Crimson Desert HUD Explained — Every Element and Icon Guide

TL;DR

The HUD has 7 core elements — XP bar, Health, Stamina, Spirit, Temperature, Accessories Durability, and Recovery Items
The compass strip at the top replaces a traditional quest arrow — golden diamond = active quest, white diamond = optional objective
The minimap uses color-coded icons — orange for NPCs, purple for bounties/sealed artifacts, white for fast travel nodes
Scroll icons on the minimap = consumable recipes; book icons = armor/weapon recipes
HUD is fully customizable — toggle or resize almost every element in Display Settings
Health upgrades cost 75 Abyss Artifacts each, Stamina upgrades cost 20 each
The XP bar fills from killing enemies and rewards one free Abyss Artifact each time it fills — farmable infinitely

When you first boot up Crimson Desert, the screen fills up fast. Bars, icons, a minimap, a compass, symbols you’ve never seen before — and the game explains almost none of it.

This guide breaks down every single HUD element so you know exactly what you’re looking at and how to use it.

Table of Contents

The 7 Core HUD Elements

1. XP Bar (Yellow Bar — Left Side)

The yellow bar on the left of the screen is your XP gauge. It fills up exclusively from killing enemies.

Each time it fills completely, you receive one Abyss Artifact — the game’s primary currency for unlocking skills and upgrading equipment past Level 4. This means Abyss Artifacts are farmable infinitely. The more enemies you kill, the more Artifacts you earn over time.

For more on how to spend them wisely, see our guide on best skills to level up first in Crimson Desert and how to get skill points.

2. Health Bar (Red Bar — Bottom of HUD)

The red bar shows your total Health. When it empties, you die and respawn at the last checkpoint or shrine.

Health can be increased by investing Abyss Artifacts into the Health upgrade in the Skill menu. Each upgrade costs 75 Abyss Artifacts.

3. Stamina (Yellow Diamond — Center Screen)

The yellow diamond in the center of the screen is your Stamina meter. It drains when you run, climb, fly, or use heavy attacks.

Stamina is one of the most important stats in the game — it powers combat dodges, climbing, and special moves all from the same pool. If it runs out mid-fight, you’re completely exposed.

Stamina can be increased via the Stamina upgrade in the Skill menu. Each upgrade costs 20 Abyss Artifacts — significantly cheaper than Health upgrades, so invest here early. See our guide on how to increase defense level for more on stat investment.

4. Spirit Bar (Green Leaves — Left of HUD)

The green leaf icons represent your Spirit. Spirit is consumed when performing Spirit actions — certain attacks, special evasions, and skill-based moves.

Spirit can be increased via the Spirit upgrade in the Skill menu. It also regenerates naturally over time and can be instantly restored by using Focus (L3+R3).

5. Temperature Bar (Right of Minimap)

The temperature meter tracks the environmental conditions affecting Kliff at any given moment.

Green — temperature is ideal, no penalties
Orange/Red — too hot, need heat-resistant armor
Blue — too cold, need ice-resistant armor

Being outside the green zone causes your stamina to drain faster and regenerate slower. This matters especially in Pailune’s cold regions and the Crimson Desert’s heat. See our ice resistance and frost protection guide for how to manage it.

6. Accessories Durability (Right of Minimap)

When you equip jewelry — rings, necklaces, earrings, or circlets — with active special abilities, those abilities appear here with their own durability indicators.

White bar = remaining durability for the ability
Blue bar = total charges available

Once the durability runs out, the special ability stops working until the item is repaired or recharged. Keep an eye on these during long fights or exploration sessions. For a full breakdown of jewelry and what’s worth equipping, see our accessories guide.

7. Recovery Items (Right of Minimap)

The food icon shows your currently equipped Recovery Item. Press Right on the D-Pad to consume it during combat or exploration.

Recovery Items restore Health, and depending on the item, may also restore Stamina or Spirit. When your active item runs out, it automatically switches to the next food item in your inventory. Stock up before heading into boss fights.

For the best options, see our guide on how to cook the best healing food in Crimson Desert.

The Compass Strip (Top of Screen)

The compass strip at the very top of the screen is your primary navigation tool. It replaces the traditional quest arrow you might expect from other open-world games.

Here’s what each marker means:

Golden Diamond — your active quest objective location
White Diamond — secondary or optional objectives, and points of interest found through exploration
Shrine Icon — direction of a nearby fast travel shrine (filled = discovered, unfilled = not yet found)
Crossed Swords — a nearby enemy encounter or combat zone
Camp Icon — direction back to Greymane Camp from anywhere on the map
Horse Head — location of your horse if you’ve dismounted and wandered away

The compass alone is enough to navigate without the minimap if you prefer a cleaner screen. Both can be toggled in Display Settings.

Minimap Icons Explained

The minimap sits in the bottom-left corner. It uses color-coded icons to show nearby points of interest — but the game provides no in-game legend for them.

Here’s what each one means:

Orange dots — quest NPCs you can speak to
Purple icons — bounty boards and Sealed Abyss Artifacts
White circles — undiscovered fast travel nodes nearby
Bell icons — nearby bell towers (climb and ring to clear fog of war)
Scroll icon — a consumable recipe (food or potions) is nearby
Book icon — an armor or weapon recipe is nearby

Ring every bell tower you come across. There are 8 across Pywel, and each one reveals a massive section of the world map instantly. See our guide on Crimson Desert’s belltowers and fog of war for all locations.

For a full breakdown of fast travel nodes and how the world map works, see our how to fast travel in Crimson Desert guide.

How to Customize the HUD

Crimson Desert’s HUD is fully customizable through the Display settings menu. You can toggle or adjust nearly every element individually:

Minimap — can be hidden entirely for a more immersive experience
Compass — can be hidden if you prefer pure exploration
Damage Numbers — toggle floating numbers on or off
Enemy Health Bars — set to always visible, lock-on only, or hidden
Quest Tracker — minimize or hide the side objective panel
HUD Opacity — slider to make the entire HUD more or less transparent
HUD Scale — resize all elements for your screen size and viewing distance

One important note: the UI scale can only be decreased from the default 100, not increased. If you’re on a large TV or sitting far from the screen, keep this in mind.

For a recommended setup, try: compass on, minimap off, damage numbers on, enemy health bars on lock-on only, quest tracker minimized. This keeps essential combat info visible while letting you enjoy the world.

First-Person Mode HUD Changes

When you switch to first-person mode, the HUD layout adjusts slightly. Your vitals move to the bottom center of the screen (similar to first-person shooters), the compass stays at the top, and a subtle crosshair appears for ranged aiming. The minimap stays in the corner.

This layout works well for exploration and bow combat but can feel disorienting in melee until you adjust to the closer camera angle.

Quest Tracker and Other Indicators

The Quest Tracker sits in the top-left of the screen and shows your active quest objectives at all times. It can be minimized or hidden in Display Settings.

A day/time indicator is also visible on the HUD near the minimap. This matters for time-sensitive quests and NPC schedules. See our guide on how to change the time of day in Crimson Desert if you need to advance time quickly.

Crimson Desert HUD Explained — Every Element and Icon Guide