Crimson Desert: How to Get a Ship in Charting the Unknown (Prices, Crew and Camp Funds)

30-second quick start (TL;DR)

• Unlock: main quest Howling Hill done, Greymane camp set up and expanded through the faction quests, then A Wider World appears under Faction quests and walks you to the port.
• Buy or build: fleetmasters at Vellua, Demeniss and Delesyia sell ships for camp funds. The shipbuilding dispatch at Pailune builds one for fewer funds and more materials.
• Start small: the 40,000 Small Hernandian Ship gets you to the islands. Save the 6 million for when trade is paying for itself.
• Stockpile first: ship materials come from camp resources. Pearl Abyss said before launch you could farm them ahead of time, and that still holds.
• Crew: assign a Gunner before any fight and Deckhands before any island dispatch. You cannot change roles at sea.
• Funds: packaged weapons sold at the Volworks Armory in Demeniss are the fastest reported earner. Golden Apple Hedgehogs, the old gold-bar farm, were nerfed in 2.04.00.
• Customize: figureheads, sterns and sails come from the fleetmasters in Demeniss and Delesyia. Week 2 of the Twitch Drops adds a medium Fair Wind set.

What this guide helps you do

The first thing most players see when they reach the fleet office is the six-million price tag on the large ship, and the first thread about the DLC was titled with exactly that number. This guide explains where ships are sold, what each size costs, when building beats buying, which crew roles actually change anything at sea, and the fastest ways players have found to put millions of camp funds together without touching an exploit.

It assumes you already have the Greymane camp. If you do not, or if A Wider World refuses to appear, read our guide to starting the DLC first.

Requirements and prep

Ships are a new mount, and like the camp itself they sit behind the Greymane faction chain. The official line is that A Wider World begins “after completing Howling Hill from the main story and by expanding your Greymane camp above a certain level”. The level is not published. Players who have the quest did Scattered Embers, then Grounds of the Sunrise through Luke’s Request and the two Expanding the Camp quests under Gathered Will, with no camp construction still running. Play these as Kliff, because faction quests are a listed known issue while playing Oongka or Damiane.

A Wider World is a faction quest, so look for it in the top row of the Journal, not in the main quest list. It introduces the fleet office and ends with your first vessel. Its first sub-quest, A Call from Beyond the Horizon, covers the shipbuilding dispatch.

Two extra sources of ship money sit in the DLC itself: harpy boss lairs drop Crude Gold Bars in bulk, worth about 500 silver each, and the week 2 Twitch Drops hand out a medium Fair Wind figurehead, stern and sail that would otherwise cost parts money.

Ship sizes and prices

Prices as listed at the fleet office, in camp funds. Bigger ships have more health, speed, acceleration, handling, inventory and crew space.

The fleetmaster also repairs a destroyed ship and recovers one lost at sea, so losing a fight is a bill, not a reset. More vendors appear as you progress, and different ports stock different options.

Step-by-step: your first ship

Tick these off as you go. Your progress stays on this device.

1. 1Mark step 1 done

   Expand the camp until A Wider World appears

   Finish Howling Hill, found the camp, then work the Greymane faction quests as Kliff. When the camp passes the hidden level, A Wider World lands in the Faction tab.

2. 2Mark step 2 done

   Follow the quest to the port

   It introduces the fleet office and the new wainwright in the port area. Talk to the fleetmaster to see the price list. At Vellua the seller is Hopkins in the Grace Estate.

3. 3Mark step 3 done

   Decide: buy or build

   Buying is instant and costs the listed camp funds. Building starts a shipbuilding dispatch at Pailune, costs fewer funds and more materials, and takes time. If you stockpiled camp resources before launch, build.

4. 4Mark step 4 done

   Start with the Small Hernandian Ship

   At 40,000 it is cheap enough to buy today and big enough for a crew. The medium at 1.2 million is the upgrade to save for; the large at 6 million is a late purchase.

5. 5Mark step 5 done

   Assign crew roles in port

   Open the crew screen before you leave. First Mate takes the helm when you are not at it, Rigger speeds the sails, Lookout marks reefs and fish schools, Carpenter repairs, Gunner fires cannons and Deckhands fish when stopped and are required for island dispatch.

6. 6Mark step 6 done

   Sail to the first uncharted island

   The quest chain continues through Where the Wind Blows, A Beginning Beyond the Waves, Footsteps in Unfamiliar Lands and Secret of the Winding Island, and the first island players reach is Auronui. Clear its hostile camp, steer the ship inside the facility circle and send three Deckhands on the pioneering dispatch. On Auronui it asks for three members, 12 hours and four stacks of materials, and the crew builds a pier first.

7. 7Mark step 7 done

   Run your first trade

   Trade routes now show on the map at all times. Load new maritime trade goods at one port and sell them at another. Use the proceeds for the medium ship.

8. 8Mark step 8 done

   Customize at Demeniss or Delesyia

   Figurehead, stern and sail parts are sold by the fleetmasters in those two cities. The week 2 Twitch Drops add a medium Fair Wind figurehead, stern and sail.

Crew roles and what each one changes

Earning camp funds fast

Patch 2.04.00 changed one thing here: it “reduced the spawn rate of Golden Apple Hedgehogs”, which was the community’s favourite gold-bar farm. The notes say nothing about armory prices or donation values, so the trade routes below still work as before. Figures are what players report and will drift with trends.

Packaged weapons to the Volworks Armory

Fill a large trading wagon with packaged weapons from your camp stores and drive it to the Volworks Armory in Demeniss. One player’s full load of 1,200 boxes, worth about 1.2 million in camp stores, paid about 20 million camp funds, and a second player’s 300 boxes paid about 5 million, which is the same rate of roughly 16,700 per box. The round trip takes about 20 minutes. Keep your camp producing weapons between runs.

Security dispatches with multipliers

Security dispatches pay more in regions where you have donated to the church, up to double, and more again when the comrades you send have the right skills. Stack those, add the golden beer payout item and use Repeat, and players report five to eight times the base reward.

Gold bars, and why they are slower now

Gold bars donated at camp convert to funds, but with the hedgehog spawn cut, the reliable sources are pickpocketing at the Demeniss Wildlife Park and bank investment with a save before each high-risk bet. Gold-bar dispatch missions are a net loss: one player paid 2.4 million in camp funds for four bars. Players disagree on the exact donation value per bar, so check your own camp screen before you commit a stack.

Facilities as steady income

Leased facilities keep operating while you are away and pay out when you return. A sawmill at Timberham or the restaurant in Vellua is a slower but constant top-up once you have a comrade with the right skills in it. Some players have found the payouts repeat on reload; treat that as a bug Pearl Abyss will close rather than a plan.

Troubleshooting and common mistakes

• Mistake: Saving silver for a ship. Fix: Ships cost camp funds. Silver does not help. Sell trade goods and run dispatches.
• Mistake: Buying the large ship first. Fix: 6 million is a late-game purchase. The small ship at 40,000 reaches the islands today.
• Mistake: Sailing out with no Gunner. Fix: Cannons will not fire. Set roles in port before every voyage.
• Mistake: Island dispatch stuck at 100 percent. Fix: Stay on the boat or pier until it finishes, then open Map, Facilities, pick the mission and press Complete. Completing it from camp or Pailune fails.
• Mistake: Shipbuilding dispatch done but the quest will not advance. Fix: Go to the port and board or talk to the fleetmaster; the quest step updates there.
• Mistake: Sending comrades to an island without Deckhand roles. Fix: Only Deckhands can be dispatched. Reassign in port, then steer into the facility zone.
• Mistake: Ignoring the trade route overlay. Fix: Routes show on the map at all times now. Pick a route, fill the hold, and sell at the far end.

FAQ