Overview
Inventory management in Crimson Desert uses a slot-based system rather than a weight-based one. Every item you pick up occupies exactly one inventory slot, regardless of its size or type. This means a single herb takes up the same space as a two-handed sword. The system is straightforward but can become a challenge as you accumulate crafting materials, recovery items, key items, and equipment throughout your journey across Pywel.
Pearl Abyss increased the starting inventory size from 20 slots to 50 slots based on player feedback during early testing, giving new players significantly more room to work with right from the start.
Starting Inventory
When you begin the game as Kliff, you start with 50 inventory slots. This starting allocation is shared across all item categories. There is no separate equipment inventory or quest item pouch; everything goes into the same pool of slots.
Expanding Your Inventory
There are three types of bags in Crimson Desert, each adding a different number of inventory slots when obtained.
Bag Types
Bag Type | Slots Added | How to Obtain |
|---|---|---|
Small Bag | +1 slot | Purchase from most merchants for 50 Copper |
Medium Bag | +3 slots | Quest rewards, especially from Greymane Commissions |
Large Bag | +5 slots | Campaign milestones (unlocking Damiane, expanding Howling Hill camp, unlocking Oongka) |
Buying Small Bags from Merchants
Nearly every vendor in Pywel sells exactly one Small Bag for just 50 Copper. This is an affordable price even in the earliest hours of the game. However, each vendor stocks only a single Small Bag, and once purchased, it does not restock. To maximize your slot gains from merchants, visit every vendor you encounter and buy their Small Bag before moving on.
Earning Medium Bags from Quests
Medium Bags are primarily earned as quest rewards. Greymane Commissions are the most reliable source, with each completed commission potentially rewarding up to 3 additional inventory slots. Completing all 27 Greymane Commissions can yield up to 81 additional inventory slots, making them the single largest source of bag rewards in the entire game.
Unlocking Large Bags
Large Bags are tied to specific story progression milestones and cannot be purchased or found in the open world. The three confirmed Large Bag rewards come from:
Unlocking Damiane as a playable character during Chapter 3
Completing the first Howling Hill camp expansion in Chapter 3
Unlocking Oongka as a playable character in Chapter 7
Item Categories
All items share the same inventory pool, but they are sorted into categories for easier browsing within the inventory menu.
Category | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Weapons, armor, accessories | Swords, body armor, cloaks, rings | |
Food, potions, recovery items | Cooked meals, herbs, Palmar Pills | |
Raw materials for crafting and cooking | Ores, hides, wood, herbs | |
Quest items, documents, recipes | Letters, recipe scrolls, keys | |
Valuables | Items meant purely for selling | Gemstones, trinkets, treasures |
Managing Inventory Space
Selling and Discarding Items
You can sell items to any vendor in Pywel. Valuables exist solely to be sold and should be offloaded whenever you visit a merchant. Recipes and documents should also be sold or discarded after reading them, since their effects are permanently learned once read and the item itself serves no further purpose.
Vendor Repurchase
If you accidentally sell an item you wanted to keep, you can repurchase it from the same vendor by selecting the "Repurchase" tab. However, the repurchase list resets after approximately 7 in-game days, so do not wait too long to buy back mistakenly sold items or they will be lost permanently.
Vendor Restocking
Standard merchant goods like food and crafting materials restock every in-game midnight (0:00). You can force time to pass by sleeping at a campfire and then revisiting the vendor to find their stock refreshed. Note that unique items like Small Bags and certain special goods do not restock once purchased.
Storage
At launch, Crimson Desert does not include a dedicated storage chest or stash system. All items must be carried in your personal inventory. Pearl Abyss has confirmed that housing storage furniture is planned for a post-launch update, which will allow players to store items at their home. Until then, the best strategy is to sell items you do not need and keep your inventory lean.
Tips for Efficient Inventory Management
Buy the Small Bag from every vendor you visit. At 50 Copper each, they are extremely cheap and add up over time.
Prioritize completing Greymane Commissions early. The Medium Bag rewards from commissions are the most efficient way to expand your inventory.
Read recipes and documents immediately upon picking them up, then sell or discard the scroll. The knowledge is permanently learned, so keeping the item wastes a slot.
Sell valuables whenever you visit a merchant. These items have no use other than generating income.
If your inventory is full during exploration, drop low-value crafting materials or cheap consumables to make room for more valuable finds.
Visit the blacksmith to refine your equipment rather than hoarding multiple copies of the same weapon or armor piece.
Keep an eye on vendor repurchase timers. Items sold to merchants disappear from the repurchase list after about 7 in-game days.