Crimson Desert’s first expansion, Charting the Unknown, went live on 29 October. It takes Kliff and company out onto the water for the first time, with a ship to build and sail and ruins to dive for.
Pearl Abyss originally planned the release for 15 October, then pushed it back two weeks. Xbox players also get a five-hour free trial of the base game, which makes it an easy way to see whether the open world suits you before buying anything.
Sailing, diving and three stories
Xbox Wire, in a post by Pearl Abyss community manager Petra, lists three new storylines, one each for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane. The sea is the headline addition: you build your own ship, sail the Great Ocean of Pywel, then go underwater for ruins, chests, new creatures and mounts.
Pywel’s villages get more to do as well. Some residents can become romantic partners, and the relationship can end in marriage. Houses can be built from scratch with the upgraded housing mode, and castles you have liberated can be claimed and decorated. If you would rather play landlord, certain facilities, a restaurant or a smithy among them, can be leased and run by you.
For combat fans there is the Garden of Trials, a challenge where you fight bosses you have already met, one after another. The studio’s DLC page adds that new enemies appear on land and at sea.
Where to play it
The expansion needs the base game, which is why the free trial matters for anyone still undecided.
The expansion is for Crimson Desert Enhanced, the version that bundled the game’s post-launch updates, including the August 2.00 patch with extra story moments and more voice-over and language support. That version is listed on Xbox at $69.99. The Xbox post says the trial runs from 29 October into early January; it gives 6 January in the text and 7 January in its summary, so check the store page for the exact day.
Pearl Abyss lists the DLC for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and says it will not be on the Mac App Store at launch.
