It’s been obvious for weeks now that the Crimson Desert development team was cooking something. With Gamescom upon us, a teaser for the first DLC would have made the most sense, but instead, it dropped a different kind of surprise: Crimson Desert Enhanced. Available for free across all platforms, Version 2.00.00 brings the promised narrative improvements alongside numerous other additions, quality-of-life fixes, and improvements.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the ten biggest things you should know about the update, starting with…
Story Improvements and New Cutscenes
Perhaps the most anticipated overhaul to one of the most criticized aspects of Crimson Desert – the story – is finally here. Per the patch notes, Version 2.00.00 improves the main story and quests, including the narrative flow. Of course, it’s one thing to say and another to actually do, so I started a New Game to see for myself. While it seems like much of the same, the real big changes happen when Kliff enters the Abyss. A dream-like scenario where his allies pass on; Oongka blaming him for letting the Greymanes down; the temptation to embrace more power; and the memory of Jian steering Kliff towards the right path. There’s even some narration by White Crow and Alustin, two key figures, discussing why he’s the right choice (and hinting at the larger narrative relegated to lore before now). But wait, that’s not all – when we jump forward several months, as helpfully indicated by a new lower-thirds, we actually hear Kliff’s thoughts, as he ponders about the Abyss and why he was given a second chance.
Obviously this is only the beginning, and I can’t really recommend the revamped story without spending a lot more time. But overall, some welcome improvements from the get-go, even if the English lip-syncing is completely off at times.
Improved UI for Main Quests
Another significant change is the UI for main quests in the Journal. Previously, they would be laid out chapter-wise. Selecting one opened a separate menu, and then you would need to expand further to see the different quest steps. This time, they’re set across one page and two categories – Current Quests and Completed Quests. Hovering over one will recap the different steps, if completed, and what needs to be done next – there’s even a helpful thumbnail to denote them from the rest. You still need to click on them to see the different objectives and rewards offered, but at least they’re arranged into quest-chains now rather than forcing you to pour through multiple menus.
Knowledge, Memory Fragments and More for Bosses
The bosses also received some stronger narrative elements, and while conversations and dialogue lines are harder to judge right now, the update adds Knowledge, items and Memory Fragments related to them. If you want to learn more about Praevus the Ancient and why he’s hostile, or really any of the foes that you come across, head to the Knowledge tab in your Journal and check the Bosses section.
Abyss Links
Another big criticism, especially for a game that gives you three playable characters, is the lack of Abyss Artifacts to upgrade the others, especially if you’ve spent so much time with Kliff. While Abyss Artifacts are far more plentiful than at launch, the development team devised a better solution: Abyss Links. Whenever a character spends Artifacts to unlock a skill, an Abyss Link is earned. You can then use that Abyss Link for learning skills on other characters. It’s a simple yet ingenious change because progressing further with Kliff means you can unlock an equivalent number of skills for Damiane and Oongka.
Individually Resetting Characters’ Skills
Previously, resetting skills for one character meant resetting all of them. This was especially annoying, since you had to go back later and reassign everything for other characters. Truly a nightmare for those who liked to experiment with different builds in a game that offered so many potent combos to try out. Lo and behold, Version 2.00.00 now lets you individually reset character skills. It also refunds any Abyss Links spent without needing you to mess around with the Abyss Artifacts.
8 New Skills for Kliff
If you’ve progressed far enough into the main story, then Kliff will have obtained eight new Skills to use. These include Ascending Force Palm, which increases the jump height of the ability and enhances it; Descending Force Palm, allowing you to use Diving Force Palm after Aerial Force Palm; Enhance Flight for a quick fall while flying that pauses stamina consumption and doesn’t result in any damage when landing; and Finishing Rush, where pressing light attack after slaying a foe immediately teleports you to another enemy. Yes, we got Warp-Strike in Crimson Desert before Grand Theft Auto 6. But perhaps my favorite new addition is Water Stride. It’s an upgrade to Double Jump and allows Kliff to run on water surfaces. No more feebly swimming across a river – now it’s a mad dash, and it’s awesome.
Transferring Abyss Links and Currency to a New Save
New Game Plus is finally here – well, not really, but could you imagine? Instead, Version 2.00.00 has added a strange compromise. After completing all the main quests, you can begin a new journey that pulls from your save file and carries over any Abyss Links and currency from that playthrough, which enables a much faster start. While I suppose this is a good way for players who already finished the game to re-experience it with all the story improvements and not have to claw their way back up, not carrying over your resources, armor sets, weapons and more feels like a miss. But hey, maybe it’s a start to an honest-to-goodness implementation of New Game Plus. We shall see.
Flying Mount Controls
If you’ve long sought more control while flying a mount, a Flying Mount Controls option is available. Selecting Manual will cause the mount to ascend or descend based on regular button inputs. However, if you select the Camera option, it’ll fly based on the direction you’re looking in. This doesn’t allow a full range of motion – instead, the mount will only climb or dive depending on whether you’re looking up or down. It makes some sense, since you need to engage in flying combat on mounts and dodge attacks. Overall, another solid addition.
Early Double Jump
Aside from the new skills, combat hasn’t seen too many new additions or changes, but there’s still some great quality-of-life improvements. During the “Unexpected Gift” quest in Chapter 2, you’ll receive Double Jump as a reward, granting more mobility much earlier in the game for free. Characters that accompany the player take less damage, though I’ve yet to test whether this applies to Damiane and Oongka when they’re following you, and the rest are appreciated fixes, including for an issue preventing the Strongbow Gloves from ricocheting when using special arrows.
Golden Star’s Revenge
When I first played through Crimson Desert, my experience with the bosses ranged from mixed to overjoyed. Master Du, to this day, remains one of the best boss fights in gaming this year. However, Golden Star, the giant mechanical dragon, proved disappointing, especially after previews hyping it up because there was really only one phase. It seems someone on the development team felt the same way, since Version 2.00.00 now adds distinct phases to the battle, each with unique attack patterns, and I couldn’t be happier.
