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How to Increase Stamina
April 17, 2026 at 01:33 AM
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Stamina is one of the three core stats in Crimson Desert, alongside Health and Spirit. It governs nearly every physical action your character performs, from sprinting across open fields to climbing sheer cliff faces, dodging enemy attacks, and gliding with the Crow's Wing. Of the three stats, Stamina is widely considered the most important to prioritize during the early chapters because it directly affects both combat survivability and exploration freedom.
Increasing your Stamina is done primarily through the Skill Tree using Abyss Artifacts, the universal upgrade currency in Crimson Desert. Stamina starts at Level 0, can be raised to Level 10 through standard upgrades, and then pushed to a maximum of Level 14 by completing Red Seaweed Research at the Urdavah Research Institute. This guide covers every method for increasing your Stamina, the resources you will need, and strategies for making the most of your upgrades.
Stamina is the yellow bar that appears beside your character when performing physical actions. It depletes proportionally based on the action and regenerates automatically once you stop performing stamina-draining activities. Understanding which actions consume Stamina helps you decide how aggressively to invest in upgrades.
Action | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
Sprinting | Continuous drain | Walking does not consume Stamina |
Climbing | Proportional to distance | Steeper surfaces drain faster; falling occurs when depleted |
Swimming | Continuous drain | Character drowns if Stamina reaches zero while swimming |
Gradual drain | Uses the Crow's Wing; longer flights require more Stamina | |
Dodging / Rolling | Fixed cost per dodge | Primary defensive mechanic in combat |
Blocking | Proportional to damage | Full depletion while blocking causes a stagger |
Heavy Attacks | Fixed cost per swing | R2/RT attacks; some advanced skills require a minimum Stamina pool |
Varies by skill | Most melee-oriented skills draw from the Stamina bar | |
Light Attacks | None | Normal attacks are always available even at zero Stamina |
One important detail that the game does not explicitly tell you: your horse shares your Stamina meter. This means that upgrading Stamina also lets you ride for longer distances without stopping, making mounted travel across Pywel considerably more efficient.
The primary way to increase your Stamina is through the Skill Menu. Open your main menu and navigate to the Skills section. Along the outer edge of the skill tree, you will see three large dials corresponding to your three core stats. The blue dial with a wolf icon at the top of the tree is the Stamina upgrade node. Selecting it and spending Abyss Artifacts will permanently add a segment to your Stamina bar.
The Stamina node is located at the very edge of the Skill Tree, separate from the individual combat skill branches. You do not need to unlock any prerequisite skills to access it. As soon as you have Abyss Artifacts available, you can invest them directly into Stamina. The Health node (red dial) and Spirit node (green dial) sit at the other edges of the tree.
Each Stamina upgrade requires Abyss Artifacts. The first few upgrades cost 2 Abyss Artifacts each, but the price increases progressively with each additional level you invest in the same stat. Because of this scaling cost structure, it is more efficient during the early game to spread your Artifact spending across all three stats rather than dumping everything into a single one. A good early target is to bring both Health and Stamina to around Level 4 or 5 before branching out further.
Crimson Desert does not use a traditional experience-point leveling system. Instead, you earn Abyss Artifacts through multiple activities. Here are the most reliable sources:
Source | Details |
|---|---|
Experience Bar | Fill the XP bar by defeating enemies and completing activities. Each time it fills, you receive one Abyss Artifact. There is no cap on how many times you can repeat this cycle. |
Glowing Mysterious Energy circles on the world map. Interacting with them grants one Abyss Artifact each. These are one-time pickups scattered across every region. | |
Certain story missions reward Abyss Artifacts upon completion. | |
Hidden collectibles found in ruins, caves, and puzzle areas throughout the open world. Each one grants an Artifact when found. | |
Achievements | Completing certain in-game achievements rewards Abyss Artifacts. |
The wandering merchant Patrigio occasionally sells Abyss Artifacts when you encounter him on the road. | |
Elite Enemies and Bosses | Defeating powerful enemies and bosses has a chance to drop Abyss Artifacts. |
For a detailed breakdown of the best farming routes, see the Best Ways to Farm Abyss Artifacts guide.
After reaching Stamina Level 10, the upgrade node in the Skill Tree becomes locked. To push beyond Level 10 and reach the maximum of Level 14, you must complete a research task at the Urdavah Research Institute. This is a mid-to-late-game unlock that requires story progression and gathering a specific material.
Complete Chapter 9 of the main story. Valtus at the Urdavah Research Institute will not speak to you before this point.
Complete Desert Lifestyle Research at the Institute. This is the first research task available from Valtus.
Complete Bioenergy Amplification Research. This becomes available after finishing Desert Lifestyle Research.
Accept Red Seaweed Research. Once both prerequisite research tasks are done, the Red Seaweed Research option appears under Valtus's Research Request menu.
Travel to the Urdavah Research Institute in the northern city of Urdavah. Head to the second floor, west wing, and speak with the NPC Valtus. Select Research Request and then choose Red Seaweed Research. The research process runs for approximately 9 in-game hours before pausing. At that point, you need to collect 10 Red Seaweed and deliver them to Valtus to continue and complete the research.
Red Seaweed grows along the southeast coasts of Delesyia, particularly on the beaches south of Dewhaven. The material appears as bright red items along the shoreline and is easy to spot against the sand. Red Seaweed only spawns in salt-rich coastal waters; you will not find it in inland lakes or desert oases. Collect all 10 pieces and return them to Valtus to complete the research.
Once the research is finished, the Stamina upgrade node in the Skill Tree unlocks again, allowing you to spend additional Abyss Artifacts to push from Level 11 through Level 14. Each post-Level-10 upgrade costs more Artifacts than the earlier levels, so make sure you have a healthy supply before heading back to the Skill Menu. Note that respeccing your stats does not refund Red Seaweed; the research completion is permanent and applies to all three playable characters.
All three playable characters in Crimson Desert, Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka, share the same Stamina upgrade path. Investing Abyss Artifacts into the Stamina node applies to whichever character you are controlling at the time. Each character can reach Stamina Level 14 once Red Seaweed Research is complete.
Stamina is the most versatile of the three core stats because it affects both combat and exploration simultaneously. Here is why many experienced players recommend leveling it first:
Exploration freedom: Crimson Desert's open world rewards verticality. Higher Stamina lets you climb taller cliffs, swim longer distances, and glide further with the Crow's Wing without running dry mid-action. Running out of Stamina while climbing a cliff face means falling, and running out while swimming means drowning.
Combat survivability: Dodging is the primary defensive tool in Crimson Desert. Every dodge roll costs Stamina. With a larger Stamina pool, you can chain more consecutive dodges during boss fights and survive extended attack sequences without becoming stagger-locked.
Heavy attack access: Some high-level melee skills, like Aerial Swing, require a large enough Stamina pool just to activate. Without sufficient Stamina, these powerful moves are locked out entirely.
Mounted travel: Because your horse shares your Stamina meter, increasing it means you can gallop across the map for longer stretches without stopping to let your mount recover.
Mandatory story checks: Certain sections in the main campaign require a specific Stamina rating to progress. Investing early avoids hitting these walls unexpectedly.
Stamina regenerates automatically whenever you stop performing stamina-draining actions. The recovery speed is moderate; after a dodge or sprint, you will regain your full bar within a few seconds of standing still or walking. However, there are ways to speed up recovery and avoid running dry at critical moments.
Several food items and consumables can restore Stamina instantly or provide a temporary recovery buff:
Item | Effect |
|---|---|
Various cooked meals restore a portion of the Stamina bar instantly. These can be consumed mid-climb, mid-swim, or mid-glide without interrupting the action. | |
Restores a moderate amount of Stamina when consumed. | |
Replenishes Stamina on use. Easy to craft from commonly gathered fruits. |
A key tip the game does not make obvious: you can open your consumable wheel and eat stamina-restoring food while hanging on a cliff face, swimming, or gliding. Your Stamina bar refills instantly, letting you continue the action without falling, drowning, or landing. Carrying a stack of Stamina food is one of the best ways to extend long climbs and flights.
The grappling hook does not consume Stamina when used. If you are running low on Stamina mid-climb, look for grapple points nearby to pull yourself up without draining your bar. Similarly, using fast travel or Abyss Transporters resets your Stamina, which is useful when you need to regroup after a long exploration run.
Below is a general roadmap for investing in Stamina over the course of a playthrough:
Phase | Reasoning | |
|---|---|---|
Early Game (Chapters 1 to 4) | Level 4 to 5 | Enough for comfortable exploration and basic combat dodging. Spread remaining Artifacts into Health for survivability. |
Mid Game (Chapters 5 to 8) | Level 7 to 8 | Opens up longer climbs and extended boss fight endurance. Most heavy attacks become reliably usable at this point. |
Late Game (Chapter 9+) | Level 10 | Cap out the initial Stamina track. Begin working on Red Seaweed Research prerequisites. |
Post-Research | Level 14 (Max) | Full Stamina unlocked. Enables the longest glides, deepest dives, and most aggressive combat rotations. |
Because the cost per level increases as you invest more into a single stat, alternating between Stamina and Health upgrades during the early chapters gives you the best value per Artifact spent. Spirit can usually wait until you start encountering enemies with heavy elemental attacks in the later regions.
Ignoring Stamina for combat skills: New players often spend their first Abyss Artifacts unlocking flashy combat abilities. Many of these skills can actually be obtained for free through gameplay challenges and discoveries. Stamina and Health upgrades, on the other hand, can only be purchased with Artifacts.
Dumping all Artifacts into one stat: Because upgrade costs scale with each level, putting your first 10 Artifacts into Stamina alone is far more expensive than splitting them between Stamina and Health. Spread your early investments for maximum efficiency.
Forgetting to do research: After reaching Stamina Level 10, many players assume that is the cap. Make sure to visit the Urdavah Research Institute after Chapter 9 to unlock Levels 11 through 14. The difference between Level 10 and Level 14 is significant.
Not carrying Stamina food: Climbing and swimming sections in Crimson Desert can be unexpectedly long. Always carry a stack of stamina-restoring food so you can eat mid-action and avoid falling or drowning.
Stamina System - In-depth look at the Stamina mechanic and all actions it governs
How to Increase Health and Spirit - Companion guide for the other two core stats
Best Ways to Farm Abyss Artifacts - Efficient farming routes and methods
All Abyss Artifact Locations - Complete map of every Artifact pickup in the world
All Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations - Hidden collectible Artifacts guide
Abyss Cresset Locations - Every Mysterious Energy circle on the map
Stats - Overview of all character stats and how they interact
