Crimson Desert: How To Get Skill Points (Abyss Artifacts) Patch 2.02.00

TL;DR

Skill points in Crimson Desert are called Abyss Artifacts — there is no traditional XP leveling system.
You earn them from quests, defeating enemies, exploration challenges, Abyss Cressets, and Sealed Artifacts.
Major bosses and certain main story chapters reward Abyss Artifacts on completion.
The Secret Shop (Patrigio) sells them if you find him on the road.
The Witch’s Lair lets you buy them after Chapter 3 or Chapter 5 depending on what you need.
Faded Abyss Artifacts are a separate item used to reset your skill tree — not the same as regular Abyss Artifacts.
Faded Abyss Artifacts can also be crafted at a Witch Cauldron using a recipe from Scholastone.
New in Patch 2.00.00: Spending Abyss Artifacts on Kliff now automatically grants Abyss Links to Damiane and Oongka — so your Artifacts now cover the full roster rather than just one character.
Returning players: Patch 2.00.00 reset all skill progression on first login and refunded every spent Artifact. You’re starting fresh — see the notes below before reinvesting.

Last updated for Patch 2.02.00 (September 11, 2026).

Crimson Desert doesn’t have a traditional leveling system. You won’t gain skill points just by grinding through enemies or hitting a level threshold. Instead, the game uses Abyss Artifacts as its skill point currency — and you have to go find them.

The good news is they’re everywhere if you know where to look. Quests, boss fights, puzzles, roadside shrines, and even random merchants all hand them out. This guide covers every confirmed method to get skill points in Crimson Desert so you’re never left short.

Once you know how to farm them, check out our guide on the best skills to level up first in Crimson Desert so you’re spending them in the right places.

Table of Contents

What Are Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert? (Updated for Patch 2.00.00)

Abyss Artifacts are the skill points of Crimson Desert. Every time you want to increase Kliff’s Health, Stamina, or Spirit stats, or unlock a new combat ability, you spend Abyss Artifacts from the Skills menu.

They have two main uses:

Unlocking and upgrading skills — Health, Stamina, Armed Combat, Evasive Roll, and every other ability in the skill tree.
Refining equipment — At higher tiers, upgrading weapons and armor also consumes Abyss Artifacts at the blacksmith.

Important change in Patch 2.00.00 — Abyss Links: The companion skill economy has been overhauled. When you spend Abyss Artifacts to learn a skill as Kliff, the game now automatically grants an equal number of Abyss Links to Damiane and Oongka. Those characters spend their own Abyss Links to learn their skills — you no longer need to farm a separate pool of Artifacts for each character. This effectively means your Artifacts go roughly three times as far across the full roster, and you won’t need to gut Kliff’s build to cover the other characters during their story segments.

Returning players — forced reset: The first time you launched the game after Patch 2.00.00, all skill progression was automatically reset for every character and every spent resource was refunded. If you haven’t played since before August 25, 2026, your old build is gone — but your Artifacts are back in your inventory. Also note that respeccing one character no longer resets the others; each character’s skill progression is now managed independently.

Want to know how to spend them wisely on your companions too? See our Crimson Desert all characters and companions guide.

how to get abyss artifact in crimson desert

All Ways To Get Skill Points (Abyss Artifacts) in Crimson Desert

1. Defeating Enemies

The most passive method. As you fight through Crimson Desert, enemies occasionally drop Abyss Artifacts — similar to gaining a level in a traditional RPG. You don’t have to do anything special. Just keep fighting.

Wiping out entire enemy camps tends to trigger this more often than killing a single target. If you clear a full bandit camp or enemy outpost, there’s a solid chance at least one Abyss Artifact drops as a reward.

2. Main Story Quests and Boss Fights

Several main story chapters hand out Abyss Artifacts directly on completion. Early examples include Chapter 2: Flames of Greed and Chapter 4: Gate to the Otherworld. Major bosses also drop them when defeated.

Side quest chains are worth doing too. The Greymanes’ Grounds of the Sunrise quest chain, including the follow-up quests about Greymane survivors, rewards multiple Abyss Artifacts across its different stages.

Always check your journal before skipping side content. Many quests that look small reward artifacts, and missing them adds up over time.

Note for returning players: Patch 2.00.00 added new cutscenes, story moments, Knowledge, items, Memory Fragments, and dialogue to the main questline. If quests in your journal have updated indicators, it’s worth revisiting them — some may now offer additional rewards.

For a full breakdown of what’s available, see our Crimson Desert all main story quests and chapters guide.

3. Exploration Challenges and Ancient Ruins Puzzles

Exploration challenges are scattered all over Pywel and the Abyss. On your map, they appear as question mark symbols. Some of them also mark Abyss Nexus teleporter locations.

These challenges vary — some ask you to defeat a group of enemies in a time limit, others involve platforming or navigating a maze. Completing them rewards Abyss Artifacts and occasionally Faded Abyss Artifacts or Abyss Gears.

You can also use Memories to reveal the location of hidden areas on the map. For example, collecting the Memory from the Dragon’s Stone Chamber opens up a hidden location with an Abyss Artifact inside.

A few specific puzzle locations worth knowing early on:

4. Sealed Abyss Artifacts

sealed abyss artifacts in crimson desert

Sealed Abyss Artifacts are collectible items you find physically in the world — usually at small roadside shrines or cairns. There are over 100 of them scattered across Pywel.

Each one has a challenge tied to it. Pick it up, check your Journal > Challenges to see the requirement, then complete it. Once done, the Sealed Abyss Artifact icon flashes in your inventory — open it to claim your reward.

Rewards from Sealed Abyss Artifacts include:

Abyss Artifacts — regular skill points
Faded Abyss Artifacts — used for skill respec
Abyss Gears — runes you socket into weapons for elemental effects

A good habit is to run with your lantern active while exploring. Sealed Abyss Artifacts near roadsides and paths are easier to spot with it lit. Use the Blinding Flash ability when searching an area — it highlights nearby hidden collectibles.

For a full location breakdown, see our guide on how to open Sealed Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert.

5. Abyss Cressets (Mysterious Energy Circles)

As you explore Pywel, you’ll come across glowing energy circles on the ground called Mysterious Energy Circles. These contain an Abyss Cresset at the center. Walk up and interact with it to receive an Abyss Artifact.

These are easy to miss if you’re rushing through an area. Keep your eyes open for the circular glow on the ground, especially in open fields and near cliff edges.

6. World Exploration — Hidden Artifacts

Some Abyss Artifacts are simply sitting in corners waiting to be picked up. A few confirmed early locations include:

One of the niches inside the Spire of Stars
The cabin where the Greymanes were first ambushed
Marni’s house in the countryside
The hut where you free the fake form of Witch Elowen
Treasure chests in the floating Abyss islands — these aren’t marked on the minimap, so explore carefully

When investigating an area for a quest, take a moment to check every room and corner before moving on. Many artifacts are placed off the main path intentionally.

7. Achievements and Special Challenges

Certain in-game achievements reward Abyss Artifacts when you hit the final milestone. One notable early example: beat all arm wrestlers at Hernand Tavern and you’ll earn an Abyss Artifact as a prize.

These achievement-based rewards are easy to overlook. Check the achievements tab in your journal regularly to see what’s close to completion — some of them require very little extra effort.

Want to try your hand at the arm wrestling mini-game? See our guide on how to win arm wrestling in Crimson Desert.

8. The Secret Shop (Patrigio)

Patrigio is a roaming merchant who appears randomly during your travels across Pywel. He’s known to sell Abyss Artifacts if you cross his path. One confirmed location is near Springtide Mill at the start of Chapter 3, though he may turn up in other areas too.

He’s easy to miss since he isn’t marked on the map at all times. If you run into him, check his stock — Abyss Artifacts may be available, and buying a few when you’re short can make a noticeable difference.

9. Witch’s Lair

abyss artifact at witch lair in crimson desert

The Witch’s Lair becomes accessible around Chapter 3 to Chapter 5, depending on what you’re buying. This is a dedicated shop where you can spend silver on:

Abyss Artifacts — regular skill points
Faded Abyss Artifacts — for skill resets
Abyss Cores — used in crafting and upgrades

Stock may be limited per vendor, so check multiple Witch NPCs across different regions if you need more than one vendor can offer.

For help navigating the Witch’s content, see our Crimson Desert Witch’s Abyss Gears unlock guide.

10. Faction Quests

Faction quests are tasks given by NPCs from different regions of Pywel. You can pick them up by talking to NPCs or by checking Notice Boards in towns and settlements.

These aren’t always the most exciting missions, but they’re consistent sources of Abyss Artifacts throughout the mid-game. Make it a habit to check Notice Boards whenever you enter a new settlement.

For more on how to use your rewards efficiently, read our guide on how to use Contribution Points in Crimson Desert.

11. New Game Carry-Over (Patch 2.00.00)

Added in Patch 2.00.00, once you have completed all main story quests you can start a new game and carry over your Abyss Links and other eligible currencies from your existing save. If you’re beginning a second playthrough, your stockpile transfers with you, giving you a significant head start on skill investment from the very beginning of the run.

What Are Faded Abyss Artifacts?

Faded Abyss Artifacts are a completely separate item from regular Abyss Artifacts. They do one specific thing: reset your entire skill tree back to default, refunding all the Abyss Artifacts you’ve spent so you can reallocate them.

To use one, open the Skills menu and press and hold:

F on keyboard
X on Xbox controller
Square on PlayStation controller

Each reset costs one Faded Abyss Artifact, so don’t use them carelessly. Always save at least one before committing to a major skill rebuild.

Important: Before resetting, make sure your inventory has enough free space to hold all the Abyss Artifacts that will be returned to you. A full inventory can cause issues.

New in Patch 2.00.00 — per-character respec: Resetting one character’s skills no longer wipes the other characters. Each character’s progression is now independent, so you can respec Kliff without touching Damiane or Oongka’s builds. When you reset a character, only the Abyss Links that character spent are refunded — not those of the others.

For a full walkthrough of the respec system, see our guide on how to respec in Crimson Desert.

How To Get Faded Abyss Artifacts

There are four main ways to get Faded Abyss Artifacts:

Mastery and Combat Challenges

Completing Mastery Challenges and difficult Combat Challenges occasionally reward Faded Abyss Artifacts alongside regular ones. Check your Journal for which challenges are close to completion.

Main Quests and Treasure Chests

Some main story quests hand out Faded Abyss Artifacts directly. Treasure chests — especially those hidden in Abyss floating island areas — tend to contain them too.

Sealed Abyss Artifacts

Some Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges reward a Faded Abyss Artifact instead of a regular one. Check your Journal to see which ones offer this reward before completing them.

Witch’s Lair Vendors

You can purchase Faded Abyss Artifacts directly from Witch-affiliated vendors. Stock is limited per vendor, so check multiple locations if you need more than one.

Crafting (Witch Cauldron)

This is the most reliable long-term source. To unlock the crafting recipe, travel to Scholastone during Chapter 4 and start the research project called Research on the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon. It costs 12 silver and takes 8 hours to complete.

Once unlocked, craft Faded Abyss Artifacts at any Witch Cauldron using:

1x Abyss Cell — dropped by Abyss-corrupted creatures near Abyss Nexus teleporters
2x Mercury — found in freezing pools in Hexe Sanctuary (northern Demeniss) and Silver Wolf Mountains (northern Pailune)

Quick Tips for Farming Abyss Artifacts

Always check Notice Boards in every new town — Faction quests are a consistent drip feed of artifacts.
Don’t skip side quests. Even small ones often reward one artifact, and they stack fast.
Run your lantern while traveling — it helps spot Sealed Abyss Artifact shrines along roadsides.
Clear full enemy camps rather than just killing one or two enemies — full clears trigger artifact drops more reliably.
Check every room in quest areas before moving on. Hidden artifacts don’t appear on your minimap.
Visit the Witch’s Lair shop regularly — stock refreshes and you can buy directly when short.
Patch 2.00.00: Thanks to Abyss Links, every Artifact you spend on Kliff now also covers Damiane and Oongka. You no longer need to hold back Artifacts to fund the other characters — invest them into Kliff’s build freely.

Where To Get Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert is available now on:

Visit the official Crimson Desert website for news and updates from Pearl Abyss.

Crimson Desert: How To Get Skill Points (Abyss Artifacts)

What Are Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert? (Updated for Patch 2.00.00)