Just ten days after launch, Pearl Abyss has already pushed out the fourth update for Crimson Desert, which says a lot about the state the game was in at release. This new 1.01.00 patch, however, is not just minor cleanup work: it adds new mounts, speeds up several systems, improves movement, and even removes AI-generated visual assets.
Ten days have passed since Crimson Desert launched, and Pearl Abyss has already released its fourth patch. That alone says quite a bit about the state the game was in at release. It was not a disaster, not even close, but it is also true that several areas clearly needed revision and improvement. At the same time, the community usually knows how to recognize when there is still a genuinely strong game underneath the rough edges, and the South Korean studio now appears to be fully aware of its mistakes and working hard to correct as many of them as possible.
Since March 19, updates have been arriving at a steady pace, and overall the player response has been fairly positive. The first truly substantial step forward, though, came with patch 1.01.00, released yesterday on March 28, which addressed several significant issues. Before getting into the rest of the details, Pearl Abyss also announced that all AI-generated visual assets had been removed and replaced with actual artwork. In the studio’s own words, “as part of ongoing visual improvements, certain 2D assets have been replaced to better align with the game’s art direction.”
The studio had already apologized for including AI-generated imagery in some of Crimson Desert’s paintings, and it has now corrected that within just a few days. Before-and-after comparisons are already circulating on social media, and the difference is clear enough. Beyond that change, patch 1.01.00 also adds five new mounts. These are unlocked by completing different objectives, and they come with the added bonus of being able to pass through the cities of Pywel without frightening the inhabitants.
The update also introduces a new type of currency that allows players to upgrade equipment up to +4 without spending regular upgrade materials. On top of that, cooking and crafting now include a “Make Now” button to speed up the process, and there is also an option to send all inventory contents to private storage at once. On the gameplay side, several heavily criticized mechanics have been adjusted: the character no longer loses speed when the run button is released, flying now consumes less stamina, and equipment can be used while airborne. On PlayStation 5, an additional option has also been added to lock image output to 4K, improving the game’s visual quality.
These fixes have arrived surprisingly quickly, and at least this time Pearl Abyss is not hiding behind excuses. That said, Crimson Desert still clearly has a lot of work ahead of it. The patch notes themselves promise that control improvements will continue “as part of ongoing efforts,” which is basically an open admission that the studio does not yet believe the game has reached the level it should. Right now, it feels entirely possible that a few months from now Crimson Desert will look very different from the game that launched only days ago. Its recovery on Steam has already begun, the title is approaching 5 million copies sold, and if the quality of its open world continues to improve, sales will likely keep rising with it.
Source: 3DJuegos
