Overview
Crafting equipment in Crimson Desert lets you create weapons, armor, arrows, and tools from raw materials. All crafting is done at workshops run by NPCs in Hernand and other settlements. No currency is needed to craft; you only need the right materials and recipe.
Where to Craft
Visit a smithy, equipment shop, or tailor shop to hand over your materials and have the NPC craft the item for you.
Workshop | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Turnali's Smithy | The first blacksmith you encounter. Available early in the game. Crafts weapons, armor, and tools. | |
Greymane Camp Blacksmith | Greymane Camp, Howling Hills | Unlocks after expanding the camp during Chapter 3. |
Regional Blacksmiths | Demeniss, Claphade, and other settlements | Found inside major settlements in later regions. Look for the anvil icon on your map. |
Tailor Shops | Various settlements | Craft and modify cloth and leather-based armor pieces. |
Crafting Manuals
Most recipes are locked behind Crafting Manuals, which are scrolls and books scattered across the world. When you find a manual, equip it from your inventory and shine your lantern on the pages. The recipe is then permanently registered in your Knowledge menu.
Manuals are found in containers, bookshelves, hidden rooms, and as quest rewards throughout Pywel.
Vendors, especially innkeepers and provisioners, sell some crafting and cooking manuals.
Enemy drops occasionally include manuals for advanced recipes.
Initially, only ranged equipment (arrows) is craftable. Weapon and armor recipes require finding their specific manuals first.
Crafting Materials
Materials are gathered through mining, logging, skinning, and purchasing. Here are the main material types and where to get them.
Material Type | Source | Used For |
|---|---|---|
Iron Ore, Copper Ore | Mine ore veins on mountain walls with a Pickaxe or the Force Palm skill | Metal weapons and plate armor |
Timber, Fine Timber | Fell trees with a Logging Axe or the Turning Slash skill | Bows, shields, and tool handles |
Thin Hide, Sturdy Hide | Skin animals after hunting them. Small animals yield thin hides; large animals yield sturdy hides. | Leather armor, cloaks, and accessories |
Small Bones, Large Bones | Harvested from animal carcasses. Size depends on the animal. | Accessories and some weapon components |
The Pickaxe and Logging Axe can be purchased from the Provisioner's Shop in Hernand City. These gathering tools have durability and will eventually break, so keep spares or buy replacements from vendors as needed.
Refinement (Upgrading Equipment)
Once you have crafted or looted a piece of equipment, you can upgrade it through Refinement at any blacksmith. Refinement increases an item's stats using materials and does not require currency. Each refinement tier increases the material cost and raises the item's base stats. Failed refinements can lower the item's maximum durability.
Field Maintenance
Grindstones: Found at camps and outside blacksmith shops. Using a grindstone temporarily raises your weapon's attack power for a limited time.
Anvils: Found alongside grindstones. Using an anvil temporarily raises your armor's defense.
These field buffs stack with refinement and are especially useful before tackling difficult bosses or dungeons.
Tips
Explore thoroughly. Crafting Manuals are often hidden in side rooms, bookshelves, and locked containers that are easy to overlook.
Buy gathering tools early. The Pickaxe and Logging Axe are cheap and let you start collecting ore and timber from the beginning of the game.
Check inns and provisioners in every new settlement. They often sell cooking and crafting recipes you cannot find in the wild.
Refine your primary weapon first. Weapon damage scales more noticeably per tier than armor defense in the early game.