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Factions
March 21, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Accuracy fix: Fix phrasing from 'all 25 named factions' to '25 of the notable factions'
The continent of Pywel is home to over 110 distinct factions recorded in the in-game Knowledge Library. These factions range from powerful noble houses and military organizations to mercenary bands, outlaw groups, merchant guilds, academic institutions, and religious orders. Each faction controls territory, offers quests, and reacts to the player's actions across the open world.
Pearl Abyss has described the faction system as comparable to the side content in The Witcher 3: factions serve as significant actors in the world and provide substantial quest content for players to engage with. While factions shape which areas are accessible, which NPCs are friendly, and what services are available, they do not alter the main story or its ending. The developer stated: "They're not like the factions seen in, say, Fallout. Whether as allies or potential enemies, neither will affect the main story or ending."
Factions are spread across the five main regions of Pywel: Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia, and the Crimson Desert. The player interacts with factions through quests, the Contribution system, and the liberation mechanic that allows occupied settlements to be freed from hostile control.
The following table lists 25 of the notable factions confirmed in Crimson Desert, organized by type. Faction names link to their dedicated wiki articles where available.
Faction | Region | Alignment | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Allied | The player's faction. Warriors who safeguard Pailune, led by Kliff. After the Black Bears' ambush scattered them, the Greymanes regroup in Hernand and establish a camp that expands throughout the game. | ||
Hostile | Primary antagonist faction led by Myurdin. Assassinated the Greymanes' leader Gian and seized control of Pailune. Once counted among Pailune's strongest fighting forces alongside the Greymanes, but lacked their character and valor. |
House | Rank | Region | Alignment | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ducal house | Allied | Governing house of Hernand. Distant descendants of the wandering knight Canta, they handle diplomacy while House Serkis manages internal affairs. Provide bounty notice quests targeting specific individuals. | ||
Marquis house | Allied | Right hand of House Celeste since the founding of Hernand. Manages internal affairs and day-to-day governance of the duchy. | ||
Marquis house | Allied | Oversees the defense and governance of the Calphade region bordering Pailune. Led by Marquis Stefan Lanford, a key Greymane ally. | ||
Count's house | Allied | Venerable family of southern Hernand, known for their interest in technology and generous support of the Emberwind Workshop's hot-cloudcarts. | ||
Count's house | Neutral | Long-established merchant family and among the wealthiest in Hernand. Provides quests including "Estate in Dismay," "Continuing Concern," and "Boulder from the Sky." | ||
Count's house | Neutral | Often overshadowed by House Roberts in wealth and by House Serkis in reputation. Seen as lagging behind other noble families. | ||
Noble house | Neutral | Prestigious lineage of spearmasters. They preserve a family manual compiling techniques refined by successive heads of the house. |
Organization | Type | Region | Alignment | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Merchant guild | All of Pywel | Allied | Largest merchant guild on the continent, run by goblins. Led by Kailok the Hornsplitter, whose personal greed has created cascading effects throughout Hernand. | |
Academic institution | Allied | Founded by troll scholars. Dedicated to studying knowledge of all things in the world, it has recently intensified its research into the Abyss. | ||
Trade guild | Southern Hernand | Neutral | Based in a seaside village in southern Hernand. Bountiful waters teeming with fish have kept the town lively for generations. | |
Engineering workshop | Southern Hernand | Neutral | Responsible for building and maintaining the hot-cloudcarts. Supported by House Grace's generous funding. |
Community | Type | Region | Alignment | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Village community | Neutral | A village hidden deep within the forest. They manage forest-related quests including "Trembling Woods" and "Pororin Research Institute." | ||
Racial alliance | Northwestern Hernand | Neutral | Troll village hidden behind the northwestern mountain range. The trolls maintain their own society separate from human settlements. | |
Vagrant community | Neutral | Wanderers and refugees driven into the streets by Hernand's many troubles, forming a fragile community. | ||
Militia | Neutral | Local defense force operating in the Pailune region. Involved in succession-related conflicts and fighting alongside the Greymanes. |
Order | Alignment | Region | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Benevolent | Southern Pywel | The dominant religion of Pywel, worshipping Solumen, the god of light. "May Solumen's blessing guide you" is a common greeting among the faithful. | |
Benevolent | Local chapter of the Solumen Order administering the faith's activities within the Duchy of Hernand. | ||
Hostile | Unknown | Dark religion that profanes light and life. Followers worship darkness through human sacrifice and are involved in succession and sanctum conflicts. |
Faction | Region | Description |
|---|---|---|
Personal guard of Kailok the Hornsplitter. They enforce the Goldleaf Merchant Guild leader's will and protect his interests. | ||
Armed faction that has plunged Hernand into fear. Their influence spread across the region with alarming speed. Found at locations like Cairn House north of Three Saints Falls. | ||
All of Pywel | Roaming band that scours Pywel in search of prey. They create blockades restricting access to certain regions, shown on the HUD as "Blockaded" markers. | |
Southern Pywel | Bandits targeting merchants and travelers along southern trade routes, ambushing and plundering caravans. | |
Marshlands | Known as the demons of the reed fields. They control territory in marshy areas and are hostile to anyone passing through. | |
Unknown | Band of goblin scholars barely different from common thieves. Despite academic pretensions, they resort to banditry and intimidation. | |
Unknown | Once dedicated to treating mental illness, its original purpose has been corrupted, turning it into a hostile faction. |
Each faction has a standing that reflects the player's relationship with it. Standing progresses from hostile (War) through Neutral and eventually to Alliance. Completing quests, assisting faction members, and performing positive actions for a group increases standing. Criminal behavior and hostile acts decrease it.
Reaching Alliance status with a faction unlocks several benefits. Allied faction troops may appear to assist the player during ambushes in the open world. New vendors become available, additional quests open up, and previously restricted resource nodes become accessible.
State | Effect |
|---|---|
At War | Hostile. The faction's forces attack on sight. Resources in their territory are contested or blockaded. |
Neutral | The faction tolerates the player's presence. Trade and movement through their territory is possible without conflict. |
Alliance | Friendly. The faction provides support, access to unique vendors, assistance during battles, and resource nodes in their territory. |
These states shift based on liberating territory, completing quests, making dialogue choices, and engaging in combat. Improving relations with one faction may damage relations with their rivals.
The Contribution system is directly tied to faction reputation. Each region tracks a Contribution metric (such as "Hernandian Contribution") that rises or falls based on the player's actions. Positive actions like completing quests, paying alms, and helping NPCs increase Contribution. Criminal activities reduce it, with penalties ranging from -5 for minor offenses to -30 for serious crimes.
Low Contribution in a region can restrict NPC interactions and limit access to certain towns or services. Accumulating criminal offenses triggers bounties that make guards hostile. Wanted status persists until the player is arrested or clears the bounty through the Law System.
Throughout the open world, hostile factions occupy settlements, outposts, and strongholds. The player can liberate these locations by defeating the occupying forces and their leaders. Successfully liberating an area causes visible changes: residents return, structures are rebuilt, new vendors set up shop, and materials for rebuilding Pailune become available.
Hostile factions restrict access to certain parts of the map through blockades. The HUD shows indicators such as "Blockaded" alongside the name of the controlling faction. These blockades must be cleared through combat to gain access to the blocked region and its resources.
From the Greymane Camp, players can send comrades to blockaded locations to reduce enemy occupants while the player is in a different region. This system allows players to weaken hostile positions before engaging them directly.
Each faction provides its own set of side quests that appear throughout the game. Faction quests are non-missable and can be revisited across chapters. The table below summarizes the confirmed faction quest chains.
Faction | Quest Chain | Notable Quests |
|---|---|---|
Record of the Greymanes, The Greymanes' New Fangs, Strongbox with Wheels, Brightening the Spirits, Chance to Make a Fortune | ||
Embers of Return, Reuniting with Comrades, For a Better Tomorrow | ||
Bounty Notices | Bounties targeting Jeffrey, Simon de Montfort, Alessio, Blix, Bianca, Salvatore, Warren, and Billy | |
Estate Questline | Estate in Dismay, Continuing Concern, Boulder from the Sky | |
Guild Quests | ||
Forest Quests | Trembling Woods, Pororin Research Institute |
The factions of Pywel reflect the diversity of the continent's inhabitants. Multiple sentient species coexist across the world, and many factions are organized along racial lines.
Race | Associated Factions |
|---|---|
Humans | Noble houses (Celeste, Serkis, Lanford, Grace, Roberts, Felix, Alfonso), the Greymanes, the Black Bears, the Bleed Bandits, most hostile factions |
Goblins | |
Trolls |
Pywel is divided into five main regions, each containing its own collection of factions. Minor houses serve as lords over various areas within each region, providing governance and protection. The in-game Knowledge Library tracks 573 individual territories across these regions.
Region | Description | Known Factions |
|---|---|---|
A resource-rich region of mountains and rivers. The starting area where the Greymane Camp is located. | House Celeste, House Serkis, House Lanford, House Grace, House Roberts, House Felix, House Alfonso, Goldleaf Merchant Guild, Scholastone Institute, Vellua Fishermen's Guild, Pororin Forest Guardians, Kharonso Troll Alliance, Beggars' Alliance, Bleed Bandits, Wolf Trackers | |
Frozen, mountainous northernmost region. Original homeland of the Greymanes before their displacement. | The Greymanes (former), The Black Bears (current occupiers), Pailune Militia | |
Center of political and military power in Pywel. Home to regal castles and the seat of the king, who lies in a coma. | The King of Demeniss (absent), rival factions exploiting the power vacuum | |
A region known for science and technology. Home to advanced constructs and mechanical creations. | No specific factions confirmed | |
Arid region of red sands, considered the most lawless and dangerous part of Pywel. | Southern Bandits, other outlaw groups |
Faction alignment has real consequences beyond combat:
Effect | Description |
|---|---|
Opening Paths | Allied factions grant access to their territory, vendors, resources, and encampments. |
Closing Paths | Aligning with one faction can close off paths and encampments controlled by rival factions. |
Vendor Access | Faction-aligned vendors sell unique items and equipment. Losing faction favor means losing access to those vendors. |
Resource Nodes | Allied territory provides better resource access. Hostile territory has blockaded resource deposits. |
World Landscape | Which houses or factions the player aligns with can change the physical landscape of the world, according to Pearl Abyss. |
The world map includes a faction overlay showing which factions control which territories. Enemy-controlled areas are highlighted, and blockaded zones are marked with icons such as "Blockaded - The Wolf Trackers" indicating restricted areas gated by story progression or faction status. As the player liberates territory and shifts faction alignments, the map updates in real time to reflect the changing balance of power across Pywel.
Beyond mortal factions, the Abyss is an existential threat that affects all factions. As the corruption spreads, it creates supernatural hazards that no single faction can handle alone. Various forces throughout the continent seek Abyss power for their own purposes, adding another layer of conflict beyond the territorial disputes between houses and guilds.
Check the Knowledge Library regularly to track which of the 110 factions you have discovered.
Focus on improving Contribution in the Hernand region early on, as many faction quest chains unlock based on your standing.
Liberating occupied settlements provides materials for rebuilding Pailune, which in turn opens new faction interactions.
Use the Dispatch system from the Greymane Camp to weaken hostile faction blockades before engaging them in person.
Faction quests are non-missable, so there is no pressure to complete them in a specific order. They remain available across all chapters.
Improving relations with one faction may damage your standing with a rival faction, so consider your alliances carefully.
