Crimson Desert is releasing today, and beyond its combat and open world, one system is already catching players off guard, and we are talking about a fully functional in-game bank. It is not just a place to stash your money, but it is a surprisingly complete system that mixes economy, risk-taking, and even a bit of crime.
Creator Luke Stephens goes over the system in his review of the game. You can check it out here:
A Bank You Can Actually Use
So basically, in Crimson Desert, you can convert your regular currency into gold bars and store them securely in a safety deposit box. That alone would be a nice bit of immersion, but the system goes even further.
You can also choose a “risk profile” for your investments, similar to real-world financial systems like a retirement fund. Depending on how aggressive or safe you go, your returns will vary over time.
It is a rare feature in an open-world RPG, and one that adds a different kind of long-term decision-making outside of combat or gear progression. And if you were never taught investment strategies, this might actually give you a pretty good idea of how it works.
Guards, Crime, and Easy Money?
Of course, it would not be a proper system without some risk. From what we can see in Luke Stephens’ video, it seems like the Banks are protected by guards, and that would suggest that committing crimes, like theft, might quickly turn things against you. If you are spotted, maybe you will be hunted down or even jailed.
At least, that is how we imagine it would work.
However, some early impressions suggest the crime system is not fully there yet. For example, players have reported being able to walk into the bank’s upper floor and simply steal strongboxes from shelves with limited consequences. Penalties do exist, but the consequences are really minimal. You can lose Contribution points, and bounties can be applied if you are seen, but enforcement does not always feel consistent. In some cases, players can just pay off their bounty at a church and move on.
A System With Potential
The foundation is clearly interesting. A banking system linked to investment risk, combined with physical locations, guards, and theft mechanics, is something you do not often see, but right now, it seems to sit in an awkward middle ground, something ambitious, but not fully realized.
If the crime side were deeper, with more meaningful consequences or tighter systems, it could turn into a much more important feature. As it stands, it feels more like an experimental feature.
It is worth noting that these impressions are based on early gameplay that highlighted both the strengths and current limitations of the system. As with many large-scale RPGs, there is always room for updates and changes post-launch. But even in its current state, Crimson Desert’s banking system is one of those features that makes you stop and think: why don’t more games try something like this?
If you want to know when the game launches in your region, you can check out the launch times here! We also got the full trophy list ready for PlayStation players who might want to plan ahead, as well as the upcoming free rewards.
