Crimson Desert's Latest Updates Make Returning to the RPG More Intimidating Than Ever

Pearl Abyss continues to expand its massive RPG with new activities and updates, but the growing amount of content is making it harder for some players to find the time to return.

Crimson Desert has been getting regular updates and new content ever since it launched earlier this year. Unfortunately, the game is getting bigger and bigger, which is a problem for players who already found it difficult to keep up with everything the game has to offer. With each update, returning players may find it increasingly difficult to catch up without investing significant time in exploring the new additions and revisiting older content.

Another player who took a break after about 40 to 50 hours recently explained why Crimson Desert has been difficult to go back to, despite keeping an eye on the game’s development from a distance. The game's vast world, vast activities, and many interconnected systems felt at first like several different games mashed together in one experience. 

The story also didn’t keep the player’s attention, so it wasn’t worth exploring the world in detail.

Eventually, performance issues and some clunky combat gave the player enough reasons to take a break from the experience. Pearl Abyss, however, has kept releasing fixes, additions, and improvements, sparking a renewed interest in returning to the game and seeing what has changed.

The problem is that the developers haven’t just been fixing issues. They have also kept on adding to the game with more activities and mechanics, making an already giant experience even huger. The ever-growing list of features can make the thought of returning more daunting than it did at launch for players who struggled to begin.

Some of the additions mentioned in the discussion include pirates, naval combat, romancing, house building, and underwater activities. While they add more to experience, they also raise questions about how much content a game can reasonably contain before it becomes difficult for players to manage. 

The player also pointed to an upcoming expansion scheduled for October 29, which would introduce even more content to an experience that was already difficult to finish. From that perspective, Crimson Desert has reached a point where its sheer size is becoming one of its defining characteristics. 

That comparison highlights a broader issue with games that offer hundreds of hours of activities. An expansive world offers players many incentives to keep exploring, but it can also create the impression that completing everything is an unattainable goal. For someone juggling gaming, work, and family responsibilities, the sheer volume of content can be more of a hurdle than an incentive.

The player compared Crimson Desert to The Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2, two titles that can keep gamers busy for a long time without necessarily leading them to a clear finishing point. The thing about these experiences is that sometimes it’s nice to know you can always come back later, spend a few minutes looking around, and not feel like you have to do everything. 

However, the player admitted that the latest updates have made another attempt more tempting.

Pearl Abyss has introduced so many changes that even reading the complete patch notes feels like a considerable task. The number of additions and expanded systems makes the game seem as though it has undergone the kind of transformation normally associated with a sequel, rather than a series of updates released within a relatively short period.

The player also recalled the game's Enhanced Edition and its 2.0 update in August, pointing to the speed at which the experience has continued to change. Within the first six months after launch, the game has received enough improvements and additions to make its development feel unusually rapid. 

The discussion compared this approach with Dragon's Dogma 2, another RPG the player enjoys and whose recent expansion has helped bring renewed attention to the game. According to the player, that process took roughly two years, while Pearl Abyss has been adding substantial amounts of content to Crimson Desert within its first few months. 

However, the speed of these updates does not change the original reasons some players stepped away. The world was gorgeous to explore for this one player, but performance issues and combat that didn’t quite feel right made the experience less fun. At times the controls felt a little unintuitive, and the sheer amount of available systems made it difficult to really lose yourself in the adventure.

The discussion also mentioned the base PlayStation 5, which added to those frustrations. Eventually, the player gave up, struggling to reconcile the game’s technical problems with its giant volume of content. But the problem is the player no longer has a PS5, so going back would mean starting over on PC, which makes the idea of rebuilding progress and learning the game all over again even more daunting.

The player cited the example of a massive restaurant meal challenge to demonstrate the problem. A burger lover may happily eat a burger and immediately think about eating another, but that enthusiasm can be lost when faced with dozens of buns, patties, and other ingredients at once. 

It’s the same feeling in Crimson Desert.

There are plenty of fun activities and mechanics in and of themselves, but the fact that it’s all presented as one giant experience can make the overall commitment feel draining. The player said it was already a huge burger challenge, and then they just threw in a side of fries when the expansion comes out with even more stuff to do.

Not that the game isn't appealing. Despite how much the developers have packed into it, Crimson Desert turns out to be an impressive experience, with fun gameplay and systems that are surprisingly straightforward to understand. Pearl Abyss has earned a lot of respect for continuing to improve the game, even if those improvements haven't solved the problem of its enormous scope.

But the real problem is the amount of time required to appreciate all of it. It could have been easier to go back to gaming as a teenager or early 20s when he didn’t have so many adult responsibilities taking up so much of his time, the player said. I think it’s harder to devote long stretches of time to a single RPG these days with work and family commitments.

After a regular day at the office, gaming can be a way to relax and forget about the stress of everyday life.

But players with jobs and families can’t spend hundreds of hours on a single title, especially when other releases are demanding their attention. Going back to Crimson Desert also means accepting that the journey has to take its time, instead of trying to do everything at once.

The player also mentioned Grand Theft Auto 6 as an example of how personal preferences and limited time can impact gaming choices. The player does not plan to play it at launch but wants to wait until a sale but will try it at some point. That choice is a preference for playing games at a comfortable pace, rather than treating every big release as something that has to be played immediately.

The analogy returned to food with the player saying they’d rather eat a few smaller burgers than try and get through one giant meal. To them Crimson Desert is the biggest burger you can imagine, and they like what it has to offer, but it might be too big to finish. The game is still fun, but that doesn't automatically mean its massive scope is suitable for everyone's schedule or preferred way to play.

Still, another shot is likely. Before, the player had taken a step back, first intending to take a short break, and then spending a much longer time watching the game from afar. Pearl Abyss has kept the experience interesting with ongoing updates, but returning will require patience and a willingness to approach its many activities at a more leisurely pace.

Crimson Desert ends up as a case study in how a game’s biggest strength can be its biggest obstacle. A big world with lots of activities, interconnected systems, and regular additions can be an amazing value but can also make players feel like they’ll never have enough time to experience everything.