The Crimson Desert map covers the continent of Pywel, split into five ground regions (Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia and the Crimson Desert itself), plus the floating Abyss above and, since the Charting the Unknown expansion, an ocean full of islands. Everything starts under fog, and you lift it by riding through an area or by ringing one of the eight bells scattered across the regions. Below is how the map is laid out, where every bell sits, and which map tools Pearl Abyss has added through patches as of November 2026.
We checked this against Pearl Abyss's official patch notes from 1.01.00 through 2.04.00, the Game8 region guide, KeenGamer's bell tower guide and PowerPyx's ruins walkthroughs in November 2026.
The Regions of Pywel at a Glance
Game8's region guide treats Pywel as five main areas: Hernand, Delesyia, Demeniss, Pailune and the Crimson Desert region. Hernand is where you spend the early chapters, and it holds three of the eight bells and the first witch questline. Pailune is the snowy region whose capital only opens up properly around Chapter 7. Demeniss and Delesyia each center on a large city with its own castle or cathedral district, and the Crimson Desert region is the late-game sand sea that gives the game its name.
The desert region is bigger than its single label suggests. Game8 lists Tashkalp, the Trader's Expanse, Varnian territory and the Saltroad inside it, with two bells, one spire (the Spire of the Sun) and nine Sealed Abyss Artifacts to collect. It also counts 17 factions there, including the Sage of the Desert and Urdavah as core factions and six hostile ones, so expect the desert to keep you busy long after you first arrive.
Two more layers sit on top of the ground map. The Abyss has its own map view, and patch 1.05.00 improved that view so it shows teleport paths between Abyss locations more clearly. Then the 2.04.00 update that shipped with Charting the Unknown on October 29, 2026 opened the ocean, with new islands you can pioneer through missions, underwater ruins and treasure maps that point you at hidden caches across the world. Its ocean quest, "A Wider World", begins after the main story's "Howling Hill" once your Greymane camp has been expanded past a certain level, so sea exploration can start well before the ending.
How the Fog Lifts: Riding, Mounts and Bells
Fog clears in two ways. The slow way is simply traveling: anything you ride or walk through is revealed around you. The fast way is a bell. KeenGamer explains that ringing a bell at the top of its tower permanently reveals a large part of the surrounding region, after which a Shai child appears, talks to you briefly and lifts the fog from that area. Ringing every bell will not uncover every corner, though. Valleys, caves and small islands still have to be visited in person.
Two patches changed how this works. Patch 1.18.00 made areas revealed by a bell look different from areas you explored directly, so you can now see at a glance which spots you have only seen from a tower and which you have actually crossed. Patch 2.04.00 then made the range of fog cleared depend on your mount, so the animal or vehicle you ride affects how much map you uncover as you travel. In practice that rewards riding to the edge of a fogged patch rather than zig-zagging on foot.
A good habit is to ring the bell first whenever you enter a new region, then spend your first hour riding toward whatever the bell left grey. That order means you never waste time riding through ground the bell would have revealed anyway, and it gets you a picture of roads, rivers and settlements before you commit to a route.
All Eight Bell Locations
KeenGamer counts eight bells across the five regions, and its directions are the clearest we found. Game8 names the two desert bells "Toll of Tommaso" and "Toll of Varnia", so you may see both naming styles online; they are the same towers.
- Bell of Hernand: in Hernand town near the bank, on a white tower with a brown pointed roof. No story requirement.
- Bell of Scholastone: at the Scholastone Institute southwest of Hernand City, in the second-floor garden under a stone gazebo. If the Shai child does not appear, the courtyard still needs clearing through the main story, around Chapters 3 to 4.
- Bell of Calphade: at the top of the Church of Calphade spire in Thalwynd, northern Hernand. KeenGamer suggests ringing it before Chapter 6, although its own table and text disagree on whether it is blocked during that chapter.
- Bell of Pailune: a red wooden tower near the harbor. Enemies hold the city until it is liberated, and the Shai child will not appear while they are nearby, so plan on Chapter 7 or later.
- Bell of Demeniss: southeast of the city near the Cathedral. You lower it by hanging from a banner, and guards are hostile until Chapter 8 unless you deal with them first.
- Bell of Delesyia: in the northwest district across from Delesyia Castle, on a green clocktower covered in gears and pipes. No special conditions.
- Bell of Tommaso: on the north side of the city near the market, marked by a blue tarp. Use the interior ladder or climb the outside.
- Bell of Varnia: in the far north near Whitesand Retreat. A lever lowers the bell, and the tower is awkward to reach without a flying mount or a very sure-footed one.
Note that three of the eight sit in Hernand, so a careful player can uncover a large share of the early game map before ever leaving the first big region. The northern and desert bells are the ones most often tied to story timing.
Reading the Map: Tabs, Filters, Markers and Colors
Pearl Abyss has added map tools in many of its patches since the March launch. If you last played in the spring, these are the ones worth knowing:
- Patch 1.01.00 added an option to lock the minimap with north at the top.
- Patch 1.03.00 made opened treasure chests, visited caves and restored Abyss locations use different icons from the ones you have not finished, which is the single most useful change for cleanup.
- Patch 1.04.00 added a Filters/Search function, let you choose the shape and color of your own markers, and on controller lets you open the map by holding the DualSense touch pad or the Xbox View button.
- Patch 1.08.00 added a tracking marker that stays on the minimap at all times and allowed separate markers depending on your current location.
- Patch 1.16.00 added a Trade tab, and 2.04.00 made trade routes appear on the map at all times.
- Patch 2.04.00 also added a Facilities tab for the businesses you can run, increased the maximum zoom-out, and on controller pressing L3 now moves the map focus to your summoned horse, wagon, ship or Blackstar.
The 2.04.00 update also color-codes icons by region status: red for Blockaded, light red for Reconstructing, yellow for an Incident and grey for Uncharted. Strongholds the Greymanes own now show in light blue. Read together, those colors tell you where fighting is still waiting and where you can travel without interruption. If you prefer a clean screen while exploring, patch 1.13.00 added a "Hide Minimap and Status" option under Settings, Others, Gameplay.
Mysterious Energy, Fast Travel and Hidden Places
The question marks labeled "Mysterious Energy" are the map's way of hinting at something nearby, often an Abyss travel point or a ruin puzzle. Game8's walkthrough of the Azure Moon Labyrinth, for example, notes that the ruin first appears on the map as a Mysterious Energy marker at Phoniel Ranch. Our Azure Moon Labyrinth walkthrough covers that one step by step, and the general rules for Nexus and Cresset points are in the existing fast travel guide, so we will not repeat them here.
Some rewards reveal map information directly. PowerPyx notes that the Azure Moon Labyrinth hands out an item called Memories of Tide, which reveals hidden location information, and constellation research can fill in map Knowledge too (patch 1.13.00 fixed a bug that only let you collect map Knowledge from the left page of the Constellation Research Journal). These are worth chasing early, because the more you see on the map, the less time you spend riding into dead ends.
Many hidden spots also hold the currency you need for skills. Ruins, Cressets and puzzles regularly pay out the items explained in our Abyss Artifacts guide, so a map cleanup run doubles as a progression run. When a puzzle stalls you, the existing ancient ruins puzzle solutions post lists answers for several of the trickier ones.
A Practical Route for Clearing the Map
You do not need to clear the map in story order, but story gates decide when some areas are friendly. A route that wastes the least time looks like this:
- In Hernand, ring the Hernand and Scholastone bells as soon as the story allows, then Calphade before Chapter 6.
- Ride the edges of whatever stays grey, using the 1.18.00 shading to spot ground you have only seen from a tower.
- Hunt each Mysterious Energy marker in the region before moving on, and tick off caves and chests using the 1.03.00 icons.
- Head north to Pailune once Chapter 7 liberates the city, ring its harbor bell, then work outward.
- Take Demeniss and Delesyia next, then the two desert bells, saving Varnia for when you have a reliable way to reach the tower.
- If you own the expansion, take "A Wider World" once it unlocks and pioneer the new islands for the last stretch of coastline.
Two mistakes cost the most time. The first is ignoring the region status colors and riding into a Blockaded area while you are trying to explore; clear or avoid it first. The second is forgetting that witches and sanctums sit in out-of-the-way places, so mark them as you pass. Our witch locations guide lists where each one hides, which saves a second trip later. For anything that changes how the map behaves after future updates, check our running Crimson Desert update history.
If You Would Rather Have the Fog Gone
Riding every valley is part of the fun for some players and a chore for others. If you would rather jump straight to the parts you enjoy, the store's map unlock service reveals the whole map on your account, with icons and hidden areas visible per the game's own rules. It is a map-only service done in a short login session after coordination, and its listing is clear that Knowledge and teleports are not part of it and are sold separately. The listing does not name platforms, so confirm yours with the store before ordering.
Other services, from Abyss Artifact packs to complete saves, are on the Crimson Desert services page. If you plan to stack more than one, the listing asks you to say so, so everything can be handled in a single session.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many regions are on the map in Crimson Desert?
Five ground regions: Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia and the Crimson Desert region. The Abyss has its own map layer, and the Charting the Unknown expansion opened the ocean and its islands.
How many bells are there to reveal the map?
KeenGamer counts eight: three in Hernand (Hernand, Scholastone, Calphade), one each in Pailune, Demeniss and Delesyia, and two in the desert (Tommaso and Varnia).
Why is part of my map still foggy after ringing a bell?
A bell reveals a large area around it but not everything. Caves, valleys and islands often need a visit in person. Since patch 1.18.00 the map shades bell-revealed ground differently from ground you explored.
Does the mount I ride change how much fog clears?
Yes. Patch 2.04.00 made the range of fog cleared vary depending on the mount you are riding.
What do the red and yellow icons mean on the map?
Since patch 2.04.00, red marks a Blockaded region, light red Reconstructing, yellow an Incident and grey Uncharted. Strongholds owned by the Greymanes show in light blue.
Can I search or filter the map?
Yes. Patch 1.04.00 added a Filters/Search function and custom marker shapes and colors, and patch 1.16.00 added a Trade tab. A Facilities tab arrived in 2.04.00.