In Crimson Desert, there is no experience points and leveling system, but you can still make the main character Kliff and companions stronger quickly through targeted actions. MeinMMO will tell you how to do it.

What can I do to make Kliff stronger early on? Basically, in Crimson Desert, you have the following options available to make Kliff stronger:

• Earn Abyss artifacts and learn or improve talents with them
• Get better equipment and upgrade it
• Expand items with Abyss equipment to increase certain stats or gain additional effects
• Farm consumables that provide temporary positive effects, heal a lot, or resurrect in combat

Which measures are particularly efficient? Kliff gets his first significant strength gain through his talents. There you gain more life, stamina, and spirit (important for using skills), but also access to new attack maneuvers. Which talents we particularly recommend for you to start with, you will find out here:

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You earn Abyss artifacts through:

• Main story quests
• Defeated bosses
• Solved Abyss puzzles in the world
• The challenges of the Sealed Abyss artifacts (found all around the world)
• Filling the yellow bar on the left side of the minimap by defeating enemies

You can fill Kliff’s talent trees with points fastest by doing exactly what the developers want from you: play the main story, explore the world, and box opponents.

Based on our experience, it is particularly efficient to temporarily focus only on exploring the game world and to discover as many Abyss puzzles, Sealed Abyss artifacts, and fast travel points as possible from an elevated position using weapon reflections or your lamp.

Attention: Some Abyss puzzles are really tough nuts to crack. If you want to get stronger quickly, don’t spend too long on these. Check briefly if a solution comes to you, and if not: move on! The challenges of the Sealed Abyss artifacts are often mastered much more quickly.

Important story milestone and solid starting equipment

What else is important? Having a certain focus on the main story pays off for quick character progression. In Act 5, you unlock the Abyss equipment and the associated witch merchants. Only then is it possible to improve the sockets of your equipment with useful spheres. So aim for this milestone as quickly as possible if you want Kliff to be as strong as possible early on.

Where can I get good equipment early on? As far as the weapon is concerned, stick with Kliff’s starting blade (Wolf’s Sword) until you encounter the boss Kailok, the Horn Splitter. The universally hated guild master of the Goldleaf Traders Guild carries the Prince’s Sword, which is a nice upgrade with its wind strike and will serve you well over the coming hours.

Once you are allowed to enter the castle of Hernand, visit Haldwin in his contribution shop near the castle gate (a bit hidden on the right side). Haldwin sells you a stylish plate set, the Honor Guard Armor, and more for earned contribution badges (which you can get by completing tasks in the region). There you will find several upgrades that you should be able to afford quickly.

Also visit the merchant Rhett, who stands in front of the smithy in Hernand Town. There you can equip yourself with some parts of the Canta armor, each costing some silver coins. Fill in the gaps in your equipment that still trouble you here. You can get the necessary pocket money this way:

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What then? Collect all ores, hides, and fabrics that you can find or buy. With these, many of the equipment parts can be upgraded multiple times. At a certain level, you will then need rarer resources and even Abyss artifacts. However, these investments only pay off for later equipment upgrades from the mid and end game.

When farming hides by hunting wild animals, you also collect a lot of meat on the side, which you can turn into more effective healing items at the campfire. With the multiple upgraded equipment from Hernand, the Prince’s Sword, a well-filled talent tree, and enough healing, you are very well equipped for the challenges of the first 50 hours. If you are looking for more tips and tricks, check out our guide overview for Crimson Desert!

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In Crimson Desert there are plenty of adorable furry creatures that you encounter in the open world. But they are much more than just cute – they are also very useful. So you shouldn’t walk past them heartlessly.

What kind of animals are there in Crimson Desert? In the world of Pywel, you will encounter various animals. From cats to dogs, horses, donkeys, goats, birds, raccoons, and – uh, dragons – it’s all there.

Some of them you can even pet – and you should! Especially the hearts of dogs and cats can be won this way, gaining their affection. This way, you can not only get them as companions but they also help you on your journey through Pywel.

How exactly you can effectively tame animals and what else you should know about it, you can read on page 2 of this article.

Dogs and cats as effective loot helpers

What advantage do the animals bring? Once you have secured an animal as a pet, you can summon it anytime via the pet menu, so it follows you like a pet in an MMORPG. It also brings you a practical advantage: it collects loot for you while you are out and about, which the enemies or your surroundings drop.

This is particularly helpful, as loot in the world is not particularly highlighted unless you look directly at it. Only a small, inconspicuous black X on the minimap shows that you still have items lying around there. This can easily be overlooked, resulting in missed valuable rewards.

Additionally, your companion helps with farming, as many ores and woods like to disappear while being gathered. So if you do not pick up the item directly, your pet will immediately search for it and retrieve it for you. If you do not want an item at all, you can throw it away from your inventory – your animal will not pick it up again.

You can continue to pet and feed your animals on the go, but you do not get any more bonuses. Once you have won their heart, you keep it. If your companion gets on your nerves, you can send it away anytime through the pet menu or exchange it for another creature.

You can currently have up to 30 pets, which then frolic as a large pack in your storage, as long as you have not summoned them as active companions. If you want to make space, you can simply release them, and they will reappear at the taming location after a while.

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This feature builds on the MMO feeling that Crimson Desert conveys through its variety of diverse content. MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen almost found the perfect single-player MMO experience in Crimson Desert, had it not been for one problem: Crimson Desert would be the perfect single-MMORPG for me, but it repeats the biggest mistake of Dark Souls

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Many players know it: The ugly helmet covers the character’s face, or the armor looks like a mess. But can you change the appearance of the equipment in Crimson Desert to still benefit from the stats? MeinMMO reveals it to you.

How to hide the helmet? Currently, it is not possible to hide the helmet in Crimson Desert – unless you are at a barber. This is necessary because otherwise you cannot customize your appearance well. 

Outside of that, unfortunately, you only have the option to manually remove it through the inventory or quick selection. However, since this can be done really quickly, you can switch just before or even during fights to benefit from the stats.

Since many helmets do not provide much additional value and there are no set bonuses, it often doesn’t hurt to simply skip wearing one.

Hide equipment or apply skins – is that possible?

How can you customize equipment? In Crimson Desert, unfortunately, you currently cannot customize the appearance of your equipment. You can only dye and change the material when you visit a dye house.

You cannot hide individual pieces, nor can you overlay the appearance of another piece of armor over the items you wear. You have to live with what you are currently wearing.

Whether such a feature will be added in the future is currently unclear. So if you want to follow fashion, you need to upgrade your equipment as best as you can or find other ways to navigate the world. Here you can and must be creative and try out what works for you.

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Crimson Desert is a game that doesn’t hold your hand. Much is either explained little or not at all. While this encourages experimentation and problem-solving, it can also quickly lead to frustration. If you get stuck or need help, check out our guide overview or leave us a comment if you don’t find what you’re looking for: Crimson Desert: All guides, tips, and lists in overview

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In Crimson Desert you take on the role of 3 fixed characters. However, you can customize their appearance to suit your taste. How to do this is explained here.

What can be customized for the characters? In Crimson Desert you can change the following things about your characters:

• Hairstyle
• Brows
• Beard
• Face and body tattoos
• The respective colors of the customizable regions

You can also customize the colors and materials of your equipment and that of your mounts and combine them as you like. 

We will explain how to do this.

Here’s how to customize your appearance in Crimson Desert

If you want to adjust the direct appearance of the characters, you need to visit a barber. You can unlock one for your camp by completing as many side quests for the gray manes as possible and expanding the camp.

You can choose from various options for all 3 characters and also dye them however you like. Equipped headgear can be hidden, giving you a better view of your customizations.

Customizing and dyeing equipment – here’s how

If you want to dye your equipment or that of your mounts and tools, you need to go to a dye house. You can find one right near Hernand:

Alternatively, you can also complete as many side quests for your gray manes camp to unlock an in-house dyer.

There, you can extensively customize each of your equipment pieces and also dye them in different sections or change the material or pattern. 

You can also save colors and try out different combinations before applying them. To obtain colors or materials, you have to find them in the open world, craft them in the alchemy kettle, or buy them from merchants.

Unfortunately, there is currently no option in Crimson Desert to overlay the appearance of another piece of equipment onto the currently worn one, so you can only customize the appearance of the equipment pieces you are currently wearing.

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In Crimson Desert, you can take on the role of one of the 3 playable characters and switch between them. They can also fight by your side. What makes the 3 special and which one you should choose, you can read here: Crimson Desert: The 3 playable characters and their class – you can even fight as a trio

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There are as many merchants in Crimson Desert as there is sand on the beach. And they have so many useful and beautiful things. To help you afford them all, we will explain how you can quickly get the necessary cash, especially at the beginning.

In Crimson Desert, you have various ways to make money – whether through quests, trading, stealing, or looting. However, especially at the beginning, some options are more suitable than others.

So that you don’t have to travel through Pywel without money, and to get the items you want as quickly as possible, we present the most lucrative options.

The best ways to make money at the start

This is how to earn as much money as possible right from the start: To get a good start in the first hours of the game, you have a few options that enable you to afford everything you want with little effort.

Here’s what you can do for particularly quick coins:

• Accept all side quests at the bulletin board. They are quickly completed and provide you with money as well as important inventory slots.
• Complete bounties with nearby targets. For this, you only need to find the target, overpower them, and bring them to prison.
• Look out for recipes, crafting books, and items marked with a house or bag scattered around the world. They bring in particularly good money when sold. 

Warning: It’s best to get a mask early, as it allows you to steal these things. You can either find it as loot from bandits or from one of the early bounties. 

Although you lose some reputation with the respective faction for every theft, even if there are no witnesses, it doesn’t play a significant role at the beginning. So you can be daring without expecting serious consequences. Just don’t get caught and stay unseen in the area until the alarm aura has dissipated, or leave as quickly as possible when you’re sure no one sees you.

If you’ve already spent some time in Pywel and are familiar with the fights, it’s also worth clearing up as much space as possible in your inventory and targeting larger enemy camps. They often have valuable weapons and armor that you can sell well. Additionally, they often carry a few coin bags themselves.

In the long run, money will become less of a problem for you in Crimson Desert. If you regularly sell collected loot and especially complete additional side quests, you should rarely find yourself in a situation where you can’t afford something.

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Crimson Desert is a game that does not hold your hand. Much is explained only little or not at all. While this encourages experimentation and puzzling, it can also quickly become frustrating. If you get stuck or need help, take a look at our guide overview or leave us a comment if you can’t find what you’re looking for: Crimson Desert: All guides, tips, and lists at a glance

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In Crimson Desert, the Abyss leads you to a puzzle with spheres as part of a quest. To avoid long experimentation, we will show you how to solve it.

What do you have to do in the quest? The quest “Abyss in Imbalance” guides you along the Ethereal Path to a device that you need to get running again. For that, you must use the Axiom powers you learned just before and place spheres in their designated spots, activating them with the correct ability.

The solution can be found by carefully observing and examining the surroundings. However, it is not so easy to find. If you don’t feel like it or just can’t figure it out, you can find the solution here.

Activate Nexus and remove wall

First, you need to activate the Abyss Nexus by standing on the marked platform. This will also start your puzzle. Then jump to the opposite platform and approach the abyss.

If you want to jump down now, you will find that an invisible wall blocks your way down.

In the game, the somewhat confusing task is called: “Bring the floating power core to the deactivated light source,” while the quest tells you to remove the wall that blocks the ground.

You can remove it by: 

• Grabbing the blue cube sphere (floating power core) with your Axiom powers 
• Then placing it on the free stone pedestal opposite the other one

This is how it looks:

Once you release it there and it snaps into place, the barrier will disappear and you can simply jump down. 

Assemble Abyss Sphere and activate power supply

Next, you should assemble the Abyss Sphere. For that, take the plate that is hanging in the air below with your Axiom ability. Then rotate it so that you can push it flat against the blue glowing area on the wall and release it there. 

Then observe the spectral boy, who shows you the ability “Power Fist” with the corresponding displayed button.

Apply the newly gained ability to the plate now hanging on the wall and activate the device for the power supply.

Then climb out of the hole and into the center of the shown round device. Also apply the new power strike here to get the power supply working. Make sure to be exactly in the center; otherwise, you will quickly find yourself back down without the power running.

Once you have activated the device, you can climb out of the hole again and have completed the puzzle. As a reward, you will receive an artifact and later the ability to glide.

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Crimson Desert is a game that doesn’t exactly guide you by the hand. Many things are explained very little or not at all. While this encourages experimentation and puzzling, it can also become frustrating quickly. If you get stuck or need help, check out our guide overview or leave us a comment if you don’t find what you’re looking for: Crimson Desert: All guides, tips, and lists in overview

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During the quest “Reunion” in Crimson Desert, a cat leads you to a cave with a secret. We explain how to solve the puzzle.

What kind of puzzle is this? As you follow the previously rescued cat through the underbrush, you will inevitably pass by a ruin. There, you can not only learn the abilities “Lift” and “Focus” through observation, but you also have to solve a puzzle.

For in the ruin, you will find three discs on the wall connected by a power supply that is interrupted. You must restore it. So you don’t have to experiment for too long, you will find out here what you have to do.

How to unveil the secret of the ruin

Instead of using the newly acquired abilities or the already known Axiom powers, you must rely on your power strike here. To establish the connection between the plates, you need to press them into the wall so that they all lie flat. 

To do this, you need to give them a strike in the following order:

• Middle
• Right
• Left

Once you have restored the connection, the secret is complete and you will receive an Abyss Boundary Stone as a reward outside at the pedestal. At the same time, you also completed the Abyss Fire Sign of the Meandering Hills.

Additionally, by solving the puzzle, you have earned a fast travel point to which you can teleport again and again, as long as you are not currently on a mount or in combat.

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Crimson Desert is a game that does not exactly hold your hand. Much is explained little or not at all. While this encourages experimentation and puzzling, it can also quickly lead to frustration. If you get stuck or need help, check out our guide overview or leave us a comment if you can’t find what you’re looking for: Crimson Desert: All guides, tips, and lists at a glance

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Do you like the article? Then let us know!

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In Crimson Desert you do not earn experience points or level-ups. Instead, you invest artifacts into up to three talent trees per character to unlock new abilities and upgrades. MeinMMO reveals which talents have proven to be effective at the start.

How does character development work in Crimson Desert? Main character Kliff and the other two playable characters (Damiane and Oongka) increase their power primarily through better equipment, upgrading existing equipment, socketed Abyss gear, and unlocking talents.

Each of the 3 characters has their own talent trees. These are divided into the colors blue, red, and green:

• In the blue tree, you will find primarily weapon and combat abilities; here you can also increase your stamina.
• In the red tree, you improve your grappling hook, your gliding and flying skills, and your health pool. Additionally, you will find special elemental attacks here.
• In the green tree, you optimize your spirit value (resource for executing special actions and skills) and energy skills like “Power Fist” and “Focus.” You can also find skills like double jump or “Tumble” that enhance your mobility.

Note: For various talents, you must meet specific requirements to learn them. Often, these are linked to progress in the main story. Abilities like “Stomp” can alternatively be learned by observing in combat.

Which talents are particularly good for the start?

• Invest artifacts promptly to improve your stamina and health – even the first points have a noticeable effect on your health buffer, sprint phases, or the number of possible dodge movements.
• One point in “Double Jump” immediately improves any situation where you … well … need to jump.
• With “Sharp Senses” and the associated upgrades “Lightning Counter” and “Quick Dodge,” you will find it significantly easier to avoid enemy attacks.
• Improve “The Power of Axioms” promptly with “Aerial Maneuvers” and “Aerial Swing.” With the upgraded grappling hook, you will find it significantly easier to overcome obstacles or climb heights.
• Using “Power Fist” consecutively can disrupt even strong opponents, weaken their defense, and subsequently allow high damage spikes – here too, we recommend investing points.
• In the blue tree, upgrading “Weapon” is a no-brainer.
• Then, focus first on a special maneuver that you fully develop, such as “Push,” “Forward Strike,” or “Spin Strike.” We cannot recommend a completely unarmed playstyle or a pure focus on ranged combat for beginners – only invest points there once you have learned all the important talents.

How do I obtain the artifacts? For the talents, you need Abyss artifacts, which you can earn through the following content:

• Complete main story quests
• Defeat bosses
• Complete Abyss puzzles in the world
• Master the tasks of Sealed Abyss artifacts, which you can find all over the world
• Fill the yellow bar next to the minimap by defeating enemies

The positions of Abyss puzzles and Sealed Abyss artifacts can be found relatively easily: Stand with Kliff on an elevated position and reflect the sunlight with your weapon (on the controller with the two front shoulder buttons).

All undiscovered fast travel points, Abyss puzzles, and Sealed Abyss artifacts in sight will be highlighted by the reflection with a light blue glow.

The tasks for the Sealed artifacts vary widely: sometimes you have to eliminate 3 enemies without spilling blood, sometimes perform a specified number of attacks with a spear within a certain timeframe or slide back 50 meters. To earn all artifacts, you must familiarize yourself with Kliff’s very different skills.

Attention: The completed challenges of the Sealed Dice do not automatically reward you with the corresponding artifact. So do not forget to stop by your inventory and use the respective now pulsating die – only then will you receive the point for your talent area.

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If you have more tips and tricks to make the start in Crimson Desert easier, feel free to comment! If you have specific questions about the game, you can ask them during our Q&A session about the release in this article:  MMORPG veterans with over 100 hours in Crimson Desert will answer your questions about the action-adventure

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