Overview
Matthias (Boss) is the first story boss encounter in Crimson Desert. Players face him during the main quest "For Honor" in Chapter 2: Golden Greed, as part of the Hernand in Chaos sub-chapter. The fight takes place in the town square of Hernand, where Matthias and his companions from the Order of Light confront Kliff after recognizing him as a Greymane.
Matthias is widely considered the easiest boss in the game. He wields a two-handed broadsword, uses his pauldron as a makeshift shield, and has two health bars. His attacks are slow and heavily telegraphed, which makes this encounter an ideal introduction to the core combat mechanics of blocking, parrying, and dodging. More importantly, this fight introduces the Watch and Learn system, allowing Kliff to permanently acquire the Pump Kick skill by observing Matthias perform it mid-fight.
Boss Stats
Stat | Details |
|---|---|
Quest | |
Location | |
Chapter | Chapter 2: Golden Greed (Hernand in Chaos) |
Health Bars | 2 (blue bar followed by red bar) |
Weapon | Two-handed broadsword |
Damage Type | Physical (melee) |
Difficulty | Very Low (tutorial boss) |
Boss Type | Mandatory (cannot be skipped) |
Playable Character | |
Reward | Pump Kick skill |
Encounter Trigger
The fight begins during a scripted walking sequence with Marius. As the two traverse the Hernand region, they encounter a group of soldiers in the town square. The soldiers recognize Kliff as a Greymane, and Matthias steps forward to challenge him to a duel. The scene transitions directly into the boss arena without a loading screen, using the town square itself as the combat zone.
Pearl Abyss uses this moment to demonstrate how narrative and gameplay flow together in Crimson Desert. The quiet, conversational walk with Marius builds a sense of calm, making the sudden transition to a boss fight feel organic rather than predictable.
Lore
Matthias is the leader of the Order of Light. Once a knight sworn to a noble house, he upheld his honor and courtesy even after his lord fell from power. Rather than abandon his principles, he gathered like-minded companions and founded the Order of Light. He takes great pride in his swordsmanship and relishes the chance to spar with worthy opponents, which is why he dares to challenge a Greymane warrior in broad daylight.
Health Bar Phases
Matthias has two separate HP bars that must be depleted in sequence. The first phase uses a blue health bar, and the second phase switches to a red bar. Despite the visual change, his core moveset stays mostly the same across both phases. The second phase sees Matthias becoming slightly more aggressive, with shorter pauses between his attack chains, but the same patterns and counters still apply. The fight is about consistent execution rather than adapting to new mechanics.
Attack Patterns
Matthias has four named attacks. All of them have long wind-up animations and clear visual tells, giving players plenty of time to react. His overall damage output is low compared to later bosses, making this an excellent fight for learning the timing of blocks, parries, and dodges.
Attack | Description | How to Counter |
|---|---|---|
Kick (Pump Kick) | Matthias drops both arms and charges forward with a double flying knee kick. This is his signature move and has high knockdown potential. If it connects, he follows up with additional strikes while you recover. | Sidestep left or right when you see him drop his arms. Do not dodge backward, because the forward momentum will still catch you. This is also the attack you need to observe for the Watch and Learn mechanic. |
Crimson Slash | Matthias charges his broadsword with red energy, producing a visible crimson glow on the blade. He then delivers two heavy slashes in quick succession: a wide sweeping strike followed by an overhead chop. | If you are close enough, interrupt him during the charging phase before the glow completes. Otherwise, backslide to a safe distance and dash forward to punish after the second slash finishes its recovery animation. |
Three Slash Combo | A primary chain of three consecutive sword slashes. Each hit is blockable, and the pattern is consistent once it starts. This is his most frequent attack. | Block all three hits with your shield. A successful block on any of the slashes interrupts the combo and opens a counter window. Alternatively, parry the first hit for a faster punish. |
Broadsword Swing | A heavy horizontal arc that covers a wide area in front of Matthias. Slow wind-up but deals heavy damage relative to his other attacks. | Step backward to avoid the sweep entirely. The recovery animation lasts roughly one second, giving you time to dash forward and land two to three hits before he resets. |
Watch and Learn: Pump Kick
The Matthias fight introduces the Watch and Learn mechanic, one of Crimson Desert's unique combat systems. During the fight, Matthias will perform his Pump Kick attack. When he does, keep your camera pointed directly at him and hold the Interact button. A prompt appears on screen confirming the skill observation. Once learned, the Pump Kick is permanently added to your moveset.
You do not need to get hit by the Pump Kick to learn it. You just need to be facing Matthias and watching him perform the move. The prompt appears briefly, so be ready to hold the Interact button as soon as you see the on-screen indicator.
Once you have learned the Pump Kick, use it against Matthias. Landing the kick on him leaves him completely vulnerable for several seconds, creating a massive damage window. This is by far the fastest way to deplete his health bars.
Strategy
Recommended Approach: Pump Kick Exploitation
The most efficient strategy revolves around learning and then spamming the Pump Kick. Wait for Matthias to perform his Pump Kick, use Watch and Learn to acquire it, then use it against him repeatedly. Each successful Pump Kick leaves him staggered and open for a full combo. You can knock him to the edge of the arena this way and finish the fight quickly.
Alternative Approach: Combo Pressure
If you prefer a more traditional fight, use a repeating combo pattern: three light attacks followed by three heavy attacks. The heavy attacks will interrupt Matthias mid-swing. After the combo, dodge backward to recover stamina, then sprint forward and repeat. This approach is slower but requires less precise timing.
Defensive Play
Keep your shield raised throughout the fight. Matthias does not have any attacks that drain your stamina in a single hit, so blocking is always safe. Hold your shield up to observe his patterns, then drop it to counterattack during his recovery windows. This is especially useful in the early moments of the fight when you are still learning his timing.
Tips
Bring food. Stock up on Grilled Meat before the fight. You can heal during combat by holding the directional pad to open the item wheel, selecting a food item, and tapping the button to consume it. Each piece of Grilled Meat restores 140 HP.
Do not rush. The fight is not timed. Take it slowly and focus on learning the combat rhythm. Matthias punishes careless aggression less than later bosses, but developing patience here pays off throughout the rest of the game.
Save stamina for dodges. Light attacks do not consume stamina, but heavy attacks and dodges do. Keep enough stamina in reserve to sidestep the Pump Kick rather than spending it all on offensive combos.
Parry practice. Matthias's Three Slash Combo has clear, consistent timing. Use it to practice parrying. Successful parries create larger counter windows than standard blocks.
Watch for the red glow. Both the Crimson Slash and Broadsword Swing have visible red indicators on the blade. When you see the glow, prioritize evasion over blocking.
Use the full arena. The town square is an open space with no environmental hazards. Circle around Matthias to create distance when your stamina is low, then close in after he finishes an attack chain.
Rewards
Defeating Matthias awards the Pump Kick skill permanently. A notification appears on screen during the fight confirming the unlock. The Pump Kick is a powerful two-footed kick that sends enemies flying, creating distance and setting up follow-up attacks. It remains useful throughout the entire campaign, particularly against other human-scale bosses where knockdowns create large damage windows.
What Happens After
After Kliff defeats Matthias, Barden Middler appears and triggers a cutscene. Barden, a central figure in Calphade, asks Kliff for help identifying brigands who have been harassing local people. This investigation sets off a chain of events involving burning houses, rescuing survivors, recovering an artifact, and finding a healer named Hubert. The Matthias fight is therefore not just a standalone encounter but the gateway to a larger quest chain that eventually leads to Barden recruiting Kliff for the Calphade Rebellion.
Boss Roster Context
Matthias is the introductory human-scale boss in Crimson Desert. His straightforward attack patterns and low damage output stand in sharp contrast to later bosses like the Staglord (three health bars, phase transitions), Lucian Bastier (ranged combat and smoke grenades), or Cassius Morten (environmental pillar mechanics). His role is to teach the fundamentals that those later encounters will test at a much higher level.