CRIMSON DESERT
Beginner's Guide
Essential early-game info for Crimson Desert. Food, gear, fast travel, boss weapons and more.
Last updated: 2026-03-23 · Source: Community crawling + YouTube transcript analysis
🍖 Food & Healing🌀 Abyss Traces & Fast Travel🎒 Inventory Management⚒️ Gear & Upgrades⚔️ Boss Weapons & Progression💰 Money & Farming🐴 Horse & Travel⚔️ Combat & Companions👹 Boss Guide🏘️ Hidden Villages💡 Miscellaneous
🍖Food & Healing
•Food is the only way to heal during combat.
•Press D-pad Right to eat food. Hold to select food type.
•Raw ingredients (e.g. oats) restore 30 HP, but cooking at a campfire pot boosts it to 100 HP — over 3× more efficient.
•You can eat during combat for unlimited healing. Always carry cooked food prepared in advance.
•Best value recipes: stew/soup dishes are more efficient than grilled ones. The soup unlocked in Chapter 3 (meat 1 + grain 1 + water 1 = 180 HP) is the best early-mid game recipe.
🌀Abyss Traces & Fast Travel
•Fast travel is unlocked by activating Abyss Traces. The first one is at the center of the starting town Ernandr — activate it immediately upon arrival.
•You'll travel back and forth to Ernandr frequently, making this the very first thing to do after starting.
•Field pillars (including skill acquisition pillars) also serve as fast travel points. Always activate pillars when you find them.
•Ringing bells in towns reveals the surrounding map (similar to Assassin's Creed sync points).
•Pro tip: teleport to the Celestial Path Abyss Trace and jump down for a quick shortcut to nearby areas.
•Abyss Trace finder tip: Use the 'Light Reflection' skill from a high point to reveal nearby Abyss Traces and Artifacts as glowing circles. Works even better at night with your lantern raised.
•Abyss Markers (not just Abyss Traces) also work as fast travel points. Select them on the map to teleport like waypoints.
•25 fast travel points have been confirmed in the Hernand region. See the full list in the Fast Travel section of the Controls page.
🎒Inventory Management
•Patch 1.00.03 added a storage chest at your camp (200+ slots). Items like Abyss Artifacts are shared even when stored. Inventory expansion is still important though.
•Method 1: Complete faction quests (Adventure Log → Faction Quests) to earn Medium Bags as rewards.
•Method 2: Most merchants sell Small Bags — buy them to expand your inventory.
•Recipes and letters can be sold after reading. Learned recipes are permanent, so sell them to free up space.
⚒️Gear & Upgrades
•Best early choice: buy Plate Armor and temper it. There's no weight penalty — heavy plate armor doesn't slow you down at all.
•Visit the blacksmith in Ernandr to temper (upgrade) gear. Buy Plate Armor from the merchant in front of the smithy.
•Whetstone = weapon sharpening, Anvil = armor repair. Sharpening/repairing maximizes upgrade stats. A whetstone is also next to the Ernandr smithy.
•Upgrade materials: ore (mine with pickaxe), bones/hide (hunt animals). Buy pickaxe and logging axe at Ernandr's supply shop. The Reto quest (deliver iron ore) gives a free pickaxe.
•Always sharpen weapons and repair armor before boss fights.
⚔️Boss Weapons & Progression
•Never sell or discard boss drop weapons. They have special effects that make them far superior to regular weapons.
•Defeating Kailok (Chapter 2 final boss) rewards the Lord's Sword — the best early-game weapon. Equip it immediately.
•There is no leveling system. Character progression comes from gear upgrades + skill points (Abyss Artifacts).
•Abyss Artifacts are obtained through sub-content scattered across the world (puzzles, exploration, etc.).
💰Money & Farming
•Early money: buy Mask + Keys from Ernandr back-alley shop (Dreamlak) → infiltrate Lion Crest Manor → get Hwando (two-handed sword, stamina recovery) + gold bar (exchange for 500 silver at bank). Save before entering!
•Always bring a pet dog — they auto-loot dropped items! Find dogs near town boards or in the field. Pet them and drop meat to raise affinity over several days (daily cap applies).
•Trouble picking up items? Smash boxes/shelves with heavy attack (R2/RT) to scatter items, then hold X (PS5) / A (Xbox) to auto-loot.
•Hold LB/L1 to raise your lantern for easier item selection. Priority goes to the center aim point.
•Decoration items are for housing but sell well early. Quarry mob Drill mines better than a pickaxe.
•Pay 100 silver when you receive a tax notice — you get a Unicorn collectible as reward. (Community-reported)
🐴Horse & Travel
•Healing your horse: charge R3 (aimed shot) then use L3 (heal) on your horse twice. No need for stable medicine.
•Wild or stolen horses can be registered at stables. Recommended: steal the Elantryma (pack horse, high HP) from Sunset Valley during a bounty quest.
•3 legendary horses exist near Ernandr. Horses have levels, so taming a fast one early helps. (Exact locations TBD)
•Trade goods on your horse disappear if you die! Empty horse inventory before dangerous areas.
⚔️Combat & Companions
•Press D-pad Left to sheathe your weapon outside combat. Many actions are only available with weapons sheathed.
•Companion characters (Damiane, Oongka) join after Chapter 2. They fight alongside you in boss battles.
•Grapple skills (Lariat, RKO, Takedown) depend on the enemy's weapon state. Commands disable when enemies draw weapons — break aggro and sneak up, or try while crouching.
•Takedown: A+X (Xbox) / X+□ (PS5) in front of unarmed enemy. RKO: A+X from behind. Hitting a bounty target 3 times while grappled drops 1 note each.
👹Boss Guide
•Reed Devil (Ch.2): 3 phases. Greatsword + Guard Dash (Swordsmanship Lv.3) required. Enter with Guard Dash when Reed Devil finishes melee pattern → stack stagger → execute. High tempering removes 50% HP in one cycle. Don't attack at range — counter only when it closes in.
•Kailok / Hornsplitter: Dodge blue energy waves. Force Palm is effective. Upgrade skills and HP beforehand.
•Slayer Kearus: Multiple phases. Watch out for grab attacks. Shield blocking doesn't work on some attacks — focus on dodging.
•Gorilla Boss (Ch.5): Has super armor, can't be parried. ① At Grapple Lv.4, mount the boss from sides/back. ② During enrage (screen darkens): jump → mouse wheel click for high leap → glide to stay airborne and dodge.
•Damian (Ch.8 final boss): At least 2 phases — Phase 1 is easy, Phase 2 is hard. Boomerang is effective. Bring 30–40 Damian-specific potions (140–160 HP each). No gear/character swap allowed — prepare fully before entering.
💡Miscellaneous
•Raising NPC affinity to MAX in Ernandr unlocks bonus rewards.
•NPC affinity trick: repeatedly talk to NPCs at the starting cabin to quickly raise affinity. (※ Unofficial method — may be patched)
•Accidentally attacking NPCs triggers a bounty. Get caught by guards to pay a fine (40–100 silver) and clear it.
•Always enter waterfall caves — they drop gear with Abyss Gears already socketed.
•Prox's Request quest (counterfeit): bring any letter item to complete it. Check boxes behind the ledger NPC in Wolf Village.
•Crafting manuals/recipes/letters show as purple (unlearned). Permanently learned after reading — sell them.
※ This guide is continuously updated based on community data. Boss drops/coordinates, full fast travel locations, etc. will be added as confirmed.