All Sword Mastery Challenges (Sword of Trials) in Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert: All Sword Mastery Challenges — Sword of Trials Locations & Solutions

TL;DR

• There are 6 Sword of Trials challenges tied to Sealed Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert
• Completing all 6 unlocks the Master of Swords trophy and achievement
• Artifacts are not on the main map — watch for purple icons on your minimap or use Guiding Light
• Challenges cover speed kills, multi-kills, no-damage kills, Turning Slash, Stab, and Forward Slash
• Turning Slash is in the Stamina skill tree, first left branch — unlock it before attempting Trials 2 and 4
• Kuku birds at Rocca’s Hill (east of Hernand) are the best farming spot — they cluster, die fast, and respawn on fast travel
• Complete Trials 1–3 first to earn enough Abyss Artifacts to fund the skill unlocks needed for Trials 4–6
• Rewards include Abyss Artifacts, Faded Abyss Artifacts (used for skill tree resets), and skill items like Destruction and Rend

Crimson Desert is full of hidden Sealed Abyss Artifacts scattered across Pywel. These artifacts unlock combat challenges called Sword of Trials — six tests designed to sharpen your sword mechanics. Completing them earns you Abyss Artifacts that feed directly into your skill tree, plus bonus items along the way. Finish all six and you unlock the Master of Swords trophy.

The catch is that none of the challenges are active by default. You have to physically pick up each Sealed Abyss Artifact first to switch the challenge on. They do not appear on the main map, but they glow as purple icons on your minimap when you are close. You can also hold up your lantern at night — artifacts emit a white ring of light from a distance, making them much easier to spot while riding.

Another tip: use your sword’s Guiding Light ability (L1+R1 on PlayStation / LB+RB on Xbox / CTRL+Left Click on PC) to see a faint blue glow nearby when an artifact is within range. For a full look at all challenges in the game, visit our Crimson Desert trophy list and all achievements guide. You can also check how to open Sealed Abyss Artifacts if you are unsure what to do after collecting them.

Smart progression tip: Do Trials 1 through 3 first. Each one rewards an Abyss Artifact, and those three artifacts together give you enough points to unlock Turning Slash and upgrade your Stab and Forward Slash abilities — exactly what you need for Trials 4 through 6. See our how to get skill points guide to make sure you are spending them in the right order.

Sword of Trials 1 — Defeat 3 Enemies Within 30 Seconds Using a Sword

Location: North of Hernand Castle, on the roadside just before the large bridge at Three Saints’ Falls near Meandering Hills.

The first Sealed Abyss Artifact sits right along the main road heading north. You will pass this naturally while exploring Hernand, especially if you have done any fishing quests in the area. It is on the left side of the road before you cross the bridge over the falls.

This is the most straightforward challenge in the set. All you need to do is kill three enemies with a sword within 30 seconds. Any sword counts. Find a small group of weak bandits, open with heavy attacks, and you will finish this before the timer is even close. An upgraded sword makes this trivial — most weak enemies die in one or two hits. You do not need to start all three at full health. The challenge only checks the kills, not the starting conditions, so feel free to weaken enemies first before landing the killing blows.

Best farming spot: The Kuku bird flock at Rocca’s Hill, east of Hernand, is an excellent option for this and several other challenges. The birds cluster together, die quickly, and respawn each time you fast travel away and back. See our fast travel guide for the quickest way to reset spawns.

Sword of Trials 2 — Defeat 3 Enemies at Once Using a One-Handed Sword

Location: Hernand, on a small wooden shrine along the road south of the Spire of Insight in the Steel Mountains region.

The artifact is on the circular road that wraps around the mountain near the Spire of Insight. Head southeast from Hernand into the Steel Mountains and follow the road until you spot the shrine.

This challenge requires all three enemies to die simultaneously — or close enough that the game registers them as a group kill. Make sure you have a one-handed sword equipped, not a two-hander. The best method is Turning Slash — hold R1+R2 on PlayStation / RB+RT on Xbox to charge up a wide sweeping arc that can drop multiple enemies at once. Bandits standing close together on a roadside are ideal. Ambush them before they spread out. You can pre-damage the group first to bring them all to low health, then finish them with one Turning Slash. For a full list of the best one-handed swords to use, see our best one-handed swords guide.

Here is a useful shortcut: Sword of Trials 2 and Sword of Trials 4 share the exact same completion method. If you have Turning Slash unlocked when you pick up this artifact, a single clean fight can complete both challenges at once. For help getting the most out of your sword skills, see our best skills to level up first in Crimson Desert guide.

Sword of Trials 3 — Defeat 3 Enemies With a Sword Without Taking Damage

Location: Hernand, at the road intersection near the Goldleaf Trading Post between Anvil Hill and Howling Hill, on a small road marker shrine.

The purple glow on your minimap will flag this one as you pass through the intersection. It is one of the more common routes you will travel in early Hernand.

The no-damage rule sounds strict, but it is easier than it seems. Pick the weakest isolated group you can find — avoid mixed groups with archers or ranged attackers, and stick to melee-only bandit camps. Heavy attacks stagger most weak enemies before they can swing back. Take out any archers first so they cannot chip you while you deal with melee enemies. An upgraded sword lets you kill enemies fast enough that they barely get a chance to retaliate. Alternatively, the Kuku bird flock at Rocca’s Hill is an ideal no-stress option — they die in one or two hits and deal very little damage if they do connect. Stay calm, dodge anything telegraphed, and three clean kills will wrap this up quickly. For more on mastering dodging and parrying, see our how to parry, counter, and dodge in Crimson Desert guide.

Sword of Trials 4 — Defeat 3 Enemies at Once With a Sword Turning Slash Attack

Location: Hernand, on the side of the road northwest of the Kilnden Workshop, west of Hernand City.

Follow the road leading west toward the Kilnden Workshop and look for the artifact on the roadside shrine before you reach the building.

This challenge requires the Turning Slash skill, which is found in Kliff’s Stamina skill tree, at the end of the first left branch. Once unlocked, hold R1+R2 on PlayStation / RB+RT on Xbox to charge up the sweeping strike. As mentioned above, this challenge uses the exact same method as Sword of Trials 2 — a charged Turning Slash on a tight group of enemies registers all three kills simultaneously. Pre-damage the group to low health first if needed, then finish them all in one swing. If you already completed Sword of Trials 2 using this method and both were active at the time, this one may already be done. Reward for completing this challenge includes a Destruction I skill item on top of the standard Abyss Artifact.

Sword of Trials 5 — Defeat 3 Enemies in a Row With Only Stab Attacks

Location: Demeniss, near the first intersection leading to the Reventine Winery if approaching from the south.

This artifact takes you further from Hernand than the previous four. Head into Demeniss and follow the road south. The shrine is at the intersection near the Reventine Winery — watch your minimap for the purple icon as you approach.

The challenge requires killing three enemies using only Sword Stab attacks — performed with R1+Triangle on PlayStation / RB+Y on Xbox / Shift+Right Click on PC. The “in a row” condition means if you use any non-stab attack between kills, the chain resets and you start from zero. The key thing to be careful about is your inputs. If you hold the attack button after a stab, Kliff will transition into a Forward Slash, which will break the challenge. Tap the stab input cleanly for each kill and release immediately. Weak enemies work best here since you want them to die from stabs before you accidentally mix in another move. Upgrading the Stab ability fully beforehand is also recommended — the higher upgrade tiers allow the stab to bypass enemy super armor, which matters if you encounter tougher targets. Completing this challenge rewards a Rend I skill item.

Sword of Trials 6 — Defeat 5 Enemies Within 15 Seconds Using Forward Slash

Location: Serpent Marsh, the island just south of Demeniss city. Cross the top of the waterfall to reach it. At the marked location, face the Buddha statue and look for stairs to the right. Follow the stairs until the path splits, go right, then turn left. The Sealed Abyss Artifact is on a shrine nearby.

This is the hardest challenge in the set. You need five kills in 15 seconds using only Forward Slash — the basic heavy attack, performed by pressing the heavy attack button repeatedly. The time window is tight, and your stamina will burn out quickly if you spam attacks without preparation.

Here is how to approach it cleanly. Find a large group of weak enemies — the more packed together the better. The Kuku birds at Rocca’s Hill east of Hernand are the recommended farming spot: they cluster in a large group, go down in one or two Forward Slashes each, and the flock respawns every time you fast travel away and back. Start spamming Forward Slash immediately. If your stamina runs dry mid-challenge, eat a stamina-restoring food item right away and keep going without stopping. Forward Slash tracks toward enemies when performed in sequence at higher upgrade tiers, so staying near a group and keeping the inputs going is the key. Upgrading Forward Slash before attempting is highly recommended — higher ranks add enemy tracking and increase damage, making the 15-second window much more forgiving. Pre-damaging the enemy group first is also valid, since the challenge only checks the final kills.

Finishing this challenge rewards both a Faded Abyss Artifact and a Destruction II skill item — the best rewards of the full set. Note that Faded Abyss Artifacts are specifically used for skill tree resets, letting you respec your build. If you want to use yours strategically, check our how to respec in Crimson Desert guide first.

Sword of Trials Rewards Summary

Completing all six challenges unlocks the Master of Swords trophy and achievement. For more on how to spend your Abyss Artifacts — including how to farm unlimited amounts — see our guides on how to get unlimited Abyss Artifacts and the full Abyss Gears list.

Tips for Completing All Sword of Trials Challenges

A few things that will save you time across all six challenges:

• Upgrade your sword first. Higher attack power means faster kills, which matters a lot for timed and multi-kill challenges. See our how to upgrade weapons and armor guide for details.
• Use Kuku birds at Rocca’s Hill. The flock east of Hernand is the best farming spot for Trials 1, 3, and 6. They cluster, die fast, deal minimal damage, and respawn on fast travel. Use the Thinker’s Meadow fast travel point nearby for quick resets.
• Unlock Turning Slash before attempting Trials 2 and 4. It’s in Kliff’s Stamina skill tree, first left branch. Once unlocked (R1+R2 / RB+RT), it clears both challenges in the same fight.
• Pre-damage enemies for Trials 2 and 6. Bring targets to low health before landing the finishing blow — the challenges only check the kills, not starting HP.
• Use Blinding Flash to spot artifact shrines more easily from a distance. See our Blinding Flash guide for how it works.
• Carry stamina food before attempting Trial 6. You will need it mid-challenge.
• Track challenge progress under Journal > Challenges at any time.
• For advanced combat techniques that make all six challenges easier, see our advanced combat guide.

For more on getting Abyss items, see our guides on how to get Abyss Cells in Crimson Desert and how to get Aeserion Scales.

More Crimson Desert Guides

• How to Get Skill Points in Crimson Desert
• How to Respec in Crimson Desert
• How to Dual Wield in Crimson Desert
• Best One-Handed Swords in Crimson Desert
• How to Increase Attack Level
• Advanced Combat Guide
• Crimson Desert Best Early Build
• Crimson Desert Accessories Guide
• How to Get Max Stamina
• All Bosses & Locations in Crimson Desert
• Crimson Desert HUD Explained
• Full Crimson Desert Guide Hub

Crimson Desert is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for more.