Refinement Tokens
Refinement Tokens are consumable items in Crimson Desert introduced in Patch 1.01.00 that allow players to upgrade equipment up to Stage 4 without spending any crafting materials.
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Refinement Tokens are consumable items introduced in Patch 1.01.00 for Crimson Desert. Each token allows a piece of equipment to be refined by one stage without consuming any crafting materials such as Iron Ore, Timber, or other region-specific resources. The tokens function as a free refinement pass, making early-game gear progression significantly smoother.
Prior to this patch, every refinement stage required players to gather specific materials through mining, woodcutting, or purchasing from merchants. Refinement Tokens bypass that requirement entirely for the first four stages, which represent the most commonly upgraded tiers of gear in the early and mid-game.
Refinement Tokens can be used at any Blacksmith in the game. The most commonly visited blacksmith is Turnali, located in the center-north district of Hernand City. To use a Refinement Token, follow these steps:
Speak to the blacksmith and open the Refinement menu.
Select the weapon or armor piece you want to upgrade.
Switch to the Refinement Tokens tab on the side panel.
Press Select Item to choose a token from your inventory.
Press Refine to consume one token and upgrade the item by one stage.
Each token raises the selected equipment by exactly one refinement level. For example, upgrading a weapon from Stage 0 to Stage 4 requires four separate tokens, one per stage.
Refinement Tokens can only be applied to equipment that is currently below Stage 4. Once a piece of gear reaches Stage 4 or higher, the Refinement Token tab will no longer appear in the blacksmith's sidebar. Beyond Stage 4, players must use standard refinement materials along with Abyss Artifacts to continue upgrading.
It is also important to note that Refinement Tokens are region-specific. A Hernand Refinement Token can only be redeemed at the Hernand blacksmith, a Pailune Refinement Token at the Pailune blacksmith, and so on. Tokens cannot be transferred between regions.
There are several types of Refinement Tokens in the game, each tied to a specific region. The type of token determines which blacksmith can accept it for refinement.
Token | Region | Blacksmith |
|---|---|---|
Hernand | ||
Pailune | Region blacksmith | |
Delesyia | Region blacksmith |
Each region's tokens are earned through quests completed within that region. Players progressing through the main quest line and faction quests in a given area will accumulate tokens naturally.
Refinement Tokens are awarded as quest rewards from both main story quests and faction quests. They cannot be purchased from merchants, looted from enemies, or crafted. The primary way to collect them is by progressing through each region's questlines.
To check whether a specific quest awards a Refinement Token, open the Journal tab in the game menu. The quest reward summary will list the Refinement Token at the end of the reward list if that quest grants one.
Source | How It Works |
|---|---|
Selected main story missions tied to the Hernand region award Hernand Refinement Tokens on completion. Check the Rewards preview in the Journal before turning a quest in. | |
Several faction questlines based out of Hernand grant tokens as part of their reward bundles. | |
Retroactive login reward | Players who completed the qualifying Hernand quests before patch 1.01.00 launched receive a one-time stack of Hernand Refinement Tokens by mail or login reward after updating the game. |
Existing save files | Veteran players should check their key item inventory and mailbox the first time they log in after the update. |
Hernand Refinement Tokens are the first type most players encounter. They are granted by completing various main quests and faction quests within the Hernand region. Players who focus on the story campaign and take on side commissions in Hernand will accumulate a healthy supply of tokens for their early gear upgrades.
As players advance beyond Hernand into Pailune and Delesyia, they will begin earning region-specific tokens from the quests in those areas. The same principle applies: complete main and faction quests, and check the Journal to see which quests offer tokens as rewards.
Because Refinement Tokens were added in Patch 1.01.00 after the game's initial launch, players who had already completed qualifying quests before the patch were retroactively granted their tokens. Upon logging in after the update, veteran players will find the appropriate tokens already sitting in their inventory. There is no need to replay completed quests to receive them.
This retroactive distribution ensures that players who started the game at launch are not disadvantaged compared to those who begin their playthrough after the patch.
The standard refinement system in Crimson Desert allows equipment to be upgraded through ten stages. Each stage increases the attack power of weapons and the defense rating of armor. The materials required vary by equipment type:
Weapons and armor generally require Iron Ore.
Shields primarily require Timber.
Other gear may require region-specific crafting materials.
Stages 1 through 4 use basic materials, while stages beyond 4 additionally require Abyss Artifacts, which are the same items used to earn skill points through leveling. Refinement Tokens eliminate the material cost for stages 1 through 4, but they do not bypass the Abyss Artifact requirement at higher stages.
The Refinement Token is a key item added to Crimson Desert in Patch 1.01.00, released by Pearl Abyss on March 28, 2026. It allows players to advance a weapon, shield, or armor piece up to Stage 4 refinement without spending the usual tempering materials such as Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Thin Hide, or Timber. The first variant introduced is the Hernand Refinement Token, which can only be redeemed at the blacksmith Turnali in central Hernand.
Pearl Abyss added the token as part of the broader 1.01.00 quality of life pass that also brought five new summonable mounts, flight stamina rework, faster shop knowledge acquisition, and immediate mining and lumber collection. The token is meant as an early boost so that newer players, returning veterans, and anyone who held off on upgrades during early chapters can catch up on basic gear power without grinding for ores and hides. The endgame economy is untouched: refinement past Stage 4 still requires standard materials and Abyss Artifacts.
Refinement Tokens are stored in the key item section of the inventory, so they do not count against carry weight or normal slot limits. They are region-bound: a Hernand Refinement Token can only be used in Hernand, and future regional variants are expected to follow the same restriction.
From the official 1.01.00 patch notice: equipment can be tempered up to Stage 4 without consuming any additional materials when using a Refinement Token. The token replaces the normal material cost of one refinement attempt at Stage 1, 2, or 3, pushing the gear to the next stage at no resource cost.
Property | Detail |
|---|---|
Stage range | Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 only. The token cannot upgrade equipment beyond Stage 4. |
Material cost | None. The token bypasses ores, hides, timber, and other common refinement materials. |
Abyss Artifact cost | Not applicable at Stages 1 to 4. Abyss Artifacts only become required for refinement at Stage 5 and above. |
Inventory impact | Stored as a key item. Does not occupy normal inventory slots. |
Region restriction | Hernand Refinement Tokens can only be redeemed at Turnali in Hernand. |
Eligible equipment | Most weapons, shields, and armor pieces. A small number of armor sets cannot be refined at all (for example, parts of the Frostcursed Armor set). |
Once a piece of gear reaches Stage 4, the Refinement Token tab disappears from the blacksmith's tempering sidebar. From that point forward the player must use ordinary refinement materials, and starting at Stage 5 the system also begins demanding Abyss Artifacts.
Refinement Tokens come from a small number of sources, all centered on completing content in the region they are tied to. For Hernand Refinement Tokens, that means main and faction quests located in or related to Hernand.
Source | How It Works |
|---|---|
Selected main story missions tied to the Hernand region award Hernand Refinement Tokens on completion. Check the Rewards preview in the Journal before turning a quest in. | |
Several faction questlines based out of Hernand grant tokens as part of their reward bundles. | |
Retroactive login reward | Players who completed the qualifying Hernand quests before patch 1.01.00 launched receive a one-time stack of Hernand Refinement Tokens by mail or login reward after updating the game. |
Existing save files | Veteran players should check their key item inventory and mailbox the first time they log in after the update. |
The patch notes do not list cash shop, dispatch, or weekly challenge sources, so for now Refinement Tokens come exclusively from main story, faction quests, and the one-time retroactive grant.
Spending a Refinement Token at the blacksmith is a quick six-step process:
Travel to Hernand. Use any fast travel point in or near the city to save time.
Locate Turnali, the Hernand blacksmith. He is in central Hernand near Rhett's equipment shop. Look for the anvil icon on the minimap.
Interact with Turnali and select the Refinement option from his services menu.
Choose the weapon, shield, or armor piece you want to upgrade. The piece must currently be below Stage 4.
On the refinement screen, the tempering method sidebar shows three tabs: Refinement Materials, Same Equipment, and Refinement Token. Select the Refinement Token tab.
Press the confirm key (Space on PC, the equivalent button on console) to spend one token and refine the piece by one stage.
Repeat for each stage you want to skip ahead. Once the gear reaches Stage 4, the Refinement Token tab vanishes and you switch back to material-based refinement.
Crimson Desert's Weapon Refinement system upgrades equipment through progressive stages. Each stage adds a fixed amount of base attack power to weapons or base defense to armor. The Refinement Token only covers the first four stages.
Stage | Standard Cost | Token Eligible |
|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | Small amounts of Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Thin Hide, or Timber depending on the equipment type. | Yes |
Stage 2 | Same materials as Stage 1, in larger quantities. | Yes |
Stage 3 | Continued material scaling. | Yes |
Stage 4 | Final stage that uses ordinary tempering materials. | Yes (this is the maximum stage the token can reach) |
Stage 5 and beyond | Materials plus Abyss Artifacts. Each upgrade is a meaningful resource decision because Abyss Artifacts are also used to unlock skills. | No. The Refinement Token tab disappears once gear reaches Stage 4. |
Weapon Refinement, Weapons, Armor, Turnali, Hernand, Abyss Artifacts, Patch 1.01.00, Faction Quests.
Save your Refinement Tokens for equipment you plan to keep long-term. Using tokens on gear you will replace soon wastes a limited resource.
Because tokens are region-locked, you cannot stockpile Hernand tokens and use them in Pailune. Plan your refinements accordingly as you move between regions.
Check the Journal frequently when picking up new quests. Knowing which quests reward tokens lets you prioritize them.
If you played before Patch 1.01.00, log in and check your inventory immediately. Your retroactive tokens are ready to use.
Refinement Tokens are especially valuable for testing different weapon types. Instead of farming materials to upgrade a new weapon, spend a few tokens to bring it up to Stage 4 quickly.
A few practical guidelines for getting the most out of Refinement Tokens:
Spend tokens on your main loadout. Because they only work up to Stage 4, reserve tokens for the weapon, shield, and armor you actually use, not spare pieces.
Check your mailbox immediately after patching to 1.01.00. Veterans who already finished Hernand content get a retroactive stack of Hernand Refinement Tokens as a login reward.
Inspect quest rewards in the Journal before abandoning anything in Hernand. Tokens are tied to specific main and faction quests.
Travel to the origin region before redeeming. Hernand Refinement Tokens are useless outside Hernand because no other blacksmith accepts them.
Do not waste tokens on unrefineable gear. A small number of armor sets, including parts of the Frostcursed Armor, cannot be refined at all.
Save ordinary materials for Stage 5 and beyond. Using tokens for Stages 1 to 4 preserves Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Thin Hide, and Timber for the post-Stage 4 grind, where you will also need Abyss Artifacts.