The wild and expansive open-world adventure, Crimson Desert, is the focus of October’s IGN First. As is tradition, we’re kicking off a month of exclusive content with a brand new gameplay video. Above, you can watch a playthrough of The Captured Fortress, one of Crimson Desert’s faction quests, in which you help Duke Wells retake his castle from rebel forces.

This 11 minute-long video showcases a number of Crimson Desert’s key features. First and foremost, of course, is combat. Ever since we first played Crimson Desert at Gamescom 2024, we’ve known that developer Pearl Abyss has been assembling something special when it comes to battle, and here you can see protagonist Kliff making use of a wide array of abilities. Among our favourites is using a spear to pole-vault into an enemy, and the incredibly powerful, magically-charged heavy attacks.

But this demonstration mission covers more than just combat. You’ll also see how Kliff can explore the environment using magic leaps, a Spider-Man-like swing, and his Crow Wings ability, which allows him to glide through the skies towards far-off objectives. You’ll also see him using his sword to reflect light, a skill that highlights points of interest in the world and guides you towards interesting discoveries. By following the shining lights, Kliff is able to infiltrate the Duke’s captured fortress in a more stealthy manner… and discover some extra loot along the way, too.

Of course, a Crimson Desert showcase wouldn’t be complete without a boss battle, and so this video concludes with a full, violent clash against Fortain, the Cursed Knight. This armour-clad bad lad wields a sword with a mighty, supernatural ability that you don’t want to miss. You might even be able to claim it for yourself…

And remember, this video is just the first drop. Throughout the month of October, IGN First will take you on a journey into the world of Crimson Desert. You’ll get to see many more bosses, regions, combat abilities, and two or three exciting new things you’d never guess would be part of a medieval fantasy game. For all that, stay tuned to IGN over the next few weeks.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.