Crimson Desert July 2026 Update Adds Oongka/Damiane Features and Gear Overhaul

Pearl Abyss keeps iterating on Crimson Desert, and its latest July 2026 update leans hard into two areas players have been asking for: expanded capabilities for the secondary protagonists Oongka and Damiane, and a broader shake-up of equipment options across multiple characters. The changes aren’t limited to combat, though—there are also new crafting additions, quality-of-life toggles, and a long list of fixes aimed at smoothing out day-to-day friction.

Crimson Desert launched in March 2026, and the studio’s post-release pace has stayed consistently active. Rather than treating the launch as the finish line, Pearl Abyss has continued adding new content while also revising parts of the game that didn’t land with players. One notable approach is that the team has avoided publishing a rigid roadmap, opting instead to respond quickly as feedback comes in. The result is a live game that continues evolving months after release, rather than fading into maintenance mode.

Pearl Abyss has also framed its ongoing support in terms of keeping the player community engaged and active, explicitly tying continued updates to maintaining a healthy player base.

What the July patch changes for players right now

While this update may not be as massive as certain earlier revisions, it still makes meaningful adjustments that should be felt in regular play. Alongside bug fixes and stability improvements, it adds new carpet crafting recipes and introduces multiple special armor sets: “Lightning Bolt Plate Armor,” “Scorchflame Plate Armor,” and “Frostcursed Plate Armor.” There’s also a new item, “Hunter’s Sigil,” which can be equipped to let pet birds retrieve prey and gather items aligned with the pet’s specialties.

On the usability side, the patch adds a Settings option that lets players hide the minimap and status HUD. Specifically, it’s located under Settings > Others > Gameplay as a “Hide Minimap and Status” toggle, giving players more control over screen clutter.

• New crafting content includes carpet recipes and additional special plate armor sets.
• A new equipped item, “Hunter’s Sigil,” improves bird-pet gathering behavior.
• Players can hide the minimap and status HUD through Settings > Others > Gameplay.
• Oongka and Damiane receive major gameplay expansion, including access to The Abyss.

Why Oongka and Damiane’s upgrades matter

The most consequential part of this patch targets two characters who initially drew criticism: Oongka and Damiane. Early on, players complained they felt too constrained—unable to do the same things as Kliff and unable to use overlapping abilities. Pearl Abyss’ response has been a steady stream of updates designed to make both characters feel genuinely viable rather than like side options.

The July 4 update continues that effort. Both Oongka and Damiane can now enter The Abyss. In addition, the patch adds new equipment options for all three protagonists (including boss-oriented gear). Pearl Abyss confirms that Oongka can equip “most outfits” available to Kliff, including the Kuku armor set. Damiane can equip equipment from Odeck, Dark Marksman, and Masked Liberator as well.

Importantly, the update also changes Memory Fragment placement tied to rematchable bosses. As Oongka/Damiane gain Abyss access, “Memory Fragments for certain rematchable bosses” have had their locations adjusted accordingly.

The equipment and crafting wave: what’s actually being added

Beyond the character-specific fixes and Abyss access, the patch expands equipment in a structured way—adding boss sets, general gear, and specific crafting improvements. For Kliff and Oongka, the update includes 39 new equipment pieces, explicitly stating that boss equipment is part of the total.

Those boss equipment additions include:

• Tarandus the Ashen outfit: 5 pieces
• Unyielding Hero outfit: 5 pieces
• Knight of Carnage outfit: 5 pieces
• Martial Monk outfit: 3 pieces
• grand general of Demeniss outfit: 2 pieces

In the same section, “new equipment” is also added:

• 16 pieces of armor
• 3 pieces of headgear

For Damiane, the patch adds 8 new equipment pieces, including 8 armor items. It also specifies that Damiane can equip boss equipment from:

• guardian of Odeck outfit: 5 pieces
• Dark Marksman outfit: 3 pieces
• Masked Liberator outfit: 1 piece

Kliff and Oongka also gain access to Kuku equipment. That list includes:

• Kuku Lightning-Resistant Armor
• Kuku Flame-Resistant Armor
• Kuku Ice-Resistant Armor
• Kuku Breeze-Step Boots
• Kuku Rishi’s Boots
• Kuku Marni Laser Helm

Carpet crafting recipes are also expanded, with four types of carpet recipes being added. These carpet crafting recipes can be purchased from shops.

Outside the new equipment sets, the update adds crafting recipes for the three named plate armor types (“Lightning Bolt Plate Armor,” “Scorchflame Plate Armor,” and “Frostcursed Plate Armor”). There’s also a gameplay tweak that adds special attacks to Flame Knight and multiple enemy groups: Wyvernflames, Savage Fang, and Goldenscale Bandits.

Several dye and equipment usability improvements are included as well. Pearl Abyss changed certain disguise outfits that previously couldn’t be dyed so they can now be dyed, and it improved most weapons and secondary weapons so they can now be dyed. It also notes that the Iron Eagle and Phoenix can equip the Sigil of Valor.

Gathering and puzzle-related updates land in parallel. Gathering is improved so that up to 3 fireflies can be obtained when gathering from a firefly colony. For Oongka specifically, puzzles can now be completed with Scatter Shot.

Roadmap alignment and the rest of the patch notes

These changes don’t exist in isolation. Pearl Abyss says the July patch fits with the June to September 2026 roadmap that was shared earlier. The plan remains focused on using player input as the backbone for further improvements, and the studio also points to more work on the game’s narrative. Cross-save and combat-focused content are described as upcoming, while non-combat improvements such as farming and trading are also on the horizon.

Players are likely also watching for bigger DLC, since Pearl Abyss confirms it’s working on larger downloadable content. However, it didn’t provide details or a potential release window in the update notes.

Below are additional patch note highlights from Update 1.13.00, presented in the same spirit as the official notes—spanning UI changes, gameplay fixes, and platform-specific stability updates.

• Summoned pets will now rest together with the character when resting in a bed.
• Added “Hunter’s Sigil,” letting an equipped bird pet retrieve prey and gatherable items suited to its specialties.
• Oongka can equip most outfits available to Kliff.
• Damiane can equip the specified boss equipment sets tied to guardian of Odeck, Dark Marksman, and Masked Liberator.
• Kliff and Oongka can equip Kuku equipment, including multiple armor and accessory pieces.
• Added crafting recipes for four carpet types (carpet recipes can be bought from shops).
• Added special attacks to Flame Knight, Wyvernflames, Savage Fang, and Goldenscale Bandits.
• Added crafting recipes for Lightning Bolt Plate Armor, Scorchflame Plate Armor, and Frostcursed Plate Armor.
• Changed certain disguise outfits so they can be dyed; improved most weapons and secondary weapons so they can be dyed.
• Improved Iron Eagle and Phoenix so they can equip the Sigil of Valor.
• Improved gathering: up to 3 fireflies from a firefly colony.
• Oongka puzzle improvement: Scatter Shot can be used to complete puzzles.

The patch continues with a large set of targeted fixes across quest behavior, travel problems, combat interactions, UI states, and animation timing. Among the listed issues resolved are auto-tracking switching targets incorrectly during certain moments, rowboats briefly sinking underwater, a wagon disappearing if destroyed during “A Sack of Pepper,” and Moren disappearing when combat begins after tracking Moren, the Mistwood Huntmaster. It also includes a fix for crimes using tools being committed without fines during Memory Fragment playbacks.

Additional fixes cover teleporting usability for the Gate to Advancement without a Visione equipped, furniture repurchase menu disappearing items after repurchase, Duane being unable to travel on horseback during the “Skilled in Archery” quest, and abnormal Contribution increases in some situations. Combat and skill behavior are addressed too, such as Bleed Bandits’ Alchemy Explosive Pack durability decreasing each time it summons a bomb, and multiple issues related to Axiom Force, Counter Stance, and skill timing or activation.

Other notable items include improvements so muskets and pistols can be fired while sliding, fixes for Focused Aerial Roll being treated as a crime near NPCs, and corrections for sliding attacks not working with certain equipment combinations. There are also fixes related to Oongka—such as charging being blocked by enemies, Aerial Grapple not working while equipping the Kuku Rocket Pack, targets not being designated while flying, and finishing blows missing when a Greathammer is equipped. Damiane-related fixes include a motion issue with Lightning Strike, correct element timing for Smiting Strike under Groundsurge Abyss Gear, and unnatural movement speed after quick swapping to a broom after Flame Rush.

UI and quality-of-life changes continue beyond the minimap toggle. The patch changes so the inventory closes when using an elixir, refines the character switch interface in situations that can only be progressed with Kliff, adjusts the Dye UI so non-dyable items can’t be selected, and restricts the minimap border to show only the currently tracked quest. It also fixes Wyvern egg recoverable alerts not appearing, Trust notification history display issues, and (for Mouse/Keyboard) furniture tooltips showing the wrong item when selecting furniture.

Platform-specific notes include PS5 fixes for occasional cutscene stuttering, occasional longer-than-usual loading times, crashes when opening the map, and crashes during boss rematches. It also changes so a failure message appears when applying engine options fails.

Localization updates are also listed: various localization errors are fixed, and localization quality is improved across all languages.

Finally, the patch notes include a broad set of additional adjustments across gameplay systems and presentation. These include fixing pinball launcher pin movement, housing-related alignment issues for wells and buckets, changing knowledge descriptions for salmon and burbot, correcting awkward effects on ships, and fixing cases where some quests weren’t marked completed. There are also notes about Re-Blockade quest display wording, missing monsters in Sovereign Wastes in certain cases, improvements to guide text for drilling equipment in the “Abandoned Drilling Rig” quest, and several visual fixes involving clipping, weapons, and outfit silhouettes.

Multiple interaction and camera fixes appear too, including correcting camera behavior with the Windshot while riding a Wyvern, fixing situations where the character respawns at an abnormal location, and updating descriptions and knowledge entries such as changing “Injured Ludvig” to “One-Armed Ludvig” in Knowledge > Bosses. Controller improvements are listed as well, including corrected input button display sequences when pressing certain buttons.

The update also includes a specific fix for the Liberation Gauge showing 30% while progressing through the Courts of Judgment quest, corrections for descriptions not appearing for the “Infiltrate the Azerian Manor” quest in certain situations, and several interaction and housing stability fixes. It ends with additional fixes and text updates such as updating the description of the Meadow Bunting.