5 Features Crimson Desert Needs To Be Great

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When I initially thought about what Crimson Desert needed to become its best, my ideas were a bit different. However, Pearl Abyss has quickly made many improvements, fixes, and additions that I was hoping to see. They’ve already tackled the game’s biggest problems and refined some of its weaker areas. The core gameplay is still fantastic, but all these changes, both big and small, have significantly improved the overall experience.

Despite all that’s been achieved, there’s still potential to make Crimson Desert even better. Honestly, I already think it’s among the best games of 2026, and I’d be satisfied with it as it is right now. Of course, it’s always nice to hope for a few extra improvements to make it perfect. Pearl Abyss has generally listened to player feedback, so I’m hopeful they’ll consider adding these features if they agree they’re important to the overall experience.

5. Kliff Needs A Pair Of Binoculars

Crimson Desert boasts a massive open world, potentially one of the biggest ever created. The starting area, Hernand, is surprisingly expansive and filled with content – you could easily spend dozens of hours exploring it. I personally spent nearly 50 hours riding around Hernand, completing side quests, tackling challenging puzzles, fighting enemies, and discovering hidden areas behind every waterfall.

Given the massive size of the world in Crimson Desert, it’s surprising the characters don’t have binoculars or a telescope. This feels like an essential feature for any large open-world game, letting players scout distant areas and decide where to go next. It’s a great way to hint at interesting locations without relying on map markers, unlike some games from Ubisoft.

4. Pets Need More Of A Purpose

Like many players of Crimson Desert, I really enjoy the animal taming feature. While it’s not essential to the game, it adds a lot to the experience and makes you feel more connected to the world of Pywel and the act of exploring. There’s something special about adventuring with a loyal, armored dog companion. However, I think Pearl Abyss could have expanded on this feature even further.

I don’t want to sound demanding, especially since pets weren’t originally necessary. But allowing players to name their pets would be a great way to make them feel more special. Right now, pets mostly just collect loot – and sometimes don’t even do that reliably. They could be much more useful! For example, they could guide players to hidden areas, like the guiding spirits in Ghost of Tsushima. Or, they could help carry loot or occasionally uncover hidden treasure. Ultimately, it would be wonderful if pets played a bigger role in the player’s adventure through Pywel.

3. Kliff Needs Guns

Early on in my time with Crimson Desert, I found it really annoying that Kliff couldn’t use guns, even though you can buy them. I mistakenly thought I could turn him into a skilled gunslinger, but it turns out only his companion, Damiane, can actually equip them. While it’s fun letting Damiane use them, it would be great if Kliff had the option to wield a gun sometimes, too. And I kept jumping instead of looting enemies, which was also frustrating!

It’s tough to get players to use Damiane instead of Kliff – most people, including me, stick with Kliff throughout the game. While Damiane is enjoyable, there aren’t many compelling reasons to switch, except when the game forces you to. Giving her exclusive access to guns was a good idea in theory – it would make her feel different and encourage players to learn her combat style. However, it unfortunately means guns are rarely used in Crimson Desert. This is disappointing, because the game’s unique steampunk style really helps it stand out from other fantasy games.

2. Companions Need More Quests

Damiane and Oongka currently don’t have much purpose in Crimson Desert. I originally thought they could be improved by giving them some of Kliff’s skills, as they felt weak compared to other characters despite having interesting fighting styles. Pearl Abyss has since done just that, which fans are happy about. Now, the next step should be to give them more meaningful roles to play using those new abilities. Right now, they mostly just assist in combat and don’t have much else to do.

Honestly, these characters feel a bit useless in the game. They have a few quests of their own, but it’s not nearly enough to keep me engaged. I can’t do most of the side stuff because it’s all tied to Kliff, and they’re completely locked out of the main story missions and even some of the puzzles. It’s frustrating because you can tell the developers put a lot of work into them, but they just end up feeling redundant. I wish they had more unique quests, or even just let us do some of the existing ones! That would make them feel much more worthwhile. Plus, it’d be a welcome distraction from hearing them constantly respond with “Yes” and “Alright” to everyone, no matter how weird the situation – it gets old fast!

1. The Introduction Needs To Be Reworked

The very beginning of Crimson Desert is a major weak point for me – it’s easily the worst part of the game. It’s thankfully short, but it was so frustrating that I almost stopped playing. I’m not sure what the developers were aiming for with its confusing story and poorly connected quests; it feels like it was thrown together. However, fixing it shouldn’t be too difficult, as only the first chapter and a bit of the second need to be redesigned.

The frustrating side missions in Hernand, like arm wrestling and chimney cleaning, could be removed entirely. Similarly, Kliff’s repeated travel between Pywel and the Abyss can be streamlined. Instead, Kliff could die, allowing players to complete all Abyss content from Chapter 1 consecutively, then return to Pywel, travel to Hernand, and immediately confront Matthias. Middler could then ask for help with Hernand’s problems in exchange for information about the Greymanes. This naturally leads into the Goldleaf Merchant questline, ultimately revealing the Greymane camp. This seems like a clear fix for Crimson Desert’s weakest part and wouldn’t require Pearl Abyss to develop any new content.

What features would you like to see in Crimson Desert? Share your thoughts in a comment below and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-04-12 02:41