One Crimson Desert fan has secured its Platinum trophy after spending 305 hours since the game came out — leaving fans of the game shocked and concerned.
A Platinum trophy is awarded to PlayStation users who obtain all other trophies in a game. TioZer0, who has a number of Platinum trophies under their belt already, has been explaining how and why they did this after posting a screenshot of their achievement on reddit, which subsequently went viral.
As TioZer0’s achievement made its way to social media, Pearl Abyss PR and marketing chief Will Powers expressed his disbelief, pointing out that Crimson Desert had only been out for 428 hours when TioZer0 nabbed the Platinum.
As one redditor worked out, Crimson Desert came out 18 days before TioZer0 posted their achievement. Given there are 24 hours in a day, TioZer0 spent 70% of waking hours playing Crimson Desert, or roughly 13 hours a day.
“I went for the blind approach and it took me 305 hours,” TioZer0 explained. “Over 60 of those hours were hunting the insects and fish at the end, so this number is PRETTY inflated. With the datamined information now available in some websites and guides now having more information, anyone can get it at around 130~150 hours.”
As many have pointed out, such an intense gaming marathon can’t be good for anyone’s well being, but TioZer0 defended the amount of time they put into the game over such a condensed period.
“As long as I eat well, I don’t really feel the need to sleep so much, so I played 56 hours straight and slept eight, repeating until done and only stopping to shower or to buy food,” they explained. “I also only needed to work 16 hours during these days, which is also something that makes it easier to complete the game earlier.
“Yes, this is extremely unhealthy, I know, and I don’t recommend it to anyone even if you can handle it like me.”
Since the original post blew up earlier this week, TioZer0 has continued to respond to comments containing varying levels of concern. “Well done, but please my friend go outside and get some sunlight and fresh air,” one person said.
“I completely stopped playing after the Platinum and the very next day I went around the city donating chocolate to children on Easter with the NGO I currently run,” TioZer0 countered. “Don’t worry it’s not a habit, just a one-time marathon.”
Then: “I didn’t really RUSH through it since I didn’t skip any content. I enjoyed it like anyone else, but with it compressed into big sessions instead of many smaller ones. It was my average pace, the only difference was that I was skipping some nights of sleep and not doing other hobbies during this ‘marathon.’
“I was off work, gf abroad with her parents and I’m living far from family and friends atm, so the stars just aligned for me to no-life a game these days.”
TioZer0 then responded to the “haters” who had questioned their effort: “I’ve never received so much hate for free, it’s sad to see how many people like to wish bad on strangers for no reason at all.”
“I enjoyed every second of it,” they continued. “And it was a one-time marathon, not years without leaving the house. It’s not that deep.”
Gaming marathons are nothing new, of course, although there is more scrutiny on their impact on participants than there used to be. Guinness World Records, for example, has a number of rules for would-be record-breakers when it comes to gaming marathons, including age restrictions and rest breaks.
Amid the debate about the rights and wrongs of TioZer0’s achievement, some are asking for tips on how to secure the Platinum. “Get the Abyssal Cubes as soon as possible,” TioZer0 suggested. “Don’t neglect your camp comrades management system (dispatch missions) so you won’t have to grind harder later and please PLEASE SEARCH FOR THE INSECTS AND FISH ONLINE, there’s already tons of information for them on datamined websites, don’t waste days like me cause it’s not worth it the BS rng and spots for the fish.”
Overall, it sounds like TioZer0 enjoyed the experience. “I just don’t give it a 10 because of the fishing, but it’s an overall incredibly fun game to complete and no missables or online trophies make it even better! 9/10 and I’ll keep playing even after the Platinum.”
We’ve got plenty more on Crimson Desert, including a story on how the NPCs are the stars of the show, a hidden food consequence system that a modder has restored, and an impressive character creator mod. We recommend you take a look at our guide to Things to Do First in Crimson Desert, plus Things Crimson Desert Doesn’t Tell You (we’ve got 28 and counting!). We’ve also got a guide to the Best Early Weapons we recommend picking up, the Best Skills to Get First (including a handy explainer of the skills system), and 34 Essential Tips and Tricks to help you succeed in Pywel.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.