Weapons & Equipment
Complete guide to weapons and equipment in Crimson Desert: two weapon slot limit, vendor purchasing, blacksmith refinement with mining/hunting/boss materials, Abyss Gear augments (attack speed, crit chance, bonus damage), bare-handed damage stat, and equipment for all three characters.
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Overview
Crimson Desert uses a gear-based progression system with no XP bar. Character growth comes from better equipment, Abyss Fragments, and discovered skills. What you wield and wear is how you get stronger. Items come from specific sources: merchants, boss fights, hidden exploration locations, crafting, and quest rewards.
Two weapon slots
The inventory screen shows two equipped weapon slots at a time. An equipment wheel allows seamless mid-combat switching between the two equipped weapons. Scope out Kliff parrying an attack with sword and shield, then instantly switching to the spear for a follow-up attack. This two-slot system means loadout planning matters -- choosing which two weapons to bring into a fight is a strategic decision.
Weapon acquisition
Weapons are obtained through multiple channels:
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Vendor purchasing | Visit weapon vendors scattered throughout Pywel to purchase new weapons. Different vendors in different regions stock different gear. |
Boss drops | Defeating bosses yields exclusive weapons with signature abilities. See Boss Battles. |
Exploration | Hidden chests, secret passages, and dungeon rewards. |
Quest rewards | Earned from story missions, side quests, and faction quests. |
Blueprints | Discovered in hidden locations. Blueprints feed into the crafting system for forging items with gathered materials. |
Blacksmith refinement
Weapons purchased from vendors can be taken to the blacksmith for refinement, which increases their attack stats. This creates a two-step acquisition loop:
Purchase -- Buy a weapon from a vendor in any settlement.
Refine -- Take it to the blacksmith and upgrade it using gathered materials.
Materials for refinement come from multiple sources:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Mining | Extract ores and minerals from deposits throughout Pywel. |
Hunting wild animals | Animal materials from wildlife encounters. |
Defeating challenging bosses | Some upgrade materials are only obtainable from specific boss encounters. |
Completing quests | Quest rewards can include refinement materials. |
Venturing off the beaten path | Exploration rewards and hidden deposits in remote locations. |
Materials are region-locked at certain progression thresholds. A weapon upgrade might require materials only found in the area you are currently exploring, naturally gating how quickly you can advance your gear.
Abyss Gear augments
Weapons can be customized with Abyss Gear augments that slot into weapon modification slots at the blacksmith. These augments provide additional combat effects:
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Increased attack speed | Faster weapon swing or fire rate. |
Critical hit chance | Higher probability of landing critical strikes for bonus damage. |
Bonus damage against stronger foes | Extra damage scaling specifically against tougher enemies. |
The best Abyss Gear augments are obtained from slaying the toughest enemies in the game. This creates a reward loop: defeat challenging bosses to earn augments that make your weapons more effective against the next tier of challenges.
Bare-handed damage stat
Bare hands have their own damage stat visible in the inventory screen. This suggests that unarmed combat can be upgraded and specialized, not just used as a filler between weapon swings. Players interested in a brawler playstyle may be able to invest in bare-knuckle fighting as a primary approach. See Combat system for the full unarmed moveset.
Weapons by character
Kliff
The most versatile of the three playable characters:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Melee | Sword and shield, greatsword, spear, dual-wield blades, axes, longsword, pitchfork |
Ranged | Bow (multiple arrow types), arquebus/musket |
Magic | Axiom Bracelet (fire, ice, lightning, wind, nature) |
Unarmed | Full wrestling, grapple, and bare-knuckle moveset |
Damiane
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Greatsword | Devastating two-handed sweeping attacks. |
Rapier and buckler | Fast, precise hits with light parry defense. |
Flintlock pistol | Close-mid range with stylish sidestep dodges into gunfire. |
Musket | Longer range with enhanced damage after charge delay. |
Signature | Izuna Drop combo -- Spinning kick -> grab -> pile-drive -> execution. |
Oongka
Two-handed axe -- Ground slams, spinning attacks, leap slams.
Large hammer -- Knock enemies into each other, charged swings send groups flying.
Wrist-mounted crossbow / Hand cannon -- Incendiary bolts, slow-mo midair aiming.
Pickaxe -- Mining tool for crystal gathering.
Mount-based combat
Mounts serve as combat platforms:
Mount | Details |
|---|---|
Horses | Mounted sword attacks, bow fire, and parrying. |
Bears -- Simultaneous combat | bear attacks with its own moves while the rider adds sword swipes. |
Dragons | Aerial fire breath attacks, fortress assault. |
Battle mech | Machine gun, rockets, EMP. Fuel-limited. |
Mount equipment
Horses have four equipment slots: champron, barding, saddle, stirrups. See Mounts and Rare Items for named mount equipment sets.
Named weapons from edition packs
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Khaled Shield | Pre-order bonus. |
Balgran Shield | Deluxe Pack. |
Tormented Soul Bow | Ultimate Pack. |
Derictus Spear | Ultimate Pack. |
Sielos Longsword | Ultimate Pack. |