Thousands of Crimson Desert fans rally behind the permanent riders

Crimson desert players are demanding developer Pearl Abyss make more game mounts permanent, with frustration with the system growing online. While Crimson desert has garnered praise for its visuals and scale, a growing portion of the action RPG's player base has taken issue with how montages work, arguing that the current way the system works doesn't quite live up to the expectations set forth in trailers and advertisements.

Fear comes as Crimson desert recently received its first major update aimed at addressing initial player feedback. The patch brought a number of quality-of-life improvements and gameplay tweaks designed to smooth out some of the game's rougher edges, including a lack of personal storage, more quick links, and even adjustments when players gain access to certain abilities. As a result of Peal Abyss' seemingly attentive response to player feedback, players began pushing for more modifications, with mounts quickly becoming one of the most talked about topics online.

Kliff sits on a rock in front of a body of water in the Crimson Desert.

The new Crimson Desert patch fixes one of the game's most annoying issues

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Crimson Desert players are upset with how some mounts work

Crimson desert players recently took to Reddit to voice their frustrations with how some mounts work in the game, with some suggesting the system is misleading. The problems stem from the fact that some horses are not permanently tamable, the only exceptions being the horse and the dragon. However, even the dragon can't be used as often as some players would like, as it is on a long cooldown and only lasts for 15 minutes of flight time. In several threads, players point out the limited number of permanent mounts and question why the creatures featured in the promotional material, such as dinosaurs and bears, are not treated the same as mounts.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Much of the feedback focused on ways that Pearl Abyss could expand on its system rather than replace it entirely. Players suggested being able to store mounts in stables, tie permanent mounts to special tasks, or rework how taming works across creature types. There's a clear sense that the foundation is there, but it needs some tweaking to meet player expectations. Players are especially frustrated by an ad that declares, “Finally a game for mountain enthusiasts,” when the game contains seemingly arbitrary restrictions on how players can actually interact with rideable creatures. Despite player complaints, Crimson desert it is undoubtedly a sales success.

Part of the players' frustration seems to be related to how the mounts were presented before and during the game's launch. Trailers and gameplay demos emphasized the ability to ride a wide range of creatures without mentioning that the mounts are not permanent or have a cooldown. Some players argue that a cooldown is necessary for an offline single player game. Crimson desert began development as an MMO before moving to a single-player game. It's possible that some of the MMO's design philosophy carried over into the final product, such as limiting player performance in the mount system.

The players praised Crimson desert's vast and immersive world, but complained about the bland quest design, storytelling, and other gameplay elements. The developer has also caught a few recent cheaters for leaving AI generative assets in the final game. However, Pearl Abyss has so far responded to player concerns, adding quality-of-life improvements just days after release, including increasing the amount of health provided by food and reducing the amount of time it takes to learn knowledge.

It's seemingly a catch 22 for Pearl Abyss. The more they respond to player feedback, the more the calls for changes will be, regardless of whether changes are actually necessary or not. Player feedback continues to pile up around the connection system, but Crimson desert the review now sits at Mostly Positive on Steam. With mounts playing a key role in traversal, it remains to be seen if Pearl Abyss will make further adjustments in response.