Crimson Desert’s story begins with a devastating ambush. You are Kliff, a warrior of the Greymanes; a skilled fighter, strong, morally grounded, and loyal to his clan. Yet, his strengths allude him as rival faction the Black Bears ransack his homeland and slaughter his allies. Those who survive the attack flee, scattering themselves throughout the vast, open world continent of Pywel. Surviving the massacre himself, Kliff is now driven by revenge. He yearns to reclaim the land stolen from his tribe; their pastoral homeland, Pailune. Before launching a counteroffensive, Kliff appoints himself to spearhead a Greymane reunification.
There are echoes of historical Highland clans in the Greymane’s visual design and social structure, where Kliff’s quest to reunite his scattered allies mirrors the stories of leaders who rallied fractured groups following catastrophic defeat. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves with theoretical speculation. What we know officially is that Crimson Desert’s story, while starting as a tale of personal loss, expands into larger mysteries all whilst introducing a cast of allies, enemies, otherworldly realms, and rival factions, each reshaping the fate of Pywel itself.
As we’ve alluded to already, Kliff is Crimson Desert’s main protagonist and primary playable character. He’s voiced by Alec Newman, who describes the warrior as having a strong sense of right and wrong. To some, initially, his silent stoicism might make him appear a closed book but his guarded personality is shown to relax when he’s in the company of his tribe. In real-life, quieter, more reserved people tend to be the deepest thinkers. Should this be so, it’ll track into how Kliff operates as a multi-skilled fighter. Alec mentions in Crimson Desert’s official “Meet the Cast” YouTube feature that, given the game’s wideranging combat, you’ll be able to approach each encounter with imagination, channeling it through Kliff’s aptitude.
Crimson Desert also has two other player-characters up its sleeve: the hulking nomadic orc Oongka, and nimble gunsmith Damiane. Oongka is another Greymane survivor, an axe-wielding tribesman who doesn’t deal in half-measures. Indeed, Stewart Scudamore – who lends the fighter his vocal grunts – states he’s driven by passion. Everything he does is in pursuit of the best for his people. There is, surprisingly, another side to his persona: he’s philosophical; wise befitting of his years.
Where Kliff might lean on his stoicness for emotional armour, it appears the distinction between Oongka’s empathy and ruthlessness is more clearcut. Both characters seem capable of zooming out from the malaise, exercising clarity of thought and guided by moral groundedness. In other words, their perspectives make them perfect allies.
How Damiane ties into the trio is a little more elusive. She’s not Greymane, but presumably believes in their cause. However, preview footage details her as “on the run”, so perhaps she’s seeking sanctuary in the Greymane’s rekindling numbers instead? Either way, she’s a fierce combatant who is adept with firearms and magic alike. Her mental fortitude and down to earth nature gives her the same trait that is shared by Kliff and Oongka: in short, she’ll stand up for what is right.
However, with no prior ties to the Greymane clan she may have something they don’t: emotional separation. If so, she could be serving the tribe as a strategist as well as a ranged specialist. Her stoicism, then, comes from detachment, rather than defence or philosophical thinking.
Yann and Naira are two other Greymane names that appear in pre-release materials, the former once-believed to be a fourth player-character whilst the latter is speculated to be Kliff’s sister. Of what we know for sure, both Yann and Naira rejoin Kliff to occupy narratively significant roles in the Greymanes’ uprising. But, alas, beyond speculating further we’ll have to commence rebuilding the Greymane’s homestead once we get our hands on Crimson Desert to find out.
So, rebuilding the Greymanes’ home – what does this mean? Wasn’t their homeland taken? Well, yes, beginning in Crimson Desert’s early hours the Greymanes have relocated to Harnand, their de facto new home in lieu of reacquiring their true place in Pailune. The Greymanes have a reputation for helping others, and so quests in and around Harnand will involve helping out the various townsfolk. Will we meet any notable allies? It seems likely although, again, we’ll have to wait and see. The NPCs you meet during this phase may simply be camp workers or quest givers.
However, during this chapter you’ll recruit scattered Greymane members to help restore the clan, assigning them roles such as fishing, livestock management, exploration, military operations, and so on. They’ll continue the Greymanes’ revival even as Kliff ventures further afield with his two companions.
The Black Bears are the game’s antagonistic faction, led by Myurdin. They’re violent, disorderly, and – as you’ll note from their opening machinations – the macabre catalyst for Crimson Desert’s story. Myurdin himself is a ruthless adversary, said to fight with the relentlessness of an angry bear. His faction is bent on fracturing Pywel’s balance, their goal to attain the power that’s left in the ensuing political vacuum. Taking out the Greymanes is their most significant step yet toward continental dominance.
Elsewhere throughout Harnand and Pywel beyond, you’ll arrive at the blade of numerous bosses. Now, we’re only going to lightly touch Crimson Desert’s known bosses as we’ve another feature that dissects them in detail – look out for it.
In Harnand, Kliff encounters Matthias, a captain of the Wandering Freeswords. This traditional knight on horseback is poised to be an early encounter, a thrilling back and forth set to be the first test of the skills you’ve learned. Later you’ll arrive on Haxan enchantress Hexe– a chillingly dark adversary with an aesthetic lifted straight out of a horror game. Reed Devil is an outsider-turned-tormentor for the denizens of Harnand; White Horn is the nefarious spirit of the mountains, Staglord the fallen king who guards an empty throne, and Queen Stoneback Crab a gem-crusted, Shadow of the Colossus style giant. These, plus tyrannical goblin Split Horn and giant mechanical dragon Golden Star make up the confirmed encounters so far, with each appearing rooted in regional mythos and tragedy to suggest that Pywel’s history is filled with fallen rulers, cursed figures, and supernatural beasts.
Through Golden Star, you’ll be introduced to Marni, a crazed inventor who’s a scientific brilliance. His creations bring the technological, somewhat ramshackle advances in one of Pywel’s five countries. Strange robots, rockets, and mechanical tanks are all his making, but much of a feature he’ll make beyond providing weaponised devices to scrap with is unknown.
While the conflict between the Greymanes and the Black Bears keeps Crimson Desert’s narrative wheels turning, there is something far more mysterious floating overhead: the Abyss. Here is said to be secrets which could threaten the entire world, and if there’s a motive for Kliff’s mission to move beyond personal vengeance, it’s this.
Exactly what the Abyss is remains unclear, but some encounters hint at enemies escaping into a higher or parallel plane, implying the Abyss may function as a second form of reality where far greater dangers lurk. As you uncover its mysteries, you may decide that Kliff’s clan wars are secondary to a larger catastrophe.
One lingering question the community has, will Crimson Desert’s story be told piecemeal through environmental fragments, exploration, and exorbitant dialogue like other games? After all, whilst this approach made for an expansive setting it was difficult to follow. That said, Crimson Desert is a single player experience, so we should expect a greater emphasis on a central narrative. Environmental storytelling and optional lore still exists, for sure, but the presumption here is that you’ll be guided through Pywel’s cinematic story via voiced characters, cutscenes, and defined story moments rather than having to piece it all together yourself.
Because so much of Pywel’s lore remains a mystery, fan speculation has already begun to fill in the gaps. One theory suggests the fragments of the Abyss you’ll use to level up Kliff may actually be corrupting the world. In other words, Kliff might inadvertently be spreading the very forces which threaten the continent’s stability.
There’s also the intriguing thematic parallel which we alluded to earlier where the Greymanes’ social structure resembles those of Highland clans. More meaningful than Kliff simply wearing the same blue warpaint as William Wallace in Braveheart, this interpretation suggests that the Greymanes’ reunification will make a strong attempt to wrestle back what was taken from them, but ultimately they’ll fail.
At its outset, Crimson Desert’s story starts as a tale of personal vengeance set within a much larger fantasy mystery. Yet, as you rebuild the Greymanes, take on the threat posed by the Black Bears, and the looming secrets of the Abyss the narrative evolves into something far more complex. If everything comes together, Crimson Desert will deliver a story far beyond the simple clash of warring clans.
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