Character customization
Complete guide to character customization in Crimson Desert covering the Barber Shop at the Greymane camp (hairstyles with full color palette, beards, eyebrows, face tattoos, body tattoos for Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka), the Dye Station system with layered armor coloring, mount customization for horses (4 armor zones) and the Dwarf-engineered War Robot, and the planned Another Journey mode with full BDO-style character creation.
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Character customization overview
Character customization in Crimson Desert covers everything from hairstyles and tattoos to armor dyes and mount appearances. Because the single-player campaign features fixed protagonists.Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka. There is no character creation screen at the start of the game. Instead, all visual customization happens through two facilities at Greymane Settlement: the Barber Shop for body and facial features, and the Dye Station for coloring armor, weapons, and mounts. A full character creator with sliders and facial modeling will arrive with the Another Journey multiplayer mode as a free post-launch update.
Pearl Abyss has confirmed there are no microtransactions or cosmetic shops in Crimson Desert. All customization options are earned through gameplay and exploration.
Barber Shop
The Barber Shop is located at Greymane Settlement, the player-built camp that serves as your main base. It becomes available as you progress the main story and expand the settlement. The Barber Shop works for all three playable characters.
Available customization tabs
Tab | What It Changes | Details |
|---|---|---|
Hair | Hairstyle and hair color | Multiple distinct hairstyle options per character with a full color palette. Including natural tones and unconventional colors (bright purple, green, blue, etc.). |
Beards | Facial hair | Beard styles and coloration. Modifiable independently from head hair. Available for Kliff and Oongka. |
Eyebrows | Eyebrow shape and color | Separate tab with its own shape and color options for fine-tuning facial appearance. |
Face Tattoos | Facial tattoo designs | Equippable tattoo patterns applied to the face. Multiple designs available. |
Body Tattoos | Body tattoo designs | Separate from face tattoos. Equippable designs that appear on exposed skin areas. |
Applying changes at the Barber Shop costs an in-game currency fee. Prices vary by modification type. You can preview all changes before confirming and paying.
Character-specific notes
Kliff. Access to all five tabs including beards. As the primary protagonist, he has the widest selection of hairstyles.
Damiane. Access to hair, eyebrows, and both tattoo types. No beard tab.
Oongka. Access to all five tabs. His hairstyle and beard options reflect his rugged, frontier aesthetic.
Facial bone structure and body proportions cannot be changed at the Barber Shop. Those are fixed per character to preserve the narrative. Only the Barber-accessible features listed above can be modified during the single-player campaign.
Dye Station
The Dye Station (also called the Dyehouse) is a separate facility at Greymane Settlement. It allows you to recolor armor, weapons, horse equipment, and the War Robot using dyes obtained through exploration and alchemy.
How dyes work
Obtaining dyes: Dyes are found through world exploration or crafted via the alchemy system using flowers, insects, and other gathered materials
Layered coloring: Each outfit piece has multiple dyeable layers. The main armor surface, cloth details, accent trim, and similar sub-sections can each receive different colors
Separate slots: Gloves and boots have their own independent dye channels, separate from the main chest piece
Material options: In addition to color, the system offers options for different material appearances on certain armor pieces
Color palette: The interface uses a visual color palette for precise color selection
Cost: Confirming dye changes requires an in-game currency fee
What can be dyed
Equipment Type | Dyeable Zones |
|---|---|
Character armor | Main surface, cloth details, accent trim, gloves, boots. Each zone independently |
Weapons | Weapon surfaces can be recolored using the palette interface |
Horse equipment | Head armor, body armor, saddle/stirrups. Three independent dye zones |
War Robot | Main chassis, limbs, and other major components. More zones than horse armor |
Mount customization
Mounts in Crimson Desert have their own customization systems. The game features horses, bears, raptors, dragons, and the War Robot, though horses and the War Robot have the most detailed customization options.
Horse customization
Horses have four equipment zones that can be equipped and dyed independently:
Zone | Equipment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Head (Champron) | Head armor, face plate | Protects the horse's head and changes the face profile |
Body (Barding) | Body armor, blankets | Largest visual impact. Multiple armor sets available from different settlements |
Saddle | Saddle | Affects both appearance and riding comfort |
Stirrups | Stirrups | Separate from the saddle. The Deluxe Edition includes the Exclaire Horse Tack Set (Champron, Barding, Saddle, and Stirrups) |
Each settlement's blacksmith and tailor offer horse equipment that matches the region's aesthetic. Mix and match pieces from different settlements for unique combinations, then apply dyes at the Dye Station.
War Robot customization
The War Robot is a combat mech engineered by Dwarves that becomes available later in the story. It is equipped with machine guns, rockets, and jump jets. It has more customizable parts than horses:
Main chassis. The central body shell, the largest visual surface
Limbs. Arms and legs can be dyed separately from the chassis
Additional components. Smaller metal parts and accent pieces each have their own dye channels
War Robot customization is entirely done through the Dye Station. Equipment swaps for the War Robot (if any) are handled through the crafting and upgrade systems rather than the cosmetic dye system.
Equipment and gear appearance
Beyond dyes, your character's visual appearance is primarily determined by equipped weapons and armor. Key points:
Blacksmiths across Pywel provide weapons, while tailors provide armor. Each settlement's offerings match the region's specialty
Equipment can be mixed and matched freely. There is no set bonus that locks you into matching armor visually
Individual armor slots (chest, gloves, boots, helmet) each affect your character's appearance independently
All equipped gear is visible in gameplay and cutscenes
Another Journey mode
The Another Journey mode is a separate multiplayer/co-op experience that will be released as a post-launch update. Pearl Abyss has indicated that its development will depend on the game's commercial performance. It is the only way to access a full character creation system in Crimson Desert.
Full character creator
Another Journey uses Pearl Abyss's advanced character creation technology. The same system behind Black Desert Online's famously detailed character creator. Players will be able to build a completely custom character with sliders for facial features, body proportions, and other attributes. Specific details about the range of options have not been officially revealed yet, but given BDO's precedent, expect one of the most detailed character creators in any action RPG.
Integration with single-player
Levels, items, and skills earned in single-player carry over to Another Journey
Single-player and multiplayer are organically connected. No multiplayer-exclusive content gates your progression
Drop-in/drop-out cooperative gameplay
Players who prefer solo play are not required to engage with Another Journey at all
No microtransactions
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that Crimson Desert has no cosmetic shop and no microtransactions. All customization. Hairstyles, dyes, tattoos, mount armor, War Robot colors. Is earned through gameplay. Director of Marketing Will Powers stated: "This is made to be a premium experience that you buy and you enjoy the world... that is the transaction, full stop."
Tips
Visit the Barber Shop before major cutscenes. Your customized appearance carries into story cinematics
Experiment with unconventional hair colors (bright purple, green, etc.) for a unique look. The full color palette is available from the start
Collect flowers and insects as you explore Pywel. These are alchemy ingredients for crafting dyes. Rare colors require rarer materials
Each settlement has region-themed equipment. Visit multiple areas to expand your wardrobe options
Gloves and boots are dyed separately from the chest piece. Do not forget to color them or they will stand out with default colors
The War Robot has the most dye channels of any customizable entity. Save your rarest dyes for it if you want a cohesive color scheme
If you want full character creation (face sculpting, body sliders), wait for the planned Another Journey post-launch update
Preview all changes before confirming at both the Barber Shop and Dye Station. You pay the fee on confirmation, not on preview