A growing list of locations to find all types of Abyss Artifacts in Hernand in Crimson Desert!
This guide is a work in progress!
How Abyss Artifacts Work
Crimson Desert has forsaken a traditional leveling system to manage skill points on the skill tree. Instead, you find and receive Abyss Artifacts, which are a consumable item that let you allocate an additional skill point in the skill tree. They are also required to upgrade some weapons.
There are 3 main types of Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert, regular, Sealed, and Faded. None can be sold.
Abyss Artifacts
Regular Abyss Artifacts give you a skill point right away. These tend to be given as rewards for completing quests, puzzles, or minigames. Abyss Cressets also act as Teleportation points.
Sealed Abyss Artifacts
Sealed Abyss Artifacts are locked at first. Each fancy-schmancy sky cube require you to complete a specific Challenge that gets revealed when you pick it up. They tend to be just lying around rather than some sort of reward.
Faded Abyss Artifacts
Faded Abyss Artifacts are consumables that let you respec, i.e., reallocate all of your current skill points.
Note on Map Locations
In this catalog, the player marker on the map shows the location of the Artifact. In a few isolated cases, we have placed a custom marker for the artifact’s location, if it’s different than the player’s location.
Abyss Artifact Locations
Most regular Abyss Artifacts either come from Abyss Cressets after solving some sort of Challenge or are deposited directly into your inventory as a quest reward. Abyss Cressets also act as Teleportation points.
A Hill Guided by Light
You can find an Abyss Artifact in an Abyss Cresset at the top of a small plateau southwest of Anvil Hill around the Nas River bend as part of the challenge A Hill Guided by Light. There’s some Gypsum and poison hands complicating your climb, and the purple flowers on top of the plateau will drain your health.
Axiom Archive
You can pick up an Abyss Artifact after solving the puzzle to open the door at the Axiom Archive during the quest Chapter 1: Polar Opposites.
Ethereal Pathway
You receive an Abyss Artifact for solving the Ethereal Pathway puzzle at the end of Chapter 1: Abyss without Balance.
Meandering Hills Ruins
You can find an Abyss Artifact in an Abyss Cresset at the Meandering Hills Ruins after unlocking Nature’s Grasp and solving the puzzle during the quest Chapter 2: Unexpected Gift.
A Detailed Glance
You can find an Abyss Artifact in an Abyss Cresset on the cliff overlooking Sunset Valley.
Hill of the Abandoned
You can find an Abyss Artifact in an Abyss Cresset near the field of reeds. Look for a Bloodstone Vein and climb up the wall it’s on to find the Cresset.
Windcrest
You can find an Abyss Artifact in an Abyss Cresset after making a big climb up the mountains west of the Hill of the Abandoned.
Sunrise Plains
Just to the South of Glenbright Manor in the Hernand Highlands lies a statue puzzle guarding another Abyss Cresset, partially surrounded by a thicket of thorns. Solving these puzzles will allow you to claim an Abyss Artifact.
When approaching the Puzzle, the Statues will move away from their solved position. Keep Note of the two closest statues, marked 1 and 2 in the images below.
On the back of each of these statues is a Dial, which, when turned, will turn the Statue its on, as well as the one in the opposite corner; in this case, 1 and 4 as well as 2 and 3 are paired.
To solve this puzzle, we’ll only touch Statues 1 and 2 and make two simple moves:
- Turn Statue 1’s Dial to the left for a quarter turn, indicated by a hard stop and audio cue.
- Turn Statue 2’s dial a half turn in either direction; the puzzle will automatically stop and be completed once it reaches the correct position.
Go ahead and claim the Abyss Artifact from the Cresset.
Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations
You’ll find Sealed Abyss Artifacts along the road or at Shrines. They’re a lot easier to get than their unsealed brethren, but you have to complete a Challenge before you can get the skill point.
Desperate Rescue
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at an altar on the side of the road leading to Sunset Valley, west of Vellua.
Harmonious Hooves IV
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact along the road leading to Sunset Valley, south of the Mountain of Frozen Souls.
Keeping Balance on the Wind
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at a little altar along the road beneath Unicorn Cliff, south of Nas River. You’ll need to complete the Challenge “Keeping Balance on the Wind” to unseal it. This one also comes with a Faded Abyss Artifact on completion.
Night of the Silent Banner Pikes
Along the main road to Halssius’ House of Healing, which is visited during Chapter 3’s “Familiar Curses” Quests, a Sealed Abyss Artifact can be found on a small roadside altar. Completing the Challenge for this Artifact will also award a Faded Abyss Artifact.
Sharpened Spear II
Upon returning from the Abyss at the end of Chapter 1, you’ll probably land on or near an island in the middle of Nas River. You’ll find a Shrine there with a Sealed Relic. There’s also a spear you can grab that you can use for the Challenge.
Sliding Down Slopes I
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at the fork in the road near Bloomwood Ranch, near the center of the Nas River Bend.
You will automatically go into a slide if you crouch while sprinting. The slide will perpetuate for as long as you are sliding down a steep enough slope.
There’s a slope by the dye merchant with purple flowers that’s long enough and steep enough to complete this Challenge.
Sword of Trials I
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact in a small shrine amongst a field of Peonies on the West side of the high bridge spanning Three Saints’ Falls near Wycliffe Mappery. You will need to use your lantern to be able to claim it from the shrine.
Sword of Trials III
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at an altar along a fork in the road leading to Goldleaf Trading post and Equinsher Saddlery inside the Nas River bend.
Shield of Unchanging Will I
You can get a Sealed Abyss Artifact from a small altar with a shield laying against it on the roadside between the Three Saints’ Falls Bridge (the same one from Sword of Trials I) and Hernand.
Bow Aimed at Fate I
You can get a Sealed Abyss Artifact from an altar on the road near Glenbright Farms on the northwest edge of the town south of Hernand Highlands.
Equipment
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at an altar on a hill overlooking Sunset Valley to the North.
Trespassing
You can find a Sealed Abyss Artifact at an altar along the road west of Vellua.
Faded Abyss Artifact Locations
Faded Abyss Artifacts give you an opportunity to respec. They can be found during quests as secondary rewards for completing certain Challenges.
“Mystical Key” Chest
You can loot a Faded Abyss Artifact from a chest in the locked room requiring the Mystical Key in Hernand Castle during the quest Chapter 1: Mystical Key.
Chapter II Outset
You receive a Faded Abyss Artifact at the outset of Chapter 2: Golden Greed upon returning to the city.
