Crimson Desert's first paid expansion is out, and the quick answer from Mortismal Gaming's first look is that this is more than a story add-on. Charting the Unknown touches sailing, diving, housing and endgame combat. Before you jump in, know two things: Mortismal got a review code from Pearl Abyss, and this is early impressions rather than a finished verdict.
Here's how to read what's in it, and whether it's for you.
Check this before you buy
Start with access. Push Square reports that the three new questlines are post-game missions, so you need to have finished the base campaign to reach them. If you stalled halfway through Crimson Desert, the story content isn't waiting for you yet. That's the single most useful fact here for lapsed players.
Price is simple. Pearl Abyss announced it at $24.99, according to Gematsu, and Push Square lists £19.99 / $24.99 on PS5. Mortismal weighs that price against the scope at 7:09 and comes away seeing a sizeable expansion that spreads across the game's systems.
What's in the box
The story side follows the three playable characters. Gematsu's overview of Pearl Abyss's announcement names Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, with threads that include an ominous presence in the desert, a political conflict and a secret beneath the waves. Mortismal covers these from 2:31.
The headline system is the ocean. Pearl Abyss says you can take command of your own ship and sail to uncharted islands, then explore sunken ruins underwater. Push Square lists a diving suit for that underwater exploration. That's a proper new layer on a game that was already huge.
The quieter additions are aimed at people who like living in a world and not just clearing it:
- Housing: upgraded options let you customise a home, and Mortismal walks through this at 4:36.
- Facilities: you can rent and manage businesses, which Pearl Abyss pitches as a way to grow your fortune.
- Relationships: Push Square says you can romance certain characters and get married, and the video covers it at 5:40.
- Endgame fights: Mortismal's look at a combat challenge mode called the Garden of Trials starts at 6:12.
Who should grab it now
If you finished the campaign and want a reason to go back, this looks like a solid one. Going by this first look, the appeal is breadth: new things to do across the map, not one tidy storyline.
If you're mid-game, I'd finish the campaign first. You can't reach the new questlines until you do, and Push Square's report makes clear how much post-launch content has already piled in. Plenty of the commenters on the video, as a mood check only, joked about how hard it is to ever call Crimson Desert finished, and that's fair warning about the time commitment.
If big open worlds already overwhelm you, more systems won't fix that. Push Square's review called the base game frustratingly brilliant, and this expansion adds to the pile rather than simplifying it.
One limit to keep in mind: Mortismal is still working through the expansion, so treat this as a map of what's there and not a final judgement on how good it is. For now, the safe call is simple. Finished the game and enjoyed it? It's a reasonable $25. Everyone else can wait.
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