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Overview

Abyss Artifacts are the primary progression currency in Crimson Desert, functioning as skill points for Kliff and his companions. Each artifact can be spent inside the Skills menu to unlock a new ability, rank up an existing skill, or invest directly into one of Kliff's core stats: Health, Stamina, or Spirit. Abyss Artifacts replace the traditional experience point and level system that most action role-playing games use.

Beyond skills, Abyss Artifacts double as a refinement material at blacksmiths for upgrades beyond Stage 5. The same currency therefore gates both offensive ability growth and gear power, which makes it the single most contested resource in the game. Every build decision becomes a tradeoff between unlocking a new combat skill and keeping weapons and armor competitive against tougher enemies.

Because Abyss Artifacts are used for almost every form of progression, efficient farming is critical. The game provides a dedicated XP bar next to the minimap that rewards one artifact every time it fills, alongside dozens of fixed-location sources tied to exploration, bosses, faction quests, and Abyss Cresset discoveries. Combining all sources, several hundred artifacts can be collected across a full playthrough, with the XP bar farm uncapped on top of that.

Types of Abyss Artifacts

Three distinct artifact items appear in the game. They look similar in the inventory but serve different purposes.

Faded Abyss Artifacts are considerably rarer than regular ones. They should be saved for major build pivots rather than used to shuffle one or two nodes. Sealed Abyss Artifacts are not consumed directly. Instead, you find them in the world, complete the associated challenge (a kill objective, a time trial, a horse riding task, an NPC interaction, or a puzzle), and the seal breaks to award you the contained reward.

Note that Abyss Gear and Abyss Cores are different items. Abyss Gear pieces slot into equipment sockets, while Abyss Artifacts are spent in the skill tree. Do not confuse the two.

How to Obtain

Abyss Artifacts come from a wide variety of sources, grouped here by category.

Combat and Exploration

Exploration Rewards

Quests and Story

Vendors and Passive Sources

How to Spend

Abyss Artifacts are spent in the Skills menu, often called the Abyss Tree. The flow is straightforward:

1. Open the menu and select Skills to view the skill tree for the active playable character (Kliff, Damiane, or Oongka).

2. Each node lists its cost in Abyss Artifacts. Most nodes require at least 1 artifact to unlock or rank up.

3. Confirm the unlock to spend the artifacts and add the skill to your loadout immediately.

4. Alternatively, invest artifacts directly into Health, Stamina, or Spirit core stat nodes for permanent passive boosts.

Outside the skill tree, Abyss Artifacts are also handed to blacksmiths as a refinement material when upgrading equipment past Stage 5. Stages 1 to 4 still rely on ordinary materials such as Iron Ore and Thin Hide (or a Refinement Token for an early boost), but every refinement attempt at Stage 5 and above will burn through your artifact reserve.

Important Note: Observation Learning Skills Are Free

A subset of skills in the Abyss Tree is marked with a note that reads, in effect, "observe this skill in action to learn it." These are part of the Observation Learning system, sometimes called Watch and Learn, and they do not cost any Abyss Artifacts.

When Kliff witnesses an observable move being performed by an enemy, boss, NPC, or holographic spirit echo, time slows briefly and a Learning in Progress counter appears in the corner of the screen. Once the counter fills, the skill unlocks automatically and permanently at no cost. PC Gamer summarized this as basically unlocking an ability for free without having to spend one of your precious Abyss Artifacts. Two extra rules apply:

• Watch and Learn skills are preserved through respec. Even if you reset your tree with a Faded Abyss Artifact, observed skills remain unlocked.

• If you already spent an Abyss Artifact on a skill and later learn it via observation, the previously spent Artifact is refunded automatically.

The takeaway: when you look up how to obtain a skill and see "observation" in its description, do not spend Abyss Artifacts on it. Wait until you can trigger it from an enemy or NPC instead.

Total Available in the Game

The game does not publish a single grand total, but the fixed sources alone are well into the low hundreds:

• 141 Sealed Abyss Artifact challenge locations.

• 60 Abyss Cresset / Secret Place locations, each granting one artifact.

• Dozens of additional rewards from the main story, faction quests, boss kills, achievements, Greymane rumors, and vendor purchases.

• Unlimited additional artifacts from the uncapped XP bar farm.

Combined, a full playthrough that touches every fixed source can yield several hundred artifacts, with the XP bar pushing the practical ceiling much higher.

Farming Methods

Beyond normal exploration and quest rewards, several targeted farming methods can generate Abyss Artifacts at a much faster rate.

Scholar Stone Pickpocketing

Scholar Stone is one of the most reliable locations for farming Abyss Artifacts through pickpocketing. From the teleporter, travel upwards over the main bridge toward the institute building. In the main hall, turn right into the banquet area where nobles are sitting and eating.

Use Blinding Flash to scan their pockets and identify which nobles are carrying valuables. Nobles in this area frequently carry Abyss Artifacts. Equip the thieving mask, walk into a seated noble to get them to stand up from their chair, then sprint into them to pickpocket. Scholar Stone has a high density of nobles gathered in one place, making it significantly more reliable than locations like Bagger's End.

Also check the nobles walking across the bridge on the way to the banquet area, since they can carry artifacts as well. The lecture hall to the left of the main entrance is generally not worth the detour because it has fewer nobles and is farther from the teleporter.

After clearing the banquet hall, teleport back to the Scholar Stone teleporter and repeat. The nobles respawn each time you return.

XP Bar Farming

The XP bar on the left side of the minimap grants an Abyss Artifact every time it fills completely. One of the fastest ways to fill the bar is by killing guard captains at Deminis Wildlife Park. Each guard captain kill fills roughly 30% of the XP bar, meaning three to four captain kills can earn a full artifact. Combined with the other rewards from the Wildlife Park (gold bars, copper pouches, jewelry), this makes the park one of the most efficient farming locations in the game.

Tips

• Never skip the XP bar. It is the only uncapped Abyss Artifact source. Prioritize Blockaded camps for dense mob kills.

• Before spending on any skill, check its description. If it says "observe this skill in action to learn it," do not waste an artifact. Wait to see it used in combat.

• Refund loophole: even if you accidentally spend an artifact on an observable skill, learning it later via observation refunds that artifact automatically.

• Save Faded Abyss Artifacts for major build pivots. They are rare and should not be used to swap one or two skill nodes.

• Grab Abyss Cressets early. Each one gives both an artifact and a fast travel point, so the value is doubled.

• Mark Sealed Abyss Artifacts you find but cannot complete yet. Some require Damiane or Oongka, so come back when you have unlocked the right character.

• Vendor purchases are a last resort. 28.50 Silver per artifact is expensive, and Witch and Patrigio stock does not refresh.

• Greymane rumors are the best mid-to-late-game ratio of effort to reward. Treat them as guaranteed artifact deliveries.

Item Properties

The Artifact Gauge (XP Bar)

A gold/yellow bar appears to the left of the minimap on the HUD. This is the Artifact Gauge, and it is the closest thing Crimson Desert has to a traditional experience bar. Every enemy you kill fills this bar. When it is completely full, you earn one Abyss Artifact and the bar resets to zero. The cycle repeats without any daily, session, or lifetime cap, meaning you can farm Abyss Artifacts indefinitely by continuing to defeat enemies.

The Artifact Gauge is one of the most commonly misunderstood elements of the HUD, since the game does not explicitly explain what it does during the tutorial. Many players go through the first several hours without realizing the bar exists or what it rewards.

Key details about how the Artifact Gauge works:

• Tougher enemies fill the bar faster. Bosses and elite enemies contribute significantly more gauge progress per kill than standard soldiers or wildlife.

• Progress carries between encounters. Partial gauge progress from one fight is not lost. It persists as you move through the world.

• Story battle waves are valuable. Main quest battles that throw waves of enemies at you can fill the gauge multiple times in a single encounter. One player reported earning four Abyss Artifacts from a single extended story mission by clearing every wave.

• No cap whatsoever. This is the backbone of any Abyss Artifact farming strategy. The gauge can be filled an unlimited number of times.

How to Obtain Abyss Artifacts

Abyss Artifacts come from many sources. The Artifact Gauge provides the only unlimited, repeatable method, but quests, exploration, and challenges are equally important for building your total supply.

Uses

Abyss Artifacts are spent across three major systems. Because they serve all three purposes simultaneously, managing your supply is one of the most important strategic decisions in the game.

Skill Unlocks

Each node on the Abyss Tree costs one Abyss Artifact to unlock. The tree branches into combat techniques, traversal enhancements, and life skill improvements. Each of the three playable characters (Kliff, Damiane, Oongka) has a separate skill tree, so players who want to maximize all three characters need to invest Abyss Artifacts separately for each one's combat abilities.

Core Stat Upgrades

Abyss Artifacts can be spent to raise Kliff's three core stats: Health (up to 18 times), Stamina (up to 16 times), and Spirit (up to 14 times). Core stat upgrades are shared across all three playable characters, so investing in Health on Kliff's tree also applies the upgrade to Damiane and Oongka.

Equipment Refinement

Abyss Artifacts become required crafting materials for equipment refinement at Refinement +5 and above. Any weapon or armor piece pushed past the +5 threshold requires Abyss Artifacts alongside standard refinement materials (ores, ingots) to continue upgrading. This creates a resource tension: every Artifact spent on refinement is one fewer Artifact available for skill unlocks or stat upgrades. Avoid investing heavily in refinement on temporary gear. Save your Artifacts for equipment you plan to use across multiple chapters.

Sealed Abyss Artifacts

There are 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts scattered across every region of Pywel. Each one sits on a stone altar or cairn, usually near a road or crossroads. Picking up a Sealed Abyss Artifact does not grant an Abyss Artifact immediately. Instead, it unlocks a specific challenge that tracks your progress toward a goal. The challenge tally appears briefly at the left side of the screen when you collect the seal. Once the challenge requirement is fulfilled, you receive the reward.

Challenge Categories

Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges span nearly every gameplay system. Common challenge types include:

• Sword combat kills: defeat a set number of enemies using a specific melee weapon type (e.g., longsword, dagger).

• Bow combat kills: eliminate targets with ranged weapons such as bows or firearms.

• Shield blocks: successfully block or parry a certain number of incoming attacks.

• Mounted kills: defeat enemies while riding your horse.

• Movement challenges: travel a total distance on horseback, by gliding, or by rope-walking and pole-vaulting.

• Crafting and trade: complete a number of crafting actions or trade transactions.

• Timed kill trials: defeat a group of enemies within a short time window (e.g., "kill 3 enemies with a sword in 30 seconds").

Most challenges can be completed passively through normal gameplay. A few weapon-specific challenges may require you to seek out particular enemy types or equip a weapon you do not normally use.

Reward Types

Not every Sealed Abyss Artifact grants an Abyss Artifact. The reward pool includes three item types:

• Abyss Artifacts: the majority of sealed challenges reward one Abyss Artifact (skill point).

• Faded Abyss Artifacts: a small number of challenges reward a Faded Abyss Artifact, the rare currency needed to respec your skill tree.

• Abyss Gears: some challenges reward Abyss Gear pieces, which are slotted into weapons and armor to add elemental effects like Fire, Ice, or Lightning.

Because Faded Abyss Artifacts are difficult to obtain through other means, completing every sealed challenge is one of the most reliable ways to stockpile respec currency for late-game builds.

Regional Distribution

The 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts are distributed across all five regions of Pywel: Hernand, Demeniss, Pailune, Delesyia, and the Crimson Desert itself. The most efficient collection strategy is to unfog the map first by ringing all 8 hidden bells, then follow every road systematically within each region before moving on to the next. Collecting all 141 is required for the related trophy and achievement.

Abyss Cressets and Ancient Ruins

There are 60 Abyss Cressets hidden throughout Pywel. On the world map they appear as white circles with a grey question mark, labeled "Abyss Cresset." In the Challenge Menu these same locations are listed as Secret Places. Each Cresset is found inside or near an Ancient Ruins site, and most are guarded by a puzzle that must be solved before the Cresset can be activated.

Activating an Abyss Cresset grants one Abyss Artifact and permanently unlocks the Cresset as a fast travel point. This makes Cressets doubly valuable: they provide both a skill point and a convenient teleport location. Finding all 60 Secret Places unlocks the Pilgrim of Wonders trophy and achievement, and each discovery also counts toward the Expert Explorer trophy.

Puzzle Types at Ancient Ruins

The 37 Ancient Ruins locations across Pywel use several recurring puzzle formats. Understanding the categories helps you solve them faster:

• Mural puzzles: examine wall carvings or painted surfaces to find a visual clue, then replicate the pattern on a nearby mechanism. Some murals are located at a completely separate site from the mechanism itself.

• Pillar height alignment: adjust stone pillars to matching heights using levers or control platforms. The correct height is indicated by reference markings on surrounding walls.

• Stone color alignment: a grid of black and white stones must be arranged so that five stones of the same color form a straight line.

• Disc rotation: rotate stone discs to match symbols shown on nearby scarecrows or glyphs. The symbols indicate the exact orientation each disc must face.

• Totem shooting: pull a lever to reveal rotating totems behind timed walls, then use Focused Shot to slow time and confirm each totem shows red eyes before locking it in place.

• Force Palm activation: use Force Palm to strike stone plates in a specific order or lift obstacles with Nature's Grasp before hitting the plates.

Not all 60 Cressets require a puzzle. Some Secret Places simply require reaching a difficult-to-access location, such as a cliff edge, a hidden cave, or the top of a structure. The remaining 23 Cressets (60 total minus the 37 inside Ancient Ruins) are found in the open world and only require physical traversal to reach.

Detection and Discovery Tools

Crimson Desert provides three built-in tools for locating Abyss Artifacts, Cressets, and other Abyss-related collectibles in the open world.

Guiding Light

Press L1+R1 (PlayStation), LB+RB (Xbox), or Ctrl+Left Click (PC) to activate your sword's Guiding Light ability. If any Abyss collectible is within range, it will emit a faint blue glimmer that is visible even through walls and brush. Guiding Light works on Sealed Abyss Artifacts, Abyss Cressets, and Abyss Nexus fast travel points alike.

Lantern

Hold L1 (PlayStation), LB (Xbox), or Ctrl (PC) to raise your lantern. Sealed Abyss Artifacts and other Abyss objects emit a distinct white ring of light when illuminated by the lantern, making them visible from much greater distances than normal. The lantern is especially effective at night or when scanning an area from horseback. Make a habit of exploring with your lantern raised, because most Sealed Artifacts sit on roadside shrines that glow brightly under lantern light.

Minimap Indicator

When you come within roughly 30 meters of a Sealed Abyss Artifact, a purple cube icon appears on your minimap. This indicator only shows up at close range, so it is useful as a final confirmation rather than a long-range scanning tool. Abyss Cressets and Abyss Nexus points display their own distinct icons on the minimap when you are nearby.

Skill Tree Cost Breakdown

The Abyss Tree is organized into three color-coded branches, each associated with one core stat. Every node on the tree costs exactly one Abyss Artifact per upgrade level.

Core Stat Upgrade Caps

Each of the three core stats can be raised a fixed number of times. These upgrades are shared across all three playable characters (Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka), so investing in Health on Kliff's tree also benefits Damiane and Oongka.

Combat Skill Nodes

Beyond the stat nodes, Kliff's skill tree contains 24 combat skills spread across the three branches. Each individual skill can be upgraded up to 5 times to reach maximum potency, with each upgrade level costing 1 Abyss Artifact. Fully maxing a single skill therefore requires 5 Artifacts (1 for the initial unlock plus 4 upgrade levels).

Damiane and Oongka each have their own separate skill trees of comparable scope. If you want to fully develop all three characters' combat abilities, you will need to invest Abyss Artifacts into each tree independently. The stat upgrades carry over, but combat skill unlocks do not.

The PC Gamer guide recommends prioritizing Health and Stamina stat upgrades in the early game over combat skills, since many combat skills can be learned for free through the Watch and Learn system by observing NPCs and enemies perform them. Even after learning a skill through observation, you still need 1 Abyss Artifact to permanently unlock it in your tree.

Equipment Refinement Cost Tiers

The gear refinement system is split into two distinct cost tiers, and Abyss Artifacts only become required at the higher tier.

The cost per refinement level increases as you push higher. At Level 10, a single piece of equipment can demand dozens of rare materials combined with multiple Abyss Artifacts. Because Abyss Artifacts are the same currency you spend on skills and stat upgrades, pushing gear past +5 creates a significant resource trade-off.

Most experienced players recommend stopping at +4 for any gear you plan to replace soon. Reserve +5 and beyond for your endgame loadout, when you have accumulated a surplus of Abyss Artifacts and have already unlocked the skills and stat upgrades you need. Spending Artifacts on refinement for temporary equipment is one of the most common early-game mistakes.

Pickpocketing

Abyss Artifacts can also be obtained through pickpocketing. This method requires equipping a mask, which enables criminal interactions with NPCs. Without a mask, the steal prompt remains disabled.

To identify targets carrying Abyss Artifacts, raise your lantern while near NPCs. The lantern highlights pouches, gold bars, and Abyss Artifacts attached to an NPC's belt. Bump into the target and use the steal prompt to take the item. Free Swords near the starting-town Abyss Nexus are a reliable source because their inventories reset when you fast travel away and return.

If you are caught, you receive a bounty. The quickest way to clear a bounty is to visit a church and purchase a Writ of Absolution. While pickpocketing is not the most efficient source of Abyss Artifacts, it provides a supplementary method that requires no combat and can be repeated indefinitely.

Faded Abyss Artifacts

Faded Abyss Artifacts are a separate, rarer variant that serves a different purpose. Instead of functioning as skill points, a Faded Abyss Artifact allows you to perform a complete skill tree reset. Using one refunds every artifact you have invested, returning them to your unspent pool so you can redistribute them from scratch.

This respec mechanic is valuable for players who want to experiment with different builds without being permanently locked into their choices. Faded Abyss Artifacts are limited in supply, so you cannot reset constantly, but you will find enough throughout a full playthrough to try two or three substantially different builds.

Faded Abyss Artifacts are rarer than their standard counterparts. They tend to appear as rewards for particularly challenging content, such as difficult optional bosses or deep-Abyss exploration. Some can also be purchased from specific merchants at a high gold cost. Because they are scarce, it is worth planning your build carefully rather than relying on frequent resets.

Progression Without Levels

Crimson Desert's decision to replace traditional leveling with the Abyss Artifact system has significant implications for how the game feels. There is no grinding mobs for experience, no experience bars filling up, and no arbitrary level gates blocking content. Instead, progression is tied directly to what you do in the world.

Your combat effectiveness is determined by two factors: the quality of your equipped weapons and armor, and how you have spent your Abyss Artifacts. This means a player who has found 50 artifacts and invested them wisely into a focused build can be more effective than a player with 80 artifacts spread thinly across all three branches. Build strategy matters more than raw accumulation.

Equipment upgrades come from crafting, purchasing from merchants, and looting boss drops. Abyss Gear represents the highest tier of equipment, tied to the Abyss questlines. The combination of well-rolled Abyss Gear and a carefully invested artifact build creates the strongest character configurations in the game. Damiane and Oongka each have their own separate skill trees and artifact pools, so artifacts collected while playing as Kliff do not transfer to the other characters.

Observation Learning and Artifacts

Observation Learning is a unique mechanic in Crimson Desert where Kliff can learn new skills by watching NPCs and enemies perform them. When you observe a skill being used in the world and confirm the observation, that skill is immediately added to your repertoire for free. Watch and Learn skills do not cost Abyss Artifacts, making observation a valuable way to expand your skill set without spending resources.

Since Observation Learning skills are free, every skill you acquire through observation saves Artifacts that can be invested elsewhere. Players approaching the artifact cap of 141 benefit especially from observation, since every free skill learned through watching NPCs and enemies frees up Artifacts for other upgrades on the Abyss Tree.

Related Articles

Skills, Observation Learning, Abyss Gear, Abyss Cores, Abyss Cresset, Abyss Nexus, Abyss Skybridge Gates, Refinement Token, Kliff.