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Law System
March 28, 2026 at 04:20 PM
Consolidated three overlapping content layers into one coherent article; extracted bounty hunting guide into separate article
Crimson Desert has a law system that tracks criminal behavior across Pywel's towns and cities. Harmful actions toward residents and their property have real consequences, ranging from fines to imprisonment. Pearl Abyss has described the system as "another piece of the combat and progression puzzle" rather than a simple morality meter. Criminal behavior offers temporary strategic advantages but generates escalating risks.
The system is designed to discourage crime through overwhelming force rather than making it impossible. Multiple outlets have compared it to Red Dead Redemption 2's crime and bounty mechanics, though Pearl Abyss has not explicitly made this comparison. The game is "not Grand Theft Auto" in terms of lawless freedom; the wanted system is one component of a broader world that rewards engagement over destruction.
The game recognizes several categories of criminal behavior, each with different severity levels and Contribution penalties. Criminal activity ranges from petty theft all the way up to murder. These were demonstrated in the Features Overview #3: Life in Pywel trailer, which showed Kliff pickpocketing NPCs, stealing vendor goods, and escalating to violence.
Crime | Description | Severity | Contribution Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
Stealing items directly from NPC pockets. Requires a criminal mask to be equipped. Uses a bump-and-grab technique: sprint into the NPC to make them stumble, then press the pickpocket prompt. Awards stolen goods such as coin pouches. | Low | -5 Contribution EXP | |
Theft | Taking items from containers, vendor stalls, shelves, strongboxes, and chests while wearing a mask. Even taking something as small as a piece of fruit triggers a red "Crime: Theft" overlay on screen. | Low | -5 Contribution EXP |
Vandalism | Destroying property such as fences and posts, which often happens accidentally while galloping on horseback through settlements. | Low | Minor |
Trespassing | Entering restricted areas or private homes without permission while wearing the criminal mask. | Low to Moderate | Minor to Moderate |
Threatening | Using the "Threaten" option in the NPC interaction menu to intimidate residents for information or compliance. | Moderate | Moderate |
Bullying | Intimidating, shoving, or harassing civilians without direct lethal combat. An escalation step between petty theft and violence. | Moderate | Moderate |
Assault | Attacking civilian NPCs or friendly characters while wearing the criminal mask. Requires the mask to initiate. | High | -30 Contribution EXP |
Horse Theft | Kicking someone off a carriage and stealing their horse. Shown in pre-release footage as an available criminal action. | High | Moderate to High |
Murder | Killing civilian NPCs or guards. Continually striking an NPC counts as murder and places a bounty on your head instantly. | Very High | -30 Contribution EXP |
The typical escalation path runs from pickpocketing and theft, through bullying and intimidation, up to assault and murder. Each step increases the severity of the guard response and the reputation penalties you face. Interestingly, NPCs can also pickpocket the player, suggesting a two-way interaction where the streets of Pywel's settlements are not entirely safe even for the protagonist.
With your mask equipped, approach any chest, dresser, shelf, or strongbox and look for the "Steal" button prompt. Hold L1 on PlayStation (LB on Xbox, or the PC equivalent) to bring out your lantern, which lets you scan nearby objects and highlight stealable items more easily. Loot bag icons on the minimap mark containers with keys or valuables, and book icons mark crafting recipes. Buildings like the Royal Trading Post's Product Storage are packed with containers and can yield around 90 silver in a single run if you clean them out.
For a full breakdown on container theft, see the How to Steal Items guide.
Strongboxes are a special case. These locked containers are scattered throughout Pywel and can only be opened by solving the mechanical puzzle built into each one. The items inside count as stolen goods, so you must be wearing a mask to take the contents after solving the puzzle. Without a mask, you can still solve the puzzle, but you cannot claim the loot. Strongbox theft carries the same -5 Contribution penalty as regular theft regardless of whether anyone sees you.
Pickpocketing uses a specific bump-and-grab technique rather than a simple button press. Here is how it works:
Equip your criminal mask.
Pick a target NPC and sprint directly into them. The collision causes the NPC to stumble backward.
While looking at the stumbling NPC, the pickpocket prompt appears (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox).
Press the button to complete the pickpocket. You receive stolen goods such as coin pouches.
Pickpocketing always costs -5 Contribution EXP in that region, even if nobody witnesses the act. If an NPC or guard spots you during the attempt, you enter the Spotted stage of the wanted system.
Stolen items cannot be sold to regular vendors. You need to visit a Black Market vendor to unload your stolen goods. The earliest Black Market vendor available is Grimrak, who operates the Back Alley Shop southeast of Hernand town. His shop sits at the end of the road closest to the river, on the west side, right next to the Livestock Fence. Later in the game, you can also sell stolen items through Black Market vendors found at Goldleaf Tradeposts.
Different types of stolen property require different fences:
Stolen Property | Where to Sell | Notes |
|---|---|---|
General items | Black Market vendor (Grimrak or Goldleaf Tradeposts) | The earliest option is Grimrak southeast of Hernand. |
Stolen livestock | Livestock Fence | You must be actively carrying or riding the animal to sell it. The earliest Livestock Fence is opposite Grimrak near Hernand. |
Stolen wagons | Wagon Fence | Only Wagon Fence NPCs buy stolen wagons. One is located east of Hernand, south of the Halssius Apothecary. |
Before committing crimes against NPCs, players must first equip a criminal mask. This mask serves as a gameplay gate: pickpocketing, attacking civilians, and other criminal actions are only available while wearing it. Wearing the mask signals criminal intent and unlocks the pickpocketing interaction prompt when near NPCs. Without the mask equipped, the option to pickpocket does not appear, preventing accidental activation of criminal behavior.
The Mask item is obtained from the Jeffrey bounty, the tutorial bounty in Hernand. Completing that bounty rewards 1 Silver, +100 House Celeste Contribution EXP, and the Mask itself. The Mask also enables disguise mechanics that allow Kliff to infiltrate hostile areas without being recognized immediately. Removing the mask returns the player to normal NPC interactions.
When you commit a crime and there are eyewitnesses in the area, you enter the wanted system. Each crime contributes to a cumulative bounty value displayed in the player's HUD, with a "Bounty Notice" marker appearing in the top-right corner of the screen. The bounty operates on a sliding scale rather than a simple toggle between "wanted" and "not wanted."
The Spotted stage begins immediately after you commit a crime within sight of witnesses. A red detection radius appears on your minimap, indicating the area where guards are actively searching. A white timer appears in the upper right corner of the screen, showing how long you have before your status escalates.
During this stage, you can escape without earning a bounty. Sprint out of the red radius before the timer expires and no bounty will be recorded. If the crime is minor (a botched pickpocket attempt, minor vandalism), simply running into the wilderness and staying out of the search zone is enough to clear the alert.
If you linger inside the red detection radius for too long or continue committing crimes after being spotted, eyewitnesses report you and your wanted status escalates to the Searching stage. At this point a bounty notice is officially issued, complete with your portrait and a bounty amount. Guards shift from passive searching to active pursuit.
Once a bounty has been issued, simply leaving the area no longer clears your wanted status. The bounty persists on your record until you pay it off at a church or get arrested. Areas where you have an active bounty are marked in red on the world map.
As the bounty value increases, the system creates a visible Wanted Poster that displays the player character's face along with the current bounty amount. This poster appears on-screen as both a gameplay indicator and a narrative touch, reinforcing that Kliff's criminal behavior is noticed and documented by the communities he moves through. Repeated offenses in a short period cause the bounty to rise rapidly.
Different thresholds trigger different levels of response from the world:
Bounty Level | Consequence |
|---|---|
Low | NPCs become wary. Some refuse to trade or offer services. Guards watch the player more closely. |
Medium | A wanted poster appears on-screen showing the player character's face and bounty amount. Guards actively patrol for the player. |
High | Guards become hostile on sight. Dozens of heavily armed guards converge simultaneously, making open combat extremely dangerous. |
Once the bounty exceeds certain thresholds, guards and military patrols become actively hostile. They pursue Kliff on sight, engaging in combat to subdue or arrest him. The system deliberately creates overwhelming opposition: players face dozens of enemies simultaneously when wanted, making escape difficult without serious preparation.
The response scales with the bounty level:
At lower wanted levels, guards may issue warnings or attempt to detain the player
At higher levels, guards attack with lethal intent and call for reinforcements
Players face dozens of enemies simultaneously when wanted
Bounty hunters appear and actively pursue the player across the region
Townsfolk, residents, and guards all become aggressive toward the player
Guards have sophisticated detection capabilities beyond standard vision cones, described in hands-on previews as possessing impressive awareness at range. However, guards are not omniscient. The system appears to use line-of-sight and proximity detection, meaning players can potentially evade pursuit by breaking line of sight and putting distance between themselves and their pursuers. Returning to the scene of a recent crime while the bounty is still active immediately re-engages the authorities.
With a high enough bounty, an entire town can turn hostile. Both civilians and guards refuse to deal with the player, and guards actively attempt to arrest or fight the player. The number of guards that respond is deliberately overwhelming, so fighting through a wanted situation is rarely viable.
Depending on the severity of committed crimes, players may need to pay fines to resolve their wanted status. Red94 reported that players may need to "fight their way out of the city, pay large fines, or even serve time in prison," indicating that fines are one of several options for dealing with criminal consequences.
Every criminal action reduces your regional Contribution, the reputation metric that tracks your standing with factions in each area. The HUD displays two metrics: Contribution (current standing level) and Contribution EXP (progress toward the next tier). Penalties range from -5 Contribution EXP for minor offenses like pickpocketing to -30 Contribution EXP for serious crimes like assault or murder. These penalties apply even if nobody witnesses the crime.
Low Contribution in a region has practical consequences. Vendor prices increase, quest availability changes, some NPCs refuse to interact with you entirely, and you lose access to certain services. The same Contribution currency is earned through the liberation system and positive faction engagement, so criminal behavior directly undermines your territorial progress.
One of the most significant long-term consequences is regional faction contribution loss. Criminal actions reduce Contribution and Contribution EXP for the regional faction (e.g., "Hernandian Contribution"), and losing faction contribution means losing access to location-specific benefits:
Vendor discounts and merchant access in the affected region
Access to certain NPC services and quest lines
Resource nodes tied to that faction's territory
Deeper faction relationships and story branches
Rebuilding Contribution requires positive actions: completing quests, helping NPCs, and paying alms at churches. Recovery takes time, so preserving your reputation is usually more efficient than trying to rebuild it. A player who has built up favorable standing through quests and liberation can see that progress eroded by a crime spree in the same region.
There are several ways to deal with an active bounty. The method you choose depends on how much money you have and how much time you are willing to spend. For a detailed walkthrough, see How to Pay Fines and Bounties.
The primary method for clearing a bounty is to visit the Confessional at any Church of Solumen and purchase a Writ of Absolution. This immediately clears your wanted level and calls off the guards. The cost depends on the severity of your accumulated crimes, ranging from copper coins for minor offenses to significant silver amounts for serious crimes.
Confessionals are marked on the world map by an icon that resembles an artistic rendition of the sun or a traditional compass (a yellow sun icon with an orange background). You can pay off bounties from other regions at any Confessional, and the cost remains the same regardless of where you pay.
Church locations include the Church of Hernand (south of Hernand Castle) and the Cathedral of Demeniss (in Demeniss City, near the southern wall).
If guards manage to take Kliff down (either through the tackle QTE or by defeating you in combat), you are arrested and placed in a wooden holding cell. A brief jail sequence plays out, time skips forward, and your bounty is automatically paid upon release. Getting arrested clears the bounty without requiring you to visit a church, but you lose in-game time and suffer additional Contribution penalties on top of those already deducted by the crimes themselves.
During the Spotted stage only, you can avoid a bounty entirely by leaving the red detection radius before the timer expires. Once your status has escalated to Searching and a bounty has been formally issued, leaving the area does not clear it. The bounty remains on your record until resolved through the church or arrest.
If guards take Kliff down, the player is arrested and placed in a wooden holding cell. Serving jail time clears the current bounty, though the player loses time in the process. The imprisonment mechanic serves as the primary punishment for criminal behavior, along with any bounty gold that must be paid as a fine.
Getting arrested is one of the primary ways to clear wanted status for players who cannot afford to pay fines. After release, the player's bounty is reduced. Specific details about sentence duration, inventory impact, and escape mechanics have not been fully detailed in pre-release coverage.
In a distinctive risk-reward design, certain gear provides an ATK+ bonus based on the player's Wanted level. Will Powers (Pearl Abyss Director of Marketing) confirmed this mechanic during the Dropped Frames podcast interview: players can "make evil decisions and be rewarded for those playstyles with additional attack level based on your negative notoriety."
The strategic implication is significant: players may want to intentionally raise their notoriety to gain a spike in power before challenging a tough boss. This creates a calculated trade-off between the increased attack power and the consequences of being wanted: hostile guards, bounty hunters, faction contribution loss, and restricted access to settlement services.
The specific gear pieces that provide this notoriety-scaling ATK bonus have not been detailed in pre-launch materials. The exact scaling formula (how much ATK per notoriety level) is also unknown. However, Powers cautioned against sustaining an "evil playthrough," stating: "Would I recommend a full playthrough in that playstyle? Eh, I don't know." The crime system is designed more as a reactive consequence framework than as an alternative playstyle.
The game features full stealth mechanics with enemy vision cones visible on the minimap and silent takedowns. Stealth allows players to approach crime more carefully, though hands-on previews noted that guards proved difficult to avoid due to their detection range.
The villages and cities feel alive with NPCs reacting to unlawful behavior. Harmful actions against innocents turn residents and guards hostile, while accumulated criminal history affects how NPCs interact with the player over time.
Beyond guards, civilian NPCs in the affected area become hostile or fearful. Quest-givers may refuse to interact with a wanted player, merchants may close their shops, and townspeople may flee or alert guards. An entire town can become hostile based on criminal actions. This social consequence makes extended crime sprees increasingly impractical as the player loses access to essential services.
Notably, some NPCs can pickpocket the player as part of the living world simulation, turning the crime mechanic in both directions.
Crime in Crimson Desert is tracked on a per-region basis. Each region (Hernand, Demeniss, and others) maintains its own bounty ledger and Contribution score. A crime spree in Hernand has no impact on your standing in Demeniss, and vice versa.
This regional separation allows for targeted criminal activity; you can exploit one region for resources through theft while maintaining a clean record in regions where you need access to vendors, quest givers, or faction services.
Players can participate in the law system from the other side by accepting bounties from wanted posters on notice boards in towns. Bounty hunting involves tracking down the target, knocking them out, and carrying them to a guard to turn them in. Players can also hogtie and deliver captured criminals or enemies for bounty rewards, serving as bounty hunters themselves.
For a complete guide to the bounty hunting system, including all bounty target locations, capture techniques, and rewards, see the dedicated Bounty Hunting article.
System | Interaction |
|---|---|
Criminal behavior reduces the same Contribution currency earned through liberation, directly undermining territorial progress | |
Faction Standing | Each region has its own faction contribution tracker; crime in one region does not affect standing in others |
Resources obtained through theft may not offset the lost benefits of good regional standing. Camp management interacts with resources obtained through criminal means | |
Guards and bounty hunters engage in full combat when pursuing wanted players | |
Settlements discovered through exploration become crime-capable locations | |
Stolen materials can potentially be used in crafting | |
Each bounty awards Contribution EXP for the regional faction. Higher Contribution levels unlock better items at the Contribution Shop. Bounties are one of the primary ways to build Contribution alongside commissions | |
The Mask item, obtained from the Jeffrey bounty, enables disguise mechanics for infiltrating hostile areas |
Will Powers (Pearl Abyss Director of Marketing) acknowledged that the system allows for an "evil playthrough" where the player commits crimes freely. However, he commented: "Would I recommend a full playthrough in that playstyle? Eh, I don't know." This suggests that while the system supports full criminal agency, the accumulated penalties make a purely villainous approach significantly more challenging than a balanced or lawful playstyle.
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that the main story is built around Kliff and the Greymanes as central figures. Since the Greymanes "aren't inherently villains," there is no long-term story impact from pursuing a criminal playstyle. The developers rejected a traditional good/bad path system. Instead, criminal behavior offers temporary combat advantages but generates escalating risks from guards, bounties, and restricted access.
Save before experimenting with crime. The consequences are real and can lock you out of vendor access in a town you need.
Guards are numerous and tough. Trying to fight your way out of a wanted situation is rarely worth it unless you have specific notoriety-boosting gear.
The regional reputation hit from crimes affects vendor prices, quest availability, and NPC willingness to interact.
If you accidentally commit a crime, paying the fine immediately is usually the cheapest option before the bounty escalates.
Consider keeping notoriety-scaling gear in your inventory if you plan to use the crime system strategically for combat bonuses.
Petty crimes like pickpocketing can provide quick resources but risk compounding bounties if guards notice.
Attacking guards dramatically escalates the wanted level, making escape much harder.
The notoriety ATK bonus creates a legitimate reason to maintain wanted status before tough boss fights.
Imprisonment clears the bounty but costs time. Fines offer a monetary alternative to jail.
Crime in one region does not affect standing in other regions, allowing targeted criminal activity.
The system interacts with the liberation system, as both share the faction Contribution currency.
Bounty Hunting - Complete guide to bounty targets, capture techniques, and rewards
Bounty System - Overview of the wanted and bounty mechanics
Liberation System - Shares the faction Contribution currency with the wanted system
Combat System - Guards and bounty hunters engage in full combat when pursuing wanted players
Greymane Camp - Camp management interacts with resources obtained through criminal means
Stealth System - Stealth mechanics related to criminal activity
How to Steal Items - Detailed guide on container theft
How to Pay Fines and Bounties - Walkthrough for clearing wanted status
