Serpent Shrine
The Serpent Shrine is an endgame location in Crimson Desert situated on an island at the southwestern tip of Delesyia. It is the sole source of Aeserion's Scales, houses the Shackled God quest line, contains boss encounters against the three Ancients, and hides Aeserion's Gear Blueprint.
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Overview
The Serpent Shrine is a secret endgame location in Crimson Desert, situated on an island at the southwestern tip of the Delesyia region within the Dewhaven Territory. The shrine is home to Aeserion, a colossal serpent god that is central to the Shackled God faction quest line. It is also the only location in the game where players can collect Aeserion's Scales, the final material required for maximum gear refinement.
When you first arrive at the Serpent Shrine, the area is filled with chaotic activity. Scales are scattered across the shrine and can be collected freely using Axiom Force and the Kuku Seal. Players do not need to engage in any boss fight to gather scales, making the shrine accessible as a farming location even before completing its associated quest content.
Location
The Serpent Shrine sits on the far southern coast of Delesyia, on a coastal island in the Dewhaven Territory. It can be reached once you have progressed far enough in the story to access the Delesyia region. The shrine appears on the world map and can be fast-traveled to after your first visit.
Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Region | Delesyia (Dewhaven Territory) |
Position | Southwestern tip of the coast |
Accessibility | Available after reaching Delesyia |
Yes, after first visit | |
Associated Faction | Delesyia faction |
Quest Line | Shackled God (Aeserion the Great Serpent) |
The shrine is positioned between Hernand and Delesyia on an island-like area accessible from the coast. The surrounding cliff paths hide additional secrets for players willing to explore.
Aeserion's Scales Collection
The primary reason most players visit the Serpent Shrine is to collect Aeserion's Scales. Scales appear as pentagon-shaped icons on the minimap and look like iridescent blue shards glowing on the ground or attached to the ancient stone pillars throughout the shrine.
Collection Requirements
Collecting scales requires two things: Axiom Force and the Kuku Seal (unlocked in Chapter 3). When holding Axiom Force active, aim at a scale and pull it toward you. Press Y (Xbox) or Triangle (PlayStation) to seal the scale into your Kuku Iron Pot. As long as the Kuku Iron Pot is in your inventory, scales can be sealed automatically after grappling them.
Storage and Limits
Scales are stored individually in the Kuku Iron Pot and do not stack. Each pot has a maximum capacity of 240 scales. Before visiting a blacksmith for refinement, you must withdraw the scales from the Kuku Iron Pot into your regular inventory, as the blacksmith cannot access the pot directly. Each visit to the shrine yields approximately 50 scales.
Greymane Exploration
An alternative way to collect scales is through the Delesyia: Serpent Shrine Exploration option. Return to your camp, speak with Ross, and assign a Greymane companion with the Explorer skill to gather scales passively. This costs resources but avoids repeated trips to the shrine.
Aeserion's Gear Blueprint
Hidden below the main shrine platform is Aeserion's Gear Blueprint, a 10-page crafting manual containing recipes for unique Aeserion weapons. The blueprint is located in a golden treasure chest on the southern cliffside of the island. To reach it, look for a narrow rock passage between two cliff walls on the southern edge, climb down, and squeeze through the gap to find a hidden alcove containing the chest. This location is easy to miss if you only explore the upper level of the shrine.
The blueprint unlocks recipes for the Aeserion Sword, Dagger, Bow, Mace, Halberd, Greataxe, Spear, Longsword, Warhammer, and Greathammer. Crafting these weapons requires Aeserion's Scales, platinum, and various ores.
Hidden Passageway
Following the pathway to the right of the cliff face from the main vantage point overlooking the serpent, you can drop down to a lower ledge. Use Axiom Force (Focus Force Palm) to blast through a cracked rock wall, revealing a hidden passageway. Inside is a treasure chest containing the blueprint book that unlocks crafting recipes for ALL Aeserion weapon types: one-handed sword, one-handed mace, and every two-handed weapon including spear, halberd, great hammer, warhammer, and more.
Boss Encounters
The Serpent Shrine is the centerpiece of the Shackled God quest line. Before confronting Aeserion the Great Serpent at the shrine itself, players must defeat three Ancient bosses located in the surrounding Delesyia region:
Location | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|
Easiest | ||
Abyss Debris (west of Tashkalp) | Hardest | |
Daggerhead Monolith (north of Serpent Shrine) | Moderate |
After all three Ancients are defeated, the final confrontation with Aeserion becomes available at the shrine. The Aeserion boss fight involves removing Bismuth Emitters from the serpent's back while managing Aeserion's devastating area attacks.
The Aeserion boss fight mechanic involves waiting for the serpent to raise its bismuth spikes into the air, then using Turning Slash to hit the spikes while they are exposed. After knocking out the spikes, use Axiom Force (Focus Force Palm) directly on the serpent to drive the spikes deeper and weaken it. This cycle must be repeated three times to fully free the serpent. Completing this awards a free Aeserion Sword without needing to craft one.
Scale Farming
After completing the Shackled God quest line and freeing the serpent, Aeserion's Scales can still be found scattered around the shrine area. You can also set up a dispatch mission to farm scales passively, removing the need for repeated manual visits.
Scales are essential for max-level refinement of any weapon, requiring 1 Abyss Artifact plus 1 scale per refinement level. Stock up on scales early, as every weapon in your arsenal will eventually need them.
Platinum Crafting
Players who need Platinum for Aeserion weapon recipes can craft it by combining a Gold Bar, additional materials, and Holy Water. The platinum recipe is found on the second level of the Scholar Stone Institute library. Holy Water can be purchased at churches throughout the world.
Exploration Tips
Collect scales on your first visit. You do not need to complete the quest line to farm them.
Check the southern cliffside for the hidden blueprint chest. Climb down from the main platform and look for a squeeze-through passage.
Bring fire resistance gear if you plan to progress the Shackled God quest, as Praevus the Ancient uses heavy fire attacks.
The shrine can be fast-traveled to after discovery, making it easy to return for additional scale farming runs.
Daggerhead Monolith (Primus the Ancient) is a short distance north, so you can fight both in the same session.
See Also
Location
Serpent Shrine is on an island south of Duhaven, roughly halfway between Hernand and Delesyia. The island is home to the giant serpent god and is the only source for learning the Assyrian weapon recipes outside of the Ranged Weapons of the World - Bows, Vol. IV book.
Assyrian Scales Farm
The ground around the shrine is covered in Assyrian Scales. Pick them up with Axiom Grapple and toss them into your cooking pot. The scales are material for both crafting the Assyrian weapons themselves and for refining gear to tier 4 later in the game, so it is worth clearing as many as you can while you are on the island.
Assyrian Weapons Book
Head south along the island until you reach ruins that stick out of the southern cliff. Inside, next to a mural depicting a person with a fan and the giant serpent god, there is a suspicious glowing rock. Enter Focus Mode with L3 plus R3 and hold R3 to punch the orb. That reveals a chest holding the Assyrian weapons book, which teaches the Assyrian Bow, the Assyrian Sword, and the Assyrian Dagger at any smithy.
As with other recipe books in Crimson Desert, open the book from your inventory and turn the pages one by one to learn each subsequent recipe. The first page unlocks the sword, the second the dagger, and the third the bow, so do not close the book after the first unlock or you will miss the rest.