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Crimson Desert is an enormous open-world action RPG with hundreds of hours of content, and while the game is generous about letting players explore at their own pace, there are several categories of content that can be permanently missed or rendered untrackable if you are not careful. This guide covers every known missable element so that completionists can plan their playthroughs accordingly.
The good news is that no trophies or achievements are permanently missable in the traditional sense. The bad news is that the game's challenge tracking system contains a structural trap that can waste dozens of hours of progress if you do not understand how it works before you start grinding. Read the section on Sealed Abyss Artifacts carefully before you commit to any lengthy activity.
The good news is that Crimson Desert is fairly forgiving when it comes to permanently missable content. There are no missable trophies, and you will not lock yourself out of the main story or the ending regardless of how you play. That said, a handful of skills, challenges, and one-time events can slip past you if you are not paying attention, and some of them are locked behind specific chapters or world states that change as you progress.
This guide covers everything that can be missed or only experienced once, organized by category so you can plan accordingly.
This is the single most important thing to understand for completionists. Sealed Abyss Artifacts are collectible items scattered across Pywel, typically found along roadsides. There are 141 of them in total, and each one unlocks a specific challenge in your Journal when picked up.
The critical rule: challenge progress only counts after you find the corresponding artifact. Anything you do before picking up a particular Sealed Abyss Artifact will not count toward that artifact's associated challenge. If you spend forty hours mastering the bow before you find the archery artifact, zero of those bow kills will count toward your challenge progress.
This is not a bug. It is how the system is designed. The practical consequence is that you should collect all 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts before you start seriously grinding any specific activity. Otherwise, you will have to repeat work that you already did.
Ring all 8 bells to clear the fog of war across the entire map. This reveals the world and makes artifact hunting much easier.
Collect all 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts before engaging in challenge-related activities. They appear as purple icons on your minimap when you are nearby. Holding up your lantern causes them to emit a white glow from a distance.
Once all artifacts are collected, begin working through challenges with full tracking active. Check your Journal's Challenges tab to monitor progress.
This one step alone can save you dozens of hours of duplicated effort. Do not skip it.
If you want to avoid missing anything on a single playthrough, follow this general priority order:
Hunt for Sealed Abyss Artifacts early and unlock all challenge categories before doing much else.
Complete watchtower and cannon-related challenges before liberating every enemy base.
Walk the road in Chapter 4 instead of fast traveling to learn Focused Force Palm for free.
Finish companion loyalty quests before progressing into the late-game siege chapters.
Check every NPC and vendor in a town before moving on, especially for one-time purchases like Small Bags.
Explore off the beaten path for dynamic world events. If you see smoke or hear shouting, investigate.
Two specific battle challenges are tied to enemy watchtowers and fortifications. There are reports that these challenges may become unavailable after you liberate all enemy bases in the open world. While this has not been conclusively confirmed, the safest approach is to complete them early.
Challenge | Type | Risk | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
Battle Challenge: Sinking Fort | Battle Challenge | May become unavailable after all enemy bases are liberated | Complete before clearing all enemy strongholds |
Cannon: Barraging Cannon V | Battle Challenge | May become unavailable after all enemy bases are liberated | Complete before clearing all enemy strongholds |
Both of these challenges involve destroying enemy watchtowers. If you clear every enemy stronghold on the map before completing these challenges, the watchtowers themselves may no longer exist, making the challenges impossible to finish. Prioritize these early in your playthrough.
Several skills in Crimson Desert can be learned for free through a "watch and learn" mechanic called Observing. During certain fights and story events, time will slow down and a "Learning" progress bar appears in the top-left corner of the screen. Kliff is watching an enemy or spirit perform a technique, and if you let the enemy use the move enough times (indicated by a counter like 1/3, 2/3, 3/3), Kliff permanently learns the skill without spending an Abyss Artifact.
Several abilities in Crimson Desert use the Observation Learning system, where Kliff watches an NPC or spirit perform a technique and learns it for free without spending a skill point. These are tied to specific quests or story moments, and if you bypass them, you lose the chance to learn that skill early.
Skill | Chapter | How to Learn | What Happens If You Miss It |
|---|---|---|---|
Chapter 4 | Follow the road toward Scholastone Institute and look for a blocked passageway. A spirit guide appears near a hidden cave and teaches you the skill through the observe mechanic. | If you fast travel near Scholastone or take an alternate route, you skip the cave entirely. The skill becomes available again in Chapter 9, but you lose access to it for roughly five chapters. This is a big deal because Focused Force Palm breaks through magical walls that hide treasure. | |
Observation Skills (General) | Various | Watch for prompts during quests that say "observe this skill in action to learn it." Stay near the NPC performing the technique until the learning animation completes. | The skill point cost for learning the ability through the normal skill tree still applies. You just miss the free unlock. |
The most commonly missed observation skill is Focused Force Palm because the trigger zone is easy to bypass with fast travel. When the Chapter 4 walkthrough sends you toward Scholastone, walk the road on foot rather than teleporting to a nearby Abyss Nexus.
They are free. Observable skills do not cost Abyss Artifacts to learn, saving you valuable upgrade resources.
They survive respecs. Because no artifacts were spent on these skills, they remain permanently unlocked even if you reset your skill tree using Faded Abyss Artifacts.
Some are tied to specific encounters. If you rush through a boss fight or skip an optional encounter, you may miss the observation window and have to spend artifacts to learn the skill instead.
Skill | Source | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Hologram in the Abyss | Chapter 1 | Hold the Observe button while looking at the hologram during the Abyss Without Balance quest | |
Hornsplitter boss | Chapter 2 | Allow the Hornsplitter to perform its rolling attack multiple times during the fight | |
Spirit guide near Scholastone | Chapter 4 | Found on the road to Scholastone; if you take an alternate route, you may not encounter the spirit guide until Chapter 9 |
Most major bosses offer at least one observable skill. The skills that can be observed are marked in your skill tree with a special indicator. You may want to hold off purchasing these skills with artifacts, since you can potentially learn them for free during the appropriate encounter.
If you end up killing a boss too quickly or bypassing the encounter entirely, the skill is not lost forever. You can still learn it by spending Abyss Artifacts through the normal skill tree. However, you lose the benefit of getting it for free.
The Focused Force Palm ability deserves special attention because it is both easy to miss and extremely useful. This skill allows you to break through magical walls that conceal rewards, including the item required to activate the Howling Hill camp fast travel point.
During Chapter 4 (The Price of Knowledge), as you travel toward Scholastone, there is a specific road that leads to a cave with a spirit guide. Observing this spirit guide teaches Focused Force Palm at no artifact cost. However, if you take a different path to Scholastone or advance the main quest past this point, you will not encounter the spirit guide. You can still learn the ability later in Chapter 9, but there is a long gap between these two opportunities.
To avoid missing this window, follow the main road toward Scholastone during Chapter 4 and watch for the cave entrance with the spirit guide.
The following table summarizes what content to be aware of in each chapter of the main story. Most side content remains available after progressing, but certain observation opportunities and environmental conditions change as the story advances.
Chapter | Key Missable or Time-Sensitive Content |
|---|---|
No known missable content. is a tutorial sequence. | |
Force Palm can be observed during the Abyss Without Balance quest. Begin collecting Sealed Abyss Artifacts as early as possible. | |
Evasive Roll can be observed during the Hornsplitter boss fight in Hernand. Do not rush this fight. | |
Damiane is unlocked as a playable character early in this chapter. Explore her unique skill tree and equipment. | |
Focused Force Palm can be observed from a spirit guide near Scholastone. Take the main road and watch for the cave entrance. If missed, the next opportunity is Chapter 9. | |
No uniquely missable content confirmed. Continue collecting artifacts and completing challenges. | |
The bell in Calphade is temporarily unavailable during this chapter. Complete watchtower challenges before this chapter if possible. Major faction warfare events may alter town layouts. | |
Oongka becomes playable at the end of this chapter after completing the side quest "Gentle Sound of Flowing River." The bell in Pailune becomes ringable after liberating Pailune. | |
Major story events. Complete any remaining faction work and watchtower challenges before advancing if you have not already. | |
Focused Force Palm becomes learnable again in Chapter 9 if missed in Chapter 4. The final chapters focus heavily on the main story but side content remains accessible. |
Faction quests and other side quests are generally not permanently missable. You can return to them even after advancing through multiple chapters. Request quests posted on notice boards in towns like Hernand and Pailune persist and can be picked up at any point during your playthrough.
Some quests require finding an NPC at a specific time of day. If you arrive at the wrong time, look for a nearby bench or resting spot where you can wait until the NPC appears. This does not make the quest missable; it simply means you may need to pass time before the quest giver is available.
The one area of concern involves mercenary loyalty quests and faction-specific questlines tied to NPCs who may be affected by major story events. It is recommended to complete faction quests, particularly those with gold quest markers, before advancing through chapters that involve large-scale battles or sieges. If certain NPCs are killed during story events, their associated questlines become unavailable for that playthrough.
Most collectibles in Crimson Desert are not missable. Sealed Abyss Artifacts, Ancient Ruins puzzles, Secret Places, and other exploration content remain in the world regardless of story progression. You can return to collect them at any time.
There are 8 bells in total that clear the fog of war and reveal the map. Seven of the eight bells are accessible from Chapter 1 onward. Two exceptions to note:
Pailune bell: Can only be rung after liberating Pailune during Chapter 7.
Calphade bell: Temporarily unavailable during Chapter 6 events, but accessible before and after.
Neither bell is permanently missable. They simply have temporary availability windows tied to story progression.
The jetpack is a traversal tool that is entirely optional and easy to overlook. It is not tied to the main story and requires exploration to find. You can complete an entire playthrough without ever using or discovering it. While not technically missable (it remains in its location indefinitely), it is worth seeking out for the mobility it provides.
The three playable characters are all unlocked through story progression and are not missable as long as you play through the main quest:
Kliff: Available from the start of the game.
Damiane: Unlocked early in Chapter 3 (Howling Hill).
Oongka: Becomes playable at the end of Chapter 7. Requires completing the side quest "Gentle Sound of Flowing River" to permanently unlock him after the initial story introduction.
Each character has a unique skill tree and equipment set. Their unlock is tied to main quest progression, so you cannot miss them. However, Oongka's permanent unlock does require completing a specific side quest, so do not ignore the "Gentle Sound of Flowing River" quest marker when it appears.
New Game Plus unlocks after completing the main story. In this mode, you begin a new playthrough while retaining your character stats, learned skills, and select equipment from the previous run. Enemies and bosses are scaled up significantly to provide a greater challenge.
New Game Plus gives you another opportunity to complete any challenges or observe any skills that you missed during your first playthrough. Since your character carries over their progression, you can focus on the content you missed rather than rebuilding from scratch. However, challenge progress tied to Sealed Abyss Artifacts resets, so you will need to collect the artifacts again to reactivate tracking.
For players who missed watchtower challenges or specific observation windows, New Game Plus offers a clean slate with enemy bases and story encounters fully restored.
After completing the main story and the Epilogue, the game returns you to the open world where you can continue exploring, completing side quests, and working on challenges. The vast majority of content remains accessible in this post-game state, including faction quests, exploration content, and collectibles.
The primary content that cannot be recovered in post-game is any observable skill that was tied to a story boss or scripted event that already concluded. You can still learn those skills by spending Abyss Artifacts in the skill tree, but you lose the opportunity to get them for free through observation.
If you are aiming for 100% completion or the platinum trophy, here is the recommended priority order to avoid losing progress:
Ring all 8 bells to reveal the full map as soon as they become available.
Collect all 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts before grinding any activities. This ensures all challenge tracking is active.
Complete watchtower challenges (Sinking Fort, Barraging Cannon V) before liberating all enemy bases.
Take your time with boss fights to observe and learn free skills. Watch for the blue highlighting and the Learning bar.
Follow the main road to Scholastone in Chapter 4 to learn Focused Force Palm from the spirit guide.
Complete faction quests with gold markers before advancing into chapters that involve sieges or large battles.
Unlock Oongka permanently by completing "Gentle Sound of Flowing River" after Chapter 7.
After the main story, use post-game free roam to mop up remaining collectibles and side content.
Crimson Desert is a forgiving game when it comes to missable content. No trophies are permanently locked out, side quests persist across chapters, and New Game Plus provides a second chance at anything you missed. The biggest risk to completionists is the Sealed Abyss Artifact tracking system, which can silently waste hours of progress if you grind activities before collecting the corresponding artifact. Secondary risks include the two potentially missable watchtower challenges and the observation windows for free skills.
Plan your playthrough with the checklist above, collect artifacts early, and do not rush through boss encounters. Following these steps will keep you on track for full completion without any nasty surprises.
Challenge progress in Crimson Desert only counts after you physically find and unlock each Sealed Abyss Artifact that corresponds to that challenge category. Anything you do before unlocking the challenge does not retroactively count, so there is a soft window where early-game activities go untracked.
Challenge | Category | Why It Might Be Missable |
|---|---|---|
Sinking Fort | Tied to watchtower liberation. Once all enemy bases in the region are liberated, this challenge may become unobtainable. Complete it before clearing every base. | |
Barraging Cannon V | Same watchtower dependency. If you clear all watchtowers first, you may not be able to complete this one. Do cannon-related challenges early. | |
All pre-unlock activities | All categories | Find and collect all 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts as early as possible. Kills, crafts, and other activities before unlocking the corresponding challenge are permanently lost. |
The safest approach is to prioritize finding Sealed Abyss Artifacts early in the game and tackle watchtower-related challenges before liberating every enemy base in a region.
These events happen once during a playthrough and cannot be replayed or revisited after completion.
Event Type | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Every boss in the game is a one-time encounter. After you defeat a boss, you cannot fight it again in the same playthrough. | Make sure you are prepared with food and upgraded equipment before entering a boss arena. There is no rematch option. | |
All main story quests complete permanently once finished. Cutscenes play only during their designated story moments. | Pay attention to dialogue and cutscenes as you go. There is no theater or replay mode for watching them again. | |
Most side quests (called Commissions) cannot be repeated after completion. | Some side quests reward inventory expansion bags, unique equipment, or recipes. Complete them before pushing deep into the main story. | |
Open-world puzzles (pressure plates, rune doors, sliding block puzzles) are one-time solves. Each specific puzzle instance can only be completed once. | Solved puzzles reward Abyss Artifacts or rare items. Different types of puzzles repeat across the world, but each individual location is unique. | |
Random encounters like burning houses, thieves sprinting through markets, and roadside hostage situations trigger once per world location. | These are not marked on the map beforehand. Explore thoroughly and follow smoke, shouting, or other visual cues. Some trigger short quest chains with unique rewards. |
Advancing the main story past certain chapters permanently changes the state of the world. While this does not lock out trophies, it can alter which NPCs are available and which locations are accessible.
Progressing from Act 1 to Act 2 triggers a faction war that physically changes several early towns. NPCs may relocate or become unavailable.
Mercenary loyalty quests (companion trust missions) should be completed before the siege events in the later chapters, as some companions become unavailable during wartime sequences.
Certain vendors stock limited items. The Goldleaf Merchant Guild and traveling merchants rotate their inventory. If you see something you want, buy it immediately.
For peace of mind, here is what you can always go back and do regardless of story progress:
Trophies and achievements: there are zero permanently missable trophies as of the current version.
Collectibles: all collectible items, memory fragments, and hidden chests remain in the world after story completion.
Side quests that you skipped: unfinished commissions carry over and can be completed in the post-game.
Map completion: all exploration areas remain accessible. You can fill in the fog of war at any time.
Gear and crafting materials: enemies respawn, ore veins regenerate, and shops restock on their regular cycles.
