Crimson Desert appears to use generative AI art—and if so, the devs never disclosed it

Though one of the most beautiful and breathtaking games I’ve played in a long time, Crimson Desert seems to have fallen afoul of the undisclosed use of generative AI.

As first spotted by Bluesky user lexuddy.xyz, the Oakenshield Manor in Hernand, a place you frequently visit during the game’s initial parts, appears to have an AI-generated wall painting that depicts a battle scene from Pywel’s history. From the distorted faces and headless horses that look like the stuff of nightmares, we can deduce that this is likely an image generated by some AI model.

Whether it’s a placeholder or a deliberate inclusion in the final product is unclear at this time. As soon as we saw this, we reached out to Pearl Abyss for comment, but had not heard back by the time this article was published. We will update it with new information if and when it becomes available.

In the meantime, this is probably a case similar to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where placeholder art and ideation made it into the game’s final build unbeknownst to the developers—an issue that’s likely to become all the more common as AI is taking up an ever-larger part in the conceptualization process.

That game, which went on to sweep through the awards season, also wound up being disqualified from the Indie Game Awards many months after the AI art in question was removed from the game and replaced with what was supposed to go there at release.

Crimson Desert is the result of immense effort and artistry, and even though I am genuinely disappointed to see this in the game, it should not be used to construct a case against the title or its stunning visuals, which are one of its stronger characteristics.

If it turns out that it isn’t AI (the odds of which are very low) I wouldn’t want to ever see into the mind of the artist making this painting, as this is the stuff you see when you’re running the highest fever in your life and witness a battle scene that looks like it was painted by Hieronymus Bosch.

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Crimson Desert has plenty of Alchemy materials to find that will be required for Alchemy to produce various elixirs and materials with different purposes. Some of these recipes will need to be crafted on regular intervals, so you’ll need to stock up on the materials.

The massive size of Pywel means that it’s almost impossible to find exact locations for the materials. I have mentioned areas and estimated locations of all the materials that I have found. I will be adding more items to the table in the section below once I discover them on my adventures.

How to find all Alchemy materials in Crimson Desert

The exact location for almost every Alchemy material appears to be completely random. However, their zones/areas appear to be the same. This doesn’t change based on the items that I have tested with my buddy, who has been playing with his own setup. However, it’s safe to expect some location changes if the places I have explained in the table below don’t help you to find what you’re looking for.

Alchemy material	Approximate Location
Burrowing Toad	Typically found in ponds, you need to look in the muddy areas. I found one in the south of Hernand City near the Goldleaf Guildhouse.
Black Centipede	Look for rocky outgrowths in Hernand. I never found one in the daytime, so they might only spawn at night.
Bluewing Butterfly	They’re fairly common and can be found on flowers in Hernand City.
Banded Peacock Butterfly	I found it in the Black Forest, which can be found to the west of Hernand City.
Crimson Patch Butterfly	I found it once in Hernand and once in Celphade. Look for them in flowers (this is applicable for almost all types of butterflies I have discovered so far).
Centipede	Look for random rocky outgrowths in Hernand City. They appear to only spawn at night.
Camel Cricket	I found one near the Greymane Camp (along the main path).
Cockroach	I found the Cockroach at the same location as the Centipede in Hernand. However, it does appear to spawn during the day.
Coral Mushroom	This plant grows in Demeniss and Delesyia. I have found it in Demeniss, at several locations, but didn’t find it in Delesyia.
Diana Fritillary Butterfly	I also found this butterfly in the Black Forest, located to the west of Hernand City.
Firefly	Fireflies spawn at random locations all over Hernand City at night.
Hornet	They can be found in beehives. You have to destroy beehives to find them, but they will sting.
Grasshopper	You can find them in the forest areas in Hernand. They’re fairly common, and you can find them in the grass.
Long Horn	You’ll find deer in the wild in the Black Forest in Hernand City. You’ll need to hunt the deer and skin them to get the horn.
Dragonfly	Can be found in the forest areas around Hernand.
Lavender	Pretty commonly found in multiple areas in and around Hernand.
Mountain Moth	I have found it once in the Black Forest, and one near the Hook Ford in the north-east of Hernand City.
Oakwood Mushroom	An extremely common item that’s found around Hernand. You can also find them inside chests and barrels.
Marigold	One of the easiest materials to find, as it grows abundantly in the starter areas.
Pine Mushrooms	You can find them near large trees as they grow in moist areas. I found it near the Black Forest area in Hernand (not in the forest).
Peony	Found in the woodlands in Hernand.
White Lavender	Seems to spawn around Hernand, but not as common as Lavender.
Spider	Seems to spawn all around Hermand, and you need to look in the grass. They only seem to spawn at night.
Short Horn	This is an easy item to find, as it can be harvested from dead cows. You’ll find some along a main story quest where you will have to trace few missing cows of Bremer.
Red Croton	Look for high-altitude areas in Hernand, like the mountainside. You’ll find this item spawning in patches as a red-colored flower.
Rosemary	Very common material found all around Hernand.
Wild Silkworm Moth	I found it in a tree in the Black Forest region. I have also spotted it on trees throughout the Hernand region.
Sleepy Scarlet Butterfly	I found one in the grass near the town of Hernand Crossroads. I also spotted one in the Black Forest, but didn’t manage to get it.
Scorpion	To find the Scorpion, you’re likely going to have to reach the Crimson Desert (verified this with my buddy, and he didn’t seem to find it anywhere else).
Snail	I found one near the Greymane Camp and one at Hernand City. I seemed to find them both around water bodies (look in the grasses on the banks).

There are a bunch of materials (mostly butterflies) that I have yet to find. I will be updating their locations on the table above once I manage to find them.

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