How To Unlock Camp In Crimson Desert (A Fresh Start Quest Guide)

Table of Contents

TL;DR

You unlock the camp at the start of Chapter 3 — Howling Hill.
Speak to Marquis Serkis, then follow his soldier on horseback to the camp.
Complete the A Fresh Start quest to get the camp fully operational.
The quest has four tasks: move sacks, push the wagon, raise the banner, and drive in the stakes.
Only move the three specific sacks in the marked area — don’t mix them with others nearby.
Use the pickaxe to clear rocks before pushing the wagon, and the mallet to secure the tent stakes.

How To Unlock Camp In Crimson Desert

howling hill camp in crimson desert

The camp is one of the most important unlocks in Crimson Desert. It becomes your base of operations for the Greymanes and opens up a whole new layer of the game. You get it at the very start of Chapter 3 — but you have to earn it first.

For context on where this fits in the story, check our guide on all Crimson Desert main story quests and chapters.

How The Camp Unlock Starts

Chapter 3 is called Howling Hill. It kicks off with a conversation with Marquis Serkis, who decides to give Kliff a new camp in Howling Hill — a home base for him and his Greymane comrades.

After the conversation, Marquis Serkis dispatches one of his soldiers to escort Kliff to the camp. The camp is still under construction when you arrive, so there’s work to do before it’s usable.

Follow the soldier on horseback to Howling Hill. Pay attention to the road you take during the ride. You’ll be traveling to and from the camp regularly, so knowing the route saves time later. Our guide on how to fast travel in Crimson Desert will also help once that option opens up.

When you arrive, you’ll meet Marshal Middler, who introduces a second playable character and formally hands the camp over to Kliff.

A Fresh Start Quest — Full Walkthrough

To get the camp up and running, you need to complete the A Fresh Start quest. It has four tasks, each in a different part of the camp. Here’s how to complete every one of them.

Task 1 — Move the Sacks

When you reach the first mission area, a prompt will appear asking you to move three sacks to the marked location.

There are a lot of sacks scattered around the camp. This is where players get confused. The game only registers three specific sacks — the ones already in that area. Don’t grab sacks from elsewhere and try to bring them over. It won’t count.

Stick to the three sacks in the marked zone. Move each one to the designated spot and the task will complete.

Task 2 — Push the Wagon

Head to the next mission area. A prompt will ask you to smash the rock and push the wagon into the tent.

Here’s the exact order:

Look for a pickaxe on the ground in front of the rocks blocking the path.
Equip the pickaxe.
Use it to destroy the rocks and clear the way.
Once the path is clear, stand behind the wagon and push it forward toward the tent entrance.

The wagon moves slowly, so just keep pushing steadily until it’s fully inside. The task completes once the wagon is in position.

If you’ve been having trouble with equipment and tools in general, here’s how to put away weapons and become unarmed in Crimson Desert — useful to know when you need to switch to tools like the pickaxe and mallet.

Task 3 — Raise the Banner

This one catches players off guard. The mission area for raising the banner is slightly outside the camp perimeter. It’s easy to miss if you’re just looking around the main camp area.

Don’t search by eye — follow the marker on your map. It will lead you to the right spot.

Once you’re in the mission area:

A prompt will ask you to raise the banner pike.
Use the Nature’s Grasp skill to pick up and carry the pike.
Carry it toward the Banner Stand next to it.
Plant the banner at the stand.

The banner goes up and the task is done. One more step to go.

Task 4 — Drive in the Stakes

The final task is back near the wagon. You’ll find a tent that needs to be secured with four stakes in the ground.

Here’s what to do:

Find the mallet lying next to the tent.
Equip it.
Walk to each stake and hit it three times with the mallet.
Do this for all four stakes.

Once every stake is driven in, the tent is secured and the A Fresh Start quest is complete. The camp is now yours.

What To Do After Unlocking the Camp

Once the camp is unlocked, Chapter 3 opens up significantly. The Howling Hill arc introduces a series of quests built around expanding and developing the camp, meeting new characters, and pushing the main story forward.

Some things worth doing right after unlocking the camp:

Get familiar with the camp layout. You’ll be coming back here often. Learn where everything is early.

Start the Chapter 3 side quests. Several request quests become available around this time. Here are the ones worth doing:

Make sure your gear is upgraded. Howling Hill has tougher enemies than earlier chapters. Here’s how to upgrade weapons and armor in Crimson Desert if you haven’t already.

Prepare for harder boss fights ahead. If you haven’t faced Kearush yet, Chapter 4 is coming. Read our full guide on how to beat Kearush the Slayer in Crimson Desert to get ready.

Useful Guides For Chapter 3

While you’re in the Howling Hill chapter, these will come in handy:

Where To Get Crimson Desert

Already own it? Don’t forget your free bonuses — here’s how to claim pre-order and Deluxe Edition items and how to get Crimson Desert Twitch Drops.