Revision - hernand abyss artifact locations - Crimson Desert Wiki

Overview

Hernand is the starting region of Crimson Desert and contains one of the highest concentrations of Abyss Artifacts in the game. Because you spend the first several chapters exploring this area, it is worth collecting every artifact you can before moving on to Demeniss or Pailune. This page catalogs every known Abyss Artifact pickup in Hernand, split into three categories: regular artifacts obtained from Abyss Cressets and quests, Sealed Abyss Artifacts that require completing a challenge, and Faded Abyss Artifacts used for respeccing your skill tree.

There are three main types of Abyss Artifacts. Regular Abyss Artifacts grant a skill point immediately when collected. They are typically rewarded for completing quests, puzzles, or Abyss Cresset challenges. Sealed Abyss Artifacts are locked when you first pick them up. Each one reveals a specific challenge that must be completed before you receive the skill point. Faded Abyss Artifacts are consumables that let you respec, resetting and reallocating all of your current skill points. None of these can be sold.

How to Find Artifacts

Regular Abyss Artifacts in Hernand primarily come from Abyss Cressets, which also double as Fast Travel waypoints once activated. The Cressets are often hidden on elevated plateaus, inside ruins, or behind puzzle doors. Some require specific abilities like Nature's Grasp or Force Palm to reach.

Sealed Abyss Artifacts sit on small stone altars or shrines along roads and at crossroads. They are not marked on the world map, but a purple icon appears on your minimap when you are nearby. You can also use the sword's Guiding Light ability (CTRL + Left Click on PC, LB + RB on controller) to spot them from further away; they emit a faint white glow when the lantern is raised.

Regular Abyss Artifact Locations

Most regular Abyss Artifacts in Hernand come from Abyss Cressets found after solving puzzles or climbing to hard-to-reach spots. A few are deposited directly into your inventory as quest rewards.

Name / Source	Location	How to Obtain
A Hill Guided by Light	Southwest of Anvil Hill, on a small plateau above the Nas River bend	Climb the plateau while dodging Gypsum hazards and poison hands. Purple flowers at the top drain your health, so move quickly to the Cresset.
Axiom Archive	Inside the Axiom Archive during Chapter 1: Polar Opposites	Solve the door puzzle inside the archive to unlock the room containing the artifact.
Ethereal Pathway	End of the Ethereal Pathway area	Awarded for solving the Ethereal Pathway puzzle at the conclusion of Chapter 1: Abyss without Balance.
Meandering Hills Ruins	Meandering Hills Ruins	Requires Nature's Grasp. Solve the plate puzzle during Chapter 2: Unexpected Gift to activate the Cresset.
A Detailed Glance	Cliff overlooking Sunset Valley	Climb to the cliff edge southwest of Sunset Valley. The Cresset sits at the top with a clear view of the valley below.
Hill of the Abandoned	Near the field of reeds, south of Mountain of Frozen Souls Hearth	Look for a Bloodstone Vein on a rock wall. Climb up the wall past the vein to reach the Cresset at the top.
Windcrest	Mountains west of the Hill of the Abandoned, near the map edge	A long, steep climb up the mountainside. There are no enemies along the way, just a lot of vertical terrain to navigate.
Sunrise Plains	South of Glenbright Manor in the Hernand Highlands, past a thicket of thorns	Statue rotation puzzle. Four statues must face inward toward the central pedestal. Turn Statue 1's dial a quarter turn left, then turn Statue 2's dial a half turn. The puzzle completes automatically.
Dragon's Stone Chamber Ruins	In a pit near Howling Hills in the Hernand Highlands	Rotate three stone dials to match the mural clues found on cliff faces at Anvil Hill. Solving the puzzle also grants Memories of Abundance.

Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations

Sealed Abyss Artifacts are found along roadsides and at small shrines throughout Hernand. Picking one up does not immediately grant a skill point. Instead, a challenge is added to your Journal's Challenges tab. You must complete that challenge before the artifact unseals. Some challenges also award a Faded Abyss Artifact as a bonus reward on completion.

Challenge Name	Location	Details
Desperate Rescue	Altar on the road to Sunset Valley, west of Vellua	Found on a roadside altar. Complete the Desperate Rescue challenge to unseal.
Harmonious Hooves IV	Road leading to Sunset Valley, south of the Mountain of Frozen Souls	Located along the road. Requires a mounted riding challenge to unseal.
Keeping Balance on the Wind	Small altar along the road beneath Unicorn Cliff, south of Nas River	Complete the balance challenge to unseal. This one also awards a Faded Abyss Artifact on completion.
Night of the Silent Banner Pikes	Roadside altar on the main road to Halssius' House of Healing	Visited during Chapter 3's "Familiar Curses" quests. Completing the challenge also awards a Faded Abyss Artifact.
Sharpened Spear II	Shrine on an island in the middle of Nas River, near where you land after leaving the Abyss at the end of Chapter 1	A spear can be picked up nearby and used for the challenge. You will likely land on or near this island during the story.
Sliding Down Slopes I	Fork in the road near Bloomwood Ranch, near the center of the Nas River bend	Crouch while sprinting to enter a slide. There is a slope near the dye merchant with purple flowers that is long and steep enough to complete this challenge.
Sword of Trials I	Small shrine among peonies on the west side of the bridge spanning Three Saints' Falls, near Wycliffe Mappery	Use your lantern to claim the artifact from the shrine. Challenge: defeat three enemies with a sword within 30 seconds.
Sword of Trials III	Altar at a fork in the road leading to Goldleaf Trading Post and Equinsher Saddlery inside the Nas River bend	Found at a roadside altar. Complete the sword combat challenge to unseal.
Shield of Unchanging Will I	Roadside altar between the Three Saints' Falls bridge and Hernand town	A small altar with a shield leaning against it. Complete the shield defense challenge to unseal.
Shield of Unchanging Will II	Stone altar in the fields south of Scholastone, in Kharonso (western Hernand)	You visit this area during Chapter IV of the main storyline. Complete the shield challenge to unseal.
A Bow Aimed at Fate I	Altar on the road near Glenbright Farms, northwest edge of the town south of Hernand Highlands	Complete the bow combat challenge to unseal.
Equipment	Altar on a hill overlooking Sunset Valley to the north	Found at an elevated altar with a view of the valley. Complete the equipment challenge to unseal.
Trespassing	Altar along the road west of Vellua	Located at a roadside altar. Complete the Trespassing challenge to unseal.
Ground-Shaking Impact I	Altar next to old stone ruins near the southeast wall of Fort Perwin	Same area as the Precipice of Echoes tile puzzle ruins. The zone is initially hostile; you receive a side quest (Continuing Concern) sending you there from House Roberts.

Faded Abyss Artifact Locations

Faded Abyss Artifacts allow you to respec by resetting all invested skill points. They are rare and primarily found as quest rewards or secondary prizes for completing certain Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges.

Source	Location	How to Obtain
"Mystical Key" Chest	Hernand Castle, locked room requiring the Mystical Key	During Chapter 1: Mystical Key, enter the locked room inside Hernand Castle. Loot the chest before stepping through the portal. The chest contains the Faded Abyss Artifact.
Chapter II Outset	Hernand (town)	Automatically received at the outset of Chapter 2: Golden Greed when you return to the city after completing Chapter 1.
Keeping Balance on the Wind (bonus)	Road beneath Unicorn Cliff, south of Nas River	Awarded as a bonus alongside the Sealed Abyss Artifact when you complete the Keeping Balance on the Wind challenge.
Night of the Silent Banner Pikes (bonus)	Main road to Halssius' House of Healing	Awarded as a bonus alongside the Sealed Abyss Artifact when you complete the Night of the Silent Banner Pikes challenge.

Recommended Pickup Order

You do not need to go out of your way to grab every artifact on a single pass. Many of them are placed along roads you will travel naturally during the main story. That said, if you want to pick them up efficiently, here is a suggested route through Hernand.

Chapter 1: Collect the Axiom Archive and Ethereal Pathway artifacts as you progress through the story. Before leaving Hernand Castle, grab the Faded Abyss Artifact from the Mystical Key chest. After exiting the Abyss at the end of Chapter 1, land on the Nas River island and pick up Sharpened Spear II.
Chapter 2: You receive a Faded Abyss Artifact at the start of Chapter 2. During the Unexpected Gift quest, solve the Meandering Hills Ruins puzzle. Ride along the Nas River road to collect Sliding Down Slopes I near Bloomwood Ranch and Sword of Trials I near Three Saints' Falls.
Free roam after Chapter 2: Sweep the roads west and south of Vellua for Desperate Rescue and Trespassing. Head into Sunset Valley and the surrounding hills for A Detailed Glance, Equipment, and Harmonious Hooves IV. Climb to Hill of the Abandoned and Windcrest while you are in the western mountains.
Hernand Highlands: Visit Sunrise Plains for the statue puzzle and Dragon's Stone Chamber Ruins for the dial puzzle. Pick up A Bow Aimed at Fate I near Glenbright Farms and Sword of Trials III near Goldleaf Trading Post.
Chapter 3+: Night of the Silent Banner Pikes and Keeping Balance on the Wind are best grabbed when you are traveling to the House of Healing during Chapter 3. Shield of Unchanging Will II in Kharonso becomes accessible during Chapter IV. Ground-Shaking Impact I near Fort Perwin ties into the Continuing Concern side quest from House Roberts.

Tips

Raise your lantern (Guiding Light ability) while riding through Hernand. Sealed Abyss Artifacts emit a faint white glow when your lantern is active, making them much easier to spot from the road.
A Hill Guided by Light has purple flowers on the plateau that drain your Health. Sprint past them and interact with the Cresset before your health bar empties.
The Sunrise Plains statue puzzle looks complicated, but only two statues need to be touched. Turn Statue 1 a quarter turn left, then turn Statue 2 a half turn. The puzzle auto-completes.
For Dragon's Stone Chamber Ruins, the mural clues are found on cliff faces at Anvil Hill, to the west and northwest of the House of Healing. Visit those cliffs first if you want to solve the dial puzzle without trial and error.
Do not skip the Mystical Key chest in Hernand Castle. Faded Abyss Artifacts are rare, and having a free respec early in the game lets you experiment with different skill builds.
If you missed the Sharpened Spear II island after Chapter 1, you can return to it at any time via the Nas River. Swim or ride your horse across.
Two of the Sealed Abyss Artifacts (Keeping Balance on the Wind and Night of the Silent Banner Pikes) also award a Faded Abyss Artifact on completion, making them especially valuable.

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