Revision 5

Overview

Hernand is the starting region of Crimson Desert and one of the five major regions of Pywel. After the Greymanes are scattered by the Black Bears and driven from their homeland of Pailune, Kliff and his surviving companions retreat to Hernand and establish the Greymane Camp as their new base of operations. Most players spend 10 to 20 hours in Hernand during the early game, establishing infrastructure, liberating occupied strongholds, and completing the region's opening story arc.

Hernand is a lush expanse of green grasslands, dense forests, river valleys, and scattered cities occupying the western portion of Pywel. The landscape ranges from towering mountain passes and rocky highlands to open reed marshes and temperate farmland. Compared to the frozen north of Pailune or the red sands of the Crimson Desert, Hernand has a milder, almost pastoral character, but it is far from safe. Local threats, hostile factions, and regional politics shape daily life for every settlement in the area.

This guide covers every major sub-location, quest line, faction, boss encounter, liberation point, sanctum, bell tower, NPC vendor, and gatherable resource across the Hernand region.

Key Sub-Locations

The Hernand region contains dozens of named areas. The table below lists the most significant locations, grouped by type.

Cities, Towns, and Settlements

Wilderness Areas and Landmarks

Fortifications and Dungeons

Bell Towers (Toll of Pywel)

Hernand's map starts covered in fog. While natural exploration gradually reveals terrain, the most efficient method is to ring the three bell towers in the region. Each bell clears a large swath of the map, uncovering nearby points of interest and fast travel locations.

Factions

Seven primary factions and several hostile groups operate within the Hernand region. Building faction reputation unlocks vendors, quest lines, story branches, and allied combat support. Every time the regional Contribution bar fills, the player earns one Contribution Point, which serves as currency at the Hernand Contribution Shop inside Hernand Castle.

Allied and Neutral Factions

Hostile Factions

Boss Encounters

Hernand features six confirmed boss encounters, split between world bosses that can be challenged at any time and story bosses tied to specific questlines. See Boss Battles for the full list across Pywel.

Queen Stoneback Crab

The Queen Stoneback Crab is the hardest world boss in Hernand (difficulty 5/5). It resides in Redfox Forest and requires the player to climb its shell to destroy weak points on top. The forest is also populated by Redfox Boars, which are dangerous in groups and drop leather and meat.

Gwen Kraber

Gwen Kraber is the leader of the hostile forces occupying Roothold. The Liberate Roothold quest culminates in a boss fight against her. Defeating Gwen Kraber awards her signature spear, one of the best early-game polearm weapons. Post-liberation, Roothold's facilities become available, House Celeste reputation jumps to Friendly, and a fast travel point is unlocked.

Reed Devil

The Reed Devil encounter takes place in the open fields around Mountain of Frozen Souls. The Reed Devil is fast and elusive, fighting with stealth and misdirection. He teleports around the arena, summons clones, and erects wicker totems that must be destroyed while he continues attacking. Players need to identify the real Reed Devil among his copies and punish the brief windows when he commits to an attack.

Liberation Points

Several locations across Hernand are occupied by hostile factions. Liberating these sites permanently replaces enemy forces with friendly NPCs, merchants, and quest givers. Enemy bandits at these locations do not respawn once cleared. See Liberation Points for the full system breakdown.

Sanctums

Sanctums are ancient ruins scattered across Pywel that have been overtaken by a hostile force known as the Antumbra. Cleansing these sites is one of the primary side activities in the game and a core part of the witch questlines. Abyss Gears unlock the puzzles inside each sanctum. The Hernand region contains at least three confirmed sanctums.

Quests

Hernand offers a wide range of quests across multiple categories. Commissions are posted on notice boards and involve tasks assigned by individual NPCs. Faction quests advance specific faction storylines. Main story beats progress through the campaign arc.

Main Story Progression

The campaign arc in Hernand establishes the Greymane Camp and opens Abyss pathways. The key story beats in order are:

Hernand Commissions

Commissions are the largest pool of side quests available in the City of Hernand. Posted on the notice board in the town square, they involve tasks assigned by individual NPCs and reward Hernandian Contribution XP, Silver, crafting materials, and NPC trust points.

Weight of Knowledge Quest Chain

A three-part investigation chain at Scholastone Institute:

Hernand Requests

Requests are a separate quest category from commissions. They tend to involve combat encounters and exploration.

Politics Quests

Politics quests deal with the factional power struggles across Hernand.

Other Notable Quests

• Rescue Hubert: A stealth-based quest that rewards a camp healer upon completion.

• Barden Middler's Quest: Involves brigand combat in the Hernand countryside.

• Tame Your First Horse: A tutorial quest in Deepfog Basin where wild horses with random stats can be tamed.

• Duel with Matthias: A mandatory story encounter and duel in the City of Hernand.

• The Unreachable Village: Retrieve the Pororin village chief's hat from a giant walking tree to unlock access to Pororin Village, its Dyehouse, and its Research Institute.

NPCs and Vendors

The City of Hernand is the primary NPC hub. Vendors are not static: a blacksmith forges a sword when you buy one, then switches to hammering armor plates for the next purchase. The following vendors operate in and around the city.

Key Quest NPCs

Several named NPCs offer quests, story encounters, or important services throughout the region.

• Barden Middler: Central figure in Calphade who recruits Kliff to fight Cassius Morten's rebellion.

• Matthias: Story duel opponent in the City of Hernand.

• Damiane Spencer: Key companion and quest giver.

• Alustin: Involved in investigating dark emanations at Scholastone Institute.

• Amaris: Quest giver at Scholastone for the Weight of Knowledge chain.

• Arkin: Shai NPC at Pororin Village who coordinates the Unreachable Village quest.

• Shakatu: Goldleaf merchant who sets up a trading post at Unicorn Cliffs after liberation.

Hernandian Contribution

Hernand has its own regional reputation metric called Hernandian Contribution. This tracks the player's standing with local factions. The HUD displays both Contribution level and Contribution EXP, and the score rises or falls based on the player's actions in the region. See Faction Reputation for the full system across all regions.

Two notice boards serve as the primary sources of Contribution XP: the Hernand Notice Board in the main town square and the Goldleaf Guildhouse Notice Board nearby. Completing quests, helping residents, and defeating threats increases Contribution. Higher standing unlocks new vendors, quest lines, and story branches. Discounts on goods and services also improve with higher Contribution.

Committing crimes in Hernand directly reduces Contribution. Minor offenses like pickpocketing cost around -5 Contribution EXP, while serious crimes like assault can cost up to -30 Contribution EXP. Reaching Alliance status with a faction dispatches troops to assist the player during ambushes and unlocks faction-exclusive vendors selling unique weapons, materials, and crafting schematics.

Resources and Gathering

Hernand offers a variety of gatherable resources for crafting, cooking, and camp upgrades. According to the interactive map data, the region contains over 17 mining ore nodes, along with numerous gathering points for other materials.

Crafting and Recipes

Craftable manuals found throughout Hernand include Plate Armor volumes and Two-Handed Weapons guides, obtainable through discovery, purchase, or theft. The Hernandian Barding (horse equipment, +20 Defense) can be crafted once the appropriate schematic is obtained.

Abyss Locations

The Abyss is a core supernatural system in Crimson Desert. Hernand contains several Abyss-related locations, including fast travel anchors, artifact challenges, and gates.

There are 16 Sealed Abyss Artifacts scattered across the Hernand region and 13 ancient ruin puzzles, including sites in Duskwood, the Dragon's Stone Chamber, and Meandering Hills. Puzzle rooms in Redfox Forest require the Double Jump ability to access.

Caves

Hernand contains over 20 named caves, many of which are associated with waterfall entrances. These caves house treasure chests, gathering nodes, and occasionally puzzle encounters. Notable cave systems include those in the Duskwood area, the Hernand Cavern beneath the highlands, and several hidden entrances throughout the river valleys.

Minigames and Recreation

The City of Hernand offers several recreational activities and minigames beyond standard combat and questing.

• Rock Paper Scissors: Available at various spots in the city.

• Arm Wrestling: Challenge NPCs in tests of strength.

• Seotda: A traditional card game played at taverns.

• Bow Contests: Archery challenges testing accuracy and speed.

• Spear Duels: Combat sparring with spears against local challengers.

• Gun Challenges: Firearm accuracy competitions.

Exploration Tips

The following tips will help players make the most of their time in Hernand.

• Ring the three bells early. Unlocking the Toll of Hernand, Toll of Scholastone, and Toll of Calphade clears the fog from most of the regional map, making navigation much easier.

• Establish the camp-to-gate corridor. Use the Greymane Camp and the Hernand Abyss Gate as your default reset loop. Push toward objectives from camp, then fast-travel back to restock and repair.

• Unlock the Abyss Gate early. The Hernand Abyss Nexus provides fast travel to and from the region, saving considerable travel time.

• Prioritize Greymane Camp upgrades. The Alchemy Lab, cooking station, and blacksmith are the highest-value early upgrades. Farming plots provide sustainable food production.

• Liberate Roothold for a large reputation boost. Defeating Gwen Kraber pushes House Celeste to Friendly in a single quest, unlocking significant vendor access.

• Stock up before pushing to other regions. Hernand's shops and crafting services are the most accessible in the early game. Use the region to stock food, repair equipment, and upgrade gear before heading to Demeniss or Delesyia.

• Use vertical traversal. Hernand's mountainous terrain rewards use of the grappling hook and glider. Many areas with Abyss Artifacts and treasure are only reachable from elevated positions.

• Watch for enemy level differences. The region has no hard level gates, so wandering into the wrong area can mean facing enemies that outclass your current equipment. Return to previously inaccessible spots after gearing up.

• Complete Pororin Village early. The Dyehouse (equipment color customization) and Research Institute (permanent gathering buffs) are powerful unlocks for the rest of the game.

Regional Statistics

Based on interactive map data, the Hernand region contains approximately:

See Also

• Hernand: The main article on the Hernand region's lore, geography, and story significance.

• City of Hernand: Detailed guide to the capital city, its shops, and services.

• Hernand Castle: Guide to entering the castle, the Alchemist's Chamber, and the strongbox puzzle.

• Camp Management: Full breakdown of the Greymane Camp upgrade system.

• Faction Reputation: How the Contribution system works across all regions.

• Boss Battles: Complete list of boss encounters across Pywel.

• Bell Locations: All bell tower locations and the Toll of Pywel quest.

• Sanctums: Guide to all sanctum locations and the Antumbra cleansing system.

• Exploration & Traversal: Movement mechanics including grappling hook, glider, and climbing.