The launch of Crimson Desert marked the arrival of one of the most ambitious RPGs of the year. But as is often the case with open world games of this scale, adjustments were expected. Update 1.00.003, now available on PC and PlayStation 5, fixes a large number of issues while introducing notable improvements. If Xbox and certain platforms are still awaiting deployment, the first returns show a particularly dense patch.
A new private storage system and major improvements to gaming comfort
One of the most welcome new features concerns the addition of private storage space. Players can now drop items from their inventory into a warehouse accessible from certain temporary housing. This feature was strongly requested by the community, particularly to reduce inventory during long exploration sessions.
The patch also improves health recovery via food and ingredients, reduces the number of moves needed to chop wood, and simplifies certain interactions like observing skills. Now, a single observation is enough to learn a skill, which makes progression smoother. Another welcome change: ore veins automatically appear on the map when a player approaches them, making exploration and resource collection much easier.
Notable adjustments to fights and bosses
The clashes are also subject to significant balancing. Several enemies and bosses have their health and attack power reduced. Stamina consumption when blocking has also been adjusted.
The parry system becomes more effective: successfully countering further increases the stun gauge of bosses. Additionally, enemy weaknesses are now displayed even if the player has not yet acquired all associated knowledge.
Some encounters considered too difficult, such as the ambushes preceding the fight against the Reed Devil, have been softened slightly. The objective seems clear: to make the fights demanding but less punishing.
Controls, interface and 120 Hz on consoles
The update significantly improves the responsiveness of controls, whether on the controller or keyboard/mouse. The menus are more fluid and several bugs preventing them from opening have been corrected. On consoles, a major addition attracts attention: the activation of a 120 Hz mode via the settings. This option allows players with a compatible Crimson Desert screen to deploy a huge update with major new features requested.
Various issues related to graphics settings have also been resolved, including issues with saving resolution settings and upscaling. Significant visual fixes concern animations, certain special effects and even the appearance of waterfalls or environmental elements in the Abyss.
Overall stability, performance and fixes
Like any post-launch update, patch 1.00.003 also focuses on general stability. Several crashes have been fixed, including a specific issue on PS5 when opening the map. On PC, graphics card detection has been improved, fixing a bug sometimes preventing the game from launching correctly. Adjustments also affect the behavior of NPCs, the prices of certain merchant items and even the difficulty of mini-games.
Finally, numerous localization corrections have been applied to improve the quality of the translations. With this particularly dense update, Pearl Abyss shows its desire to quickly improve the gaming experience. It remains to be seen how the community will receive these changes in the long term.