Crimson Desert is a massive open world RPG full of gorgeous sun-soaked vibrant vistas and an overwhelming number of things to do. At the center of it all, though, is its main story about tribalism and redemption.
It unfolds primarily from the perspective of Kliff, the leader of a mercenary faction, Greymane, who loses most of his family after a tragic assault by members of an enemy faction – the Black Bears.
While Kliff leads the journey of redemption to revive Greymane and take down Black Bears, he isn’t the only star of this 100+ hour adventure. Two vastly unique characters, each with different playstyles and personality quirks, take the helm of the story at certain points of this long-winded journey.
As such, in this guide, we explain all Crimson Desert protagonists and what you can expect from each of them in terms of story and gameplay.
Table of contents
Kliff Macduff
Kliff is the gruff primary protagonist of Crimson Desert. He’s the leader of the mercenary faction, Greymane, and it’s up to him to find its remaining members, build a new home, and take down the Black Bears.
Crimson Desert’s main story is exclusive to Kliff, which means you can only switch to other protagonists when exploring the open world. As such, get ready to spend a lot of time with Kliff! While it’s easy to assume that he’s just a gruff, cynical Scottish warrior—a man of a few words, his voice actor, Alex Newman, argues that “he’s capable of great emotions, not just aggression or ferocity.”
Since he’s a leader, his sentiments revolve around taking care of his family, and you may witness different layers of his personality unravelling as he reunites with his fellow Greymanes and rebuilds his home throughout the campaign.
In combat, Kliff is a balanced melee character that utilises a one-handed sword and shield combo to deal a flurry of fast-paced attacks and bash groups of enemies with his shield. He can also switch to double-handed swords and spears to deal heavy, impactful attacks. In addition, he has bows, which he can use to snipe enemies from a distance.
Kliff also has access to an elaborate skill tree with a diverse range of active and passive abilities spread across three distinct categories. A feature distinctively unique to Crimson Desert is that Kliff can acquire new skills and abilities by observing NPCs and enemies. These include both combat maneuvers and side activities such as fishing. All of this should open up more ways for him to fight, traverse, and explore the world of Pywel.
Oongka
Oongka is an ogre-like, dauntingly tall warrior who’s quite diligent when it comes to speaking and showing emotions. He’s voiced by Stewart Scudamore, most recently known for playing Rictus in Netflix’s Arcane.
Like Kliff, Oongka is a Greymane, though nomadic, who eventually joins Kliff in his quest to find the missing members of their tribe. Not much is currently known about Oongka, story-wise, though we do know he’s on good terms with Kliff, as you can see him walking side by side with him in the trailers.
Outside of combat, Oongka is anything but nonchalant. The fierce warrior is the tank character of Crimson Desert, specialising in wielding gigantic battle axes to crush enemy forces. Both Kliff and Oongka can also unlock abilities that let them slam and suplex enemies to the ground, but Oongka seems like he’s more capable of performing such endeavors.
Damiane
Damiane is the only female protagonist of Crimson Desert. She’s a strong, assertive woman who joins Greymanes later in the story. Damiane’s past is shrouded in mystery, except that she ran away from her home in Demeniss. She’s voiced by Rebecca Hanssen, most notably known for voicing Eve in Stellar Blade and Alfira in Baldur’s Gate 3.
In combat, Damiane is tactile and agile, boasting a different playstyle from Kliff and Oongka. She can use pistols to pick off enemies from a distance, or jump over them to execute them with the deadly precision of a sabre sword. What she lacks in defense, she likely makes up for with deadly precision.
That’s everything we know about Crimson Desert’s protagonists so far. As the game’s release date draws near, there should be a slew of new information on these characters, and if so, we will update this article with more information.
