Crimson Desert: Arm Wrestling Quick Time Event
Early on Crimson Desert, the main quest requires the player to enter a tavern and arm wrestle a particularly strong guard. The arm wrestling match consists of a quick time event. If playing on PC you have to rapidly press the “E” key which turns a power meter from white to red. Then a white dial appears above the meter with a rotating hand. When the hand passes over a segment of the dial that is marked by hatching, the player must press the “R” key. The idea being the meter filling with red is you strength building (or waning) and the “R” key prompt indicates when to try and force your opponent’s arm. You will need to to continuously press the “E” key throughout the arm wrestling match and the “R” key about 4 times to win.
This may all sound somewhat innocuous but it should be noted that if you do not win the arm wrestling match then you cannot advance and complete the first chapter of the game. You need to finish the first chapter to be able to acquire the abilities Axiom Force, Force Palm and Flight. Also to be able to progress to the next one. If you cannot complete the quick time event in the arm wrestling match you cannot complete the main story. At present, there is no means to bypass this quest or at least skip the arm wrestling match.
Needless to say this has annoyed a great many gamers who have struggled to complete this specific activity. Myself included. On PC, the two keys that have to be pressed and physically right next to each other on the keyboard which makes things harder. Similar complaints have been raised by those using a Xbox controller which requires “X” and “A” to be pressed. Perhaps the biggest criticism is the fact that quick time events are not especially liked by gamers as they are arbitrary, tedious and the unenjoyable. Why would you gate progress on the main quest behind such a universally reviled and notoriously divisive game mechanic as a quick time event?
Initially I was annoyed by this quest and the fact that I may have to wait until Pearl Abyss patched it due to public pressure. However, I subsequently decided to beat this QTE by other means. If I could use a script of some sorts to rapidly press the “E” key for me, I could concentrate on pressing the “R” key when prompted. So I installed AutoHotKey, got Google Gemini to write me a script which I then used and beat the QTE. As a public service, here is a guide showing the steps I took. Hopefully they will work for other PC gamers.
Install AutoHotKey.
Right hand click on your desktop and select “New AutoHotKey Script”.
A small New Script window opens.
Click the Edit button.
Notepad should open.
Copy the script below which uses Hardware-style timing. It holds down the “E” key longer so the game has time to see it.
#MaxThreadsPerHotkey 2
; 1. IMPORTANT: Right-click this script and select "Run as Administrator"
; 2. Ensure Crimson Desert is in "Borderless Windowed" mode.
F1::
Toggle := !Toggle
Loop
{
If (!Toggle)
Break
; Sends to the active window with a delay between down and up
Send, {e down}
Sleep, 30 ; Holds the key down for 30ms
Send, {e up}
Sleep, 60 ; Time between separate presses
}
Return
Save the Script to your desktop.
Double click the Script to run it. You may have to do this as an Administrator.
Press “F1” to start the Script and again to stop it.
If you have HDR enabled in the game settings then turn it off for the duration of the arm wrestling match as it makes the quick time prompt clearer. If you have multiple screens ensure that Crimson Desert is running on your primary monitor as AutoHotKey by default also uses this. Set the game to Windows Borderless before running the script.
I started the arm wrestling match and then pressed “F1” as the 3 second countdown started. The ”E” button was sufficiently pressed by the script, allowing me time to focus on the “R” key. I won the arm wrestling match after pressing the “R” key approximately 4 times.
I have been enjoying Crimson Desert so far but was discombobulated by this QTE that gates the main quest progress. Fortunately my work around did much to restore a positive view of the game but I am slightly worried that similar such QTEs may appear elsewhere in the story. If this sort of game mechanic frustrates you and you wish to register a complaint with the developers, Pearl abyss, here is a link to a FAQ regarding how to raise a support ticket. If enough players express their displeasure they may patch this issue in the future.
