Crimson Desert has changed so much since its release, and that’s something we’ve talked about quite a bit over the past few months. It’s a testament to Peal Abyss’s commitment to making it a game that brings long-term value to its players, and to giving us players a game that incorporates our suggestions into the gameplay loop with every passing update.
However, it seems that Pywel is going to keep evolving, with a new roadmap bringing changes and improvements that could transform our time with the Greymanes even more. We’re quite impressed with what’s being planned for this one over the remainder of the year, as the game could bring a rhythm and systems that make everything you do in it all the more meaningful to the experience.
Indeed, the developer feels like it’s approaching Crimson Desert’s expansion almost as aggressively as a Greymane that’s just caught sight of a Black Bear, and has drawn their weapons for a battle they know they’re going to win, the only variable being how stylishly they manage to do it. The story is due for some much-needed refinement, and improvements to the variety of what its playable characters offer. There’s also the scope for more content to be added to the base game.
Why does all of this make us believe that there’s a version of the game on the horizon that’s going to be vastly different from the one we have now? We’re happy to talk at length about it. Let’s get started, beginning with the roadmap.
Looking Beyond The Horizon
Pywel’s a place where there’s intrigue, mystery, and beauty as far as the eye can see once you pass through the Abyss Gate and load into wherever you were exploring last. But the new roadmap from the developers feels like their eyes are already looking beyond what they already see, calculating the best ways to give us more of what we’re asking for from them, even as they think about new ways to make us quite reluctant to move on from the world they’ve created.
The story has often been a pain point that we bring up, and we were honestly sceptical about the potential of fixing the disjointed and rather unwieldy way Kliff’s journey to saving the world was presented. But lo and behold, there are going to be improvements on that front, with the developers looking to improve the way each chapter flows into the next, making the narrative feel more coherent and cohesive as a result.
In a game like Crimson Desert, the main campaign is where the game is able to establish the lofty ideals of heroes like Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka. It’s where their motivations, and by extension, their actions, are explained in a way that makes them palatable protagonists to us, the ones who are at their sides for it all. Up until now, that’s kind of been left to us, with the story not fully managing to give us the context and perspective we need to have us fully invested in the people we’re supposed to adore.
That the roadmap has made fixing that a priority is among the first arguments in favor of a version of Crimson Desert that could be considered an evolution. It isn’t being rewritten, unless the developer is playing this very close to the chest, but better transitions, more clarity in scene structure, and improvements to how the narrative flows between the situations it puts us in are definitely going to help make that part of the game better.
There’s also the upcoming DLC that’s been confirmed for the game to consider. We can’t predict whether it’s going to be a factor that helps improve the main narrative, but it isn’t too far-fetched to imagine that it is going to bring a fresh perspective to everything that has unfolded in Pywel. Once again, details are scarce, and anything we say about it is only speculation at this point, but the fact that it’s coming is reason enough for celebration, and the expectation that this one’s going in a new direction that could help it further improve everything that’s good about it.
But the game’s story and upcoming DLC are only a part of the roadmap’s potential to evolve Crimson Desert into something more than it already is. In fact, we’d argue that the update that dropped last week has already set that evolution in motion.
The Beginning Of A New Beginning
The roadmap isn’t just a promise of good things to come, but has already brought along changes that make the experience better on many fronts. The latest patch 1.10.00 updates the Re-Blockade system, and how it’s been fine-tuned in the latest update is a great place to start. There’s been a lot of chatter about having the option to defend liberated strongholds from invasions, and that’s now a thing, with Contribution Masters getting an expanded role beside running a marketplace for some cool items unique to each of the game’s five regions.
Not only does that directly address a highly-requested feature, but it makes sense within the context of the game to have individuals who already have a finger on the pulse of what happens in each region playing a more active role in its defense. It takes a load off Kliff and the Greymanes, and sells the impression that your efforts to bring peace to each region are now being backed up by its denizens. That’s a new layer of immersion if we ever saw one.
Of course, the Battle and Reconstruct stages are a welcome addition for those of us who’d like to take on the task of defending strongholds ourselves, and are a great way to incorporate player agency into the new changes. That’s a factor that’s been a consistent part of what Crimson Desert offers, and it’s great to see it being extended in ways that fit the narrative and gameplay loop. The entire mechanic already made the world feel like it was reacting to our presence, and it’s now a version of itself that refines the ideas it brought to the table even further.
There’s also the new minigames, with Pinball and Orb Roll joining Duo, Rock, Paper Scissors, and Arm Wrestling as ways to blow off a little steam. Their presence alone might have been enough to give the game more variety and flavor, but the fact that you have important rewards, Abyss Artifacts being prominent ones, tied to participation makes them more compelling as a result.
The new mounts and the way the patch has now made getting a baby Wyvern a very sensible course of action are also important facets of how Crimson Desert is already on the path to being a different game in the coming months. Blackstar was cool and all, but the extensive cooldown on his usage was an absolute bummer. Yes, there were ways to work around that cooldown already baked into the base game for those who engaged with the dispatch missions, but they felt like unnecessary steps toward something that was a convenient way to get around the vast map on offer.
Well, feeding your little Wyverns enough is now going to let them grow into special mounts that don’t need a cooldown, and flying around on a very cool-looking mount, complete with its own equipment, is a lovely addition. The same goes for the Kuku Bird, although we must admit that it’s the Wyverns that get our vote for the coolest mounts in the game at this time. Once again, they are additions that are meaningful to the experience while also fitting well within the larger context of the world, while giving players more freedom to choose who they interact with all that Pywel has to offer.
There are also other smaller additions that might not seem like much, but add up to make Pywel a place where you’re truly leading a second life. You now have carpets to decorate your house with, improved farming tools, a whole tower of cats to discover, and quality of life changes that are going to make interactions with existing systems even more intuitive and convenient.
Of course, the promise of new combat improvements, whatever they might be, along with additions to Damiane and Oongka’s abilities, and the addition of cross-saving across platforms all deserve special mentions, once again giving our theory that Crimson Desert is on a path to becoming something more than it already is a lot of credence. Just like Kliff and the Greymanes, this is a game that has managed to turn the tables on the adversity it once faced and is becoming better as a result.
A Moving Target
If everything goes to plan, Crimson Desert is set to become a rare title that hasn’t let its launch identity define what it aims to be over the course of its shelf life. The developer is building on it in very impressive ways, adding layer upon layer to what it’s already achieved to make meaningful changes to how it’s paced, structured, and presented with a focus on adding long-term value to its original promise.
It might not get bigger, but it’s certainly getting better in the next six months, bringing more variety and smoothness to the experience that reshapes the base game while prepping it for whatever the DLC aims to bring to the table. We can’t wait to see what it looks like in the near future, and you can bet on us diving into all of it as and when it comes along.
Until then, it’s time for a bit of fishing and farming in Pywel. Unless a few emboldened enemies decide to call us out for a second round of a battle they already lost, that is.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
