Crimson Desert has driven away quite a few players just because of its first two chapters.

A Reddit thread revolving around Crimson Desert is gaining a lot of attention, with the poster claiming the game has one of the worst initial experiences ever.

Crimson Desert's opening sequence is considered extremely boring.

Originally developed with a focus on the open-world role-playing game genre, Pearl Abyss was recently released. Despite numerous complaints upon its release, the game is still working to improve and release quality patches. However, one thing the developers will likely struggle to fix is ​​the gameplay of the first two chapters – a period criticized for being drawn-out and lacking engagement with the main character. 

Even worse, this opening phase is tied to numerous mini-games that players are forced to complete. While previous RPG blockbusters like Crimson Desert also had relatively slow starts, most agree that the introductory experience in  Crimson Desert  is definitely the worst.

Specifically, Reddit user  CYDLopez  shared their initial experience in the game:  "The first two chapters of Crimson Desert were so bad I almost gave up,"  and stated they  "couldn't imagine a worse opening ." This sentiment was almost universally agreed upon on Reddit, and in fact, it dominated early Steam reviews of the game.

Overall, the game's opening sequence involves the protagonist, Kliff, and his warrior tribe being massacred, then resurrected by some mysterious ancient technology with no clear explanation, and then… spending the next six hours arm wrestling and sweeping chimneys before the real story begins.

This isn't the game's most frustrating issue—that title belongs to the nearly non-customizable control system—but it's not easy to fix either. As many players have noted, Pearl Abyss designed its opening as an MMO for a single-player experience, making the overall experience feel very 'out of place'.

A slow start caused the game to lose points.

The game's greatest strength lies in its sandbox nature and greater freedom compared to most other RPGs or action-adventure games. For example, using trees as catapults for movement or combat is perfectly legitimate – bringing the game closer to the style of modern open-world Zelda games. However, the slow opening remains a major drawback, even for those who patiently continue playing. This shows that Pearl Abyss failed to live up to expectations in this aspect.

At the same time, there's a conflict between 'pre-set' elements like the storyline or non-customizable characters and the free-form sandbox nature of the game. It remains unclear whether Pearl Abyss will revise this opening. After getting past the tutorial, the game opens up with an impressive degree of freedom, making the initial issue somewhat forgivable.

However, there are still bigger issues to address, such as the game's lack of a permanent mount system. Given the game's nature, the studio will likely prioritize systemic changes that directly impact gameplay, and the opening sequence may remain unchanged.