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Hwando
April 4, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Content expansion (2026-04-04)
The Hwando is a unique two-handed katana in Crimson Desert. With a base Attack of 19 and three pre-equipped Abyss Gears across five total slots, it offers a significant damage advantage over nearly every other weapon available during the early chapters of the game. The Hwando combines the speed and fluidity of a katana moveset with raw power that rivals much heavier two-handed swords, making it an exceptionally versatile choice for players who want both fast combos and strong per-hit damage.
The weapon is hidden inside Lioncrest Manor, a multi-story estate in the northwest corner of the Hernand region. Reaching the Hwando requires a small amount of preparation (purchasing a key from a local vendor), but no combat and no quest prerequisites. Players can pick it up almost immediately after arriving in Hernand, giving them a weapon that scales well enough to remain relevant through mid-game content and beyond.
The Hwando's blend of high base damage, a built-in critical rate boost, and generous Abyss Gear capacity makes it a staple recommendation for new players looking to establish a strong foundation early. Even experienced players on repeat playthroughs often grab the Hwando first because of how reliably it performs throughout the opening act of the game.
Stat | Value |
|---|---|
Weapon Type | Two-Handed Katana |
Attack | 19 |
Max Refined Attack | 53 (at Refinement Level 10) |
0 | |
Lv. 0 | |
Lv. 0 | |
Lv. 1 | |
Abyss Gear Slots | 5 (3 pre-equipped) |
Refinement | Available |
Sell Price | 15.39 Silver |
At 19 Attack, the Hwando hits harder than most one-handed swords and matches or exceeds several two-handed options available during the first few hours of play. The innate Critical Rate Lv. 1 bonus means that even without any additional gear or upgrades, the Hwando lands critical hits more frequently than comparable weapons at the same stage of progression.
The following stats are sourced from QuestLog database records for Hwando.
Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
Weapon Type | Two-Handed Longsword |
Grade | Legendary (Orange) |
Base Attack | 6 |
Attack (+0) | 16 |
Attack (+10) | 43 |
Level | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 | +10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attack | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 35 | 38 | 43 |
The Hwando comes with three Abyss Gears already installed out of five total slots, leaving two open slots for player customization. The pre-equipped gears are:
Effect | |
|---|---|
Increases critical hit rate, allowing the Hwando to land crits more frequently during combat. | |
Recovers a portion of stamina on successful hits, helping sustain offensive pressure without running dry. | |
Provides a flat increase to attack power, further boosting the already high base damage. |
This combination of offensive Abyss Gears gives the Hwando a self-sustaining damage profile. Insight I and Destruction I work together to maximize damage output per swing, while Stamina Transference ensures that aggressive combo chains do not drain your stamina bar as quickly. The two remaining open slots can be filled with additional Abyss Gears obtained from Hollow Vis enemies, treasure chests, or quest rewards, letting players further specialize the weapon toward their preferred playstyle.
The Hwando is found inside a treasure chest on the second floor of a smaller building adjacent to Lioncrest Manor, located in the northwest section of the Hernand region. Unlike many unique weapons in the game, the Hwando does not require completing any quest or defeating any boss. The only prerequisite is a Key, which can be purchased from a vendor.
You need a Key to unlock the door guarding the treasure chest. There are two ways to get one:
Back Alley Shop: Visit the Back Alley Shop located southeast of Hernand town, near a windmill. Purchase a Key for 30 Bronze Coins.
Bandit Loot: Keys can also drop from bandit enemies in the area. If you have already looted one from combat, you can skip the purchase entirely.
Head northwest from Hernand town to reach Lioncrest Manor. The estate is a large multi-building compound. Your destination is the smaller building positioned to the left (south) of the main manor structure.
Go to the western side of the smaller building and look for a closed window that has no glass. Climb up the wall to reach the window and open it to enter the second floor. This bypasses the guards on the ground level entirely. You do not need to fight or sneak past anyone to reach the chest.
On the second floor, you will find a locked door. Approach it and your character will automatically use the Key to unlock it. Inside the room, a glowing treasure chest sits along the wall. Open it to receive the Hwando and a Refined Palmar Pill as a bonus.
Looting the Hwando from the treasure chest does not count as stealing. Your Influence will not be affected.
A Mask (10 Bronze Coins, also available from the Back Alley Shop) is not required to get the Hwando itself. The Mask is only needed if you want to steal other loose items from the manor without being caught by guards.
If you have completed the House Alfonso faction quest, guards at Lioncrest Manor will grant you free entry through the front door, making the window route unnecessary.
While collecting the Hwando, players can grab several other valuable items from the Lioncrest Manor compound without going far out of their way. A second Key is needed for the shield chest, but the gloves and gold bar do not require one.
Item | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
Main manor building, second floor, behind a locked door | A strong early-game shield that offers a significant defense boost over the default shield. Requires a Key to open the chest. Can be refined to high defense values, making it a worthwhile pickup for players who switch between two-handed and sword-and-shield setups. | |
Main manor building, ground floor, first room on the right | Plate gloves with a unique Abyss Gear that grants a 10% chance to gain additional timber when logging. No Key required. Useful for players who need timber to upgrade shields, bows, and other equipment. | |
Main manor building, ground floor fireplace (hidden compartment) | A Gold Bar found in a secret compartment above the fireplace. Requires a Mask to steal. Worth 190 Silver when sold to a vendor, but worth 500 Silver when deposited at the bank. This fireplace Gold Bar respawns every three days. |
To steal items (including the Gold Bar), equip a Mask first. Masks can be purchased from the Back Alley Shop in Hernand for 10 Bronze Coins. The gloves chest and the shield chest are regular loot and do not count as stealing.
The Hwando can be refined at any Blacksmith using the Refinement option. Refinement increases the weapon's base Attack and overall effectiveness. Even a mid-tier weapon refined to Level 4 can outperform a higher-rarity weapon at Level 1, and this principle applies doubly to the Hwando since it already starts with strong base stats. At maximum Refinement Level 10, the Hwando reaches 53 Attack, nearly tripling its base value and keeping it competitive deep into the mid-game.
Refinement materials include Grown Stones and other resources gathered from the open world. Higher refinement tiers require rarer materials and may also consume Abyss Artifacts. The Hwando's strong base stats mean that every refinement level yields a noticeable improvement in damage output, making it one of the most efficient weapons to invest upgrade resources into during the early and mid portions of the game.
Players who commit to refining the Hwando early will find that it remains competitive well past the point where other starting weapons begin to fall off. The combination of high base Attack, built-in crit, and five Abyss Gear slots gives the weapon enough room to grow alongside the player's progression.
As a two-handed katana, the Hwando uses a distinct moveset that differs from standard two-handed swords and one-handed blades. The katana moveset emphasizes quick horizontal and diagonal slashes with smooth transitions between attacks, allowing players to maintain offensive pressure while staying mobile.
Input | Move |
|---|---|
Light Attack Chain | A fast sequence of horizontal and diagonal slashes. The combo finishes with a sweeping cut that covers a wide arc. Quick recovery between swings makes it easy to disengage mid-combo if needed. |
Heavy Attack | A powerful overhead slash with a longer wind-up. Deals significantly more damage per hit than light attacks and can stagger smaller enemies. Best used as a punish after dodging an enemy attack. |
Charged Attack | Hold the heavy attack input to charge a focused strike that deals increased damage and has a high chance to break enemy poise. Useful for opening engagements or finishing weakened targets. |
Rolling Attack | A quick lunging slash performed out of a dodge roll. The katana's forward reach on this move is excellent, allowing players to close distance and punish enemy whiffs from a safe range. |
Sprinting Attack | A dashing horizontal cut that covers good ground. Effective for engaging enemies from range or chasing down retreating foes. |
The katana moveset sits between the speed of one-handed swords and the power of heavy two-handed weapons. Players who enjoy a balance of offensive speed and damage per swing will find the Hwando's moveset particularly satisfying. The fast recovery on light attacks also makes it forgiving for players who are still learning enemy attack patterns and timing windows.
The Hwando stands out among early-game weapons for its combination of raw stats, pre-equipped Abyss Gears, and accessibility. Below is a comparison with other notable weapons available during the early chapters.
Weapon | Type | Attack | Notable Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
Hwando | Two-Handed Katana | 19 | 3 pre-equipped Abyss Gears, 5 total slots, crit boost |
Dual Axes | 12 each | Available during the prologue, earliest obtainable weapons | |
Two-Handed Sword | 16 | Found in Hernand, good balance of power and speed | |
Two-Handed Sword | 22 | Higher Attack but harder to obtain, requires dungeon exploration | |
Two-Handed Sword | 20 | Slightly higher Attack, obtained later in the story |
While the Darkbringer technically has a higher base Attack at 22, it requires significantly more effort to obtain (clearing a dungeon and defeating enemies well above early-game difficulty). The Hwando's advantage lies in its immediate accessibility: players can grab it within minutes of arriving in Hernand with nothing more than 30 Bronze Coins for a key. For the effort required, no other early weapon offers as much return.
Pick up the Hwando as soon as you arrive in Hernand. The 30 Bronze Coins for the key is a trivial investment compared to the power spike the weapon provides.
Fill the two empty Abyss Gear slots as soon as possible. Adding more offensive gears (such as a second Destruction or an Attack Speed boost) amplifies the Hwando's already strong damage profile.
Invest refinement materials into the Hwando early. Because its base stats are high, each refinement level yields a proportionally larger damage increase compared to weaker weapons.
Use the katana's fast light attack chain to build up hit combos, then finish with a heavy attack for burst damage. The speed of the light chain helps keep enemies staggered while you build momentum.
The Refined Palmar Pill found alongside the Hwando in the chest is a valuable healing item. Save it for a tough boss encounter rather than using it on regular enemies.
If you are running a crit-focused build, the Hwando's built-in Insight I gear gives it a natural head start. Stack additional crit-related Abyss Gears and food buffs to push the critical hit rate even higher.
While exploring Lioncrest Manor, bring a Mask if you want to loot the other valuables scattered around the estate. The main manor building contains the Brass Warden's Plate Gloves (10% bonus timber when logging), a strong early-game shield behind a locked door on the second floor, and a Gold Bar hidden above the fireplace that is worth 500 Silver at the bank.
The name "Hwando" originates from the Korean word for a type of traditional single-edged, curved sword historically used by Korean military forces. Hwando-style blades were common among mounted cavalry and infantry alike, prized for their cutting efficiency and relatively light weight compared to straight double-edged swords. The weapon's presence inside Lioncrest Manor suggests it was once the possession of the estate's nobility, possibly a war trophy or an heirloom from a foreign campaign.
Lioncrest Manor itself is one of the more prominent estates in the Hernand region, and the fact that the Hwando is locked away in a separate building rather than displayed in the main hall implies that whoever stored it understood its value. The chest containing the weapon is sealed behind a locked door on the second floor, tucked out of sight from the manor's guards and visitors. Whether it was hidden to protect it from thieves or to keep it out of the wrong hands is left to the player's interpretation.
