Crimson Desert has been taking up a lot of our free time since its release last week, and making our way around Pywel has been an absolute treat. We were quite happy to see the developers address some of the complaints that came up in such a speedy manner, but there’s so much more to do and discover in the game that we’d have been happy even if they took their time with that.
Aside from cool weapons, complete storylines, and exciting new places to discover, Crimson Desert’s excellent open world also has a few mechanics that remain obscure unless you actually attempt to pull them off. If you’re worried that you’ve missed out on a few useful ones, we’re here to sort you out.
Let’s dive right into some of the things you might not have discovered during your time in Pywel.
1. Armor For Your Pets
You probably already found that you can amass a collection of loyal companions who accompany you on your travels and even pick up loot on the battlefield, leaving you free to tear through enemy ranks. But did you know you can get them dressed up for the occasion?
To do that, you’re going to want to prioritize the Shai missions and gain access to Pororin Village by obtaining a relic from a very interesting NPC. Once there, look for a shop that sells hats, armor, and some adorable outfits for your furry friends! There’s another one in Demeniss if that’s more convenient, and it’s located in the southeast corner of the city.
2. Make Fast Travel Even Faster
The game’s loading scenes can be frustrating. Whether you’re booting it up or fast-travelling between spawn points, you often have to sit through flashy transition animations that are basically just fancy loading screens. Strangely enough, the game doesn’t actually seem to need all that time to load in new areas. In fact, if you stand on a fast travel point and teleport directly to another one, the transition is almost instantaneous, meaning you’ll be zipping between locations far faster than the game initially suggests. It’s an impressive workaround, and it also gives hope that these awkward animations could eventually be patched out in the future.
3. Use Axiom Force For Some Insane Moves
See an area you’d like to explore that’s closed off by a pesky spiked fence? Finding a path around it is so yesterday, as you can simply use Axiom Force on a nearby tree to launch yourself high into the air and scale obstacles with style. Simply attach to a tree, pull back as hard as you can, and release to launch yourself into a spinning ball before you spread your wings and glide right into enemy camps or new areas.
Pair that up with a body slam or any other moves to give yourself an edge at the start of a battle. Considering the sheer number of enemies that can come at you, that’s an advantage you want to abuse as much as you can.
4. The Axiom Swing
If there aren’t any trees around, you can use Axiom Force to latch on to a nearby surface and swing to build up momentum before you detach and launch yourself into the air, and then drown in a nearby lake or sea. That’s a nifty way to gain access to hard-to-reach areas and is also a great way to start off a combat encounter with a distinct advantage. And, for some odd reason, so satisfying.
5. Call In Backup
Damiane and Oongka are not just characters you switch to from time to time, but can be valuable as backup in intense fights. Just pull up the character switching menu and hit the summon button to have them meet you at a nearby assembly point. Do note that this is not seamless, and it requires a loading page to pop up, but from then on, the character you summoned is going to follow you around, and they even come with their own mounts.
Don’t worry if you get too far ahead of them, as they merely teleport to your location after a while. Just be careful not to let them take too many hits in a fight, as reviving them is a slow process, and your enemies aren’t going to be waiting around for you to get them back on their feet.
6. Make Mining Easier
Are you as tired of chipping away at ore deposits with a pickaxe and drill as we are? Well, Axiom Force and Force Push are going to solve that problem. Simply latch on to the ore deposit you want to mine and hit the Force Push input to collect valuable resources with ease. Know that you’ll need the Force Current move unlocked to do this, but considering how useful that one is in various other situations, we’d call it a win-win.
It also frees up valuable inventory slots as you can leave your pickaxes behind!
7. Take In The View
Every warrior needs a breather from time to time, and we’d argue that the fights Kliff gets into need some real rest and relaxation. Well, Crimson Desert lets him take things easy for a while and just admire Pywel’s beauty from high up above. Just approach a cliff and tap your analog stick to have him sit down and enjoy the sights for as long as you please!
8. Efficient Bounty Hunting
While we found it odd that Kliff chooses to sling a bounty over his shoulder instead of his horse when he has them tied up and ready to face justice, we decided to just roll with it. But we then found out that a second bounty is indeed laid out on the back of his horse, allowing you to take in two of them at once.
Considering that they’re an efficient way to quickly rack up some coin, this one’s going to save you a lot of time.
9. Steal Gold Bars From Nobles
Remember the pickpocket mechanic from Assassin’s Creed? It’s here in Crimson Desert, and it’s a great way to make tons of money fairly quickly. All you need to do is find places that nobles frequent, and simply bump into them to bring up the pickpocket prompt. You can check which ones are carrying something to steal using your lantern by shining it on them and looking for a yellow glow around their hip.
Do know that you’re going to need a mask equipped before you begin your stealing spree, and that you want to run as soon as you complete the theft, as a red circle pops up, marking the area in which your victims look for you. While there’s no guarantee that the noble you’re stealing from is carrying a gold bar, they’re still your best bet to find one with a bit of luck and patience.
10. Heed The Game’s Warnings
We always like to see how open-world titles restrict your attempts to go beyond the boundaries of their maps, and Crimson Desert has a rather nasty surprise for you if you decide to ignore its warnings to turn around. Kliff’s going to find himself a new home in a giant whale’s belly if you go too far out of Pywel’s purview. But that’s probably not necessary considering just how much the world has to offer you, right?
11. Hoods And Visors Can Be Toggled
If your outfit comes with a hood or a visor, you can pull up the armor menu and tap the prompt to either pull up your hood or open/close your visor. That’s a useful addition for you fashion-conscious Greymanes out there, and a showcase of how the developers have paid attention to as many details as they could when making this ambitious title.
12. Your Sword Is Not Just For Killing
You can use your Sword to locate Abyss Nexus and Cressets using the Blinding Flash from anywhere in the world. It’s best to get to a solid vantage point before you do that, as the blue glows that show you where they are can be easy to miss from the ground.
Aside from that, you can also use Blinding Flash for some quick cooking in a pinch. Simply drop your stuff on the ground and focus sunlight on them using your Sword, just as you would do with those pesky vines.
13. Don’t Wait For Your Horse
We spent way too long whistling for our horse and then waiting for it to saunter up to us before we mounted up. Instead, whistle and begin jogging in the direction you want to go to have your horse trot up to Kliff before he mounts it in one smooth motion. That’s a great way to start a long trek to a faraway point of interest that has caught your fancy, and it’s stylish to boot.
14. Save Money On Healing Supplies For Your Horse
Your Force Palm isn’t just a way to send your foes flying, but is also a way to heal your horse if it takes damage in a fight. Just charge up the move and give your horse a good tap. You’re going to see all its injuries vanish as if they never existed, and your coin purse is going to have more than a few extra coppers as you don’t have to buy supplies for that purpose anymore.
15. Sneak Around In Style
Aside from pickpocketing, Kliff also has some more moves that might be familiar to some popular stealth games. He can hide in haystacks, in trees, and even under carts! Moreover, you can look for dark edges on your screen to ensure that your foes can’t see you, a boon in areas where you’re trying to go unnoticed.
And that’s about it for our list of hidden mechanics and things in Crimson Desert. We hope that they’re as helpful to you as they were to us! All that remains now is to visit Pywel and try them all out for yourself!
