Crimson Desert Guide – How to Get Abyss Artifacts

Abyss Artifacts are the equivalent of skill points in Crimson Desert, and they form the foundation of the complex skill and equipment systems in the game. They appear as tangible items that you collect in a number of different ways — including combat, quest completion, and exploration — but some methods are far better than others.

This guide covers every efficient method for grinding Abyss Artifacts quickly, from Cressets and Sealed Artifacts to combat farming and respeccing.

🔥 Abyss Cressets – Fast Travel + Artifacts

Just like Abyss Nexuses, Abyss Cressets are denoted with a question mark symbol on the map for “Mysterious Energy”. Unlike Nexuses, they additionally hold an Abyss Artifact inside. There are at least 22 in Hernand alone.

Some Cressets require you to solve a puzzle before you can activate them for fast travel — but the Artifact reward makes them well worth the effort.

🔒 Sealed Abyss Artifacts – Challenges Await

These particular variants prevent you from interacting with them until you complete a specific challenge — which may involve combat, exploration, or learning lore. Once done, simply crack them open from your inventory to collect your rewards, including both regular Abyss Artifacts and Faded Abyss Artifacts (used for respeccing).

Pro tip: Pay close attention to your minimap — these items appear as purple icons when you’re in proximity to them.

🏛️ Ancient Ruins Puzzles – Fifteen Locations

Solving the puzzles in certain Abyss locations will reward you with Abyss Artifacts. There are at least fifteen locations scattered around the world waiting to be unlocked. Keep an eye out for puzzle-heavy areas as you explore.

🛒 Shops and Merchants – Buy Your Way to Power

While certainly not cheap — costing 28.50 Silver each — Abyss Artifacts can be purchased from a number of shops. Usually only one is in stock at a time, but wares are reset daily at midnight in-game. There is also an upper limit to total stock, so buy them when you see them.

⚔️ Combat – Fill the Yellow Gauge

The curved yellow gauge on the left of the minimap is filled by eliminating enemies. Every time you max it out, you earn an Abyss Artifact.

Best farm spot: The infinite mob spawners on the mountain prior to the Reed Devil boss. This opportunity disappears after you defeat the boss, so stock up as much as you can stomach before boredom sets in.

📜 Questing – Story and Side Missions

A handful of main quests explicitly reward you with Abyss Artifacts, as do some side missions. They are also rewarded for defeating certain bosses.

The Challenges tab in the Journal also holds a number of opportunities — especially the exploration and mastery challenges — so be sure to check your progress regularly.

💎 Looting – Found in the Wild

Since Abyss Artifacts are a tangible form of skill points, you’ll find them just lying around in the open or inside containers throughout Pywel. Two ways to spot them:

• Visually: Get familiar with their distinct shape so you can pick them out while exploring.
• Minimap: They appear as a distinct yellow icon when you’re nearby.

🔄 Respec – Reset Your Skills

If you’re starting to regret going down a particular path in the skill tree, remember that you can freely reset all skills spent with Abyss Artifacts. This requires Faded Abyss Artifacts — visible as the middle icon in the top‑right corner of the Skills tab.

How to get Faded Abyss Artifacts:

• Purchased from Witches
• Crafted in a cauldron with a blueprint
• Rewarded from Sealed Abyss Artifacts
• Found randomly in the wild while exploring

Note: The Reset All function wipes all skill trees — which might be annoying if you only intend to wipe a specific set of skills. Plan accordingly.

That’s everything you need to know about farming Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert. Now get out there, explore every corner of Hernand, and unlock the full potential of your skills. ⚡