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Overview
Crimson Desert is not a loot treadmill. Will Powers, Pearl Abyss marketing director, was direct about this: "This isn't Diablo. It's not focused around loot." Gear exists and matters, but the game does not drop randomized equipment from every enemy. Items come from specific sources: boss fights, hidden locations, crafting, merchants, and quest rewards.
There is a rarity system for equipment, with higher-tier items having better base stats or unique effects. But the emphasis is on how you get the item, not how many times you kill the same enemy hoping for a drop. See Weapons & Equipment for how the gear system works overall.
Will Powers explained the progression gating: "Your level is gear-based, so there's smart ways of limiting how much you can advance your upgrade of your gear by changing the material requirements at certain thresholds of materials that are only in that area that you're in." Certain materials only exist in certain regions, which naturally gates progression.
Named artifacts
Axiom Bracelet
The Axiom Bracelet is Kliff's primary magical tool. It grants elemental infusion across all attacks and abilities:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Fire | Incinerates and explodes. Fire arrows detonate on impact. Effective against clustered enemies. |
Ice | Freezes enemies solid for a shattering follow-up. Crowd control. |
Lightning | Paralyzes and stuns. Disrupts shielded enemies. Electrifies the ground for AoE. |
Elemental powers can be leveled up with skill points. The bracelet is accessed via a selection wheel without pausing gameplay. Kliff has no innate magical ability; the bracelet is the source.
Soul Spear
A named artifact obtained by infiltrating Ritual Grounds, hidden locations scattered across Pywel. GamingBolt listed it among the world's "secrets," describing it as a "powerful Soul Spear." Its specific effects have not been revealed.
Sealed Abyss Artifacts
A rarer variant of standard Abyss Fragments. GamingBolt described them as providing "even more benefits" than regular fragments. This is the only confirmed rarity distinction within the artifact system. Some are found in dangerous zones like poison mist areas. See Artifacts for the full progression system.
Boss equipment
Boss rewards are the most interesting source of rare gear. They are not uniform. Will Powers explained: "There aren't uniform swaths in terms of if you kill a boss, you absorb their ability. This isn't Mega Man. However, certain bosses, you get their weapons. Certain bosses, you get their abilities. Certain bosses, you get their armor."
AppTrigger's preview adds that equipping boss-dropped gear or outfits can grant special effects tied to the encounter, effectively letting you use a boss's signature skill. The SGF demo knight's pauldrons drop as equipment. Will Powers said: "His pauldrons were probably the most iconic thing of him. But you kill him with his own shield at the end of that sequence."
See Boss Battles for details on specific encounters.
Bosses confirmed to drop equipment:
Boss | Details |
|---|---|
Witch who transforms into crows and summons automatons. Drops unique gear with special abilities. | |
Fallen king with sword and shield. Heavy hitter, too large for grapple moves. | |
Masked fighter with Iaijutsu quick-draw technique. Drops unique gear with special abilities. | |
Colossal creature covered in gems. Shadow-of-the-Colossus-style fight. | |
Massive creature boss. | |
Mechanical dragon fought in an abandoned keep. Multi-phase encounter involving EMP pylons and cannon fire. | |
Soldier boss with charge attacks. Multi-phase. | |
Armored mace-and-shield fighter. Can be killed via pillar collapse. | |
Confirmed boss. |
Specific drop tables (which boss gives which exact item) have not been disclosed.
Blueprints and hidden gear
Some equipment is not dropped directly. Instead, you discover blueprints in hidden locations. Will Powers described the discovery process: "You went into a fort and found a hidden passage within a dungeon and there was a hidden chest that had this specific weapon or armor piece."
Blueprints feed into the Crafting system. Once you have a blueprint, you can forge the item using gathered materials. This connects exploration directly to gear progression. The more of the world you search, the more equipment options you unlock. See Secrets & Easter Eggs for details on hidden dungeons and secret walls that lead to these caches.
Abyss Gear
Abyss Gear is separate from Abyss Fragments. These are physical attachments that slot into weapon mod slots at the Blacksmith NPC. Confirmed stat bonuses:
Increased attack speed
Extra damage against strong enemies
Higher critical hit chance
Individual Abyss Gear pieces have not been named. The system allows weapon customization to suit different playstyles.
Edition-exclusive items
Several editions of Crimson Desert include cosmetic and gameplay items not available through normal play. These are the confirmed exclusives from Pearl Abyss's official pre-order page:
Pre-order bonus (all editions)
Khaled Shield A named shield included with any pre-order.
Deluxe Pack
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Balgran Shield Named shield. | -- |
Kairos Plate Set Full armor | Kairos Plate Helm, Kairos Plate Armor, Kairos Plate Gloves, Kairos Plate Boots, and Kairos Cloak. |
Exclaire Horse Tack Set Mount equipment | Exclaire Champron (head armor), Exclaire Barding (body armor), Exclaire Saddle, and Exclaire Stirrups. |
Ultimate Pack
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Named ranged weapon. | |
Named melee weapon. | |
Named melee weapon. | |
Shroud Lantern | Named accessory or utility item. |
Hyperion Horse Tack Set | Mount equipment: Hyperion Champron, Hyperion Barding, Hyperion Saddle, and Hyperion Stirrups. |
PS5 exclusive
Grotevant Plate Set A named armor set exclusive to PS5 pre-orders.
Collector's Edition ($280)
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Hyperion Horse Tack Set | Same mount equipment as the Ultimate Pack. |
vs. Golden Star dragon diorama (physical). | |
, Greymane Brooch Pin, photo cards, patches, and developer letter. |
Named consumables
Only a few consumable items have been specifically identified in gameplay footage. See Consumables for the full system including cooking and alchemy.
Veal Burgers Health recovery item. Spotted during boss encounters in TheSixthAxis coverage.
Meat on toast Recovery item observed in Fextralife's 50-minute gameplay breakdown.
Arrow types
Arrows function as consumable ammunition with distinct effects:
Arrow Type | Effect |
|---|---|
Standard arrows | Base ammunition. Can be infused with fire, ice, or lightning via the Axiom Bracelet. |
Detonate on impact. Effective against groups. | |
Freezing arrows | Apply freeze status. |
Lightning-wreathed arrows | Stun on hit. Mentioned as an alternative strategy against Golden Star. |
Artillery Whistling Arrows | Call in allied cannon bombardment on a targeted area. Can destroy structures like watchtowers. |
Fire arrow barrage | Rains fire arrows from above, hitting a wide area. |
Crafting materials
Materials for equipment upgrades come from life skills and exploration. Confirmed materials:
Material | Details |
|---|---|
Mined with hammer, pickaxe, or explosives. | |
A gathering material collected during exploration. Observed in Fextralife coverage. | |
Wood | Logged with an axe. |
Herbs and mushrooms | Hand-gathered from the world. |
Hunting materials | From animal kills. Animal products feed into cooking. |
Boss-exclusive materials | Specific materials from boss encounters, required for higher-tier upgrades. |
Materials are region-locked at certain progression thresholds. A weapon upgrade might require materials only found in the area you are currently exploring, preventing you from overleveling early.
Mount equipment
Horses have four confirmed equipment slots. Mounts can be equipped with:
Slot | Description |
|---|---|
Champron | Head armor. |
Saddle | Seat equipment. |
Foot equipment. |
The Exclaire and Hyperion tack sets (from Deluxe and Ultimate editions) are the only named mount equipment. Base-game mount equipment has not been individually named in pre-release coverage.
Environmental collectibles
Exploration rewards found throughout Pywel:
Collectible | Details |
|---|---|
Abyss Fragments | Falling from the sky, hidden in caves, mountain peaks, ruins, and poison mist areas. Can be located by reflecting light off your sword. See Artifacts. |
Found in crypts. Lead to hidden rewards. | |
Concealed behind boarded-up fireplaces and in off-path locations. | |
Soul Spear | Found by infiltrating Ritual Grounds. |
Letters | Found in inventory, providing quest location information. |
Knowledge entries | Part of the Knowledge System. GamingBolt described knowledge as potentially "the most powerful" currency type in the game. |
Notable exploration locations
Collectible | Details |
|---|---|
Ritual Grounds | Hidden locations containing artifacts like the Soul Spear. |
Poison mist areas | Dangerous zones rewarding Sealed Abyss Artifacts. |
Crypts | Contain treasure maps. |
Floating sky islands with puzzle sequences using an Ultrahand-like tool to align fragments. | |
Ancient ruins | Contain mechanisms, puzzle challenges, and lore entries throughout the world and especially in the Crimson Desert region. |
Underwater caves | Hidden exploration areas. |
Mountain peaks | Abyss Fragment locations. |
Hidden fort passages | Secret walls and passages inside forts and dungeons containing blueprint chests. |
Faction liberation rewards
Liberating areas from hostile factions yields: materials for rebuilding Pailune, new vendors, new gear, new resources, Abyss Artifacts, and faction reputation. Liberating a fortress unlocks trade routes, brings in new NPCs who settle in the area, and provides vital resources like lumber and stone. Completing faction quests unlocks additional rewards and story content.
What we don't know yet
Pearl Abyss has not disclosed:
Specific boss drop tables (which boss gives which exact equipment)
The exact number of rarity tiers or whether a color system exists
Names of individual Abyss Gear pieces
Specific potion and alchemy recipe names
Specific cooking recipe names beyond veal burgers and meat on toast
Complete base-game weapon names (only edition-exclusive weapons have been named)
Total number of collectible items in the game
This page will be updated with player-confirmed information after the March 19, 2026 launch.