Refinement and Upgrade Materials

Overview

Equipment upgrades in Crimson Desert are handled through the Refining System at Blacksmiths located in towns across Pywel. The primary Blacksmith is found in Hernand. To refine a piece of gear, players select the Refinement option and provide the required materials. Higher-level upgrades require rarer materials along with Abyss Artifacts.

Materials fall into three broad categories: wood (for wooden shields), ores and gems (for weapons, plate armor, metal shields, and jewelry), and animal/miscellaneous materials (for leather armor, soft armor, cloaks, and jewelry). Each category has its own gathering method and tool requirements.

How to Gather Materials

Two specialized tools are needed for resource gathering. Both can be purchased at the Provisioner's Shop in Hernand. Players can also use certain combat abilities as substitutes in the field.

Animal materials come from hunting wildlife across Pywel, and miscellaneous materials like cloth, fleece, and feathers come from camp production, enemy drops, and world exploration.

Ores and Metals

Ores are mined from rock deposits found along cliffs, inside caves, and on mountain walls. They are used to upgrade weapons, plate armor, and metal shields at the Blacksmith.

Gems and Crystals

Gems are mined from crystal deposits, which look different from standard ore veins. They tend to appear in mountainous terrain, caves, and harder-to-reach areas. Gems are primarily used to upgrade jewelry.

Wood Materials

Wood is gathered by felling trees with a Logging Axe. After chopping a tree down, continue hitting the fallen trunk to break it into collectible pieces. Wood materials are used to upgrade wooden shields.

Animal Materials

Animal materials come from hunting wildlife throughout Pywel. Different animal sizes yield different material types. These are primarily used for leather armor and jewelry upgrades.

Miscellaneous Materials

These materials are used for soft armor, cloaks, and certain jewelry upgrades. Sources vary from camp production to enemy drops and world exploration.

Abyss Artifacts

In addition to standard materials, higher-tier refinements require Abyss Artifacts. These are obtained through combat: defeating enemies, completing challenges, and earning quest rewards. They cannot be gathered from the open world like other materials.

Tips

• Buy your Pickaxe and Logging Axe early from the Provisioner's Shop in Hernand. Having both tools on hand lets you gather any deposit you come across during exploration.

• Ore deposits respawn over time, so revisiting productive areas is a reliable farming strategy.

• Each ore or crystal deposit contains up to 6 pieces of material per harvest.

• The Force Palm Attack and Turning Slash can substitute for the Pickaxe and Logging Axe respectively, letting you gather without switching tools.

• Expanding your Greymane Camp unlocks passive material production, including fleece from ranch animals.

• Rarer materials like Diamond and Epidote tend to be found in caves and hard-to-reach locations rather than along roads.

Confirmed materials

The following materials have been identified in official trailers, press releases, and hands-on previews.

Gathering methods

Resources are collected through six distinct gathering activities, each feeding into different crafting disciplines.

Tool durability

Unlike weapons, which have unlimited durability, resource-gathering tools wear down with use and can break. Confirmed tools with durability include pickaxes, wood-cutting axes, and blacksmith hammers. These tools are described as "easy enough to discover and craft," so running out of tools should not be a major concern. Replacement tools can be purchased from vendors, found in the world, or crafted at the camp blacksmith.

Crafting disciplines

Gathered materials feed into four core crafting systems.

Cooking

Players cook meals at the Greymane Camp that provide buffs to stamina, spirit, and health. Cooking ingredients come from fishing, hunting, farming, and ranching. Players physically stir ingredients at camp cauldrons. Cooking is described as integral to mercenary survival rather than a sideline activity. Confirmed cooked items include salt-grilled fish, fruit juice, meat jerky, and meat on toast (used as a health recovery consumable during boss fights).

Alchemy

Alchemy uses plants (flowers, herbs, lavender) and insects as ingredients to produce dyes for character customization, salves and potions for survival, and specialized tools. Alchemy also allows practitioners to imbue weapons with additional elemental abilities. Players can find alchemy recipes that let them craft items in the field, provided they have the necessary resources.

Blacksmithing

Blacksmiths in settlements refine weapons by increasing their base attack stats. Upgrade materials come from mining, defeating bosses, hunting, quest completion, and off-path exploration. Weapons can also have Abyss Gear augments socketed in, providing bonuses to attack speed, critical hit chance, and damage. Defeating a boss and equipping their gear grants special effects, including that boss's Signature Ability.

Camp construction

The Greymane Camp in Hernand requires wood, minerals, and food as construction materials. Building happens in real time as players physically place furniture and watch structures take shape. The camp expands over the course of the game as more resources are gathered and more Greymane companions are reunited.

Camp resource production

Beyond personal gathering, the camp provides additional ways to acquire materials.

Individual Material Guides

Each material below has a dedicated page with detailed farming locations, drop rates, and recommended routes.

Ores and Gems

Wood

Hides

Bones

Miscellaneous

Related Systems

Materials feed into several interconnected systems in Crimson Desert:

• Refinement and Upgrade Materials for details on how raw materials are processed into usable components

• Crafting for the full crafting system including blueprints and equipment forging

• Mining for ore and gem extraction techniques and locations

• Logging for timber harvesting methods and tree types

• Hunting for animal tracking, hide and bone drops

• Gathering for herb, flower, and miscellaneous resource collection

Regional distribution

Materials may be unique to specific regions of Pywel, meaning players who explore all five territories (Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia, and The Crimson Desert) will have access to the broadest range of crafting resources. Aligning with specific regional houses and factions through the Contribution System can unlock additional resource nodes that are otherwise restricted.