Pearl Abyss isn’t wasting time. Just over a week after Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026, the studio has pushed out Patch 1.01.00 (released March 28) across PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox, with the Epic Games Store and Mac App Store builds still listed as in-progress. It’s the game’s fifth post-release update—and easily the most meaningful yet, adding five new summonable mounts, tightening up the game’s most-criticized controls, and quietly signaling the start of a long-overdue cleanup: replacing “select 2D visual assets” tied to the generative AI painting controversy.
This is the kind of patch that tells you a developer is listening—sometimes bluntly, sometimes surgically—but definitely paying attention. And if Crimson Desert bounced off you because it felt clunky, stingy, or weirdly unfinished in spots, Patch 1.01.00 is the clearest “come back and try again” moment the game has had since release.
What Patch 1.01.00 Adds: Five New Mounts You Can Summon (Yes, Even in Towns)
The headline feature is straightforward and genuinely impactful: five new mounts are now available to unlock and summon after meeting certain conditions.
The new mounts are split into two categories:
- Legendary Animals: White Bear, Silver Fang, Snowwhite Deer
- Boss’ Mounts: Rock Tusk Warthog, Icicle Edge Alpine Ibex
Pearl Abyss also makes a point of clarifying that Pywel’s townsfolk aren’t afraid of tamed animals, meaning you can ride these mounts through towns rather than treating them like “outside-only” toys.
There’s also a smart bit of retroactive player-friendly design here: if you’d already caught any of the Legendary Animals before Patch 1.01.00, the game will grant the corresponding reward retroactively via the “Extra Rewards List” when you log in.
This mount update matters for more than just novelty. One of the early points of criticism was the low number of permanent mounts relative to expectations. Patch 1.01.00 doesn’t just add variety—it addresses a core “why can’t I just ride the cool thing I found?” friction point that can sour open-world exploration fast.
Controls, Movement, and Flight: The Patch Targets the Game’s Most Persistent Pain Points
If you’ve spent time with Crimson Desert, you already know the vibe: the world is huge and inviting, but the moment-to-moment feel—especially movement—has been a frequent complaint from early adopters. Patch 1.01.00 is Pearl Abyss continuing its ongoing effort to make the game feel less “overengineered” and more intuitive.
Movement changes (on foot and horseback)
Patch 1.01.00 adjusts movement so that speed ramps up in a more consistent way:
- Movement speed now increases by holding the run key or tapping it once
- The old behavior—where speed would drop whenever the run input wasn’t held continuously—has been removed
- Full sprint still requires periodic sprint-button input, but the system is now more streamlined and consistent
This is a subtle change with outsized impact. In action-adventure games, movement is the handshake. If it’s awkward, everything feels worse—combat, traversal, even just “existing” in the world. This patch doesn’t claim to solve every complaint, but it’s a meaningful step toward making the game feel less like it’s fighting you.
Flight improvements and stamina reductions
Patch 1.01.00 also makes Flight smoother and less punishing:
- Reduced Flight stamina consumption
- Fixed an issue where the character would sometimes briefly stop before gliding
- Improved cases where Flight wouldn’t activate
- Flight now allows using equipped equipment while flying
On top of that, stamina requirements were adjusted for aerial abilities:
- Aerial Maneuver and Aerial Swing stamina requirements reduced
- Aerial Stab was reworked because an unintended issue allowed repeated midair use; it now costs more stamina with each consecutive use, keeping it usable as a movement tool without breaking balance
- Animation for Aerial Stab improved, and a weapon-specific activation issue was fixed
There’s a clear philosophy here: keep the fun mobility tech, but stop it from turning into a balance-destroying exploit. That’s a reasonable compromise—especially in a game where traversal is a huge part of the fantasy.
Sprint stamina tweaks
The patch also includes: reduced stamina consumption while sprinting and using Crow Wings. Again, that’s a quality-of-life win that directly impacts how enjoyable it is to cross Pywel without constantly watching a stamina bar like it’s a ticking bomb.
Quality-of-Life Overload: Inventory, Crafting, Exploration, and “Stop Wasting My Time” Fixes
Patch 1.01.00 is packed with the kind of changes that don’t sell trailers but absolutely determine whether players stick around.
Here are the biggest QOL additions and improvements:
Faster loading in key moments
Pearl Abyss says loading times have been reduced when:
- traveling via Abyss Traces
- respawning after death
- initiating revivals and some instances of fast travel
In a big action-adventure game, those are the exact loading moments that can turn frustration into quitting. Cutting those down is one of the most valuable “invisible” improvements a patch can deliver.
New material chests across Pywel
The update adds new chests containing various materials throughout Pywel, which should help smooth out resource flow for crafting and upgrading—especially for players who felt early progression was too stingy or too dependent on specific loops.
Refinement Tokens: a huge upgrade shortcut (up to Stage 4)
The patch introduces a new item: Refinement Tokens.
- They allow equipment to be tempered up to Stage 4 without consuming additional materials
- They can be obtained from certain main and faction quests
This is one of those additions that can dramatically change the feel of gearing. It’s not “free,” but it’s a targeted way to reduce grind friction and make experimenting with new gear less painful.
Crafting and inventory improvements
Two standout UI/UX additions:
- “Make Now”: cook/craft immediately after selecting a recipe, without separately selecting ingredients
- “Store all selected items”: bulk-move items from inventory to private storage
- Keyboard: Shift + RMB
- PS5: □
- Xbox: X
There’s also a notable change for PC inventory behavior:
- selecting/using items changed from mouse hover to mouse click
- Left-click selects, Right-click/double-click uses
That’s the kind of “PC players will instantly feel it” change that can make menus go from annoying to functional.
The Howling Hill Camp storage chest relocation
A very specific but very real fix: the private storage chest in Howling Hill Camp was moved from behind Karl to inside Kliff’s tent. It’s a small change, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that signals the devs are watching the same pain points players complain about.
Crime and Contribution: now it only counts if you’re seen
One of the most player-friendly mechanical changes is the update to how criminal acts affect Contribution:
- Criminal acts no longer decrease Contribution unless witnessed by an NPC
This is listed as a bug fix in the official notes but categorized under content changes—suggesting the previous behavior may have been intentional. Either way, it’s now aligned with what players typically expect: stealthy wrongdoing shouldn’t magically tank your standing if nobody saw you do it.
The AI Art Controversy: Patch Notes Confirm “Select 2D Visual Assets” Are Being Replaced
Now for the part that’s going to keep Crimson Desert in the discourse beyond mounts and stamina numbers.
Patch 1.01.00 includes a line in the notes:
“As part of ongoing visual improvements, replaced select 2D visual assets to better align with the game’s art direction.”
That’s corporate patch-note language, but the context matters. Players previously discovered that several paintings in the world were generated using generative AI, and Pearl Abyss promised those assets would be changed in a future update. Patch 1.01.00 strongly suggests that process has begun.
It’s important to be precise here: the patch notes do not explicitly say “AI art removed.” They say select 2D assets were replaced, framed as part of ongoing visual improvements. That leaves room for interpretation—and likely means this is a first pass, not a full purge.
Still, even the start of replacement is significant. The controversy wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about disclosure and trust. When players feel like something was slipped into a game without transparency, it becomes a credibility problem—not just an art problem. Patch 1.01.00 is Pearl Abyss taking the first visible step toward repairing that.
PS5 Gets a “Fixed 4K Output” Option (Exclusive—for Now)
Patch 1.01.00 adds a new graphics option on PlayStation 5: “Fixed 4K Output.”
- When enabled, the game outputs at 4K resolution regardless of whether the display natively supports 4K
- The goal is a sharper image, even on non-4K screens
- On base PS5 in Performance Mode, enabling this option applies FSR upscaling
- The option is enabled by default and can be disabled
As of this patch, the ability to force 4K output is exclusive to PlayStation. Pearl Abyss has not indicated whether or when it will come to Xbox Series X|S.
This is a fascinating move because it’s both a technical tweak and a statement: Pearl Abyss is actively trying to address complaints around image clarity and presentation, and it’s willing to ship platform-specific solutions rather than waiting for a one-size-fits-all fix.
Stability, UI, and the “Hundreds of Cuts” Fix List
Beyond the big-ticket items, Patch 1.01.00 includes a wide range of improvements across:
- stability and crash fixes across PC and consoles (and Mac mentioned in the notes)
- minimap and notification improvements
- a minimap option to lock North (N) at the top
- increased stored notifications up to 2,000
- improvements to Photo Mode (max camera distance, FOV adjustment, shutter sound effect)
- rendering improvements, including better translucent materials when FSR-RR / DLSS-RR is enabled
- a DLSS-RR preset change from D to E, improving visual quality and fixing an issue where texture animations (like waterfalls) could stop playing
- lots of quest blockers and edge-case bugs addressed
This is the unglamorous work that keeps an open-world game alive. It’s also the kind of patch cadence that can shift a game’s reputation quickly—especially in the first month, when sentiment is still malleable.
Platform Availability and Release Context
Here’s what’s confirmed for Patch 1.01.00 availability as of March 28, 2026:
- Steam (PC): available now
- Steam (Mac): available now
- PlayStation: available now
- Xbox: available now
- Epic Games Store: later (in-progress)
- Mac App Store: later (in-progress)
Crimson Desert itself released March 19, 2026. Pearl Abyss is both developer and publisher.
Why This Patch Matters (And Why It’s Not Just “More Mounts”)
Patch 1.01.00 is doing three critical things at once:
- Fixing friction (controls, loading, stamina, UI) that was actively blocking enjoyment.
- Adding tangible content (five permanent mounts) that improves exploration and player expression.
- Beginning reputational repair by replacing at least some controversial 2D assets tied to generative AI.
That combination is powerful. Lots of games can patch bugs. Fewer can patch perception. Pearl Abyss is trying to do both—fast.
And while speed doesn’t automatically equal quality, the direction here is hard to argue with: make traversal smoother, reduce busywork, respect player time, and clean up the stuff that never should’ve shipped.
What Remains Unknown
- How many AI-generated paintings/assets remain in the game, and how long full replacement will take (the patch notes only mention “select 2D visual assets”).
- Whether the “Fixed 4K Output” option will come to Xbox Series X|S (no timeline or commitment has been announced).
- When Patch 1.01.00 will land on the Epic Games Store and Mac App Store versions (listed as in-progress).
- The exact unlock conditions for each of the five new mounts (the notes confirm conditions exist but don’t detail them in the summary).
