Crimson Desert Community Hits Out at ‘Gatekeepers’ Who Are Looking Down Their Noses at Easy Mode Players
Crimson Desert received a major update this week introducing new difficulty settings to Pearl Abyss’ single-player open world action adventure. The patch added three difficulty tiers—easy, normal, and hard—allowing players to customize their experience.
The hard difficulty setting makes significant mechanical changes aimed at preventing exploitative strategies. Food item effects are now delayed and only apply after consumption animations complete, eliminating the ability to spam healing items during combat, particularly in boss fights. Hard mode also increases damage taken by players while boosting enemy stats, including maximum health, aggressiveness, and overall speed.
The update has sparked community discussion regarding accessibility and player preferences. Some community members have criticized attitudes toward players choosing easier difficulty settings, characterizing certain viewpoints as gatekeeping behavior that looks down on those preferring a less demanding experience. The addition of difficulty options reflects ongoing industry discussions about inclusivity and player choice in game design.