Weapons and Gear

In Crimson Desert Kliff fights with swords, shields, spears, halberds, maces, bows and, since update 1.08.00 (May 22, 2026), muskets and shotguns; Damiane uses rapiers and guns and Oongka great axes and arm cannons. Gear gets stronger through refinement at smithies and by socketing Abyss Gear, and updates have added dozens of outfits, boss armor and dyeable weapons.

0:37 In Crimson Desert Kliff fights with swords and shields, spears, halberds, maces, dual wields, bows and, since update 1.08.00 (May 22, 2026), muskets and shotguns, while Damiane uses rapiers and guns and Oongka great axes and arm cannons; every piece of gear is improved by refinement at a smithy and by socketing Abyss Gear, and there are no experience levels to make up for weak equipment. Pearl Abyss's Official Launch Trailer (Mar 12, 2026) runs through the arsenal in seconds: a rider swinging from the saddle across grassland and desert, a mounted charge, bursts of flame and lightning. Since launch, Pearl Abyss counts 70 new outfits, equipment and items among its first 17 patches (Aug 12, 2026), and the first DLC, Charting the Unknown, adds more on Oct 29, 2026.

On a grassy field by a wooden palisade and a timber watchtower, a man with short blond hair in armor over yellow and black striped clothes crouches and fires a short, wide cannon held in both hands. Sparks, fire and glowing streaks burst from the barrel and swirl around him, and a stone keep stands at right. — A man in yellow and black striped clothes and steel armor fires a short hand cannon in a burst of sparks and flame before a wooden fort in an official Steam store screenshot of Crimson Desert's Charting the Unknown DLC. Pearl Abyss

Quick facts

Kliff	Swords, shields, spears, halberds, maces, dual wields, bows, guns (muskets and shotguns since 1.08.00)
Damiane	Rapiers and guns only she can use; Sword of Starlight (1.04.00)
Oongka	Great axes and arm cannons only he can use
Upgrading	Refinement at smithies; Refinement Token up to Stage 4 (1.01.00)
Undoing upgrades	Extraction (1.06.00)
Sockets	Abyss Gear embedded in equipment sockets
Temporary boosts	Grindstones (weapons) and anvils (armor)
Dyeing	Outfits; most weapons since 1.13.00 (Jul 3, 2026)
DLC pre-order bonus	Charter's Diving Set (Kliff, Oongka), Charter's Light Diving Set (Damiane)

Weapons by character

4:01 Kliff has the widest arsenal. Pearl Abyss's Steam page lists swords, spears, greatswords, axes, dual wields and ranged weapons, and TheGamer's review adds shields, halberds, maces, bows and guns; Kliff's English voice, Alec Newman, says in "Meet the Cast" (Feb 25, 2026) that he had done combat "with broadswords and other weapons that appear in this game". Pearl Abyss added muskets and shotguns for Kliff in 1.08.00, Weapon Throw for dual wielding in 1.04.00 (the thrown weapon comes back at the same button), and Tree Branch and Sturdy Tree Branch one-handed weapons for Kliff and Oongka, cut from trees and bamboo, in 1.04.00.

Damiane uses rapiers and guns that only she can equip, and is lighter and more agile; Oongka uses massive axes and arm cannons that only he can equip (Game Rant's character guide, Mar 19, 2026). Damiane got her own one-handed Sword of Starlight, a quest reward, in 1.04.00, and since 1.11.00 (Jun 12, 2026) both can equip the Mining Drill and Chainsaw. How each weapon plays is on Combat.

Refinement at a smithy is the main way gear grows. TheGamer's tips (Apr 2, 2026) say to upgrade at a blacksmith early and often. Pearl Abyss's notes add the details:

1.01.00 (Mar 28, 2026)	Refinement Token: tempers equipment up to Stage 4 with no extra materials; from certain main and faction quests
1.04.00 (Apr 23)	Materials in a Sturdy Gatherables Chest count for refinement without being carried
1.06.00 (May 11)	Extraction: returns gear to an earlier refinement level and recovers part of the materials; refining with identical equipment works only up to the level before an Abyss Artifact is needed
1.08.00 (May 22)	Instant refinement with a chosen method, without picking materials
1.11.00 (Jun 12)	Rare equipment lost by mistake can be bought back in shops within 7 days, at a higher price

Pearl Abyss's example of Extraction: equipment with a base refinement level of 4 refined to level 10 can be extracted back to 4, recovering the materials used for levels 5 to 10 without destroying the item.

Grindstones and anvils give temporary boosts to weapons and armor before a hard fight (TheGamer); Pearl Abyss reduced the attack and defense they grant in 1.04.00.

Abyss Gear and sockets

4:53 Abyss Gear adds abilities to equipment through sockets ("Create Socket" and "Embed Abyss Gear" in the menus). Pearl Abyss added a tutorial quest on Abyss Gear at the start of Chapter 3 in its first patch (1.00.02), and the notes name pieces such as Infinite Arrows (which works for bullets and cannonballs since 1.08.00), Energy Drain, Groundsurge, Crow's Pursuit, Spirit's Judgment and Warden of Darkness. Ammunition is chosen from the inventory: in Pearl Abyss's White Horn video (Aug 19, 2024, the gamescom 2024 demo build), Kliff opens it mid-fight, picks the Explosive Arrow, fires it into the beast, and a burst of blue light follows. Since 1.06.00 Visiones can be enhanced and have sockets too, and TheGamer's review notes that boss cores slot into weapons for new abilities.

Armor, outfits and dyeing

Armor comes in sets of helm, armor, gloves, boots and cloak. Updates have added many: Kliff's Baltheon armor (1.04.00); Greymane Light Armor, Honorary Greymane Cloth Gloves and the Greymane Signet (1.12.00); and in 1.13.00 (Jul 3, 2026) 39 new pieces for Kliff and Oongka, including boss outfits (Tarandus the Ashen, Unyielding Hero, Knight of Carnage, Martial Monk and the grand general of Demeniss), 8 for Damiane, and boss outfits for her (guardian of Odeck, Dark Marksman, Masked Liberator). The same patch let Oongka wear most of Kliff's outfits and added crafting recipes for Lightning Bolt, Scorchflame and Frostcursed Plate Armor; more crafting is on Cooking and Crafting.

Outfits are dyed at dyehouses, and 1.13.00 made most weapons and secondary weapons dyeable too. Since 1.02.00 a Headgear Visibility option hides helmets, and since 1.06.00 Display Sheath hides the sheath. A Wardrobe placed in housing mode stores outfits: 100 slots each, up to 1,000 (1.04.00).

Edition and pre-order gear

Pearl Abyss's pre-order bonus image: two suits of plate armor, an armored horse and two decorated round shields at left, and labeled panels for the PS5 exclusive bonus, the pre-order exclusive bonus and the Deluxe Pack (an official Pearl Abyss press image of Crimson Desert). Pearl Abyss

Some gear came with editions and pre-orders (Pearl Abyss, Sep 25, 2025). Every pre-order got the Khaled Shield, and PlayStation pre-orders the Grotevant Plate Set (helm, armor, cloak, gloves, boots). The Deluxe Pack, in the Deluxe Edition ($79.99 on Steam, Oct 21, 2026) and sold separately for $12.99, holds the Kairos Plate Set, the Balgran Shield and the Exclaire Horse Tack Set. The physical Collector's Edition's Ultimate Pack, not sold separately, adds the Tormented Soul Bow, Derictus Spear, Sielos Longsword, Shroud Lantern and Hyperion Horse Tack Set. Prices and contents are on Editions and Price.

1:20 Charting the Unknown, out Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC for $24.99, comes with a pre-order bonus of diving gear: the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane. Its reveal trailer (Sep 3, 2026) ends on a fight before a wooden fort, with gunfire and explosions, before the pre-order card shows the two diving suits; Game Informer reported new weapons and armor in the DLC, but Pearl Abyss has not listed them as of Oct 21, 2026.

Which weapon is best?

Pearl Abyss does not rank weapons, and how strong a weapon is depends on its refinement level and the Abyss Gear in its sockets as much as on its type. TheGamer's advice is to upgrade at a blacksmith early and often and to use grindstones and anvils before hard fights; the boss guides add tactics for specific fights, such as setting White Horn's fur on fire. Elemental armor from the 1.13.00 recipes and the Kuku resistant armors (Lightning, Flame and Ice) are the gear Pearl Abyss's notes tie to elements.

Frequently asked questions

How do you upgrade weapons in Crimson Desert? Crimson Desert's weapons and armor are upgraded by refinement at a smithy, using materials or a Refinement Token (up to Stage 4), and by embedding Abyss Gear in their sockets. Since update 1.06.00, Extraction undoes refinement and returns part of the materials.

What is the best weapon in Crimson Desert? Pearl Abyss does not name a best weapon in Crimson Desert; guides such as TheGamer advise refining your main weapon early and often and adding Abyss Gear, since refinement level and sockets matter more than the weapon type.

Can Damiane use swords in Crimson Desert? Damiane mainly uses rapiers and guns that only she can equip in Crimson Desert, and update 1.04.00 (Apr 23, 2026) gave her an exclusive one-handed sword, the Sword of Starlight, as a quest reward.

Are there guns in Crimson Desert? Yes. Crimson Desert has pistols and muskets, Damiane uses guns, Oongka arm cannons, and since update 1.08.00 (May 22, 2026) Kliff can use muskets and shotguns.

What is Abyss Gear in Crimson Desert? Abyss Gear in Crimson Desert is a piece embedded in an equipment socket to add an ability, such as Infinite Arrows; a tutorial quest at the start of Chapter 3 introduces it.

Can you dye weapons in Crimson Desert? Yes. Since update 1.13.00 (Jul 3, 2026) most weapons and secondary weapons in Crimson Desert can be dyed, as outfits could from launch.

What do you get for pre-ordering Charting the Unknown? Pre-ordering Crimson Desert's Charting the Unknown DLC gives the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane.