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Overview
Crimson Desert hides a large portion of its most distinctive weapons behind exploration, environmental puzzles, vendor side stops, and boss encounters that the main story never highlights. This guide collects fifteen hidden weapons spread across the early, mid, and late-game regions, and walks through where each one sits, what is required to claim it, and what role it tends to fill in a build. Pickups range from candle-puzzle chests near Hernand that can be looted in the first ten minutes of a new save, all the way to multi-step quest chains in the Steel Mountains that gate the strongest cosmetic prize in the game behind a camp liberation, a hide trade, and a smithy unlock.
Several of these weapons enable strong dual-wield combinations, since any one-handed weapon can be paired with another one-handed weapon at the cost of a shield slot. The Hollow Visage, Survivor's Solitude, Legionary's Gladius, and Red Needle in particular fold into early-game dual-wield setups that out-DPS most equal-tier two-handers. Other entries cover ranged options, area-of-effect tools, life-steal sustain, and pure style picks that look impressive in their own right.
A single back-alley vendor located under a windmill near Mock Root Ranch sits at the center of several of these acquisitions. The vendor stocks a Mask used to grab restricted-area weapons without aggroing guards, plus at least one locked-door key required to access the Hondo Two-Handed Sword inside Lion Crest Manor. Players who plan to chase the hidden-weapon list will save themselves multiple return trips by buying out the vendor's stock before heading north.
Master Table
The table below summarizes all fifteen hidden weapons covered in this guide. Click any weapon name to jump to its dedicated article for full stats and a deeper walkthrough.
Weapon | Type | Location | Acquisition | Special Mechanic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One-Handed Sword | Three Saints Falls, north of Hernand | Light both candles to open a sealed chamber and loot the chest | Three Abyss Core slots, Refinement Lv. 1 on pickup | Enables dual-wield from minute one of a new save | |
Two-Handed Sword | Lion Crest Manor, upper outhouse | Buy the locked-door key from the back-alley vendor, climb in through the upper window of the outhouse, unlock the inner door, loot the chest | Three Abyss Core slots loaded with Critical Rate I, Stamina Siphon I, and Attack I on pickup | Carries through early to mid game; ignore the floor pickup, take the chest | |
One-Handed Katana | Hidden cave behind a waterfall near Dawn Cave in southern Hernand | Climb halfway up the waterfall, hook left, stab through the water curtain into the chamber, loot the chest | Three Abyss Core slots, pre-loaded with Critical Rate I, Attack Speed I, and Attack I | Pairs with the Hondo Two-Handed Sword swap or with other one-handers as a dual-wield katana | |
One-Handed Sword | Waterfall cave south of Hernand, roughly in line with the Scholar Institute | Look for the small stone stack near the entrance, stab through the waterfall, loot the chest | Refinement Lv. 2, three Abyss Core slots pre-loaded with Attack Speed I, Critical Rate I, Attack I | Combines with the Hollow Visage for a cracked dual-wield setup | |
Two-Handed Spear | Rocky climb between the pillars of the H in Hernand on the map | Equip the Hannandian cloak for ice resistance, scale the rock face, clear flyers and ground enemies, light the candles near the spear, claim | Finishing blows release soul missiles in a forward fan with a 10-second cooldown | Cannot be refined and supports no Abyss Core slots; high base attack carries the early to mid game | |
One-Handed Sword | Sanctum cellar on an island east of Lycia | Sneak past the surface enemies, descend to the cellar, light the torch to open the hidden passage, claim from the chest | Fast attack chains and strong break damage; supports dual-wield with another one-hander | Can be claimed cleanly on a brand-new playthrough without combat | |
Two-Handed Greatsword | Small island between Demonis and Delicia | Burn the thorn patch near the central tree with a Blinding Flash, open the hidden hatch, drop into the tavern, claim the sword | Character-specific weapon with a distinctive draw animation | The gold bars on the tavern floor were patched to be lootable; pick them up while you are inside | |
Character-Specific (Oongka) | Below Delicia, through a narrow gap in the wall past a small set of stairs | Equip the mask from the back-alley vendor, slip through the gap, steal the weapon | Restricted-area pickup; touching it without the mask triggers hostile reactions | Locked to Oongka as a playable character; added in a recent update | |
Two-Handed Longsword | Sanctum of Veneration in Lycia | Parry the broken-wall attack when it strikes, then break through with a force palm bomb, claim the longsword inside | Innate life-steal: every hit returns a small amount of HP to the wielder | Multiple Abyss Core slots; turns long boss fights into sustain wars | |
Bow | Cross-shaped water region; look for a flush hatch on the ground | Drop into the hatch, navigate a parkour section with traps, claim at the end | Life-steal woven into special abilities; multi-shot abilities heal per hit | Devastating when paired with the Evasive Shot upgrade chain | |
Marni's Mastery, south of Delicia | Sneak past or clear the camp, then pick up while out of combat | Fires a laser beam from the headgear that can target multiple enemies | Cannot be looted while flagged in combat; stealth or full clear required | ||
Hand Cannon (Two-Handed) | Vendor at the Rust Field Scrapyard in Delicia | Walk in, buy from a friendly vendor; no combat or unlock required | Ships with five Abyss Core slots filled and an innate bonus against machine-type enemies | Doubles as a ranged, melee, and point-blank explosive weapon | |
One-Handed Mace | Destroy beehives across the map; Three Saints Falls trees are the easiest farm spot | Break beehives until one drops; consumable inventory item rather than a permanent slot piece | On swing, releases a bee swarm that deals damage-over-time to nearby enemies | Bee damage persists through knockdown and death animations | |
Two-Handed Longsword | Smithy chain unlocked through Blood Steel Camp in the Steel Mountains | Liberate Blood Steel Camp, defeat its boss, trade 10 Thick Hide to a nearby vendor for trust 100, buy the book, read it, then craft at any smithy for iron and copper | Easy to upgrade, scales well, considered one of the best-looking longswords in the game | Multi-step quest chain; the longest acquisition on this list | |
Two-Handed Longsword | Marni's Outpost area, gated behind a difficult boss | Travel to the location, fast-travel near the boss arena, defeat the multi-phase encounter | Lightning crackles off the blade at all times; heavy-attack animation is one of the showpieces of the game | Cannot slot Abyss Cores and is not refinable; a style pick more than a meta pick |
Region-by-Region Routing
The list above is presented in transcript order (easiest pickups first), but it is sometimes more efficient to plan acquisitions by region. A practical routing for a fresh save:
Starting Region (Hernand and Around)
Stop one: the windmill near Mock Root Ranch. Buy out the back-alley vendor's mask and key stock so the rest of the region opens up without backtracking.
Stop two: Three Saints Falls north of Hernand. Light both candles and loot the Legionary's Gladius. Optionally farm beehives in the surrounding trees for the Beehive Club.
Stop three: Lion Crest Manor. Skip the front gate, climb the outhouse window, use the purchased key on the inner door, and take the Hondo Two-Handed Sword from the chest.
Stop four: the waterfall caves south of Hernand. Stab through both to claim the Hollow Visage and Survivor's Solitude.
Stop five: the rocky climb between the H pillars on the map. Pick up the Hannandian cloak from the Hernand tailor, stock arrows, then take the Soul Spear.
Mid Region (Lycia, Delicia, Demonis)
Sail to the island east of Lycia. Walk past surface enemies, descend to the cellar, light the torch, and claim the Red Needle.
The small island between Demonis and Delicia. Burn thorns with a Blinding Flash, drop into the tavern, take the Arben Greatsword and the gold bars.
Below Delicia, through the narrow gap. Equip the back-alley vendor mask and claim Oongka's Delesyian Weapon.
Sanctum of Veneration in Lycia. Parry the broken-wall attack, break through with a force palm bomb, take the Delesyian Longsword.
Cross-pattern water region. Find the flush hatch, work through the parkour and trap section, claim the Golden-Knotted Ancestral Bow.
Marni's Mastery south of Delicia. Sneak past patrols (or clear them) and pick up the Marni Laser Helm while out of combat.
Rust Field Scrapyard in Delicia. Walk in, buy the Alpha Barrel Cannon from the vendor.
Late Region
Marni's Outpost. Travel to the location, defeat the multi-phase boss, take the Electro-Mecha Longsword.
Blood Steel Camp in the Steel Mountains. Liberate, fight the boss, gather 10 Thick Hide, buy the trust book, read it, then craft the Dandelion Longsword at any smithy.
The Back-Alley Vendor
The Back-Alley Vendor at Mock Root Windmill is the single most useful supporting NPC on this list. The vendor sits underneath the windmill near Mock Root Ranch in the starting region and stocks a small selection of items that gate several of the entries above. Notably:
Mask. Required for the stealth pickup of Oongka's Delesyian Weapon below Delicia. Equipping it lets you cross the narrow gap and steal the weapon without the area aggroing.
Locked-door key. Required to open the inner door behind the outhouse window at Lion Crest Manor, which is the only path to the Hondo Two-Handed Sword chest.
Buy any keys the vendor has in stock on the first visit. Several of them open chests and doors elsewhere in the world, and a return trip is more expensive in travel time than the silver spent buying out the inventory.
Dual-Wield Combinations Worth Building Around
Five of the entries on this list are one-handed swords or katanas. Because any one-handed weapon can be equipped in the off-hand slot (in place of a shield), pairing two of them produces a dual-wield setup with six combined Abyss Core slots, faster attack speed than any equivalent-tier two-hander, and stronger combined DPS than most single big weapons in the same region. The strongest early-to-mid pairings:
Main Hand | Off-Hand | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
Two pre-loaded one-handers with Attack Speed I plus Critical Rate I gives the fastest, most consistent crit-chain combo available in the first 20 to 40 hours of the game. | ||
(swap-on-demand) | The Hondo is a two-handed weapon, so it occupies both slots. The play is to slot the Hondo for boss windows and the dual-wield pair for trash clear. | |
(starter sword) | The earliest possible dual-wield. Slot the Gladius alongside the starter sword from the first 10 minutes of a new save and you immediately double effective gear slots. | |
Mid-region one-hander pair with strong break damage and pre-loaded crit. Less consistent than the Visage and Solitude pair, but heavier raw damage on a confirmed crit. |
Mechanics Worth Understanding
Abyss Core slots. Two-handed weapons natively support five Abyss Cores slots; one-handed weapons support three. Several hidden weapons (Hollow Visage, Survivor's Solitude, Hondo, Alpha Barrel Cannon) ship with their slots pre-loaded, so pick those up before slotting cores from your crafting bench.
Refinement. Most hidden weapons can be refined at a smithy for incremental attack scaling. Exceptions are called out in each weapon's individual article. The Soul Spear and Electro-Mecha Longsword cannot be refined and have no Abyss Core slots, which limits their late-game viability.
Stab through water. Several hidden caves in the south are gated by waterfalls. Hold Shift plus right-click to enter stab formation, then walk into the water curtain to pierce through. This unlocks the Hollow Visage and Survivor's Solitude pickups.
Blinding Flash on thorns. The thorn patch hiding the Arben Greatsword hatch is destroyed by the Blinding Flash ability. Equip it before sailing to the small island between Demonis and Delicia.
Combat-locked pickup. The Marni Laser Helm cannot be picked up while you are flagged in combat. Stealth past the patrols or fully clear the camp so the in-combat flag drops before approaching.
Trust grind. The Dandelion Longsword chain requires the camp vendor's trust to reach 100, achieved by trading 10 Thick Hide. Only then does the vendor's hidden book inventory unlock.
Tips and Practical Notes
Buy keys early. A single 5-minute stop at the back-alley vendor under the windmill near Mock Root Ranch saves multiple return trips later.
Ignore the Glenmore Sword on the floor at Lion Crest Manor. The real prize is the Hondo in the chest behind the inner locked door, not the floor pickup.
Pack arrows before climbing for the Soul Spear. Roughly 60 arrows is enough to thin the flyers from the upper ledge so the chest is approachable.
Beehives are consumable inventory items, not equipped weapons. Stack a handful in your inventory before any hard boss fight so you have an easy-mode pull whenever needed.
The Electro-Mecha Longsword is a style pick, not a meta pick. If you are min-maxing for damage, see the Best Weapons Guide for the current best-in-slot ranking. If you want the coolest visual on your weapon wheel, the Electro-Mecha earns the trophy slot.
Related Articles
Best Weapons Guide
Abyss Cores
Hernand
Lion Crest Manor
Steel Mountains
Sanctum of Veneration