Barding is horse body armor in Crimson Desert that provides Defense to your mount. These protective coverings range from simple cloth wraps to heavily plated military armor, and can be refined to increase their effectiveness.
All Barding in Crimson Desert
Image | Name | Rarity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary | 80 | |
| Epic | 50 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Rare | 20 | |
| Uncommon | 10 | |
| Uncommon | 10 | |
| Uncommon | 10 | |
| Uncommon | 10 | |
| Uncommon | 10 | |
| Common | 5 | |
| Common | 5 | |
| Common | 5 | |
| Common | 5 | |
| Common | 5 |
Tips
Barding provides Defense to your horse, reducing damage taken during mounted combat.
Higher-rarity barding offers more Defense but is harder to obtain.
Cloth bardings (Common) are available early, while military-grade bardings require faction reputation or quest completion.
How to Obtain Barding
Barding in Crimson Desert is obtained through several different methods depending on the specific item:
Saddlery shops sell barding for Silver. These vendors are found in major cities throughout Pywel: Annabella's Saddlery (northeast of Hernand), Eldred's Saddlery (northern Pailune), Fiona's Saddlery (north of Demeniss Castle), Bruna's Equinsher Saddlery, and the Calphade and Varnia saddleries.
Contribution shops offer faction-specific barding in exchange for Contribution Points. The Berkei Barding (23 points, Pailune), Delesyian Barding (23 points, Delesyia Castle), Demenissian Barding (20 points, Demeniss), Hernandian Barding (23 points, Hernand Castle), and Sahareum Barding (23 points, Tommaso) are all Contribution goods.
Crafting at a smithy is required for the Wells Military Barding, which needs Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Thick Hide, and Silver.
Edition bonuses provide two exclusive bardings: the Exclaire Barding (Deluxe Edition) and the Hyperion Barding (Collector's Edition Ultimate Pack).
Equipping Barding
To equip barding on your horse, open your inventory and switch to the Herspia tab at the top left of the screen (where Herspia is your horse's name). This reveals your horse's equipment slots: Champron (head), Barding (body), Saddle, Stirrups, and Horseshoes. Select a barding item from your inventory to equip it. Alternatively, press the Lantern button (CTRL on PC, L1 on PS5, LB on Xbox) and choose Open Horse Inventory.
Dyeing Barding
All barding can be recolored at the Dye Station in Greymane Settlement. The dye system allows granular control over each dyeable layer, with options for color and material finish (polished metal, worn leather, matte fabric, or shiny lacquer). Dyes are obtained by crafting them at a cauldron, purchasing from merchants, finding them as world loot, or earning them as quest rewards. All dye changes are purely cosmetic and do not affect Defense stats.
Barding Tiers
Barding follows the standard rarity tiers in Crimson Desert. Common cloth bardings (5 Defense) are the most accessible, costing around 153 to 174 Silver. Uncommon bardings (10 Defense) range from 343 to 821 Silver. Rare bardings (20 Defense) are primarily obtained from Contribution shops at 23 points each, with the Cernos Barding available from saddleries for 693 Silver. The Epic-tier Wells Military Barding (50 Defense) is crafted at a smithy. The Legendary Hagmund Barding (80 Defense) costs 8,500 Silver and offers the highest defensive value of any barding in the game.
See Also
Horse Items - Overview of all mount gear categories
Mounts - Guide to mounts in Crimson Desert
Mounted Combat - Fighting from horseback
Gear Refinement - Upgrading your equipment