The fights in Crimson Desert are a major focus. MeinMMO has gathered as much information as possible from the preview event to explain in detail how the action-packed brawl works and which buttons on the controller you need to press.
Why are the fights important? There is a strong focus on the combat conflicts in Crimson Desert. The good news: The developers of Black Desert are behind the action-adventure. The MMORPG is among the genre representatives with the best action combat systems.
This experience seems to transfer onto Crimson Desert. Already in the trailers, the battles appear powerful and multifaceted. This positive first impression was confirmed at various playtesting events. However, one of the biggest weaknesses of Crimson Desert undermines the enjoyment in battles: the complex and unintuitive controls.
MeinMMO has collected as much information as possible from the preview event to explain in detail how the action-packed brawl works and which buttons on the controller you need to press. Hopefully, you can decide in advance of the release whether you might enjoy the fights or whether the controls will drive you to despair.
Easy to learn …
How do I fight in Crimson Desert? At first glance, the combat system of Crimson Desert resembles the fights from the Batman Arkham series or the recent Spider-Man games from Sony. Already with the repeated use of your weak attack (RB, front right shoulder button), you initiate well-staged attack combinations.
For example, Kliff strikes repeatedly with his sword at an opponent, breaks through their defense, sweeps their feet out from under them, and then slams the victim down with a throw. One button, a lot of impact. Thus, every beginner achieves their first successes early on.
You then gradually expand this simple standard:
- with RT (back right shoulder button) you trigger a strong attack
- with the action button B you roll out of the danger zone, press B twice to dodge
- with X you can jump
- with Y you trigger unarmed attacks despite having a weapon, holding Y results in a powerful kick
- with LT (back left shoulder button) you aim with your ranged weapon and also trigger the shot (just release the button)
- with LB (front left shoulder button) you lift Kliff’s shield and block attacks or align yourself with an opponent – if you press LB at the right moment, you even parry enemy attacks and open up strong opportunities for counterattacks
- if you want to lock onto a targeted opponent, press down on the left D-pad
- with the right D-pad you heal yourself with food (if available)
You can already see that the control scheme of Crimson Desert deviates from the genre standard in some places, such as targeting enemies (which is often done by pressing L3, i.e., pressing the left analog stick) or firing ranged weapons (normally often done via a second shoulder button). Nevertheless, this basic set of maneuvers can be learned fairly quickly.
The official control scheme from the game for controller and keyboard can be seen here on Reddit:
… hard to master
You will expand your basic attacks over time through new skills that you trigger with a combination of buttons. Here is a selection of skills that have already been utilized during the preview event:
- With LB and RB you reflect light with your blade, which can blind nearby enemies in combat or reveal hidden weak points.
- With LB and RT you trigger a shield strike. RB and RT is a spinning strike that can throw enemies away.
- With the right talent, holding Y can lead to a spectacular dropkick.
- If you want to use cool wrestling throws in combat, you can trigger various maneuvers with X and A or Y and B – Street Fighter vibes.
- With RB and Y you trigger a thrust attack forward that causes bleeding. For RB and A you can learn a whirlwind strike.
- With RB and X, a talent lets you jump over a charging opponent.
- With L3 you trigger the Zelda-like hookshot, which is initially not helpful in combat. However, through talents, you can improve it so that you can grab and pull enemies to you or jump to a distant foe.
- Combinations of RT and A, B, Y or X can unleash learned elemental attacks.
- With R3 you trigger the so-called Power Fist, an energy attack that decreases the target’s defense.
Many of these maneuvers and talents can be further improved or expanded through the talent tree. Ranged fighters receive certain skills that can be triggered when aiming, i.e., in combination with LT. Or you can follow up a thrust attack with another attack and a grab.
Here you see one of the bosses from Crimson Desert:
And then there are also the …
… enemies! In Crimson Desert, you will often face hordes of foes that attack you up close or fire at you from a distance. Your skills are powerful enough to handle it, but during hectic skirmishes, you will likely have little time to think about how that one attack combination went again.
The bosses are probably a completely different caliber. Even in the first hours, preview players encountered various foes with special abilities that reward specific strategies. For example, it may help to target a weak point with a certain type of damage.
The expected strengths of Crimson Desert and potential enjoyment brakes:
How hard is Crimson Desert?
It’s hard to say before the final test. It’s clear that there is only one difficulty level. In combination with the complex controls, this could lead to frustration here and there. If you want to see the credits at the end, you have to at least push through the story challenges.
However, due to the open world structure, the developers claim you will have various options to make some battles significantly easier – for instance, through more healing food, useful buffs, new equipment, better skills, or the upgrade of existing gear. Besides the fights, there are 3 other core features that will determine whether you can be excited about Crimson Desert: Crimson Desert has what feels like 5,000 features, but these 4 determine whether you will have fun
