Things Crimson Desert Doesn't Tell You

Overview

Crimson Desert is a massive open-world action RPG that drops you into the continent of Pywel with very little hand-holding. Many of its core systems, from healing to fast travel, are either buried in menus or never explained at all. This page collects every hidden mechanic, obscure system, and non-obvious tip that the game leaves for you to figure out on your own.

Combat Secrets

Food Is Your Only Healing Source

There are no healing potions in Crimson Desert. Your only way to restore Health during combat is by eating cooked food. Raw ingredients provide minimal restoration, so you should always cook them at a bonfire or cooking pot first. The good news is that you can eat food as many times as you want during a fight, even mid-combo, with roughly a two-second cooldown between bites. The cheapest and most reliable option is grilled meat, which restores roughly 80 health per piece. Buy tough meat from butchers, cook it, and stockpile at least 100 pieces before tackling any serious boss. For later chapters, the Clear Soup recipe (unlocked at the start of Act 3) restores 180 HP per serving and is well worth crafting in bulk.

Hold the Attack Button Instead of Mashing

This is the single most common mistake new players make. If you hold R1 (RB on Xbox, Left Click on PC) instead of tapping it repeatedly, Kliff automatically chains his entire light-attack combo. The resulting sequence is faster, smoother, and deals increasing damage with each hit. Repeatedly pressing the button one strike at a time, as you might in a Souls-like game, works against the way Crimson Desert's combat system was designed. You can also mix in other buttons while holding R1 to weave skills and special moves into the chain without breaking the combo flow.

Sprint Tackle Knocks Enemies Down

While sprinting toward an enemy, press F (Y on Xbox, Triangle on PlayStation) to perform a running tackle that knocks the target flat on the ground. This move is available from the start of the game but never mentioned in any tutorial. It is effective for initiating fights on your terms, interrupting enemy actions, and setting up follow-up attacks while the target is on the floor. It works on most human-sized enemies and even some larger opponents.

Grapple Enemies Off Their Horses

The grappling system is more versatile than the game suggests. You can physically drag mounted enemies off their horses, steal the mount, and immediately use it to trample nearby foes. This is one of the most useful tools for thinning out cavalry groups quickly. At Grappling Level 2, you unlock Lariat, which slams an enemy into the ground with enough force to damage nearby foes. The Clothesline sprinting move (X + Square) hooks and slams enemies while you are running. These moves are unlocked by default but never formally introduced by the game.

Vendors Restock at Midnight

Every vendor in Pywel restocks their entire inventory at midnight (0:00) in-game time. If you clear out a butcher's meat supply before a tough fight, you can rest at a cooking pot or campfire to skip time forward past midnight, then buy the entire stock again. This is particularly useful for hoarding healing food and crafting materials before boss encounters.

The Blue Splash Means Super Armor

When you hit an enemy and see a blue splash effect, it means their attack has super-armor properties and cannot be interrupted by normal strikes. Stop attacking immediately and prepare to dodge or block. There are a few ways to deal with super armor:

• Super armor-breaking skills: Kliff's fully upgraded Stab skill can break through super armor. Turning Slash Mastery also ignores enemy super armor and knocks them back.

• Perfect parry: Press L1 / LB exactly as the attack lands to trigger a green interrupt glow, then follow up with a light attack combo.

• Dodge away: If you lack armor-breaking skills, simply dodge roll out of range and wait for the attack to finish before re-engaging.

Learn Skills for Free by Watching Enemies

Some skills in the skill tree have the description "observe this skill in action to learn it." This means you can unlock that ability for free during combat. When Kliff observes a unique enemy maneuver, time slows briefly, a "Learning" bar appears in the upper-left corner with a tally like 1/3, and the enemy glows with a blue highlight. Let the enemy perform that specific move the required number of times (usually two or three), and Kliff permanently learns the ability without spending a single Abyss Artifact. Getting hit during the observation can interrupt progress, so keep your distance while the bar fills. For example, Evasive Roll can be learned for free by watching the Hornsplitter boss in Chapter 2. Most major campaign bosses perform at least one learnable move. This is extremely valuable because Abyss Artifacts are a finite and highly contested resource, and skills learned through observation are preserved even if you use a Faded Abyss Artifact to respec.

Lightning Deals Bonus Damage to Wet Enemies

The game features a hidden elemental interaction between lightning and water that it never explains. If Kliff or an enemy is wet (from rain, standing in a river, or being hit by a water-based attack), Lightning skills deal 50% more damage and have a chance to chain to nearby targets. During rainy weather, all outdoor enemies are automatically considered wet. Combining a charged lightning strike with a wet target also extends the paralysis duration. Check the weather before engaging tough enemy camps; a rainstorm is the perfect time to use your lightning abilities aggressively.

Weapon Switching Mid-Combo Does Not Break Your Chain

Once you unlock Quick Swap through the Armed Combat skill line, you can switch weapons in the middle of a combo without resetting your attack chain. This allows fluid transitions: open with a spear poke, swap to twin blades for rapid follow-ups, and finish with a grapple throw, all in one seamless sequence. Holding R1 and pressing Triangle (Y on Xbox) mid-chain transitions into a kick combo, while holding R1 and pressing Circle (B on Xbox) triggers a dodge-cancel that repositions you without dropping the offensive flow.

Prioritize Archers in Group Fights

In battles against mixed groups, archers almost immediately run to the edges of the battlefield. Roll or evade to the edges of the fray, circle around the group, and take out the archers first. Eliminating ranged threats early lets you focus entirely on the more dangerous melee fighters without getting peppered by arrows from behind.

Parrying and Blocking Share the Same Button

Holding CTRL (LB on controller) in combat does two things simultaneously: it locks onto enemies and raises your guard to block incoming attacks at the cost of stamina. If you press it right as an attack lands instead of holding it, you perform a perfect parry, which interrupts the attack, pushes the enemy backward, and opens a roughly two-second window for a quick counter-combo. Parrying is especially effective against human-type enemies and bosses. A successful parry also instantly regenerates a portion of both stamina and spirit. Monster attacks are often unblockable and must be dodge-rolled instead.

The Stamina Bar Is Easy to Miss

Your stamina bar is the large diamond-shaped indicator beside Kliff's legs, not next to the minimap. Once you run out of stamina, you cannot dodge, and in boss fights that usually means death. Keep an eye on it constantly. If it gets low, back off and let it recharge before re-engaging.

Exploration and Traversal

Ring the Eight Bells to Unfog the Map

The map starts largely covered in fog. There are eight hidden bells scattered across towers throughout Pywel. Ringing a bell summons a Shai who clears the surrounding fog, revealing roads, landmarks, and points of interest as far as the bell's chime can be heard. If you ring all eight bells, the entire map unfogs. The eight bell towers are located in Hernand, Scholastone, Calphade, Demeniss, Delesyia, Tashkalp (Tommaso), Varnia, and Pailune. Each bell you ring also completes one entry in the Toll of Pywel questline, part of the Pororin Forest Guardians faction.

You Can Climb Almost Everything

Kliff can grab and climb nearly any surface in the game world: sheer rock faces, cliff sides, building walls, trees, branches, and even window ledges. The climbing system works similarly to Breath of the Wild; Kliff grabs onto surfaces and pulls himself upward, consuming stamina as he ascends. Running out of stamina causes him to fall, so plan your route and monitor your gauge. If a door is locked, the answer is often to look up and find a window or rooftop entrance rather than to come back later. Pywel's cities and settlements feature climbable architecture that supports fluid parkour movement, including grabbing ledges, vaulting onto rooftops, and pulling yourself through open windows.

Precision Jump Lets You Climb Without Draining Stamina

While clinging to a wall, stop moving and hold L1 (LB on Xbox, CTRL on PC) to aim, then press Square (X on Xbox). Kliff performs a Precision Jump: a static, targeted hop upward. Because the jump is initiated from a standstill rather than during active climbing, it does not consume stamina the way regular climb-jumps do. By repeating this technique (stop, aim, precision jump, grab the wall again), you can scale walls of virtually any height without running out of stamina. After a Precision Jump, you can also trigger an Aerial Force Palm to propel yourself even further upward.

The Guiding Light Reveals Hidden Secrets

Unsheathing your sword and activating the Guiding Light ability (L1+R1 / LB+RB) causes it to shine and reveal glints at locations where something is hidden. Blue glints often lead to a puzzle, fast travel point, or Sealed Abyss Artifact. You should use this ability frequently while exploring, especially in areas where you suspect hidden content.

Blinding Flash Has Multiple Hidden Uses

Blinding Flash is not just a combat stun. It has several non-obvious applications that the game never explains:

• Burn vegetation: You can aim Blinding Flash at vines, thorny bushes, and other vegetation blocking paths or hiding items. The concentrated light burns them away.

• Detect powered cables: In Abyss puzzle areas, shining Blinding Flash on cables reveals whether they are powered, which is essential for solving many light-reflection puzzles.

• Reveal nearby points of interest: Using Blinding Flash or the Lantern while exploring highlights important items and unlockables in the immediate area.

• Aerial scouting: While gliding down from the Abyss, activating Blinding Flash reveals glints and points of interest on the surface below.

• Cook raw food on the ground: In reflection mode, you can use "Light Harvesting" to focus light on raw meat or vegetables and cook them directly without a campfire.

Eavesdropping on NPCs Reveals Hidden Content

Standing near groups of NPCs in taverns, marketplaces, or village squares can trigger a Rumor on your map. Rumors are ambient quest leads that hint at the location of a hidden boss, a secret cave with rare equipment, or a mysterious NPC who offers a unique quest chain. Unlike traditional quest markers, rumors provide descriptive clues (landmarks, terrain features, general direction) that you must interpret and follow yourself. The game also features a formal eavesdropping mechanic during certain quests: you must stand in a very specific position near a wall or ledge until the "Eavesdrop" prompt appears. If you are not in the exact spot, the prompt will not trigger.

Skydiving Is the Fastest Travel Method

The Abyss is a realm of floating islands high above Pywel. If you open your map and press R3 (Mouse Wheel on PC) to switch to the sky view, you can fast travel to these floating islands. From there, simply jump off the edge and skydive toward your ground-level destination. This bypasses mountains, hostile armies, and long rides entirely. Manage your stamina by dipping in and out of your glide; free-falling replenishes stamina quickly, while active gliding drains it.

Gliding Stamina Management

When you glide, moving consumes a large amount of stamina. The trick is to dip in and out of your glide: cancel the action and drop for a few seconds of free-fall, which rapidly replenishes your stamina, then resume gliding. If you completely run out of stamina mid-air, you can use your Axiom Force grapple to suspend yourself. Skilled players chain grapple-to-glide sequences repeatedly: fire the grappling hook at an elevated anchor point, slingshot upward, then activate gliding at the apex to convert vertical height into horizontal distance. Repeating this combo lets you cross enormous distances without ever touching the ground.

Sliding Down Hills Saves Stamina

While sprinting, press L3 (left stick) on a controller or the crouch key on PC to transition into a slide. On a downhill slope, Kliff will keep sliding for as long as the terrain angles downward, covering ground quickly without draining Stamina. This is much faster than running downhill and preserves your stamina for climbing or combat at the bottom. Look for steep hillsides near your destination and slide down rather than sprinting or riding.

Force Palm Triple Jump

You can press the Force Palm button up to three times consecutively after jumping, giving Kliff a triple-boosted jump. This lets you scale massive walls and cliffs that look completely impassable. Combine this with double-jump skills for even more vertical reach. Your Spirit gauge (recharged with L3+R3 on controller, or X on PC) powers this ability.

White Question Marks Hide Fast Travel Points and Puzzles

Throughout the open world, you will find white question mark search areas on the map. These circles hide one of two things: Abyss Nexus fast travel points (circular ground carvings that activate when you stand on them) or Abyss Cresset puzzles. Cressets require you to solve an environmental puzzle (moving stones, lighting fires, turning levers, or using abilities like Force Palm and Axiom Force), and completing one rewards you with an Abyss Artifact while also turning the Cresset into a fast travel point. About 40% of the secrets you discover through exploration turn out to be fast travel nodes, so it is worth investigating every white question mark you see. Note that several Cresset puzzles require story-locked abilities, so come back to them if you cannot solve one right away.

Inventory and Items

Keys Are Consumed Automatically

Crimson Desert uses a generic key system where any key works on any standard lock. The catch is that your character automatically uses a key when you walk into a locked door. There is no prompt, no confirmation, and no way to tell whether a door is locked or not until you bump into it. This means you can accidentally waste keys opening random pantry doors while exploring corridors. Named or quest-specific keys are the only exception. Since keys are relatively uncommon, try to keep a few in reserve for doors that matter.

You Can Bypass Locked Doors by Climbing Through Windows

Most buildings with locked front doors also have accessible windows somewhere on the exterior. Instead of spending a Key, climb the outside wall and slip through an open window to get inside. Once you are in, open the front door from the inside to permanently unlock it. This is particularly valuable because Crafting Manuals and other rare items are often tucked away in locked houses and workshops. Since keys are consumed automatically when you walk into a locked door, bypassing doors through windows can save you from wasting keys on low-value rooms.

Browse Shop Shelves for Hidden Stock

When you are inside any shop in Pywel, use CTRL (LB on controller) to enter a look-closer mode. While in this mode, scan the shelves, display cases, and counters. Individual items on the shop's physical shelves sometimes have a "Buy" prompt that does not appear in the vendor's standard inventory menu. These off-menu items can include rare ingredients, unique recipes, and equipment that you would never know existed if you only browsed the regular shop interface.

The Supply Chest Collects Your Missed Loot

Once you complete enough Greymane quests, you unlock the Supply Chest at Howling Hill, located behind Carl the Base Camp Provisions Keeper. Any loot you leave behind when clearing strongholds or points of interest is automatically deposited here: upgrade materials, food, weapons, unread recipes, and letters. Check it regularly. However, this is strictly a lost-and-found box; you cannot deposit your own items into it.

Recipes Are Permanently Learned and Can Be Resold

When you find a recipe scroll or book, go into your inventory and examine it to permanently learn the recipe. Once learned, the physical item has no further use and can be sold to any vendor for extra silver. Recipes sell for a surprising amount of money, making this a useful early-game income strategy that also frees up valuable inventory space.

Earn Inventory Slots from Quests

Your starting inventory is extremely limited. The game never clearly explains how to expand it. The primary method is completing regional quests: Hernand Commission quests (also called Requests) each reward three extra permanent inventory slots. You can also purchase Small Bags from vendors for 50 coppers, and Medium and Large Bags are available as faction quest rewards.

Palmar Pills Let You Revive on the Spot

Palmar Pills are revival items that instantly resurrect you with 30% health when you die in combat. The game gives you a couple early on but never emphasizes how important they are. Do not sell or discard them. You can craft more once you find the Palmar Pill Crafting Manual in Shadow's Whisper Cave, located on the west shoreline of Three Saints' Falls below the bridge where you first spawned in Hernand. The recipe requires 2 water and 15 of most common flowers, plus an alchemy cauldron. Later, you can find the Refined Palmar Pill recipe, which fully restores HP on revival.

Ore and Collectibles Auto-Detect Nearby

As of Patch 1.00.03, ore veins and collectibles are automatically discovered when you walk within proximity: roughly 8 meters for regular ores and 2 meters for tools. Before this patch, players had to manually spot every resource node. If you are running an older version, update to benefit from this quality-of-life improvement. Bismuth ore, which previously required Lightning attacks to mine, can now be harvested with a regular pickaxe.

Gear and Progression

There Is No Traditional Leveling System

Crimson Desert has no experience points and no character levels. Your combat power is determined entirely by your gear upgrades and the Abyss Artifacts you invest in the skill tree. This means a player who upgrades their equipment diligently will be significantly stronger than someone who ignores the blacksmith, regardless of how many enemies they have killed.

The Artifact Gauge Lets You Farm Skill Points Infinitely

The yellow bar to the left of the minimap is the Artifact Gauge. It fills as you defeat enemies, and every time it fills completely, you receive one Abyss Artifact (one skill point). This gauge refills endlessly with no daily or session limit, meaning you can farm Abyss Artifacts infinitely by killing enemies in the open world. Blockaded areas and enemy camps marked as red buildings on the map pack in dense enemy groups and are the best grinding spots. This is the only character progression mechanic in the game that has no cap.

Faded Abyss Artifacts Let You Respec Your Entire Build

You can fully reset your skill tree at any time by opening the Skills menu and holding F (X on Xbox, Square on PlayStation) while you have at least one Faded Abyss Artifact in your inventory. All spent Abyss Artifacts are refunded and every ability is removed. Skills learned through the "watch and learn" mechanic are the only exception; those are preserved permanently. You can obtain Faded Abyss Artifacts through several methods: quest rewards, treasure chests on floating Abyss islands, completing Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges, purchasing from Witch vendors (2.85 silver each, 3 per transaction), and crafting them after researching "Research on the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon" in Scholastone during Chapter 4 (costs 12 silver, takes 8 hours).

Do Not Sacrifice Abyss Artifacts for Gear Enhancement

The game occasionally prompts you to use Abyss Artifacts to enhance a piece of gear. Resist this temptation. When you reach the point where enhancing one piece of equipment requires sacrificing character growth, it is time to buy or craft new gear instead. Abyss Artifacts are better spent on skills that permanently improve your capabilities.

Sharpen Weapons and Repair Armor Before Boss Fights

At Grindstone and Anvil stations, you can sharpen your weapons and repair your armor to maximize the Reinforcement stat. This directly increases your Attack and Defense values. Always do this before challenging a boss. It costs no materials, only a brief animation.

Refining Gear Is Cheap and Powerful

Refining gear at the Smithy is straightforward and inexpensive. Most refinement levels cost only copper and iron ore, both of which are abundant throughout Pywel. Higher refinement tiers require rarer materials (silver ore, bloodstone at the maximum level), but the stat boost from even a few levels of refinement on your current gear far outweighs the cost. Many players overlook this system entirely, assuming upgrades are expensive or complex.

Invest in Health and Stamina First

The best early-game skill investments are Health and Stamina boosts to at least level 4. These bonuses transfer across all playable characters (Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka), making them universally useful. Higher Health lets you survive more hits, and higher Stamina means more dodges, swings, glides, and climbs. Reaching a Stamina threshold of 200 unlocks faster climbing speed and extended dodge chains, so prioritize it early.

Boss Weapons Have Unique Special Effects

Unique weapons dropped by bosses come with special effects that generic gear does not have. Two standouts to hold onto: the Sword of the Lord (from the second boss), which excels at quick attacks, and the Tauria Curved Sword (from the sixth boss), which is excellent for heavy attacks and crowd control.

Sealed Abyss Artifacts Must Be Collected Before Challenges Count

When you find a Sealed Abyss Artifact on a stone altar (marked by a purple icon on the minimap), picking it up unlocks a challenge. Progress toward that challenge only counts after you collect the artifact. There is no retroactive credit. For example, if a challenge requires killing 20 wolves but you already killed 15 before finding the artifact, those 15 do not count. Prioritize picking up Sealed Abyss Artifacts early so your normal gameplay activities contribute to challenge completion. These cubes are always found along roads or near small roadside landmarks like stone markers; they are never hidden deep in the wilderness.

Horse and Pet Mechanics

You Can Pet Your Horse to Build Trust

Hold down L1 (CTRL on PC) while approaching your horse to reveal the prompt to pet it. Petting builds trust, which levels your horse up to a maximum of level 5. Higher trust levels unlock special moves like horse drifting and improved speed. You can also feed your horse Horse Feed items from your inventory to boost trust. There appears to be a daily limit on how much trust you can build through petting alone.

Healing Palm Restores Your Horse's Health

Your horse can take damage and eventually become fatigued or injured. To heal it, hold R3 (Mouse Wheel on PC) to start a Force Palm, then press L3 (Tab on PC) to convert it into Healing Palm. Release both, and your horse is restored. You must have Force Palm leveled to at least level 1 to unlock Healing Palm. You can monitor your horse's health from the Inventory menu when your horse is summoned nearby.

Horses Do Not Take Fall Damage

Through what might be intentional design or a quirk of the physics system, horses are completely immune to fall damage. If you are approaching a cliff and running low on stamina for gliding, consider mounting your horse and riding off the edge instead. This can save your life in situations where Kliff would otherwise splatter on impact.

Pets Auto-Loot for You

When you reach 100 trust with a wild animal by feeding it meat and petting it daily (roughly 25 trust per in-game day), it becomes your pet and follows you automatically. Fully trusted pets run around the battlefield and vacuum up dropped loot for you, which solves the problem of missing items in chaotic fights. Taming a pet as soon as possible dramatically reduces the amount of loot that ends up in the Supply Chest. You need to befriend 30 unique pets to complete certain life challenges.

Crime and Reputation

You Need a Mask to Steal

The game has a full crime system, but it never explains how to activate it. You must first obtain and equip a Mask to unlock stealing and criminal behavior. Without a mask equipped, every steal prompt in the game stays locked. You can get a mask cheaply by visiting Grimrak at the Back Alley Shop southeast of Hernand Town (10 coppers), completing the tutorial Jeffrey bounty at the Constabulary, or looting one from defeated bandits. While wearing a mask, a steal prompt appears when you approach items owned by NPCs. The mask conceals your identity but does not make you invisible; you still need to consider line of sight and crowd density.

Crime Has Real Consequences

Getting caught stealing or committing crimes deducts Contribution points and creates a bounty on your head. Even if nobody sees you steal, you always lose Contribution for the region you are currently in. A red search area appears around you after a crime. If guards spot you within that area, the bounty escalates. Getting arrested reduces your Contribution and silver significantly. If you lack funds, you can end up with a negative balance that severely hinders progression. Avoid crime early in the game when resources are tight.

Your Reputation Changes How NPCs Treat You

The Contribution System tracks the good you have done in each region. If you act like a hero by freeing captives, clearing bandit camps, and giving alms to beggars, townsfolk will treat you with respect and may even open secret doors or hand you exclusive ceremonial gear. If you act like a bandit, NPCs will treat you as a threat. Contribution is regional, so your reputation in Hernand does not carry over to Demeniss or other regions. The fastest way to earn Contribution is by completing faction quests and bounties.

Gambling and Minigames

You Can Learn to Cheat at Duo by Watching Opponents

The "watch and learn" mechanic is not limited to combat. When playing Duo (the card gambling minigame), your opponents will occasionally cheat. When this happens, they glow with the same blue outline you see during enemy skill observation. Watch an opponent cheat three separate times and Kliff permanently unlocks the Cheat ability for Duo. When dealing, you can hold the prompt from the "Hide Hand" command to select a number/color that becomes part of your set automatically, guaranteeing a strong hand.

You Can Accuse Cheaters and Remove Them from the Table

If you suspect an opponent is cheating during a Duo or Five-Card match, hold the Accuse button. Kliff will slam the dealer's hand flat against the table. If you guessed correctly, the cheater is permanently removed from the match. If you accuse an innocent player, you get temporarily banned from the gambling den for a couple of in-game days. This mechanic is never explained by the game.

Save Before Gambling for Risk-Free Profit

Always create a manual save directly outside a gambling den before entering. If the cards go against you, reload. This is the most effective silver-farming method in the early game. AI opponents have a notable tendency to call all-in bets early in the match, even when holding weak cards. If you hold a strong hand (Five Points or above in Duo), press all-in immediately to capitalize.

Miscellaneous Hidden Tips

Sheathe Your Weapon to Access Certain Actions

Some interactions and abilities are unavailable while your weapon is drawn. Tap D-pad Left (T on PC) to sheathe your weapon. This unlocks specific traversal actions, NPC interactions, and environmental interactions that are otherwise grayed out.

Use Targeted Aiming for Precision Platforming

Holding the targeted aiming button lets you easily interact with objects, NPCs, and ledges. It is particularly helpful during platforming sections where a missed jump can be fatal. It also prevents accidental theft when browsing NPC shops near stealable items.

You Can Run from Bosses and Come Back Later

If a boss is too difficult, you can retreat, upgrade your gear elsewhere, and return later. Bosses do not repopulate their introductory areas, so the path back will be clear. The only exception is raid-style encounters, which reset entirely.

Manual Saves Use Separate Slots

The game maintains three autosave slots that cycle automatically. To create a manual save, scroll past the three autosaves to an empty slot. Many players miss this because the save menu opens on the autosave slots and does not indicate there are more slots below.

Traversal Abilities Are Story-Locked

Several essential exploration abilities, including Focus Palm Force and Flight, only unlock by progressing the main story. If you feel limited in where you can go, advance the campaign before spending hours trying to reach unreachable areas.

Check the Notifications Tab for Missed Pop-ups

Pop-up notifications for tutorials, tips, and system explanations disappear quickly. You can review all missed notifications through the Notifications menu found under the "Others" tab in the pause menu. Many players miss critical mechanics explanations because the initial pop-ups vanish before they can be read.

Fishing Is a Reliable Early Income Source

The game barely mentions it, but fishing is one of the most reliable early-game money-making activities. Catch fish, cook them, and sell the cooked product for significantly more than raw ingredients. Cooked fish also doubles as solid healing items.

Bounties Provide Steady Silver

Hunt bounty targets posted on job boards, apprehend them, and transport them to jail for reliable currency rewards. Combined with Hernand Commissions, bounties form a consistent income loop that also expands your inventory slots.

The Visione Helmet Has a Shortcut

The Visione helmet is required to view Memory Fragments, but you do not need to go into your inventory to equip it. First, hold out your Lantern (L1/LB/Ctrl) and scan the area. When the lantern detects a Memory Fragment nearby, a blue-white blob appears and a "Learning in Progress" bar fills in the upper-left corner. Once the bar completes, an icon appears on the right side of the screen. Press that icon (or hold the Start/Menu button), and your character automatically equips the Visione and plays back the memory. There is no need to manually navigate your inventory at all.

You Can Skip Time When a Quest Requires Waiting

Some quests have objectives tied to a specific time of day, such as "wait until nightfall." If you arrive at the quest location too early, an hourglass icon appears on the right side of the screen. Press the Start/Menu button when this prompt is visible, and the game automatically fast-forwards time to the correct moment. This saves you from having to find a bed or campfire just to advance the clock for a single quest objective.

You Can Sleep in Almost Any Bed

Villagers in Pywel do not mind if Kliff borrows their beds. You can interact with any unoccupied bed in settlements, campsites, and inns to rest and pass time. When you lie down, you can choose to skip 3, 6, or 12 hours. Campfires and cooking pots work the same way; hold Focus (L1/LB on controller, CTRL on keyboard) and select Wait. Sleeping removes Kliff's fatigue, making him more effective in combat. There is a cooldown after resting, so you need to spend some time exploring or fighting before you can sleep again.

Greet Every Merchant You Meet

Whenever you visit a vendor, take a moment to select the Greet option. Each greeting gives +5 Trust with that merchant. Over time, building trust with shopkeepers unlocks lower prices, new quests, and eventually Trade Agreements that expand your Greymane Camp shop inventory. Gifting pouches looted from bandits is another fast way to raise merchant trust.

Archery Contests and Dueling Are Easy Early Money

Beyond fishing, other legal ways to earn quick silver early in the game include archery contests, fist fighting, and spear dueling. These minigame-style activities are scattered across settlements but the game never highlights them as income sources. The payouts are consistent and the difficulty is manageable even with starter gear.

Quick Reference Table

The following table summarizes the most commonly overlooked mechanics and where to find or activate them.

See Also

• New Player Help

• Beginner's Guide

• Combat System

• Skills

• Fast Travel

• Abyss Artifacts

• Cooking

• Inventory

• Horses

• Pets

• Essential Tips and Tricks

• Secrets and Easter Eggs