Overview
Mark of Darkness is a ring accessory in Crimson Desert. It is classified as Epic (Tier 4) equipment.
A ring proving the status of a deacon within Antumbra's followers. It symbolizes the qualification to pioneer the path of darkness and lead other followers.
Beyond its base stats, this ring provides Attack Speed Lv.0 (max Lv.4), Stamina Regen -50%.
Stats
Stat | Value |
|---|---|
Type | Ring |
Rarity | Epic (Tier 4) |
Attack | 0 (max 3 at +10) |
Lv.0 (max Lv.4) | |
Special Effect | Stamina Regen -50% |
Max Refinement | +10 |
Refinement
The Mark of Darkness can be refined to increase its stats. Each refinement level requires specific materials and Silver. The table below shows the stats and material costs at each refinement level.
Level | Attack | Special Effect | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
+0 | 0 | Attack Speed Lv.0 | Stamina Regen -50% | - |
+1 | 1 | Attack Speed Lv.0 | Stamina Regen -50% | Small Bone x1 |
+2 | 1 | Attack Speed Lv.1 | Stamina Regen -50% | Small Bone x3 |
+3 | 1 | Attack Speed Lv.1 | Stamina Regen -50% | Small Bone x5, Epidote x1 |
+4 | 2 | Attack Speed Lv.1 | Stamina Regen -50% | Small Bone x7, Epidote x2 |
+5 | 2 | Attack Speed Lv.2 | Stamina Regen -50% | Small Bone x9, Epidote x3, Silver Ore x2, Abyss Artifact x1 |
+6 | 2 | Attack Speed Lv.2 | Stamina Regen -18% | Small Bone x11, Epidote x4, Silver Ore x5, Abyss Artifact x1 |
+7 | 3 | Attack Speed Lv.2 | Stamina Regen -18% | Small Bone x13, Epidote x5, Silver Ore x7, Abyss Artifact x1 |
+8 | 3 | Attack Speed Lv.3 | Stamina Regen -18% | Small Bone x15, Epidote x7, Silver Ore x10, Diamond x2, Abyss Artifact x1 |
+9 | 3 | Attack Speed Lv.3 | Stamina Regen -16000% | Small Bone x20, Epidote x10, Silver Ore x15, Diamond x6, Abyss Artifact x1 |
+10 | 3 | Attack Speed Lv.4 | Stamina Regen -16000% | Aeserion's Scale x1, Abyss Artifact x1 |
How to Obtain
The Mark of Darkness is found inside Windier Manor in the city of Demeniss. The ring is locked inside a puzzle chest that requires solving a dial-matching puzzle to open.
Step-by-Step Guide
Travel to Windier Manor in Demeniss. The manor is a restricted area, so you must have a Mask equipped to enter without alerting guards.
Enter through the back of the building. The front entrance is guarded, but the rear has a breakable entry point.
Locate the puzzle chest inside the manor. The chest has a set of rotating dials that display image fragments.
Solve the puzzle by turning each dial until the image pieces align and match the complete picture. The puzzle is similar to other strongbox puzzles found throughout the game.
Open the chest to collect the Mark of Darkness ring.
The ring can be stolen (it is technically theft), so having the Mask equipped is critical. Without it, nearby NPCs will become hostile.
Strongbox Puzzle Details
The strongbox inside Winmia Manor (located just above Demeniss) contains the Mark of Darkness. The front entrance of the manor is guarded and the guards will not let you pass, so you need to go around to the back of the building. Look for a window that you can climb through to enter the manor undetected.
Once inside, locate the strongbox. The puzzle requires you to spin a set of squares until they form a whale image. Each square can be rotated independently, and you need to align all of them so the complete whale picture is visible. After solving the puzzle, you must have a thieving mask equipped to steal the ring from the chest.
At maximum refinement (+10), the Mark of Darkness grants +4 Attack Speed, tying it with the Witch's Ring for the highest attack speed bonus among rings.
Role in Stat Optimization
The Mark of Darkness is considered best in slot for the ring slot when pursuing the 15/15/15 stat benchmark. At max refinement (+10), it provides Attack Speed Lv.4, which translates to +4 Attack Speed. Paired with the Witch's Ring (+4 Attack Speed, obtained as a guaranteed drop from the Sage of the Desert during the Chapter 9 quest "Thinning Blade"), the two rings together contribute +8 Attack Speed from equipment. Three Attack Speed Abyss Cores (+3 each, but only 7 more needed) then push the total to 15.
Budget Alternative
Players who have not yet reached Windier Manor or prefer a simpler path can substitute two Tarnish Rings instead. Each Tarnish Ring provides +3 Attack Speed, giving +6 from rings alone. This requires one additional Attack Speed Abyss Core compared to the Mark of Darkness setup, but Tarnish Rings are significantly easier to obtain.
Detailed Location Guide
The Mark of Darkness is found in Demeniss, north of the city at Windmir Manor. Inside the manor, go upstairs and turn right, then proceed left through the corridor. Look for a strongbox with a dial-matching puzzle. Solve the puzzle by rotating the dials until the image fragments align into the complete picture. Opening the chest awards the Mark of Darkness. Note that the manor is a restricted area, so equip a Mask before entering to avoid alerting guards.
Combined Attack Speed Potential
Together with the Witch's Ring (also +4 attack speed at max refinement), the Mark of Darkness provides a total of +8 attack speed from rings alone. When you add two Attack Speed 3 Abyss Gears in boots (+3 each, totaling +6), the grand total reaches 14 attack speed, which is one point short of the cap at 15. This level of attack speed transforms greatsword combat into extremely fast swings that dramatically change how the weapon feels.
Abyss Gear Stat Mechanics
An important and counterintuitive mechanic to understand when building around the Mark of Darkness: Abyss Gear attack speed bonuses slotted into gloves and boots affect your attack speed regardless of which weapon you have equipped. However, crit rate or attack damage bonuses from Abyss Gears placed in gloves and boots only increase your unarmed attack stats. They do not carry over to sword or bow attacks. This means you should always use your glove and boot Abyss Gear slots for attack speed rather than crit or attack damage, because those other stats will only benefit punching, not your actual weapon swings.
Early Game Speedrun Pickup
The Mark of Darkness is the best ring slot piece available until the Witch's Ring unlocks during Chapter 9 of the main story. The chest version is already three times upgraded and scales up to +4 Attack Speed at full refinement, which makes it one of the most valuable pickups for any attack-speed focused build. Like the Necklace of Lightning, it has no level gate and a fresh Kliff can grab it as part of an early-game best-in-slot speedrun.
Pickup Route
The ring sits inside Windemere Manor, located north of the Wildlife Park in Demonis. The front entrance is guarded, so the cleanest approach is from the rear balcony rather than the main door.
Teleport to the Wildlife Park waypoint in Demonis and travel north until the manor is in sight.
Move around to the back of the manor rather than approaching the guarded front.
Use a triple jump to launch upward, then glide onto the upper balcony at the rear of the building.
Open the window on the balcony and climb inside.
Open the door, move one room further in, and look for the strongbox at the back of the interior.
Having a Mask equipped is recommended so that any stray NPC sightings do not trigger a bounty when you open the strongbox.
Strongbox Riddle
The strongbox at the back of the room uses a dial puzzle similar to the other manor puzzles in Hernand and Demonis. Solve it to claim the already +3 upgraded Mark of Darkness. Because the chest version arrives pre-refined, you only need a handful of additional upgrades to push it to its full +4 Attack Speed ceiling, and the ring can stay in your loadout all the way until the Witch's Ring becomes available in Chapter 9.
In the meantime, fill the other ring slot with a standard Tarnished Ring and keep feeding it duplicate Tarnished Rings dropped by bandits around the open world; that pair carries a speedrun Kliff through to the Witch's Ring unlock without any major attack speed gap.
Usage and Tips
Rings in Crimson Desert primarily boost offensive stats like Attack and Attack Speed. The Mark of Darkness can be equipped alongside other accessories to build toward specific combat roles.
The Stamina regeneration bonus affects how quickly your character recovers stamina, which fuels dodging, blocking, and attacking. Faster stamina recovery means more defensive options during high-pressure combat situations.
Refinement is available up to +10, which improves both the base stats and any bonus effects. Consider investing refinement materials if you plan to keep this accessory equipped for an extended period.
See Also
Accessories - Complete list of all accessories in Crimson Desert
Equipment - Overview of all gear types
Combat - Combat mechanics and strategies
Attack Speed Level 4 at Max Refinement
At maximum refinement, Mark of Darkness reaches attack speed level 4. Most other attack-speed rings cap at level 3, which is the practical reason this ring is singled out for high-end builds. It also carries a 6% stamina regeneration bonus, which feeds directly into the 30% stamina regen cap that sustained-attack builds aim for.
Best in Slot for Attack-Speed Builds
For any build that leans on sustained channels or combo chains, this ring is effectively best in slot. Examples include the Oongka whirlwind setup (paired with a crit-rate ring in the second slot) and Damiane's rapier lightning build (where both ring slots are filled with attack-speed level 4 rings). Pair it with the Engraved Silver Necklace when you only need one attack-speed ring and a crit necklace.
Two-Handed Sword Build Notes
In endgame two-handed sword loadouts, the Mark of Darkness is highlighted as one of only two rings in the game that grant level 4 attack speed at max refinement, the other being the Witch's Ring. Running both rings together lets turning-slash focused builds push attack speed and stamina regeneration to their highest available values, keeping Turning Slash rotations going without burning through the stamina pool.
Strongbox Trip Variability
The strongbox sits on the second floor of Windmir Manor in the Demeniss region and is tied to a puzzle. Depending on where the character is in the main story, an additional boss can spawn at the manor when the player arrives, so approach the pickup with a full loadout rather than a quick detour. After solving the puzzle and opening the strongbox, the ring can be taken to a Witch to extract and reapply its stats freely on other gear if a different pairing is preferred later.
Attack Speed Build Use
Mark of Darkness is one half of the strongest attack speed ring pair available. Worn together with Witch's Ring, the two contribute a combined +8 attack speed, which is the largest single boost to combo flow that any accessory pair offers. On the Combat God Gauntlets variant of the Kliff Unarmed Build this is the difference between a sluggish, animation-locked rotation and a fluid one with quick dodge transitions and fast follow-up windows. Attack speed is generally the highest-priority offensive stat for unarmed builds, and pairing these two rings is the most efficient way to hit a meaningful stack without sacrificing other accessory slots.
These rings are widely considered the best in the game for any melee or unarmed setup that benefits from attack speed. Upgrading both to their highest available tier should be a priority once they are in inventory.