TL;DR
- Diamonds are one of the rarest minerals in Crimson Desert — used to craft and upgrade Abyss Gears and refine jewelry
- The best early location is the Hernand Highlands Cave — south of the Howling Hill Greymane Camp in a large crater
- Drop into the crater, enter the cave on the southern wall, follow the narrow passage to reach the diamond deposits at the end
- Bring a Pickaxe — get one from Rhett’s Request or the Provisioner’s Shop in Hernand
- Force Palm also breaks diamond nodes if you have no Pickaxe
- Each node drops up to 2 Diamonds — around 10 per visit in the Hernand cave
- More locations exist in Demeniss, the Steel Mountains, Deepfog Basin, and north of Trader’s Expanse
- Diamond nodes respawn over time — revisit locations regularly for farming runs
Diamonds are among the rarest and most valuable minerals in Crimson Desert. The game gives you no quest marker, no merchant that reliably sells them, and very little indication of where to look. Yet you need them consistently — for crafting Abyss Gears at the witches and for upgrading jewelry to the highest tiers at the Blacksmith.
This guide covers every confirmed Diamond cave location, how to reach each one, and what you need before you go. For everything else in the game, head to our full Crimson Desert guide hub.
What Diamonds Are Used For
Diamonds serve two main purposes in Crimson Desert.
The first is crafting and upgrading Abyss Gears. Abyss Gears are the passive ability slots on your weapons and armor that provide bonus effects — damage buffs, health regen, stamina bonuses, and more. Crafting and upgrading these requires Diamonds as a core material. If your Abyss Gear progression is stalled, Diamonds are almost certainly what you are missing.
The second use is high-tier jewelry refinement at the Blacksmith. Accessories in Crimson Desert require Diamond to reach the highest refinement tiers. This makes them essential not just for combat builds but for any player trying to push their accessories to maximum stats.
Because Diamonds are always found in caves and hard-to-reach spots — never along roads or in open fields — most players find their crafting pipeline blocked simply because they did not know where to dig. Our accessories guide and how to reinforce equipment guide can help you make the most of every Diamond you collect.
What You Need Before Mining
Pickaxe — The fastest and most efficient tool for mining Diamond nodes. Without it, the process is considerably slower. You can get a Pickaxe by completing Rhett’s Request in Hernand — talk to Rhett in the early game and follow his short commission. Alternatively, buy one directly from the Provisioner’s Shop in Hernand town. Our Rhett’s Request guide covers the quest in detail.
Force Palm — If you do not have a Pickaxe handy, Force Palm breaks Diamond nodes too, just less efficiently. Force Palm is learned automatically in Chapter 1, so you should always have it available as a backup.
Enough inventory space — Always check your inventory before a mining run. Diamond nodes drop 1–2 pieces each and a full inventory means gems left on the ground.
Diamond Location 1 – Hernand Highlands Cave (Best Early Spot)
Location: Hernand Highlands, southeast of Howling Hill Greymane Camp — inside the large crater
This is the earliest and most accessible Diamond location in the game, and the one most players should hit first. It sits just south of the Howling Hill Greymane Camp where you establish your base in Chapter 3 — meaning you can access it very naturally during normal story progression.
How to Find the Crater
From the Howling Hill Greymane Camp, head south through the Hernand Highlands. You will soon arrive at a massive crater or pit — it appears on your map as a large question mark (Mysterious Energy icon) before you get close enough to reveal it. The crater is hard to miss once you are in the area. It sits between Thinker’s Meadow, Unicorn Cliff, and the Nas River.
Note that this same crater contains the Dragon Stone Chamber Ancient Ruins puzzle on one of its walls — a separate activity worth doing while you are here. Completing that puzzle rewards an Abyss Artifact and the Memories of Abundance key item, which reveals hidden cave locations across the Hernand region on your map. Our Dragon Stone Chamber puzzle guide walks through it step by step.
How to Get to the Diamond Cave
Step 1 – Drop into the crater. Stand at the edge of the crater and look down toward the bottom. You will see a cave entrance at the base of the southern wall of the pit. Use your gliding ability or flight to descend safely, aiming for the ledge in front of the cave entrance. Dropping straight down without gliding risks fall damage.
Step 2 – Enter the cave on the southern wall. Once at the bottom, move to the southern side of the crater floor. The cave entrance is set into the rock wall there — a narrow opening leading into the hillside.
Step 3 – Follow the narrow passage. Head inside and follow the winding cavern. The path is narrow and uneven. You will pass stalactites hanging from the ceiling as you go deeper. Keep moving forward — the passage opens up further in.
Step 4 – Mine the deposits at the end. At the end of the cave, you will find the Diamond crystal deposits. They look like frosty, bluish-white crystalline formations — visually distinct from the darker metallic appearance of Iron or Copper Ore. Use your Pickaxe on each deposit to break it. Each node drops up to 2 Diamonds, which fall to the ground and must be manually picked up. A complete run through this cave yields roughly 10 Diamonds total.
Diamond Location 2 – Demeniss Region
Location: Southwest Demeniss — near the underground Garnet crater deposit
The Demeniss region holds a second confirmed Diamond deposit, located in the southwestern portion. This area is underground, similar to the Hernand crater — you need to descend into the terrain to reach it.
This location is worth combining with the Garnet deposit nearby, as both sit in the same general southwestern area of Demeniss. Plan a single trip into that underground section and collect both minerals at once. This is particularly efficient if you are mid-game and traveling through Demeniss for story quests or faction content.
Diamond Location 3 – Steel Mountains
Location: Northwest of the Steel Mountains main point of interest, near a lake
A third Diamond cave exists in the Steel Mountains region, northwest of the main Steel Mountains landmark near a lake. The cave is deep within the mountain range, which means you need to be prepared for cold conditions before heading there.
Bring your cold resistance gear for this trip. Our ice resistance and frost protection guide covers how to stack enough cold protection for mountain exploration, and our Frostcursed Armor Set locations guide is worth checking before you venture into this region.
Diamond Location 4 – Deepfog Basin (North Hernand)
Location: Near Deepfog Basin, north of Hernand toward Calphade
Diamond deposits have been found in the Deepfog Basin area north of Hernand, near the Mistwind Cave in this region. This is the same area that contains two Ancient Ruins puzzles — the Deepfog Basin Dragon Head Ruins and the Deepfog Basin Everfrost Ruins. If you are in the area for puzzle completion, check the surrounding caves for Diamond nodes while you are there.
Our Deepfog Basin Dragon puzzle guide covers the puzzle solution and exact location in this area if you want to multitask.
Diamond Location 5 – North of Trader’s Expanse (Crimson Desert Region)
Location: Northern Crimson Desert region, along the road toward Varnia, north of Trader’s Expanse
A fifth confirmed source sits in the northern part of the Crimson Desert map region, along the road that runs toward the northernmost town of Varnia. Diamond crystal deposits appear here in rocky outcroppings alongside Azurite and Scolecite Ore deposits.
This makes it one of the most efficient multi-material farming routes in the game. A single run along this stretch of road can yield Diamonds, Azurite, and Scolecite all in the same trip. Azurite and Scolecite both sell for solid silver per unit, so this route doubles as a money-making run on top of the Diamond farming. See our how to make money fast guide for more silver strategies using ore selling.
How to Identify Diamond Deposits
Diamond nodes look distinctly different from other minerals. They appear as frosty, crystalline formations with a bluish-white shimmer. In dark cave environments, they catch the light and are easier to spot once you know what you are looking for. They are never found in flat open terrain — always inside caves, at the bottom of craters, or tucked into rocky mountain passages.
If you are having trouble spotting them, hold up your lantern (L1 / LB / CTRL). The lantern highlights objects of interest nearby, including mineral deposits, making it easier to scan a cave for resources without missing anything tucked into a dark corner.
Tips for Farming Diamonds Efficiently
Hit Hernand Highlands Cave first every playthrough. It is the earliest, most accessible location and gives around 10 Diamonds per run. Combined with the Dragon Stone Chamber puzzle reward, there is a lot of value in this single crater.
Use the Memories of Abundance item. After completing the Dragon Stone Chamber puzzle, you receive the Memories of Abundance key item. Using it in your inventory reveals additional hidden cave and location data on the map across Hernand. This is essentially a free guide to nearby caves worth exploring — use it immediately after the puzzle.
Combine Diamond runs with other mineral farming. The route north of Trader’s Expanse gives Diamonds, Azurite, and Scolecite together. The Demeniss location sits near the Garnet deposit. Plan your routes to hit multiple minerals per trip to cut down on travel time.
Carry a Pickaxe at all times. Diamond deposits show up in unexpected locations while exploring. You do not want to find a deposit and have no tool to mine it. Keep a Pickaxe in your inventory during any exploration session, especially inside caves and mountain passes.
Mine every deposit you find, even if you do not need it yet. Diamonds are rare enough that stockpiling is always the right call. Running out mid-crafting session and having to make a dedicated farming run is far more disruptive than carrying a few extra gems.
Nodes respawn over time. The Hernand Highlands Cave and all other deposit locations respawn their nodes after a period of time. Mark these caves on your internal route and revisit them regularly rather than doing one-off runs.
What to Do With Your Diamonds
Once you have a stockpile, head to a witch to craft and upgrade Abyss Gears. Abyss Gears are essential for mid and late game power. Our guide on all witch locations shows you the nearest one. Our how to open sealed Abyss Artifacts guide and how to get Abyss Cells guide cover the broader Abyss Gear progression system.
For jewelry upgrades, take your Diamonds to Turnali the Blacksmith at Hernand. The same Blacksmith handles armor and weapon refinement too, so it is worth doing all your upgrades in a single stop. Our how to reinforce equipment guide covers every step of the refinement process.
More Resource and Crafting Guides
- How to Get Silver Ore (Cave Location)
- How to Get Iron Ore in Crimson Desert
- How to Get Gold Bars in Crimson Desert
- How to Get Epidote
- How to Get Aeserion Scales
- How to Make Money Fast
- How to Unlock Mineral Shop
- What to Do with Learned Recipes and Blueprints
- How to Cook Best Healing Food
- Dragon Stone Chamber Puzzle Solution
- Deepfog Basin Dragon Puzzle Solution
- All Witches Locations
- Hidden Treasure Map Piece 7 Location
- Rhett’s Request Guide
- How to Get and Use Palmar Pills
- Best Items Early in Crimson Desert
- How to Unlock Ranch and Farm
- How to Beat Beloth the Darksworn
Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for the latest from Pearl Abyss.
