Players eager to dive into the new DLC stories for Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane in Crimson Desert will need to have completed the game's main storyline, Pearl Abyss has confirmed. This requirement applies specifically to the epilogue content for these three characters.
Will Powers of Pearl Abyss explained that the Charting the Unknown DLC, launching October 29, offers two distinct entry points. The first is the character-specific story content, which serves as an epilogue detailing the characters' actions and motivations after the main game's events. "What are they doing after? They're not necessarily together anymore and traveling together. After all of this, what is Oongka going to do in the world? What is Damiane going to do in the world? What is Kliff going to do in the world? So there are those storylines, which are really cool and unique in and of themselves," Powers stated on the 'Dropped Frames' show.
The second entry point provides access to new open-world content, including exploration and naval gameplay. To access this, players need to have established the Greymane camp during Chapter 3 of the main game. This distinction allows players who have not yet completed the main story to engage with the open-world elements without encountering spoilers.
Powers emphasized that gating the epilogue content behind main story completion is crucial to avoid spoiling the narrative for players invested in the core experience. "It would ruin the story for people that are focused on that stuff," he said. "If you want open world content, if you want to be able to access all that stuff, you can do it very early in the game. If you want story focused content, then you've probably already beaten the story. So you'll be able to continue along that."
Completing Crimson Desert's main storyline is a significant undertaking. Official Steam achievement data indicates that only 10.8% of players have unlocked the "Expert Storyteller" achievement for finishing all main quests, highlighting the game's vast content. The Charting the Unknown DLC promises to expand Pywel with new stories, ocean exploration, romance options, business management, and housing.