Among open world RPGs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt It's a true masterpiece; It's as simple as that. More than a decade ago, CD Projekt RED's game set a new benchmark for the genre, and it has yet to be surpassed when it comes to characters, main story, atmosphere and quests. The Witcher 3 It continues to dominate gaming lists and discussions about not only the best open world releases, but also the best games ever made, and its legacy and influence are undeniable, making it one of the most widely acclaimed and best-selling titles of all time.
On the other hand, everything is still ahead. crimson desert — is the new rising star of the open world genre, surrounded by endless controversies and already proving to be one of the most popular releases of the year. Even if you're a die-hard fan of the game, it's hard to deny how uneven the playing field is. crimson desert The experience has very high highs and incredibly disappointing lows. After its release, players were divided into glazes. crimson desert Campers and skeptics who point out numerous flaws. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle, but that's a topic for another day.
9 things the Crimson Desert doesn't tell you
The vastness of the Crimson Desert can be overwhelming, and the game doesn't like to give you clues about what to do. These tips will prevent you from making mistakes.
So before we go any further, the first thing you need to know here is crimson desert and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt It's a very different game They prioritize different things, so you shouldn't compare them directly in the first place. In some ways, crimson desert is the opposite of The Witcher 3Pearl Abyss intentionally avoids calling the game an RPG, acknowledging a weaker focus on story and quest design, instead prioritizing free-form exploration that doesn't go hand in hand with sandbox gameplay. Still, just for fun, let's discuss some key commonalities: crimson desert Objectively better than me The Witcher 3Both games avoid aspects of their design that take a different approach.
Seamless open world
Pywel is a truly next-generation open world on an unprecedented scale.
not that world The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt It's small anyway. It's still one of the biggest and longest open world RPGs. crimson desert More impressive in every way. Considering there's a 10-year technological gap between the two titles, it's not surprising at all. Instead of a separate large open world area like The Witcher 3 (Velen, Skellige, White Orchard, Kaer Morhen), crimson desert It offers the entire immersive continent of Pywel, which can be quite overwhelming at first.
All 75 bosses and locations in the Crimson Desert
Players can find 75 bosses in the Crimson Desert, and each boss is listed below, from main quests to side missions and secret missions.
From towering mountain peaks and even floating abyssal islands to lush forests, swamps, rivers, sprawling cities that surpass even Novigrad, and, of course, deserts, few open worlds can match your ambitions. crimson desert Pywel features some of the most stunning scenery, intricately detailed interiors, and physics-based destruction the genre has ever seen. Many players have already stated that the world of Pywel is quickly becoming their favorite fantasy world to compete with. Skyrim and Elden RingIt's really hard to resist endless wonder.
World and NPC responsiveness
An ambitious attempt to reach the level of responsiveness of RDR 2
What's best about it isn't just its size and visual splendor. crimson desert Featuring the massive continent of Pywel. The game's world and NPCs are the most responsive of the genre to date. witcher 3 With a clear generational leap. crimson desert Players have countless ways to interact with the environment, and there are probably even more mechanisms and possibilities yet to be discovered. Using working tools like shovels, axes, brooms, fishing rods, or Abyss abilities and physics-based destruction of just about everything around the player often results in pure sandbox chaos.
Crimson Desert is the definition of “not for everyone”
Crimson Desert has been one of the most anticipated releases of 2026, but it's already clear that the game is an acquired taste.
Regarding NPC actions and reactions, crimson desert much better than witcher 3 Almost static characters, almost rivals. Red Dead Redemption 2. Players can talk to, greet, give gifts, steal, threaten, capture, and kill just about anyone around them, with a full system of laws and punishments, natural reactions and actions to a variety of dynamic encounters, and unique voice-over responses. It is literally a place where a lot of people gather. crimson desert The same goes for cities, settlements, trading posts, and enemy camps. For the first few hours, I really enjoyed just wandering around and observing the NPCs moving around and working throughout Pywel and their interactions.
hero
Kliff Macduff of Greymanes is a better character than Geralt of Rivia.
You were part of this, right? Calm down. Don't rush to the comments section just yet. I'm just kidding you. Kliff is already known to not have much of a lead with a barely-there character, so Geralt's position is safe. Let's move on to the next item. This time it's a joke.
battle system
Flexible and varied combat combined with three playable characters
If there is one aspect The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt What has received the most criticism over the years is its outdated and somewhat simplistic combat system. Some players still like what's on offer here, but there really aren't that many moves, skills and possibilities in Geralt's arsenal to keep him engaged for over 100 hours. crimson desert It takes a much more serious approach to combat, building missions and activities that involve clearing out enemy camps and fortresses on a large scale and offering dozens of unique boss encounters.
Crimson Desert is my new favorite Zelda game
I didn't expect Crimson Desert to feel like the Zelda game I'd been missing, but the more I played it, the harder it became to ignore the comparison.
Although character progression may not be the strongest crimson desert — For example, by using shared Abyss Artifacts to level up skills and equipment — players have a much wider selection of skills, moves, and abilities to master and get creative with. Unlike Geralt, Kliff can wield a variety of sidearms other than his sword, including spears, shields, bows, maces, daggers, etc., or even go completely unarmed for some WWE-style mayhem. furthermore, crimson desert It features three playable characters, each with their own skill tree, abilities, preferred weapons, and combat tactics. Add in the physics-based destruction already mentioned and literal enemies. crimson desert Players are constantly faced with battles here that are sure to be won. The Witcher 3.
A variety of additional activities and mini-games
If you think of something you want to do, it will be possible in the Crimson Desert.
In addition to combat flexibility and versatility crimson desert We extended this approach to the overall open world design, focusing on a strong narrative and questing as in . The Witcher 3 Even pure gameplay sandbox variety, justified by the responsiveness of the world. Storytelling is king The Witcher 3But there's little to do in the vast world aside from combat, dialogue, detective work, and, of course, Gwent. crimson desert It's a completely different breed taken from games like: breath of the wild and Red Dead Redemption 2 For better or worse, you can enjoy just about every activity and mini-game imaginable.
I'm already mourning vanilla Crimson Desert.
Crimson Desert is already improving in every way, but in doing so it may be losing something that made its early days unforgettable.
During business hours crimson desert It throws everything at you: wrestling, rock-paper-scissors, a variety of tabletop mini-games, horse racing, fighting and archery competitions, pet collecting to a variety of clueless puzzles, specific cooking and fishing, resource mining and more. The list goes on and on. All of this happens even before players unlock their own Greymanes camp with multiple layers of management, building quests, and life simulation activities like farming and ranching. Even though the mechanical part is larger crimson desert It may have little purpose other than being there, but the game can amaze for hours as players unlock more and more unique activities and possibilities as they play, eliminating the question of what to do in Pywel very early on.
Movement, Traversal and Fast Travel
Explore your way
Lastly the point is crimson desert Better than miles The Witcher 3 Or what makes it better than almost every open world game to date is its movement and movement mechanics. in The Witcher 3Players can use their trusty, non-customizable cockroach horse to move faster on land, use boats to explore the sea, and occasionally refer to teleportation to reach new areas depending on the story. on the other side, crimson desert There are numerous ways to explore Pywel other than horseback riding and boating. There is nothing that can stop Kliff from reaching some point in the game world. zelda Play as long as your physical strength allows.
Crimson Desert brings back Kingdom Come: Deliverance's most infamous NPC annoyance.
Crimson Desert reprises the action of the infamous Kingdom Come: Deliverance, where even the slightest mistake can make everyone you pass by feel like your enemy.
You can also get a variety of mounts, including wolves, bears, and flying dragons. A variety of abilities that can be used to traverse creatively, including leaping, gliding and flying from the ground to the air; There are fully mechanical armored robot mounts and jetpacks, as well as hidden possibilities such as performing a pole vault while mounting a banner or using a tree to launch yourself into the air. The same freedom and convenience applies to fast travel. crimson desertPlayers can teleport anywhere in the world, not just specific points on the map. The Witcher 3.
crimson desert
- released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Age 17 or older / Blood, drug-related, high-intensity violence, verbal abuse
- developer
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Pearl Abyss
- publisher
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Pearl Abyss
