How to Start Charting the Unknown in Crimson Desert

Charting the Unknown, the first major expansion for Crimson Desert, does not begin through one universal DLC mission. Instead, its major additions are divided among several quest threads, character stories, and activities scattered across the world. That means the correct starting point depends entirely on which part of the expansion you want to play first--and, in several cases, how far you have progressed through the main game.

The DLC includes substantial questlines for Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka, along with new shipbuilding and ocean-focused content, a housing path, and the Garden of Trials. It also brings extra map facilities and relationship options, including the ability to romance, marry, and eventually divorce NPCs. However, the major story content is tied to specific locations and prerequisites rather than being handed out from a single camp notice or introductory menu.

For players who have finished the main campaign, the three character-focused stories are the most direct place to start. Those still working through the core game can instead pursue some of the systems-oriented additions, provided they have completed the required earlier quests.

Charting the Unknown questline requirements at a glance

• Kliff's Quest: Finish the main story, then travel to Pailune City.
• Damiane's Quest: Finish the main story, then travel to Demeniss City.
• Oongka's Quest: Finish the main story, then travel to Pailune City.
• Shipbuilding and ocean questline: Complete Expanding the Camp, then check the Hernand town Notice Board.
• Housing questline: Complete Howling Hill and Luke's Request, then visit the furniture shop at the camp.
• Garden of Trials: Finish the main story, then go to the Axiom Archive in the Abyss layer of the Path of Providence.

The essential distinction is that the three companion or character questlines and the Garden of Trials require completion of the main story. Shipbuilding and housing have more focused quest prerequisites, potentially making them available before the campaign finale. If a marker is not appearing, check your completed quests first rather than assuming the DLC has failed to activate.

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How to begin Kliff's quest: Beyond the Margins

Kliff's expansion storyline is titled Beyond the Margins. Its opening objective is A Moment's Respite, and it becomes available after the main story has been completed.

The quest begins in Pailune's capital area. Directions for the broader DLC point players toward North Pailune City, while the more detailed location description places the starting point in North Central Pailune Capital. In practical terms, players looking for Kliff's marker should search the northern and central sections of the Pailune capital rather than expecting it to appear somewhere entirely outside the city.

Because Beyond the Margins is locked behind the core campaign, new players should not spend too much time combing Pailune early in their playthrough. Finish the main narrative first, return to the capital afterward, and look for the quest's first stage by name. That approach should be more reliable than relying only on a compass direction or a general city label.

How to begin Damiane's quest: From the Ashes

Damiane's story path is called From the Ashes, beginning with the task Reclaimed and Reamining. Like Kliff's questline, it requires the main story to be complete before it can be started.

Its setting is appropriately Demeniss, Damiane's home nation. General directions identify East Demeniss City as the place to begin searching, while the more specific quest description identifies a location in the western part of the Demeniss Capital. Since those directional references do not perfectly match, the safest route is to travel to Demeniss Capital after the credits and search for From the Ashes or its first objective rather than treating one edge of the city as the only possible destination.

The important part is the progression gate: Damiane's content is not an early-game side mission. If the quest name or marker remains unavailable, the main scenario is the first requirement to verify.

How to begin Oongka's quest: Forged Resolve

Oongka's DLC narrative is Forged Resolve, and its introductory task is A New Path. It follows the same broad access rule as Kliff and Damiane: complete the main story before seeking it out.

This quest is also found in Pailune. The initial directions place it in Northwest Pailune City, though the detailed location notes point toward North East Pailune City. With the listed directions differing, players should use the quest title as their best confirmation once they reach the northern districts of Pailune. Looking around the city after the campaign is finished is preferable to assuming that an exact northwest or northeast label alone will lead to the trigger.

Despite that location ambiguity, the quest's identity is clear. Find Forged Resolve, begin A New Path, and you will be on Oongka's dedicated Charting the Unknown thread.

How to unlock shipbuilding and the ocean content

Players interested in a seafaring life do not need to finish the entire main story just to start the DLC's shipbuilding and ocean quest chain. The first requirement is completing Expanding the Camp in the main game.

After that, head to the Notice Board in Hernand town. The relevant chain begins with The Stilled Saw, which is part of the larger Renewed Vitality sequence. Picking up that quest is the route into the expansion's shipbuilding and ocean-oriented material.

This is one of the most useful DLC paths for players who want to diversify their activities before reaching the end of the campaign. Rather than waiting for all the character stories to become available, make sure the camp-expansion objective has been cleared, then inspect Hernand's board carefully. Notice boards can be easy to overlook when traveling through a settlement for another objective, so it is worth returning specifically to check for The Stilled Saw.

How to unlock housing quests

The housing content has its own progression route. To access it, players need to complete Luke's Request, a quest within the Grounds of the Sunrise Greymane faction questline. The housing path also lists Howling Hill among its completion requirements.

Once those conditions are met, go to the camp at Howling Hill and visit the furniture shop. This is where the housing content begins.

Housing is separate from the city-based character stories, so do not expect a Pailune or Demeniss story marker to lead into it. The furniture shop is the key destination. If the option is absent, revisit your quest log and confirm both the Howling Hill progression and Luke's Request have been completed. In particular, Luke's Request should be finished rather than merely accepted or left active.

Where to find the Garden of Trials

The Garden of Trials is another major part of Charting the Unknown, but it is gated behind completion of the main story. Once the campaign is done, travel to the Axiom Archive in the Abyss layer of the western Path of Providence. This is the same general place where players first meet Alustin.

Approach the archive's main building to trigger a cinematic featuring a White Raven. The scene directs you toward the new area, which is located south of the main building. Following that guidance leads to the Garden of Trials.

This means the Garden is not simply a menu option or a separate world-map activity unlocked remotely. You need to physically visit the archive, approach the correct structure, and allow the introductory scene to point the way. If you have already reached the Axiom Archive but have not seen the cinematic, make sure the main story has been fully completed and that you are approaching the main building in the Abyss layer.

What else Charting the Unknown adds

Beyond these named questlines, Charting the Unknown includes new facilities that can be unlocked throughout the map. It also expands social possibilities with NPC romance and marriage, as well as divorce for relationships that do not last.

Those features are broader additions rather than one single story route, so their precise availability may depend on the facilities, NPCs, and progression systems players have encountered. The six paths above--Kliff, Damiane, Oongka, shipbuilding, housing, and the Garden of Trials--are the major quest and story entry points to prioritize.

In short, complete the main campaign for the three character arcs and the Garden of Trials; complete Expanding the Camp for the Hernand notice-board ocean chain; and finish the listed Howling Hill and Luke objectives for housing. Once those gates are cleared, Charting the Unknown is designed to be explored across multiple corners of Crimson Desert rather than in one straight line.