Polar Opposites

Overview

Polar Opposites is a main quest in Chapter 1: The First Encounter of Crimson Desert. After stepping through the Abyss Gate in Hernand Castle, Kliff finds himself in a floating realm filled with mysterious energy. A talking bird grants him the Axiom Force skill, which is needed to solve a rotating disc puzzle and open the Axiom Archive. Inside, Kliff meets Alustin, the disguised beggar from the city, who reveals the truth about the otherworldly beings threatening Pywel.

Quest Details

Walkthrough

Activate the Abyss Nexus

You begin on a floating island in the Abyss. Walk forward and step onto the circular platform on the ground. Stand on it for a few seconds to activate the Abyss Nexus. This unlocks fast travel to this location for the rest of the game. Abyss Nexus points appear as blue icons on the sky map.

Go Toward the Building

Move toward the large structure ahead. A cutscene triggers where a talking bird appears and grants Kliff the Axiom Force ability. A tutorial popup explains the basics: hold L3/Left Stick to activate Axiom Force, which lets you push, pull, and rotate objects in the environment.

Solve the Disc Puzzle

To the right of the path leading to the Axiom Archive's sealed doors, there are two rotating floor discs. The goal is to align them so that power (visible as glowing blue light) flows through a complete circuit from one side to the other.

1. Shine your lantern (L1/LB) to reveal the yellow circuit outlines on each disc.

2. Hold L3 to activate Axiom Force and target the first disc.

3. Use L2/LT to pull or R2/RT to push, and rotate with the right stick until the yellow lines on the disc connect to the wires on the floor.

4. Repeat for the second disc.

5. When both discs are aligned, blue light flows through the entire circuit and the tower doors open.

Important: The discs are physics-powered objects. If you grab the center of a disc, it barely moves. Instead, aim your Axiom Force tether at the outer edge of the disc to get proper leverage. Grabbing an edge gives you a much wider range of rotation, making it far easier to fine-tune the alignment. Think of it like turning a steering wheel: the further from the center you grip, the more control you have.

Clock-Face Alignment

The two discs use a clock-face layout for their circuit connections. On the right disc, rotate it until the 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions are lit (the energy lines point upward and to the left). On the left disc, rotate until the 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions are illuminated (the energy lines point to the right and downward). From each disc's default starting position, rotating three clicks clockwise or one click counter-clockwise will reach the correct alignment. When a disc is properly aligned, blue energy surges through its connection lines and the corresponding altar glows.

Visibility tip: The yellow circuit lines on the disc surface are only visible when you are not using Axiom Force. Once you activate your tether and grab a disc, the yellow guide lines disappear. Study the disc's current orientation with your lantern (L1/LB) before grabbing it. If you lose track of the correct position mid-rotation, release your grip (Circle/B) and re-examine the disc with the lantern to see where the lines sit.

Disc Puzzle Quick Reference

If you get a disc stuck in the wrong position, press Circle/B to release the Axiom Force grip and start over. The puzzle resets cleanly.

Enter the Building

Walk through the opened doors into the Axiom Archive. Inside, Kliff meets Alustin, who is no longer disguised as a beggar. He explains that otherworldly beings have been causing chaos across the land and that the Abyss holds both the problem and the answer. The conversation concludes the quest.

Axiom Force Controls

Connection to Abyss Without Balance

The Polar Opposites quest is a primer for the much more involved puzzles in the follow-up quest, Abyss Without Balance. While this quest only requires rotating discs with Axiom Force, the next quest layers on several additional mechanics that build on the same foundation.

In Abyss Without Balance, Kliff must navigate a skybridge alignment device: a pillar with a glowing dial that needs to be rotated using the D-pad until it hits the correct position, indicated by a high-pitched charging sound and a bright glow. After the skybridge materializes, a series of slow-moving diagonal platforms require careful timing (and patience, as some cycles take up to a minute). Holding LB and aiming before jumping activates precision jump, which helps with narrow landing zones.

Abyss Cell Assembly

The quest also introduces the Abyss Cell assembly puzzle, where you drag an unpowered blue block onto a powered block to deactivate a force field, then float a large component to the south wall using Axiom Force. You must rotate it until its flat bottom contacts the wall slot. A ghost hologram then teaches Force Palm (R3/Right Stick on controller, Middle Mouse Button on PC), which you learn by holding LB and observing the hologram. Force Palm is used to slam the cell into its socket, powering the mechanism above.

The quest's climax involves climbing onto a large rotating cog mechanism, hanging from its center, and using Force Palm while attached to the wall. The recoil knocks Kliff to the ground, which is intended behavior. Successfully activating the mechanism causes White Crow to appear and grant the flight skill, permanently unlocking gliding for the rest of the game. This makes the Polar Opposites disc puzzle the first step in a progression that eventually grants one of the most important traversal abilities in Crimson Desert.

Tips

• Activate the Abyss Nexus before doing anything else. Fast travel back to this spot saves a lot of backtracking later.

• The disc puzzle is not timed. Take your time aligning the circuits. The yellow guide lines make it clear when the connection is correct.

• No combat occurs in this quest. It focuses entirely on puzzle-solving and narrative.

• From the sky islands, you can skydive to nearby ground locations. Look for white "?" circles on the map for points of interest.

Detailed Walkthrough Notes

The Talking Bird

After activating the Abyss Nexus and moving toward the Axiom Archive building, a cutscene triggers. A talking bird descends from above and welcomes Kliff to the Abyss. The bird mentions that someone is waiting inside the building and grants Kliff the Axiom Force power. This is one of the most important abilities in the game, enabling interaction with Abyss-specific objects and puzzles. The bird's identity is connected to White Crow, though this is not explicitly confirmed until the Abyss Without Balance quest's conclusion.

Disc Puzzle Circuit Details

The rotating disc puzzle requires aligning two floor discs so that power flows through a complete circuit. Each disc has yellow circuit lines etched into its surface. Use your lantern (L1/LB) to illuminate these lines clearly, as they can be difficult to see in the Abyss's ambient lighting. Activate Axiom Force by holding L3/Left Stick, then target the first disc. Use the Right Analog Stick to rotate it. Watch for the yellow lines on the disc to connect with the fixed wires on the floor.

Only the two discs nearest to the building need to be adjusted. Blue light surges through the circuit lines when each connection is correct, providing clear visual feedback. Once both discs are properly aligned, the complete circuit glows solid blue and the sealed tower doors open. The puzzle is not timed and resets cleanly if you release Axiom Force mid-rotation, so there is no risk of locking yourself into a wrong configuration.

Correct Disc Positions

Using a clock-face analogy, the right disc should have its 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions lit, while the left disc needs its 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions illuminated. From each disc's default starting orientation, three clockwise clicks or one counter-clockwise click will reach the solution. The physics engine governs disc rotation, so grabbing the outer rim of each disc rather than its center provides significantly better control and a wider arc of movement.

Abyss Nexus and Fast Travel

The Abyss Nexus activated at the start of this quest is a permanent fast travel point. These Nexus platforms appear as blue icons on the sky map and allow instant travel between any two activated Nexus points across Pywel. Activating every Nexus you encounter is strongly recommended, as backtracking through the Abyss on foot is time-consuming. You can also use your lantern or the Blinding Light skill to reveal the locations of nearby unactivated Nexus points.

Meeting Alustin

Inside the Axiom Archive, Alustin appears without his beggar disguise. He reveals that he has been guiding Kliff's journey since the beginning and explains that mysterious beings have brought chaos that threatens everyone on Pywel. This is the first time Alustin speaks plainly about the stakes, dropping the cryptic tone he used during the Mysterious Man quest. The conversation provides the narrative foundation for the Abyss storyline that continues throughout the game.