Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown Review – Lights On The Horizon

I‘d like to kick this one off by saying I love this job. I love it even more when an opportunity to test out something as complex as Crimson Desert’s latest DLC expansion, Charting the Unknown, comes along.

That’s a testament to how much cool stuff the expansion packs into an already elaborate open world, and it’s been a lovely weekend spent on the waters surrounding Pywel, with no shortage of important forays onto land as well. It’s kind of hard to even figure out where to start, but I’m going to pick the stories for Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka to kick things off.

The short version is they’re awesome. The long version is that they’re neat little epilogues that bring each of the three playable protagonists to a place where they’ve left the events of the base game firmly behind, but continue to strive to be better and help Pywel heal in the bargain. Kliff’s story is particularly insightful, giving us a look into how he views his place in the world while bringing an interesting chain of events for him to look into.

Oongka’s tale is similarly intriguing, showcasing a side of the man we might not have guessed existed. It’s a great way to explain all the tech he brings to the table while allowing Oongka to pursue a different path to victory in whatever’s on the horizon for him. I loved that his story leaves behind his brawn and has him focused on exercising his brain instead.

But it’s Damiane’s epilogue that was my favorite, and it was a heady blend of Demeniss’s intricate political landscape with some excellent use of her newly forged bond with the Greymanes to push the narrative forward. The way it ends is a fantastic examination of the region’s societal structure, and the resolution is one that makes sense for its people.

"I’m not going to forget a pirate ship emerging out of the ground like a sort of terrestrial Flying Dutchman, or a metal serpent rising out of the waves in the midst of a thunderstorm, its scales glistening brightly against the moonlight."

However, while the stories themselves were interesting enough, they were oddly hamstrung by pacing issues that shouldn’t have been a part of the deal. Damiane is a notable exception here, but Kliff and Oongka often hit roadblocks in the narrative, with progress hidden behind some annoying puzzles that can take a while to solve. I’m not one to say no to a fair bit of brain pain, but having to indulge it when there’s an interesting story beat to get to can be annoying when it happens.

Another weak point was the bosses I took on as part of the story. I couldn’t help but feel like they were reskins of formidable enemies you’ve already met in the game, which does make sense from a narrative standpoint but not from an expansion where you’re expecting cool new stuff.

However, that isn’t the case with the rest of the expansion, as the enemies it brings to the table are resplendently imposing in their designs and mechanically complex enough to present a challenge. I’m not going to forget a pirate ship emerging out of the ground like a sort of terrestrial Flying Dutchman, or a metal serpent rising out of the waves in the midst of a thunderstorm, its scales glistening brightly against the moonlight.

I wasn’t too happy about fighting either one at night, when the darkness was more of a threat to my powerful build than the foes I was facing down. It’s something that can take the fun out of figuring out when and where to strike at an enemy’s weak point, a necessity in both battles. However, with the night decidedly against me, I ended up hacking away at that pirate ship until I eventually whittled down its health. Am I proud of cheesing a boss in this manner? Perhaps not. But was it still a heck of a good time? That’s a resounding yes.

"Naval combat in the expansion’s early hours was a fairly rudimentary affair, with a set of cannons on your broadside and starboard ports to shoot at enemies as you manoeuvre around enemy fire."

Before we go on, a bit of good news: that’s about it for my complaints. It’s smooth sailing from here on out, and I think it’s time we climb aboard a ship to begin tackling the ocean in the room. Well-implemented faction quests do a good job of introducing you to purchasing ships, manning them with your Greymanes, and then setting out to sea towards your next adventure.

While building a smaller ship was a breeze thanks to a vast amount of resources I hoarded on my base game save, I must tell you that the larger, sturdier options are quite pricey. You could always build your own ones via dispatch missions, but between finding the blueprints you need, farming resources, and then waiting a set number of in-game days, you’re better off just buying one outright from your nearest Shipwright.

But what about the joy of sailing into uncharted waters, with nothing but the wind and some great music to keep your crew’s spirits high? That’s on point here, and while the developer really needs to add an animation for that static wheel on the ship, your vessel’s speed and movements are largely smooth and intuitive.

Naval combat in the expansion’s early hours was a fairly rudimentary affair, with a set of cannons on your broadside and starboard ports to shoot at enemies as you manoeuvre around enemy fire. Of course, I’m almost certain incredible weapons are waiting for me to discover them, although I was yet to find one over roughly fifteen hours of time with it.

"You do get a diving suit that makes things easier if you pre-ordered the expansion, but if you haven’t, it’s probably going to be a while before you actually start penetrating the depths of the ocean."

That brings me to what was my favorite facet of Crimson Desert, and a crucial part of why Charting the Unknown lands as well as it does: the joy of discovery. The Ocean felt like Hernand all over again, with something interesting feeling like it was never too far away as I sailed around the ocean, picking fights and diving below the surface to see if I could dredge up some loot.

One such expedition into the icy depths saw me exploring the decrepit infrastructure of a sunken mine, with plenty of sharks and other dangerous creatures to keep me company as I tried to swim about while managing my breath and stamina. You do get a diving suit that makes things easier if you pre-ordered the expansion, but if you haven’t, it’s probably going to be a while before you actually start penetrating the depths of the ocean. But wait, this is Crimson Desert after all.

That sunken mine I mentioned had a chest tucked away neatly into the corner of a fallen gazebo, and it contained a tool that immediately made things easier below the waves. It worked as a sort of diving helmet paired with wing-like propellers that chew through your stamina bar in exchange for some serious speed when you swim. The diving helmet ensures you don’t need to gasp for air at the surface as often as you would have in its absence, which then makes getting around underwater quite nifty.

It was good enough that I’m yet to begin building my collection of mounts, something that I really enjoy and was saving for a proper session of exploration. It really helped me navigate the ruins of an ancient shrine, giving me enough time for my brain to figure out solutions to its puzzles before I could grab its prize and make it back to the surface with a very generous amount of breath to spare.

I’m a little miffed at not finding any new weapons of Abyss Gears during my travels, but I must mention that even after all those hours, it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the ocean has to offer me. It helps that other mechanics governing Pywel, such as the Trading system, have made the shift from land to sea quite seamlessly, and there’s a thriving economy of trade goods for you to exploit.

"The quests you take on are quite intriguing, taking you to distant islands, sunken caves, and getting you into all sorts of trouble."

There are also Pirate Bounties to take on, which you can do with either your ship or by dropping on the deck from the skies and tearing through the enemy crew. I had a very enjoyable time peppering the deck of another ship with wind blasts from my wyvern before I decided to put its crew out of their misery and enter the fray myself.

Several islands are available for exploration, many of them hiding secrets, further clues to other regions, and perhaps even a treasure map for you to use. It’s here that a little bit of friction creeps in, thanks to the base game’s mission structure finding its way into the expansion. For instance, one of the new Faction Quests had me infiltrating a pirate stronghold and chipping away at their numbers.

In the base game, that would have been a fort with enemies coming at me from all directions, the archers of the Delysian woods being an exception. However, when you’re on a tropical island where the terrain is a challenge in and of itself, getting to your next batch of enemies takes time and effort while running the risk of throwing you off your rhythm.

The quests you take on are quite intriguing, taking you to distant islands, sunken caves, and getting you into all sorts of trouble. Yeah, a few duds do crop up from time to time, but the majority of them make things interesting enough for you to chase that next marker halfway across the world. A word of warning if you’re heading to the eastern edge of the map: be ready to run. I’ll say nothing more on the subject, but it’s certainly a sight to behold!

With all of this going on, I wasn’t really surprised to find that exploring the world and getting better stuff for yourself and your ship feed into each other quite nicely. One of my finest discoveries was a set of blueprints to add rocket propulsion systems to my ship, Once Human-style, removing the need to rely on my sails to catch the wind. But alas, the lack of one piece of a rare ore has held me back from that particular upgrade.

"I can safely say that the entire experience comes together very well, and it even has me thinking that it might open up more avenues to explore and engage with the further I go."

In another game, that would be mildly infuriating, but in Charting the Unknown, it’s a reason to just hop on the deck of my ship and set off into the distance, the prospect of finding what I want, and a whole lot of other stuff along the way being far too compelling to pass up. With all that time spent at sea, it’s only natural to hope that everything looks as good as it plays, and feels as smooth as it can be, too.

Thankfully, performance on my PC running a Ryzen 5600X and RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB let me render at 2560 × 1440 with most settings at either High/Ultra, DLSS 4.5 set to Performance, and Frame Generation on. The Cinematic setting did work, but it ended up tanking my frame rates in the game’s busier areas. However, lowering those settings gave me enough room to throw in ray tracing, and it’s a pleasure to look at when you see the sun or moon shining at you from the ocean’s surface.

So, in summary, we’ve got great visuals and performance, some nice story beats, excellent open-world exploration, and the new ships to keep us coming back for more. Well, I can safely say that the entire experience comes together very well, and it even has me thinking that it might open up more avenues to explore and engage with the further I go.

I can’t see myself exploring every corner of the ocean before GTA 6 arrives, and that’s factoring in several hours that shouldn’t be possible for someone who has an adult life. That should tell you just how vast this ocean is, and just how much it brings to the table for you to enjoy. Charting the Unknown does well to give us more Crimson Desert, but with excellent twists that set it apart from the base game while retaining its best features.

Which brings us to the big question: do I recommend this one? If you liked Crimson Desert, or love open-world games that can have you living a virtual life in them, you cannot go wrong with this one. However, if you’re the type who likes their experiences short and sweet, this one goes in the other direction entirely. Nevertheless, Charting the Unknown is a fantastic expansion, and a whale of a good time too!

This game was reviewed on PC.