I'm sorry to break it to you, but don't expect to be able to play an evil pest in Crimson Desert: 'Would I recommend a full playthrough in that playstyle? Eh, I don't know'

Crimson Desert - Kliff crosses blades with an enemy, looking strained, while wearing another sword and shield on his back — (Image credit: Pearl Abyss)

Crimson Desert, the upcoming open-world action-adventure game made by the devs of the MMO Black Desert (don't worry, it miraculously avoids non-preorder microtransactions at launch), isn't an RPG. Despite having oodles of systems, gear, and a large map to explore that might make you think otherwise, the developers are steadfast in avoiding the loaded term. Nevertheless, it's still led to some pretty astronomical expectations in the years since it was announced way back in 2019 (when it was confusingly described as an RPG).

With that in mind, in a recent interview by the Dropped Frames podcast with the director of marketing, Will Powers, the developers are clearing the air and setting expectations. And one of them is an RPG staple: evil playthroughs.

In response to CohhCarnage asking how evil you can be, and whether you can do an evil run, Powers explains that "The choices aren't that grand but does it give you the ability to have those decisions impact and have it be a choice you want to make". He goes on to say, "Would I recommend a full playthrough in that playstyle? Eh, I don't know."

For all you monsters who could be cruel to an NPC (not me), you're straight outta luck. Again, this circles back to Crimson Desert not really being an RPG. Instead, "you're the good guys", and that's fairly set in stone narratively.

That doesn't mean you can't be a nuisance though. If you've watched the third and final features overview video for the game, you'll already know that Crimson Desert has a crime and wanted system.

Features Overview #3: Life in Pywel | Crimson Desert - YouTube

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Illegal actions like theft will lower your trust and put the law on your back, which can ultimately lead to a bounty. Being wanted can make travel more difficult, result in fines or even jail time.

Powers expands on this by explaining that "You can make those ['evil'] decisions and you can actually be rewarded for those playstyles...[such as] additional attack level based on your negative notoriety." This results in strategies where, as Powers describes, you might want to intentionally raise your notoriety to gain a spike in power to challenge a tough boss.

Ultimately, Powers says, "I think it's less of something like a singular playthrough, like good, bad, or Han Solo. It's like, 'How do you want to craft your playstyle for that individual moment?'." Crimson Desert is shaping up to be a very large game already (not at all surprising given the developer's MMO heritage), so I'm partly glad there's no need to do repeat playthroughs, truth be told.

Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.

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