Crimson Desert's convoluted controls frustrate players

It’s increasingly rare for a modern game to simply feel bad to play, but Crimson Desert has drawn criticism for its awkward keyboard controls. Players report fumbling through complex combos just to cast a fishing rod, open menus, or lock on to an enemy. Reviewer Mollie Taylor advised yesterday that using a controller helps — it still has issues, but it’s far better than the default keyboard setup.

Reaction online has been sharp. A Reddit post by PressureCalm declared, "Whoever made these controls needs to be fired," and many players echoed the sentiment as simple tasks become tedious. Kliff’s movement and interaction speed frustrate users, who say the character can take what feels like forever to pick up items.

"I shouldn't need to spend 12 seconds picking up a handful of potatoes," one comment reads. Other control clashes cause odd in-game moments: the jump button is also used to grab items, so players find themselves repeatedly leaping while trying to collect ore.

crimson desert, keyboard controls, controller, gameplay, combos, menus, lock on, movement speed, item pickup, reddit