How to Farm Kuku Packs for Crafting in Crimson Desert

TL;DR

• The best place to farm base packs for Kuku crafting is Totesmith Tannery at Glenbright Farm, southwest of the Hernand Highlands — it has an infinite, respawning supply of Peddler’s Packs, Hunter’s Packs, Weaponsmith’s Packs, Empty Packs, and more.
• One Peddler’s Pack can be bought legally for 85 Copper from the vendor’s display. All others must be stolen — equip a Mask first and sprint out of the red witness zone to avoid a bounty.
• Any basic pack type works as a crafting base at Grimnir’s Kuku Shop — if a recipe calls for a Peddler’s Pack, you can substitute a Hunter’s Pack or any other basic pack automatically.
• The Kuku Pot (needed for every Kuku Pack recipe) is crafted at the Kilnden Workshop using 5x Iron Ore and 5x Timber, or earned during Chapter 4’s Mysterious Pot main quest.
• All Kuku Pack upgrades require Blueprints — earned by completing Sanctums and Witch faction quests — plus the base pack and additional crafting materials.
• The Kuku Rocket Pack (Oongka’s jetpack) is the most sought-after Kuku upgrade; it requires Blueprint I from the Sanctum of Penitence and Blueprint II from Grimnir’s assistant in Pailune.

The Kuku crafting system is one of the most powerful progression systems in Crimson Desert, and it all starts with a single base material: a pack. Most players hit a wall here because the game doesn’t tell you where to reliably get one. You can stumble on packs as random loot, or track down roaming merchant NPCs and intimidate them — but neither method is efficient when you need packs consistently for multiple Kuku upgrades.

There’s a much better way. This guide covers the best farming location for base packs, how the Kuku crafting system works, every Kuku Pack upgrade ranked, and all the blueprints you need to unlock the full crafting tree at Grimnir’s Kuku Shop.

What Are Kuku Packs and Why Do You Need Them?

The Kuku Pack is a specialized backpack crafted at Grimnir’s Kuku Shop inside the Kilnden Workshop. It functions as the base item for a branching upgrade tree with nine specialized variants — everything from a jetpack for Oongka to auto-collecting gardening tools to combat drone launchers.

To craft any Kuku Pack upgrade, you need three things:

1. A basic pack (Peddler’s Pack, Hunter’s Pack, or any equivalent)
2. A Kuku Pot (the iron pot Grimnir gives you in Chapter 4)
3. A Blueprint for the specific upgrade you want (earned through Sanctums and faction quests)

The basic pack is almost always the bottleneck. The Kuku Pot is easy to replace — craft more at Grimnir’s shop any time for just 5x Iron Ore and 5x Timber. The blueprints come from story progression. But packs require knowing exactly where to go.

Best Way to Farm Packs — Totesmith Tannery

The most reliable, infinitely repeatable source of basic packs in Crimson Desert is Totesmith Tannery, located at Glenbright Farm in Hernand.

How to get there:

Head directly south from the Greymanes Howling Hill camp, or use any nearby Abyss Nexus to cut down travel time. Glenbright Farm sits directly south of the Hernand Highlands on the map. Once at the farm, head southwest until you reach Totesmith Tannery.

Important navigation note: Despite the name, Totesmith Tannery does not appear as a tannery icon on the minimap. It shows up as an ordinary Street Shop icon — a common source of confusion for players scanning the map for a leather symbol. If you’re at Glenbright Farm and can’t find it, look for the Street Shop marker in the southwest corner of the farm.

What’s available there:

The tannery has a permanent, respawning display of basic packs including Peddler’s Packs, Weaponsmith’s Packs, Hunter’s Packs, and Empty Packs. Multiple packs are propped up around the vendor at any given time:

• Two packs propped directly behind the street vendor
• Two more on tables near the tannery building
• One propped across from those
• Two hanging along the fence on the right side — one on a stand with a tarp, one on a horizontal stick display

That’s up to six packs available per visit, and they respawn when you leave and return.

Buying vs. stealing:

Only one pack — the one propped directly behind the vendor — can be legally purchased. The rest cannot be bought through the inventory menu and must be stolen. You cannot buy them through the merchant’s dialogue; only the physical pack on display is interactable as a purchase.

If you get a bounty from stealing, see the how to remove bounty guide to clear it quickly.

Any pack works. A common confusion: the Kuku crafting recipes appear to call for a specific pack type (Peddler’s Pack is the most commonly listed). In practice, any basic pack can substitute automatically at Grimnir’s shop. If you have a Hunter’s Pack but the recipe lists a Peddler’s Pack, use the Hunter’s Pack — the game accepts it. This makes Totesmith Tannery ideal since it stocks multiple pack types simultaneously.

Secondary Farming Method — Roaming Merchant NPCs

If you can’t get to Totesmith Tannery or want additional packs, roaming merchant NPCs carry Peddler’s Packs on their backs along main roads, trade routes, and hubs like the Goldleaf Trading Post.

To get a pack from a roaming merchant:

1. Equip a Mask before approaching.
2. Draw your weapon to threaten the NPC — this forces them to drop what they’re carrying.
3. Pick up the dropped pack.
4. Sprint out of the red witness zone immediately to avoid gaining a bounty.

This method is less efficient than Totesmith Tannery because roaming merchants don’t guarantee a pack on every encounter, and the witness zone chase can be annoying. Use it as a supplement, not a primary source. Having a pet companion helps spot packs on the ground that you might walk past — see the how to get a pet guide for the fastest pet unlock.

How to Set Up the Kuku Crafting System

Before you can craft any Kuku Pack, you need to unlock Grimnir’s shop and have a Kuku Pot.

Step 1 — Unlock the Kilnden Workshop (Chapter 4)

The Kilnden Workshop becomes available during Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge through the Mysterious Pot main quest. The workshop is located west of Hernand — use the Abyss Nexus west of the workshop to fast travel close.

When you arrive, Grimnir will have you repair his furnace and fix three broken kilns. Completing the Kiln Repair at the Kilnden Workshop quest gives you your first Kuku Pot and opens Grimnir’s Kuku Shop. For the full kiln repair walkthrough, see the Kiln Repair at the Kilnden Workshop guide.

Step 2 — Get Additional Kuku Pots When Needed

Every Kuku upgrade recipe consumes a Kuku Pot. You’ll need one per crafting session. Restock by:

• Crafting a new one directly at Grimnir’s shop for 5x Iron Ore + 5x Timber
• Sending Comrades on a dispatch mission to the Kilnden Workshop from your camp

Iron Ore is easy — see the how to get iron ore guide if you’re running low. If you’ve lost your Kuku Pot, check your Camp’s recovered items first before crafting a new one.

Step 3 — Unlock Blueprints Through Sanctums

Blueprints are the key that unlocks each Kuku upgrade recipe. Every blueprint is earned — none are sold in shops. Sources include:

• Completing Sanctums as part of the Witch faction quests (most blueprints come from here)
• Receiving letters or items from NPCs like Grimnir’s assistant
• Progressing through the Witch of Wisdom and Witch of Humility questlines

Once a blueprint is learned, the recipe stays permanently in your Knowledge tab and is always available at Grimnir’s shop.

Key Sanctum unlock note: Each Sanctum contains a hidden crystal dial puzzle at the back that most players skip. Solving it rewards a named Core item — a crafting material required for several Kuku gear pieces. The puzzle method: face the blue crystal at the front, use Blinding Flash (L1 + R1 + L1) to direct light into it. Tap L1 as the rotating dial approaches each blue crystal. Complete a full rotation cleanly to claim the Core reward. Missing this step means missing important crafting materials.

For full Sanctum guides, see the all Sanctum locations guide.

All Kuku Pack Upgrades — Ranked

All nine Kuku Pack variants are crafted at Grimnir’s shop using a base pack + Kuku Pot + blueprint + additional materials. Here’s every upgrade ranked by usefulness:

Important warning before upgrading: Kuku-upgraded versions of equipment cannot be used to complete the Challenges associated with their base items. Before upgrading any base item into a Kuku variant, either complete the relevant challenge first or make sure you have a spare unupgraded copy. There is no known second copy of Marni’s Helm anywhere in the game — if you upgrade it into the Kuku Marni Laser Helm without completing its challenge first, you cannot go back.

How to Craft the Base Kuku Pack (Blueprint I)

Requirement: Complete the Sanctum of Penitence as part of the Witch of Wisdom faction quest. The Sanctum is located southeast of Hernand.

Inside the Sanctum, the key puzzle involves a floating block near the entrance. Use your Axiom Force to grab and move the block, carry it to the broken kiln, rotate it to the correct orientation, place it on the bottom-left tower, then jump onto it and use Force Palm to lock it into position. This unlocks Blueprint I: Kuku Pack.

Crafting materials:

Craft at Grimnir’s Mysterious Iron Pot at the Kilnden Workshop.

How to Craft the Kuku Rocket Pack (Oongka’s Jetpack)

The Kuku Rocket Pack is the most searched Kuku upgrade in the game. It gives Oongka the ability to fly — only Oongka can equip and use it. Kliff and Damiane cannot.

Step 1 — Get Blueprint I: Kuku Pack (Sanctum of Penitence, as above — skip if you already have it).

Step 2 — Get Blueprint II: Kuku Rocket Pack. After reaching Chapter 8 and unlocking Pailune as a hub city, find Grimnir’s assistant on the south side of Pailune. Speak to him and receive the Letter from Grimnir.

Critical: Open your inventory, select the letter, and choose Examine (hold LB/L1 on controller). Simply receiving the letter does not unlock the blueprint. The crafting recipe only registers in your Knowledge tab after you examine the document. Many players miss this and spend time wondering why the recipe won’t appear at Grimnir’s shop.

Step 3 — Craft the Kuku Pack first, then the Rocket Pack.

Kuku Rocket Pack crafting materials:

For the complete Fire Breathing Pack quest walkthrough from start to finish — including finding Grimnir’s assistant, how to equip the jetpack, and tips for flying — see the full Fire Breathing Pack walkthrough and the how to craft Kuku Pack and Rocket Pack guide.

To fly with the Kuku Rocket Pack: Press Jump while airborne to engage the thrusters. Press Sprint while moving to accelerate. Flying consumes Stamina continuously — the thrusters cut immediately when stamina depletes. The Rocket Pack opens up floating island exploration and makes vertical traversal across Pywel dramatically faster.

How to Craft the Kuku Communicative Pack

The Kuku Communicative Pack is one of the most underrated Kuku upgrades. It summons a holographic trader anywhere in the world so you can sell items on the spot — a direct solution to the inventory-full-during-exploration problem. It has a 30-minute cooldown, so use it deliberately.

Blueprint: Buy a specific book from the Witch of Strength for 999 Silver (located north of Tashkalp).

Crafting materials:

The Hologram Projector drop from Merik is the most time-consuming material to acquire. Plan this upgrade for after you’ve progressed well into mid-to-late game content.

How to Craft the Kuku Gardening Pack

The Kuku Gardening Pack auto-collects nearby harvestable plants, herbs, mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables with a ~15-second cooldown. For any player farming ingredients for cooking, alchemy, or Palmar Pills, this is a massive time-saver.

Unlock requirement: Complete Chapter 9 and most of the Witch questlines. Specifically, complete the Sanctum of Veneration for the Witch of Humility (Lyselia) to receive the blueprint.

Crafting materials:

The Core of Mortification is the trickiest material. If you’re stuck on the puzzle inside the Sanctum of Mortification, aim at the center dial and use Blinding Flash to activate it. See the Sanctum of Mortification walkthrough for the full solution. For getting Abyss Cells efficiently, see the how to get Abyss Cells guide.

To equip and use: Press Quick Slot from the backpack tab, hold the Skill Slot button, select the Gardening Pack from the special equipment tab, release, then press Skill to activate. If it bugs out (animation plays but nothing happens), try fast travelling to a different location and returning to reset it.

What Packs Should You Keep vs. Sell?

Not all packs are worth holding onto. Here’s the breakdown:

The short version: hold any basic field pack for Kuku crafting, equip Flamethrower Packs for combat, and sell everything else. For more on what to do with other item types you’re unsure about, see the should you sell recipes guide and the guide on what to do with learned recipes and blueprints.

FAQ — Kuku Packs in Crimson Desert

The Kuku crafting system branches into some of the most useful gear in the game — from Oongka’s jetpack to on-demand mobile traders to elemental immunity chest pieces. Once you know where to farm packs reliably, the bottleneck disappears and the whole system opens up.

For more Crimson Desert guides, visit the Crimson Desert guide hub or the full Crimson Desert guides page. If you’re working through Pailune content alongside this quest, see the Sigrid bounty guide for another Pailune side activity, and the every unlockable mount and vehicle guide for the full rundown on the Kuku Rocket Pack alongside every other transport option in the game.

Get Crimson Desert on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, or Xbox. For more about the game, visit the official Crimson Desert website.