All Main Quests in Crimson Desert
Complete quest directory organized by chapter. Every Main Quest listed in order, with individual walkthroughs for each one.
Main Quests in Crimson Desert are the primary story missions that drive the narrative forward. Completing them unlocks new areas, new characters, and the next chapter of the game. Unlike side content, Main Quests are required to progress, so the order you tackle the branching ones matters when prerequisites stack up.
The story follows Kliff, a Greymane mercenary who survives a Black Bear ambush, gets pushed into a river by a man named Myurdin, wakes up in a mysterious realm called the Abyss, and slowly works his way toward rebuilding the Greymanes while getting tangled up in the politics and corruption of the region of Hernand. It's a lot. The Prologue alone kills your leader, introduces a betrayal angle, and teaches you most of the game's movement mechanics before Chapter 1 even starts.
Each quest in this directory links to a full walkthrough covering every objective, NPC location, key items, and any skills you can learn during the encounter. If you're looking for a specific quest, use the chapter sections below. We're adding new quest walkthroughs daily as we work through the full game, so check back if you're past what's currently covered. Unfortunately, our recordings were corrupted so we may be late getting screenshots up, since we now need to go back through the game to get it.
Prologue: Dead of Night
4 QuestsThe Prologue covers Kliff's survival after the Black Bear ambush, his death at the hands of Myurdin, and his journey through the Abyss. It's almost entirely story and tutorial. You'll learn movement mechanics in Realm of Uncertainty, meet Sebastian, and ride into Hernand by the time it wraps up. No returning to settlements, no side quests. Just the opening sequence.
- 01 Unfamiliar Lands The opening quest. Bury the dead, speak with Ross and Marius, and enter the cabin as chaos closes in. ›
- 02 In Ashes Boss Skill Help Oongka, Naira, and Yann survive the second Black Bear assault. Fight Myurdin. Lose on purpose. ›
- 03 Realm of Uncertainty Abyss Skill Movement tutorial in the Abyss. Learn Blinding Flash, cross moving platforms, follow the glowing pipe, and step on an artifact. ›
- 04 New Journey Follow Sebastian, beat the Bleed Bandits, get a horse, and ride into Hernand. Two Sealed Abyss Artifacts are easy to miss on this route. ›
Chapter 1: The First Encounter
9 QuestsChapter 1 is where the game opens up past the tutorial. You land in the City of Hernand with nothing but a wooden key and start asking around. Three quests branch off Mysterious Man simultaneously and all three need to be done before the story moves forward: True Wisdom in Kindness, Actions Speak Louder than Words, and Heart Beyond Borders. Once those are wrapped up, the key upgrades, you get into Hernand Castle, and the Abyss becomes a regular destination. The chapter introduces Alustin and White Crow the Witch, walks you through Axiom Force, Force Palm, and Flight, and ends at the Ethereal Pathway with Kliff jumping off a ledge to prove the wings work.
- 05 Where Rumors Gather Walk through the City of Hernand, pick up side quests from the notice board, and win an arm wrestling match at the Hernand Inn. ›
- 06 Mysterious Man Give coins to a beggar on the sewer grate outside the inn and receive the Shabby Wooden Key in return. ›
- 07 True Wisdom in Kindness Descend into the Hernand Sewer, navigate a crumbling corridor, and free a bound stranger who gives you a Sealed Letter. ›
- 08 Actions Speak Louder than Words Clean a chimney at Muckroot Ranch. Rewards the Hernandian Attire needed to enter Hernand Castle later. ›
- 09 Heart Beyond Borders Retrieve a cat from a rooftop for Rulupee. Short quest; pick up Shai's Pendant from the ground when it ends. ›
- 10 Mystical Key Use the Engraved Key to enter Hernand Castle. Find the locked Alchemist's Chamber and step through the Abyss Gate inside. ›
- 11 Polar Opposites Abyss Skill Arrive at the Axiom Archive. Activate the Abyss Nexus, receive Axiom Force from a talking bird, and solve the disc circuit puzzle. ›
- 12 Abyss without Balance Abyss Skill Cross the skybridge, platform across floating islands, and learn Force Palm to restore the Abyss power supply. ›
- 13 Woman in White Skill Meet White Crow the Witch properly. Receive Flight, jump off the Ethereal Pathway, and glide back to Hernand. Chapter 1 ends here. ›
Chapter 2: Golden Greed
16 QuestsChapter 2 starts back on the surface. Rulupee's pendant lights up and points Kliff toward Lioncrest Watchtower, which kicks off a run of quests that stay mostly grounded in Hernand's surrounding areas. The chapter opens with a watchtower clearout and two new skills in the ruins nearby, then pivots hard when Kliff wins a duel against Matthias and gets recruited by the marshal of Hernand to deal with a bandit problem. That thread leads deeper into corruption inside the Goldleaf Merchant Guild and a string of four branching investigations around Springtide Mill, all of which need to be completed before The Dark Veil unlocks. Chapter 2 closes with a boss fight against Kailok the Hornsplitter and a leadership change inside the guild. Pump Kick and Dropkick are both learnable during this chapter from specific enemies, so keep an eye on the tip boxes in the individual walkthroughs.
- 14 Where the Light Leads Fight through the bandit camp at Lioncrest Watchtower, burn off the vines with a flaming arrow, and climb to the top. ›
- 15 Memory Fragment Find the Visione helm at the top of the watchtower and use it to read your first memory fragment. ›
- 16 Reunion Skill Follow Rulupee's cat to cliffside ruins. Learn Nature's Grasp and Focus, then solve the dial puzzle for an Abyss Artifact. ›
- 17 For Honor Boss Skill Confront Matthias and his Order of Light at Hernand Square. Two-phase duel. Learn Pump Kick during the fight. ›
- 18 Awestruck Barden Middler, the marshal of Hernand, approaches after the duel and makes Kliff an offer involving Marquis Serkis. ›
- 19 Shadow Cast Over the River Clear the Bleed Bandits from Springtide Mill. Drain the green occupation bar to send the rest fleeing. ›
- 20 Where Misery Gathers Read all four posters at the Springtide Mill notice board to unlock the four follow-up investigations. ›
- 21 Trial After Trial Help farmer Bremer track down his stolen cows. Clear Anvil Riverside Bandit Camp and use the Visione to read the memory fragment inside. ›
- 22 The Man Trapped in the Mire Rancher Ibano's goat horns were stolen. Clear the thief camp east of Hernand Farmhouse and recover the Mysterious Elixir. ›
- 23 Missing Companion Skill Find Willian's stolen sheep at the Nas Riverside bandit camp. Learn Dropkick from one specific bandit before you kill him. ›
- 24 Secrets Hidden in the Dark Skill Follow Boris to Specter's Hideout at Nas Riverside. Discover that Kailok the Hornsplitter is behind all the incidents. ›
- 25 The Dark Veil Confront Shakatu at the Goldleaf Tradepost about Hernand's problems. He denies everything and promises paths will cross again. ›
- 26 The Flames of Greed A nun flags you down near a burning house. Use Nature's Grasp to move the logs and rescue the man inside within 120 seconds. ›
- 27 Kidnapped Healer Clear the cliffside bandit camp in Windland Heights and rescue Hubert, who has details on the Hornsplitter and Shakatu. ›
- 28 Rebellion or Revolution Track down Shakatu southwest of Unicorn Cliff. Fight through his guards and hear his full pitch to go after Kailok. ›
- 29 Cheers Echoing From the Edge Boss Find Kailok the Hornsplitter at the Goldleaf Guildhouse. Defeat him to end Chapter 2 and trigger the guild leadership change. ›
How Main Quests Work in Crimson Desert
Main Quests are mandatory story missions that you have to complete in order to advance the narrative and unlock new chapters. Unlike optional requests or exploration content, you can't skip them or come back later and have the story resolve itself. Each quest in the chain must be finished before the next one becomes available, though some chapters have branching clusters where multiple quests unlock simultaneously and can be done in any order.
The most notable example of this structure is the group of three quests that branch off from Mysterious Man in Chapter 1 (True Wisdom in Kindness, Actions Speak Louder than Words, and Heart Beyond Borders) and the four quests that branch from Where Misery Gathers in Chapter 2 (Trial After Trial, The Man Trapped in the Mire, Missing Companion, and Secrets Hidden in the Dark). All quests in each group must be completed before the thread continues. Check our individual walkthroughs for each quest to confirm which ones you still have open.
Skills You Can Learn During Main Quests
Crimson Desert uses a Watch and Learn system that lets you pick up skills by observing enemies or characters perform them. Several of these are locked to specific Main Quest encounters and can't be learned elsewhere once you've passed the window. The most important ones to know about: Pump Kick from Matthias during For Honor, Dropkick from a specific bandit at Nas Riverside during either Missing Companion or Secrets Hidden in the Dark, and Blinding Flash during Realm of Uncertainty in the Prologue. The Abyss skills, including Axiom Force and Force Palm, are taught through the main questline automatically in Chapter 1.
For skills tied to enemy encounters, the strategy is the same every time: keep the relevant enemy alive until last, bait them into using the skill, and let the Watch and Learn prompt register before finishing the fight. Our individual quest walkthroughs flag every one of these moments with a tip box so you don't miss them mid-combat.
The Abyss and How It Connects to the Story
The Abyss is a parallel realm that runs alongside the main world of Pywel. Kliff first enters it during the Prologue after Myurdin pushes him into the river, and returns to it multiple times throughout Chapter 1. The Abyss Nexus system, introduced during Polar Opposites, functions as the fast-travel network for the Abyss and can be spotted in the regular world using your Lantern or Blinding Flash. Abyss Artifacts scattered throughout quests are collectibles tied to challenges that reward loot on completion.
The key figures tied to the Abyss in the early story are Alustin, who turns out to be significantly more than the beggar outside the Hernand Inn, and White Crow the Witch, who gives Kliff the Flight ability and identifies herself as the guardian of the Abyss. Their involvement threads through the main quest line from Chapter 1 onward.
Hernandian Contribution and How Quests Affect It
Several Main Quests reward Hernandian Contribution XP on completion. This is the reputation system for the Hernand region, and it affects what's available to you at the Contribution Shop inside Hernand Castle. Quests like Trial After Trial, The Man Trapped in the Mire, Missing Companion, Secrets Hidden in the Dark, and Cheers Echoing From the Edge all add to your Hernandian Contribution. Certain actions like stealing from the locked chest in Lioncrest Watchtower without a disguise equipped will deduct from it, so it's worth paying attention to the callouts in each walkthrough about what costs you points.