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Overview

Turning Slash is a melee combat skill in Crimson Desert, available to Kliff. It belongs to the Stamina (Blue) branch of the skill tree. Kliff charges up his strength, spins his body, and delivers a powerful overhead strike that sends enemies flying. The move functions as both a crowd-control tool and a heavy damage dealer, making it one of Kliff's most iconic combat abilities.

Turning Slash is widely considered one of the best DPS abilities in the game. Community build guides consistently rank it among the first skills players should invest in, and for good reason: the move hits hard, launches targets, and even provides a brief window of invincibility at the start of its animation. Those i-frames mean that if you time the input correctly, you can avoid an incoming attack while simultaneously dealing damage. This offensive-defensive duality makes Turning Slash effective in almost every situation, from clearing groups of weaker enemies to punishing boss openings.

Input and Unlock Requirements

Turning Slash is a starting skill that requires no Abyss Artifacts to unlock. It uses a special input that combines both the light and heavy attack buttons simultaneously, distinguishing it from standard combo attacks. As a Stamina-consuming skill, it fits into melee-focused builds that prioritize physical damage and crowd control over elemental or Spirit-based abilities.

Controls

Note that Turning Slash requires pressing both buttons simultaneously. The game will not register the input if the buttons are pressed sequentially. This makes it a deliberate commitment move rather than something that can be accidentally triggered during normal attack strings.

On controller, the input is specifically Hold R1 + R2 (PlayStation) or Hold RB + RT (Xbox). On PC with keyboard and mouse, the input is Left Click + Right Click pressed simultaneously. The "hold" distinction matters for the Expertise follow-up: after the initial spin connects, continuing to hold the same buttons triggers the charged downward slam rather than releasing and re-pressing.

Skill Progression

Turning Slash has three upgrades that branch from it as you invest more Abyss Artifacts. These upgrades transform Turning Slash from a standalone heavy attack into a versatile combo tool.

Proficiency (Level 2)

The Proficiency upgrade is the single biggest quality-of-life improvement for Turning Slash. Without it, the skill can only fire from a neutral stance, meaning Kliff must finish whatever he is doing before initiating the spin. With Proficiency unlocked, you can chain Turning Slash directly out of any other ability mid-combo. A light attack string can flow straight into Turning Slash, a Forward Slash can cancel into it, and even skills like Spinning Slash or Stab can transition into the spin. This turns Turning Slash from a standalone heavy move into a universal combo finisher that you can weave into any attack string.

Expertise (Level 3 or Observation)

The Expertise upgrade adds a powerful charged downward strike as a follow-up. After the initial spinning slash connects, hold the keybind (R1 + R2 / RB + RT / LMB + RMB) and Kliff will raise his weapon overhead before slamming it down with extra force. This downward slam deals additional damage on top of the base Turning Slash hit and extends the knockdown duration on enemies it connects with. The Expertise slam is especially punishing on staggered bosses, where the extended knockdown window lets you squeeze in even more follow-up hits before they recover.

Expertise can also be learned for free through the Watch and Learn mechanic. If you observe Turning Slash Expertise being performed during gameplay (for example by an NPC or enemy), you unlock the upgrade without spending an Abyss Artifact. This saves a valuable Artifact that can be invested elsewhere in the skill tree.

Rend Armor (Level 3)

Rend Armor is a passive upgrade that makes Turning Slash ignore enemy Super Armor. Normally, enemies with Super Armor can absorb hits without flinching, which means your attacks connect but the enemy keeps swinging. With Rend Armor active, Turning Slash breaks through that protection and sends the target flying regardless of their armor state. This is a crowd-control effect (CC) that forces enemies out of their attack animations. Against shielded enemies, Mercenary captains, and armored bosses, Rend Armor eliminates the need to break their guard before landing your big hit. The launch effect also creates space in group fights, scattering clustered enemies so you can deal with them one at a time.

Invincibility Frames

Turning Slash has a brief invincibility window (i-frames) at the very start of its animation. During the initial wind-up, where Kliff charges up and begins the spin, incoming attacks will pass through without dealing damage. This window is short, roughly comparable to the i-frames on a well-timed dodge, so using it defensively requires good timing. The practical effect is that you can use Turning Slash as a reactionary move: if you see an enemy winding up for a strike, pressing the Turning Slash input at the right moment lets you avoid the hit entirely while punishing with a heavy counter.

Using I-Frames in Boss Fights

This is particularly useful in boss fights where dodging sometimes puts you out of melee range. Instead of dodging away and then closing the gap again, a well-timed Turning Slash lets you stay on top of the boss, avoid the attack, and deal damage all at once. Keep in mind that the i-frames only cover the opening frames of the animation; if you mistimed the input and the enemy attack lands during the later portion of the spin, you will still take damage.

Combo Chains

Turning Slash is one of the most flexible combo pieces in Kliff's kit once Proficiency is unlocked at Level 2. With Proficiency, you can chain Turning Slash directly out of Forward Slash, Stab, Spinning Slash, or any other active skill. This effectively turns it into a universal combo finisher that launches enemies into the air.

A strong mid-game combo is: Forward Slash (light attacks) into Turning Slash (R1 + R2) into Turning Slash Expertise (hold after the spin). This three-part sequence deals heavy damage and keeps enemies airborne or knocked down for the entire duration. Against groups, the launch effect scatters enemies, giving you breathing room to recover Stamina or reposition.

Stagger into Burst Combos

Another effective sequence starts with basic light attacks. Because Proficiency lets you cancel into Turning Slash from any move, you can open with a quick light attack string to chip down the enemy's stagger bar, then input Turning Slash the moment the bar fills. The launch from Turning Slash hits during the stagger window, and the Expertise slam extends the punish. This approach works well against bosses because it lets you build stagger safely with fast attacks before committing to the slower, higher-damage finisher.

Elemental Imbue Combos

At Level 3, Turning Slash also pairs well with the Imbue Element system. The Elemental Turning Slash variant (unlocked at Imbue Element Lv. 1) adds elemental damage to the spin, making it deal both physical and elemental damage in a single attack.

Turning Slash with element imbuing is one of the highest DPS combos available to Kliff. The elemental bonus adds a second damage type on top of the physical hit, effectively dealing two layers of damage with each swing. Fire imbuing is strong for sustained damage because enemies hit by fire panic and drop their guard, letting you chain more hits freely. Lightning imbuing provides burst damage and stun, and if you fight in rain or near water, Lightning damage doubles and chains to nearby targets. Frost imbuing slows enemies, which can give you more openings for follow-up attacks.

Synergies with Equipment

Momentum Abyss Gear

The Momentum Abyss Gear provides a +35% Turning Slash Damage bonus. This is one of the largest single-skill damage increases available through Abyss Gear, and it makes Turning Slash an even stronger choice for burst damage windows. Momentum is especially effective when combined with boss stagger timing: wait for the boss to stagger, then unleash a Turning Slash (plus Expertise slam) with the 35% bonus for massive burst.

Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom

The Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom comes with a pre-slotted Momentum Abyss Core that grants +35% Turning Slash Damage. This headgear can be found in a hidden room inside the Sanctum of Benediction, located west of Hernand. Because the Momentum core comes built into the helmet, you do not need to find or slot the Abyss Gear separately. This makes the Leather Helm one of the best early-game equipment pickups for any build that leans on Turning Slash as a primary damage source.

Vessel of Dark Pursuit

The Vessel of Dark Pursuit is a unique two-handed sword dropped by Antumbra's Sword in the Sanctum of Absolution during Chapter 5. This weapon comes equipped with a special attack called Wound of Darkness, which is mapped to the Turning Slash input. When you press the Turning Slash keybind while wielding the Vessel of Dark Pursuit, Kliff performs the normal spinning overhead strike and simultaneously sends out a dark projectile wave that deals additional damage beyond the slash itself. The wave replicates the vertical slash move that Antumbra's Sword uses during the boss fight.

The result is that each Turning Slash effectively hits twice: once with the physical spin and once with the Wound of Darkness wave. Combined with all three upgrades (Proficiency for combo chaining, Expertise for the charged slam, and Rend Armor for Super Armor penetration), the Vessel of Dark Pursuit turns Turning Slash into one of the most devastating combo chains in the late game. If you also apply an elemental imbue on top of Wound of Darkness, you are layering three damage sources (physical, dark wave, and elemental) onto a single input.

Boss Fight Strategy

Turning Slash is one of the highest-priority damage tools during boss encounters. The general strategy is to build stagger with faster attacks (light attack strings, Force Palm, or Surge of Sparks), then unload Turning Slash once the stagger bar fills and the boss flinches. Because the stagger window is limited, you want to front-load as much damage as possible during that opening.

A typical boss punish sequence looks like this: stagger the boss, immediately input Turning Slash (with Proficiency, this can come straight out of whatever attack filled the bar), hold for the Expertise slam, then follow up with a Forward Slash or another quick ability before the boss recovers. With Momentum Abyss Gear (+35% Turning Slash Damage), this burst window alone can chunk a significant portion of the boss's health bar.

The i-frames at the start of Turning Slash also come in handy during boss fights. Some bosses have fast recovery attacks after their stagger ends. If you know the boss is about to swing immediately after getting up, you can input Turning Slash as a pre-emptive counter that avoids the hit and keeps your offense rolling. This is riskier than a standard dodge, but the payoff is much higher because you deal full Turning Slash damage instead of resetting to neutral.

Nuclear Turning Slash Build

The Turning Slash Nuke Build takes Turning Slash from a strong burst skill to the single most damaging attack combination in the game. The concept is simple: stack three Turning Slash modifier effects in the weapon, add two fire-triggered Abyss Gear abilities in the armor, imbue fire, and watch everything fire at once. A single Turning Slash with this setup triggers Frost Spike, Ground Surge, Wound of Darkness, Volcanic Eruption fireballs, and Flames of Judgment spark explosions simultaneously.

Damage Stacking and Crits

The damage is compounded by Momentum (+35% Turning Slash damage from the Sanctum of Benediction), fire element imbuing, and stacking Crit Rate through accessories. Critical hits deal double damage, so a crit on a fully loaded Turning Slash produces enormous numbers. The combined stagger output frequently sends bosses flying or forces a stagger state that allows free follow-up attacks.

The build works with one-handed weapons and a shield, dual wield, or two-handed swords. The i-frames at the start of Turning Slash let you phase through incoming boss attacks, meaning you can time the input to avoid damage while delivering your entire burst rotation. For the complete gear setup, skill priorities, Spirit management strategy, and gear acquisition locations, see the dedicated Turning Slash Nuke Build guide.

Key Components

Spirit Cost Scaling

Each Turning Slash effect socketed into the weapon increases the total Spirit cost per use. With three effects, a default Spirit pool allows roughly two Turning Slashes before needing to regenerate. Players who break the Spirit cap through research and reach 150 maximum Spirit can squeeze out a third use. Managing Spirit through Spirit Siphon in the weapon, Spirit Regen abyss gears in helmet and boots (0.3/sec each), Focus mode recovery, and Spirit food is essential to sustaining the build in longer fights.

Charged Elemental Turning Slash

When combined with the Imbue Element system, Turning Slash gains a powerful charged variant that triggers multiple bonus effects simultaneously. Fire-imbued Turning Slash is particularly devastating because it activates both Volcanic Eruption fireballs and Flames of Judgment spark explosions, each of which applies its own stagger. This creates a double-stun effect that can lock bosses in place for extended punish windows.

Input Sequence

Performing a charged elemental Turning Slash requires precise input timing with three buttons:

1. Hold the D-pad to select your desired element (fire recommended).

2. Begin the Turning Slash windup by holding RT + RB (Xbox) or R1 + R2 (PlayStation).

3. While winding up, press LT (Xbox) or L1 (PlayStation) to imbue the element into the slash.

4. Release all three buttons to execute the charged elemental Turning Slash.

This technique consumes a significant amount of spirit. With a default spirit pool, you may only get one or two charged elemental Turning Slashes before needing to recover spirit through food or Focus mode.

Vow of the Dead King and Gray Soul Howling

With the Vow of the Dead King weapon equipped and Gray Soul Howling unlocked (obtained after completing Chapter 9), Turning Slash transforms into a fire-imbued super hit. Gray Soul Howling adds an echo attack to the Turning Slash animation, effectively hitting twice with a single input. Combined with the Volcanic Eruption and Flames of Judgment triggers from fire imbue, a single charged Turning Slash can deal massive burst damage while applying multiple stagger effects.

Spirit Food Chaining

Advanced Turning Slash usage relies on spirit food consumption between attacks to sustain repeated slashes. By eating spirit-restoring food between Turning Slashes, you can perform back-to-back charged attacks without waiting for natural spirit regeneration.

• The best spirit food comes from the Delesyia tavern: grilled meat stays restore +38 spirit, while harvest rolls restore +34 spirit.

• Palmar Pills (crafted at Shadow Whisper Cave) serve as emergency recovery, reviving you with 30% HP but a full spirit bar.

• Against bosses that can be staggered repeatedly, such as The Forgotten General, this technique enables an infinite stun-lock loop. Fire a bow focus shot to stagger, execute a charged Turning Slash, eat spirit food to refill, and repeat without ever letting the boss recover.

This strategy does not work against all overwhelming beings. Ator, the Antumbra Archon and Beloth the Darksworn have stagger resistance that prevents permanent stun-locking. Against those bosses, use spirit food to sustain burst windows during natural stagger openings rather than attempting to chain indefinitely.

Tips

• Invest in Turning Slash early. It is one of the most recommended early-game skills across multiple community guides due to its damage output and crowd-control utility.

• The Proficiency upgrade at Lv. 2 is a major quality-of-life improvement. Without it, Turning Slash can only be used from neutral stance. With it, you can weave Turning Slash into any combo string.

• Rend Armor at Lv. 3 is a game-changer against shielded enemies and bosses with Super Armor. It eliminates the need to break their guard before landing heavy damage.

• Watch your Stamina. Turning Slash is a Stamina-intensive move, and chaining it with Expertise consumes even more. Keep enough Stamina in reserve for a dodge or block afterward.

• Turning Slash Expertise can be learned for free through the Watch and Learn mechanic if you observe it being performed during gameplay, saving an Abyss Artifact.

• If you respec, reclaiming Turning Slash levels costs 1 Faded Abyss Artifact per level.

• Use the i-frames at the start of Turning Slash to avoid incoming attacks while dealing damage. This works best against predictable boss swings where you can time the input to the enemy's wind-up animation.

• Imbue an element before entering combat to maximize Turning Slash damage. Fire is strong for general use because panicked enemies stop guarding. Lightning is better for burst damage, especially in rain where it doubles and chains to nearby targets.

• Pick up the Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom from the Sanctum of Benediction early in the game. Its built-in Momentum core gives +35% Turning Slash Damage with no additional Abyss Gear investment required.

• When fighting bosses, save your Turning Slash for stagger windows. Building stagger with fast attacks and then unloading Turning Slash (plus Expertise) during the flinch deals far more total damage than using it randomly throughout the fight.

• If you obtain the Vessel of Dark Pursuit in Chapter 5, the Wound of Darkness wave effectively doubles your Turning Slash output. Layer elemental imbuing on top for triple-layered damage (physical, dark wave, and elemental).

See Also

• Kliff Skills

• Stab

• Forward Slash

• Imbue Element

• Skills

• Combat System

• Abyss Gear

• Vessel of Dark Pursuit

• Elemental Effects

• Stagger