TL;DR
- Both the Ranch and Farm unlock through the Grounds of the Sunrise faction questline
- Progress until you reach “A Rumor in Goldleaf Trading Post” — this introduces Ben (Ranch) and Kamu (Farm)
- Each requires a Dispatch Mission to an external location, then a second Dispatch Mission to construct the facility at Howling Hill
- Build the Farm first — apple trees take time to grow, and starting it early saves you waiting
- You can only build one facility at a time — Ranch and Farm construction cannot run simultaneously
- Finishing “A Rumor at Glenbright Farm” also unlocks the Cook and Quartermaster at camp
- Ranch produce and farm crops feed directly into cooking — essential for staying healed through tough fights
The Ranch and Farm at Howling Hill are two of the most useful long-term systems in Crimson Desert. Once both are running, they give you a steady supply of meat, hides, milk, and crops without having to hunt or buy from vendors constantly. They take some effort to unlock, but the payoff is worth it.
This guide walks you through every step — how to reach the right quests, what to do with Ben and Kamu, how to build both facilities, and how to get the most out of them once they’re up and running.
Prerequisites — Unlock The Camp First
Before you can unlock the Ranch or Farm, you need to have the Greymane Camp at Howling Hill set up. This happens during Chapter 3: Howling Hill — Homestead, when Marquis Serkis grants the Greymanes a fief. From there, Kliff secures the camp, and the camp management systems open up.
If you haven’t done this yet, follow the main quest until the Homestead mission completes. See how to unlock camp in Crimson Desert for a full walkthrough.
How To Reach The Right Quest
Both the Ranch and Farm are locked behind the Grounds of the Sunrise faction questline. This is not a main story quest — it runs in parallel and you need to actively track it.
Here’s how to find it:
- Open your Journal
- Go to Faction Quests
- Select Grounds of the Sunrise
- Open the Gathered Will tab
Work through the quests listed here in order. The one you’re aiming for is called “A Rumor in Goldleaf Trading Post.”
If this quest doesn’t trigger when you visit the Goldleaf Trading Post, check your map. If there’s a disturbance notice in the area, it means bandits have occupied a nearby camp. Clear them out first and the quest will unlock. Liberating occupied territory is a recurring requirement throughout the Grounds of the Sunrise questline, so get used to checking for these notices.
How To Unlock The Ranch In Crimson Desert
Once “A Rumor in Goldleaf Trading Post” is active, you’ll meet two NPCs: Ben and Kamu. Ben handles the Ranch.
Follow these steps in order:
Step 1 — Speak With Ben After meeting Ben during the quest, return to the Greymanes camp at Howling Hill and speak with him again. This starts the “Field of Abundance” quest.
Step 2 — Dispatch To Bloomwood Ranch Ben asks you to run a milk mission. Go to the Dispatch board, select Bloomwood Ranch, and choose Milk Harvest Mission. Send your recruits and wait for it to complete.
Step 3 — Build The Ranch At Howling Hill Once the Milk Harvest Mission is done, go back to the Dispatch board at Howling Hill. This time, select the option to build the Ranch. This is a construction mission — it requires recruits with the Builder skill assigned. Without the right skill, the mission won’t run. Check each recruit’s skill list before sending them.
Once that mission completes, the Ranch is open at camp.
Step 4 — Complete Ben’s Request Ben will walk you through the basics with his tutorial quest. Here’s what he asks you to do:
- Talk to Ben
- Catch a wild goat
- Register the goat at the Ranch
- Report the results
- Slaughter livestock
- Report the results of butchering
This teaches you the full Ranch loop: catching animals in the wild, registering them, and eventually slaughtering them for meat and hides. The Ranch NPC Bram manages the facility day-to-day after this is complete.
One thing to note: you’ll physically move animals between pens by picking them up and carrying them — the game doesn’t handle this through menus. Kliff can hoist a goat or pig onto his shoulders and walk it to where it needs to go.
How To Unlock The Farm In Crimson Desert
The Farm unlocks through the same quest — “A Rumor in Goldleaf Trading Post” — and the steps mirror the Ranch process, just with Kamu instead of Ben.
Step 1 — Speak With Kamu Talk to Kamu after the quest triggers. He’ll ask you to complete an apple picking mission.
Step 2 — Dispatch To Glenbright Farm Go to the Dispatch board, select Glenbright Farm, and choose Apple Harvest Mission. Wait for the mission to complete.
Step 3 — Build The Farm At Howling Hill Return to the Dispatch board and select the option to build the Farm at Howling Hill. Same rules apply — assign recruits with the Builder skill.
Step 4 — Complete Kamu’s Request Kamu’s tutorial covers the Farm basics:
- Talk to Kamu
- Plant an apple seed
- Wait for the apple tree to fully grow
- Harvest the apples
- Hand them over to Kamu
The waiting step is the key one. Apple trees take real in-game time to mature. You can sleep at a campfire or bed to advance time faster, but you’re still waiting regardless.
Important: You cannot build the Ranch and Farm at the same time. Only one construction mission can run at Howling Hill simultaneously. If the Ranch is still being built, you must wait for it to finish before starting the Farm construction.
Build The Farm Before The Ranch
This is the most important tip in this guide.
Build the Farm first. The apple tree needs time to grow before Kamu’s tutorial quest can be completed. If you build the Ranch first and then start the Farm, you’ll end up sitting around waiting for the apple tree while Ben’s ranch tutorial could already be done.
Starting the Farm construction first means the tree is growing while you work through Ben’s ranch tutorial. By the time you’re done with the Ranch quests, the apple tree will be close to or fully grown, and you can wrap up Kamu’s tutorial without delay.
What You Get When Both Are Unlocked
Finishing the “A Rumor at Glenbright Farm” mission also unlocks the Cook and Quartermaster at camp — two important NPCs you’ll use constantly. The Cook sells recipes and lets you prepare meals at camp. The Quartermaster manages camp supplies and trade goods.
Ranch — What It Produces
The Ranch lets you raise livestock including goats, pigs, and cows. Each animal produces different resources over time:
- Meat — used in almost every cooking recipe; essential for staying healed through boss fights
- Hides — used in crafting armor and gear
- Milk — used in cooking recipes and alchemy
- Other animal products — varies by livestock type
Animals need regular care and interaction. Unlike many games, you interact with them physically — feeding, moving, and slaughtering through direct actions rather than menu prompts. The Sealed Abyss Artifact challenge “The Herder’s Lament” also requires selling 3 goats to Bram at the camp Ranch, so keeping animals registered matters beyond just food production. See how to open sealed abyss artifacts in Crimson Desert if you’re working through those challenges.
Farm — What It Produces
The Farm has dedicated crop plots for growing fruit, vegetables, and grains. Crops need to be watered by hand — it’s not a set-and-forget system. Once grown, you harvest by physically picking the crops from the plot.
Farm produce feeds directly into cooking recipes. Combined with Ranch meat and hides, the two facilities create a largely self-sufficient food loop at camp. This means less time hunting or buying from vendors, and more resources going toward gear upgrades and other camp improvements.
As you expand the camp over time, the variety and volume of what both facilities produce increases significantly. Investing in camp upgrades early pays off in the long run.
Ranch And Farm Tips
- Build the Farm before the Ranch. Apple trees take time to grow — start that clock early.
- Only one construction mission runs at a time. Plan your order before dispatching.
- Assign Builders to construction missions. Without the right skill, the mission won’t launch.
- Sleep at camp to advance in-game time. This speeds up both crop growth and mission timers.
- Check the Supply Chest regularly. All dispatch rewards, including harvest missions, go into the Supply Chest behind Carl at camp. Don’t let produce pile up there uncollected.
- Use Ranch meat for Hearty Grilled Meat. It’s one of the best early-to-mid-game healing foods and easy to cook in bulk at the camp kitchen.
- Combine Ranch and Farm output. The real value comes from using both together — meat plus farm-grown ingredients opens up better recipes that restore Health, Stamina, and Spirit simultaneously.
- Recruit more Freeswords to speed up dispatch missions. More recruits assigned to a mission earns bonus rewards on top of the standard payout.
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- How To Open Sealed Abyss Artifacts In Crimson Desert
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- How To Fish In Crimson Desert
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