Natural Pearls in Crimson Desert come from three places: the repeatable Iliya Island Ruins Excavation dispatch in the South Sea, glowing pearl clams hidden in underwater ruins such as those in the Dead Coral Sea, and rare drops from large sea creatures, Rare Ocean Relics and pirate ships. All of them are part of the Charting the Unknown DLC's ocean content, so you need the expansion, a ship and some diving gear before you can collect a single one. Here is where to look, which method pays best, and what pearls are actually for, as of November 2026.
We checked this against Pearl Abyss's 2.04.00 patch notes and later hotfixes, Game8's Natural Pearl farming guide (updated November 7, 2026), the crimsondesert.th.gl item database and KeenGamer's legendary ship guides in November 2026.
What Natural Pearls Are and Why You Need Them
The item description calls the Natural Pearl a crystal of nature formed by a pearl clam, harvested from deep in the sea and prized for its rarity. The th.gl database files it under currency items with a maximum stack of 100. That classification matters less than what pearls unlock: almost everything on the high end of the new naval content asks for them.
The database lists Natural Pearls as a crafting ingredient for dozens of ship parts, including the Turtle Head and Dragon Head Prow Cannons, many medium and large sails, the Skyborne Beast, Steam and Clockwork, Chain-Breaking Wolf and Long-Horned Fish figureheads, and several sterns. It is also used for a Pearl Remembrance Lamp. Game8 adds that special ships such as the Drunken Catfish, the Assault Ship of the East and the Phantom Ship need pearls, and KeenGamer's guides put the price at 5 Natural Pearls each for both the Phantom Ship and the Flagship of the East. If you are planning a legendary ship, pearls are the bottleneck, not Camp Funds.
Before You Dive: Ship, Breath and Gear
You cannot reach any pearl source on foot. Ships unlock through the A Wider World questline after you set up the Greymane camp at Howling Hill, and our guide to getting a ship covers the whole chain, from liberating Vellua to buying your first Small Hernandian Ship.
Diving itself needs no special unlock. Pearl Abyss's feature overview says Kliff, Oongka and Damiane can all dive without special conditions, but staying under consumes breath. The 2.04.00 notes describe how to stretch it:
- Refine your diving suit. Higher breath capacity means longer dives, and refining the diving suit raises the maximum.
- Carry breath food. New food items temporarily restore breath, which is what lets you finish a deep ruin without surfacing.
- Bring light. Pearl clams sit in dark ruins and crevices. Patch 2.04.02 fixed certain interactions becoming unavailable when holding up your lantern underwater, so update before a long session.
- Consider A.T.A.G gear. The expansion added equipment that lets the A.T.A.G operate underwater.
Iliya Island Ruins Excavation: The Reliable Farm
Game8 rates the Iliya Island dispatch as the best method by a wide margin, and the th.gl database lists Natural Pearls as an operation reward from the Iliya Island Ruins Excavation. The setup takes one trip:
- Sail to Iliya Island in the South Sea area of the Great Ocean region.
- Complete the Pioneer Dispatch Mission there to construct an Anchorage. Game8 says building it liberates the island and unlocks several assignments, including the Natural Pearl dispatch.
- Run the Iliya Island Ruins Excavation dispatch. Game8 says it yields a set number of Natural Pearls passively every 10 in-game hours.
Pioneering had launch issues, so make sure you are up to date. Patch 2.04.02 added a notification when you sail into an area available for pioneering so you can start the mission directly, 2.04.03 fixed pioneering missions that could not be completed under certain conditions, and 2.04.06 fixed completing a previous mission when two or more pioneering missions were sent out, along with pioneering failing to complete when a ship was near the anchorage. Bring Deckhands in your crew, since they are the role that joins island development dispatches.
Because the dispatch runs on a timer, the most efficient habit is to check on it whenever you rest and spend the waiting hours on other content. Iliya Island is also where KeenGamer says the Phantom Ship blueprint is buried, so you will likely visit it anyway.
Pearl Clams in Underwater Ruins
Hand-gathering is slower but immediate. Game8 says pearl clams have a blue glow that makes them easy to spot once you are close, but they are scarce, scattered across the Great Ocean of Pywel and usually tucked inside deep underwater ruins or crevices. KeenGamer's Flagship of the East guide names one dependable area: the underwater ruins of the Dead Coral Sea hold pearl clams, and the same waters have the Malachite that ship also needs, so you can gather both in one trip.
The th.gl interactive map marks Natural Pearls at 48 locations, which is the most complete public count we found. Open the map before each dive and plan a route through several markers at once, and pair the run with any ocean Abyss Cressets you still need. Patch 2.04.06 fixed Cressets at Secret Places and Ruins in the ocean not working properly, and our Ancient Ruins puzzle guide includes the Bergal Island stone puzzle in the same southern waters.
Search methodically. Sweep a ruin floor by floor with your lantern, check crevices along the outer walls, and surface to refill breath before you are forced to. A clam you have to abandon at the last second is wasted time, while a slower, complete sweep usually turns up the one you would have missed.
Sea Creatures, Relics and Pirates
The third source is combat and loot. The th.gl database lists these creature drop chances, which are low enough that you should treat them as a bonus rather than a plan:
| Creature | Drop chance |
|---|---|
| Pearl Moss Crocodile | 5% |
| Megalodon | 3% |
| Giant Manta Ray | 3% |
| Blue Whale | 2% |
| Giant Jellyfish | 1% |
| Giant Electric Jellyfish | 1% |
| Giant Venomous Jellyfish | 1% |
Rare Ocean Relics can also contain Natural Pearls, according to the same database, and KeenGamer notes that pirate ships can drop them when sunk. That makes naval combat a reasonable side source if you already sail with Gunners and Carpenters assigned. The expansion's new Relic Collector NPC exchanges relics found while exploring for various items, so keep an eye on what you pick up between dives.
Jellyfish are worth hunting for another reason: KeenGamer says Giant Jellyfish Skin, which the Phantom Ship needs 10 of, drops from Giant Jellyfish and Giant Venomous Jellyfish. Farming them covers two ingredients at once, even if the pearl chance on its own is small.
Planning Your Pearl Budget
Pearls are slow to accumulate, so decide what you want before spending any. A rough order that works for most players:
- Start the Iliya dispatch first. It produces pearls while you do everything else, so every hour it is not running is lost income.
- Pick one legendary ship. Both the Phantom Ship and the Flagship of the East need 5 pearls plus 750,000 Camp Funds and large amounts of camp stone, wood and provisions, according to KeenGamer. Do not split pearls across two projects.
- Then upgrade parts. Prow cannons and large sails are pearl-hungry, so fit them once your main ship is settled.
The Camp Funds side of a legendary ship is easier to solve than the pearls: a leased business earns steadily, and our Facility Tier guide shows how to push one to its best income. If you enjoy the quieter side of the ocean, our fishing guide covers rods and legendary fish you can chase between dives.
It also pays to think about where pearls end up after a ship is built. Sails, figureheads and sterns come in medium and large versions in the database, so a ship you plan to replace later is a poor place to sink scarce pearls. Fit pearl parts to the hull you intend to keep, and run cheaper parts on anything temporary.
A few mistakes cost pearl hunters the most time:
- Diving without breath food. Turning back from a deep ruin to surface wastes the whole approach. Carry the breath-restoring food the expansion added.
- Skipping the anchorage. Hand-gathering feels productive, but the Iliya dispatch keeps paying while you do other things.
- Sailing without Deckhands. Island development dispatches draw on them, so a crew full of Gunners can leave you unable to start the pioneering mission.
- Playing on an old build. Several pioneering and ocean Cresset bugs were only fixed in early November, so update first.
When One Material Is Holding You Up
If a single ingredient is the only thing standing between you and a finished build, the store's 100x Any Resource listing delivers 100 of one resource type that you name in the checkout notes, with the team confirming anything unclear before applying it. It covers one resource per purchase, and the page does not state platforms. It also describes itself as not a substitute for currency packs, and the th.gl database files Natural Pearls under currency, so ask whether pearls qualify before ordering.
Details are on the 100x Any Resource page, and the Crimson Desert services hub lists everything else for the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to farm Natural Pearls in Crimson Desert?
The Iliya Island Ruins Excavation dispatch. Build an Anchorage on Iliya Island through its Pioneer Dispatch Mission, and the dispatch then yields pearls every 10 in-game hours.
Where is Iliya Island?
In the South Sea area of the Great Ocean region. KeenGamer describes reaching it by sailing south from Delesyia past Central Waters.
What are Natural Pearls used for?
Ship parts such as prow cannons, sails, figureheads and sterns, the Pearl Remembrance Lamp, and special ships including the Phantom Ship, Flagship of the East, Assault Ship of the East and Drunken Catfish.
Do you need the DLC to get Natural Pearls?
Yes. Every source is in the ocean content added by Charting the Unknown, which requires the paid expansion.
What do pearl clams look like?
They give off a blue glow, usually inside deep underwater ruins or crevices. Use your lantern to find them in dark interiors.
How many Natural Pearls can you carry?
The th.gl database lists a maximum stack of 100.