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Patch 1.02.00
April 27, 2026 at 04:32 PM
Cleaned punctuation and AI-style phrasing (2026-04-27)
Version 1.02.00 is the second major content update for Crimson Desert, released on April 4, 2026 (revised April 4, 2026, 05:00 UTC). Developed by Pearl Abyss, this patch delivers a broad set of quality-of-life improvements, new content, bug fixes, and platform-specific graphics upgrades. The internal build number is 1.000.186.
Headline features include a private storage capacity expansion (up to 1,000 slots), a headgear visibility toggle with four display options, two new movement control schemes, new pet armor for cats, and improvements to fast travel. On the technical side, the patch upgrades FSR upscaling quality on all platforms, introduces FSR SDK 2.2 with improved frame generation on PC, enhances PSSR on PlayStation 5 Pro, and adds a 4K upscaling option for Performance Mode on Xbox Series X.
This update follows Patch 1.01.03, which was released on March 31, 2026. Patch 1.02.00 represents the largest single update since the Day One patch, touching storage, traversal, combat responsiveness, UI layout, quest progression, and rendering across every supported platform.
Patch 1.02.00 was distributed to most platforms simultaneously. The Mac App Store version was still in progress at the time of the initial announcement.
Platform | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|
Steam (PC) | 1.02.00 (Build 1.000.186) | Available (April 4, 2026, 01:14 UTC) |
Steam (Mac) | 1.02.00 (Build 1.000.186) | Available |
PlayStation 5 / PS5 Pro | 1.02.00 | Available |
Xbox Series X|S | 1.02.00 | Available |
Epic Games Store | 1.02.00 | Available |
Mac App Store | 1.02.00 | In Progress (at time of announcement) |
The capacity of Private Storage has been significantly expanded. Previously capped at 240 slots, storage now scales based on the player's Greymane Camp expansion level. Each camp expansion unlocks additional storage slots, up to a maximum of 1,000.
Camp Expansion Level | Slots Added | Total Capacity |
|---|---|---|
Base (no expansion) | 0 | 240 |
Expansion 1 | +100 | 340 |
Expansion 2 | +100 | 440 |
Expansion 3 | +100 | 540 |
Expansion 4 | +100 | 640 |
Expansion 5 (final) | +360 | 1,000 |
The first four expansions each add 100 slots. The fifth and final expansion adds 360 slots, bringing the total to 1,000. Players who have already fully expanded their Greymane Camp will see the increased capacity immediately after installing the patch.
Two new pet armor items have been added for cats: the Vizionat (helmet) and Vizionet Chief (body armor). Both items are available for purchase from the pet shop vendor in Porterin Village. These are the first dedicated cat armor pieces in the game.
Item | Slot | Availability |
|---|---|---|
Vizionat | Helmet | Pet shop vendor, Porterin Village |
Vizionet Chief | Pet shop vendor, Porterin Village |
Fat cats can now be tamed at Nas River Village on the western side of the settlement. This adds a new taming location for players looking to acquire cat companions.
The Abyss Nexus can now be used while the player is moving slightly. Previously, fast travel required the character to be completely stationary. Players can now initiate fast travel while walking or sprinting. Certain situations remain restricted: fast travel cannot be activated while mounted or while using Flight.
Pearl Abyss has announced that fast travel while on mounts is planned for a future update.
A new Abyss Nexus has been added in Pailune, expanding the fast travel network to this area.
The gliding exploit, commonly referred to as the "jet engine" technique by the community, has been patched. Previously, players could enter Focus Mode while gliding and perform a barrel roll to maintain Focus state indefinitely. This allowed sustained flight without consuming stamina, effectively giving players unlimited airtime. With this fix, entering Focus Mode during a glide no longer preserves speed or prevents stamina consumption.
The Flight skill now activates when holding the jump key while mid-air, making the transition from jumping to flying feel more responsive.
A new "Movement Controls" setting has been added under Main Menu > Others > Settings > Input > Movement Controls. This option offers two control schemes that change how sprinting works for both character movement and mount control.
Control Scheme | Input Method | Stamina Behavior |
|---|---|---|
Basic (new default) | Hold the sprint key to accelerate | Stamina consumed at intervals while holding the key |
Classic | Repeatedly press the sprint key to accelerate | Stamina consumed per key press |
The Basic scheme is the new default. It replaces the original control method where players needed to repeatedly tap the sprint key. Players who prefer the original behavior can switch to Classic at any time through the settings menu. Both schemes apply to character sprinting on foot and to mount speed control.
An additional fix in this patch addresses an issue where the sprint key was preventing horse speed stats from being properly considered. This ensures that mounts accelerate correctly under both control schemes.
The Save and Load functions are now on separate tabs in the menu. Previously, they shared a single screen. Each save slot now displays a slot number label for easier identification. Pearl Abyss noted that players should exercise caution, as the separated layout makes it easier to accidentally overwrite an existing save.
A new "Headgear Visibility" option has been added under Settings > Language & Gameplay. This controls whether helmets and other headgear are shown or hidden during gameplay and cutscenes.
Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
Always Show | Headgear is visible at all times, including in cutscenes |
Show in Combat | Headgear appears only during combat encounters |
Hide in Cutscenes | Headgear is visible during gameplay but hidden in cutscenes |
Always Hide | Headgear is never visible |
Item use notifications now select the relevant item directly upon activation
Sellable items are prioritized in shop item displays
Key guide elements have been repositioned for improved visibility
Minimap scale no longer resets when reaching maximum mount speed
Mouse cursor visibility improved in storage menus
Horse inventory item movement now functions correctly
Weapon stow key guide is now displayed while mounted in combat mode
Various menu responsiveness and visual display fixes
Crash prevention in specific UI and menu scenarios
Improved responsiveness when transitioning from attack inputs into jumps. Previously, there was a noticeable delay between the end of an attack animation and the game registering a jump input. This fix tightens the input window, making combat-to-traversal transitions feel smoother.
Fixed an issue where parry activation was not functioning correctly during Focus with two-handed swords. Players can now reliably trigger parries while in Focus Mode when using a two-handed weapon.
Boss teleportation distances have been normalized. Some bosses were teleporting farther than intended during combat, creating frustrating gaps between the player and the target. This adjustment brings teleportation ranges back to their designed values.
Combat mission comrades now return immediately upon mission completion
Improved visibility of explosive barrels when using the "Light Reflection" skill or a lantern
Double Boost horse ability activation corrected
Camera behavior while aiming tools has been improved
Tool-specific interaction availability restored
Several quest progression bugs that could block players from completing the main story have been resolved.
Quest | Issue | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Chapter 6 | Quest progression stalled if the player defeated the boss and then saved and reloaded the game | Quest state now persists correctly through save/reload cycles after boss defeat |
Chapter 6 | Quest became unavailable if the player sold a quest-related item beforehand | Quest availability restored regardless of item sale status |
Chapter 11 | The Inserted Key disappeared from the player's inventory, blocking progression | Key item now persists correctly in inventory |
Various | Quest-related NPCs failed to appear in certain areas | NPCs now spawn properly for quest progression |
Abyss puzzle states no longer reset when viewing node details in the puzzle interface
Characters no longer become invisible when obtaining Abyss Artifacts before the completion cutscene triggers
Restored Abyss Skybridge Gates can now be teleported to after being repaired
Healing Force Palm and Aerial Force Palm no longer reset when using the skill reset function
FSR upscaling quality has been improved across all platforms
Various stability, optimization, and crash fixes on PC, consoles, and Mac
Area | Change |
|---|---|
FSR SDK | Updated to FSR SDK 2.2, improving upscaling fidelity |
Frame Generation | FSR Frame Generation quality enhanced with the new SDK |
DLSS RR | Fixed GPU memory usage issue with the DLSS RR option |
FSR-RR / DLSS-RR | Reduced GPU load and shimmering artifacts |
Ray Tracing | Fixed ray-traced reflection rendering issues with frame generation enabled |
DLAA + HDR | Eliminated screen flickering when DLAA and HDR were both active |
Low Preset | Fixed character face rendering issues indoors on the Low graphics preset |
Area | Change |
|---|---|
PSSR Sharpen (PS5 Pro) | Upgraded PSSR Sharpen filter for improved image clarity |
PSSR Native AA (PS5 Pro) | Upgraded PSSR Native Anti-Aliasing to Quality Mode for smoother edges |
Area | Change |
|---|---|
V-Sync (Xbox) | Fixed inconsistent V-Sync behavior when pressing the Home button |
4K Upscaling (Series X) | Added 4K upscaling option to Performance Mode on Xbox Series X |
Fixed missing walls in Corridors of the Void
Sound positioning now synchronizes properly with camera perspective
Fixed weapon visibility issue with the Stab ability when using an unarmed secondary weapon
License information is now viewable in the Credits section
Audio volume is correctly restored in minigames when NPCs win
Eliminated background audio distortion in certain locations
Bank investment refresh timer no longer remains stuck in the "Refreshing" state
Various localization errors have been corrected and translation quality has been improved across all supported languages.
Pearl Abyss announced two features planned for future updates alongside the 1.02.00 patch notes:
Fast travel while mounted: Currently, the Abyss Nexus cannot be used while on a mount. Pearl Abyss confirmed this restriction will be removed in a future update.
Additional quality-of-life improvements: The developer stated that further player feedback is being reviewed and will inform upcoming patches.
Patch 1.02.00 adds one brand new skill for Cliff and extends major traversal and combat options to Damian and Unka, giving both side characters meaningful open world parity with Cliff for the first time.
Cliff has a new skill called Focused Aerial Roll, unlocked in his skill tree. This ability was inspired by a glide technique that existed in earlier builds before being removed, and has now been reintroduced as an intentional, costed ability.
Prerequisites: Focus level 3, Flight level 2, and Aerial Roll. The skill costs 20 spirit per activation. It is triggered by using focus during flight and then pressing the dodge key, allowing Cliff to roll while gliding and gain a significant forward boost that no other ability provides on its own without burning through a large portion of the spirit gauge.
With a level eight focus spirit pool, Focused Aerial Roll can be reliably activated three or four times before spirit is fully depleted. When combined with the dive mechanic from a high vantage point, it lets players reach targets far outside the normal glide range, making it an effective long-distance traversal tool despite the high spirit cost.
Damian and Unka now have access to Axiom Force, Nature's Snare, and related abilities including Nature's Retribution and Nature's Veil. These are accessed and upgraded through the same path as Cliff, which means players who main the side characters can finally use the force grip to reach higher places, interact with puzzle objects in sanctums, and engage with the same open world traversal and puzzle content that was previously exclusive to Cliff.
Damian's Shield Toss and Unka's Scattershot abilities have been updated so that they now have the same effect as Cliff's Force Palm. This means Damian and Unka can trigger the same environmental interactions that Cliff's Force Palm triggers, including pushing rotatable walls inside abyss sanctums and activating Force Palm gimmicks.
Unka benefits especially from this change because he eventually gains Vertical Flight. Combining Vertical Flight with the new Axiom Force lets him reach vertical heights that were previously unreachable by any playable character, since Cliff does not have a sustained upward flight option. The control input for Unka's Vertical Flight has also been moved from L3 to the Circle button, making it easier to trigger alongside jetpack and boost mechanics.
One limitation remains: Damian and Unka still cannot enter the Abyss directly. Abyss teleportation is still restricted to Cliff, so the Axiom Force upgrades matter for every abyss puzzle on the overworld and inside sanctums, but not for entering the Abyss itself.
The Pailune Greymane Camp has received a significant overhaul aimed at players who chose to move their camp from Howling Hill to Pailune. Prior to this patch, the Pailune camp had widely spaced NPCs and smaller facility footprints, which made daily tasks like dispatching crafters, selling loot, and managing the farm noticeably slower than at the Hernand camp.
Key NPCs inside the Pailune camp are now placed much closer together, condensing the layout so that players can travel between the storage, vendors, and crafters without long detours. The farm and the ranch have both been roughly doubled in size, and the overall accessibility and convenience of the camp has been improved to match the compact feel of the Hernand camp.
Players who had avoided the Pailune move specifically because of the inconvenient layout now have a stronger reason to consider it. The revised camp is explicitly listed in the patch notes under content improvements, and changes related to this camp are grouped together in the developer notes to avoid Greymane Camp story spoilers.
A long requested Weapon Display Option has been added under Settings > Others > Language and Gameplay. This option lets players control which sheathed weapons are visible on the character model, so that off-hand shields or unequipped bows no longer have to be shown on the back when they are not in use.
Option | Setting | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Display Melee Weapons | All | Every equipped melee weapon is shown on the character model, same as the previous default behavior. |
Display Melee Weapons | Selected Only | Only the currently selected melee weapon is visible. Shields and other off-hand weapons are hidden from the back. |
Display Ranged Weapons | Always | Bows and other ranged weapons are always shown on the back. |
Display Ranged Weapons | Only When in Use | Ranged weapons are hidden on the back and only appear when the player is actually drawing or firing them. |
The change applies primarily to two-handed weapons and bows that rest on the character's back. One-handed weapons that are stored inside the character's body remain hidden as before. For players who enjoy showing specific weapon aesthetics, such as greatswords or decorated polearms, this option finally allows those weapons to be displayed in full view without a shield also occupying the back slot.
Teleportation via the Abyss Nexus has been expanded to work in significantly more movement states. This follows the earlier Patch 1.02.00 fast travel relaxation and addresses the restrictions that were originally held over for a future update.
Abyss Nexus teleportation can now be initiated while mounted, while falling, while swimming, or while climbing walls. Mid-jump teleportation also works. When teleporting while mounted, the horse is carried along with the player. This removes most of the remaining situations where players had to stop, dismount, or land before initiating fast travel, and it makes cross-map movement during exploration much smoother.
Several abyss sanctum puzzles have received clarity passes that make hidden interactions easier to notice without breaking the dungeon's sense of discovery. The changes are grouped into a few categories.
Vibrating rotatable walls: When the player gets close to a rotatable wall in a sanctum, the wall now shakes slightly, providing a subtle visual cue that something can be interacted with.
Force Palm glow: A Force Palm icon now slowly glows on one side of rotatable walls when the player is using a lantern, making it clear that Force Palm is the correct tool for opening the passage.
Lantern and Blinding Flash hints: The Blinding Flash ability and the standard lantern now surface more hints when used near hidden gimmicks, improving the clarity of when a puzzle element is available to be attacked or manipulated.
Spire of Soaring entrance: The entrance path to the Spire of Soaring has been improved to reduce confusion and help players find their way inside.
Terrain has been improved in certain abyss locations so that traversal feels cleaner and navigation is less likely to snag on small geometry.
An issue where Blinding Flash would not remain active while moving on a mount has been resolved. Previously, the ability would automatically cancel almost immediately after activation while the mount was moving, which forced players to dismount to scan for Abyss Nexuses, artifacts, or other hidden points of interest.
After this fix, Blinding Flash can be held indefinitely while sprinting on a mount. The character no longer automatically sheathes the lantern or lowers the ability. This makes mounted exploration dramatically more useful, since players can ride across entire regions while continuously scanning the surroundings for abyss teleporters, abyss cores, and other secrets, without hopping off the mount at every point of interest.
The world map and minimap now provide better feedback on exploration and cleanup progress.
Change | Effect |
|---|---|
Visited vs unvisited caves | Caves on the world map are now displayed with different icons depending on whether the player has visited and fully cleared them. Visited caves show a check-mark style icon. |
Restored vs unrestored abyss locations | Abyss locations on the world map now use distinct icons for restored versus unrestored states, making cleanup runs easier to plan. |
Looted treasure chests and strongboxes | Treasure chests and strongboxes that have already been looted no longer appear on the minimap, removing visual clutter from fully cleared areas. |
Faction quest icon color | Faction quest icons have been changed to a yellow color that stands out much better against the map background, making missed missions easier to spot compared to the older white icons that blended into the terrain. |
Abyss Nexuses discoverability | Abyss Nexuses are now easier to discover on the map so that players can plan teleport routes more efficiently. |
World map marker | A marker placed on the world map is now retained across the first reconnection, fixing a bug where manually placed waypoints were lost after logging back in. |
A new block of camera settings has been added under Settings > Others > Accessibility. These options let players reshape the third person camera frame in ways that previously required PC mods, including a fully centered character view similar to other open world action titles.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Camera Visual Range | Adjusts how far back the camera can pan out, allowing players to zoom out significantly and see a much wider view of their surroundings. |
Camera Vertical Offset | Shifts the camera up or down relative to the character, letting players choose a higher overhead angle or a lower, more cinematic view. |
Camera Horizontal Offset | Shifts the character off center to the left or right. Setting horizontal offset to zero places the character dead center on the screen, similar to older action RPGs such as The Witcher 3. |
Camera Auto Follow | Controls how aggressively the camera reorients itself behind the character during movement. |
Camera Look Ahead | Adjusts how much the camera leads the character's movement direction, useful for tuning the framing during sprints and horse rides. |
Console players in particular benefit from this change, since the camera settings were previously only adjustable through PC mods that tended to break with every game patch. An in-game option removes the need to rely on those mods.
The lock on system during boss battles has been improved in two ways. First, hard lock on against bosses is now maintained from further distances, so the camera stays focused on the target across larger arenas. Second, the lock on mechanism has been changed so that it no longer applies to certain larger bosses where automatic tracking was creating more problems than it solved. In practice, this means lock on now sticks to boss characters more reliably during fast movement, and camera disorientation during big boss fights is reduced.
Bank functionality while the player is in the wanted status has been adjusted. Bank tellers will no longer refuse basic bank services just because the player has a bounty, meaning standard deposits and withdrawals remain available. However, two specific operations are blocked while wanted: depositing gold bars into long term storage, and updating investment fund allocations. These restrictions prevent wanted players from laundering valuables through investment resets while still allowing general bank use to continue.
Follow-up attack combos: An issue where follow-up attack combos would continue too slowly when the player's attack was blocked has been improved, making chained attacks feel more responsive after a blocked hit.
Abnormally fast movement: Fixed an issue where the character could occasionally move at an abnormally fast speed during certain ability chain combos, which affected animation cancelling in unintended ways.
Scythe in safe zones: Fixed an issue where the scythe could not be drawn inside safe zones such as town and camp areas.
Wall, button, and crank interactions: Interactions with devices like walls, buttons, and cranks have been improved so that a dedicated animation now plays when those objects can no longer be pushed or operated further, making the interaction state clearer to the player.
Axiom Force keyboard and mouse: The keyboard and mouse controls for Axiom Force have been improved for better responsiveness.
Nature's Snare controller fix: On controller, fixed an issue where Nature's Snare could unintentionally activate during focus when tilting the right stick in one direction.
Three new bass-driven combat music tracks have been added across the continent of Pywell, the Crimson Desert region, and certain other areas that were excluded from the soundtrack updates in Patch 1.01.00. These tracks play during combat encounters in the affected regions. One new loading screen music track has also been added to the rotation, giving loading screens additional musical variety.
On top of the cross-platform FSR improvements already listed above, Patch 1.02.00 adds a set of vendor-specific and visual quality options.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Support for Intel Arc GPUs has been added under Settings > Video. Compatibility and performance across various Intel GPUs will continue to be improved in future updates. | |
AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 | An AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 option has been added under Settings > Video for Radeon GPUs that support the feature. |
Displacement Scale | A new Displacement Scale option has been added under Settings > Graphics. This controls surface depth on terrain and objects. Higher settings make surfaces look more pronounced and realistic, especially on rough terrain such as the roads around Hernand, at a performance cost. |
Detail Decorative Mesh | A new Detail Decorative Mesh option has been added under Settings > Graphics. When enabled, it adds extra decorative meshes such as moss, short grass, and small pebbles to terrain, walls, and objects. Foliage density must be set to Ultra or higher for this option to activate. Moss now visibly covers sanctum walls, with the notable exception of rotatable walls, which gives players a secondary visual hint for puzzle walls. |
DLSS RR screen distortion | Fixed noise that appeared in screen distortion effects when using DLSS RR. |
Platform | Option | Description |
|---|---|---|
PS5 and Xbox Series X | Enhanced Ray Tracing | An Enhanced Ray Tracing option has been added under Settings > Video on PS5 base and Xbox Series X. |
PS5 Pro | PSSR Sharpness | A PSSR Sharpness option has been added under Settings > Video on PlayStation 5 Pro for fine tuning image clarity. |
All platforms | Indoor lighting | Lighting quality in indoor environments has been improved, addressing widely reported complaints about dim or flat indoor lighting in certain locations. |
All platforms | Water surface reflections | Water surface reflections have been improved for more accurate reflections on rivers, ponds, and the coast. |
All platforms | Rain brightness | Fixed an issue where rain appeared excessively bright from certain angles. |
Fast forward in dialogue: Standard dialogue scenes without letterboxing have been improved so that fast forwarding is now available. A Fast Forward Speed option has been added under Settings > Others > Language and Gameplay, allowing players to adjust the fast forward speed up to four times the normal speed. This is especially useful on second playthroughs.
Minimum font size: A Minimum Font Size option has been added under Settings > Others > Accessibility. The option takes effect after restarting the game.
Memory fragments UI: The Memory Fragments of the Vision list has been improved so that it only shows the list of currently obtained fragments.
Bulk item actions: A function has been added that processes all items at once when grouping or ungrouping items in the bag.
Storage item details: Item details can now be viewed directly from the storage section as well.
Mercenary suite UI: The Mercenary List UI now displays a check icon on the currently selected mercenary suite.
Helm of Knowledge crash fix: Fixed a crash that could occur when using the Helm of Knowledge as Damian or Unka.
Vendor NPC replacement bug: Fixed an issue where Gunter the equipment vendor, Harry the blacksmith, Brunton at the staple keep, and Lola the seamstress in Pailune could be replaced by different NPCs after a certain quest.
Chapter 9 totem request: Fixed an issue where certain requests could not be completed at a specific step when destroying totems after completing Chapter 9 Sanctum of Mortification.
Early obtained quest items: Addressed an issue where certain requests could not be completed if related quest items were picked up before the request was activated.
Corn purchase limit: Fixed an issue where corn had no maximum purchase limit at certain vendors.
Fixed an issue where the attack and critical rate values of certain equipment, such as Necklace of Lightning and cloaks, were displayed as doubled when viewing character stat details from the inventory or quick slot. This was a visual UI bug rather than an actual stat change; the underlying item values were always correct. After the fix, tooltips and stat summaries now show the true value listed on the item card itself.
For example, the Necklace of Lightning still provides level four critical rate, and the high tier flame resistant chest piece still provides level three, for a combined level seven crit rate when worn together. That combination remains one of the strongest critical rate setups in the game. No actual nerf occurred. The item card simply now reflects the true value rather than displaying it as if it were applied twice.
Patch Notes (full patch history)
Patch 1.01.03 (previous patch)
