TL;DR

The End of Greed is the final quest block of Chapter 2: Golden Greed, made up of five sub-quests followed by a boss fight.
Sub-quest order: The Dark Veil → The Flames of Greed → Kidnapped Healer → Rebellion or Revolution → Cheers Echoing from the Edge → Kailok the Hornsplitter boss.
Refine your weapons and armor at the Hernand blacksmith before starting. This is the first major combat gauntlet in the game.
Stock 40+ food items before Cheers Echoing from the Edge — the Kailok boss fight is the hardest encounter in Chapter 2.
During Cheers Echoing from the Edge, do not attack innocent goblins inside the Guildhouse — doing so triggers a massive bounty and forces a checkpoint reload.
Kailok has one HP bar but moves constantly. Dodge his Wind Slashes sideways, parry his melee attacks for counterattack windows, and build stagger with heavy attacks.
During the Kailok fight, watch for the “Learning in Progress” prompt — it teaches you Evasive Roll, which is critical for the rest of the game.
Chapter 2 final rewards: x1 Sword of the Lord, x7 Iron Ore, x2 Copper Ore, Seal of Greed — Goldleaf Merchant Guild, +500 Hernandian Contribution XP.

The End of Greed is the climax of Chapter 2 in Crimson Desert. It combines five consecutive sub-quests — investigations, a timed rescue, a kidnapping, a political confrontation, and a boss fight — into the longest and most demanding sequence you’ve faced so far. This walkthrough covers every step of all five sub-quests and gives you a complete strategy for beating Kailok the Hornsplitter, the Chapter 2 final boss.

For the full main story overview, see our All Main Story Quests and Chapters guide. The quest immediately before this one is covered in our Flames of Greed rescue guide.

Table of Contents

End of Greed — Quest Overview

Chapter: Chapter 2 — Golden Greed
Sub-chapter: The End of Greed
Prerequisite: Complete all four Where Misery Gathers investigation quests (Trial After Trial, The Man Trapped in the Mire, Missing Companion, Secrets Hidden in the Dark)
Starting location: Hernand region — Goldleaf Tradepost
Final boss: Kailok the Hornsplitter — Goldleaf Guildhouse, Unicorn Cliff
Final rewards: x1 Sword of the Lord, x7 Iron Ore, x2 Copper Ore, Seal of Greed — Goldleaf Merchant Guild, +500 Hernandian Contribution XP
Leads into: Chapter 3 — Howling Hill

Prepare Before You Start

The End of Greed is the first story block in the game that demands real combat preparation. The Kailok boss fight at the end is the hardest encounter in Chapter 2 by a significant margin, and if you go in under-prepared you’ll burn through your healing items and die repeatedly.

Visit the Hernand blacksmith first. Refine your weapons and armor to at least tier 3 or 4. Even modest refinement upgrades make a noticeable difference in how many hits you can take and deal. See our guide on how to reinforce equipment for the process.
Stock 40+ food items. Grilled Meat is the most reliable healing food at this stage. Buy lean meat from the vendor in Hernand Town and cook it at the pot beside them, or gather it from animals in the wild. See our best healing food guide for what to prepare.
Carry Palmar Pills. The Kailok fight has a single HP bar, meaning every death costs you progress rather than just a phase. Having Pills lets you revive on the spot and continue. Our Palmar Pills guide explains where to get them.
Unlock any held-off skills. If you’ve been saving Abyss Artifacts, spend them now. Any upgrades to combat abilities — especially Turning Slash, parry skills, and Armed Combat — pay off directly in the Kailok fight. See best skills to level up first for priorities.
Check your Abyss Gear sockets. If your weapons and armor have empty sockets, fill them before the boss. Our Best Weapon Abyss Gears guide and Best Armor Abyss Gears guide cover the most impactful choices at this stage.

Sub-Quest 1: The Dark Veil — Meet Shakatu at the Goldleaf Tradepost

Quest #25 | Requirement: Complete all four Where Misery Gathers investigations.

After completing the four investigation quests — including Secrets Hidden in the Dark, where you learned about the Goldleaf Merchant Guild’s involvement — guards near the cave will point you toward the Goldleaf Tradepost. Head southeast from Hernand Town to the Goldleaf Tradepost, following your quest marker.

At the tradepost, you’ll find a group of goblins in conversation. Approach and speak with Shakatu, a goblin merchant who makes clear he is not aligned with the corrupt elements at the top of the guild. He speaks cryptically but hints that someone at the top of the Goldleaf Merchant Guild is behind the region’s problems. Before he can say more, an emergency nearby cuts the conversation short.

The Dark Veil is a short dialogue quest — no combat, no puzzles. It exists to set up the chapter’s climax and introduce Shakatu as an ally. The moment the conversation ends, the next sub-quest begins. Shakatu is a returning character from Pearl Abyss’s previous game, Black Desert Online, and plays a significant ongoing role in Crimson Desert’s story.

Reward: None (story progression only)

Sub-Quest 2: The Flames of Greed — Rescue Marten from the Burning House

Quest #26 | Requirement: Complete The Dark Veil.

Immediately after meeting Shakatu, a nun on the road calls for help — a nearby healer’s house has been set on fire with someone trapped inside. Ride to Windland Heights by Unicorn Cliff to find the burning building. You have 120 seconds from the moment the cutscene ends.

Use Nature’s Grasp to lift and move the large log blocking the front doorway. Hop over the second smaller log at the threshold, head to the upper right corner of the house, and pick up Marten. Carry him straight back outside. Move with purpose — the fire deals damage but won’t kill you in the few seconds it takes to reach Marten and exit.

After Marten is safe outside, a cutscene reveals the healer, Hubert, was kidnapped by the bandits who started the fire.

For the complete step-by-step walkthrough of this rescue, including all timing tips, Nature’s Grasp inputs, and troubleshooting for common failure points, see our full Flames of Greed rescue guide.

Reward: Coins, x1 Abyss Artifact

Sub-Quest 3: Kidnapped Healer — Rescue Hubert from the Bandit Camp

Quest #27 | Requirement: Complete The Flames of Greed.

rescue the kidnapped healer in crimson desert

Follow your quest marker east from Windland Heights, then south at the fork toward the Hernand Highlands. The route has hostile enemies along the road — you can ride past most of them without engaging. The bandit camp holding Hubert is roughly 500 metres from your starting position.

When you reach the camp, a bandit attacks immediately. Defeat them, then locate Hubert tied up in the camp. Lock onto him and interact to untie him. He’ll speak of Shakatu and reveal that the person behind all the criminal activity in Hernand is Kailok the Hornsplitter, the current Goldleaf branchmaster, whose tyranny Shakatu opposes. This information leads directly into the next quest.

Watch out for aggressive hogs in the area around the Hernand Highlands if you go off-road — they can interrupt your approach to the camp.

Reward: x1 Standard Inventory Expansion Tool

Sub-Quest 4: Rebellion or Revolution — Confront Shakatu and Form the Alliance

Quest #28 | Requirement: Complete Kidnapped Healer.

rebellion or revolution in crimson desert

Shakatu is no longer at the Goldleaf Tradepost. Follow the road north from the healer’s camp to find his new location near the Goldleaf Guildhouse. The journey has waves of bandits along the route — stay mounted and ride through rather than engaging every group.

When you arrive at Shakatu’s camp, five of his soldiers attack you. Don’t panic — this is a scripted misunderstanding. Shakatu ordered them to treat you with respect, but the message was miscommunicated. All five soldiers carry strong shields, which makes standard attacks difficult to land. Use Turning Slash to hit through their guard or parry to stagger them and create openings. Defeat all five to trigger the cutscene.

Shakatu apologises for the mix-up and explains the full situation: Kailok the Hornsplitter has corrupted the Goldleaf Merchant Guild, using it to extort and terrorise Hernand. Shakatu proposes an alliance — Kliff defeats Kailok, and Shakatu takes over as branchmaster and provides Greymane support. Follow Shakatu as he walks and talks to wrap up the discussion.

This quest ends with the alliance formed and the final objective set. Shakatu will lead you to a cliffside overlooking Unicorn Cliff and point you toward Kailok’s position in the Goldleaf Guildhouse.

Reward: None (story progression only)

Sub-Quest 5: Cheers Echoing from the Edge — Breach the Guildhouse and Defeat Kailok

Quest #29 | Requirement: Complete Rebellion or Revolution.

kailok the hornsplitter in crimson desert

This is the final sub-quest and it ends in the Chapter 2 boss fight. Make sure your food is fully stocked before proceeding. Head to the marked location: the Goldleaf Guildhouse at Unicorn Cliff.

Clearing the Guards Outside

As you approach, several of Hornsplitter’s Guards emerge and attack. These are the last enemies standing between you and Kailok — fight through them before entering the building. The Unicorn Cliff environment gives you a tactical advantage: knock enemies off the cliff edge for instant kills. A charged Turning Slash hits multiple unshielded goblins at once and sends them flying — use this liberally to thin the crowd quickly without taking sustained damage.

If you prefer straight combat, Turning Slash into packed groups works just as well on flat ground. The key is avoiding getting surrounded — draw them toward you in small groups if possible. Some enemies outside drop coin-purse gear as loot. It can’t be equipped but sells well — grab it after the fight.

Entering the Guildhouse — Critical Warning

Once you’ve cleared the guards outside, head into the Goldleaf Guildhouse. Do not attack the goblins inside the building. Unlike the guards outside, the goblins inside are innocent civilians. Striking them triggers a massive bounty on Kliff and forces a checkpoint reload. Focus only on the entrance path toward the boss area and trigger the cutscene to begin the Kailok fight.

If you want to skip the fight with some of the outside goblins entirely, you can use Force Palm to launch yourself into the air and land directly inside the Guildhouse compound, bypassing some of the exterior enemies.

How to Beat Kailok the Hornsplitter — Boss Strategy

Kailok the Hornsplitter is the head of the Goldleaf Merchants and the person behind all of Hernand’s problems. He has a single HP bar but is extremely fast, highly mobile, and hits hard. This is the first boss in the game that genuinely tests your mastery of the combat system.

For a full dedicated boss guide with more in-depth strategy, see our complete Kailok the Hornsplitter boss guide. Below is everything you need to beat him efficiently.

Learn Evasive Roll During the Fight

Early in the fight, you’ll see a “Learning in Progress” notification appear. Kailok will perform his Evasive Roll ability — the Watch and Learn system lets you acquire it by observing the move. This is one of the most important mobility skills in the game. Don’t miss the prompt. Evasive Roll lets you immediately roll out of attack range after being hit, converting what would be a stagger into a recovery. Start using it immediately once it unlocks — the difference in survivability is significant.

Kailok’s Attacks and How to Counter Each

Wind Slash (Ranged): Kailok fires a projectile that travels in a straight line at speed. Dodge sideways — not backward — to avoid it cleanly. Rolling straight back still puts you in the projectile’s path. Close the gap immediately after each Wind Slash since he has to recover before firing another. Kailok uses this constantly to create distance, so your main challenge is staying on top of him.
Forward Slash and Overhead Attack (Melee combo): When Kailok closes in, he follows a predictable pattern of a forward slash into an overhead strike. Both can be blocked with your shield, which stuns him briefly and gives you a counterattack window. Parrying at the right moment (L1/LB at the moment of impact) gives a larger window than a simple block and costs less stamina over time.
Red Glint Attack (Unblockable): When Kailok’s weapon flashes red, the incoming attack is unblockable. Do not try to shield it. Dodge immediately when you see the red flash — sideways or backward, whichever creates the most distance. After he completes the attack and the animation ends, strike with a heavy attack before he recovers. This is your safest burst damage window.
Leap Slam (Unblockable AoE): When your shield flashes red, Kailok is about to leap into the air and slam down. A single dodge roll away from his landing spot avoids the impact. Punish him immediately after he lands — the post-slam recovery is the longest vulnerable window in the fight.
Super Armor Phase (Blue Glow): Kailok occasionally enters a super armor state where he’s temporarily invulnerable to damage and glows blue. Stop attacking immediately when you see this. Use the time to back off, heal if necessary, and prepare to dodge the attacks that follow when the blue glow ends.

Core Combat Strategy

Prioritise stagger over raw damage. Heavy attacks (R2/RT) and skills like Turning Slash deal stagger damage to the yellow bar beneath Kailok’s health bar. When the stagger meter fills, press R1+R2 (PlayStation) / RB+RT (Xbox) to perform a powerful finisher that removes a substantial chunk of his health at once. Building stagger is the fastest path to ending the fight.
Stay aggressive when he’s in melee range. Kailok’s ranged Wind Slashes are his most dangerous tool at distance. The more time you spend in melee range, the fewer Wind Slashes he fires. Press forward after dodging each one.
Use parries for the best counterattack windows. A successful parry (hold L1/LB, then press at the moment of impact) interrupts his melee combo and gives you a full counterattack before he recovers. Once you learn the timing of his forward slash, parrying it consistently is the most efficient way to deal damage.
Heal proactively, not reactively. Don’t wait until your health is critically low to use food. Consume healing items when you’re around 50–60% health, between Kailok’s attack strings. Trying to heal at near-zero health mid-combo will get you hit during the animation.
Use Evasive Roll as soon as you unlock it. After the Watch and Learn prompt confirms you’ve learned it, incorporate Evasive Roll into every recovery. Getting hit by Kailok while standing still turns into a combo — Evasive Roll breaks the chain.

After the Fight — Shakatu Takes Over

Once Kailok is defeated, a cutscene plays. The guild members turn on Kailok, and Shakatu steps forward to take his place as branchmaster of the Goldleaf Merchant Guild. Kliff reluctantly accepts Shakatu’s trade deal in exchange for information about a surviving Greymane.

You receive the Seal of Greed — Goldleaf Merchant Guild, which permanently improves your buying and selling prices with Goldleaf merchants going forward. This is one of the most practically useful rewards in Chapter 2 — better merchant prices accumulate significant value over the rest of the game.

Chapter 2: Golden Greed ends here. The story transitions directly into Chapter 3: Howling Hill, where the game’s systems open up significantly. Camp building, the full Abyss Gear socket system, and larger-scale exploration all become available in Chapter 3.

All End of Greed Rewards — Complete Summary

The Dark Veil: None (story only)
The Flames of Greed: Coins, x1 Abyss Artifact
Kidnapped Healer: x1 Standard Inventory Expansion Tool
Rebellion or Revolution: None (story only)
Cheers Echoing from the Edge / Kailok boss: x1 Sword of the Lord, x7 Iron Ore, x2 Copper Ore, Seal of Greed — Goldleaf Merchant Guild, +500 Hernandian Contribution XP
Learned during boss fight: Evasive Roll (Watch and Learn)

The Sword of the Lord is a strong early weapon worth examining. It comes with Wind Slash as a built-in Abyss Gear and solid Attack Speed stats, making it a natural fit for dual-wield builds. For how to use it and what to pair it with, see our Best Dual-Wield Swords Build guide and our overview of the Best One-Handed Swords. Iron Ore and Copper Ore are crafting materials used for equipment refinement — see our guide on how to get Iron Ore for farming more if you need it.

What to Do After Completing the End of Greed

Chapter 3: Howling Hill begins immediately after the Chapter 2 conclusion cutscene. This is where Crimson Desert opens up significantly:

Howling Hill Camp becomes available — your permanent base of operations. See our guides on how to unlock the camp and how to upgrade Howling Hill to Level 2.
Abyss Gear sockets fully unlock through the Witch of Wisdom questline. Now is the time to set up your build properly. See the Witches and Abyss Gears unlock guide.
Larger combat challenges become available, including Power Challenges and Sanctum clearing. See our All Power Challenges guide.
Contribution system expands — with +500 Hernandian Contribution XP from this quest plus your accumulated faction standing, you should have meaningful reputation with Hernand merchants now. See our guide on gaining trust with merchants and trade agreements.

If you want to catch up on mastery challenges in Hernand before moving on, several Sealed Abyss Artifacts are in the area and still worth picking up. Our Sword Mastery Challenges guide and All Bow Challenges guide show what’s available to complete before leaving the region.

Where to Get Crimson Desert

Available on all major platforms:

Final Thoughts

The End of Greed is where Chapter 2 shifts from scattered countryside investigations into a tightly structured story climax. The five sub-quests flow naturally into each other — each one adds a piece of the Kailok picture until you have everything you need to walk into the Guildhouse and end it. The Kailok fight itself is a genuine skill check: he’s fast, he uses ranged attacks aggressively, and he punishes passive play. But his patterns are readable, his unblockable attacks are clearly telegraphed with red flashes, and his Wind Slashes are entirely avoidable with sideways dodges.

The most important thing you take out of this chapter isn’t the Sword of the Lord or the Seal of Greed — it’s Evasive Roll, which you learn from watching Kailok during the fight itself. That single skill makes every boss fight from Chapter 3 onward more manageable. Don’t miss the Watch and Learn prompt when it appears.

For everything ahead in Chapter 3 and beyond, the Crimson Desert Guide Hub has the complete collection of walkthroughs, boss guides, build guides, and challenge completions.