The major DLC for Red Desert, titled Red Desert: Charting the Unknown, will launch on October 29, expanding exploration content for the ocean and the base game map. New features include sailing, boarding combat, giant sea monsters, territory building, and independent storylines for the three protagonists: Cliff, Unka, and Damiana.
Marketing Director Will Powers stated on the Dropped Frames podcast that the three new storylines are of equal importance, do not intersect, and require players to complete the main campaign first. Sea weather will also be enhanced, with storms generating higher and more dangerous waves. Underwater environments will be added along the entire coastline, and some lakes and ponds in the base game will receive similar updates. The ocean areas also hide numerous secrets.
After establishing the Graymane Camp in Chapter 3, players can use camp resources to craft ships, with subsequent upgrades following an independent progression system. Houses and estates can be built from scratch, while castles and fortresses unlock through quests. Interior and courtyard decorations are customizable, but NPCs will not attack player territories.
All NPCs in the game support some form of interaction. Friends and key characters can visit your camp or player-run establishments, while romantic partners have exclusive quests and unique scenes. However, this system focuses more on enhancing world immersion rather than offering deep dialogue trees like those in Baldur's Gate or Mass Effect. Red Desert: Charting the Unknown will also introduce equipment and artifacts; thereafter, the team will not update weekly but plans to continue releasing major free patches.