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Movement Speed - Version 17 vs Version 18
May 23, 2026, 03:59 PM
Added internal wikilinks (2026-05-23)
Jun 9, 2026, 12:36 AM
Removed duplicate in-body wikilinks
11Overview22Movement Speed is a secondary stat in Crimson Desert that affects how fast your character walks and runs on foot. It plays a role in both exploration (covering ground in Pywel) and combat (repositioning during fights, kiting enemies, and dodging area attacks).44There is no equipment weight system in Crimson Desert. Wearing heavy plate armor does not slow you down. Movement Speed is the same regardless of what armor you have equipped, which means you should always choose armor based on Defense value and climate needs rather than worrying about movement penalties.77What Affects Movement Speed99FactorEffectHaste Abyss CoreThe Haste Abyss Core directly increases Movement Speed when socketed into gear.OverheatingIn hot regions like the Akashen desert, overheating slows Movement Speed. Countered by lightweight linen clothing, shade, or cooling food.FreezingExtreme cold does not directly slow movement but drains Stamina 50% faster, which limits how long you can sprint.TerrainWading through water, climbing steep slopes, or walking through deep snow reduces effective traversal speed.Sprint vs. walkSprinting is faster but consumes Stamina. Walking is free but slower.1111Effective Stat Tiers (Diminishing Returns)1212Like Critical Rate and Attack Speed, Movement Speed operates on a tier system with effective breakpoints at levels 1, 6, and 11. This differs from resistance stats, which have their breakpoints at levels 5, 10, and 15. Investing beyond level 11 yields significantly diminished returns.1414The primary source of Movement Speed is earrings. At max rank, each earring provides Level 4 Movement Speed, meaning two fully upgraded earrings give a total of Level 8. Adding a single Movement Speed 3 mod on a piece of equipment (commonly boots) reaches the optimal Level 11 threshold. Items like the Ancient Earring are popular choices because they provide Movement Speed that caps at Level 4 per earring at max upgrade.1616SourceMovement Speed GainedNotesEarring (max rank, each)Level 4Two earrings = Level 8 totalEquipment mod (Movement Speed 3)Level 3Reaches 11 threshold with two maxed earringsBoot passive bonusesVariesSome boots have inherent Movement Speed1818Any earring that caps at Level 4 Movement Speed at max rank will work for this setup. The Ancient Earring is a popular choice, but it is not the only option. Check the Movement Speed value on any earring before investing upgrade materials, and stop investing in Movement Speed once you reach Level 11.1919Tested Movement Speed Values2121Community testing measured the time to run a fixed distance at various Movement Speed levels:2323Movement Speed LevelRun TimeSpeed Increase vs. BaseNotes010.1 secondsBaselineNo investment19.5 seconds~6% fasterNoticeable first-rank improvement157.9 seconds~22% fasterMaximum tested; Kliff's walk animation becomes visibly hurried2525Like other stats, Movement Speed has diminishing returns. The first few ranks provide the biggest improvement per rank, while higher ranks add progressively less. A 22% speed increase at max investment is significant and makes a noticeable difference in both exploration and combat repositioning.2727Affects More Than Running2929Movement Speed is more versatile than it first appears. Testing has confirmed that it speeds up every animation that counts as character movement, with the exception of actions that have their own dedicated speed stat (climbing and swimming are unaffected). Specifically, Movement Speed affects:3131Ground running and walking: The primary and most visible effect.Gliding speed: Higher Movement Speed makes the Crow's Wing glider travel faster through the air. Because gliding speed increases while Stamina drain remains the same, higher Movement Speed also lets you cover more distance on the same amount of Stamina. Testing confirmed a measurable glide distance increase at 15 Movement Speed compared to 0.General movement animations: Any animation that involves the character physically moving is affected, unless it has its own separate stat.3333This makes Movement Speed a surprisingly useful stat to invest in. Even a few ranks provide quality-of-life improvements for exploration, and the gliding distance bonus is a meaningful traversal upgrade. Consider keeping a set of armor with Movement Speed bonuses to swap into when traveling long distances.3535Mounts and Other Traversal3737For long-distance travel, mounts are far more efficient than sprinting on foot. Horses cover ground faster and do not drain your character's Stamina pool. Mounting up before crossing open terrain saves Stamina for combat encounters at your destination.3939Other traversal tools include:4141Crow's Wing (glider): Covers horizontal distance from elevation quickly. Does not consume Stamina.Grappling hook: Rapid vertical movement. Stamina-free.Swimming: Moves at a fixed speed and consumes Stamina continuously. Plan water crossings or look for bridges.4343Movement Speed in Combat4545During fights, Movement Speed affects how quickly you can reposition between attack windows. Against enemies with large area-of-effect attacks, higher Movement Speed gives you more room to walk out of danger zones without needing to spend Stamina on a dodge. This is especially relevant for fights against large bosses where the arena is open and repositioning constantly is part of the strategy.4747Stacking Movement Speed: Gear Sources4949Several gear pieces contribute to Movement Speed and can be stacked together for a significant cumulative bonus:5151Ancient Earring: Up to +4 Movement Speed when fully upgraded. Equipping two Ancient Earrings gives +8 Movement Speed total.Disian Royal Guard Shield: +2 Movement Speed.Mirror of Night: Adds Movement Speed even while stowed on your back.Tariff Cloth Boots: +3 Movement Speed.5454With earrings (8) + shield (2) + boots (3), a player can reach 13 Movement Speed from gear alone. At this level, sprinting on foot becomes nearly as fast as a horse at full gallop, making mounts less necessary for short-distance travel.5656Exploration Swap Strategy5858Some players keep a second pair of boots socketed with two Movement Speed Abyss Cores specifically for exploration. When running between quest objectives, foraging, or mining, swap to the Movement Speed boots to cover ground faster. Switch back to your combat boots before engaging enemies. This swap strategy is free and takes only a moment in the inventory menu.6060Movement Speed as a Defensive Stat6262High Movement Speed is arguably one of the best defensive stats in the game for certain playstyles. Rather than tanking hits with raw Defense, a fast-moving character can avoid attacks entirely by repositioning out of danger zones. This is especially effective against bosses with large, telegraphed area attacks where being somewhere else is better than absorbing the blow.6464How it Actually Applies6666Movement Speed is a global stat on earrings, meaning any Movement Speed that rolls on an earring applies to the character at all times rather than only when a specific weapon is out. Earrings are the primary accessory source for this stat, and each earring caps at four Movement Speed at 10 out of 10 refinement.6868The Earring Baseline Cap7070Because you wear two earrings at once and each caps at four Movement Speed, the effective earring-baseline cap is eight global Movement Speed. This is the real starting point for any traversal-focused or kiting build. The two earrings that most consistently roll four Movement Speed are Witch's Earring and Black Lion Earring. Witch's Earring sits inside an easy strongbox puzzle at Southern Court southwest of Demenissh. Black Lion Earring drops from the legendary black lion hunt in Hernand, which unlocks through the Legendary Hunter quest chain after clearing Velkom Outpost and picking up the bounty flyer in town. Running both earrings gives you the full eight-point global baseline without giving up any armor slot.7272Tips7474The Haste Abyss Core is the primary way to raise Movement Speed. Socket it into armor if you find yourself constantly needing to reposition in combat.Use mounts for exploration travel instead of sprinting. Your Stamina pool is more valuable in combat than for covering distance.Equip climate-appropriate gear before entering the Akashen desert. Overheating directly slows your movement, which compounds with the Stamina reduction.Heavy armor has no movement penalty. Do not sacrifice Defense for speed; they are independent in this game.7676Highest-Roll Cloth Boots From the Tailor Quest7878The highest-rolling cloth boots for base movement speed come from a tailor recruitment questline tied to your camp. Bring back enough greymains to unlock camp expansion, then look for the side quest that leads to the Stoneback Crab Wetlands area. A tailor NPC there asks you to clear a small island boss fight (short and easy). After finishing, the tailor joins your camp and sells cloth boots that start at three base movement speed and scale to four at max refinement. Pair them with a full six movement speed socket and each boot contributes ten movement speed on its own, making these the single best cloth boot line for a movement-focused character.8080Why the Stat is Worth Chasing8282Eleven-plus levels of movement speed is a noticeably different play experience: you reposition faster between boss attacks, close distance to pick off stragglers, and simply cover ground between objectives with much less downtime. It also multiplies the value of every other offensive stat by letting you attack more targets over the same time. For a Turning Slash Nuke Build especially, movement speed lets you re-center the turning-slash cone over new enemies before each skill comes off cooldown.
