How to Upgrade Weapons, Armor, and Artifacts in Crimson Desert

Overview

What this guide is for

Optimizing Kliff's combat capabilities in Crimson Desert requires understanding a layered gear progression system. Rather than just finding a better sword and moving on, players must manage three distinct upgrade paths: raw stat Refinement, socketable Abyss Gear augments, and the highly valuable Abyss Artifact currency. Knowing how to efficiently route materials and when to spend rare currencies will prevent early-game stagnation and prepare you for tougher encounters. Whether you are searching for your first armor sets or deciding which early skills to unlock, mastering the forge is essential to surviving Pywel.

Blacksmith Refinement: Upgrading Raw Stats

The foundation of your combat power lies in Refinement. This process directly increases the raw defensive and offensive statistics of your equipment. To begin refining, you will need to locate a blacksmith in a major settlement, with the earliest and most accessible being found in the town of Hernand.

Every base weapon and piece of armor can be refined up to a maximum of 10 levels. However, the material cost scales significantly with each tier.

• Levels 1–5: Require standard open-world crafting materials such as common ores, wood, basic gems, and animal byproducts.
• Levels 6–9: Require increasingly rare materials and higher quantities of basic resources.
• Level 10 (Max): Requires top-tier rare materials alongside Abyss Artifacts to finalize the upgrade.

Finding a Baseline: Early Armor Sets

Before investing heavily into Refinement, it is crucial to find a reliable baseline piece of equipment. Pouring valuable ores and gems into starter gear is a common early-game mistake. Instead, seek out named armor sets that provide a strong chassis for your upgrades.

The Duskfang Armor Set is an excellent early-game target that provides strong baseline defenses, making it a worthy candidate for your first major refinement investments and Abyss Gear augments.

Abyss Gear: Socketing Custom Augments

A major point of confusion for new players is the terminology surrounding 'Abyss Gear'. Despite the name, Abyss Gear does not refer to traditional, wearable armor pieces. Instead, these are socketable augments that fit into your standard weapons and armor.

Most common weapons and high-tier armor pieces feature up to three Abyss Gear slots. Slotting these augments allows you to tailor Kliff's build with powerful passive bonuses.

• Attack Speed Multipliers
• Critical Hit Chance and Critical Damage Boosts
• Utility enhancements like stamina recovery or damage mitigation

Managing Abyss Artifacts: The Dual-Currency Trap

Abyss Artifacts are arguably the most important resource in Crimson Desert's progression loop because they serve a dual purpose. They act as 'skill points' required to unlock and upgrade Kliff's abilities, but they are also a mandatory currency for the highest tiers of blacksmith refinement.

This creates a delicate resource management balancing act. Spending all your Abyss Artifacts on combat skills early on will leave you unable to max out your weapon refinement later in the game. Conversely, hoarding them for gear upgrades may leave Kliff underpowered in his core combat abilities. Plan your build carefully, prioritizing essential survival and mobility skills before funneling the remainder of your Artifacts into endgame weapon refinement. For more advice on navigating the opening hours and avoiding early stagnation, review our beginner tips and tricks before committing your resources.