Crimson Desert: Beginner Tips & Tricks Guide

Setting foot in a fractured land of Pywel in Crimson Desert will make you realize that you have so much to explore and a long journey to pursue. The world of Pywell is filled with kingdoms, mercenaries, and diverse regions, ranging from lush forests to snowy mountains and deserts.

As you arrive in Hernand, the game gives you the freedom to explore and pursue the main story at your own pace. The quest system lets you track the main quests easily, but the most fun and rewarding feelings come with exploring the world and getting better items right from the beginning. Our beginner tips and tricks guide for Crimson Desert will help you start strong without feeling overwhelmed.

Beginner Tips & Tricks in Crimson Desert

Beginner Tips & Tricks in Crimson Desert

The beginner tips and tricks mentioned below will help you progress greatly through the first region of the game. You will be in Hernand for 4 chapters, and go to the next region in the fifth one. While you are in Hernand, it is best to learn all of the crucial mechanics that will help you get better gear, increase survivability, and improve navigation.

1. Speak with Every “?” NPC

From the moment you step into the city of Hernand, you will spot numerous NPCs with “?”. Go to every NPC and greet them to learn who they are and what they offer. This way, you will get to know the merchants and the NPCs. After learning about the merchants, you will be able to see them on the map by hovering over them. It will be easier for you to recognize every merchant and what they offer. Moreover, greeting everyone also improves the overall Trust.

You can purchase and sell items from the merchants. Every merchant has a unique stock of items for you. Moreover, you can get rid of all the useless items you do not need by selling them to the merchants and earn a bit of Copper/Silver.

2. Pick Up Every Sealed Abyss Artifacts

While exploring Hernand or even the other regions, always keep an eye on the minimap for a purple box icon. It is the icon for the Sealed Abyss Artifact. The Sealed Abyss Artifact contains an Abyss artifact inside it. To unlock the box, you must complete the challenge associated with it.

As you pick up a Sealed Abyss Artifact, it will unlock a specific challenge. You can view the challenge under the Journal tab. The Sealed Abyss Artifacts in the early region offer simple challenges. It is best that you complete these challenges to earn an Abyss Artifact for every challenge. After that, you can use the Artifacts to unlock new or enhance skills.

TIP: Use the Blinding Flash to spot blue lights in the viewable area around you. The blue lights can be Sealed Abyss Artifacts, Puzzles, or Abyss Nexus.

3. Sell the Gold Bar to the Bank for 500 Silver

If you are running low on Silver or don’t have enough Silver, you can get 500 Silver easily by selling a Gold Bar to the Bank in Hernand. However, you will first need to get a Mask, as you will be stealing the Gold Bar. You can get the Mask from the merchant outside Hernand City or from the Bandits.

Once you have the mask, go to the Lioncrest Manor, located northwest of Hernand Castle, and get inside it by climbing through the window on the left of the main gate. Once inside, go down to the chimney on the ground floor. Turn off the fire in the chimney and then equip the lantern to get the steal option.

NOTE: A maid will be walking in and out of the manor frequently. You must steal it when the maid is inside another room or outside the manor. Otherwise, the maid will report the theft.

After stealing the Gold Bar, go to the Bank in Hernand, and speak with the NPC. Here, you can give the Gold Bar to the Bank for 500 Silver.

4. Use the Cooking Ingredients to Make Food

There are no healing potions in Crimson Desert; instead, you use food to heal the character on the go. You will get all sorts of ingredients throughout the adventure. Instead of keeping these ingredients in the inventory, cook them with other ingredients to make effective food with better healing, spirit, and resistance points.

To cook food, go to any campfire with a cauldron and interact with it to open the cooking menu. Select the recipe you want to make, and Kliff will cook it by himself. Moreover, if you don’t have the recipe but the ingredients, you can improvise and add ingredients yourself to make a “Mysterious Dish”.

TIP: The best food item for quick healing and easy preparation is “Grilled Meat”. You can gather meat by hunting animals.

5. Increase Maximum Stamina and Health

As you earn Abyss Artifacts in your journey, make sure you enhance the maximum stamina and health. Both of these are crucial for survival and mobility. Keep at least 200 Stamina and over 450 Health to have better survival chances.

6. Learn Parry

The next crucial early skill that you should unlock is Parry under the “Keen Senses”. This will allow you to parry the incoming hits by pressing the block button at the perfect time. You can easily counter the enemies and bosses with parry to deal great damage.

7. Manage Inventory Effectively

You will be picking up all sorts of things throughout the adventure. You must manage the inventory effectively so that you can pick up essential items during your next quest or the area you have in mind to explore. To do so, visit a supply chest on the Howling Hill or at any resting tent and store the items you do not need at the moment.

Additionally, do not keep ingredients in the inventory; use them to cook food to clear out space. Moreover, if you have notes, books, and recipes, learn them and then sell them. Lastly, sell any item you do not need to the merchants. If you keep up this practice, you will have no issue with managing inventory.

8. Mine Ores around the Mountains

Ores are essential to your gear improvement in Crimson Desert. In the early stages, I highly recommend that you mine Iron, Copper, and Bloodstone Nodes around the mountains in Hernand. These ores are essential to improving your weapons. With more attack power, you will deal more damage to enemies, which is crucial before you head to the next region.

9. Refine Your Gear at the Blacksmith

In addition to the previous tip, make sure you visit the Blacksmith in Hernand City frequently. He will refine your weapons, armor, and gear items. It is best to have at least up to 3 or 4 Refinement Levels on your weapons and armor. For the gear items like rings and necklaces, you can keep them on Level 2.

10. Activate Abyss Nexus for Fast Traveling

The world of Pywell is vast, and countless locations to visit. While you are exploring the areas, keep an eye out for the Abyss Nexuses. These are fast-travel point locations, where you can teleport to from anywhere.

The best method to locate them is to get on high ground and use the Blinding Flash to spot the blue glows. Upon finding an Abyss Nexus, step on the central platform to activate it. Once it is activated, you can teleport to it by using the map. You can view your found Abyss Nexuses under the Environment section of the Map.

11. Defeat Every Group of Bandits You See

While you are in Hernand, the enemy difficulty is quite low, but it does not mean that they are not great for farming XP and earning Abyss Artifacts for upgrades. Every time you run into a group of bandits, defeat them. Moreover, try to complete your Combat Challenges on them. This is a great way to earn Abyss Artifacts and enhance your skills.

12. Use Force Palm to Jump Higher

The last tip that I would like to share is that the Force Palm can be used to jump higher. Although there is a double jump skill, it only lifts you slightly up in the air. For a better lift off, use the Force Palm skill while in the air. Jump, Force Palm, Force Palm, Force Palm, to reach high in the air. After that, you can use the Flight skill to fly easily across gaps. This tip will help you greatly while you are on the Abysses (in the sky).