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Overview
Hidden Chests are concealed treasure containers scattered throughout the continent of Pywel in Crimson Desert. They reward players who explore thoroughly, investigate environmental clues, and solve puzzles. Unlike standard loot drops from enemiesHidden Chests are placed in locations that require curiosity and observation to discover: behind boarded-up fireplaces, inside revolving bookshelves, within crypts, and in secret rooms gated by environmental puzzles. They are tracked as a distinct collectible category on the MapMaster interactive map, alongside Ancient TabletsMercenary Missions, and other collectible types.
Hidden Chests are part of Crimson Desert's exploration-driven progression philosophy, where discovering the world directly makes the player character stronger. Pearl Abyss has stated that exploration rewards include "hidden weaponsartifacts that increase statsand skills learned by discovering specific locations rather than through menus."
Hiding Locations
Multiple preview sources and developer demonstrations have shown Hidden Chests concealed in a variety of ways:
Hiding Method | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
Boarded-Up Fireplaces | Breaking away boards covering a fireplace reveals a chest hidden inside the chimney or behind it | preview coverage features preview |
Revolving Bookshelves | The classic hidden passage mechanic: interacting with a bookshelf causes it to rotate, revealing a room or passage containing a chest | preview coverage features preview |
Crypts | Exploring underground crypts yields treasure maps that lead to further hidden rewards | preview coverage features preview |
Puzzle-Locked Secret Rooms | Rooms accessed by solving environmental puzzles such as rotating bridges, lever-powered gates, and light-reflection crystals | FinalBoss.io hands-on preview |
Hidden Caves | Secret caves scattered across the open world, often requiring off-path exploration to discover | feature coverage |
Ancient Ruins | Ruins containing mechanisms, platforming challengesand hidden chambers | FinalBoss.io hands-on preview |
Concealed Structures | Structures that require sword insertion to move, or mechanisms that must be manipulated to access | preview coverage features preview |
The preview coverage preview characterized the range of hiding methods: "Some secrets appear obvious enough, like the ol' revolving bookshelf, but others require manipulating mechanisms, platforming across falling pillars and stabbing your sword into structures to move them."
Contents
Hidden Chests contain a variety of rewards tied to Crimson Desert's exploration-based progression system
Reward Type | Description |
|---|---|
Weapons and armor discovered in hidden locations; chests serve as rewards for completing puzzles | |
Progression items that grant base improvements to healthstaminaand damage; found at sealed monuments and hidden locations | |
Treasure Maps | Found in crypts, these maps point to further hidden rewards elsewhere in the world |
Resources for the blueprints and crafting system | |
Hidden Weapons | Powerful weapons placed in hard-to-reach or well-concealed locations |
Not all treasures are marked on the map. As: "Not all treasures are marked, leaving plenty left to be found through sheer exploration, puzzles, or other means." This design encourages players to explore beyond tracked objectives.
How to Find Hidden Chests
Crimson Desert offers several ways for players to locate Hidden Chests:
Method | Description |
|---|---|
Environmental Observation | Looking for visual clues like boarded-up walls, unusual bookshelves, or cracked surfaces |
Puzzle Solving | Completing environmental puzzles involving rotating bridges, lever-powered gates, light-reflection crystals, or platforming challenges |
Treasure Maps | Following treasure maps found in crypts to locate additional hidden rewards |
Rumor Listening | Eavesdropping on NPC conversations in taverns and settlements for leads on hidden locations |
Physical Interaction | Breaking breakable objects, inserting swords into structures, and manipulating mechanisms |
Ground-Level Exploration | Scouring terrain at ground levelPearl Abyss noted that many hidden corners are not visible from afar |
The fog of war system means that chests in unexplored areas remain completely hidden until the player physically travels through those regions. Even with aerial traversal options like dragon mountsthe developers designed many secrets to require ground-level investigation.
Connection to Exploration Progression
Hidden Chests are one component of Crimson Desert's broader exploration-as-progression design. There is no traditional XP-based leveling system. Instead, character growth comes directly from what the player discovers in the world:
Abyss Artifacts found in chests and hidden locations unlock new skills and boost core stats
Equipment discovered in hidden locations provides new combat options
Treasure maps chain into further discoveries, creating an exploration loop
Finding certain locations or observing NPCs unlocks skills through the observational learning system
Discovering Traces of the Abyss unlocks fast travel points across the map
Pearl Abyss Director of Marketing and PR Will Powers confirmed during the Dropped Frames podcast that if you see a location in the distance and go there, "there will always be something: an encounter, treasure, a quest." This philosophy ensures that curiosity is consistently rewarded.
Puzzle-Gated Chests
Many Hidden Chests are locked behind environmental puzzles that must be solved before the chest can be accessed. A hands-on preview at Summer Game Fest described exploring "ancient ruins, frozen cliffs, and a ruined manor with hidden chambers" where the journalist encountered "rotating bridges, lever-powered gates, and light-reflection crystals to unlock secret rooms." The reviewer described these puzzle rewards as "genuinely rewarding."
Some puzzles require specific abilities to solve. The Axiom Bracelet grants elemental abilities (fire, lightning, ice) that double as puzzle tools. For example, using a fire ability to clear thorny terrain blocking access to a hidden area, or shooting ice darts into water to create floating platforms for traversal.
Tracking and Completion
The MapMaster interactive map tracks every Hidden Chest as part of its 100% completion guide, listing them alongside Ancient TabletsMercenary MissionsWorld BossesRare MaterialsGliding PointsClimbing Routes, and Secret Passages. HoweverPearl Abyss has noted that in-game completion tracking is limited: "there isn't an easy way to track it except through major faction quest lines" and "there may still be lots of side content that isn't tracked in that way." The design philosophy leans toward organic discovery over percentage-based checklists.
Related Articles
Topic | Connection |
|---|---|
The concealed locations where Hidden Chests are often placed | |
Puzzle mechanics that gate access to many chests | |
The exploration system that reveals chest locations | |
Fellow collectible category tracked alongside Hidden Chests | |
A common reward found inside Hidden Chests | |
Blueprints and Crafting | Crafting materials can be found in chests |
Open World Exploration | The broader exploration framework |