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All Character Creation Options
April 25, 2026 at 03:04 PM
Rewired 2 wikilinks to longer matching article titles
Crimson Desert does not feature a traditional character creation screen at the start of the game. Instead of building a hero from scratch, players step into the roles of three preset protagonists: Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka. Each character has a fixed identity with their own personality, backstory, voice acting, facial structure, and body proportions. Features such as face shape, eye color, species, height, and body type cannot be altered.
Although full character creation is absent, Crimson Desert offers a deep appearance customization system through two facilities at the Greymane Camp: the Barber Shop and the Dyehouse. At the Barber Shop, players can change hairstyles, hair colors, beard styles, eyebrows, and face and body tattoos. At the Dyehouse, players can recolor armor, weapons, horse equipment, and Battle Robot armor plates. All customization is purely cosmetic and has no effect on combat stats or gameplay mechanics.
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that Crimson Desert has no microtransactions or cosmetic cash shops. Every customization option in the game is earned through gameplay, exploration, or crafting.
The Barber Shop is operated by an NPC named Eric, whose tent is located at Greymane Camp near the general store, east of the ranch and farm. The tent is marked with a scissors and comb sign. The Barber Shop becomes available after completing the quest "The Greymane's Cabin" as part of the Solid Foundation questline within The Greymane faction quests. This requires progressing through the Greymane faction storyline, completing missions from NPC Marius, and recruiting the character Morrow.
All Barber Shop services are free of charge. Players can preview every option before confirming, revisit Eric at any time, and switch styles as often as they like with no cooldown or currency cost.
The following table summarizes every customization category available at the Barber Shop.
Category | Available For | Details |
|---|---|---|
Hairstyles | Each character has their own set of unique hairstyles. Kliff has at least 6 distinct hairstyle options confirmed. Damiane and Oongka each have their own separate hairstyle selections appropriate to their character designs. | |
Hair Color | A full color palette is available for all three characters. Colors span natural tones (brown, black, blonde) through vivid options including purples, greens, blues, pinks, and crimson. Multiple shades of each color are available. The entire palette is unlocked from the start with no colors locked behind progression. | |
Beard Styles | Options range from clean-shaven to full beards, mustaches, goatees, and stubble. Players can adjust how much beard, how much mustache, or go without a mustache entirely. Damiane does not have beard options. | |
Beard Color | The same color palette as hair coloring is available for beards on both male characters. All shades are available from the start. | |
Eyebrows | All three characters can modify their eyebrow shape and color. Eyebrow customization is primarily for color adjustment, using the same broad color palette as hair and beards. | |
Face Tattoos | Face tattoo designs are available for all three characters. Oongka alone has at least 13 confirmed face tattoo designs. Kliff features war paint and facial marking options. Tattoo colors are customizable. | |
Body Tattoos | Body tattoo designs are available for all three characters, with customizable colors. Tattoo visibility depends on how much skin the equipped armor exposes. Oongka's minimal armor makes body ink the most visible during gameplay. |
Hairstyles are character-specific, meaning Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka each have their own designated set of options that reflect their personality and visual design. Kliff has at least 6 confirmed hairstyle options, each available with a full color palette including multiple shades. Damiane and Oongka each have their own separate hairstyle pools, though exact counts have not been confirmed by Pearl Abyss.
The hair color palette spans a broad spectrum. Natural tones include brown, black, blonde, auburn, and grey. Vivid options include red, amber, deep crimson, green, blue, purple, and pink. White and silver tones are also available. Every hairstyle can be combined with any color, and all colors are available from the moment the Barber Shop unlocks.
Beard customization is available for the two male characters, Kliff and Oongka. Damiane does not have beard options. The beard system allows players to control the amount and style of facial hair, with options including full beards, shorter beards, mustache-only looks, goatees, stubble, and clean-shaven. Players can also choose to have more beard with less mustache, or vice versa. The beard color palette matches the hair color palette exactly, with all shades of natural and vivid colors available from the start.
Eyebrow customization is available for all three playable characters. Players can adjust the shape and color of their character's eyebrows. The color options use the same broad palette as hair and beard coloring. Eyebrow modifications are subtle but contribute to giving each character a more personalized look.
The Barber Shop offers both face and body tattoos for all three characters. Tattoo designs are unique per character. Oongka has the largest confirmed tattoo selection, with at least 13 face tattoo designs available. Kliff has access to war paint and facial marking designs. All tattoos have customizable colors, so players are not limited to black ink.
Body tattoo visibility depends heavily on the equipped armor. Characters wearing lighter armor or outfits with exposed skin will show body tattoos clearly, while heavier armor sets will cover them. Oongka's default armor design exposes the most skin, making his body tattoos the most visible during normal gameplay.
The Dyehouse is the second pillar of Crimson Desert's appearance system. It allows players to change the color and material finish of their equipped armor, weapons, horse equipment, and Battle Robot armor plates. Each equipment piece has multiple independently dyeable layers, so the chest armor's main surface can be a different color from its cloth accents, trim, gloves, and boots.
Dyehouse services are available at various locations across Pywel. Regional Dyehouses exist in most major towns, and players can build their own personal Dyehouse at the Greymane Camp after progressing through the Greymane recruitment questline. The camp Dyehouse, operated by Oliver the Dyer, is the most versatile because it can apply any dye color the player has unlocked, regardless of region.
The following equipment categories can be customized at a Dyehouse.
Category | Dyeable Sections |
|---|---|
Main armor surface, cloth details and accents, accent trim, gloves, and boots each have independent dye channels | |
Weapon surfaces use the same color and material finish system as armor, allowing players to match or contrast with their outfit | |
Head armor, body armor (caparison), and saddle with stirrups are separate pieces, each with their own dyeable sections | |
Main chassis (central body shell), arms and legs (dyed separately from chassis), and smaller metal accent pieces each have independent channels |
Dyehouse NPCs are scattered across Pywel and typically found on the outskirts of settlements, identifiable by the brightly colored fabrics hung out to dry near their stalls. Regional Dyehouses can only apply dyes from their own region. The camp Dyehouse (once unlocked) can apply any unlocked dye.
NPC | Location | Region |
|---|---|---|
Dyehouse southeast of Hernand Castle | Hernand | |
Laurick | Southern part of Pailune city, near the gate | Pailune |
Alton | North of Varnia, near the Nexus | |
Linus | West of Demeniss Castle | Demeniss |
Edmar | Northeast of Demeniss city | Demeniss |
Devin | Pororin Village | Pororin |
Lauendell | ||
Cormac | Northwest Tommaso City | Tommaso |
Castiel | West of Delesyia | Delesyia |
Oliver the Dyer | Player camp (Greymane Camp) | All regions |
Dyes are acquired through three methods: purchasing from Dyehouse vendors, discovering them in the open world, and crafting them at a Cauldron.
Method | Details |
|---|---|
Purchase | Each Dyehouse vendor sells a limited selection of dyes specific to their region. Hernandian vendors sell red-family dyes, Demenissian vendors sell blue and purple-family dyes, and so on. |
World Discovery | Dye bottles are scattered throughout Pywel. They can be found in loot drops, treasure chests, quest rewards, and hidden locations. Some dyes can also be stolen, which requires wearing a mask. |
Dyes are crafted at Cauldrons using gathered flowers and insects. The easiest Cauldron to access early in the game is located at the Witch's Lair in the Shadow's Whisper Cave north of Hernand Castle. |
When a dye is used from the inventory, it permanently unlocks all shades associated with that base color. For example, unlocking a red dye gives access to a spectrum of roughly 20 red hues for future dyeing sessions. See the All Dyes List and All Alchemy Recipes articles for specific dye names, crafting ingredients, and locations.
Dyes in Crimson Desert are organized into five regional families. Each region specializes in a particular color range, and regional Dyehouses can only apply colors from their own family. The camp Dyehouse can apply any unlocked dye regardless of origin.
Dye Family | Region | Color Range |
|---|---|---|
Hernandian Dyes | Reds (Bright Red, Rich Red, Red, Dark Red, Deep Red) | |
Demenissian Dyes | Blues, purples, and violets | |
Pailunese Dyes | Greens and earth tones | |
Calphadean Dyes | Greens (including Bright Green) | |
Pororin Dyes | Pororin | Yellows and oranges |
Each color family contains five tiers of intensity: Bright, Rich, standard, Dark, and Deep. For example, the Hernandian red family includes Bright Red, Rich Red, Red, Dark Red, and Deep Red, each with its own crafting recipe. Additional colors like Shadow Grey become available from Oliver at camp after recruitment progression.
All crafted dyes require a combination of medicinal herbs and beetles. The herbs determine the base color, while the beetle types and ratios determine the shade intensity.
Ingredient Type | Examples | Used For |
|---|---|---|
Pink Herbs | Red-family dyes (Hernandian) | |
Yellow Herbs | Yellow and orange-family dyes | |
White Herbs | White and grey-family dyes | |
Lavender, Blue Lavender | Purple and violet-family dyes (Demenissian) | |
Beetles | All dye recipes; the ratio of beetle types determines the shade intensity |
For a complete list of dye recipes with exact ingredient quantities, see the All Alchemy Recipes article.
Horse equipment can be fully customized at any Dyehouse. The mount dyeing system works the same way as character armor dyeing, with each armor piece having its own independent dye channels. Head armor, body armor (caparison), and saddle with stirrups are all separate pieces, allowing players to create detailed multi-toned color schemes for their horse.
Horse armor equipment is sourced from different settlements and vendors throughout Pywel. The colors and material finishes available for mount equipment match those available for character armor.
The Battle Robot has its own set of dyeable sections at the Dyehouse. The main chassis, arms, legs, and accent pieces each have independent dye channels. This allows for strikingly different looks on the same robot model. Gameplay demonstrations have shown War Robots customized with gold and blue tones, among other combinations.
While the Barber Shop and Dyehouse offer extensive cosmetic options, several fundamental character traits are permanently locked for all three protagonists.
Feature | Status |
|---|---|
Face Shape | Locked. No sliders or bone structure editors are available. |
Eye Color | Locked. Cannot be changed at the Barber Shop or elsewhere. |
Body Proportions | Locked. Height, weight, and build are fixed per character. |
Voice | Locked. Each character has pre-recorded voice acting tied to their identity. |
Species | Locked. Characters cannot be changed to a different race or species. |
Gender |
These restrictions exist because Crimson Desert tells a story-driven, narrative-focused adventure where each character's identity is integral to the plot, cutscenes, and dialogue.
Pearl Abyss has announced "Another Journey," a separate multiplayer mode planned as a free post-launch update. This mode is expected to feature a full character creation system built on Pearl Abyss's advanced character creator technology, the same engine behind Black Desert Online's famously detailed character creator. In Another Journey, players would be able to build a completely custom character with sliders for facial features, body proportions, and other attributes.
Progress earned in the single-player campaign (levels, items, and skills) is intended to carry over into Another Journey, and the single-player and multiplayer experiences are described as organically connected. However, Pearl Abyss has stated that the development and release timeline for Another Journey depends on the game's commercial performance and market demand. As of now, the single-player campaign does not include this full character creation feature.
Unlock the Barber Shop as early as possible by progressing through the The Greymane faction questline. All cosmetic changes at Eric's tent are free and can be made as often as you like.
Build the camp Dyehouse by advancing the Greymane recruitment quests. Oliver the Dyer at camp can apply any unlocked dye regardless of which region it came from, saving you from traveling back to regional Dyehouses.
Collect flowers and beetles during exploration. Even if you are not actively crafting dyes, stockpiling Pink Herbs, Yellow Herbs, and beetles gives you crafting options later.
Use dyes from your inventory to permanently unlock all shades of that color. A single Bright Red dye unlocks roughly 20 red hues for future dyeing sessions.
Check Oongka's body tattoo options first if you want visible ink. His default armor shows the most skin, making tattoos easier to appreciate during gameplay.
Remember that regional Dyehouses only apply their own region's colors. If you want to apply a Hernandian Red to your armor while in Demeniss, you need to return to a Hernandian Dyehouse or use the camp Dyehouse.
Experiment freely. There is no penalty for changing your appearance, and dye colors are not consumed per use once unlocked.
