Charting the Unknown, Crimson Desert’s first paid DLC, has been out since Thursday evening on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. Pearl Abyss released the notes for patch 2.04.00 at the same moment, finally spelling out what each piece of content needs, and followed up with a first hotfix on Friday morning. Diving opens up as soon as the DLC is installed. Ships, housing, marriage and the three new storylines all depend on how far you are in the campaign.
At a glance
Charting the Unknown launched on 29 October at 10pm UK time, priced at £19.99 on Steam, alongside base game patch 2.04.00, which you need to install before playing.
Diving is available straight away, while the sea requires the “Howling Hill” quest and a Greymane Camp that has been expanded far enough.
The three new storylines, Drakesfall Castle and the Garden of Trials open up after the main story quest “Journey’s End”.
Charting the Unknown is out, alongside patch 2.04.00
Since 22:00 UTC on 29 October, which was 10pm in the UK, the DLC has been live everywhere at once, on Steam, the PlayStation Store, the Xbox Store and the Epic Games Store. Pearl Abyss asks you to install the base game’s patch 2.04.00, released at the same time, so that Charting the Unknown works as intended. On Steam, the DLC costs £19.99, requires the base game and asks for 50GB of free space on an SSD.
Mind your saves before jumping back in. A save created with the DLC installed can no longer be loaded, or used for cross-save, on a version of the game that doesn’t have it. Mac players also face a one-off download of the full game, on Steam and the Mac App Store alike, according to the patch 2.04.00 notes from Pearl Abyss.
By Friday morning, a first hotfix had followed. Among other things, it fixes the camera moving awkwardly when you board your ship and Damiane’s Shield Toss being usable repeatedly underwater. The mission for the quest “Footsteps in Unfamiliar Lands” can now be started straight from where the quest begins, as listed in the first Charting the Unknown hotfix notes on Steam.
Diving is the one thing open from your very first session
Pearl Abyss had already said so in its preview: no special conditions are needed to dive. Kliff, Oongka and Damiane can all explore the seabed, with its ruins, treasure and new creatures. A breath gauge drains for as long as you stay under, and its maximum capacity grows as you refine your diving suit.
To last longer down there, the patch adds food that temporarily restores breath. Underwater mounts are tamed by subduing or feeding them, depending on the species, until their Trust is high enough to register them. Anyone who pre-ordered Charting the Unknown also got two diving outfits, one for Kliff and Oongka and another for Damiane.
Setting sail once you’re past Howling Hill
Sailing takes a little more patience. The ocean quest “A Wider World” opens after the main story quest “Howling Hill”, provided your Greymane Camp has been expanded beyond a certain level. The patch notes don’t say which one.
Technically, your ship counts as a new mount. You can have one built through a dispatch mission or buy one from the fleetmasters dotted around Pywel. Those in Demeniss and Delesyia also sell parts to customise it.
Further out, Charting the Unknown adds several uncharted islands, each with its own missions, and treasure maps that send you hunting for hidden caches across the world.
Your Greymane Camp unlocks everyday life in Pywel
Two steps open up the expanded housing in Charting the Unknown: set up the camp at Howling Hill, then complete Luke’s Request, a Greymane Faction quest under “Grounds of the Sunrise”. From there, you design your home’s layout and place walls and windows yourself, via Home Decoration, Layout, then Free Construction.
On the map, a new Facilities tab turns liberated strongholds into businesses as well. You can rent one to run a restaurant, a sawmill, a smithy or a tailor’s shop, and it keeps running while you’re away.
Romance in Charting the Unknown starts with the Flirt option under Interact. Once Trust reaches 100, you can propose. Be careful, though: flirting with someone as one hero lowers their Trust with the other two playable characters.
What Charting the Unknown saves for the end of the story
You’ll need to finish the main story quest “Journey’s End” to reach most of the new story. The three new quests, one each for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, then appear in the Journal menu.
Castles work along the same lines. Drakesfall Castle is yours after “Journey’s End” once its stronghold has been liberated, and Flame Knight’s Castle after Damiane’s quest “Politician”. The patch notes list only two of them, whereas the 20 October preview talked about three castles to conquer.
Then there’s the Garden of Trials, near the Axiom Archive Abyss. You take on ten groups of enemies with up to three characters, Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, in the order of your choosing, and food can’t be used to heal. If one hero is defeated, the next takes over, and each group you clear enhances one of your existing skills. Some of Charting the Unknown’s new bosses can also be fought again using their Memory Fragments.
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