Overview
Inventory space is tight in Crimson Desert, especially in the early chapters before you start finding bags and completing commissions that reward extra slots. Every item takes up one slot regardless of size or weight, so knowing what to hold onto, what to buy on sight, and what to sell without hesitation saves you a lot of backtracking.
This guide breaks down the items worth keeping, the purchases you should never skip, and the loot that is better converted to silver.
Items to Always Keep
Item Category | Why You Should Keep It | Notes |
|---|---|---|
One-of-a-kind weapons with no duplicates anywhere in the game. Each one requires its own specific refinement materials to upgrade. | Never sell these. If you sell a unique weapon, it is gone permanently. Store it if you are not using it. | |
Items that enable unique gameplay mechanics: the Mining Knuckledrill, Fishing Rod, Grappling Hook, masks for stealth, and similar tools. | You need these for life skills and world traversal. Selling a tool means you cannot perform that activity until you find or buy a replacement. | |
Ores, hides, timber, and other raw materials used for crafting and weapon refinement. Each weapon type requires different materials to upgrade. | Stockpile a diverse mix. You will not know what materials a new weapon needs until you try to refine it. Bloodstone is the top-tier refinement material, so always keep it. | |
Socket mods for your equipment that provide extra stats and effects. Installed by Witches found around Pywel. | Even if a core does not fit your current build, hold onto it. You can swap builds later, and cores are not easy to replace. See the Abyss Cores article for full details. | |
Food and Ingredients | Food is your primary healing method. There are no healing potions in the traditional sense; you eat cooked meals to restore health. | Keep a mix of raw ingredients and pre-cooked meals. Raw ingredients stack better, and cooking at a campfire lets you adjust potency by adding more of each ingredient. |
The only in-combat revival item. Revives you on the spot with 30% HP during boss fights. | Extremely rare. Never sell these under any circumstances. See the Palmar Pill page for where to find and craft them. |
Items to Buy on Sight
Item | Where to Buy | Price | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
Various merchants: innkeepers, butchers, tanners, and some traveling vendors. Check every merchant you encounter. | 50 Copper each | Each bag adds +1 inventory slot permanently. Inventory space is the biggest bottleneck in the early game. Buy every one you see. | |
Witches and specialty vendors around Pywel. | Varies | Used to unlock and upgrade skills. Faded Abyss Artifacts let you respec your skill tree, which is extremely valuable for trying different builds. | |
Raw Ingredients | General goods merchants in Hernand and other towns. Also farm vendors near ranches. | Cheaper than cooked food | Buying ingredients and cooking them yourself produces more effective healing items than purchasing pre-made food from inns. The cost difference adds up quickly. |
Recipes and Blueprints | Inns, traveling merchants, and found on shelves/tables inside buildings. | Varies | Unlock new cooking options and crafting manuals. Once learned, a recipe is permanent, so read it immediately and sell the item back (see Items to Sell below). |
Grindstones and Anvils | Blacksmiths and some field vendors. | Varies | Temporary weapon/armor reinforcement. Use before every boss fight for a meaningful stat boost. The buff depletes as you fight, so buy in bulk. |
Items to Sell
Item Category | Why You Should Sell It | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Documents and Quest Items | Quest-specific documents become useless after the related quest completes. They sit in your inventory taking up slots. | Not all key items are sellable. Check each one, and sell whatever the game lets you after finishing the quest it belongs to. |
Learned Recipes and Manuals | After reading a recipe or crafting manual, the knowledge is permanently stored. The physical item has no further use. | These sell for a surprisingly high price at vendors. Read the recipe, then sell the scroll immediately. Free silver and a free inventory slot. |
Damaged Gear | Broken equipment found on enemies or in the world that cannot be repaired or refined. | If an item says "Damaged" in its name, it has no use other than as vendor trash. Sell without hesitation. |
Environmental Gear | Non-unique armor and weapons found in the open world, dropped by enemies, or looted from camps. | If it is not unique and not better than what you currently have equipped, sell it. The exception: if you are short on refinement materials, some gear can be dismantled instead. |
Excess Trade Goods (unpacked) | Individual trade goods sold directly to merchants are worth less than packed versions. If you cannot pack them, sell them raw rather than hoarding. | Packed trade goods sold at a Trading Post fetch significantly higher prices. If you have access to trading, always pack first. |
Making Money Efficiently
Silver is the main currency and you need it for blacksmith repairs, vendor purchases, Abyss Core installation, and more. Here are the most reliable ways to earn it:
Method | Expected Income | Details |
|---|---|---|
Archery Contest | 80 silver per round | Located at Lioncrest Manor, northwest of Hernand. Hit ten targets faster than your opponent. Repeatable with no cooldown, making it the most consistent early-game money farm. |
Bounty Missions | ~10 silver per bounty, plus loot | Collect bounty notices from House Celeste in Hernand. Track the target via your quest marker, subdue them, and bring them to the Guard Station. Takes 10-20 minutes each. |
Trade Good Packing | Variable, highest profit ceiling | Buy goods from a Trading Post, pack them through Carl at camp (100 Alms per item from camp funds), load onto a horse or wagon, and sell at a different Trading Post for a markup. Buy low, sell high. |
High per-unit value | Mine Bloodstone in the Witchwoods southwest of Hernand. Sells for significantly more than common ores. Also doubles as a top-tier refinement material, so weigh selling vs. keeping. | |
Clearing Bandit Camps | Silver + item drops | Loot enemy bodies quickly before they despawn. Bandits carry coin purses and sellable gear. Also good for combat practice. |
Thievery | Varies, risky | Break into homes with a mask equipped and steal coin purses, artifacts, and puzzle box contents. Be aware that crime damages your reputation, and getting caught means bounties and jail time. |
Inventory Management Tips
Buy every Small Bag you encounter. At 50 Copper each, they are the cheapest permanent upgrade in the game.
Complete Hernand Commissions early. Several reward Medium Bags that add 3 inventory slots each.
Read recipes immediately on pickup, then sell the physical item. Two benefits in one action.
Sell damaged gear and completed quest documents after every major quest. Do not let them pile up.
Cook in bulk at campfires to consolidate raw ingredients into fewer, more effective food items.
Use Carl at camp to donate unneeded items to camp provisions rather than carrying them around. Camp provisions fund packing operations for the trading system.
Common Mistakes
Selling unique weapons. They look like regular gear at first glance. Check the item description: if it says it has no duplicates and requires specific refinement materials, keep it.
Hoarding unpacked trade goods. They take up inventory slots and are worth less when sold individually. Either pack them and trade properly, or sell them raw.
Not buying Small Bags from merchants. Players often skip them because they seem insignificant, but each one is a permanent inventory upgrade.
Eating expensive cooked food before boss attempts where you expect to die multiple times. The food buff vanishes on death, so save your best meals for attempts where you are confident in the strategy.
Ignoring Bloodstone. It is the most valuable ore both as a sell item and as a refinement material. If you see a Bloodstone vein, mine it every time.