It is staggering just how much Crimson Desert has improved since launch. While many seem to regard the steady stream of updates as evidence of the game’s unfinished state at release, I see it as Pearl Abyss working with its playerbase to introduce or refine features that it simply couldn’t have known would be needed or wanted before fans got their hands on the game. It is truly impressive, and while no studio should be held to the same high regard, especially those without the same resources, staff, and time, it does feel like the rate at which Pearl Abyss has addressed the majority of Crimson Desert’s flaws could become the gold standard.
However, as much as what Pearl Abyss has already implemented is immensely appreciated and unequivocally improves upon an already incredible experience, there are plenty of features Crimson Desert still needs in order to reach its maximum potential. Don’t get me wrong, the game has always been great, and what has been added thus far only serves to make it better. Yet, there is one feature in particular that has yet to be introduced to Crimson Desert, one that would completely transform it and finally make the most of its egregiously underutilized element. Pearl Abyss must give Kliff’s companions, Oongka and Damiane, something to do beyond what they’re already capable of, as right now, they feel utterly redundant.
After completing Chapter 2 in Crimson Desert, players get access to the first of Kliff’s companions, Damiane. She has her own moveset, unique weapons, skill trees, and animations, making her a fully-fledged character when it comes to combat. By all metrics, one should feel encouraged to play as her, especially considering she’s often more fun to control in battles than the clunky Kliff. However, after roughly 80 hours, I realized I hadn’t once switched to her of my own volition. She remained dottering around Pywel at her own pace, doing whatever she pleased, and not once did she engage in any of the exciting content I was completing as Crimson Desert’s gruff protagonist.
That’s largely because Damiane cannot engage with the majority of the available quests in Crimson Desert. Sure, she has a smattering of her own, but these are few and far between, and should players attempt to do any of the other missions, especially the main quest, they’ll be instructed to switch to Kliff. The same can be said of the later unlocked Oongka, who, similarly, has his own moveset, skills, and more, but cannot interact with anything beyond his small selection of unique missions. Sure, this isn’t the worst part of Crimson Desert, and both characters are still a genuine pleasure to play as in combat scenarios. However, it is easy to assume that these were added at the last minute, as their integration into the game feels haphazard at best.
Considering that all three characters share the same upgrade resources for both gear and levelling up, one can’t really blame players for focusing almost entirely on Kliff. As you’ll need to play as him 99% of the time, whether you like it or not, it makes more sense to improve his skills, armor, and weapons than it does his mostly redundant companions. The only reason I can think of for both Damiane and Oongka’s inclusion is if Pearl Abyss were to ever add multiplayer to Crimson Desert, and the other players would control these characters. However, as that hasn’t yet been officially announced, one can’t put too much stock into that being their intended purpose all along.
While Pearl Abyss could absolutely leave both Oongka and Damiane as they are, and Crimson Desert would remain a masterpiece, it seems a shame for them to be relegated to being completely optional and largely ignorable. Currently, the only reason you’d play as either is to experience their unique combat styles, but again, as you’re ostensibly delaying Kliff’s progression by improving them, this is almost ill-advised. Ideally, both characters would be given the ability to interact with the majority, if not all, of the available side content as well as receive more of their own unique missions.
Pearl Abyss did finally give both Damiane and Oongka their versions of Axiom Force and Force Palm in an attempt to make them more useful in exploration and puzzle solving; so, it is clearly aware that, in their current state, they feel a tad useless. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Pearl Abyss will eventually give them a little more to do in the future, although one has to imagine that it would take a considerable amount of effort and resources compared to adding a chest and increasing storage capacity in a player’s inventory.
At the very least, Crimson Desert should better inform the player that both Oongka and Damiane can be summoned as companions who then fight and explore alongside Kliff. They can help out during sieges and difficult combat encounters, much like the pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Currently, this feature remains one of , which, while fun to come across naturally, is so poorly signposted and implemented that one is unlikely to simply stumble upon it. I only discovered it because someone shared it in the game’s subreddit, and that post will now be long buried and difficult to discover organically.
That mechanic of Kliff’s companions being summonable shows that Pearl Abyss clearly cares about these side characters, as do their exhaustive skill trees and unique fighting styles. It would be a shame, then, as aforementioned, to see it all go to waste and for both characters to be forgotten. I don’t want fans in 50 years to be asked what they thought of either Oongka or Damiane in Crimson Desert and to respond “who?“. However, as it stands, both characters are so pointless in exploration and questing that I simply cannot see myself ever using them beyond the brief moments you’re forced to.
Do you think Oongka and Damiane need to play a bigger role in Crimson Desert? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
