Vortex Gaming

Players who purchased the game at launch felt like they were participating in a paid beta test. There was significant stress due to the lack of explanation and inconvenience from the unfinished state, but the game environment has become very comfortable with recent updates. While the operations team's efforts to improve quickly are positive, the experience of early players should also be respected.

The realistic graphics realized through HDR and ray tracing effects on the PS5 Pro environment are top-notch. Especially impressive are the depictions of beaches and distant landscapes, and the harmony between the aerial descent연출 and the ground scenery is beautiful. The operations team has continuously released large-scale updates since the early stages of launch, quickly addressing user complaints and demonstrating a passion for improving the game's completeness.

Character customization offers high freedom through skill point allocation instead of a level system. Defense and special abilities can be enhanced through 'Abyss Gear,' allowing for customized play that considers both appearance and performance. The variety of weapon types such as one-handed swords, two-handed swords, and spears, the system of switching between 3 characters, and the diverse action motions and skills for each weapon add to the game's fun.

Fast Travel points, added through updates, exist throughout the map and are easy to unlock, allowing for efficient travel across the vast open world. In particular, aerial travel using 'Abyss' greatly enhances travel convenience. This provides a very comfortable travel experience compared to other open-world games.

When climbing high cliffs or terrain, you can ascend up to 3 levels higher by consecutively using the designated strike leap and aerial thrust. By pressing RB+Y consecutively after jumping, or by pressing Y after jumping while mounted and then using the designated strike and aerial thrust, you can reach even greater heights. Using ricochet from high places displays glowing points on the map, which is useful for determining exploration direction.

When farming items after defeating enemies becomes cumbersome, summoning a companion animal will automatically collect items from corpses and the ground. To adopt a companion animal, you must raise its affinity to the maximum level. For dogs, you can increase affinity by petting them and giving them small bones. For cats, use specific foods or by holding them, etc. Visiting the witch and utilizing the companion animal affinity acquisition Abyss Gear can help in gaining affinity.

Completing the quest to hunt the Black Fang through server quests rewards you with information on the locations of all legendary animals. You can check the locations of legendary animals in the 'Knowledge - Creatures - Legendary Creatures' tab of the menu and identify their detailed locations through map view. Captured legendary animals can be registered as mounts at the witch's place, and some animals can be used in combat or ridden directly.

When you obtain new equipment, it's important to check if it can be tempered and its options before using it unconditionally. Weapons should balance critical hit rate, attack speed, and damage. Armor should be checked for defense and specialized additional effects. The cloak's resistance stat is important. Focus on tempering equipment according to your desired appearance and options, and equip Abyss Gear to enhance performance.

The Knowledge tab provides very useful information for gameplay. The 'People' tab shows the bounties of wanted criminals, and the 'Territory' tab distinguishes between visited and unvisited locations. The 'Creatures - Legendary Creatures' tab shows the locations of legendary animals, and the 'Bosses' tab shows the remaining number of bosses. The 'Adventure' tab provides various information for exploration, and you can easily find the location of the 'Witch's Hideout'.

If you discover a waterfall during exploration, don't just pass by; look around the area. A stone tablet near the waterfall is a sign that there is treasure inside. Using the thrust skill on the waterfall allows you to break through a hidden passage and enter, where you will find useful items and treasures.

The Pirate King's Hat has a function to detect nearby treasure chests and can be obtained through sub-quests. By moving to a specific location south of Hernand and sailing a small boat towards where a large ship is visible, you can find treasure chests. There is also a method of massacring nobles to gain experience and items (golden chickens, gold bars, etc.), but it is not recommended as it can detract from the game's enjoyment.

Crimson Desert has a total of 6 research labs: Scholastone, Pororin Village, Urdaaba, Duheven, Gordak Ironworks, and Delesia Academy. Each research lab opens as you progress through the chapters, and through the labs, you can gain opportunities for increased 재화 acquisition rate, stat boosts, crafting recipes, and special items. Progressing research requires significant time and cost, so consistent effort is important.

The Scholastone Research Lab is located southwest of the city of Hernand. Main research includes acquiring Cheonsamsam to reduce stamina consumption and farming seeds, beekeeping techniques, crafting recipes for Light-Emitting Abyss Artifacts, and effects that increase vitality.

The Pororin Village Research Lab is located south of the city of Hernand. Main research includes crafting Jijungdan, which allows resurrection with HP after death, the magic sickle that automatically collects items upon attack, the Pororin fishing rod that increases fishing speed, increased acquisition efficiency when gathering, the Yongto Hornpilim mission, and the Richwood Ruins mission. It contains the most useful features.

The Urdaaba Research Lab is located northwest of the city of Tashkalp. Main research includes effects that provide additional HP recovery upon consuming food, passive stat increases for stamina, acquisition of the World Accessory Compendium crafting recipe, and acquisition of crafting recipes for special items like the Violence Spear. It can be accessed quickly via cliff jumps.

In the center of Duheven city, there is a research lab where you can study increased timber acquisition rate, missions related to chainsaws and mechanical workers, crafting recipes for special items like the Electric Spear, and various one-handed weapon crafting recipes including the Regeneration Greatsword. It is essential for timber supply and camp efficiency. North of Duheven city, research is possible for reduced crafting material effects, large-scale mission dispatch, increased flight capabilities with Onka, and increased mineral acquisition rate. Northeast of Duheven city, you can research crafting recipes for the Wind Spear, additional part acquisition upon mechanical kills, and the Plate Armor Compendium crafting recipes.

Immediately after launch, the game received a surge of negative reviews due to extreme polarization, but subsequent rapid feedback incorporation, control improvements, and UI overhauls by Pearl Abyss led to a rebound in Steam reviews to 'Very Positive.' There is a noticeable trend of evaluations becoming more positive as playtime increases, as players who overcame the initial difficulties became captivated by the game's depth.

Many reviews find the game's story somewhat disappointing, with criticism pointing to a lack of overall connection due to its structure of independent stories for each region. However, this paradoxically acts as a strength, encouraging exploration of the vast world out of pure curiosity. The scale of vertical terrain, including mountains, cliffs, and caves, in addition to horizontal expansion, is overwhelming, and the fact that you can go anywhere you can see is impressive.

Combat and controls act as an initial barrier to entry but become elements that add depth to the game once players become accustomed to them. It offers unique experiences such as using specific combat skills to enter behind waterfalls or solving puzzles by sticking weapons into pillars. However, boss battles are heavily criticized for frequent teleports, instant-kill attacks, and bugs, which are pointed out as the game's biggest weaknesses.

Crimson Desert tends to receive more positive evaluations as playtime increases. After overcoming the complex systems and rules of the early game, it reveals its true charm. It is recommended for those who prioritize the joy of exploration and discovery, enjoy MMO-style progression, and can tolerate some unfriendliness or rough edges. It may not be suitable for those who prefer a friendly tutorial and intuitive controls, or who enjoy a solid, linear story.

Crimson Desert was selected as the best new game for March 2026 through player votes. Users cited addictive gameplay, the joy of unexpected discoveries, and its captivating charm as strengths. Various points of interest discovered during exploration, unexpected puzzles, and Abyss puzzles following skydiving provided players with special experiences.

Criticism has been raised about the protagonist Cliff lacking personality in Crimson Desert, along with disappointment over the absence of character customization features that would allow users to personalize their characters. In response, a modder on Nexus Mods released the 'Female Character Creator' mod, allowing users to play the game with their own female Cliff. Currently, it is an early version with some awkwardness, and further updates such as a male character customization mod and race selection options are planned.

Nexon's 'First Berserker: Khazan' has reduced its development team size and reallocated personnel due to sluggish sales. Despite garnering initial interest, sales did not meet expectations, and the situation worsened with the delay of its release in China. Reasons for poor sales are analyzed as genre fatigue, the high bar set by FromSoftware, art and IP that became a barrier to entry for Western users, frustrating map design, and a farming system that doesn't feel impactful.

There is a method of massacring nobles in the game to gain experience and items (golden chickens, gold bars, etc.). Use arrows to lure nobles to a specific location, then defeat them. When guards appear, defeat them immediately for additional benefits. This method exists as a protest against the lack of game content but is not recommended as it can detract from the game's enjoyment.