Combat Abilities

Crimson Desert features an exceptionally deep combat system with multiple ability types. Every button on the controller serves multiple purposes, creating what feels like a fighting game character's entire moveset. As one preview described: 'Its combat system has the depth of an ocean, which is expressed by a myriad different button combos you can press to execute different attacks and moves.'

Skill Specializations

Players can choose between three distinct specializations that alter their combat approach. The game maintains constant enemy difficulty standards with no level scaling, making specialization choices meaningful.

Core Combat Actions

Combat in Crimson Desert centers on the bumper buttons, with L1 for parrying and R1 for main weapon strikes. The face buttons use a nonstandard layout that takes time to master.

Named Combat Skills

Beyond basic attacks, players can execute named skills through specific multi-button inputs:

Force Palm (Axiom Force)

Force Palm is a signature ability that shoots a wave of green energy from your palm, activated by pressing the right stick. It uses the Spirit meter and serves multiple purposes:

• Combat - Knock back enemies, interrupt attacks

• Traversal - Give yourself vertical boosts when combined with jumps

• Air Combo - Use three times in a row to propel yourself up in the air

• Slam - Dive kick down, palm thrust back up, then slam down with a massive green fist

• Boss Fights - Launch into air before activating bullet-time bow attacks

The Axiom Bracelet

The Axiom Bracelet grants elemental powers that can be infused into weapons and attacks. Elements are selected via D-Pad and apply status effects to enemies.

Elemental effects can be applied to both melee weapons and arrows, creating powerful combinations. Different arrow types plus elemental infusions can stack effects on enemies.

Mystical Powers

Throughout the story, Kliff gains magical powers granted by mysterious spirits:

Crow's Wing

Kliff's cloak transforms into large, tattered raven wings, enabling gliding across terrain. This ability is crucial for traversal and tactical combat positioning. During the Queen Stoneback Crab fight, forgetting to use Crow's Wing after being thrown can result in death from falling.

Artillery Whistling Arrows

Summons allied reinforcements to shell enemy positions with a barrage of raining fire arrows from the sky, dealing massive area damage to groups of enemies.

Mounted Combat

Combat abilities extend to various mounts, each offering unique capabilities:

• Horse Combat - Use lances, spears, and standard weapons while riding

• Bear Mount - The huge black bear can maul foes directly during combat

• Dragon Riding - Scorch entire battlefields with aerial fire attacks (limited duration)

• Dwarven Mech - Machine guns, missiles, jump jets, and EMP blasts (late game, energy-limited)

Combo Philosophy

Pearl Abyss prioritizes the 'rule of cool,' allowing players to pull off unexpected move combinations. As one reviewer explained: 'When you're in a fight, you're doing all of this stuff, switching weapons on the fly, landing those big hits, jump kicking some dude and then following that up with a big sword combo, and RKOing the next mook unlucky enough to get close to you, it feels great.'

Character Progression

Character progression focuses on obtaining better equipment from defeating bosses and unlocking new moves or skills. Similar to Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, as you progress by defeating bosses and exploring, you unlock more moves to add to your combat repertoire rather than spending points in complex skill trees.