Hot on the heels of August’s Enhanced Edition, Crimson Desert developer is readying the colossal open world adventure’s first major DLC – and it’s a typically sizeable update. Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is appropriately titled, with the expansion leading you beyond Pywel’s shores, crossing oceans to discover unseen lands, mysteries, and secrets. And, away from naval exploration, the DLC makes life richer on dry land with lucrative ways to manage property. There’s quite a lot to unpack, so let’s get to it. Here’s fifteen things you need to know about Crimson Desert’s upcoming expansion: Charting the Unknown.
Beyond the Desert Lies Hidden Lands
Crimson Desert is already huge, but that isn’t stopping the developer from expanding Pywel significantly beyond its existing shorelines. In Charting the Unknown, your familiar trio of Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane will journey across oceans to entirely new areas previously unseen. Among the most dedicated devs working in the industry right now, the developer isn’t content with simply layering existing systems atop of new land. No, the DLC brings a slate of fresh mechanics, traversal options, and enemies, both on land and underwater. The expansion is far from more of the same; the extras incoming suggest it’s closer to an offshore sequel.
You Can Command Your Own Ship
While charting unknown waters comes via piloting your very own galleon, the developer hasn’t been too specific on how it’ll work. In the reveal trailer, we see Kliff at the helm, skirting alongside tropical beach heads; it’s a vision conjuring Black Flag, so the obvious question is: will there be naval combat? It’s difficult to see if Kliff’s ship is outfitted with any sort of firepower in the glimpses shown, but given the developer is the studio who seems to have thought of everything, we can’t rule anything out at this stage.
Underwater Exploration Leads to Countless Discoveries
Diving beneath the waves doesn’t appear to be contained to a select few areas, but something Charting the Unknown makes possible everywhere there is water. So, what subaquatic activities can you enjoy? Well, from what we know, hidden treasures, sunken ruins, and fresh mysteries await in the depths. You’ll be equipped with a diving suit, with propulsion systems and shark mounts speeding up underwater exploration. And, there’s another speculative possibility here: has the developer applied these new undersea traversal mechanics to the base game’s rivers, lakes, and coastlines? Again, nothing has been confirmed, but it might be worth taking a dip in Lake Amata come the DLC’s release.
New Islands Give More Places to Explore
Of course, Charting the Unknown wouldn’t be much of an island-hopping adventure if there weren’t plenty of islands to hop between. The DLC introduces a chain of islets and archipelagos scattered throughout the seas beyond Pywel, each with their own environments, landmarks, and secrets to uncover. If it’s anything like the base game, each new horizon will hide something worth investigating, whether you’re following the main story, searching for treasures, or simply taking your vessel for a sail across the next stretch of ocean.
New Threats Wait Across Land and Sea
And, all of these new locations aren’t just pretty places to get lost in. In Charting the Unknown, you’ll encounter numerous new threats, from a mechanical giant firing thick red lasers out of its head, to a subaquatic robot whose revolving mouth appears to pull Kliff into its grasp as he frantically tries to swim away. Also, on land, the reveal trailer shows Damiane furiously blocking an explosive warrior’s attacks. We’re sure there’ll be more, but from what’s been shown these boss-style encounters look to test your mettle in new ways.
You’ll Need to Adapt Your Combat Approach
While specific breakdowns of the DLC’s new enemies are still under wraps, the developer has confirmed that Charting the Unknown’s encounters will push you into some of the most challenging face-offs yet. This suggests you’ll need to re-adapt to the game’s real-time tactical combat, possibly through stricter timing, better spatial awareness, or mastery of new weapons and abilities. Now, new tools, skills, or armour haven’t yet been named, but given Crimson Desert’s update record it wouldn’t be surprising if there was something fresh to integrate into your existing combat flow.
Housing Has Been Upgraded
Away from maritime activities, Charting the Unknown is set to dramatically expand on the base game’s base-building. Now, it appears you can construct and customise your very own home, from its size and architectural style to internal layout. Additionally, the expansion appears to broaden your NPC relationships. It’s thought there could be a romance option – Kliff gets down on one knee, after all – but also during the reveal trailer we see an NPC cooking. This suggests there will be new ways to use your allies to streamline your household operations.
You Can Rent and Manage Properties
Owning land in Pywel might just be as expensive as real-life, but thankfully the expansion will give you ways to profit off your property. As confirmed by the developer, in Charting the Unknown you can rent and manage numerous facilities to “earn a fortune”; so, aside from naval pioneering, the upcoming expansion gives you the means to become a self-made business magnate, presumably expanding your sphere of influence across Pywel.
Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane’s Journeys Will Continue
While the expansion’s overarching story is largely unknown, what we do know is narrative beats for each of the game’s three main characters will continue. The developer has shared four intriguing story threads, which we’ll get into next, but it’s safe to say the strange ritual occurring deep in the desert which opens the DLC’s reveal could be the springboard for three diverging journeys for Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane.
There’s an Ominous Presence in the Desert
And here’s the first of the expansion’s four story threads: an ominous presence lurks deep in the desert. While info is currently light on this one, the aforementioned ritual gone wrong could well be linked to this new threat, as could the enveloping sandstorms Kliff struggles to navigate. What’s interesting with this narrative teaser is the expansion’s story doesn’t appear to be contained exclusively in the new locations, but applied to existing regions from the base game.
There’s a New Political Conflict
Again, we can’t say conclusively what this new political conflict entails, although the developer themselves has described the developing situation as dangerous. Damiane appears to be heavily involved, judging by the reveal trailer. There, we see her holding up some sort of proclamation to a gathering of townsfolk. Is she spearheading a new movement, or found herself the de-facto leader of an uprising? Only time will tell.
A “Journey Beyond Time”
The most wildly speculative story thread teased by the developer is this: that Charting the Unknown encompasses a “journey beyond time”. Does this mean the expansion delves into the past, or ventures beyond the present? A line in the trailer – of “finding our way back to our rightful time” – certainly suggests some era-swapping, but whether this means time travel, prequel events, or premonitions is anyone’s guess right now.
An Ancient Secret Lurks Underwater
Back to a more conventional story teaser, with the fourth and final thread shared by the developer detailing an ancient secret lurking beneath the waves. This one’s perhaps a little easier to parse, but how each of these four narrative directions intersect will be left to your discovery. What’s clear, though, is, like Pywel’s existing landscape, the expansion’s newest areas aren’t there merely for exploration but they form a significant part of the DLC’s overarching story.
Charting the Unknown is a Paid-For Expansion
Crimson Desert’s upcoming DLC is a paid-for expansion, and not part of the recently released Enhanced Edition. The latter is a free upgrade for existing owners, whereas Charting the Unknown is a separate entity which requires a copy of the original game to access. And, a further note: it’s unclear at what point in the original game’s story the DLC content becomes available.
Release Date, Platforms, and Price
Crimson Desert’s Charting the Unknown expansion launches on October 29th, with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store the playable platforms. Priced at $24.99, there’s currently a 10% discount available on the PS Store for anyone who already owns a copy of the original game.
