How to Complete the Pioneering Quest in Crimson Desert

Pioneering is the final story block of Chapter 3 in Crimson Desert. It picks up immediately after the Reed Devil fight and closes out the Howling Hill chapter with six subquests. There is no combat in this block — it is entirely about returning to camp, recruiting two new Greymanes, receiving Shakatu’s supply crates, and running your first Dispatch Mission. Completing it unlocks the full Greymane camp management system and opens Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge.

TL;DR

• Pioneering is the final block of Chapter 3 with six subquests: Check on Andrew, Marius’s Tale, Gathering in the Highlands, A Gentle Touch, Bustling Hill, and The Reunion.
• No combat required — this block is entirely story, travel, and one Dispatch Mission.
• You recruit Luke and Ronald from the sawmill at Coalvale Workshop north of Howling Hill.
• Bustling Hill is where players get stuck — you must dispatch Luke and Ronald via the map menu, not through an NPC.
• The Dispatch Mission takes 17 in-game hours. Sleep in the camp bed to skip it.
• Completing Bustling Hill permanently unlocks the full Dispatch system and introduces Ross as your camp mission coordinator.
• After The Reunion cutscene, Chapter 3 ends and Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge begins.

Pioneering Subquest List

The Pioneering story block contains six subquests in sequence. Each completes before the next begins:

• Subquest 1: Check on Andrew
• Subquest 2: Marius’s Tale
• Subquest 3: Gathering in the Highlands
• Subquest 4: A Gentle Touch
• Subquest 5: Bustling Hill
• Subquest 6: The Reunion

This block follows directly from the end of The Face Behind the Mask. If you need the previous block’s walkthrough, see our Face Behind the Mask quest walkthrough.

Subquest 1 — Check on Andrew

This subquest begins immediately after the Reed Devil boss fight ends. Andrew was injured during the encounter and Kliff wants to see how he is recovering.

• Fast travel to the Abyss Nexus at Howling Hill to save time riding back.
• Head to the Howling Hill camp and find Andrew. He is resting near the central area of camp.
• Speak with Andrew. A short cutscene plays — he is recovering but needs time.

This subquest completes after the conversation ends. Marius’s Tale begins automatically.

Subquest 2 — Marius’s Tale

After checking on Andrew, find Marius in the camp. He is near the main tent or the table area depending on your camp layout.

• Speak with Marius. He tells you he has heard a rumour about Greymanes who gave up the sword and are now working as woodcutters at a sawmill near Coalvale Workshop.
• The conversation ends with Marius sending you north to investigate.

This is purely a dialogue step — no travel required yet. Gathering in the Highlands begins immediately after.

Subquest 3 — Gathering in the Highlands

This subquest sends you to the Coalvale Workshop, which is north of Howling Hill in the Hernand Highlands. The sawmill is located near the workshop and is clearly marked on your map.

• Mount up and ride north to Coalvale Workshop. It is not far — around 500 to 600 metres from Howling Hill.
• Follow the objective marker to the sawmill at the workshop.
• You find Luke and Ronald working there. A short conversation plays — they recognise you as a Greymane and agree to rejoin immediately. Their spirits are unbroken.
• Luke and Ronald are added to your Greymane roster. They are your first dispatchable Freeswords.

Subquest 3 completes after the conversation. Return to Howling Hill for A Gentle Touch.

Subquest 4 — A Gentle Touch

With Luke and Ronald confirmed, head back to Howling Hill camp. Unknown crates and bundles are waiting there — Shakatu has kept his promise and sent supplies to support the Greymanes.

• Return to Howling Hill camp and go to the shrine area marked on your map.
• Beside the shrine, you will find a dragon totem. Approach it and examine it.
• Inside the totem is a letter from Shakatu. Read it. The letter outlines the supplies and confirms his ongoing support.
• After reading the letter, open your inventory and check the new items delivered by Shakatu’s crates. These typically include camp materials, food supplies, and basic equipment for your growing Greymane force.

A Gentle Touch completes after you read the letter. Bustling Hill begins immediately — this is where many players get stuck.

Subquest 5 — Bustling Hill

Bustling Hill is the first time the game hands you the Dispatch Mission system. Your objective is to send Luke and Ronald on the Howling Hill Camp Expansion mission. The confusion here is that this does not trigger through NPC dialogue — you access it through the map menu.

How to Dispatch the Howling Hill Camp Expansion

• Open your map (M on PC, Map button on controller).
• Make sure the tab is set to “All” or switch to the Factions tab if needed.
• Zoom in on Howling Hill until a bullet-point icon appears on the camp location.
• Select the Howling Hill marker and press Triangle (PS) / Y (Xbox) to open the camp overview.
• Press R1 (PS) / RB (Xbox) to switch to the Missions tab.
• Find the Howling Hill Camp Expansion mission and select it.
• Assign Luke and Ronald — they are your only available Freeswords at this point.
• Press confirm to dispatch them. The mission begins.

If you cannot find the mission in the menu, make sure you have read Shakatu’s letter in A Gentle Touch first. The mission only appears after that step. If the menu is still not showing the mission, check that both Luke and Ronald are in your roster and not already assigned elsewhere.

How Long Does It Take

The Howling Hill Camp Expansion dispatch takes 17 in-game hours to complete. You do not need to wait at camp. Go do other activities — explore, complete side quests, or work on faction content. You can also sleep in the camp bed for up to 12 hours at once to advance the timer. Two sleep cycles covers the full 17 hours.

Once the timer completes, a notification pops up confirming the mission is done. At that point, Ross appears in camp as the permanent Dispatch Mission coordinator. The full Mission List opens up with new options for every location you have liberated. This is the beginning of your passive income and resource system. For everything about maximising this system, see our Bustling Hill dispatch guide.

Camp Supplies for the Dispatch

The Howling Hill Camp Expansion requires a small amount of camp money and food to start. If you are short, speak to Carl at the camp, select Manage Supplies, then Support Camp Resources to donate a few coins and rations. This fills the requirement instantly and lets the dispatch begin. See our guide on how to get camp funds if your resources are low.

Subquest 6 — The Reunion

Once the Howling Hill Camp Expansion dispatch completes, the final subquest begins automatically.

• Return to camp and head to the highlighted area in the map marker — usually the central gathering point or bonfire area of Howling Hill.
• Approach the marked area and a cutscene triggers automatically.
• All the Greymanes who have reunited so far — Marius, Andrew, Luke, Ronald, and others — gather together. It is a brief but significant moment — the first time the reformed Greymanes have all been in the same place since the events of the Prologue.
• The cutscene ends, the Pioneering story block closes, and Chapter 3 is complete.

Immediately after the cutscene, Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge begins. This is where the game opens up significantly — new regions, new quests, and the Research Institute system. For the full Research Institute overview to prepare for what is coming in Chapter 4 and beyond, see our all Research Institutes guide.

What Unlocks After Pioneering

Completing Pioneering unlocks several systems that remain active for the rest of the game:

• Full Greymane Dispatch system — Ross is now permanently available at Howling Hill as your mission coordinator. The Mission List expands with new options as you liberate more locations. Every Freesword you rescue from this point forward adds another parallel dispatch slot.
• Camp Expansion missions — Howling Hill can now be upgraded further as your Greymane roster grows. See our guide on how to upgrade Howling Hill camp to Level 2.
• Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge — the next main story chapter begins immediately and introduces the Scholastone Institute, the first Research Institute in the game.
• Greymane comrade management — you can now assign specific comrades to missions based on their traits. Comrades with the Exploration trait are required for Abyss Gear Blueprint dispatch missions. See our all Abyss Gear Blueprints guide for the full list of exploration dispatch missions unlocked later in the game.
• Camp Donation quests — now fully accessible from Ross and the camp board. See our guide on how to complete camp donation quests quickly.

Tips for Completing Pioneering

• Do not wait for a dialogue trigger for Bustling Hill. The Howling Hill Camp Expansion dispatch is launched entirely through the map menu — no NPC triggers it. If you are standing in camp waiting for someone to talk to you, nothing will happen. Open the map and navigate to the Missions tab at Howling Hill.
• Sleep to skip the 17-hour wait. Use the camp bed for 12 hours, then sleep again for the remaining 5. This is much faster than doing other activities and waiting for the real-time equivalent.
• Check Shakatu’s crates carefully. The items delivered during A Gentle Touch include some early useful equipment. Do not skip past the inventory check after reading the letter.
• Get Golden Beer after Chapter 8 to double all future dispatch rewards. The system you are unlocking in Bustling Hill scales enormously once Golden Beer is active. See our Golden Beer guide to plan ahead.
• Add Ross to your quick travel list. Once he appears in camp after the Howling Hill Expansion completes, speaking to Ross is the fastest way to manage dispatch missions without opening the full map every time.
• Already have all three Chapter 3 story blocks done? Check the all main story quests and chapters overview to see the full campaign structure ahead.

Quick Reference — All Six Subquests

• Check on Andrew: Fast travel to Howling Hill, speak with Andrew near the camp centre.
• Marius’s Tale: Speak with Marius at camp — he sends you to Coalvale Workshop.
• Gathering in the Highlands: Ride north to Coalvale Workshop sawmill, speak with Luke and Ronald to recruit them.
• A Gentle Touch: Return to Howling Hill, find the dragon totem at the shrine, examine it, read Shakatu’s letter.
• Bustling Hill: Open map → zoom in on Howling Hill → Missions tab → Howling Hill Camp Expansion → assign Luke and Ronald → dispatch. Wait 17 in-game hours (sleep twice to skip). Ross arrives when done.
• The Reunion: Head to the highlighted camp area, cutscene triggers automatically. Chapter 3 ends, Chapter 4 begins.

For all Chapter 3 content including the earlier quest blocks, see our guides on the Homestead quest and the Face Behind the Mask quest. For the full campaign structure, visit our Crimson Desert guide hub.

Crimson Desert is available on PC via the official site, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox.