Overview
Cooking locations are scattered throughout the world of Pywel in Crimson Desert. Players can cook at bonfires, campfires, and cooking pots found inside or just outside most cities, towns, and settlements. Since cooking is one of the primary methods of restoring HP and gaining combat buffs, knowing where to find cooking stations is essential for survival, especially before difficult boss encounters.
Types of Cooking Stations
There are several types of cooking stations in Crimson Desert, each visually distinct but functionally similar:
Station Type | Description | Location Type |
|---|---|---|
Cooking Pot | A fire with a pot hanging over it. The most common type found in settlements. | Towns, cities, camps |
Bonfire | A larger fire without a pot. Found in towns and along roads. | Towns, roadsides, camps |
Campfire | A smaller fire found in the wilderness and at rest points. | Wilderness, rest stops |
Camp Cooking Station | Greymane Camp cooking area with full facilities. | Player camp |
All cooking station types support the same recipes. There is no gameplay difference between cooking at a pot, bonfire, or campfire.
How to Use Cooking Stations
To interact with a cooking station, use Focus (hold L1/LB on controller, or CTRL on keyboard) to lock onto the fire. Once locked on, three options appear:
Cook: Opens the cooking menu where you can select recipes and prepare meals
Wait: Advances time by 3, 6, or 12 hours (useful for time-sensitive events)
Leave: Exits the interaction
When selecting Cook, you will see recipe categories including grilled cooking, field grilled cooking, and field pot cooking. Select a recipe you have discovered, check the required ingredients, and press Make to prepare the meal. Some recipes allow ingredient substitutions.
Known Cooking Locations
Hernand Region
Hernand Town: Cooking pot located next to the butcher stand. This is one of the earliest and most convenient cooking locations in the game.
Greymane Camp: Greymane Camp has a dedicated cooking area. Available from Chapter 3 onward after the camp is established on Howling Hill.
Kliff's House: Kliff's personal residence on Howling Hill, east of Greymane Camp, has a cooking station.
Scholastone: Scholastone has cooking facilities available near the inn.
Hernand Castle: Cooking stations are available within the castle grounds.
Other Regions
Demeniss: Demeniss has multiple cooking locations spread throughout the city.
Pailune: Pailune settlements have cooking stations available after liberation.
Wilderness Campfires: Scattered throughout the open world at rest points and crossroads. Once discovered, they are marked on your map permanently.
Posthouses: Major posthouses along trade routes typically have bonfires or cooking pots available.
Cooking and Resting
Cooking stations double as rest points. In addition to preparing meals, players can skip time at any cooking station. This is useful for quests that require specific times of day, or for waiting until shops open. Players can also rest at beds in settlements, Greymane Camp, and other campsites throughout the world.
There is a cooldown timer that prevents consecutive resting attempts at the same station. If you need to skip time again immediately, travel to a different rest point.
Tips
The cooking pot next to the Hernand butcher is the earliest and most convenient station. Get familiar with it during the opening chapters.
Wilderness campfires appear on your map once discovered. Make a habit of interacting with each one you pass to build up your fast-rest network.
Always cook a stock of healing meals before heading into boss fights. Cooking is the primary HP restoration method in the game.
Recipes are found at inns, through quests, and from exploration. Check inns in every new town you visit for recipe vendors.
Some recipes allow ingredient substitutions. If you are missing one ingredient, check whether a substitute is available before abandoning the recipe.