Overview
Companion affection is a hidden progression system in Crimson Desert that tracks your relationship with the Greymane members and allied characters. Unlike dialogue-heavy RPGs where every conversation choice shifts approval ratings, Crimson Desert ties affection primarily to completing side content related to each companion. This system operates quietly in the background, but it plays a significant role in determining which ending you see when you finish the main story.
The game has two endings: the Standard Ending and the Definitive Ending. The Standard Ending is what most players will see on their first playthrough if they focus mainly on the main story (roughly 50 hours of content). The Definitive Ending requires deep engagement with the game's side content, including companion questlines, and takes approximately 80 hours to unlock.
Reaching maximum affection with at least 4 companions is one of the key factors that contributes toward unlocking the Definitive Ending. This guide explains how the affection system works, how to track it, and how to raise it efficiently.
How Affection Works
Each companion in Crimson Desert has an internal affection value that increases as you complete content related to them. This value is not displayed as a number or a progress bar anywhere in the standard UI. Instead, it is tracked silently and only becomes visible through a subtle visual indicator (described in the next section).
Affection increases primarily through companion questlines. These are side quests that focus on a specific companion's backstory, personal goals, or problems. Companion quests become available at various points throughout the game, often tied to faction quests and Greymane Commissions. Completing these quests is the most reliable and significant way to increase a companion's affection.
The system does not rely on dialogue choices. You do not need to pick the "right" response in conversations to gain affection. What matters is whether you actually complete the companion-related content, not what you say during it.
Checking Affection Level
To check a companion's affection status, open the Journal and navigate to the Companions tab. Each companion is listed here with their portrait and basic information.
Look for a faint wolf emblem next to each companion's name. This emblem is the visual indicator for affection status.
Faint/outline emblem: The companion has not yet reached maximum affection. There is still content to complete.
Filled/solid emblem: The companion has reached maximum affection. Their questline is fully complete.
The emblem is subtle and easy to overlook if you do not know to look for it. There is no tooltip or explanation in the game itself, so many players miss this indicator entirely on their first playthrough.
How to Increase Affection
The primary methods for increasing companion affection are outlined below.
Companion Quests
Each companion has a personal questline that becomes available at different points during the story. These quests are marked in your journal and typically involve helping the companion with a personal matter, investigating something from their past, or resolving a conflict. Completing each quest in the chain provides a significant affection boost.
Companion quests are the single largest source of affection. Skipping them or leaving them unfinished is the most common reason players fail to reach maximum affection with enough companions to unlock the Definitive Ending.
Greymane Commissions
Greymane Commissions are repeatable tasks posted at Greymane camps and notice boards. While they provide smaller affection gains compared to dedicated companion quests, they add up over time. Completing commissions that involve a specific companion (such as missions where they fight alongside you) tends to give a small affection increase for that companion.
Faction Quests
Some faction-related side quests also contribute to companion affection, particularly when the quest involves a specific companion as a key participant. These quests are not always obviously connected to the affection system, so completing faction content broadly is a good strategy.
Standard vs Definitive Ending
Crimson Desert features two distinct endings based on how much side content you have completed over the course of the game.
Ending | Approximate Playtime | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
Standard Ending | ~50 hours | Complete the main story. No additional requirements. |
Definitive Ending | ~80 hours | Deep engagement with side content, including companion affection, witch quests, and more. |
The Standard Ending is the default outcome. If you play through the main story without engaging deeply with side content, you will see this ending. It provides a complete narrative conclusion but leaves some story threads unresolved.
The Definitive Ending expands on the Standard Ending with additional scenes and a more complete resolution. It is the game's intended "true" ending for players who fully explore the world.
What Contributes to the Definitive Ending
The Definitive Ending is unlocked by reaching certain thresholds of side content completion. Based on verified information, the following factors contribute.
Companion Affection: Reaching maximum affection with at least 4 companions. Check the wolf emblem in the Journal > Companions tab to confirm.
Witch Questlines: Completing the Witch of Wisdom questline (and likely other witch quests) contributes toward the ending threshold.
Overall Side Content: The Definitive Ending is tied to overall completion of side content rather than any single specific requirement. Engaging broadly with the game's optional systems increases your chances of triggering it.
The exact formula for unlocking the Definitive Ending has not been fully datamined, but the pattern is clear: players who complete the main story in roughly 50 hours see the Standard Ending, while players who invest around 80 hours into side content, companion quests, and witch questlines consistently report seeing the Definitive Ending.
Disputed Information: Story Choices
Some community sources claim that specific story choices during the main quest affect which ending you receive. The most commonly cited examples include:
Choosing to spare Grash during a key confrontation
Choosing the infiltration approach over the direct assault
Delaying the bell during a specific story event
This information is disputed. The more reliable sources (including datamine efforts and extensive community testing) indicate that endings are completion-based, not choice-based. In other words, what you do (completing quests, raising affection, clearing sanctums) matters more than what you choose during dialogue or branching story moments.
It is possible that certain story choices have minor effects on specific scenes or dialogue within the endings, but they do not appear to determine which ending (Standard or Definitive) you receive. If you want to be safe, you can make the choices listed above while also completing the side content requirements. However, do not rely on story choices alone to unlock the Definitive Ending.
Tips
Do companion quests as soon as they appear. Some companion quests have availability windows tied to story progression. If you advance the main story too far without completing them, you may miss the opportunity.
Check the Journal regularly. New companion quests can appear without a prominent notification. Make a habit of opening the Journal > Companions tab after each main story chapter to see if new content is available.
Focus on at least 4 companions. You need maximum affection with at least 4 companions for the Definitive Ending. Identify which 4 companions have the most accessible questlines and prioritize them.
Complete Greymane Commissions between story missions. Commissions are a steady source of small affection gains. Use them to fill in any gaps between major companion quests.
Finish witch questlines too. The All Witch Requests Guide covers how to complete all witch content. Witch quest completion contributes to the overall side content threshold for the Definitive Ending.
Look for the wolf emblem. The filled wolf emblem next to a companion's name in the Journal is your confirmation that you have reached maximum affection. If the emblem is still faint, there is more content to complete for that companion.
Do not stress about dialogue choices. Based on the best available evidence, the ending is determined by completion, not by picking the "right" dialogue options. Focus your energy on doing the content rather than worrying about conversation choices.