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Kliff Sword Build
April 25, 2026 at 03:16 PM
Rewired 2 wikilinks to longer matching article titles
The Kliff Sword Build focuses on one-handed weapons, specifically swords, as the primary damage tool for Kliff in Crimson Desert. Swords are the most versatile melee weapon type in the game, offering fast attack chains, balanced damage output, and the flexibility to pair with either a shield for defensive play or a second sword for aggressive dual wielding. This guide covers weapon progression from the opening chapters through endgame, recommended skills, armor sets, Abyss Cores, and combat strategies for both playstyles.
Swords sit at the core of Kliff's identity. He starts the game with a sword and shield, and most of the promotional material for Crimson Desert features him wielding a one-handed blade. Whether you prefer the safety of blocking and parrying behind a shield or the raw speed of dual wielding, the sword rewards players who learn its combo timings and invest in the right skills.
For broader information on all of Kliff's weapon options, see the Build Guide: Kliff article. For the dedicated shield-focused playstyle, see the Kliff Sword and Shield Build. For dual wielding specifically, see the Kliff Dual-Wield Build.
One-handed swords support two distinct configurations, each with its own strengths. You can switch between them freely at any time through the weapon wheel, so there is no permanent commitment.
Variant | Off-Hand | Strengths | Trade-Offs |
|---|---|---|---|
Sword and Shield | Block, Parry, and Counter mechanics; highest survivability; access to shield-specific Abyss Gear like Aegis and Fortification | Fewer offensive Abyss Core slots; slower kill speed against groups | |
Dual Wield | Second one-handed sword | Double offensive Abyss Core slots; faster attack chains; stronger Blinding Flash Finisher and Forward Slash combos | No shield-specific Abyss Gear; slightly less damage mitigation on blocks |
Both variants share the same core skill investments. The difference comes down to whether you slot a shield or a second weapon in the off-hand. Dual wielding still allows blocking and parrying; the damage reduction on blocks is comparable to a shield for most attacks, but you lose access to dedicated shield Abyss Gears.
The table below outlines the strongest swords available at each stage of the game. Swords are listed in the order you can realistically obtain them during a normal playthrough.
Weapon | ATK | Stage | How to Obtain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | ATK Speed Lv 1 | Early (Ch. 1) | Starting weapon; available from the beginning of the game | |
17 | ATK Speed Lv 2, CRIT Lv 1 | Early (Ch. 2) | Found in Dawn Cave behind a waterfall at the Mountain of Frozen Souls in southern Hernand; use the Stab skill to pass through the waterfall | |
17 | ATK Speed Lv 1, CRIT Lv 1 | Early (Ch. 2) | Found in Death's Grip Cavern behind a waterfall in Everforst, southwestern Hernand; use Stab to enter. Comes at Refinement Lv 2 with three Abyss Cores pre-installed | |
13 | ATK Speed Lv 2; includes Wind Slash Abyss Gear | Mid (Ch. 2 reward) | Defeat Kailok the Hornsplitter at the end of Chapter 2 | |
17 | ATK Speed Lv 1; includes Crow's Pursuit Abyss Core | Mid (Ch. 5) | Defeat Crowcaller during the Black and White questline in Chapter 5 | |
19 | CRIT Lv 2 | Mid-Late (Ch. 7) | Collected from Jian's grave during Chapter 7 | |
25 | Arrives at Refinement Lv 6; includes Greysoul Howling Abyss Gear | Late (Ch. 9) | Found in the Nest of Valor in Dry Valley after defeating Goyen during the Unwavering Steps quest in Chapter 9. Max refinement reaches 34 ATK |
Early game pick: The Hollow Visage and Survivor's Solitude are both accessible before finishing Chapter 2 and carry strong pre-installed Abyss Cores. The Hollow Visage edges ahead on attack speed, while Survivor's Solitude starts at Refinement Lv 2, saving you upgrade materials. Either sword can carry you comfortably through Chapter 6.
Endgame pick: The Fated Shadow is the strongest one-handed sword in the game by raw attack power. It arrives at Refinement Lv 6 with the Greysoul Howling ability already slotted, which summons a phantom of Goyen to deliver a sweeping shadow strike during Turning Slash. At maximum refinement it reaches 34 ATK, surpassing every other one-handed option.
If you are running the sword and shield variant, the following shields provide the best value at each stage.
Shield | DEF | How to Obtain | |
|---|---|---|---|
6 | 2 (Fortification I, Aegis I pre-installed) | Available early in the game | |
12 (max 35) | 2 | Found at the Witch's House in Hernand; check the second floor balcony door. No combat required |
The Lifsoth Large Shield is one of the easiest powerful items to collect in the game because it requires no boss fight. Its defense scales from 12 to 35 through refinement, making it viable through the entire endgame.
For dual wielding, equip two one-handed swords. The specific combination does not change the moveset; dual wielding uses the same attack animations regardless of which weapons are paired. What matters is the Abyss Core loadout on each weapon.
Stage | Primary Hand | Off-Hand | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Early | Sword of the Lord provides Wind Slash for AoE; Hollow Visage adds attack speed and crit | ||
Mid | Tauria adds Crow's Pursuit for passive damage alongside Wind Slash | ||
Late | Fated Shadow's raw power plus Greysoul Howling; Tauria provides Crow's Pursuit in the off-hand |
Regardless of whether you run a shield or dual wield, keep a Warspike Spear (14 ATK) or Rhinard Cannon in your secondary slot. After staggering a boss with your sword, Quick Swap to the spear for burst damage. The spear's longer reach and counter properties make it the ideal follow-up to a successful stagger.
The armor set below balances defense, Abyss Core capacity, and accessibility. Most pieces come from the Contribution shop in Hernand and remain effective through the endgame.
Slot | DEF | Abyss Sockets | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head | 5 | 1 | Contribution shop in Hernand | |
Chest | 10 | 3 | Contribution shop in Hernand; highest socket count of any chest piece | |
3 | 2 | Adds ATK 13 and CRIT 2; strong offensive bonus | ||
Boots | 5 | 2 | Adds ATK 16, ATK Speed 1, Move Speed 1 | |
Cloak | Paulenese Cloak | 2 | 1 | Ice Resistance Lv 3; essential for the Pailune region. Available at the Pailune Contribution shop |
Accessory | 1 | 0 | DEF 1, Move Speed 1 |
Early game alternative: The Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom includes the Momentum Abyss Gear, which boosts Turning Slash damage by 35%. This is a significant damage increase during early chapters. Swap to the Bolton Plate Helm once you need the extra defense and Abyss Core socket for later content.
Kliff's skill system is divided into three trees: Stamina, Spirit, and Health. Sword builds invest primarily in Stamina for offense and Spirit for defense, with a smaller allocation to Health for survivability.
The Stamina tree contains your core offensive abilities. Invest at least 5 points into Stamina to ensure you can execute full combo chains without running dry.
Skill | Type | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Passive | Foundation skill that enables all weapon combo chains | Essential | |
Active | Instantly switch to your secondary weapon mid-combo; enables burst damage on staggered targets | Essential | |
Active | Powerful lunging strike; gains enemy tracking at higher ranks, making it nearly impossible to miss | High | |
Active | Spinning overhead strike that launches enemies; has i-frames and Super Armor penetration. One of the highest DPS skills in the game | High | |
Active | Reflects light to disrupt enemy vision; Blinding Flash Finisher follows up with a rapid flurry of attacks. Core opener for dual-wield builds | High | |
Active | Unlocks Lariat, Throw, Restrain, and Giant Swing for crowd control | Medium | |
Active | Medium | ||
Active | Consecutive spinning attacks; strong AoE when chained into Stab and Lariat | Medium | |
Passive | Enhances heavy attack damage when held | Low |
The Spirit tree provides essential defensive mechanics. These skills define your survivability during boss fights.
Skill | Type | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Passive | Lv 1: Parry; Lv 2: Dodge; Lv 3: Counter. The single most important defensive skill in the game | Essential | |
Active | Creates spacing and opens a window for follow-up heavy attacks; also enables Aerial Force Palm for vertical mobility | Essential | |
Active | Creates an illusion that replicates your attacks, doubling damage output. Requires Keen Senses Lv 3 and Forward Slash Lv 3 | High | |
Active | Improved dodge roll for repositioning during boss encounters | Medium | |
Active | Ranged option for hitting mobile enemies that stay out of melee reach | Low |
Invest at least 4 points into Health for reliable survivability. Two picks from this tree round out the build.
Skill | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|
Allows mid-air dodging; essential for avoiding boss AoE attacks | Medium | |
Passive boost to overall Health scaling and recovery | Low |
When spending Abyss Artifacts, distribute your points according to the following priorities.
Stat | Minimum Points | Reason |
|---|---|---|
4+ | Survivability comes first. Without adequate Health, a single boss combo can end a fight | |
5+ | Enables full combo execution and battlefield mobility. Push past 200 Stamina as early as possible to complete full heavy attack rotations without running dry | |
3+ | Fuels Spirit tree skills like Nature's Echo and Force Palm. Invest after Health and Stamina are comfortable |
With the Fated Shadow (or any well-socketed sword), the Lifsoth Large Shield (if using sword and shield), and the recommended armor set, you have roughly 10 to 15 Abyss Core sockets to fill depending on your configuration. The table below lists the most effective cores for sword builds.
Effect | Best Slots | |
|---|---|---|
Swift | Increases attack speed; more swings per combo window means more damage and faster stagger buildup | Weapon, Gloves |
Destruction | Flat attack power increase; scales well on high-base-ATK weapons | Weapon |
Passively launches magical crows at enemies with each swing; adds consistent bonus damage over time | Weapon | |
Creates lava eruptions beneath enemies for area crowd control; obtained from Myurdin in Chapter 7 | Weapon | |
Fortification | Increases defense; stacks well on high-DEF armor and shields | Shield, Chest |
Aegis | Improves shield blocking effectiveness; reduces Stamina drain on blocks | Shield only |
Recovers Stamina on hit; keeps your combo chain going without pausing to regenerate | Off-hand weapon (dual wield) | |
Insight | Increases critical rate; synergizes with weapons that already have CRIT bonuses | Weapon |
Cores to avoid: Haste cores increase movement speed, but this stat is largely irrelevant because the mount system handles all long-distance travel. Those sockets are better spent on Swift, Destruction, or Fortification.
Dual-wield advantage: Running two swords doubles your offensive Abyss Core capacity. Stack Destruction and Swift on the primary hand, then use Crow's Pursuit and Stamina Transference on the off-hand to maintain both passive damage and Stamina recovery.
Open with Blinding Flash to reveal weaknesses and increase your damage output.
Perform two Heavy Attacks to begin building stagger on the boss.
Follow immediately with Force Palm to create spacing and open another attack window.
Deliver two more Heavy Attacks into the opening created by Force Palm.
When the boss staggers, activate Quick Swap to switch to your Warspike Spear for burst damage.
Use Turning Slash for additional burst while the boss recovers.
Return to sword and shield and repeat the cycle.
Between rotations, watch for boss telegraphs and use Parry (from Keen Senses) to deflect incoming attacks. A successful Parry opens a free punish window for Stab or Forward Slash. If a boss launches an AoE attack, use Aerial Maneuver to dodge upward and avoid the hit entirely.
Open with Blinding Flash followed by Blinding Flash Finisher for burst AoE damage and a debuff on the target.
Chain Forward Slash into Spinning Slash for sustained damage.
Weave in Turning Slash when you have a safe opening; its i-frames protect you during the animation.
On stagger, use Quick Swap to swap to a spear for burst, then swap back.
Use Dodge and Evasive Roll instead of blocking to avoid damage while staying offensive.
The dual-wield rotation is faster and more aggressive than the shield variant. You trade the safety of blocking for higher sustained damage. This approach works best when you are confident reading boss attack patterns and can consistently time dodges.
Against groups of regular enemies, both variants shift toward area-of-effect skills.
Use Lariat (from the Grappling skill line) to grab and slam enemies, damaging nearby targets.
Turning Slash hits multiple enemies with the spinning strike. Combine with the Momentum Abyss Gear (on the Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom) for 35% bonus damage during early chapters.
Clean up stragglers with Forward Slash chains, which track toward enemies at higher ranks.
For dual wield, Blinding Flash Finisher alone can clear entire packs of weaker enemies in one use.
Start with the Sword of the Wolf and any available shield.
As soon as possible, pick up the Hollow Visage from Dawn Cave or Survivor's Solitude from Death's Grip Cavern. Either one is a significant upgrade over the starting sword.
Equip the Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom for its Momentum Abyss Gear, boosting Turning Slash damage by 35%.
Focus on unlocking Keen Senses upgrades and Forward Slash from the Stamina tree.
After defeating Kailok the Hornsplitter, pick up the Sword of the Lord for its Wind Slash AoE damage.
Travel to the Witch's House in Hernand and collect the Lifsoth Large Shield from the second floor balcony (no combat required).
Purchase the Bolton Plate Helm and Canta Plate Armor from the Contribution shop in Hernand.
Defeat Crowcaller in Chapter 5 to obtain the Tauria Curved Sword with its built-in Crow's Pursuit core.
Unlock Nature's Echo once you have Keen Senses Lv 3 and Forward Slash Lv 3. This skill effectively doubles your damage during punish windows.
Pick up the Paulenese Cloak from the Pailune Contribution shop before entering the ice region for its Ice Resistance Lv 3.
If you want to try dual wielding, pair the Sword of the Lord with the Tauria Curved Sword for a potent mid-game combination.
Collect Wolf's Fang from Jian's grave during Chapter 7 for a high-crit option.
Defeat Goyen during the Unwavering Steps quest in Chapter 9 to unlock the Fated Shadow, the strongest one-handed sword in the game.
Fully refine the Fated Shadow at the Blacksmith to reach its maximum 34 ATK.
Fill all available Abyss Core sockets with Swift, Destruction, Crow's Pursuit, and Groundsurge cores.
Continue upgrading the Lifsoth Large Shield to its maximum 35 DEF if running the shield variant.
At this stage, the build's damage output rivals glass-cannon setups while retaining the defensive safety of the shield and Parry mechanics (or the sustained DPS ceiling of dual wielding).
Master Parry timing early. The Parry window is generous compared to similar action games. Practicing on early-game enemies builds muscle memory that pays off against later bosses.
Activate Nature's Echo before big openings. If you know a boss is about to stagger, activate Nature's Echo beforehand. Both you and the illusion will attack during the punish window, effectively doubling your burst.
Do not neglect Grappling skills. Lariat and Giant Swing provide crowd control that no other skill in this build matches. They are invaluable against large groups.
Upgrade your shield alongside your sword. Many players focus entirely on weapon refinement and neglect shield defense. A fully upgraded Lifsoth Large Shield at 35 DEF turns blocks into a near-free defensive tool.
Quick Swap is the build's secret weapon. The ability to instantly switch to a spear on boss stagger elevates this build from good to great. Keep your secondary weapon upgraded and ready.
Carry the Paulenese Cloak at all times. Even if you prefer another cloak for general play, Ice Resistance Lv 3 is essential for several boss encounters and environmental zones in Pailune.
Explore hidden caves for free upgrades. Both Dawn Cave and Death's Grip Cavern are hidden behind waterfalls and require the Stab skill to enter. These weapons provide major power spikes at no cost.
Dual wield is not locked behind progression. As soon as you have two one-handed weapons, you can equip a second sword in place of your shield through the weapon wheel. Try it against early-game mobs to see if the playstyle suits you.
If you want to specialize further or try a different approach, Kliff has several alternative weapon loadouts:
Kliff Sword and Shield Build: In-depth guide focused specifically on the defensive sword-and-shield playstyle with detailed shield mechanics.
Kliff Dual-Wield Build: Dedicated guide for the aggressive twin-blade configuration with combo chains and Abyss Core optimization.
Kliff Longsword Build: Two-handed offensive setup that sacrifices shield defense for higher raw damage per hit.
Kliff Spear Build: Reach-focused build that keeps enemies at distance with long-range thrusts and counters.
Kliff Unarmed Build: Grapple-heavy martial arts build using throws and kicks for a unique combat experience.
Bow Build Guide: Ranged alternative for players who prefer keeping their distance from enemies.
