Customizing your character’s attire is a big part of making your mark in Crimson Desert. When your outfit pieces don’t quite match, dyes become essential to unify your look. But settling for just one shade limits your style. Tracking down every dye location and recipe lets you deck out your character with bold, coordinated colors that turn heads across the map.
Note: This collection of dye locations and recipes is still being expanded. Any additional discoveries can reveal even more stylish options.
How to Unlock Dyes
There are three main routes to acquire dyes in Crimson Desert:
- Buy from a merchant
- Steal from NPCs
- Craft yourself at a Cauldron
The simplest method is buying dyes from specific Dyehouse merchants scattered around the world. These sellers offer regional palettes you can use once unlocked.
If you lean towards stealth, consider stealing dyes found in NPC houses. Grabbing the Great Thief’s Gloves—a reward from the House Serkis Secret of the Lost Seal quest—makes thievery safer by allowing you one free stealth theft every 30 minutes without penalty.
The toughest option is crafting dyes yourself at Cauldrons. Early in your journey, you can find a Cauldron at the Witch’s Lair north of Hernand Castle. However, the crafting ingredients are rare and can be tricky to gather.
Once you use any dye from your inventory, all 20 shades from that hue become accessible at their respective Dyehouses. Keep in mind, though, each Dyehouse only works with dyes from its own region.
The first 10 hues in each region’s color row are non-craftable basic dyes you’ll often buy or find.
After advancing the Greymane recruitment quest, Oliver will open a Dyehouse at your camp. This lets you access all unlocked dyes across regions, provided you’ve encountered the respective Dyehouse merchants in the world.
Because you must first visit regional Dyehouses to unlock their dyes at camp, this guide starts with locating each region’s traders.
To trigger Oliver’s recruitment quest (Rumor at Inksworth Bindery), finish the third camp expansion. That in turn requires completing every Gathered Will – Grounds of the Sunrise quest for the Greymane faction, including the apple tree growing mission.
How to Unlock Materials
Each new Dyehouse you visit unlocks one dye material, which you can then use freely at your camp’s dyer once recruited.
If you're focusing on materials specifically, check the first dye color of each region for the Dyehouse location.
All White, Grey, and Black Dyes
The white, grey, and black dyes are not craftable but represent different dye categories tied to various factions and regions.
Pure White Dye
This dye costs 15 silver and is available from a Provisioner’s Shop in Timberton, Delesyia. However, the shop only appears after completing a specific quest chain.
Find the Timberton mayor who offers a quest to repair a drilling rig. Although the quest text mistakenly refers to "Tinkerton," it is indeed in Timberton related to the Blackwater Oil Merchant Guild faction.
Head east to the rig, clear enemies, follow on-screen instructions to fix the drill, then return to complete the quest. A merchant will appear at a new question mark in northern Timberton, selling the Pure White Dye.
This dye belongs to the Hernandian Dye category.
Bright Grey Dye
Defeat enemies at Saltroad Camp, north of Tommaso in the Crimson Desert, then finish the "Principles of the Saltroad Merchants" quest. Returning afterward spawns Solan at a Back Alley Shop where you can buy Bright Grey Dye for 33 silver.
Bright Grey is part of the Violet Demenissian Dye category.
Silver Grey Dye
Unlock Silver Grey Dye by completing all Kharonso Troll Alliance faction quests. Start after finishing the "Grace – The Owner of Glenbright Manor" quest, then speak with a Kharonso villager to begin the "Destroyed Barrier Stone of the Lake" line. This involves restoring five barrier stones, solving the "Fading Seal" puzzle, and defeating the Runewalker boss in "Nightmare of Kharonso."
Once completed, purchase Silver Grey Dye from the Provisioner’s Shop in Kharonso.
This dye falls under the Purple Demenissian Dye category.
Medium Grey Dye
No elaborate quest needed here, but wearing the House of Healing outfit is a must. This dye is sold at the Provisioner’s Shop inside St. Halssius’s House of Healing, near the entrance.
Medium Grey is found in the Blue Demenissian Dye category.
Shadow Grey Dye
Buy this from Oliver the Dyer at your camp for 15 silver. To recruit him via the "Rumor at Inksworth Bindery" quest, finish your camp’s third expansion, which requires completing every related Gathered Will – Grounds of the Sunrise Greymane faction quest, including the apple tree task.
Shadow Grey belongs to the Delesyian Dye category.
Grey Dye
Earn this dye by completing the "Brightening the Spirits" Scattered Embers quest for the Greymanes. The quest appears after recruiting a dog and completing a stolen wagon sale mission in the camp.
This dye is part of the Pailunese Dye category.
Cloud Grey Dye
Finish the "Light of Tariv" quest chain for the Tariv Sorcerers, unlocked after:
- Completing Chapter 9 of the main quest
- Completing all Beighen Faction Quests
- Speaking to the "Tariv Sorcerer" NPC in the "D of Demeniss" area to start the chain
The finale requires climbing the Spire of Frost to a sky island, ascending a giant tree to pick the Fruit of Life, then placing it in the Guardian Tree’s cavity at Furlington Farm.
Afterward, buy the dye at the new Provisioner’s Shop in Tariv.
Cloud Grey is part of the Calphadean Dye category.
Deep Grey Dye
Complete the Beggars Alliance Faction Quest "Boss of the Beggars’ Alliance" after:
- Finishing all House Celeste quests (including Hell Hounds and Legendary Wolf)
- Completing 10 of 13 House Circus quests
- Clearing all House Roberts, Alonso, and Villa Fisherman’s Guild quests
- Finishing 4 of 6 Hernadian Parish of Solomon quests
- Completing all House Felix quests
The quest triggers after finishing the Southern Quarry mission (House Felix) or the Legendary Wolf mission—whichever comes last. It involves traveling to The Scrapfold southwest of Hernand, entering Hernand Castle's basement to find Celina, procuring medicine, and delivering it to the Beggars’ Alliance leader.
Purchase Deep Grey Dye from the Back Alley Shop at the Communal Training Grounds after finishing the quest.
This dye is in the Pororin Dye category.
Dark Grey Dye
Unlock by completing the full Odeck Tribe Faction Quest Chain in Pailune. The chain unlocks after meeting certain story requirements, progressing through Odeck faction-related missions.
