Overview
Force Palm Pulse is a force palm skill in Crimson Desert, available to Kliff. It belongs to the Spirit (Green) branch of the skill tree. Follow up Force Palm with a swift, powerful energy pulse.
Skill Details
Detail | Info |
|---|---|
Character | |
Skill Tree | Spirit (Green) |
Category | |
Cost | 20 Spirit |
How to Unlock | Level up Unarmed Combat and Force Palm to Lv. 3, spend 1 Abyss Artifact. |
Triangle during Force Palm |
How to Acquire
Force Palm Pulse requires leveling both Unarmed Combat and Force Palm to Level 3, then spending 1 Abyss Artifact to unlock it in Kliff's Spirit (Green) skill tree.
Effect and Mechanics
Force Palm Pulse is a follow-up technique that releases a swift, powerful energy pulse during a Force Palm strike. Pressing Triangle during Force Palm triggers the pulse, which sends out a concentrated burst of energy that can hit enemies at slightly extended range compared to the standard palm strike.
The pulse adds an additional damage instance to the Force Palm sequence, making it an effective way to extend combos and deal extra damage without starting a new attack chain. The skill consumes Spirit, drawing from the same resource pool as other Force Palm variants.
Force Palm Pulse costs 20 Spirit and requires both Unarmed Combat and Force Palm at Level 3 plus 1 Abyss Artifact to unlock. The energy pulse fires during the Force Palm animation, adding burst damage without starting a new attack chain. Its slightly extended range compared to standard Force Palm makes it useful for catching enemies just outside melee distance.
Charging Stages (Patch 1.04)
Patch 1.04 overhauled how Force Palm Pulse delivers its damage. The skill can now be held and charged up to three distinct stages before release, with damage increasing progressively the longer Kliff channels the pulse. Before the patch, the pulse fired as a single instantaneous burst during a Force Palm strike; after the patch, the same input is charge-sensitive and rewards a short wind-up with a much stronger energy release.
The charging input starts the moment the Triangle follow-up is pressed during a Force Palm animation. Holding the input continues the charge through each stage, and releasing it unleashes the pulse at whichever stage was reached. A quick tap still produces a Stage 1 pulse that behaves like the original version, so muscle memory from pre-patch play is preserved for close-range combos.
Stage | Charge Time | Damage Effect |
|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | Instant (quick tap) | Baseline energy pulse. Matches the pre-patch Force Palm Pulse behavior: a single burst of damage added to the Force Palm strike. Best for fast combo extensions when Spirit is limited. |
Stage 2 | Short hold | Mid-tier pulse. Damage climbs noticeably above Stage 1 and the burst radius tightens. Useful when an enemies opening is a little longer than a normal combo window, such as after a parry or a stagger. |
Stage 3 | Full hold (maximum charge) | Peak damage. The fully charged pulse deals the highest damage of the three stages and is the optimal finisher on Bosses who expose a long recovery window. Requires a safe position because Kliff is committed to the channel while holding. |
All three stages draw from the same 20 Spirit cost on release, so there is no extra Spirit penalty for charging up to Stage 3. The trade-off is pure timing: a longer charge locks Kliff into the channel for more frames, which can be interrupted by a telegraphed attack. When fighting fast-moving Bosses, a Stage 2 release is often the safest compromise between damage and recovery.
The three-stage charging interaction layers cleanly on top of the existing Force Palm line. Force Palm Expertise still triggers the same three consecutive palm strikes, and each of those strikes can now feed into a charged pulse. Players using Force Palm Proficiency get the same spirit-cost reduction against any stage of the pulse, so holding for Stage 3 is just as efficient per Spirit point as tapping for Stage 1.
Tap-release for Stage 1 is the go-to for combo extension on trash enemies, where the follow-up damage matters more than peak numbers.
Short-hold for Stage 2 fits naturally into openings created by Focused Force Palm staggers and parry punishes.
Full-hold for Stage 3 is the biggest single-hit option in the Force Palm toolkit. Save it for downed Bosses or channeling phases where Kliff can safely stand still.
Because all three stages share the same Spirit cost, Spirit management decisions become timing decisions rather than resource decisions: you are choosing when to charge, not whether you can afford it.
Combat Strategy
Force Palm Pulse adds burst damage to your Force Palm combos. Use it alongside Force Palm Expertise for extended multi-hit sequences.
The energy pulse has slightly more range than a standard Force Palm, making it useful for catching enemies who are just outside melee range.
Spirit management is critical since Force Palm Pulse, Force Palm Expertise, and the base Force Palm all draw from the same Spirit pool. Enter Focus mode between engagements to regenerate.
The dual prerequisite of Unarmed Combat Lv. 3 and Force Palm Lv. 3 means this is a mid-to-late game skill. It rewards players who commit to both the physical and spiritual aspects of Kliff's abilities.
Related Skills
Force Palm: The base skill from which Force Palm Pulse branches.
Force Palm Expertise: Allows three consecutive Force Palm strikes.
Healing Force Palm: Converts Force Palm energy into healing power.
Aerial Force Palm: Allows Force Palm use up to three times while airborne.
Tips
Patch 1.04 Changes
Patch 1.04 made Force Palm Pulse and its related Force Palm family of skills a more flexible part of Kliff's unarmed toolkit. The changes below are the ones that directly affect how the pulse and its surrounding skills play.
Added new charging stages. Force Palm Pulse can now be charged up to three stages, with damage increasing progressively per stage. See the Charging Stages section above for the stage-by-stage breakdown.
Improved the attack speed of the base Force Palm strike. Because Force Palm Pulse is a follow-up to Force Palm, the faster base animation makes the window for triggering and charging the pulse feel tighter and more responsive.
Improved Force Current so Kliff no longer falls from ledges while using it. This makes chain routes into Force Palm Pulse from a traversal opener safer in elevated terrain.
Improved follow-up attacks so they connect more quickly even when the initial attack was blocked. Pulse releases after a blocked Force Palm now chain into the next chosen attack with less delay.
Companions Damiane and Oongka gained a skill with the same effect as Focused Force Palm, so their Force Palm lineage now covers wall-puzzle interactions that used to require swapping to Kliff.