Crimson Desert Update 1.09 Is Live Now

On May 29th, a major update for Crimson Desert was released on all platforms except version 1.09. This update includes many improvements to the game, such as changes to how controls work, pets behave, skills function, and animations look.

Since launching on March 18th, the popular open-world action game Crimson Desert, developed by Pearl Abyss, has been updated almost two dozen times. The last update before this one, version 1.08, came out on May 22nd and added new content and made several changes. This newest update, 1.09, is the game’s 21st update since it was released.

Crimson Desert Addresses Control Complaints with a Universal Fix

I’m really excited about the latest update to Crimson Desert – they finally let you remap the controller buttons! So many of us early players were frustrated with how complicated the controls were, and it was a big complaint. It’s awesome that new players won’t have to deal with that, but honestly, it feels a little late. I saw one fan comment that they’d already put 130 hours into the game and gotten used to the awkward controls, so it doesn’t really help them now. Still, it’s a great improvement for anyone just starting out!

Update 1.09 adds to the pet system in Crimson Desert with around 30 new small animals players can adopt as pets. The update also includes new skills for Damiane and Oongka, activated using commands similar to Kliff’s powerful Blinding Flash Finisher. On a controller, this skill is performed by holding down RB and LB, releasing RB, and then quickly pressing RB again. On keyboard and mouse, the equivalent command is CTRL plus the left mouse button.

Crimson Desert Update 1.09 Patch Notes

Update Schedule (as of May 29, 2026)

Steam (PC): Patch available now
Steam (Mac): Patch available now
PlayStation: Patch available now
Xbox: Patch available now
Epic Games Store: Patch available now
Mac App Store: Patch available at a later time (in-progress)

New Additions

Added a controller remapping feature.
Added approximately 30 species of small animals that can be registered as pets.

Added new skills for Oongka and Damiane.
- The input command for each skill is the same as Kliff’s “Blinding Flash Finisher”.(Heavy attack while using Blinding Flash)
Added animations for picking up and putting down certain pets.

Major Content Improvements

Fixed an issue where checking colors while dyeing and customizing characters was difficult depending on the surrounding light sources.
Fixed an issue where legendary fish could be donated.
Fixed an issue where, even after obtaining certain knowledge, some related challenges would not be completed.
Fixed an issue where “Pond Management” mode could not be entered in certain situations.
Fixed an issue where controls would become unresponsive if the character died after entering the “Pond Management” menu while taking damage.
Fixed an issue where bears would try to eat fish dropped on the ground but fail to do so.
As part of ongoing improvements, certain 2D visual assets have been replaced to better align with the game’s art direction.

Major Control Improvements

Improved farming so that seeds can now be assigned to and used from quickslots.
Fixed an issue where the player would enter Photo Mode while examining items.
Fixed an issue where the “Magic Scythe” could not be used if the Inventory was full.
Fixed an issue where the “Scythe” could not be used in safe zones.
Fixed an issue where the “Mining Knuckledrill” could not be used while clinging to a wall.

Major Combat / Action Improvements

[Kliff] Fixed an issue where using “Evasive Kick” while unarmed would not consume Spirit.
[Kliff] Fixed an issue where “Blinding Flash Finisher” could be used even with insufficient Spirit.
[Oongka] Adjusted the amount of stagger meter increase from “Quaking Fury”.

Major UI Improvements

Improved the dispatch UI so that comrades with the missions’ required skills appear at the top.
When carrying out a mission repeatedly, “Repeating Mission” now appears in the UI.
[Keyboard/Mouse] The cursor now disappears when examining documents.
Fixed an issue where the number of comrades would appear as 0 in the camp resources UI.
Fixed an issue where the QTE input icon would not appear if certain input options were customized.
Fixed an issue where the UI would freeze when re-entering the game after being returned to the title screen due to an error in certain situations.
Fixed an issue where the “Clean” interaction input would appear even for fish that cannot be cleaned.

Major Graphics and Settings Improvements

[PC] Fixed an issue where shadows of some distant objects were not rendered correctly when the “Raytraced Sun/Moon Light Shadows” option was enabled.
[Mac] Fixed an issue where “Raytraced Sun/Moon Light Shadows” option was not being applied.

Major Localization Improvements

Fixed various localization errors and improved localization quality across all languages.

Other Improvements

Fixed an issue where audio would play when examining certain documents such as books and bounty notices, if the Voice Language was set to English.
Fixed an issue where sound effects would not play when cooking with a special cooking tool.
Fixed an issue where the game would occasionally crash when moving to the “Tree Branch” crafting recipe tab from the crafting UI.
[Damiane] Fixed an issue where repeatedly hitting sanctum cores with element-imbued attacks would cause their effects to stack, dropping performance.
[Damiane] Fixed unnatural animations when evading while falling from a high place.
Fixed an issue where player landing animations would appear unnatural in certain situations.
Fixed an issue where the animation for putting down a corpse would appear unnatural when interacting with something else while swimming with a corpse.
Fixed an issue where the equipment would appear transparent when switching to another tool while a tool was drawn.
Fixed an issue where the player’s equipment would switch to another weapon when attacking while certain tools were equipped.

2026-05-29 21:09