Crimson Desert Has One Rule You Need to Learn Early

Over the roughly 130 hours I have spent in Crimson Desert, I have understandably learned plenty of valuable lessons, namely rooted in the fact that this game is far from what I was expecting. My initial perception of it was that it would be a typical action-adventure game with a narrative I’d be able to breeze through when I wasn’t out exploring its massive open world. It seemed at first to be a game that almost anyone could enjoy, simply because it looked like it was trying to rewrite the rulebook by applying what felt like every rule in the industry. In that way, I thought it would appeal to a variety of preferences and playstyles. But even after spending only around 10 hours with Crimson Desert, I was already realizing how quickly this game would probably turn a lot of people off, as it’s not what it seems.

To put it plainly, Crimson Desert is not an easy game, and in multiple different ways. Even when it tries to hold your hand, it has a hard time doing so because there is just so much going on in the game that even its tutorials can’t keep up. Gear and skill progression is a massive grind because it requires what feels like an ever-increasing number of Abyss Artifacts and crafting materials. And its combat takes some time to get used to because it will punish you for playing the way you think it’s meant to be played. However, at around the 30-hour mark of my playthrough, I came to terms with the fact that I would need to play at its pace rather than my own, and therein lies the one rule you need to learn early to avoid frustration and burnout.

Crimson Desert Developer Shares Drop Nearly 30% After Disappointing Reviews

Pearl Abyss shares see a steep drop after critics’ reviews of Crimson Desert fail to live up to the long-awaited game’s lofty expectations.

Don’t Mainline Crimson Desert’s Story—Enjoy Its World

Here’s the long and short of it: don’t mainline Crimson Desert‘s story, or you’ll be in a world of hurt, and you might even feel like quitting the game at some point. For some reason, Crimson Desert‘s mandatory bosses can be exceedingly difficult if you’re just trying to breeze through the game’s main objectives. I guess I’m just used to open-world action-adventure games treating their story as something they actually want players to experience and enjoy rather than something chock-full of massive difficulty spikes that initially seem impassable. That’s not the case here, however, as Crimson Desert seems to take pride in checking your ego at every turn.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Those of us who collaborated during the review process for the game still haven’t stopped talking about its first major ego check (which I won’t spoil here), admitting that it would probably be a brick wall for many players who went in expecting to just go through the story. I was personally able to beat that particular boss on my second attempt, but only because I started playing by Crimson Desert‘s most important unwritten rule and the fight became easier as a result. Naturally, I walked away from the encounter feeling like I could take on the world, only for the next big difficulty spike to stop me in my tracks once again, grounding me and ultimately forcing me to, once again, play by the game’s rules rather than my own.

I’m not sure why developers insist on making boss fights this difficult in their games, especially as the rise of the Soulslike genre seems to have burnt out a lot of players for that reason. In fact, it’s to the point now where a lot of developers have been clear about their game not being a Soulslike, simply because they don’t want to turn players away before they even get a chance to play the game—looking at you, Black Myth Wukong. Nevertheless, while Crimson Desert might not be a Soulslike, it can certainly feel like one at times because of how challenging its main bosses are. But, again, forcing yourself to observe the game’s loudest unwritten rule is the way to overcome those encounters.

Once You Learn to Pace Yourself in Crimson Desert’s Open World, It Becomes Much Easier

I said this in my review of Crimson Desert, but it seems this game considers its top priority to be slowing you down at pretty much every chance it gets. As soon as you start to feel like you’re actually making progress, it throws a wrench in that with an overly complicated puzzle or, as I’ve already said, a difficult boss fight. But that’s just it—if you want to succeed in Crimson Desert, you need to let it slow you down. It’s trying to pace you because that’s the way it’s meant to be played. Sure, it might present itself as something that wants you to play it your way, but that’s most likely just an illusion we’ve created in our own minds because of what we normally see in this genre.

I would say that Crimson Desert‘s story is actually designed to be the side character, while its open world plays the lead role. As such, engaging with the intended main character is, in a way, how you can beat Crimson Desert at its own game. I started to realize this after around 30 hours, and it changed the game for me. Boss fights stopped being so difficult, and puzzles were no longer stumping me as often as they once did. Also, I’ve failed to mention up to this point just how hard it is to manage inventory in Crimson Desert because there is no player storage and the only way to increase inventory space is to complete side quests and purchase Small Bags from vendors.

Pearl Abyss has confirmed a patch is on the way that will give players storage in their house, so that should help with the game’s persistent inventory limitations.

But that also lends to my point. Every obstacle in Crimson Desert can be overcome if you pace yourself and enjoy its open world. There is so much to do in the game, and, thankfully, there’s enough variety that it doesn’t get old, even after over 100 hours. But engaging with those activities will ultimately grant you more Abyss Artifacts than you can count for gear, skill, and stat progression, more inventory space to hoard all of your junk, and even powerful gear that is unobtainable in the main story.

So, take your time in Crimson Desert, as you’ll probably enjoy it much more, and you won’t knock down your personal score of the game because it’s “too hard.” The moment you stop treating its story like something you need to push through and start treating its world like something to live in, everything should click into place. Bosses will start to feel manageable, progression will feel smoother, and the frustration that once seemed unavoidable will begin to fade. Learn that rule early, and Crimson Desert becomes far less about surviving its toughest moments and more about embracing everything it offers in between.