Revision 18

Overview

Kliff MacDuff is the main protagonist of Crimson Desert and the leader of the Greymanes mercenary group. He is the son of Martinus, a former Greymanes leader who met a tragic end. The game follows Kliff's journey to reunite his scattered comrades, rebuild the Greymanes, and confront the forces threatening the continent of Pywel. As the most versatile of the three playable characters, Kliff has the widest weapon selection and can adapt to virtually any combat situation. There is no class system; his combat identity is defined entirely by whatever weapons, skills, and Abyss Artifacts he chooses to equip. He is voiced by Alec Newman, known for his BAFTA-winning lead performance in Still Wakes the Deep, his role as Adam Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077, and characters in Final Fantasy XIV and Elden Ring.

Personality

Newman described Kliff as someone with "a strong moral compass" who "knows very clearly what is right and what is wrong." Kliff carries the burden of leadership after the destruction of the Greymanes at the hands of the Black Bears. He starts the game at his lowest point, barely any abilities left and comrades dead or scattered. Despite this, his fierce loyalty to those who depend on him drives the entire narrative. Newman noted that Kliff initially appears reserved but "loosens up and opens up more" alongside his companions as the group reunites.

Newman imagined Kliff as a Scotsman, which helped him identify traits like "a natural skepticism and watchfulness." He drew vocal inspiration from Graham Fleck, his wife's stepfather who passed away in 2022. Newman stated: "There was danger in his voice, but also enormous warmth and a sense of loyalty. I hope using his voice as inspiration for Kliff will mean he'll live on somehow." Fleck's lower register "brings an attitude that seemed to work for Kliff."

Characterization in IGN's Hands-On Preview

IGN's extended hands-on preview described Kliff as a "rugged and stoic hero who can easily cut down enemies in his path, but is also willing to lend a helping hand to the citizens across the land." The preview confirmed that after his defeat at the hands of Myurdin and the Black Bears, Kliff is seemingly killed in battle but is resurrected by mysterious new allies that come from the sky realm known as the Abyss. This resurrection is what grants him his newfound supernatural powers and sets up his mission to rebuild the Greymanes.

Despite the serious tone and brutal combat, IGN found that much of Kliff's appeal comes from seeing this very serious warrior engage in unexpectedly lighthearted activities. Helping a man clean his chimney, rescuing an abducted sheep for an upset child, and playing rock-paper-scissors with back-alley ruffians all showcase a humorous contrast with his otherwise grim persona.

Appearance and Customization

Kliff has a defined, fixed appearance with no character creation screen. His armor consists of leather and metal plates, reflecting his pragmatic nature and experience in countless battles. While his base appearance cannot be changed, limited cosmetic customization is available through in-game Barber shops at the Greymane Camp.

Weapons

Kliff has the broadest weapon selection of any character in the game. He can seamlessly switch between all weapons mid-combat, chaining different weapon attacks into fluid combos. For example, he can parry with sword and shield, switch to a spear for a follow-up, chain a greatsword swing into a bare-fisted grapple, and then pull out dual blades, all in one continuous sequence.

Signature Abilities

Crow's Wing:

A raven-wing cloak gifted by White Crow the Witch after Kliff visits the Abyss. It allows Kliff to glide across large distances, transforming him into a shade-like figure. Kliff is the only playable character who receives this ability. See the dedicated Crow's Wing article for full details.

Force Palm:

The Force Palm is a powerful palm strike that can be charged and infused with elemental effects through the Axiom Bracelet. In combat, it launches enemies skyward for aerial follow-ups. For traversal, it launches Kliff himself into the air. Some advanced skills like Force Palm cannot simply be purchased; Kliff must personally witness them performed in the world or observe enemies using them in combat to learn them.

Axiom Force:

An aerial combat maneuver performed while gliding. Kliff crashes into the ground in a damaging shockwave, transitioning from traversal directly into combat. This connects the Axiom Bracelet's elemental powers with aerial movement.

Grappling Hook:

A versatile traversal tool that does not snap Kliff instantly to a target. Instead, it slingshots him into the air, from which he can transition into a glide or divekick. He can target rooftops, treetops, and cliff ledges as launch points. See the Grappling Hook article for full mechanics.

Triple Jump:

Kliff can perform triple jumps as part of his traversal and combat toolkit, gaining significant vertical height with each successive jump. This ability feeds into his aerial combat options, allowing him to chain jumps into glides, divekicks, or Axiom Force ground pounds.

Axiom Bracelet and Elemental Combat

Kliff has no innate magical ability. All of his elemental powers come from the Axiom Bracelet, a magical artifact accessed via a selection wheel during combat. Elemental infusion can be applied across all attacks and weapon types, enabling creative environmental combos such as using lightning against wet enemies for bonus damage, or fire interacting with flammable surroundings.

Wrestling and Unarmed Combat

Wrestling is a core, defining part of Kliff's combat identity, with the developers drawing heavily from professional wrestling for his moveset. Bare-hands combat has its own damage stat that can be upgraded, making unarmed fighting a fully viable primary approach rather than a last resort. Directional grapples are performed by holding two face buttons plus a direction for different variations.

Grappling Moves

Kliff's grappling repertoire is extensive and draws from real professional wrestling techniques. Confirmed moves include chokeslams (compared to The Undertaker's signature), suplexes and German suplexes, the Angle Slam (inspired by WWE's Kurt Angle), the Giant Swing (inspired by WWE's Cesaro), RKOs, DDTs, back breakers, clotheslines, shoulder tackles that send foes flying, and hammer throws that launch enemies across the battlefield. He can also grab enemies off their mounts and commandeer the mount for himself.

Martial Arts Strikes

Beyond wrestling, Kliff has dedicated martial arts strikes that were motion-captured from real martial artists for authenticity. These include taekwondo kicks, knee lifts extended into thrust kicks, series of rapid punches, drop-kicks, and dive-kicks launched from aerial positions.

Defensive Mechanics

Kliff has several defensive options that reward precise timing. He can perform stamina-draining blocks with shields, execute precise parries that create openings for counterattacks, use dodge rolls with perfect dodge windows that restore stamina on successful timing, and employ sliding evasion to reposition during combat.

Traversal

Kliff's traversal toolkit is the most developed of the three playable characters. His triple jump provides vertical mobility, the grappling hook slingshots him to elevated positions, and the Crow's Wing allows sustained gliding across large distances. The combination of grappling hook launches into glides is described as the fastest traversal method available before late-game unlocks. Later in the game, Kliff gains access to dragon riding for covering vast distances and can pilot a missile-firing mech.

Mounted Combat

Kliff can fight while mounted on various creatures, including bears and dragons. While riding, he adds his own sword swipes alongside the mount's attacks. He can grapple enemies off their mounts during combat and commandeer the mount for himself, turning an enemy's advantage into his own.

Progression

Kliff's progression is built around Abyss Fragments, collected from quests, boss victories, and exploration. These unlock nodes in the Abyss Tree, which contains core nodes for stat boosts like Health and Stamina, and branch nodes for actual combat techniques. Some advanced skills cannot be purchased outright; Kliff must personally witness them performed in the world or observe enemies using them in combat. Defeating bosses yields special equipment that grants access to the boss's signature abilities, meaning the order in which bosses are fought affects available build options. Stats and skill allocations can be reset and reallocated at any time.

Story Role

The story begins with the Greymanes' devastating defeat at the hands of Myurdin and the Black Bears. The group's former leader Gian is killed, and the surviving Greymanes are scattered across the continent. Kliff must travel through all five regions of Pywel to find his companions, rebuild the Greymane Camp, and ultimately confront the Black Bears. As the journey progresses, Kliff discovers that the threat to Pywel extends far beyond the factional conflict, involving the Abyss and forces that endanger the entire continent. Kliff is the only playable character who can advance the main story; Damiane and Oongka become available for open-world exploration and side content after being unlocked through story progression.