Topic: Crimson Desert

One issue I am finding is some puzzles that are required to progress the main quest are a tad obtuse to put it mildly. I won't go into spoiler territory for new players but in chapter 4 it got silly because a certain control option isn't exactly obvious or spelled out in a tutorial. I hate googling how to progress in a game but in this instance would never have figured out the button options to get any further.

@THEBrew This game’s been like a wrestling match for me personally. Think I’ve finally accepted it’s just how it is. Hopefully the highs continue to outpace the lows for you!

@ravix How are you making out? Surely you’ve gained some words of wisdom on your journey?

Edit: My most recent escapade had me attempting to solve an investigation in Scholastone that had me feeling more Clouseau than Holmes. Found some snazzy clothes though!

Just got owned by crimson nightmare. I'll need to rethink my strategy and maybe skill up a bit and come back. Only in Chapter 4. Think I need to break from exploring and main story it a bit more. Game still has my full attention although Saros may take some time away soon, as Returnal is still my favorite PS5 game.

@Elodin In hindsight, it’s worth mainlining the critical path until Howling Hill (chapter 5ish) is all set up. At this point, most basic mechanics have been introduced, you can dispatch comrades etc.

Looks like we’ll be drawn away for the same reason 😄 Think I’ve accepted that I’ll be playing Crimson Desert in the background for a looong time. Also, I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve just discovered that you can climb trees. I’ve been climbing everything else but it never occurred to me to try a tree 🤷‍♂️

@Metonymy thanks for the tip! I've have not climbed trees either. I still have to try the swing tree launch as well. Yes I'll be playing this for quite a few months im sure. It probably be this and Saros until gta 6

@Metonymy I've done some more, yes. Also had some time not playing it, which seems fine for this type of game, as i' not locked in to the story, just enjoying the gameplay. It's kind of hard to remember what I have done, tbh. I did the main story until after Crow Boy. But i've only ventured a little out of Hernand for that, mostly i've been doing more faction quests and building a camp up.

As for words of wisdom. Just avoid the Sanctum of Absolution if you don't want to lose your mind.

There is a boss there.

It is not a fun boss.

I remember the patch notes mentioning "on revives bosses now give you some time to recover" this guy just insta kills you on revives before you even stand up... which is... fun.

I do have a save where I beat him, but it used far too many revives to feel like it was worth it because he'd literally one shot me when I revived and there was no time to heal or dodge or parry and so Inused far too many just to get space. I might backtrack and upgrade my health (boo) or leave him alone, rather than waste all those revives. But also, I just dont want to fight him again 😭 so... I'm torn.

@Ravix Yeah, some of these bosses…😬 I’ve still yet to explore outside of Hernand. The one thing I’ve learned is this really is a game that demands you slow down and smell the roses. On that note, my new past time is climbing trees (which I find endlessly hilarious in full armour) and taking pictures of wildlife.

@Metonymy awesome eagle (I literally typed that as I watched Shane Lowry hit a hole-in-one, so it was also a nice coincidence 🦅) I was thinking the game would have ubisoft birds, basically polygons with wings so never thought to have a look up close yet, so that is yet another thing to look at in-game!

Anyway, here is that boss, and how it feels fighting him:

Seems fair, right... right? 💀

It is a fight that can be worked out, if you can be bothered, but the instant kill on revive makes it kind of seem wasteful, pointless and unfair. Like, why let us revive if it does that? If they tweak that it could be managable, in an insanely annoying souls-like torturous way. I basically spent the second fight doing slow mo-s and stuns, and it seems like you can blind him during red attacks sometimes and parry in slow-mo with force parry, but one mistake or input not registering and you're dead and have to revive with multiple pills as he instantly does waves of attacks you cant block or dodge as you stand up again. You'd have to be literally perfect, or want to spend a lot of time on it reloading to make it worthwhile to avoid wasting pills.

But i'm going to take this as a slightly better outcome as I have 4 100% revives left and can craft the 30% ones, I think. And I haven't been using them for anything else, really.

I just hope the sword it dropped is worth it, or there was some other point in me doing it, haha 😭

@Ravix The details are off the charts. I’m always finding interesting things. Even things like re-equipping the helm will raise and lower the visor, or how the circle+triangle airborne body slam also works coming out of a roll…always something to discover.

That boss looks cheap as hell. Honestly, for me the bosses are my least favourite aspect. If there weren’t so many other things to do, it’d be a game killer for sure. Rarely do I feel like skill or mastery of a mechanic was my ticket to success. Just tooling around till I figure something random out while pigging out on copious amounts of food to keep Kliff alive. That said, I find fighting huge mobs of enemies to be great fun.

Do you find loot pretty average at its base level? Refining weapons is straightforward but I’m still kind of figuring out the abyss gear system, which seems to be what really makes the difference.

@Metonymy yeah, it seems like most weapons can have the same overall power, armour has the same stats, from what i've seen, so far. But the more unique it is, the more extra slots and better mods you get. I think if you press triangle on the armour or weapons in the menu a few times it lets you see the upgrade path for it and ehat the moves do. But yes, slots are the most important thing, and thus I have put multiple special moves into one sword, so far and can blitz waves of regular enemies while looking badass 😁 i've also started dual wielding more, mostly to get used to it for when I can equip even more modifying gears, and because it looks absolutely insane when stringing moves together. Shields might be better for bosses though. I do need to get past the mental block that shields can block insane attacks it looks like they logically can't. That was a mental hurdle in Elden Ring so I just didn't bother with shields. If it looks like I will still die while blocking i'd rather dodge and avoid the whole attack. I-Frames still kind of confuse my logic too. Rolling towards a giant blade emitting fire and demons still seems wrong to me as a tactic, even if the game says you will be invincible for a moment and it won't slice you in two and posses your very soul.

I do think the bosses have weaknesses and can be learned, but sometimes I just want a second of space before it teleports and hits unblockable moves so I can learn the fights without reloading, as I just don't like reloading. So I don't think it is necessarily something that would be solved with a difficulty toggle, (unless it slows some bosses down) I feel we just need bigger boss arenas and a bit more time to learn mid-fight without the full (time consuming) reloads. Or a way to learn the boss fight mechanics in a simulation with nothing on the line.

I do feel like that annoying boss I could parry his parryable moves fairly easy, especially using r3 l3 focus mode. And I could probably have learned how to dodge the unblockable attacks, but the pace and proximity was pretty insane, on top of the camera controls feeling awkward. And it would only be if I restarted it every time, rather than revive. And I just didn't want to spend an hour or more on a boss when it is that damn fast out of the gate. Because you can't get a feel by strafing around for a bit, like an Elden Ring, where you can evade for a while and create space while observing.

It hasn't soured me though, it just means I will have to find some herbs and craft some revives and go back to puzzling and exploring😅

@Ravix I do feel like that annoying boss I could parry his parryable moves fairly easy, especially using r3 l3 focus mode. And I could probably have learned how to dodge the unblockable attacks, but the pace and proximity was pretty insane, on top of the camera controls feeling awkward. And it would only be if I restarted it every time, rather than revive. And I just didn't want to spend an hour or more on a boss when it is that damn fast out of the gate. Because you can't get a feel by strafing around for a bit, like an Elden Ring, where you can evade for a while and create space while observing.

It hasn't soured me though, it just means I will have to find some herbs and craft some revives and go back to puzzling and exploring😅 Might check out some tips or boss breakdowns later—sites like https://playjonny-fr.net/ sometimes have useful takes on stuff like this
Yeah I get what you mean about the pacing. It feels like the game wants you to learn bosses the “hard way” without giving you that breathing room to observe patterns first. That’s something games like Elden Ring did really well—letting you survive long enough to actually study the fight

@Ravix Okay, that makes sense. I think I like the slot system, just still figuring it out and need more time with it. Not sure I’ve ever played a game with such a slow rollout of…everything.

Yeah, I’d wager that a difficulty slider isn’t what’s missing from these more unbalanced encounters but again, there’s just so much to do in the game that it also hasn’t soured me on it either. It helps that I love puzzle solving and exploring. Just found one of the best things I’ve found yet. I don’t want to spoil anything but I highly recommend exploring around the northeast region of Hernand 😄

Good luck!

Maybe it's just me. but if you fixed the ridiculously ticky tack Axiom Force puzzles? This would be the GOTY. Trying to fix the stupid kiln in Chapter 4 and I am seriously considering shutting this game off because the sheer finesse required to solve the puzzle is just annoying.

I’ve cleansed some sanctums and sealed things into the kuku pot but I still have no idea what the heck to do with it. Any kuku pot experts in our midst?

29 GB update 😳

The inventory makes sense now!!!! 😄

@StitchJones welcome to Crimson Desert, where you will love somethings and get frustrated by others. Overall though fantastic. As for settings, ill have to look into what I changed, but what you are describing with all the prompts is part of the jank. You will also jump more often then selecting said prompts as well. Best I can offer is you get used to it. I'll chime in again when I check settings after work.

@StitchJones im only half way or a bit more through the story as I get side tracked easily. Most quests are not that tedious no. To access your broom or other tools w/o going into the main menu itself is by going to your radial menu item is at 10 o'clock. You can switch between that and pick and secondary weapons and such. Hope this helps

@StitchJones understandable. Glad you gave it go. Sorry your out some money for it though. Im bouncing between this and Saros. Ill have to see what you think of Saros over on that thread.

@StitchJones Sorry for the late reply. Looks like Elodin was kind enough to help you out. I’ll just add that the early hours are unquestionably rough (and they were much rougher a few weeks ago if you can believe that) but the game does come into its own the further into it you get. Combat is actually quite fun and the world is fascinating. However, it is not a frictionless experience, frustrating and dazzling in equal measure. Too bad it didn’t work out this time but as you say, not every game is for everyone and honestly, life itself presents enough frustration in the day to day.