Playable Characters

Overview

Crimson Desert features three playable characters, each with a distinct combat archetype, weapon loadout, and traversal method. Players unlock all three through the main campaign and can freely switch between them during open-world exploration. There is no class system or character creator. All three characters have fixed identities, though their appearance can be modified through hairstyles, hair color, tattoos, and dyed equipment.

Kliff is the primary protagonist and the only character who can advance the main story. Damiane and Oongka become available at specific story milestones and can be used for side quests, boss battles, and free-roam exploration. The switching system works similarly to the character swap mechanic in Grand Theft Auto V, allowing seamless transitions.

Each character maintains an independent set of equipment, skills, and Abyss Artifacts. Progress made on one character does not carry over to the others, with one exception: stat node upgrades (Health, Stamina, Spirit) on Kliff's skill tree also apply to Damiane and Oongka. Individual skill levels still have to be upgraded separately.

Character Comparison

The three characters offer noticeably different difficulty curves. Oongka is the most beginner-friendly thanks to easy-to-learn AoE combos, the highest health pool (1,125 starting), and forgiving dodge timing with hyper armor on his sidestep. Kliff sits in the middle with balanced offense and defense, plus the widest weapon variety to adapt to any situation. Damiane is the hardest to master. Her glass-cannon design means she deals the highest damage per combo (32 starting Attack, the highest of all three), but she can be downed quickly if players mistime her quick-step dodges. Despite having higher base HP than Kliff, Damiane's effective survivability is lower because she cannot equip heavy armor and lacks shield blocking, making her reliant on well-timed dodges to avoid damage.

Her playstyle rewards aggressive players who can maintain combo chains while managing positioning. The aerial combat and spell casting give her the highest skill ceiling but also the steepest learning curve.

For combat strategy advice for each character, see Combat Tips and the individual build guides: Build Guide: Kliff, Build Guide: Damiane, and Build Guide: Oongka.

Kliff

Kliff is the main protagonist and leader of the Greymanes, a ragtag mercenary band trying to survive after a brutal attack by the Black Bears. He lost most of his family during that assault and now carries the weight of keeping his remaining companions alive. The King of Demeniss has gone missing, leaving a power vacuum across Pywel that Kliff must navigate.

Combat Style

Kliff is the most versatile character, with access to the widest selection of weapons. He handles like a classic action-adventure hero, combining frontline sword-and-shield work with ranged bow shots and wrestling-style grapples. His Axiom Bracelet grants elemental enhancements (fire, ice, lightning) that can be layered onto melee and ranged attacks. Kliff can switch between equipped weapons in real time without breaking his combo chain.

He is the ideal starting point for learning how Crimson Desert's combat engine works. His balanced health, stamina, and defense let you survive mistakes while you learn enemy patterns. The wide weapon variety means you can adapt your approach to any situation without feeling locked in.

Key Abilities

For a complete profile including backstory, companion relationships, and build recommendations, see the Kliff article. A dedicated build guide is available at Build Guide: Kliff. Full skill list at Kliff Skills.

Voice actor: Alec Newman, known for his roles in Still Wakes the Deep, Cyberpunk 2077 (Adam Smasher), Dying Light 2, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (Dryleaf Dane), and Dragon Age II (Sebastian Vael).

Damiane

Damiane is a swift, aggressive warrior who joins the Greymanes later in the story. She is the only female protagonist and brings a ranged-melee hybrid playstyle that emphasizes speed, aerial combat, and precision strikes. Damiane is widely considered the hardest of the three characters to master, rewarding players who favor high-risk, high-reward gameplay.

How to Unlock

Damiane becomes playable after completing Chapter III: Howling Hill, specifically during the quest First Step to Rebuilding. This occurs when Kliff is establishing the Greymane Camp. After speaking with Barden Middler, a cutscene introduces Damiane and she becomes playable from that point forward.

Combat Style

Damiane's melee arsenal consists of a two-handed claymore for devastating sweeping attacks and a rapier paired with a small buckler for faster, more precise strikes. The claymore moveset is surprisingly quick for its size, chaining horizontal slashes into thrust attacks. The rapier deals less damage per swing but attacks significantly faster, and the buckler enables quick parries that open enemies to ripostes.

For ranged combat, she carries a flintlock pistol for mid-range shots and a musket for longer-range engagements. The musket deals high damage after a short charge delay. Damiane can weave gunshots into her melee combos, firing the pistol between sword swings for a fluid combat rhythm. Her magic abilities let her cast spells directly from her hands, giving her ranged elemental options (fire, ice, lightning, wind) that neither Kliff nor Oongka can access.

Key Abilities

For a complete profile including backstory, skill trees, and build recommendations, see the Damiane article. A dedicated build guide is available at Build Guide: Damiane. Full skill list at Damiane Skills.

Voice actor: Rebecca Hanssen, known for Eve in Stellar Blade, Alfira in Baldur's Gate 3, and Queen Meve in The Witcher Netflix series.

In addition to her core combat kit, Damiane has access to several abilities that set her apart from the other two characters. Shield Sentinel turns her buckler into a floating sentry turret that autonomously fires at nearby hostiles. This ability is especially powerful during group encounters, as it provides sustained pressure without requiring direct input from the player. Shield Toss works similarly to Captain America's shield throw, bouncing the buckler between 3 to 7 targets depending on its upgrade level. At max rank, the shield returns to Damiane automatically, enabling seamless transitions back into melee combos.

Her heavy attack, Smiting Bolt, calls down a concentrated blast of light that damages enemies in a small area. Upgrading Smiting Bolt to level 3 unlocks the Sure Hit perk, which guarantees accuracy against moving targets. Damiane's Piercing Light lunge (R1 + Triangle) becomes even more effective once the Rend Armor upgrade is unlocked, as it bypasses enemy Super Armor entirely.

Oongka

Oongka is a hulking orc and one of Kliff's most steadfast Greymane companions. He survived the Black Bear attack and plays a central role in the group's efforts to reunite and rebuild. Oongka is the most beginner-friendly character, with straightforward combos that deal massive area-of-effect damage.

How to Unlock

Oongka becomes playable after reuniting with Kliff following a Black Bears encounter at Ashclaw Keep. To make Oongka permanently available outside of story missions, players must also complete the side quest "Gentle Sound of Flowing River" after his initial Chapter 7 unlock. During this sequence, Kliff is injured and Oongka takes control while Kliff recovers. From that point on, he remains available as a freely switchable character.

Combat Style

Oongka's primary weapon is a two-handed greataxe that delivers devastating 360-degree spinning attacks effective against groups of enemies. These spins chain into follow-up slams that stagger everything in range. His secondary weapon is a large hammer with a charge-up swing that sends multiple enemies flying and can knock them into each other for bonus collision damage.

For ranged combat, Oongka uses an Orc Blaster hand cannon compatible with elemental modifications (Elemental Scatter Shot, Elemental Charged Shot). He can also fight bare-handed, using punches and kicks for close-range situations when enemies get inside his weapon range. His aerial slam launches him into the air with the greataxe before crashing down, creating a shockwave that damages and staggers surrounding enemies.

A unique feature of Oongka's kit is Dual Wielding Mastery, which allows him to wield two-handed weapons in one hand. This increases damage for Rampage and Spinning Slash. His stamina-heavy playstyle requires active management, but the raw damage output and crowd control more than compensate.

Key Abilities

For a complete profile including backstory and build recommendations, see the Oongka article. A dedicated build guide is available at Build Guide: Oongka. Full skill list at Oongka Skills.

Voice actor: Stewart Scudamore, known for Blackthorne in Final Fantasy XVI, Calgar in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and Klaus in Lies of P: Overture.

Oongka's Rampage is one of his most devastating abilities, allowing him to cleave through crowds of enemies with wide, sweeping greataxe swings. Rampage benefits directly from the Dual Wielding Mastery passive, which lets Oongka wield two-handed weapons in one hand for increased damage. Combining Rampage with a follow-up Ground Slam creates a two-hit combo that staggers virtually every non-boss enemy in the game.

For ranged engagements, Oongka's Scatter Shot fires a wide spread of cannon pellets from his hand cannon. The blast covers a large cone in front of him, making it effective against groups at medium range. His Rage ability grants super armor for a limited duration, increasing damage output and preventing interruption from enemy attacks. While Rage is active, Oongka can tank through hits that would normally stagger Kliff or Damiane, making it the ideal ability for aggressive, up-close brawling against bosses.

Character Switching

Damiane and Oongka unlock at specific milestones in the main campaign. Once unlocked, players can freely swap between all three characters at almost any time during open-world gameplay. The switching is instant, with a brief camera transition similar to GTA V's character swap.

However, the main story can only be progressed while playing as Kliff. Damiane and Oongka are available for open-world exploration, side quests, boss battles, and all non-story activities. Each has their own personal questline that only advances while they are the active character. For detailed mechanics, see the Character Switching article.

Progression System

Crimson Desert does not use a traditional experience point or level-up system. Instead, each character progresses through a combination of better equipment, discovered skills, and Abyss Artifacts. Enemies do not grant XP. Progression comes from world exploration, hidden area discovery, boss defeats, and side activities.

Each character has their own independent skill tree with active and passive abilities organized across three color-coded branches: Blue (Stamina/combat), Green (Spirit/defense), and Red (Health/elemental). Skills are unlocked by spending Abyss Artifacts found through exploration, quest completion, and boss encounters.

Kliff has access to a unique mechanic called Observation Learning, where he can acquire new combat skills by watching NPCs and enemies perform them. After observing a move, he can spend an Abyss Artifact to permanently add it to his skill tree. Damiane also has several observation-locked skills (Sword Flurry Proficiency, Skewer, Quick Reload, Tornado Kick, Spinning Scissors Throw), though her observation system works differently from Kliff's. Oongka unlocks abilities through the standard artifact system.

Skill Trees and Branches

Each character has their own independent skill tree organized across three color-coded branches: Blue (Stamina/combat), Green (Spirit/defense), and Red (Health/elemental). While some foundational abilities like Health and Stamina upgrades are shared across all three characters (investing in Kliff's stat nodes also benefits Damiane and Oongka), individual skill levels must be upgraded separately for each character.

Kliff has the most diverse skill tree, with access to Observation Learning that lets him acquire new combat techniques by watching NPCs and enemies. Damiane also has several observation-locked skills, including Sword Flurry Proficiency, Skewer, Quick Reload, Tornado Kick, and Spinning Scissors Throw, though her observation system works differently from Kliff's. Oongka unlocks abilities through the standard Abyss Artifact investment system without requiring observation.

For details on the full progression loop, see the Progression System article.

Customization

While all three characters have fixed identities and faces, their appearance can be adjusted in several ways. The Barber Shop and Dyehouse at the Greymane Camp allows changes to hairstyle, hair color, and tattoos. Equipment can be dyed at the Dyehouse, with each armor piece offering multiple dyeable layers (main surface, cloth details, accent trim). Dyes are found through exploration or crafted via alchemy. All customization is purely cosmetic with no gameplay effect.

Key Supporting Characters

Several non-playable characters within the Greymanes feature prominently in the story and have their own combat capabilities during scripted sequences.

For a full roster of named characters, see Notable NPCs and Companions.

Recommended Character for New Players

For first-time players, starting with Kliff and sticking with him through at least the first five chapters is strongly recommended. His balanced stat spread (300 HP, 120 Stamina, 30 Spirit) gives enough survivability to learn enemy patterns without feeling fragile. Once Damiane unlocks in Chapter 3, players who enjoy fast, aggressive combat with high skill ceilings should try her out on side quests before committing to main story fights. Oongka is the best choice for players who prefer straightforward, powerful combat. His 1,125 starting HP and hyper armor on sidestep dodges make him the most forgiving character for boss encounters.