One of the few games that truly surprised me this year was, hands down, Crimson Desert. No other title has felt as ambitious or as addictive as Pearl Abyss’s latest endeavor. And while it had a few issues at launch, it’s become a mind-blowing open-world experience I haven’t been able to put down. When the studio announced a major expansion in such a short time, I was a bit skeptical about how well it would pull it off, given what it promised. Yet, once again, Pearl Abyss exceeded my expectations, as Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown elevates this installment’s gameplay-first approach in surprising, enjoyable ways.
New Lands on the Horizon
Like many of the updates Pearl Abyss has released for Crimson Desert, this new expansion, Charting the Unknown, is just as beefy, if not more so. It brings more camp systems, romance with the opportunity to get married, expanded housing systems, the ability to restore strongholds, and plenty more that I won’t mention, as I don’t want to turn this into a features list. In short, it’s as packed as you’d expect.
The first thing that caught my attention, and likely many others’, was the addition of what is essentially a whole new map, or rather, the ability to explore beyond the coasts of Pywel.
In my case, since I wanted to try that as soon as possible, I went back to my camp, realized I had to progress through its quest, fulfilled a few requests, and started building my first boat flying Greymane colors.
As soon as I set sail, the community’s most common running joke hit me: “I haven’t left Hernand.” Which isn’t truly a joke. I was still exploring the starting zone 50 hours in. Still, the reason I remembered that is because of just how well Pearl Abyss manages its exploration systems and how much of that translates to this open-water concept.
After exploring the first island, I just roamed around, hunted a few enemy ships, and went underwater to see how much I could find. It never felt dull. Whether I was grabbing a few scallops or diving below the 230m mark to collect a lightsaber, it reminded me how unique every play session feels in Crimson Desert, giving me the motivation to stay up late just to see what lurked at the bottom of the sea.
On top of that, and this might be a bit hard to believe for some, there are only two games that have made me feel the same level of awe and fear when it comes to underwater exploration, and they are Subnautica and Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown. I am aware the comparison might be a bit strange given the different genres, but speaking strictly about the underwater parts, it’s uncanny just how similar they felt.
At one point, you’re exploring an island full of colorful trees, wildlife, and a few abandoned camps. Later, you’re diving in the darkness, where your only light is whatever emanates from the deep-sea creatures and a few areas near some trenches. I once again felt that rush of wanting to either push deeper into some underwater ruins and risk my oxygen, or look for better equipment, prepare myself, and explore properly.
All in all, Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown nailed the sea exploration aspect, both in and outside of a boat. And while I really enjoyed the underwater portion way more than being on my boat, I also appreciate just how customizable the whole build-your-ship system is. On top of that, it ties perfectly to the actual diving part, so it made the whole experience much more enjoyable.
Pywel’s Tycoon
For the thalassophobes out there, however, there is another big element that Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown added, and it’s expanding your life beyond the confines of your camp.
One thing I really enjoyed when Crimson Desert launched is how it added this cozy camp-management element. It tied to other systems quite well, and never really felt like a drag. I would send my comrades on missions and wait out the timer while I liberated a few camps or tracked down a new piece of armor. While it felt refreshing to have this gameplay segment, it often felt too restrictive in terms of what you could do outside the camp.
Fortunately, this DLC fixed that and let us do more outside our Greymane base. My favorite aspect was that of turning Kliff, or any of the other two protagonists, into a Pywel tycoon. At first, like many, I started with the sawmill, which is basically the tutorial, and I was struggling with it.
I had no clue how to increase my popularity, or rather, generate more income. And while some other games frustrate me in terms of not teaching me what to do, I’ve always loved the fact that Crimson Desert leans into a more of a “trial-and-error” approach. So, I discovered how furniture bonuses worked, started selling a few expensive items with some cheap ones to mitigate my drops in satisfaction, and my income rose to 50k a day overnight.
Since I’ve always liked that type of gameplay loop, I chased that feeling and eventually leased a weaving shop or sorts, a restaurant, and started outfitting my Greymanes with the proper uniforms to perform their task.
Even if I enjoyed the whole recruiting process and watching the Greymanes get excited as Kliff found them, I felt more attached to them once I put them in chef uniforms and assigned them to my fully furnished facilities. Charting the Unknown finally fixes one of the biggest issues I have with games that include a cozy system. Instead of workers or residents feeling like wallflowers, they feel part of the world, and in an extremely profitable way at that.
Outside of that, you can now romance many of the denizens in Pywel, so those feeling frustrated at the fact that the Red Witch was just there for your Abyss Gears, well, no need to fret anymore.
I really liked this addition, as it encouraged me to go hunting for a partner for each of the protagonists. While it isn’t as deep as a simulation game, it’s a nice touch, especially with the dozen new homes you can acquire. Speaking of homes, this DLC also elevates the housing system, with several new ways to customize your houses, adding yet another feature that makes the game as addictive as ever.
Despite all of my praise, I do have one major complaint, and it is, once again, regarding the weakest part of Crimson Desert: the narrative.
Back when I reviewed the game, I quickly came to terms with the fact that there was nothing groundbreaking about the plot or the characters at that. As I said already, Crimson Desert is a gameplay-first title at all times, and that applies to Charting the Unknown. Still, I was hoping this DLC would at least provide better stories for the three characters. But no, that wasn’t quite the case, sadly.
I won’t spoil any of those, of course, as everyone deserves to experience the new post-story content, but I will say it is as forgettable as many of the quests I saw in the main story. Fortunately, since I see the main story beats as a side dish, ironically, I had a blast with everything else that the DLC added, which, in my opinion, is the real bread and butter.
As Ambitious As Ever
In the end, Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is yet another welcome surprise for open-world fans. Even if some of us were more than pleased with everything the base game offered, the DLC added just elevated the game in ways I didn’t think possible.
And while I’m disappointed that the narrative remains the game’s weakest part, everything else eclipses it, and I’m fine with that. As someone who’s always loved the many features Crimson Desert offers, this DLC is the perfect example of how more can definitely be better, provided it’s done with the quality and care that Pearl Abyss always brings to its games.
