and frost, a natural effect that we were quite delighted to find was integrated into the game. You might want to keep some soup in reserve to deal with the loss in Ice Resistance if things get dicey and you’re up against enemies who use it in battle. The same goes for your Lightning Resistance, too. Preparation is the mark of an effective Greymane, after all.
12. Look Through The Raindrops
Speaking of rain, if the sun happens to be out when it’s coming down, we recommend dabbling in Photo Mode to see how individual droplets of water reflect the world around them. Quality Mode is going to be a good bet here, although the new update’s Fixed 4K output does a fairly decent job even on Balanced or Performance. It’s fascinating, and a lovely showcase of how Pywel’s beauty isn’t just skin-deep.
13. Click Pictures Of The Local Fauna
Photo Mode also lets you get a good look at the incredible detailing on even the tiniest creatures. Players have found a frog that looked so darn good when we took a closer look, and our take on Kliff now includes wildlife photography on an already extensive list of abilities that he brings to the table as the Greymanes’ leader.
14. Sheathe Your Sword With Style
If you’ve been rocking the Hwando, you probably want to keep your katana as deadly as it can be in battle. That applies to any weapon you carry, and part of maintaining your Sword is to keep its blade free of rust and blood. While the grindstones you find out in the world can help keep your blade sharp, hitting the Stow Weapon button twice is going to give you a cool animation where Kliff shakes off the blood on his weapon before sheathing it.
It works on a sword and shield, but didn’t happen when we had a weapon in both hands, for some reason. Perhaps a future patch could bring that about? It’s a great move to pull off right after you defeat the last soldier in an encounter!
15. Damage on Outlaws
Yes, trekking halfway across the map to drop off an outlaw you capture at a Constabulary can be tedious. But the process of capturing them certainly isn’t, and you get to see signs of visible damage on their faces once you tackle them to the ground and start making them confess.
It adds a layer of authenticity to the entire exercise, but we can’t really think of one good reason why we can’t use an Abyss Nexus to speed up their incarceration. That’s yet another detail for future patches to consider.
Bonus: Over the Edge
It is a minor detail, but a nice one nonetheless. When you move close to the edge of a cliff, the player character performs a subtle leaning or tilting animation, as if trying to keep balance. It is a small touch, but it is there, and it adds to the sense of realism.
Bonus: The World Reacts to Your Actions
The world is not just filled with bounty posters. It also keeps track of your exploits through news posters. Defeat a major boss, and expect that achievement to become public knowledge soon after.
And that’s all we have for you at the moment. We can’t shake off the feeling that we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Crimson Desert is still hiding away, even after we’ve collectively sunk upwards of around 150 hours into it. That’s saying something, and we’re excited to find more of what Pywel wants to discover as we explore every corner of its sprawling map!