Pearl Abyss has moved quickly to address launch issues in Crimson Desert, releasing its second patch within 24 hours for PS5 players. Hotfix 1.00.04 is a small but targeted update that resolves a specific character switching problem that was affecting gameplay for PlayStation users. Here is everything you need to know about what this patch fixes, what issues remain, and the full context of the post-launch support effort.
Crimson Desert Patch 1.00.04 Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Patch Version | 1.00.04 (Console display: Update 1.000.151) |
| Platform | PlayStation 5 only |
| Release Date | March 23, 2026 |
| Patch Type | Hotfix |
| Download Size | Small |
| Focus | Character switching fix |
| Official Source | Pearl Abyss Official Site |
What Does Patch 1.00.04 Fix?
This hotfix addresses one specific confirmed issue:
Fixed: An issue where, when switching from another character to Kliff, certain interactions and actions could not be performed properly.
This bug affected players who switched between Damiane or Oongka and then returned to main protagonist Kliff. After the switch, specific interactions and actions would stop working correctly, which disrupted normal gameplay flow and quest progression. The hotfix restores full functionality when returning control to Kliff from any other character.
Why Is This Update PS5 Only?
Patch 1.00.04 is a PlayStation exclusive hotfix. PC players see this version as Update 1.000.151 on console, and the issue it addresses was specific to the PlayStation platform. Xbox and PC players are not affected by this particular bug and therefore do not receive this specific update.
Context: Patch 1.00.03 Released the Same Day
Patch 1.00.04 followed closely behind the much larger Version 1.00.03 update, which Pearl Abyss also released on March 23. That patch was substantially bigger and covered a wide range of improvements and fixes across all platforms. Here is a summary of what Version 1.00.03 addressed before this hotfix arrived:
Quest Fixes
- Fixed a Chapter 2 “Reunion” issue where the cat would sometimes stop leading the way.
- Improved the Chapter 4 “Mysterious Pot” quest so the symbol briefly stops when it reaches the correct position during the ancient generator repair.
- Fixed a “Turnali’s Request” bug where the quest would not complete after refining an already-refined Bekker Shield.
- Improved notifications to appear when crime status blocks quest progression.
Content Additions and Changes
- Added more Abyss Nexus fast travel points across Pywel to improve teleportation options.
- Added Private Storage at the Hernand initial lodgings and at the Howling Hill Camp.
- Reduced the time required to acquire knowledge.
- Changed skill observation so it only needs to be performed once before the skill can be used.
- Adjusted when Force Palm is learned so players can access it much earlier in the game.
- Reduced the number of hits required to log trees, and changed logging so trees are chopped with basic swings without needing to aim first.
- Decreased QTE difficulty in Arm Wrestling and when pinned by an opponent.
- Changed ore veins and collectibles to be discovered automatically within proximity: 8m for regular ores, 2m for tools.
- Improved Skybridge Alignment Devices to trigger immediately when placed correctly.
- Added effects for destroying enemy stronghold facilities: Infirmary destruction stops wounded enemies returning to combat; Storage destruction reduces enemy max health by 10 percent; Barracks destruction reduces enemy attack by 5 percent.
- Increased health restored by ingredients and food items, and added new food to the Hernand Tavern.
- Increased the Lantern’s range for detecting clues.
- Reduced Stamina consumption for Nature’s Grasp.
- Fixed pet looting failures under certain conditions.
- Changed Visione to equip and play automatically when reading memory fragments with the Lantern.
- Added an indestructible brazier in front of the Lioncrest Watchtower.
Control Improvements
- Improved response speed of the interaction UI.
- Improved responsiveness of jump inputs.
- Fixed aiming to target the screen centre when using a Lantern or while unarmed.
- Improved the Equipment Quick Slot so re-selecting current equipment stows it.
- Keyboard and Mouse: Improved character movement responsiveness, added keyboard shortcuts for Inventory (I), Skills (K), Journal (J), and Map (M), added default options for Guard/Aim (Side Button 1) and Evade (Side Button 2), fixed duplicate key assignment issues.
- Added 120Hz mode toggle for PS5 and Xbox in Settings.
Boss Fights and Combat
- Reduced health and attack of specific enemies and bosses.
- Reduced Stamina consumption for blocking.
- Lowered difficulty of ambush encounters before the Reed Devil boss stage.
- Adjusted attack patterns for Kearush the Slayer.
- Increased stun gauge accumulation on bosses after a successful parry.
- Changed boss weakness effects to display even without prior knowledge acquisition.
Graphics and Performance
- Fixed settings not saving after using the Default option.
- Fixed resolution and upscaling settings not being retained after restart.
- Fixed character equipment and cats becoming invisible on minimum performance quality.
- Fixed screen cut-off and misalignment issues in Fullscreen, Windowed, and Borderless Window modes.
- Fixed FSR Ray Regeneration and DLSS Ray Reconstruction display abnormalities.
- Fixed Mac-specific crash and freeze issues under certain graphics settings.
- Fixed frame generation letterbox rendering in cutscenes on Mac.
- Fixed crashes when opening the Map menu on PS5.
NPC, UI, and Localisation
- Fixed missing English audio lines.
- Reduced the price of restorative items sold by Carl at Howling Hill Camp from 10 Silver to 1 Silver.
- Fixed various localisation errors across all supported languages.
- Improved food items to automatically register to a quick slot on first acquisition.
- Moved Knowledge and Notifications menus from the Others tab to the Journal tab.
Known Issues Still Being Investigated
Pearl Abyss confirmed that the following issues remain active and are still under investigation after both patches:
| Known Issue | Platform |
| In certain situations, some knowledge can only be acquired after performing “Observation” twice | All |
| Fishing reel-in function does not work correctly when “Invert Right Stick Y-Axis” is enabled (disabling the setting resolves this temporarily) | Xbox |
| The Abyss can be seen from the world below in certain situations, causing slight frame rate drops | All |
| During “Deferred Advance” quest, retrying or abandoning the Ultimate Weapon fight when Blackstar’s health is depleted causes health not to fully recover | All |
| Attempting to steal fruit at the back of a stall causes the character to become unresponsive to controls | All |
| When receiving damage while holding a tree, the character can become stuck to it | All |
| During the Gregor boss fight, if surrounding objects are destroyed at the same time the character dies, reviving becomes impossible | All |
| Under certain conditions, applied settings are not saved after restoring settings | All |
| In some quests, the next objective is not automatically tracked | All |
| When using FSR4 upscaling, rain disappears or the screen becomes blurry or distorted in rainy environments | PC |
| The game cannot be launched properly on Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox PC | Xbox |
| Collector’s Edition Steam pre-order purchasers are unable to claim their ultimate pack items | PC (Steam) |
What Pearl Abyss Has Said
In its official patch communication, Pearl Abyss stated:
“We are continuing to review and improve various gameplay elements based on your feedback and will bring you more fixes and improvements in subsequent updates. Thank you once again for the feedback and support.”
The studio has also confirmed that more control improvements are planned for future patches, so players experiencing keyboard and mouse issues or other control-related friction should expect ongoing updates. The Version 1.00.03 changes to keyboard and mouse controls were described by Pearl Abyss as “the beginning of improvements” in that area rather than a complete resolution.
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