This Crimson Desert Starter Guide details all the things you should do when starting the game. Jumping into Crimson Desert can feel a bit overwhelming because the game gives you a lot of freedom right away. The world of Pywel is huge, and it is easy to miss important upgrades or useful mechanics early on. Knowing your bearings is essential right from the start, and this guide aims at providing that.
Things to Do First – Crimson Desert Guide
These are all the tips and tricks you should follow when playing the game for the first time.
Reveal the Map Early
When you first reach Hernand, look for a bell tower marked on your minimap. The game doesn’t explain it, but ringing this bell is extremely useful. Once you climb up and ring it, a large part of the map gets revealed with useful icons and locations.
This saves you from wandering blindly and helps you find quests, shops, and important areas much faster. As you travel to other towns, keep an eye out for similar towers, as they work the same way and are always worth activating.
Unlock Gliding Early Through the Main Story
Very early in the story, you will come across a quest called Woman in White. After completing a few simple tasks and watching a short scene, you will unlock a new way to move around, Flight.
This ability lets you glide through the air using wings, which is extremely useful when jumping from high places. It not only helps you move faster but also makes exploring much easier and more fun. However, the distance you can glide depends on your stamina, so you won’t be able to fly too far at first.
Even though you can start exploring freely after this, it is still a good idea to continue the main story a bit more, at least for a few chapters, since more useful features unlock as you progress.
Unlock Fast Travel Points Quickly
While exploring, you will come across areas labeled as “mysterious energy.” These spots often lead to important areas, especially fast travel points called Abyss Nexus. Moving around the world on foot or horseback can take a lot of time, so unlocking fast travel should be one of your priorities.
Activating these early makes a big difference since the world is massive. Instead of riding long distances every time, you will be able to teleport between locations. Some of these areas also include puzzles, and completing them can reward you with useful items like Abyss Artifacts.
You can find them by checking your map for areas marked with a cloud-like icon or question marks. Once you reach and activate one, you can instantly travel back to it later.
Grab Early Gear and Artifacts
Right after entering Hernand, there is a small altar near the road where you can pick up a better shield and a Sealed Abyss Artifact. The shield is an upgrade over your starting one, so it is worth grabbing immediately.
The artifact unlocks a challenge that gives you skill rewards, but some challenges can be difficult early on. If one feels too hard, you can find easier ones nearby. Either way, collecting these early gives you a head start in building your character.
Keep Upgrading Your Equipment
Since there are no levels to guide your strength, your gear becomes very important. Always check if you’ve found better weapons or armor than what you are currently using.
You can also upgrade your equipment by visiting blacksmiths, who improve your gear in exchange for materials and money.
If you ever feel too weak in a certain area, it is a sign that you should upgrade your gear or explore somewhere else before returning.
Basic Combat: Kicking
Simple actions like kicking can be surprisingly effective. You can knock enemies down and gain an advantage in fights. It is a small mechanic, but very useful if used properly.
Use Force Palm Whenever You Can
Force Palm is a very strong ability and works in many situations. It can help you in fights and even solve certain problems. Once upgraded, it becomes even more powerful and can deal damage to multiple enemies at once.
Finish the First Chapter Before Exploring Too Much
Even though the game lets you roam freely, it is a smart move to complete Chapter 1 first. By doing so, you unlock important abilities like telekinesis (Axiom Force), a powerful force attack (Force Palm), and a gliding skill (Flight).
Look for Revival Items During Story Missions
During main quests, keep an eye out for glowing items called Palmar Pills. These allow you to revive with some health instead of restarting from the beginning, which can save you during difficult boss fights.
Increase Your Inventory Space
If you like picking up everything you see, your inventory will fill up quickly. To avoid this problem, you should work on expanding your storage.
To fix this, complete a few simple quests in Hernand named the Tales of Hernandian Merchants Quest. Some merchants will give you easy tasks like gathering materials or cooking, and in return, you will gain extra inventory slots.
There is also a large-capacity storage box available at the Freesword camp to help manage extra items. Expanding your inventory early saves you from constantly dropping or selling useful things. You can also find these quests from notice boards and by talking to the NPCs. These tasks are usually easy and reward you with extra inventory slots. Some shops also sell upgrades, so check them when you can.
Use Your Lantern to Spot Hidden Objects
If you are having trouble finding special artifacts, try using your lantern. It can highlight certain hidden objects, making them easier to locate from a distance.
Complete Artifact Challenges for Extra Rewards
Sealed Abyss Artifacts give you tasks to complete. Finishing them can reward you with useful items, including ones that let you reset your skill points. This is helpful if you want to try a different build later.
Prepare for Stealing
If you plan to steal items, you will need a mask. You can either get one from defeated enemies or buy it from a merchant in the backstreets at the southeast of Hernand.
Wearing a mask lets you steal, but it also increases suspicion. If you get noticed, you might gain a bounty. So after stealing, it is important to leave the area or wait until things calm down. Also, remember to remove the mask afterward to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Be Careful When Stealing
Stealing can give you useful items, but it also lowers your reputation in that area. This can limit what you can buy later, so it is better not to overdo it and only steal when it feels worth it.
Keep Some Keys with You
Locked doors are everywhere in the game, and most of them require keys. It is a good idea to buy or collect as many as you can early on. You can buy it from Backalley’s Merchant.
Keys are used automatically when opening doors, so you might run out faster than expected. Keeping a stack of them ensures you won’t miss out on hidden rooms or loot. You can also find keys in a small bag.
Make Some Easy Money Early
If you have a mask and a key, you can attempt to rob the bank in Hernand. Inside, there is a storage room filled with loot like coins and boxes.
To do this safely, make sure no one notices you. After collecting everything, wait for the alert level to drop before leaving. This gives you a good amount of money early in the game, even though it slightly affects your reputation.
Explore High-Reward Areas
One of the best places to explore early is Lioncrest Manor. This area is packed with useful rewards if you take the time to search it properly.
You can gain coins by playing and learn new combat skills just by observing NPCs, and there are multiple hidden chests containing strong equipment. Some areas are guarded, but you can sneak in through windows and find valuable items without confrontation.
Upgrade Health and Other Stats
Even though there isn’t a traditional leveling system, you can still improve your character using Abyss Artifacts. These allow you to unlock skills and increase stats.
A good starting point is to increase your health, since it is quite low at the beginning. This helps you survive longer during fights.
You can also invest in stamina to use more abilities or dodge attacks more often. If you are unsure, balancing both health and stamina is a safe approach.
Focus on Stamina
The skill system can feel confusing at first, so a good strategy is to invest in stamina early. Stamina affects many things, like running, how long you can fight, blocking, climbing, and using abilities.
Reaching around 200 stamina points gives you access to advanced movement skills, making exploration faster and more fun. It also helps in combat, since you can use skills more often.
Look Closely Inside Shops
Sometimes, items inside a shop can be bought even if they aren’t listed in the vendor’s menu. By inspecting objects more carefully, you might find things you can purchase that others might miss.
Improve Your Horse
Your horse is your main way of traveling faster. Your horse may feel slow at the beginning, but it gets better over time. Simply riding it increases its level and unlocks new abilities, such as faster movement, better handling, and even combat actions.
You can also buy gear like saddles to improve its performance. Taking care of your horse makes traveling across the map much easier. You can also check its progress in the menu when it is nearby. Using your horse regularly will naturally make it stronger, so try not to ignore it.
Healing Horse in an Unusual Way
One interesting trick is that you can use Force Palm to heal your horse. This saves you from spending items or going back to a stable, which can be very convenient during long journeys.
Start Cooking Simple Meals
Food plays an important role in the game, especially during fights. Instead of using raw ingredients one by one, you should cook them into meals.
Cooking combines items into a single dish that restores more health and can also give extra effects. You can cook at bonfires, which are easy to find early in the game. Recipes are scattered around the world, and collecting them allows you to cook useful meals.
Once you learn a recipe, you don’t need to keep the page, so you can sell it for extra money. Cooking early gives you an advantage in tougher battles. Prepared meals are much more effective, so spending a little time cooking will help you survive longer in tougher battles.
Sell Extra Items for Money
Since you will be collecting a lot of materials, gear, and random items, it is a good idea to sell things you don’t need. This helps you earn money, which can then be used to buy useful items later.
Some items are worth more than others, so it is always smart to check their value before selling. Earning money early makes it easier to afford things like recipes, tools, or special items from merchants.
Get Yourself a Pet
You can adopt animals in town by interacting with them. Building trust takes time, but feeding them speeds up the process.
Once fully bonded, the animal becomes your pet and helps you during fights by collecting loot from defeated enemies. It is a small feature, but it makes a big difference in managing items.
Take Your Time Exploring the World
The game doesn’t force you to follow the main story all the time, and that’s actually a good thing. Exploring side activities can give you rewards, items, and new experiences.
You will find side quests, bounties, puzzles, and small events scattered around the map. Question mark icons often lead to something interesting, so they are always worth checking out.
Playing at your own pace and mixing exploration with story progress makes the journey more enjoyable and rewarding.
Use Tools Like Anvils and Grindstones
Whenever you come across these, use them. They temporarily improve your weapons and armor, making fights easier for a short time.
Don’t Ignore Puzzle Abilities
Abilities like Blinding Flash are not just for combat. They can also help solve puzzles, like clearing blocked paths or interacting with certain objects. Keeping them in mind will save you time.
Learn Skills by Observing Enemies
Some skills don’t need to be unlocked normally. If you watch enemies or bosses perform certain moves, you can learn those skills for free. This is an easy way to expand your abilities.
Block, Parry, and Upgrade Defensive Skills
Holding your guard helps block attacks using CTRL, but timing it correctly can even let you parry enemies. Upgrading related skills improves your defense and also gives you better dodge options, which are very useful in fights.
That is all for this guide. Additional Crimson Desert guides are linked below:
- Crimson Desert Beginner’s Guide – Important Tips and Tricks to Know Before Starting the Game
- Crimson Desert Weapons Guide – All Types, Upgrade Weapons
- Things Crimson Desert Doesn’t Tell You
- Best Skills to Get First in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert is a massive game, so we hope this guide helps you understand how different things work and how you can get a decent start at the game.
