TL;DR
- Hound’s Claws is an Abyss Gear that comes pre-socketed in the Hound — a two-handed sword dropped by Hemon Beindel at Fort Hellwood
- Fort Hellwood is west of Glenbright Manor in southern Hernand
- Hemon Beindel only spawns after completing a long Hernand faction quest chain — if the fort is empty, your faction progress is not far enough
- The unlock chain requires: House Alphonso + House Roberts quests → House Serkis (including Staglord) → House Celeste (Queen’s Nest + Spider Queen) → Senia liberation → Reliquary of Saint Senia quest
- You fight Hemon Beindel three times inside the fort — parry his multi-hit slash combo to create openings
- To use Hound’s Claws on another weapon, take the Hound sword to any Witch and select Extract Abyss Gear — this destroys the base sword
- The Hound sword itself: Attack 17, Critical Rate Level 3, plus Destruction I and Swift I Abyss Gears
Hound’s Claws is one of the most talked-about Abyss Gears in Crimson Desert. It adds a wide, spinning 360-degree AoE attack that clears groups and pairs powerfully with two-handed and spear builds. The problem is it sits behind one of the longest faction quest chains in Hernand, and players who ride to Fort Hellwood too early find nothing but an empty fort and no explanation why.
This guide covers the full unlock chain, the fight itself, and how to extract Hound’s Claws for use on other weapons.
What Is Hound’s Claws?
Hound’s Claws is an Abyss Gear — a slottable modifier that can be embedded into weapon sockets to add a special active attack.
When equipped, Hound’s Claws activates by pressing Shift + Left Click on PC, or the equivalent on controller. It triggers a wide spinning slash with a full 360-degree arc of effect, hitting every enemy around you simultaneously. The move is stamina-heavy but devastatingly effective at crowd control and group clearing.
It comes pre-socketed into the Hound, a two-handed greatsword dropped by the boss Hemon Beindel. You can either:
- Use the Hound as your main weapon and benefit from both the sword stats and the Hound’s Claws gear
- Extract Hound’s Claws at a Witch and slot it into a different weapon of your choice — destroying the base Hound sword in the process
The Hound’s base stats at max refinement: Attack 39, Critical Rate Level 3, with Destruction I and Swift I already embedded.
Why Is Fort Hellwood Empty?
This is the most common question about this weapon. The fort looks accessible on the map from the start of the game, but Hemon Beindel will not spawn there until you have completed a specific chain of Hernand faction quests.
If you arrive and find no enemies, no boss, and no activity — you simply have not unlocked the quest yet. There is nothing wrong with your game. Come back after completing the prerequisites below.
Prerequisites: How to Unlock the Quest Chain
The Hound is locked behind a multi-step faction progression chain. Complete these in order:
Step 1: House Alphonso and House Roberts Questlines
Complete the full House Alphonso questline and the full House Roberts questline. These are the foundation of Hernand’s faction system and must be done before the later house quests open up.
Step 2: House Serkis — Complete 10 of 13 Quests Including the Staglord
Work through the House Serkis questline until you have completed at least 10 of the 13 quests available. This includes defeating the Staglord — a boss encounter within the Serkis questline. Do not skip it.
Step 3: House Celeste — Queen of the Silkspun Citadel Chain
Progress the House Celeste quests until the Queen of the Silkspun Citadel questline becomes available. Then complete the Queen’s Nest quest within that chain. This requires:
- Liberating Arboria Castle
- Defeating the Spider Queen
You cannot access the Queen’s Nest quest without completing the earlier House Celeste quests first. It is gated behind the prior steps in the chain.
Step 4: Liberate Senia and Complete Finding the Relic
Travel to the town of Senia, located north of Fort Hellwood in southern Hernand, and liberate it. After liberating Senia, complete the Finding the Relic quest under the Hernandian Parish of Solumen questline.
To get to Senia’s church, head up the hill via the roadside rather than trying to climb directly — the game places bats and hazards on the off-path route. Clear the base, defeat the commander, and speak to Uriel the priest to receive the next quest. Then head into the fort on the hill and recover the Reliquary for the priest.
Step 5: Reliquary of Saint Senia — The Final Unlock
Once all the above prerequisites are complete, you will receive the quest Reliquary of Saint Senia under the Missing Relic quest chain. This quest is your direct trigger for the Hemon Beindel encounter at Fort Hellwood.
Check your Journal under Faction Quests for the Hernandian Parish of Solumen section if you want to track where you are in the chain at any point.
Fort Hellwood Location
Fort Hellwood is located west of Glenbright Manor in the southern part of Hernand. It sits on elevated terrain and is accessible via the road leading south from Hernand Town.
With the Reliquary of Saint Senia quest active, fast travel to your nearest Hernand Abyss Nexus and ride south. The fort will now be populated with enemies, and Hemon Beindel will be waiting inside.
How to Defeat Hemon Beindel
The fight against Hemon Beindel has three stages. He will not go down in a single confrontation — expect to chase him through the fort.
Stage 1: First Encounter
Push through Fort Hellwood’s defenders and engage Hemon Beindel. After taking enough damage he will flee. You do not need to fully defeat him here.
Shortcut: If you want to skip the first two encounters entirely, climb the mountain on the outside of the fort and jump over the rear wall. This lets you drop straight into the final encounter area without fighting through the full fort.
Stage 2: Second Encounter
Chase Hemon Beindel deeper into the fort and engage him again. He will flee a second time after taking damage. Clear any enemy soldiers nearby between engagements so they do not disrupt the final fight.
Stage 3: Final Encounter — Top of the Fort
Take the wooden elevator up to the elevated section of the camp. This is where Hemon Beindel makes his final stand.
The arena is surrounded by onlookers who will shoot arrows at you or close in if you drift near them. Focus on Hemon Beindel rather than the crowd — he stays aggressive and constantly closes the gap, making it difficult to deal with spectators safely anyway. Once Hemon falls, the surrounding enemies stop being a problem.
How to fight Hemon Beindel:
His most dangerous tool is his multi-hit slash combo. If it connects fully it drains your health fast. The most reliable counter is Focus Parrying:
- Activate Focus Mode — press LS + RS simultaneously on controller / equivalent on PC
- Wait for Hemon to close in and begin his attack
- Press L1 / LB just before the hit lands to trigger a parry
- Use the stagger window to land your own attacks
- Repeat until he is down
If parrying feels too risky, dodge his combo strings sideways instead. Blocking his multi-hit sequence drains stamina fast, so avoid trying to tank through it. Bring Hearty Meals or Grilled Meat — the fight is not long once the parry rhythm clicks, but having healing available removes the pressure.
When Hemon goes down, the Hound sword drops. Pick it up.
How to Use Hound’s Claws
Option 1: Use the Hound as Your Weapon
Equip the Hound directly and benefit from both its solid base stats and the pre-embedded Hound’s Claws. At max refinement it reaches Attack 39 and Critical Rate Level 3 — a strong mid-game two-handed sword that holds up well. It also comes with Destruction I and Swift I already embedded, making it a complete package out of the box.
Option 2: Extract Hound’s Claws and Transfer It
If you want to put Hound’s Claws onto a different weapon — a spear, greatsword, or whatever fits your build better — visit any Witch and select Extract Abyss Gear. Choose the Hound from your inventory.
Warning: extracting destroys the base sword permanently. Make sure you are done with the Hound as a weapon before you do this. You will receive the Hound’s Claws as a standalone slottable item in your inventory.
Once extracted, go to any Witch, select Create Socket on your target weapon if a slot is not already open, then select Embed Abyss Gear and slot Hound’s Claws in.
For the full Abyss Gear system explanation — how to create sockets, costs, and synthesis — see our Crimson Desert how to unlock Witch’s Abyss Gears guide and our guide on how to get Abyss Cells in Crimson Desert.
Is Hound’s Claws Worth It?
For crowd control and group clearing, Hound’s Claws is one of the strongest active Abyss Gears available in mid-game Hernand. The 360-degree AoE spinning attack hits everything around you simultaneously, making it particularly effective in the crowded enemy camps and fort liberations that dominate the Hernand region.
The Hound sword itself is also a strong hold for players in the mid-game. With Critical Rate Level 3 and a generous attack ceiling, it is competitive alongside other top Hernand weapons. Even players who plan to upgrade to later weapons should keep the Hound or extract the Claws rather than discarding it.
The main trade-off is stamina — the Hound’s Claws ability is stamina-intensive. If your build is already stamina-tight, slot a Stamina Regen Abyss Gear elsewhere to compensate. For build advice around stamina management, see our how to get max stamina in Crimson Desert guide.
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Where to Play Crimson Desert
Hound’s Claws is worth every quest in the chain. Work through the Hernand faction in order, activate the Reliquary of Saint Senia quest, and chase Hemon Beindel to the top of Fort Hellwood. Parry the slash combo, collect the sword, then decide whether to run the Hound as-is or extract the Claws and slot them into something stronger. Either way, it is one of the best crowd-control tools available in mid-game Hernand. For everything else in the game, head to our Crimson Desert guides hub.
