Crimson Desert’s first paid-for expansion Charting the Unknown looks like an entire game in its own right. The DLC looks set to give you even more reasons to live in Pywel, with new storylines, expansive construction options, and a newfound emphasis to explore across the seas. Naturally, you’ll want to be prepared before starting another odyssey. So, from wrapping up the base game’s story to stockpiling resources and strengthening your Greymane camp, here are ten things you should do in Crimson Desert to prepare for Charting the Unknown.
Complete The Main Story
Starting with the obvious one: make sure you’ve finished the base game’s main story. Not only does this give you the best understanding of the characters and conflicts that have shaped Pywel, but it also clears the way for each of the three protagonist’s new DLC storylines. In Charting the Unknown, Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane get their own narrative paths for you to follow, and they’re not diversions you can pick up midway through the campaign. It’ll be interesting to see how Oongka and Damiane’s arcs evolve in the expansion given their stories were arguably underserved in favour of Kliff in Crimson Desert. And, just another note: the new tough-as-nails Garden of Trials boss-rush mode can only be attempted once the main story has been completed, too.
Complete Luke’s Request in Chapter 3
While completing the main story is necessary to see the continuation of Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane’s stories, Charting the Unknown doesn’t lock all of its content until the DLC’s endgame. No, you can access the expansion’s upgraded housing system much earlier in the campaign; you’ll just need to complete Luke’s request under the Grounds of the Sunrise Greymane Faction quest in Chapter 3. It’s unlikely you’ll overlook this 38-stage quest either way, seeing as progressing through it gives access to essential camp upgrades, workstations, vendors, and more. But, if you want to get a start on Charting the Unknown’s freeform construction straight away – designing layouts, laying walls, fabricating windows – make sure Luke’s request is done.
Finish Chapter 3
Actually, you’ll need to finish chapter 3 in its entirety before the DLC arrives anyway. Yes, complete the Howling Hill sequence and establish your Graymane camp; in doing so, you’ll unlock the expansion’s sea-faring, island hopping activities, including the ability to construct a ship. Given a huge part of Charting the Unknown takes place across the open ocean, a galleon of your own will prove rather important. And, with purportedly plenty to discover both above and beneath the water’s surface, making sure you can dive into it right away could ensure the DLC feels worthwhile even if you haven’t yet finished the main story.
Level Up Oongka and Damiane
Even though Kliff might be the face of Crimson Desert, and the Greymane plight the game’s narrative pillar, there’s still sentiment out there amongst the community that Oongka and Damiane could have served bigger roles. As such, there is a reasonable chance these other two characters haven’t received the same amount of attention when it comes to leveling up and improving their abilities. Now, before the DLC drops, is a good opportunity to address any imbalance. Developing their combat capabilities should leave you better prepared to face whatever the expansion’s endgame story throws at you.
Finish All Camp Upgrades
You’re going to need all the help you can get, what with island strongholds, castles, and house construction. The most sizeable workforce will serve you well, so you should make sure you’ve finished upgrading your camp and recruited every available Greymane. It’s also worth completing their individual quests rather than leaving potential recruits and their associated tasks sitting in your journal. After all, with the wealth of construction and expansion projects that Charting the Unknown promises you wouldn’t want to find yourself without support.
Stockpile Crafting Materials
Yet, despite all the promise of grand manors and impressive galleons, the one thing that can bring the excitement of a new adventure or project to a grinding halt would be discovering that you don’t have enough materials to construct what you want. With the expansion bringing shipbuilding, housing, dive suits, and additional new items to refine, it’s more than sensible to build up your reserves ahead of time. The exact requirements for every new item may not be clear until you’re actually playing the DLC, so going in with a healthy stockpile of crafting materials should give you the freedom to begin prospecting right away rather than return to resource gathering.
Build Up Your Gold Reserves
And, just like crafting materials, you’re going to need gold in abundance too if you’re going to take advantage of all the new construction possibilities straight away. See, sea-faring vessels can be built, yes, but they’re also available for purchase. Fleet managers can be hired, strongholds can be upgraded, and furnishings can be bought to make your drafty castle feel just that little bit more homely. These don’t sound like free activities. No, they’re going to put a dent in your savings, so best to consider setting some money aside before the DLC drops.
Stock Up On Healing and Stamina Items
Exploration might be unpredictable. You are charting into the unknown, after all, so it’s probably best to ensure you have adequate supplies before heading out. It makes sense to stock up on high-tier healing foods, Golden Apples, and stamina-restoring items. During extended voyages and ventures into unfamiliar territory, there’s no doubt a generous selection of restorative items will be useful. Again, like crafting materials and currencies, ensuring you have plenty of healing and stamina items in stock now means you can get straight into exploring new lands rather than spending time on preparation.
Acquire the Water Stride Ability
With much of your time spent on or near water throughout the DLC, acquiring the Water Stride ability seems like a no brainer. A skill where you can sprint across the surface will obviously prove useful, but there are a few caveats to bear in mind: Water Stride burns stamina, and once that stamina runs out you’ll drop into conventional swimming. You’ll need to have unlocked the Spirit Skill tree using Abyss Links, too, and purportedly if you venture too far away from shore you increase the chances of encountering one the expansion’s more unsavoury sea creatures.
Install the Latest Update and Play The Enhanced Version
Finally, ending with another semi-obvious one, but you should make sure you’re running the most recent version of Crimson Desert before jumping into the DLC. Important performance fixes aside, the developer has worked tirelessly refining, improving, and adding through a string of updates, but the Enhanced Edition itself brought the updated Abyss Skill system, UI changes, camera modes, and more. The Abyss Skill system, in particular, will prove especially useful if you need to level up Oongka and Damiane as per our earlier recommendation, but the host of changes Enhanced brought will make practically everything else on this list more feasible. It’s best to do it now if you haven’t already, just so you’re acclimatised to its systemic changes ahead of time.
