Crimson Desert, an open-world adventure game from Pearl Abyss, challenges you to explore the unknown. Spanning the vast continent of Pywel and the mysterious realms in the sky, you must rid the land of evil while gathering your surviving comrades—but along the way, it's easy to miss out on some amazing things hidden in the towns and countryside.

Yes, the world of Crimson Desert is full of incredible secrets, and we've put together a list of over a dozen that you should check out during your playthrough. 

Warning: This article does contain a few spoilers given the topic at hand.

 

Meet up with your Greymane allies during missions

One Crimson Desert secret that’s fairly easy to miss involves your Greymane recruits. You send these warriors off to do dispatch missions, such as those related to mining and crafting. But did you know that you can actually see them in action?

After assigning Greymanes to a task, open the map to check their location and make your way there. Upon arriving, you’ll notice that everyone’s working to get the job done. Oh, and if you send them to a stronghold controlled by hostiles, you can even help them whittle down enemy forces. How’s that for a bit of camaraderie, eh?

 

Relocate your camp to your homeland of Pailune

In relation to the Greymane Camp, one long-term prospect involves completing the reconstruction of Pailune. This endeavor requires multiple dispatch missions that cost hundreds of thousands of resources.

Aside from materials, you also need to complete the following:

• All main quests
• All “Scattered Embers” Greymane faction quests
• All Howling Hill camp expansions

When you’re ready, talk to Marquis Serkis to initiate the move back to the homeland of the Greymanes. This is the culmination of your efforts to reunite all surviving members of the organization. You can learn more about various features and unlockables in our Howling Hill Greymane Camp guide.

 

Find the fat cats of Pororin Village

Are you a cat parent? Do you want to find the chubbiest furballs in Crimson Desert? Well, look no further than Pororin Village, which is southeast of the Greymane Camp. Once you have access to the settlement, you’ll be amazed by the sheer number of felines wandering around, from regular Hernandian breeds and shorthairs to “loafy” critters formerly known in-game as “fat cats.” Pororin Village is also the home of the Shai children, as well as various humanoid cat people.

 

Make fishing a lot easier with a gift from Patrigio

Patrigio, the traveling merchant who owns a Secret Shop, appears in various places across Pywel. Keep a bunch of silver and copper pouches with you in case you meet him during your travels. If you gift these pouches and increase his trust level to 100, he’ll hand over The Claw.

The Claw is a special fishing rod that automatically reels in fish. You won’t even need to worry about minigame mechanics when the item that you’re using does all the work for you.

 

Unlock the jetpack for Oongka

The third playable character in the game, Oongka, is unfortunately “vertically challenged.” Oh, he’s pretty tall, all right, but he simply has no way to glide or fly by default.

Instead, you must craft a device known as the Kuku Rocket Pack. It involves acquiring a couple of blueprints and the necessary materials. Once you’ve done the hard part, Oongka should finally be able to take to the skies.

 

Steal anything without getting spotted by using the Great Thief’s Gloves

The Great Thief’s Gloves is one of the best armor pieces in Crimson Desert. It’s a reward from House Serkis’s Secret of the Lost Seal quest chain in Hernand.

While equipped, it allows you to steal any item, object, or animal without being detected. This works even on livestock that you want to take to your own farm. Just try not to steal anything again for the next 30 minutes, because this is the perk’s cooldown—in real-time.

 

Detect treasure chests with the Pirate King Hat

If you’re searching for more secrets in Crimson Desert, then you definitely need the Pirate King Hat. It’s found in the lower decks of the Singing Catfish, a pirate ship off the coast of Vellua, a fishing village further south of Hernand.

The Pirate King Hat helps you detect treasure chests if you’re within range. The item’s passive works even if the container is hidden behind walls and obstacles.

 

Stab waterfalls to enter hidden caves

No, we’re not kidding about this one at all. There are plenty of secret areas in Crimson Desert, including caves that are hidden behind waterfalls. You’ll know there’s one nearby if you see a cairn (i.e. stack of stones) in front of the waterfall itself.

Simply stand on solid ground, then use your Stab skill to pass through. These small nooks often have treasure chests that contain some of the best equipment in the game. The Ancient Ruins mural puzzles that you solve also reward you with consumables that reveal the locations of these waterfall caves.

 

Gaze at the stars in Scholastone and other destinations

The Scholastone Academic Institute has another Crimson Desert secret that you might want to discover. Known as the Maps of the Night Constellations, this challenge became available in our playthrough after we completed Scholastone research projects and various side quests in the area, including those from the Kharonso Troll Alliance.

The challenge entails deciphering the information from books and gazing at constellations while wearing a special helmet. You need to be in specific locations and look at the stars at the right angles to align the constellation on your screen.

 

Revisit islands in the Abyss

Many floating islands in the Abyss are interconnected as part of a longer branch or chain. Even if the campaign takes you back to the surface of Pywel, you should still revisit areas to see where each branch takes you. Here are some examples:

• Return to Axiom Archive and Ethereal Pathway from Chapter 1 to reach Root’s End, which has you falling down a pit full of lasers. You’ll know just how Tom Cruise felt in Mission Impossible.
• The Spire of Stars and Sanctorum of Insight path from Chapter 4 leads to an even longer branch and an elemental skill called Lightning Surge.
• The boss fight in Crow’s Nest during Chapter 5 isn’t the end of that chain, since there’s another island called Monolith Crown.
• Both Ascestic’s Rest and Nest of Valor from Chapter 9 have amazing rewards, and they also lead to new locations.

Discover Marni’s own makeshift islands

If you’re well prepared, make your way to Mount Benus in the southern part of Delesyia. There, you’ll see a towering structure known as the Gate to Advancement. If you can solve the puzzle to activate the teleporter, you’ll find yourself in a separate island chain in the Eternal Corridor region of the Abyss.

 

Learn more about the Reed Devil’s backstory

The Reed Devil is the third major boss in the campaign proper. This murderer hides behind a mask and vows eternal vengeance for the abuses he suffered in life.

If you go further south of where you fought him, you’ll stumble upon a quaint village called Sunset Valley. This is a settlement of lepers and others who are afflicted with diseases. Everyone is wearing a mask, too. If you check one of the houses, you’ll discover the lair of the Reed Devil, which contains a lot of masks and cloaks—as well as a mysterious book.

 

Face more challenges in far-flung regions

You’re bound to come across numerous Crimson Desert secrets as you continue to explore Pywel. Here are a few that you should look into once you’re ready:

• High above Delesyia, there’s a flying mechanical pteranodon that you can reach by flying on your dragon or by skydiving from the Abyss.
• In Hoenmark Ruins in the frigid mountains west of Hernand, there’s a forgotten lord that awaits your arrival.
• Complete various side quests in Hernand to face Black Fang, the Legendary Wolf. Defeating this beast rewards you with the Leebur’s Soul, a consumable that reveals the locations of all legendary creatures in Pywel.
• Take a look at the scions of the Antumbra Order, who are some of the toughest bosses in the game.
• There’s a sandstorm in the wastelands of the desert region. Approach it and something will emerge.
• Members of the Skoghorn Tribe in Pailune want you to check the northwestern edge of the region. There, while battling a monstrosity, you’ll encounter a familiar foe.
• Speaking of Pailune, the side quests that you’ve completed eventually lead you to the Stjar Clan and a gigantic opponent.

Wherever you’re headed, you’re likely to find more secrets in Crimson Desert, so be sure to visit the aforementioned areas while you’re playing.

Crimson Desert is available now on the Epic Games Store.