Crimson Desert does away with the traditional XP system seen in countless other games, basing the entire character progression for Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka on gear and Abyss Artifacts, which are used to unlock skills and increase three base stats. However, the game still features a sort of XP system (which it never explains) that lets you farm these artifacts to power up your characters quickly and further refine your gear.
Table of contents
- The “Hidden” XP Bar
- Farming Abyss Artifacts
- Stealing Abyss Artifacts
The “Hidden” XP Bar
If you check the main game interface in the lower left-hand of the screen, to the sides of the circular minimap, you will see two vertical bars. The one on the right indicates the current temperature (highlighting if your character needs fire or ice protection), while the one on the left is the “hidden” XP bar.
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Sometimes, while fighting enemies, you may have noticed you have received an Abyss Artifact out of the blue, but this wasn’t a random occurrence. You received one because you defeated enough enemies to fill the bar!
With these mechanics in mind, you can essentially farm Abyss Artifacts, and not just rely on those you can find while exploring the world or by completing the challenges required to open the Sealed Abyss Artifacts you can often find on the road.
Farming Abyss Artifacts
As you need to defeat enemies to fill up the “hidden” XP bar to farm Abyss Artifacts, you will need to defeat as many enemies as you can. This makes certain areas and main story quests ideal for doing so.
- Enemy Faction Regions: Any region occupied by an enemy faction (indicated on the main map with a red icon) is the perfect place to defeat a high number of enemies. However, the best areas of these types are the ones where you have to defeat a boss to effectively liberate them, such as Fort Perwynn where The Crimson Nightmare awaits you. In these cases, enemies spawn endlessly (unless you destroy certain facilities within the occupied regions), making them the perfect locations to farm Abyss Artifacts quickly.
- Stealing Abyss Artifacts
- When you notice they carry an Abyss Artifact indicated by a small cubic object, put your Mask on and press the Square/X button to pickpocket them. If the pickpocketing prompt doesn’t appear, bump into them to break their balance, which gives you the chance to steal the item they are carrying.
While not as consistent as the method above, you can get a few extra Abyss Artifacts by stealing them. The best location to do so is in the Scrapfold location in Hernand, where members of the Beggars’ Alliance faction sometimes carry them.
To steal Abyss Artifacts, once you reach the camp, you have to:
- Turn on your lantern and hold L1/LB or use Blinding Flash by holding L1/LB + R1/RB to check any beggar’s possession
Another location where it’s possible to steal multiple Abyss Artifacts in quick succession is Scholastone. Enter the school grounds and look at what scholars own using the Lantern of Blinding Flash, and pickpocket them using the method above if they have one.
NOTE 1: Beggars and Scholars aren’t the only NPCs that carry Abyss Artifacts, so using your lantern or Blinding Flash in towns and farms is a good way to get a few extra artifacts. Still, The Scrapfold remains a great location for farming Abyss Artifacts as beggars are generally static here, and the location’s layout make it easy to pickpocket and get away quickly.
NOTE 2: Pickpocketing any NPC counts as a crime, so make sure to get outside the red circle as quickly as possible. If you are caught by guards, you will lose both your mask and money (although you get to keep the Abyss Artifact.)
This concludes our guide. For more help, visit our Crimson Desert Complete Walkthrough and Guides Hub.
Guide based on a 60+ hours playthrough in the PC version of the game. Screenshots captured from the same version.
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