Crimson Desert Update 1.18 Changes More Than Players Expected — New Quest Categories, Camera Options and Major Quality-of-Life Fixes
🚨 CRIMSON DESERT 1.18 JUST CHANGED THE WAY YOU PLAY!
The new update quietly rewired several systems players use constantly — including a brand-new Quests Knowledge category, a completely reworked lock-on camera with THREE modes, and a resource change that could seriously affect how you spend your Silver…
And one of these changes looks small on paper — until you realize what it means for combat.
👇 Click to see EVERYTHING Update 1.18 changed before you jump back into Pywel! 🔥
Pearl Abyss has released Update 1.18.00 for Crimson Desert, introducing a new Quests category to the Knowledge system, three different lock-on camera settings, a major change to how Research is funded and a long list of quality-of-life improvements. While the patch does not add a major new gameplay area or character, several of its changes could significantly affect how players navigate Pywel and approach combat.
Crimson Desert Update 1.18.00 may not be the game’s biggest content update, but it is one of those patches where several seemingly modest changes could have a surprisingly noticeable impact on everyday gameplay.
Released on August 15, 2026, the update focuses primarily on quality-of-life improvements, system adjustments, bug fixes and stability. Pearl Abyss has also followed it with a 1.18.01 hotfix addressing several additional issues.
The headline changes include a new Quests category inside the Knowledge system, a three-option Lock-on Camera Rotation setting and a shift from Silver to Camp Funds for Research.
For players who have spent dozens or even hundreds of hours exploring Pywel, those changes could matter considerably more than the patch’s relatively modest headline suggests.
The biggest addition: a new Quests Knowledge category
One of the most useful additions in 1.18 is also one of the least flashy.
Pearl Abyss has added Quests as a new category within the game’s Knowledge system.
The category contains eight subcategories:
Main Quests
Faction Quests
Investigation Quests
Research Quests
Daily Life Quests
Guide
Archive Records
Constellations
The important clarification is that these are not eight new quest types added to the game.
Instead, the update gives players a better way to organize and track quest-related Knowledge they have already collected — as well as identify entries they may still be missing.
That distinction could prevent some confusion among returning players.
The update does, however, provide some retroactive Knowledge entries when the corresponding quest has already been completed.
For completionists, that could be particularly valuable.
Crimson Desert contains an enormous amount of optional content, and the Knowledge system can become difficult to navigate once players begin accumulating information from different activities.
The new category effectively gives that information a clearer home.
Why the change matters for completionists
The Knowledge system is one of Crimson Desert’s more unusual progression systems.
Instead of simply checking off a conventional quest log, players can gradually build Knowledge by interacting with the world, completing activities and discovering information.
That creates a problem for players trying to reach 100 percent completion.
You may know that something is missing.
But finding what is missing can be considerably harder.
The new Quests category is designed to reduce that problem.
Rather than forcing players to remember which quest generated a particular Knowledge entry, the interface now separates quest-related information into recognizable categories.
That should make it easier to identify gaps in a playthrough.
And considering the community’s growing obsession with completion, that is not a minor change.
A Reddit discussion from April highlighted how quickly players were discovering the sheer number of systems and activities in Crimson Desert, with users suggesting additions and improvements specifically because they were becoming more familiar with the game’s enormous amount of optional content.
The new Knowledge organization appears to address exactly that kind of problem.
The camera change may be even more important for combat
The most interesting gameplay adjustment in 1.18 may actually be hidden under Controls.
Pearl Abyss has completely reworked the Lock-on Camera Rotation setting.
Previously, players essentially had an enabled/disabled choice.
Update 1.18 replaces that with three options:
Manual, Semi-auto and Auto.
This is a meaningful change because camera behavior can dramatically affect how a player experiences an action game’s combat.
Manual
With Manual, players can rotate the camera while locked onto an enemy using the right stick or mouse.
This essentially preserves the previous Enabled behavior.
Players who want maximum control over their camera during combat can continue to use this setting.
Semi-auto
This is the new middle-ground option.
With Semi-auto, players can rotate the camera while locked on, but only within a limited range.
The system still keeps the target visible rather than allowing the camera to freely swing around the character.
For many players, this could be the most interesting setting of the three.
It attempts to solve the classic lock-on dilemma:
Do you want the enemy permanently centered, or do you want control over the camera?
Semi-auto essentially says: you can have some of both.
Auto
Finally, Auto prevents the player from manually rotating the camera while locked onto a target.
The camera automatically faces the target.
This corresponds to the previous Disabled setting.
For players who prefer traditional hard lock-on behavior, Auto may feel familiar.
For others, particularly those who dislike losing camera control during fast boss encounters, Manual or Semi-auto could be preferable.
Why camera control has been a sensitive subject
The change is particularly interesting because camera behavior has already been a point of criticism within parts of the Crimson Desert community.
One Reddit discussion from March complained about combat controls and camera behavior, with the player arguing that the camera could sometimes interfere with combat visibility and movement.
That was only one player’s experience, and it should not be treated as a universal verdict on the game.
But it does illustrate why additional camera customization could be valuable.
More recently, community discussions have also highlighted how much depth players see in Crimson Desert’s combat system, with some arguing that the game offers a surprisingly deep action-combat experience beneath its accessibility-focused presentation.
That makes camera control particularly important.
The more complicated the combat becomes, the more important it is for players to be able to configure the camera around their own preferences.
Research just became cheaper — but not necessarily free
Another potentially significant change concerns Research.
Before Update 1.18, Research required Silver.
The update changes that resource to Camp Funds.
That may sound like a small economic adjustment.
It isn’t necessarily.
Silver is one of the game’s major currencies and can be used across numerous systems.
Camp Funds, meanwhile, are closely tied to the development and management of the player’s camp.
Moving Research from Silver to Camp Funds therefore changes the economic pressure placed on players.
Instead of deciding whether a research upgrade is worth spending valuable Silver on, players now have another reason to actively develop and manage their camp economy.
This also makes the Greymane Camp more important as a progression hub.
Players who have previously neglected camp management may find themselves paying closer attention to how Camp Funds are generated and spent.
In other words, 1.18 does not simply make Research “cheaper.”
It moves its cost into another progression system.
The map is getting clearer, too
Another understated improvement concerns the map.
Update 1.18 changes the visual presentation of areas revealed by ringing a bell versus areas that the player has actually explored.
Previously, it could be difficult to distinguish between territory that had merely been revealed and territory that the player had personally explored.
The update introduces different fog visuals.
Areas revealed by ringing a bell are now visually distinguishable from locations that remain personally unexplored.
For completionists, this is another useful change.
It allows players to look at the map and immediately understand which areas they have technically revealed and which areas they have physically visited.
That could make exploration planning considerably easier.
Kiln Repair also receives an important gameplay adjustment
Update 1.18 makes one early-game quest sequence more straightforward.
During Chapter 4, players encounter the The Price of Knowledge > Mysterious Pot > Kiln Repair sequence at the Kilnden Workshop.
The update allows the broken pieces of the kiln to be reattached using Force Current, an upgrade to Force Palm.
This is a good example of the type of change that will probably not generate headlines but can make a playthrough smoother.
Instead of leaving players wondering why a previously acquired ability cannot be used for the interaction, the quest now makes better use of an existing upgrade.
It also reflects a broader pattern in Crimson Desert’s post-launch updates: Pearl Abyss has repeatedly been refining systems that players encounter during normal progression rather than limiting patches to major content drops.
The stable is getting more useful
Another quality-of-life improvement affects mounts.
Update 1.18 improves the Stable, allowing players to equip horse gear there.
That is a relatively small interface change, but it makes the stable more useful as a dedicated mount-management location.
For players who regularly switch between mounts or spend significant time customizing their horses, the change should reduce friction.
The update also fixes a number of mount-related issues, including situations where certain special mounts could become stuck while crossing low ledges.
Knowledge is becoming more forgiving
The Knowledge system receives several additional improvements.
Certain animal Knowledge can now be obtained by picking up the animal instead of killing it.
The wording of certain boss Knowledge entries has also been improved.
The update also fixes and adjusts several specific Knowledge-related interactions, including the acquisition of Mysterious Invitation Knowledge after completing Read the Memory Beneath Delesyia Castle.
These changes may sound niche.
But together with the new Quests category, they point toward a consistent direction: making Crimson Desert’s enormous collection of Knowledge easier to understand and complete.
And then there is the long list of fixes
Update 1.18 is not just about the headline features.
Pearl Abyss also addressed problems involving trading stalls, merchants, high-value trade goods, quest progression, NPC placement, workers, equipment clipping, Abyss Skyloop Bridge issues and other technical problems.
The patch also addressed an issue involving ranged weapon lock-on while riding a mount, as well as a quick-slot arrow behaving incorrectly.
On the graphics side, the patch addressed camera jitter at low frame rates and rendering problems associated with FSR Frame Generation or XeSS Frame Generation on certain lower-end graphics cards, including the GTX 1060.
Localization was also improved across languages.
Then came Update 1.18.01 on August 16, which fixed four additional issues, including a problem with NPC interaction while the lantern was lit, housing items from older versions failing to display, unexpected game closures and incorrect map-area displays.
What players should take away from 1.18
The easiest way to misunderstand Update 1.18 is to call it a “small patch.”
It does not introduce a huge new region.
It does not add a major boss.
It does not introduce a new playable character.
Instead, Pearl Abyss has targeted several systems that players interact with constantly.
Knowledge.
Camera control.
Research.
Map exploration.
Mount management.
Quest progression.
Those changes may not create the same immediate excitement as a new boss fight, but they can have a much broader effect on everyday play.
The camera changes are perhaps the most immediately noticeable for combat-focused players.
The new Quests category should be particularly useful for completionists.
And moving Research costs from Silver to Camp Funds could change how players approach the game’s economic systems.
What comes next for Crimson Desert?
Update 1.18 arrives after a rapid sequence of post-launch updates.
Pearl Abyss recently highlighted that the game had already received 17 patches, with more than 20 new features and content additions, alongside new mounts, pets, outfits, equipment and items since launch.
That context matters.
The 1.18 update is not an isolated attempt to polish the game.
It is part of a continuing post-launch effort to refine Crimson Desert based on how players are actually using its systems.
And that may be the most important takeaway.
The game is not standing still.
For players returning to Pywel after a break, Update 1.18 is therefore worth checking even if they are not interested in completionism or technical fixes.
The new Semi-auto lock-on setting alone could change how combat feels.
The new Quests Knowledge category could make tracking progress considerably easier.
And the switch from Silver to Camp Funds gives the camp economy a more direct role in progression.
None of those changes completely reinvents Crimson Desert.
But together, they show something increasingly clear about Pearl Abyss’ post-launch strategy: rather than simply adding more content on top of the existing game, the studio is continuing to reshape the systems players already rely on.
And for a game as mechanically dense as Crimson Desert, those quieter changes may ultimately prove just as important as the flashy ones.
