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Golden Star
March 22, 2026 at 08:22 PM
Golden Star is a colossal mechanical dragon boss encountered in Crimson Desert. The fight takes place at Marni's Masterium, an abandoned fortress built into a clifftop in the Delesyia region. Golden Star is not a living creature but a steampunk-style mechanical construct with golden exterior plating, built by the scientist Marni as a weapon housing a critical power core.
The fight is one of the game's signature encounters and was first revealed during IGN First coverage in October 2025, with approximately nine minutes and forty seconds of gameplay footage. The encounter is described by previews as "more of a set piece than other boss fights," combining ground combat, environmental puzzle mechanics, and an aerial pursuit on the player's own dragon mount. Golden Star is also featured on the Collector's Edition diorama, cementing its status as an iconic encounter.
Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
Boss Name | Golden Star |
Creature Type | Colossal mechanical dragon (steampunk construct) |
Location | |
Quest | Golden Star quest (part of Master of a Forgotten Land) |
Objective | Retrieve Golden Star's power core to assault H.A.L.L.'s flying fortress |
Weakness | Electrical damage (mechanical composition) |
Key Mechanic | EMP-based attacks stun the boss, creating damage windows during the ground phase |
Phases | Ground combat with EMP loop, then aerial pursuit on dragonback |
Golden Star is a creation of Marni, a scientific genius who built Marni's Masterium as her fortress and laboratory. Marni cloned her own consciousness to create an artificial intelligence called H.A.L.L. The experiment went wrong: H.A.L.L., described as Marni's "evil digital-magic twin," took command of a flying fortress that now terrorizes the skies of Pywel.
To destroy H.A.L.L.'s flying fortress, a power core is needed. Marni reveals that the core is hidden inside Golden Star, the giant mechanical dragon she constructed as a weapon. Kliff must travel to the Masterium, fight through its mechanized defenses, and defeat Golden Star to extract the core. After obtaining it, Kliff mounts an organic dragon to assault H.A.L.L.'s fortress in a separate encounter.
The Golden Star quest takes players through several areas before the boss fight: the Great Ocean of Pywel, Mount Benus, and finally Marni's Masterium itself, a fortress filled with mechanized enemies leading up to the arena at the summit.
Golden Star has distinctive golden plating across its mechanical body, with glowing eyes that become engulfed in fire when activating certain abilities. Despite being entirely mechanical, it is designed to resemble an actual dragon in silhouette and movement. Preview coverage frequently compares it to a "Mechagodzilla" or "mecha dragon." Its scale is enormous, dominating the Masterium arena during the ground phase.
Pearl Abyss's sound design team engineered Golden Star's audio from scratch. The thunderous wingbeats were created by rubbing a washing machine hose against metal. Its footstep audio was recorded on floors of sand and gravel to produce a weighty, grinding sound that conveys the dragon's mechanical mass.
Golden Star cycles through four primary attack patterns during the ground phase. Each attack has a visible wind-up animation that signals what is coming.
Attack | Wind-Up Tell | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
Breathing Fire | Head-tracking animation; clings to walls | Sustained fire stream at the player's position. Knocks down and temporarily disables on hit. | Move perpendicular to its facing direction. The flame stream tracks forward, so lateral movement is safer than retreating. |
Exploding Rain Fire | Lifts head upward | Launches multiple explosive fire projectiles that rain across the battlefield. Creates lingering hazard zones. | Keep moving. Avoid clustering near impact zones. Projectiles leave overlapping AoE hazards. |
Screaming Attack | Rears back, opens jaws wide | Disabling scream that temporarily freezes the player's movement. Short range. | Gain distance immediately when you see the windup. The freeze has short range, so distance negates it entirely. |
Fiery Tornado | Eyes become covered in fire | Summons multiple fire tornadoes that sweep across the arena. Tornadoes lift players and inflict sustained fire damage. | Position between tornadoes rather than outrunning them. They sweep in arcs and catch fleeing players. |
Golden Star is vulnerable to electrical damage due to its mechanical composition. Elemental lightning imbues and EMP-based attacks are particularly effective. EMP bullets can stun Golden Star temporarily, creating critical windows for sustained melee damage. Accumulating enough electrical effects triggers a full stun state where Golden Star drops its guard entirely, allowing extended combo sequences.
The initial phase takes place in the Marni's Masterium arena, a castle summit surrounded by mechanical infrastructure. Golden Star uses its four primary attacks while moving around the battlefield, clinging to walls and flying short distances to reposition.
The key mechanic in this phase is the EMP Stun Mechanic. Golden Star is vulnerable to electrical and EMP-based attacks during the ground phase. Players can use EMP munitions to stun the boss, creating damage windows. The fight follows a repeating cycle:
Golden Star circles above and attacks with fire breath and explosive projectiles
Players use EMP-based attacks to stun the boss
The player grabs EMP bombs and fires them at Golden Star from the arm-mounted cannon
Enough EMP hits stun Golden Star and send it crashing to the ground
The player rushes in for melee strikes during the stun window
Golden Star reboots and the cycle begins again
Timing the EMP shots correctly is critical. These stun windows represent the best opportunity to deal sustained damage against Golden Star's massive health pool.
After enough damage is dealt during the ground phase, Golden Star breaks free from the Masterium and retreats into the sky. Kliff leaps onto Golden Star's back, clinging to it as it launches into the air. Kliff's own dragon companion joins the chase, creating a dramatic aerial pursuit sequence.
During the aerial phase, the player attacks Golden Star while airborne, dodging its fire attacks and navigating aerial combat controls. EMP shooting continues from dragonback. The pursuit alternates between aerial combat and brief landing sequences where ground-based mechanics resume. This phase is described by preview outlets as "pure set-piece spectacle."
Phase | Priority |
|---|---|
Ground (general) | Prioritize electrical and EMP-based attacks to trigger stun states. These are the best damage windows. |
Breathing Fire | Move sideways, not backward. The flame stream tracks forward. |
Exploding Rain Fire | Stay mobile. Avoid lingering near impact craters. |
Screaming Attack | Create distance immediately. Short range, so distance negates it. |
Fiery Tornado | Weave between tornadoes rather than running from them. |
Aerial Pursuit | Focus on sustained pressure during vulnerability windows. Fly defensively when Golden Star retaliates. |
Golden Star stands apart from the game's other major boss battles in several ways. It is the only fully mechanical boss, the only fight with an EMP-based stun mechanic, and the only encounter with a full aerial pursuit phase.
Boss | Type | Distinguishing Feature |
|---|---|---|
Golden Star | Mechanical dragon | EMP stun mechanic; aerial dragonback chase |
Armored humanoid | 1v1 duel with three HP bars; parry/dodge timing | |
Sorceress | Teleporting, summons minions, transforms into crows | |
Queen Stoneback Crab | Giant creature | Climbing-based; reach weak points on its back |
Creature | Three phases (blue/green/red HP bars); snowy terrain | |
Humanoid swordsman | Speed-based; multi-directional attacks in reed field |
The primary reward from defeating Golden Star is the power core, a critical story item needed to proceed to the assault on H.A.L.L.'s flying fortress. Based on the game's general boss reward system, Golden Star also drops Abyss Artifacts and crafting materials. Boss drops can include unique equipment imbued with the boss's signature abilities. Specific loot tables will become clearer after launch.
Golden Star is featured in the Collector's Edition diorama, which depicts Kliff locked in combat with the mechanical dragon. The diorama stands 17 inches tall and serves as the centerpiece of the $280 Collector's Edition package, available through Amazon in PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions. See Pre-Order and Edition Content for full details.
