IGN's Crimson Desert walkthrough covers the entirety of the massive campaign from the prologue to the climactic finale. The walkthrough also contains tips and tricks for each of the game's boss battles, plus locations for collectibles and major upgrades along the way. This page includes a list of every main quest across Crimson Desert's story, along with information on camp upgrades, Abyss puzzles, and more.
Crimson Desert Walkthrough Guide
The story of Crimson Desert puts you in the shoes of Kilff, a grizzled warrior who belongs to a clan called the Greymanes. After a devastating defeat at the hands of the rival Black Bears, Kliff must travel across Pywel to rebuild his clan and push back against mysterious forces.
For our complete and comprehensive Crimson Desert walkthrough, follow the list below.
Crimson Desert Main Quests
Crimson Desert's chapters are divided into major quests comprised of several smaller quest steps, ranging in scale from speaking to an NPC to liberating entire regions. For simplicity's sake, we've grouped things together so you don't have to jump between rapid-fire short pages.
There are 12 chapters in Crimson Desert's main story, plus Prologue and Epilogue chapters. There are 39 major quests in total, with each split into smaller quests that range from puzzle-solving sections to simple cutscenes that auto-complete.
| Crimson Desert Quest List and Rewards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quest | Rewards | Completion |
| Prologue: Dead of Night | ||
| Ambush | - | |
| Unknown Space | Medium Bag, Oats x10, Blackberry x5 | |
| Chapter 1: The First Encounter | ||
| Trials of Kindness | Hernandian Attire, Engraved Key, Medium Bag x2, Lentils x10, Apple x5 | |
| Traces | Axiom Force, Force Palm, Flight, Palmar Pill, Faded Abyss Artifact | |
| Chapter 2: Golden Greed | ||
| Unexpected Gift | Visione, Nature's Grasp, Focus | |
| Hernand in Chaos | - | |
| The End of Greed | Abyss Artifact, Medium Bag, Iron Ore x7, Copper Ore x2, Sword of the Lord | |
| Chapter 3: Howling Hill | ||
| Homestead | Greymane Camp, Damiane, Iron Ore x5, Large Bag, Clear Soup x10 | |
| The Face Behind the Mask | Sunset Reed Cloth Gloves | |
| Pioneering | Freesword Management Office | |
| Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge | ||
| Mysterious Pot | Kuku Pot | |
| Daily Life | Arena, Archery Contest | |
| Forbidden Knowledge | Scholastone Uniform, Abyss Artifact, Honey Tea x10 | |
| Chapter 5: Guest Unbidden | ||
| Uninvited Guests | The Grove's Thorn, Gale I Abyss Core, Howling of Chaos Abyss Core | |
| Black and White | Gear Blueprint: Haste, Blackwing Leather Armor, Blackwing Mask, Tauria Curved Sword | |
| Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield | ||
| Blazing Beacon | - | |
| Below the Banners | - | |
| Turning Tides | Whistling Arrow x10 | |
| The Unyielding Shields | Shield of Betrayal | |
| Chapter 7: Homecoming | ||
| Morning Mist | Wolf's Fang | |
| Dawn | Jackals' Leather Helm, Jackals' Leather Armor, Jackal Cloth Cloak, Hungering Fang Leather Cloak, Hungering Fang Leather Boots | |
| Decisive Battle | Melted Ambition, Oongka | |
| Twisted Fate | Ignir, Solas Plate Armor, Solas Plate Boots, Pailune Settlement Quests | |
| Chapter 8: Blood Coronation | ||
| Ashen Steps | Golden Vanguard, Radiant Necklace, Abyss Artifact | |
| Demeniss Bound | Shackle of Might, Abyss Artifact | |
| Traitor | Official Knight's Plate Armor, Official Knight's Leather Boots, Official Knight's Leather Gloves, Eclipsed Solas Plate Gloves, Spire of Clockwork Key | |
| Chapter 9: The Sage of the Desert | ||
| The Calling | - | |
| Shattered Ties | Stardust Necklace | |
| Thinning Blade | Greymane's Earring, Witch's Ring | |
| Six Pensive Statues and the Evil Spirit | Wooden Mask of Lost Justice, Wanderer of Faith Leather Gloves, Abyss Artifact x4 | |
| Veiled Witch | Crow Whisperer | |
| Enlightenment | - | |
| Chapter 10: Counterattack | ||
| Secret Weapon | A.T.A.G. | |
| Greater Firepower | - | |
| Chapter 11: Truth and Reality | ||
| Brave New World | - | |
| Foreboding Shadow | Blackstar, Golden Fire | |
| Chapter 12: The Abyss | ||
| The Final Battle | - | |
| The Void | Twisted Verdict | |
| Epilogue: Journey's End | ||
| Journey's End | - | |
Early Tips and Tricks
Crimson Desert can be especially punishing during the first few hours of your adventure. It doesn't hold your hand, and a lot of information is withheld so you can discover things on your own. To make things easier on youself, check out these pages for tips and tricks.
Greymane Camp Upgrades
Once Kliff starts making a name for himself in Pywel, he'll start to reconnect with some of his old Greymane comrades. The Greymanes set up a central camp that serves as a hub for all their operations, and you can upgrade and grow the campsite to unlock new features.
There are dozens of scattered Greymanes to recruit, and each of them adds something new to the camp at Howling Hill. Use the table below to keep track of your merry band of mercenaries throughout your playthrough.
All Greymane Comrades and Stores in Crimson Desert
| Greymane Comrades | How To Unlock | Skills | Camp Store Unlocked | Quest Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ???? |
| ???? | ||
| ???? |
| ???? | ||
| ???? |
| Provisions Keeper | ???? | |
| ???? |
| Dispatch Coordinator | ???? | |
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Hills of No Rerturn |
| Embers of Return: Rumors of the Greymanes | ||
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Hills of No Rerturn |
| Embers of Return: Rumors of the Greymanes | ||
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Hills of No Rerturn |
| Embers of Return: Rumors of the Greymanes | ||
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Hills of No Rerturn |
| Embers of Return: Rumors of the Greymanes | ||
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Glenbright Farm |
| Cook | Embers of Return: New Information | |
| Embers of Return: A Rumor at Glenbright Farm |
| Quartermaster | Embers of Return: New Information |
New Difficulty Options
Pearl Abyss has been constantly updating Crimson Desert with changes based on player feedback, and multiple difficulty options are one of the game's post-launch highlights. There are now three difficulty levels in Crimson Desert.
- Easy
- Reduced damage taken by the player.
- Reduced maximum health, aggressiveness, and overall speed of opponents.
- Extended timing windows for Parry and Dodge.
- Reduced the frequency of bosses attempting to counterattack or escape when hit.
- Normal
- This is default difficulty from the 1.0 version of the game.
- Hard
- Food item effects won't be applied immediately and will only take effect after the consumption animation is complete.
- Increased damage taken by the player.
- Increased maximum health, aggressiveness, and overall speed of opponents.
- Reduced timing window for Parry and Dodge.
- Reduced the invincibility duration for Roll.
- Increased the frequency of bosses attempting to counterattack or escape when hit.
- Added additional combat patterns for certain bosses.
Resources and Upgrades
If you're just starting out in Crimson Desert, keep these pages on hand so you don't miss out on any fast travel locations, unique equipment, or critical upgrades!
- All Fast Travel Locations
- Best Early Weapons
- Best Skills to Get First
- Watch and Learn Skill Locations
- All Equipment and Tool Blueprint Locations
Cash is King
Money can be hard to come by in Crimson Desert — especially in the early hours — so use these pages to discover your next money-making scheme.
- Treasure Chest Locations
- Strongbox Puzzle Locations and Solutions
- All Ore and Resource Locations: Gold, Silver Diamonds, Epidote, Plants, and More
- How to Get the Gold Bar Recipe
- How to Farm Golden Apples (Quick Gold Bars)
- How to Get Free Gold Bars (Gold Bar Locations)
- How to Rob Hernand Bank
- How to Invest at the Bank
- How to Turn Five-Card into an Infinite Money Glitch
