Charting the Unknown adds romance, weddings, ships, diving and a boss gauntlet to Pearl Abyss’ open-world hit. All three playable heroes can find love, including with the witches.
Crimson Desert finally has romance. It also has divorce.
Pearl Abyss’ first paid expansion, Charting the Unknown, launched Oct. 29 for $24.99, and its biggest addition is a full romance system that lets players court, marry and split up with NPCs across the continent of Pywel.
All three playable characters, Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, can take part.
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How does romance work in Crimson Desert?
It’s built on trust.
Each romanceable NPC has a relationship meter. You raise it by talking to them, giving gifts and picking the right lines on a new dialogue wheel. You can check an NPC’s interaction menu to see whether romance is even an option.
Once trust hits 100, a new option opens up to turn the friendship into something more. Max out their affection after that, and you can propose.
Weddings come with a ceremony attended by members of the Greymanes, Kliff’s mercenary band.
Can you romance the witches in Crimson Desert?
Yes. The four witches of Pywel each get new faction quests in the DLC that build trust and affection, and they’re all on the list of possible partners.
Once you’re married, your spouse can follow you around or move into your house. And if it isn’t working out, you can divorce them.
What else is in Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown?
Romance is the headliner, but it’s far from the only thing.
Ships and the ocean: You can build a sailing ship and follow a new questline exploring Pywel’s coast and islands.
Diving: Underwater exploration, with breath management gear recommended.
Garden of Trials: New endgame challenges and a boss gauntlet.
Housing: New homes and property management, including castles and businesses.
New stories: Fresh storylines for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane that start after you finish the main campaign.
Do you need to finish Crimson Desert to play the DLC?
For some of it. The new character storylines unlock after the main story wraps up, and the ocean questline requires finishing the Howling Hill quest first. Romance mostly depends on building trust with the right people, though some camp-related options need camp upgrades.
You’ll also need the DLC on top of the current version of the base game, updated to patch 2.04.00.
When was Charting the Unknown announced?
Pearl Abyss first showed the expansion at Sony’s State of Play on Sept. 3. Crimson Desert itself earned generally favorable reviews at launch, with its combat getting most of the praise.
Romance gives players a reason to spend time in Pywel’s towns, not just its battlefields. Now Kliff can finally settle down, or at least try.
Article compiled and written by Thom Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
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PC Gamer (Oct. 30): unlock requirements and romance steps.
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Beebom (Oct. 21): price, launch date and playable characters.
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Games.gg (Oct. 28): dialogue wheel, wedding ceremony and feature list.
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Output Lag (Nov. 1): patch 2.04.00.
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Wikipedia: State of Play announcement date.
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Pirat_Nation on X (Nov. 2): tip.
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