Early Game Gear Progression

Overview

This guide provides a step-by-step gear progression roadmap for the early chapters of Crimson Desert (Prologue through Chapter 6). Rather than listing every item in the game, it focuses on the specific pickups that give the biggest power spikes and the order in which to pursue them. Following this checklist will put you well ahead of the difficulty curve and make boss encounters significantly more manageable.

For detailed breakdowns of individual weapon and armor categories, see Best Early Weapons and Best Early Armor. For accessory recommendations, see the Best Accessories Guide.

Phase 1: Hernand Town (Chapter 1)

Your first priority after arriving in Hernand is to buy baseline gear from the local vendors and pick up the free items scattered around town.

Buy the Canta Plate Set

Purchase the full Canta Plate Armor set from Rhett's weapon shop next to the Smithy in Hernand Town. The set costs roughly 10 to 15 Silver and covers every armor slot. Buy the chest piece as a priority, then refine it to level 4 using Iron Ore and Copper Ore. At refinement level 4, the Canta Plate Chest reaches 17 Defense, which is a significant spike that makes early combat much more comfortable.

Visit the Back Alley Merchant

Southeast of town, under a windmill, you can find Grimrack, the back alley merchant. He sells several useful items:

The Mask and at least two Keys are essential before raiding Lion Crest Manor. The Wind Slash core is the same one that comes free with the Sword of the Lord from the Chapter 2 Hornsplitter boss, but purchasing it here gives you an early copy or a second one for dual wielding.

Raid Lion Crest Manor

With a Mask and Keys in hand, head to Lion Crest Manor on the hill northwest of Hernand. If the guards refuse entry at the front door, climb through a second-floor window instead. The manor and its adjacent guest house contain some of the best early-game loot in the entire game:

The Hwando is arguably the single best early weapon in the game. This two-handed katana has 19 ATK and comes with three Abyss Cores already equipped. It can carry you through 100+ hours of gameplay.

After looting a room, wait for the theft meter on the right side of the screen to expire before leaving. If you are spotted while the meter is active, you will be sent to jail and lose silver and your Mask.

Exchange Gold Bars at the Bank

Take any Gold Bars to the Bank in Hernand for 500 silver each. Do not sell them to vendors, who only pay about 190 silver. Once you have accumulated some silver, you can also invest gold bars at the bank for passive wealth growth over time.

Raid Bluemont Manor

The Bluemont Manor in Hernand contains additional valuables. The upstairs strongbox holds the Finely Crafted Gold Necklace (Attack +1, Critical Rate Lv.1). A secondary building next to the main house has an owl-puzzle strongbox on its upper floor containing the Oath of Darkness earring (+2 Defense). The hillside manor strongbox contains the Saint's Necklace, which instantly restores stamina on a 30-minute cooldown. This is situational but can save your life during long climbs.

Contribution Shop Upgrades

Once you have earned enough contribution marks from side quests and activities around Hernand, visit the Hernand Contribution Shop at the castle. The priority purchases are:

• Bolton Plate Cloak (best early cloak)

• Hernand Ceremonial Guard Boots (best early boots from vendors)

• Bolton Plate Helm (a solid helm until you find the Staglord helm)

Phase 2: Canyon and Witches (After Prologue)

Near the bridge you cross at the very beginning of the game, there is a small wooden shrine where you can grab a Sealed Abyss Core. More importantly, drop down behind the shrine and turn left to find a cave entrance in the cliff face. This leads to the first witch's location, where you can find Palmar Pills, the crafting recipe for Palmar Pills, and a cauldron to craft them.

Palmar Pills let you revive on the spot when you die in combat. They only require water and 15 flowers to craft (various flower types and some mushrooms work as ingredients). Stock up on flowers as you explore since they grow abundantly across the Hernand region.

Legionary's Gladius

At the north end of the canyon, head up to the top of the lowest waterfall. A statue sits off to the side with an alcove behind it, blocked by metal bars. Light the candles the statue is holding and the bars will open, revealing the Legionary's Gladius. This one-handed sword has 12 ATK (same as the Sword of the Wolf) but includes Attack Speed Lv.1, making it a slight upgrade due to faster swings.

Phase 3: Waterfall Caves (Chapters 2-4)

Once you leave Hernand and start exploring the wider map, waterfall caves become your primary source of free, high-quality gear. Use the Stab skill to phase through waterfalls whenever you see stacked stones (cairns) near the water's edge.

Priority Waterfall Pickups

The Hollow Visage is a powerful one-handed sword that pairs well with a shield or can be dual-wielded with the Sword of the Lord (which has similar stats). To find it, fly down or climb to the midpoint of a waterfall south of Hernand, just west of a village called Velua. Look for the stone cairn that marks the hidden entrance.

The Dark Ring Leader Set pieces are spread across four separate waterfall caves in and around the Witchwoods. Individually, none of these pieces are best-in-slot, but every piece comes with Abyss Cores that can be extracted and fused into stronger versions at a witch. Stockpiling these cores is valuable for later optimization. You can store surplus cores in the personal storage chest behind Carl at camp.

Stacking Skill EXP Gain

Both the Embersteps Leather Boots and the Plate Boots of the Shadows carry a +10% Skill EXP Gain core. Collecting both pairs gives you the option to transfer one core to a different armor piece. This keeps you always have the 20% total XP boost active regardless of which boots you wear. This is one of the most impactful early optimizations you can make, since faster skill unlocks translate directly into more combat options and stronger builds.

Phase 4: Scorchflame Set and the Grave Walker

After collecting the Scorchflame Plate Gloves from the Twilight Grotto, you can pursue the Scorchflame Plate Cloak. This requires entering the same underground area used to access the Twilight Grotto and navigating a small cave network where the Grave Walker mini-boss awaits.

The Grave Walker is not particularly difficult if you have the gear from earlier phases. Use Force Palm and Turning Slash to build stun, then deal heavy damage while the boss is down. After defeating it, light the two lantern posts at the back of the room to open a gated area containing a sorcerer staff. Then look above and to the right of that alcove for a leaf mark glittering on the wall. Climb up to that wall section, hold L2 to resist, and perform a Force Palm to spin the wall around, revealing a hidden chamber with the cloak.

The Scorchflame Plate Cloak is one of the best early-game cloaks and has a dragon-head shoulder design.

Phase 5: Sanctum of Benediction (Staglord Helm)

Head to the Sanctum of Benediction, located just south of the E in Hernand on the map. Climb the stairs to the top of the ruins and light the two lantern posts near the wall. A hidden room will open containing the Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom (commonly called the Staglord Helm).

This helm comes equipped with a +35% Turning Slash Damage core (Momentum), which is extremely powerful since Turning Slash is one of the most frequently used combat skills. This single core can noticeably increase your damage output for the rest of the game.

Phase 6: Icemore Castle (Staglord Shield and Cloak)

To get the Stag Lord Shield and the Leather Cloak of the Fallen Kingdom, start The Broken Trail quest line for House Circus by talking to William's Lieutenant west of Hernand. Follow the quest until it takes you to the Icemore Castle Ruins, where you will encounter The Staglord boss.

The Staglord is manageable with the gear from earlier phases. Hit him with Turning Slashes between his combos and use Force Palm to build stun. Once defeated, you receive the Stag Lord Shield. Then circle behind the ruins to find a small hole in a wall. Clear the blockage, crouch through, and open the chest containing the Staglord Cloak.

After defeating the Staglord, return to Hernand and look for a woman who wants to speak with you (she may appear in the Bluemont Manor or other locations around town). She gives you the Kylo Dagger, a solid upgrade over the basic starting dagger.

Phase 7: Boss Weapons (Chapters 4-6)

With solid armor and utility gear in place, you can challenge two optional bosses for powerful two-handed weapons.

Vessel of Dark Pursuit

The Vessel of Dark Pursuit is a two-handed sword found at the Sanctum of Absolution. It comes equipped with the Wound of Darkness core, which adds damaging dark energy waves to your Turning Slash attacks. You must defeat Antumbra's Sword to claim it.

Antumbra's Sword is a one-stage boss with relatively few attack patterns, but hits hard. The recommended strategy is:

1. Use Focus frequently to watch attacks in slow motion and learn the timing for dodges and parries.

2. Staying in Focus charges your spirit gauge, so when an opening appears you can immediately land Force Palm for stun buildup.

3. Chain Turning Slash after Force Palm for additional stun and damage.

4. Bring plenty of food and use Focus mode to heal safely during gaps in the boss's combos.

Soul Spear

If the Sanctum of Absolution boss proves too challenging, consider grabbing the Soul Spear first. This two-handed spear (27 ATK) is found inside the Tomb of Frozen Souls, located under the H in Hernand on the map. The entrance is an opening in the cliff face slightly north of the tomb marker.

Inside the tomb, you can run past the Antumbra enemies to reach the spear room. Jump down to the platform sticking out below the main chamber. The Soul Spear sits inside that room. If flying enemies follow you, use poison arrows to knock them down or blast them with the level 2 Focus skill. Once you have the spear, fast travel out.

Important caveat: The Soul Spear cannot be refined and has no Abyss Core slots. Its raw 27 ATK is excellent out of the box, but it will eventually fall behind weapons that can be upgraded. For long-term use, the Hwando (which can reach 44 ATK at max refinement and has 5 Abyss Core slots) or the Vessel of Dark Pursuit are superior choices.

Full Gear Checklist

This table summarizes every item in this guide in the recommended acquisition order:

Tips

• Refine your gear to level 4 as soon as possible. The stat gains from the first four refinement levels are the most impactful per level. The Canta Plate Armor reaches 17 DEF at level 4, and the Legionary's Gladius reaches a respectable ATK at level 4 as well.

• Equip or transfer the +10% Skill EXP Gain core immediately after picking up the Embersteps Leather Boots. Every fight you do without it is missed experience.

• Collect flowers as you explore. They are the primary ingredient for Palmar Pills, which are essential for surviving tough boss fights.

• Even if you do not plan to wear the Dark Ring Leader pieces, grab them for the Abyss Cores. A witch can fuse weaker cores into stronger versions.

• Use the gear wheel (hold the gear button, switch to the armor tab) to quickly swap necklaces, cloaks, or other situational equipment mid-combat without opening the full inventory.

• Use your camp storage chest (behind Carl) to stash extra cores, backup gear, and items you are saving for later builds.

• The Saint's Necklace has a 30-minute cooldown on its stamina restore, but it can save a failed climb. Keep it in your inventory even if it is not your main necklace.

See Also

• Best Early Weapons

• Best Early Armor

• Best Accessories Guide

• Waterfall Caves

• Beginner's Guide

• Silver and Gold Farming

• Abyss Cores

• Refining System

• Combat System