Crimson Desert: How to Increase Attack Level

Table of Contents

TL;DR

Attack Level in Crimson Desert is raised through Destruction Abyss Gears, embedded in weapons via Witch vendors
You cannot use Abyss Gears at all until Chapter 3 — the Witch faction quest must be completed first
Pearl Abyss added a dedicated Abyss Gear tutorial quest at the start of Chapter 3 (Day 1 patch) — check your quest log if you’re confused about the system
Destruction Gears give +1 / +2 / +3 Attack at tiers I, II, and III — weapons have up to 4 sockets, giving a maximum of +12 Attack total from Destruction III in all slots
Destruction Gears go in weapons only, not armor — this is the most common embedding mistake
The child at Tommaso Fork requires 1x Bronze Coin (Alm) — not regular Copper Coins; check your inventory for the Alm currency specifically
Craft Destruction I with: 1x Orange-Barred Sulphur Butterfly + 1x Abyss Cell + 1x Garnet at any Witch
Alternative attack gears: Wind Slash (adds a new skill), Swift (attack speed), Rampaging Insight (unique combat effect)
Creating a socket costs Silver — embedding, extracting, and swapping Gears is free

Two Paths to Higher Attack Damage

Like Defense, Attack in Crimson Desert doesn’t come from leveling up. There is no traditional XP system. Your damage output comes from:

Weapon upgrades at the Blacksmith — raises your weapon’s base Attack stat through refinement
Destruction Abyss Gears embedded via a Witch — adds flat Attack bonus on top of the base stat

Both methods stack. The Blacksmith raises the foundation; Abyss Gears are what you embed on top. This guide focuses on the Abyss Gear path.

For the Blacksmith upgrade path, see our how to upgrade weapons and armor guide. For Defense Gears using the same system, see our how to increase defense level guide.

how to find the areciel the witch of strength in crimson desert

Step 1: Unlock the Abyss Gear System (Chapter 3 Required)

You cannot embed any Abyss Gears — attack or otherwise — until Chapter 3 unlocks the Witch faction. This is the number one reason players end up with a full inventory of Gears and no idea how to use them.

The unlock: “The Hermit Witch” quest

At the start of Chapter 3, a white crow lands on your shoulder and delivers a letter. Read it to start the Witch of Wisdom faction quest. This sends you to a location in The Witchwoods, west of the Hernand Highlands. Fight the enemies surrounding the witch’s house, enter through the hole in the roof, untie the witch inside — Elowen — and speak to her. All Witch vendor services are now unlocked.

Day 1 Patch update: Pearl Abyss specifically added a dedicated Abyss Gear tutorial quest at the start of Chapter 3 because so many players were confused by the system. If you’re just entering Chapter 3, check your quest journal — this tutorial will walk you through the basics before you even need to find Areciel.

For the complete Abyss system unlock walkthrough, see our Witch’s Abyss Gears unlock guide.

Step 2: Find Areciel, the Witch of Strength

The Gear Blueprint: Destruction — which you need to craft Destruction Gears — is sold exclusively by Areciel, the Witch of Strength. She’s located in the Tashkalp region, in the Crimson Desert area of Pywel.

Here’s how to reach her:

1. Go to Tommaso Fork Posthouse

Head northeast from Tashkalp village. Just north of the village is the Tommaso Fork Posthouse. Look near the notice board outside — you’ll find a child NPC standing there.

Important: The child asks for 1x Bronze Coin (Alm). This is not regular Copper. The Alm is a separate currency item in your inventory — a small bronze coin that some NPCs give as rewards and that can be found while looting. Check your inventory specifically for “Bronze Coin” or “Alm” rather than looking at your Copper total. If you don’t have one, check nearby loot from enemies or chests in the Tashkalp area.

Give the child the coin. This triggers Areciel’s appearance at her hut.

how to find the areciel the witch of strength in crimson desert 2

2. Travel Northwest to Urdavah

From Tashkalp, head northwest to the area marked Urdavah on your map.

3. Climb to the Hut

Areciel’s hut is on a mountainside — look for the structure to the left of the “U” in “Urdavah” on your map. The hut sits at elevation, so you’ll need to climb. Use your grapple hook (Axiom Force) to scale the rocky face if needed.

Areciel is on the roof of the hut. Walk up the side of the building or jump to the roof to speak with her.

Step 3: Learn the Destruction Blueprint

Once you’re speaking with Areciel:

Select “Buy” from her menu
Purchase Gear Blueprint: Destruction
Open your Inventory
Find the Blueprint document
Hold L1 (PS5) / LB (Xbox) / Q (PC) to examine it — this reads and learns the recipe
Destruction I is now permanently craftable at any Witch vendor

How to Craft and Upgrade Destruction Gears

Craft Destruction I

Go to any Witch vendor (Elowen, Sylvia, or Areciel). Select “Craft Abyss Gears” and choose Destruction I.

Materials needed:

Material	Amount	Where to Find
Orange-Barred Sulphur Butterfly	1	Flower-heavy meadows near Urdavah and warm fields in the Tashkalp region. Collect them by walking up and pressing interact — they’re visible as small yellow-orange insects in tall grass
Abyss Cell	1	Complete Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges (purple cubes along roads), purchase from Witch vendors, or earn through Abyss exploration
Garnet	1	Mine from cave interiors and rocky deposits in the Tashkalp and Crimson Desert region. Orange-red ore veins, mined with a Pickaxe

Upgrade to Destruction II

Craft 2x Destruction I Gears
At any Witch, select Craft Abyss Gears
Press R2 (PS5) / RT (Xbox) / Tab (PC) to switch to the Synthesis tab
Select Destruction II and confirm

The two Destruction I Gears are consumed and become one Destruction II.

Upgrade to Destruction III

Craft or obtain 2x Destruction II Gears
Use the same Synthesis tab
Select Destruction III and confirm

how to find the areciel the witch of strength in crimson desert 3

Destruction Gear Attack Values and Full Stacking Math

Gear Tier	Attack Bonus	Materials
Destruction I	+1 Attack	1x Butterfly + 1x Abyss Cell + 1x Garnet
Destruction II	+2 Attack	2x Destruction I
Destruction III	+3 Attack	2x Destruction II

Maximum weapon stacking: Weapons in Crimson Desert have up to 4 socket slots. Fill all four with Destruction III and you gain +12 Attack total from Gears alone — without upgrading the weapon’s base stats at all.

Game Rant’s guide states “+12 Attack Points without even having upgraded it” — this is the exact math: 4 sockets × +3 per Destruction III = +12 Attack.

To reach this cap you need:

4x Destruction III (one per socket)
Each Destruction III requires 2x Destruction II → 4x Destruction I per socket
16x Destruction I total for a fully socketed weapon

That means 16x Butterflies, 16x Abyss Cells, and 16x Garnets to max out one weapon. Farm at your own pace — all materials are fully renewable.

Important: Destruction Gears Go in Weapons, Not Armor

This is the most common embedding mistake. Destruction Abyss Gears must be placed into weapons — swords, daggers, axes, staves. They cannot be embedded into helmets, chestplates, gauntlets, boots, or shields.

If you open the Embed Abyss Gears menu and select an armor piece, Destruction Gears will either be greyed out or incompatible. Select your weapon instead.

Fortification Gears (Defense) go into armor. Destruction Gears (Attack) go into weapons. The two systems are completely separate. See our defense guide for the armor side.

Socket Costs: What’s Free and What Isn’t

This is the same rule as all Abyss Gear work:

Creating a new socket in your weapon: Costs Silver
Embedding a Destruction Gear into a socket: Free
Extracting a Gear from a socket: Free
Swapping one Gear for another: Free

Pay once to create each socket, then experiment freely. If you need Silver for sockets, see our how to make money fast guide.

Alternative Attack Gears Worth Considering

Destruction is the most direct route to raising flat Attack damage, but three other Gears improve offensive performance in different ways:

Gear	Effect	Best Used For
Wind Slash	Adds a new Wind Slash skill usable in combat	Early game priority — gives you an additional combat ability, not just a stat number
Swift	Increases Attack Speed	Stacks up to Level 5 for a major attack speed increase; excellent for fast weapon builds
Rampaging Insight	Unique combat property — increases damage under specific combat conditions	Named property; hard to find but very powerful when matched to your build

Game8’s priority recommendation for early game: Wind Slash + Vigor + Gourmet before stacking Destruction. Wind Slash gives you a new ability rather than just a stat number, which changes how you actually play. Once you have Wind Slash embedded, pivot to Destruction for raw Attack increases.

Swift vs. Destruction: Swift raises attack speed (how fast you swing) rather than damage per hit. Both scale well. A fast weapon with Swift can output more total damage per second than a slow weapon with Destruction III, depending on your weapon type. Experiment with both.

For a full tier list and ranking of every Abyss Gear, see our Witch’s Abyss Gears unlock guide.

Getting Destruction Gears from Boss Weapons (Free Early Method)

Some boss-drop weapons come with pre-installed Abyss Gears already in their sockets. These can be:

Left in the weapon if the weapon is an upgrade for you
Extracted for free and transferred to your main weapon

The best early example is the Sword of the Lord, dropped by Kailok the Hornsplitter (the second major boss). Check what Gear is in it, extract it using the Witch’s “Extract Abyss Gear” option (free), and slot it into your preferred weapon.

This can give you an early Destruction or other offensive Gear before you’ve had time to farm all the crafting materials. See our Kailok the Hornsplitter guide to reach and defeat this boss.

Where All Witches Are Located

You can use any Witch to craft and embed Destruction Gears once you have the blueprint. Areciel is only required to buy the blueprint:

Witch	Location	Notes
Sylvia	North of Hernand	Easiest to reach; added Day 1. Craft Destruction Gears here once blueprint is learned
Elowen	Witchwoods, west of Hernand Highlands	First story-unlocked witch (Chapter 3)
Areciel (Witch of Strength)	Urdavah mountainside, northwest of Tashkalp	Sells Gear Blueprint: Destruction — visit once to buy the blueprint
Lyselia (Witch of Humility)	Serpent Marsh, south of Demeniss	Chapter 5 area; sells Gear Blueprint: Fortification

Skills That Also Increase Attack Power

Skills aren’t Abyss Gears, but they directly raise your damage output. Building the right skills alongside Destruction Gears gives you the biggest attack power jump in the shortest time:

Priority attack skills and their unlock order — see our best skills to level up first guide
How to get more skill points quickly — see our skill points guide
How to dual wield for maximum attack output — see our dual wield guide
How to respec if you’ve invested skill points poorly — see our respec guide

Crimson Desert: How to Increase Attack Level – Full Guide

TL;DR

Two Paths to Higher Attack Damage

Step 1: Unlock the Abyss Gear System (Chapter 3 Required)