I don’t think there has ever been any doubt that Crimson Desert is a big game. In the lead-up to its launch, developer Pearl Abyss hasn’t been afraid to show its hand on the lengths that players can go as they explore the continent of Pywel. The development team is known for its MMO pedigree, which is the first sign that it’s going to be chock-full of content, and its confirmation that the game’s map is twice the size of Skyrim’s is just the tonic for players looking for a gigantic world to explore.
In my eyes, nothing encapsulates the game’s size more than the amount of things you can do and find around the world, and at a recent preview of the game, I found that there are 2,921 pieces of knowledge for you to collect on your adventure.
Crimson Desert Will Have You Hunting High And Low For Almost 3,000 Pieces Of Knowledge
When I opened one of Crimson Desert’s (slightly confusing) menus, I was greeted with an empty knowledge library. It read 0/2921, and it was at this point that I knew, when I played the game for real, I would be in for a ride.
Knowledge can be attained in Crimson Desert by simply looking at items, such as food in a shop’s inventory, speaking to characters, or entering certain locations. However, some, like collecting mounts, are a little more involved.
Some of the more daunting numbers I saw were: 573 territories, 110 factions, 355 crafting manuals, and 29 mount types. That’s a lot of hunting and exploring to do. I’m a bit of a completionist when I play games; I like to see everything a game has to offer, but even by my standards, finding 2,921 pieces of knowledge might be a bit much.
This was all part of why I left my six-hour hands-on a little confused. Following it, I said, “The game is at its best when it leans into its historical combat and story, but it’s too often broken up with slow puzzles and a confusing control scheme. The combat feels truly groundbreaking for this type of RPG, and there is a lot of fun to be had, but there’s just a lot of bloat standing alongside it.” You can read my full impressions right here.
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher(s)
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Pearl Abyss
