How Hard Is Crimson Desert?

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN LIGHT SPOILERS FOR CRIMSON DESERT

As you’re first getting started with Crimson Desert, you’ll soon realize that there is absolutely zero hand-holding throughout the experience. New mechanics will be introduced without a ton of explanation for how they work, and much is left for players to discover and learn on their own. As such, Crimson Desert may seem extremely difficult for some players.

Is Crimson Desert Hard?

Crimson Desert is sure to present players with a serious challenge at various points throughout the journey, with skill checks around every corner. The game’s bosses are relatively unforgiving from beginning to end, and if you haven’t done much exploring or upgrading, you’re going to have an even harder time against each new boss.

Essentially, if you end up getting stuck on a boss, you’ll need to go back and find the necessary upgrade materials, Abyss Artifacts, etc., in order to buff each character as much as possible. Abyss Artifacts will allow you to upgrade your skills and even unlock new abilities that are absolutely essential for some bosses.

Boss fights are not the only challenge in Crimson Desert, however, with the game’s puzzle variety ranging from pretty straightforward solutions to quite complex in the mid- and late-game areas. Many players will likely end up relying on guides to solve certain puzzles that leave them stumped, or may end up having to put a pin in them for later when the necessary skills are unlocked.

Further, there are certain exploration elements that make the game a little more difficult than it needs to be, in particular the lack of a reliable navigation/pathfinding system. For example, there are various missions where players will have to continuously open up their maps for directions, such as wagon quests which require you to stay on the road to avoid damaging your cargo.

Does Crimson Desert Have Difficulty Settings?

If you’re looking for a way to dial down the difficulty in Crimson Desert, unfortunately the game does not have any type of difficulty setting. There are quite a few skill checks throughout this game, starting from the very first boss (and without giving anything away) all the way up to the endgame bosses.

Simply put, if you have experience playing open-world RPGs, there’s no specific challenge in Crimson Desert that will be impossible to overcome. Thorough exploration is key, given you’ll need a ton of upgrade materials, better weapons and armor, and a range of different skills. Overall, Crimson Desert isn’t the most difficult open-world game out there, but it’s definitely no walk in the park.

Crimson Desert

Systems

7/10

Released

March 19, 2026

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Developer(s)

Pearl Abyss

Publisher(s)

Pearl Abyss

Number of Players

Single-player