Things I Learned After Playing Crimson Desert For 50 Hours

Crimson Desert is a massive open-world game with a huge amount to discover. It’s packed with gameplay features and hidden options that take time to learn, and players are still finding new things even after dozens of hours of play. Since its release, the community has been constantly sharing exciting discoveries, proving there’s always something new to uncover.

Crimson Desert can be tough to get into, especially at first. The game doesn’t explain things very well and throws you right in. Luckily, you don’t need to learn everything all at once, but mastering certain skills can really improve your experience. The more you play, the more the game opens up and the more you’ll be able to do. I’ve put together a list of helpful things I learned after playing for many hours – things that have made my time in Pywel much easier and more enjoyable.

Okay, so I’ve seen a lot of beginner guides for Crimson Desert, and those are great for getting started. But this isn’t one of those. I’m diving into the stuff that really makes the game tick – the deeper mechanics and layers that most of us miss when we first jump in. If you are just starting out, definitely check out some basic tips and tricks guides – and there’s another one I wrote about things the game doesn’t explain well. But if you’ve been playing a bit and want to really understand how everything works, this is for you.

Camp Unlocks Make a Big Difference

You Can Fully Max Out Greymanes Camp in Chapter Four

Chapter 3 is a significant milestone in Crimson Desert. Players gain access to the Howling Hill camp, allowing them to start rebuilding the Greymane family. By following leads from Marius, you can find and recruit new members, and also expand the camp itself. It’s easy to neglect the camp’s features, but those committed to reuniting the Greymanes will find it’s well worth fully upgrading it in Chapter 4 – the rewards are substantial.

Greymane’s Camp offers a ton of useful additions to the game, including new ways to play, side quests, and a system for sending out teams to gather materials or defeat enemies from afar. Investing in the camp early on unlocks important features like character customization with Eric the barber – something many players don’t get around to until they’ve played for about 50 hours. Beyond that, the camp becomes a central hub for almost everything useful, like cooking, crafting, farming, and animal husbandry. A fully upgraded camp makes life in Pywel significantly easier and more enjoyable, letting you complete missions for rewards, help your companions, and have all the resources you need readily available.

Looting Doesn’t Matter Much — Pickpocketing Solves Money Issue

Instead of Wasting Time Looting Fallen Bandits, Master Pickpocketing and Banking

I don’t really like stealing; I prefer earning money directly through things like completing bounties or searching the bodies of fallen enemies. That’s how I began playing Crimson Desert, but I soon found that looting isn’t very rewarding and takes a long time, while good bounties are hard to come by. In the world of Pywel, you constantly need silver to fund research, create and improve equipment, expand your storage, and much more. Some players have even said they struggled financially throughout the entire game because the economy is so challenging. Luckily, pickpocketing offers a solution.

In Crimson Desert, pickpocketing is the quickest and most straightforward way to earn money. You don’t need to hunt for treasure or bother with selling items. Just equip your mask and a lantern, then wander through towns looking for wealthy nobles near landmarks like mansions, banks, and churches. Target those carrying gold, quickly steal from them, and make your escape – it’s that simple!

Every gold bar you exchange at a bank is worth 500 silver, and you can maximize your profits with skillful trading—or by repeatedly reloading saves. Once you become proficient at stealing in Crimson Desert, you won’t need to bother with endlessly looting enemies after battles. It offers minimal rewards, and significantly slows down gameplay.

Don’t Overlook Researches

Researches Might Appear Costly and Unnecessary — Unless You Solve the Money Issue

Research in Crimson Desert feels unnecessary at first because it takes time and money. You’ll join different research groups that offer various upgrades – some are more helpful than others, but eventually, everything proves worthwhile, similar to Greymanes Camp. The cost starts low, around 5 silver, but quickly increases to over 100 silver per research level. It’s tempting to only focus on the cheapest options until later in the game, but we’ve already found ways to address the money problem.

Research offers significant advantages, giving you new crafting recipes, access to special missions with valuable rewards, and new map locations. Focusing on early research options like those at Pororin and Scholastone provides quick benefits, such as learning to craft Palmar Pills (crucial for tough boss fights) or greatly improving how quickly you gain HP, making battles easier. Even if you’re short on resources, prioritize research results and complete key ones quickly, like Abyssal Energy Research at Scholastone and Pharmacological Research at Pororin.

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Build Trust With Merchant NPCs

Benefits From Befriending Merchants Are Totally Worth the Effort

The trust system in Crimson Desert works like many other games – it takes effort, but offers great rewards. You can build relationships with almost any character you meet, from important figures to everyday people. It’s similar to petting animals or training mounts: simply interact with them regularly and give appropriate gifts (crafting books and recipes are good for merchants). Doing so unlocks benefits like more goods, discounts, and even special contracts that let you add a merchant’s entire inventory to the Greyman merchant at Howling Hill. It’s a good example of how paying attention to details can make life in Pywel much easier.

Here’s a helpful tip for merchants: pick one to be your main place to sell unwanted items – I suggest Hernand’s Rhett. They’ll hold onto things forever, and you can always buy them back later. I made a mistake early on by selling valuable collectibles like Strongboxes or Jewelry Storages without checking them first. Don’t do that! Always use the “Use” button in your inventory before selling anything. You might be surprised – you could get extra camp supplies, a lot of money, or even unlock useful map information!

Make Sure You’ve Mastered The In-Game Map

Using Various Filters and Hidden Options Is a True Life-Saver

Many players still struggle with the in-game map in Crimson Desert, even though it shouldn’t take hours to master. The developers could improve things, as the map filters are buggy and the “All” button doesn’t display everything. To avoid missing important things, use the filters that suit your needs. The “Environment” filter highlights merchants and points of interest in Pywel, and the “Factions” filter is crucial for dispatch missions. Since merchants often sell inventory upgrade bags, it’s worth finding them all while exploring. Finally, consider disabling the 3D stronghold view in the gameplay options – this can speed up map loading and make navigation easier.

If you’re new to dispatch missions, they can seem complicated, but I highly recommend speaking with Ross at the Greymanes camp – you’ll unlock him early in the game. He makes managing side missions and your available companions much simpler than using the Factions map. You’ll quickly get the hang of the dispatch system that way! Also, be sure to use the in-game Knowledge feature often. It’s full of helpful information about Crimson Desert, including gameplay tips, details on legendary animals and mounts (with map locations!), and more – you might be surprised by what you discover.

Just Do What Gives You The Most Fun

Crimson Desert Is Built to Be Your Personal Story and Adventure

What I’ve enjoyed most about Crimson Desert so far is its freedom. The game lets you play how you want, without forcing you into activities you dislike or overwhelming you with complicated systems. There are tons of features and mechanics, but you can explore them at your own pace without hindering your progress. It’s incredibly relaxing – there’s no ‘wrong’ way to play! Crimson Desert is about your personal journey of discovery, and you’ll pick up everything you need as you go.

Unlike many other open-world games, finding the best equipment isn’t crucial in Crimson Desert. You can improve anything you want to stay strong enough to tackle bosses whenever you’re ready. Don’t worry about missing powerful gear – there isn’t any that’s overwhelmingly strong. Instead, you’ll find fun bonuses with Abyss Gear, which you can easily move between weapons. You can also freely reset your skills to experiment with different playstyles. Upgrading is flexible too; you can use resources you find or simply use copies of the same item. And don’t feel pressured to solve every puzzle, as they always give the same rewards, so skipping a few won’t hurt your progress.

These are just a few ways to show how open-ended and adaptable Crimson Desert can be, especially after the initial part of the game. Keep in mind, you only get one first playthrough, so enjoy the unique experience and play it however you like!

2026-04-08 13:36