Crimson Desert Includes Dynamic Weather, Which Affects Cutscenes and Boss Battles

by

We’ve seen a lot about Crimson Desert – the fighting, exploring, and even the ability to break the law – but details about the weather system have been scarce. While we’ve glimpsed different conditions like rain in videos, it’s unclear how the weather actually functions in the game.

Will Powers, marketing director at Pearl Abyss America, explained on the Dropped Frames podcast that the game’s system is constantly changing. It figures things out based on the in-game weather and temperature. Things like how high up you are, the time of day, wind, and whether it’s snowing or raining all play a big role.

Honestly, it’s amazing how everything feels so dynamic. The developers built this engine that lets everything happen live, you know? It’s not pre-scripted or anything – the world is constantly being calculated in real-time. That’s what makes it feel so alive and immersive, like you’re really in the game.

The game’s weather system is so dynamic that you might encounter drastically different conditions during important moments like boss battles or cutscenes. According to Powers, while showing the game at Summer Game Fest, it was amusing how bad weather would sometimes unexpectedly occur during a demonstration, ruining the moment.

Each gameplay demonstration is unique. Just like real life, we sometimes have good weather and sometimes bad. If I want to showcase the skybox, a cloudy day can be frustrating because it doesn’t look its best. While this variety is great for players, it makes it difficult to consistently show off the game in demos.

Something we’ve noticed online is that people compare screenshots from the same boss fight or gameplay moment and point out changes in the graphics. But what’s happening is actually due to the time of day in our cutscenes. Everything is rendered in the game engine, so it’s just a difference in lighting.

The same boss fight can feel totally different depending on when you play it. The lighting changes dramatically – it might be bright and clear during the day, or dark and rainy at night. These changes in atmosphere really affect how players experience the fight.

While the day and night cycle doesn’t directly impact gameplay much – aside from potentially making it harder to see in the dark sometimes – it does enhance the game’s atmosphere. The time of day also dynamically changes during battles, so players won’t be pulled out of the experience. A full day/night cycle is implemented, though the exact method for determining the time is still a mystery.

I was a little hoping the rain might create opportunities – like making it harder to see or turning the ground to mud, which could slow enemies down. But honestly, there’s a special feeling about seeing the sun come out after a tough castle battle, or even facing a snowstorm while climbing a mountain.

Crimson Desert will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC starting March 19th. You can find out more about the game’s combat system here, and details about building your base here.

Read More

2026-02-16 14:11