If you are just starting out with Crimson Desert, first of all get your Crimson Desert steam key from LootBar and dive into the world of Pywel, trust us when we say that the game is going to throw a lot at you in short order.
Pearl Abyss has designed one of the most ambitious open worlds so far and overloaded this game with combat features, companion features, skill trees, and resource management that may overwhelm in the first few hours of gameplay.
This guide will assist you in making it through all of this and give you a clearer picture of what to specifically pay attention to, how to utilize the combat features to the fullest, and the most efficient way to play this game, without getting lost.
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What Kind of Game Is Crimson Desert
First and foremost, it is important to understand what Crimson Desert actually is. It is not a traditional RPG. It is more of an open-world action game. It can be best described as a child of Devil May Cry and Breath of the Wild. It was originally created as a spin-off of Black Desert Online, but was later re-created as a massive single-player experience.
You will be playing the role of Kliff, the leader of the Greymane mercenaries. This group of brothers and sisters has been shattered. It is up to you to find the remaining members. Along the way, you will also encounter two other playable characters, namely Damiane and Oongka.
How Progression Works: Forget XP, Focus on Abyss Artifacts
The game does not have the conventional leveling-up process in which you level up your statistics using XP points. Instead, you receive Abyss Artifacts that you use to level up your skills and your primary statistics: Stamina, Health, and Spirit.
The three colored nodes on the skill tree represent health, spirit, and stamina. Your stamina should be enhanced early in the game, as it determines how effective your climbing, gliding, and fighting abilities are.
The main way to obtain Abyss Artifacts is through fighting and questing. The bar on the left of the mini-map will be filled as you kill the enemies. The Abyss Artifact will be obtained once the bar is filled.
Spend your first artifacts on Stamina and Health before anything else. Everything in the early game, fighting, running, climbing, gliding, depends on having enough of both.
Combat Basics: How to Fight and Cook
Crimson Desert's combat looks flashy, but the fundamentals are straightforward once you understand a few things.
Parrying is your most important mechanic: Parrying is among your most fundamental mechanics in the game. In case you manage to block an attack, you will automatically restore your Stamina and Spirit, and receive a split second to strike back. You will have to learn to parry as early as possible, as it is highly essential in boss fights.
Watch and Learn skills are free: During a battle, your opponent might have a blue highlight while time slows down. This denotes that Kliff is learning a move from that enemy. If this occurs enough times, Kliff will learn the ability permanently without spending an Abyss Artifact. Never spend artifacts on Watch and Learn skills. Let enemies teach you those for free.
The three best skills to unlock first are Nature's Echo, Quick Swap, and Blinding Flash. Blinding Flash can also be used to engulf environmental obstacles in flames, such as vines, though the game never tells you this. It is also used to detect Abyss Nexuses and solve puzzles throughout the world.
Always cook your food: Although eating raw food will have no adverse effects, it will not be as potent as cooking. Cooking does not cost money, and cooked food has greater curative value than raw food.
Managing Your Three Companions
There are three playable characters: Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka, each specialising in different combat styles. The main campaign can only be progressed as Kliff, but side content and faction quests can be completed with the others.
The smartest way to use them is to position them across different regions. Keeping Damiane near a town like Hernand allows you to switch to her and sell unwanted items for copper or silver without travelling back yourself. Inventory is shared across all three characters, making this management much easier. So get your LootBar game key and take control of your companions.
Early Progression Tips That Make a Real Difference
● Upgrade your weapons immediately: Copper and Iron Ores are both abundant in the game. Upgrade your weapons at the earliest opportunity. If you are unsure what to upgrade first on your character, use the default weapons because they can't be sold and are always on your character.
● Expand your inventory through quests: There is currently no storage or stash system in the game, so all items that you want to have on your character must be on your character at all times. You gain inventory slots based on completing quests in each region. In Hernand, complete the Hernand Commission quests, as these provide three extra inventory spaces per quest.
● Craft Palmar Pills before tough fights: A basic alchemy kit, such as water and any insects you kill or plants you pick, can be used to create Palmar Pills that will enable you to revive with 30 percent of your health. These revives come to your rescue during difficult battles, as you will save a lot of time and save the hassle of restarting the fight over and over again.
● Upgrade the Greymane Camp early: Upgrade it as soon as it becomes available, as it offers many unique and useful items. The camp also provides mid-combat healing and temporary buffs when you need them most.
● Sell junk immediately: You can sell unnecessary items as soon as you can. This includes old books, documents, and posters. These are not needed for any quest and are just occupying space in your inventory. In recipes and manuals that you have already learned for crafting, you can sell them as soon as you can to increase your relationship level.
● Do not ignore side quests: Almost everything you do that improves a community also increases your contribution rank. Higher contribution levels allow you to purchase unique goodies from regional vendors, including thematic weapons, armor, and horse barding.
One Thing Most Beginners Get Wrong
You might consider going out into the world, and you can explore on your own, but the bitter thing is that some of the most valuable skills related to movement are enclosed behind the primary narrative. Such skills like Focus Palm Force and flight are essential in exploration, and they can be mastered only in the main story.
Finish the main story, then explore. You will thank yourself when the fast travel and movement skills are unlocked, and suddenly, the whole world is open.
Conclusion
Crimson Desert punishes those who do not listen to its systems but try to force their way through. Use your first Abyss Artifacts on Stamina and Health, learn how to time your parry, and allow you.
Watch and Learn skills to gain many free levels, maintain your companions well-spread throughout the map to get the best use of your resources, and advance the main story to the point that the movement skills that make exploration fun become available.
If you get these foundations right, Pywel no longer feels overwhelming but like one of the best open worlds you have ever played.
