Crimson Desert: Bustling Hill — how to dispatch the Howling Hill expansion mission

Once you’ve recruited enough Greymanes in Crimson Desert’s main story, you’ll be introduced to a new mechanic where you can send soldiers out on missions. Unfortunately, the onboarding is about as useful as a microwavable plate made of cheese.

Here’s how to do it.

• Make sure you are standing in the Howling Hill camp. If you can see the resource list in the top right of your screen, you’re in the right place.
• Open your map and hover over the camp icon (make sure the map is tabbed to show all).
• Press Y/Triangle.
• This opens up a lovely tilt shifted view of the location as well as a list of options.
• Tab over to Mission List with RB/R1.
• Select the Howling Hill Camp Expansion.
• Select Luke and Ronald and press X/Square to dispatch.

The mission will take 17 in-game hours to complete, but you can rest in a bed inside the main tent if you want to speed things along. You can wait a maximum of 12 hours so you’ll still need to head off and do some sidequests.

Once it’s completed, a tutorial popup will appear on your screen telling you how to expand the camp. You do this by accessing the same menu from the map we just used to dispatch the freeswords. When you’re back in the camp, you’ll see there are a bunch of new tents and carts about as a reward for your efforts.

Later, Ross will appear in your camp (highlighted by a helmet icon) and you can talk to him to manage freeswords. The Mission Dispatch screen here allows you to send them on missions to build reputation with different factions and reduce opposition at enemy encampments.

These missions require currency to take on, and you can donate currency at Carl (treasure chest symbol). Choose Manage Supplies, then Support Camp Resources. From this screen press Y/Triangle to donate funds. Some missions require a certain amount of food or goods, which you can donate from the same screen by choosing the correct items.

You can also use one mission to feed another. For example, you can take on Capra Pasture, a cabbage harvesting mission, which costs 1k bronze and pays 1k food. After, take on Oakenshield Manor, a mansion guard mission, which requires 120 food and pays 1.9k bronze. Done in this order, you end up profiting on both fronts without an excessive upfront spend. Keep a lookout and read through the descriptions and costs to play them in a smart order.

If you keep doing Greymane faction quests, you’ll unlock more freeswords to send out on missions, allowing you to tackle multiple at once.