Crimson Desert marriage is part of the new romance system introduced in Charting the Unknown. With the DLC installed, choose Interact > Flirt with an eligible NPC, raise the additional Trust level to 100 by chatting and giving gifts, then propose. A spouse can travel with you and live in a designated residence.
Flirting adds another level of Trust on top of your existing relationship. Gifts and conversations raise that level, but each type counts only once a day. Some characters have extra quests before a proposal, and flirting as one protagonist lowers that NPC’s Trust with the others.
How to unlock Crimson Desert marriage
The Crimson Desert marriage feature arrived with the paid Charting the Unknown expansion and Update 2.04.00 on October 29, 2026. Approach a character who supports flirting, open Interact and select Flirt. The game then allows you to work on an additional Trust level using gifts and conversation.
Choose Gift or Chat after Flirt to increase this extra level. Once it reaches 100, you can propose to the NPC. It is the additional romantic Trust that matters for the proposal, so don’t mistake a high ordinary relationship score for a completed romance.
Crimson Desert marriage: how to raise Trust to 100 and propose
For Crimson Desert marriage, there is a daily limit on how often each interaction contributes to the extra Trust level. Gift can raise it once per day, and Chat can raise it once per day. The interaction menu displays a cooldown after actions that increase Trust, so you can see when to return.
After using Gift and Chat, the interaction menu displays the cooldown until each action can raise Trust again. Come back when those actions refresh, build the extra meter to 100 and choose the proposal option. Repeating an interaction during its cooldown won’t increase romantic Trust.
Take care when switching protagonists. Pearl Abyss states that flirting with an NPC as Kliff, Oongka or Damiane reduces that NPC’s Trust with the other playable characters. If you’re pursuing someone as Kliff, using Damiane for the same romance can undo progress for Kliff.
Who can you marry and what about witches?
Not every NPC has the same relationship requirements. Certain people need an additional quest before the Flirt path can proceed. The official example is the witches: complete each witch’s sanctum quest to meet her special requirement.
Check the interaction menu of the character you want to pursue. The new books about residents’ preferences help you learn about people around Pywel, while certain romance routes require extra quests. For witches, complete the appropriate sanctum quest before progressing the relationship.
What happens after marriage?
Following Crimson Desert marriage, your spouse appears on the world map and minimap. They can travel with you and may sometimes bring gifts. The DLC also allows a spouse’s appearance to be changed at barber shops, so married characters are not permanently locked into their current look.
Charting the Unknown includes 17 residences that can be constructed through dispatch missions. Designate one of these residences and your spouse will live there. For the settlement systems, see Greymane Camp upgrades and Luke’s Request, which also leads into expanded house building.
Can you divorce or change your spouse?
Crimson Desert marriage can be ended, although breaking up comes at a cost. Married characters also appear on your map, can travel with you and sometimes give gifts. Barber shops allow you to change your spouse’s appearance.
Relationships are separate for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane. Stick with the protagonist you’ve chosen for a romance, because flirting with the same person using another playable character reduces their Trust in the others.
Why Flirt is missing or Trust has stopped increasing
When Crimson Desert marriage isn’t progressing, check that Charting the Unknown is installed and the character supports the romance option. Finish any required special quest, such as a witch’s sanctum. If Flirt is available but Gift or Chat is no longer raising the extra level, check the displayed daily cooldown.
If another protagonist’s Trust has dropped, that’s a normal consequence of pursuing the NPC as a different playable character. Continue with the protagonist you intend to marry. For other DLC prerequisites, use the Charting the Unknown overview.
Related Guides
Official source: Pearl Abyss Update 2.04.00 patch notes.
