Best Weapons, Armor, and Accessories to Get Early in Crimson Desert

In Crimson Desert, your character’s strength largely depends on the equipment you find. While early gear will be common, searching thoroughly can uncover unique items that significantly improve your gameplay. You can find all of these items within Hernand, the game’s starting area, although some require exploring the snowy western mountains of the province.

Shadow Armor

You can obtain the full Shadow Armor set – including the chestplate, cloak, and boots – without battling any enemies. This armor is superior to anything you can buy in town, and it’s completely free! The pieces are located in the western mountain range. While cold weather gear isn’t essential, be prepared for a lot of climbing, hiking, and riding your horse to reach them.

Plate Armor of the Shadows

Defense: 13
Refinement: 3
Petrification Immunity
Defense 3
+2% Stamina Regen

You’ll find this chest armor in a small cave with a locked entrance. Go to the location marked on the map and search near Everfrost Watchtower for the cave entrance among the rocky cliffs. Light the torch beside the entrance to unlock the gate, and then open the chest to get the armor.

Shadow Armor Cloak

Defense: 3
Refinement: 3
Fire Resistance Lv 7

The cloak is located in a ruined fort directly south of where you discovered the Shadow Armor. Find the Hoenmark Ruins across the river and go to the marked location on the map. Look for a ruined building with a barred door. Once there, go up to the roof and find a stone section on the floor that doesn’t quite fit. Stand on that stone and use Force Palm to break it. This will take you inside the building, right next to the chest containing the Plate Cloak of the Shadows.

Plate Boots of the Shadows

Attack: 16
Defense: 7
Refinement: 3
+10% Skill EXP Gain
+2% Climb Speed Multiplier

You can find the boots inside Frostclaw Cave, which is located south of Hoenmark Ruins and marked on the map. Swim upstream from the cave’s location until you see a small rock totem – that’s the entrance. To get in, stand directly in front of the waterfall and use a Stab attack to break through the water. Once inside, open the chest to claim the Plate Boots of the Shadows.

To find the remaining parts, complete Chapter 6 and go back to Hoenmark Ruins. Once you defeat the boss, you’ll get a new quest that leads you to the helmet and gloves.

Hwando

Damage: 19
Critical Rate 1
Stamina Siphon 1
Attack 1

The Hwando is a curved, single-edged sword from ancient Korea, similar in style to a katana. In the game Crimson Desert, you can find it in the storehouse near Lioncrest Manor, which is northwest of Hernand’s town. To get the sword, climb through one of the windows on the second floor of the storehouse and search for a gold chest on the first floor.

Plate Gloves of the Fallen Kingdom

Damage: 15
Food Effect Lv +1
Health +0.2 every 1 sec

These gloves will help keep you healthy by boosting the benefits you get from food and giving you a small amount of automatic health recovery. You can find them in a cave hidden behind a waterfall west of Hernand. Follow the river and climb the ridges until you see a small rock totem on a ledge. Then, go through the waterfall to claim your reward!

Odeck’s Protector Plate Boots

Attack: 17
Defense: 5
Refinement: 3
Movement Speed Lv 1
Damage Reduction 1.0

These boots are much easier to find than those from the Shadow Armor set. Travel to the Sanctum of Temperance, which is southeast of Hernand (and south of the Goldleaf camp where you battle Hornsplitter during a main quest). Near a floating cube, you’ll find a small entrance hidden behind some leaves – the cube will show up on your minimap when you’re close. Inside, you’ll discover a small collection of items, including Odeck’s Protector Boots. Wearing these boots will boost your movement speed and reduce the damage you take.

Oath of Darkness Earring

Defense: 1
Refinement: 1

The Oath of Darkness earring doesn’t start out very powerful, but upgrading it significantly improves its stats. Once upgraded, you’ll get a bonus to HP regeneration that combines with any other healing you’re receiving. You can find the earring by opening strongboxes in Bluemont Manor. Look for the northern building and open the strongbox with the owl puzzle on it.

Finely Crafted Gold Necklace

Attack: 1
Critical Rate +1

The necklace is located near the Oath of Darkness earring. To find it, start at the Northern Bluemont Manor and head south to the next building. You can enter through the second-floor balcony or any window, and then search for a strongbox with a tumbler lock puzzle. This Finely Crafted Gold Necklace will slightly increase your attack power, giving you an extra Attack Point and a better chance to land critical hits.

To progress, you need to steal the Oath of Darkness and the Finely Crafted Gold Necklace from their locked boxes. You’ll need a Mask to do this – you can purchase one from black market traders, find one while defeating bandits, or complete the bounty for capturing Jeffrey in Hernand to receive one for free.

Gold Bar

You can find a valuable Gold Bar worth 500 Silver inside Lioncrest Manor and quickly steal it for profit. Enter the manor through the upper floor windows and go down to the first floor. The fireplace is across from the main entrance. Make sure you’re wearing a Mask, extinguish the fire, then hold Ctrl (or L1 on a controller) and examine the fireplace. A prompt to steal will appear – select it to claim the Gold Bar.

Okay, so here’s the deal with getting that gold bar. Don’t even think about grabbing it until that guard on the first floor walks into the next hallway. That’ll give you a window where your crime meter goes down. And seriously, don’t sell the gold bar when you get it! Instead, save up at least 100 Silver and put it into a Strongbox at Hernand Bank – that’s where you want to invest it.

2026-03-23 17:36