Pearl Abyss has released the first major patch for Crimson Desert, bringing partial Intel ARC support alongside a range of gameplay and control improvements.

The long-awaited Crimson Desert has had a turbulent launch. Pearl Abyss‘s open-world action RPG drew both praise and criticism from players, with one of its more unusual issues being the complete lack of support for Intel ARC graphics cards at launch. Although Intel ARC users represent only 0.18% of Steam‘s player base – roughly 1 in every 300 users – it is uncommon for a modern title to ship without support for them. Since this limitation was never communicated to buyers in advance, many demanded refunds. Intel publicly expressed willingness to collaborate with Pearl Abyss to resolve the issue, but frustrated players often chose not to wait.

Those who held on now have something to show for their patience: the v.1.00.03 patch, released today on March 23, introduces partial Intel ARC compatibility. The support is not yet complete, however – some users have reported black or blue screen errors on Windows when launching the game, and overall optimization remains a concern. Pearl Abyss has updated the game’s FAQ to reflect the changes and confirmed that basic compatibility is now in place, while full Intel ARC support is still forthcoming.

Beyond the GPU support, the patch addresses a broad set of gameplay issues. Control improvements cover keyboard, mouse and gamepad configurations, food now restores more health, new storage spaces have been added to the camp, and the first temporary inns have appeared in Hernand. The combat system also received attention: the health and attack damage of certain enemies and bosses have been reduced, boss attack patterns have been adjusted, and special abilities including the Palmeo have been optimized. Several minigames have also been simplified and made easier to understand.

Pearl Abyss has made clear that this update is only the beginning of an ongoing improvement process. The studio says it will continue evaluating various aspects of Crimson Desert in future patches, drawing on community feedback, with the goal of delivering a more stable, balanced and complete experience.

Source: 3DJuegos