TL;DR
- Flawless Timber requires Olvald’s Logging Axe — a basic logging axe won’t produce it
- The blueprint is hidden inside a locked tree in Longbranch Shade Hideout, north of Pailune — you need a Key to enter
- Crafting the axe requires Fine Timber, Iron Ore, Sturdy Hide, Ivory, and Rubber
- Rubber is the hardest material to get — farm it from rubber trees in Beardtree Hills or trade with NPCs at Scholastone
- Once crafted, equip it and chop any tree to start getting Flawless Timber consistently
- The story won’t unlock this tool until around Chapter 11 — this axe lets you skip that grind entirely
Flawless Timber is a progression gate in Crimson Desert. You need it for high-end gear refinement, advanced crafting recipes, and late-game upgrades. The problem is the game never tells you how to get it — at least not until you’re very deep into the story. Olvald’s Logging Axe is how you unlock it early. This tool gives you the Expert Logging ability, which means every tree you chop has a chance to drop Flawless Timber instead of just Timber and Fine Timber.
This guide covers exactly where the blueprint is, how to gather every crafting material, and how to use the axe once you have it.
What Is Olvald’s Logging Axe?
It’s an upgraded logging tool designed by a character named Olvald of Pailune. In-game, the description reads: “Its perfect weight distribution allows even massive trees to be felled in a single stroke with minimal effort.”
What makes it special is the Expert Logging passive. This gives you a 20% bonus chance to gather additional timber on every chop, and crucially, it opens up Flawless Timber drops from normal trees across the world. Without this axe (or the late-game Demenissian Chainsaw, which requires Chapter 11 research), Flawless Timber is essentially out of reach outside of lucky finds.
If you’re working on upgrading your weapons and armor and hitting a material wall, this is the axe that solves it. It also pairs well with knowing how to increase your camp for extra passive resources.
Step 1 — Find the Blueprint at Longbranch Shade Hideout
The recipe for Olvald’s Logging Axe is a hidden blueprint you have to find before you can craft it. It’s not sold anywhere.
Where to go: Head north of the “N” in Pailune on the map. You’re looking for the Longbranch Shade Hideout. The landmark you want is a large treehouse structure sitting between two rivers that form a V-shape. It’s in the far northwest area of the map.
When you arrive, you’ll find a large tree with a door built into it. The door is locked.
You need a Key to open it. Keys can be purchased from Back Alley Shops. If you don’t already know where those are, check our how to get keys in Crimson Desert guide.
Once you unlock the door, head down the spiral stairs inside the tree. At the bottom, you’ll find a desk with a red book on it. That’s Olvald’s Logging Axe Blueprint. Pick it up.
After picking it up, open your inventory and interact with the book. Look down at the pages and press L1 (PlayStation) or LB (Xbox) to learn the recipe. It’s now permanently unlocked in your crafting list.
Step 2 — Gather the Crafting Materials
Take the blueprint to any Smithy and you’ll see the full list of required materials. You need: Fine Timber, Iron Ore, Sturdy Hide, Ivory, and Rubber. Here’s how to get each one.
Fine Timber
The most straightforward material on the list. Fell any tree in the game world using a basic Logging Axe. Every tree drops a mix of regular Timber and Fine Timber. The island east of Hernand between the two rivers is the most efficient early farming spot — it’s close to the blacksmith and the trees respawn after roughly one in-game day. You can also use Turning Slash to chop trees without needing the axe equipped, which saves time when you’re out exploring.
Iron Ore
Iron Ore is found on mountainsides throughout Pywel. You mine it with a Pickaxe or by using Force Palm on ore deposits. It’s one of the most common materials in the game. If you need more detail, our Iron Ore location guide covers the best spots. Ore nodes stay marked on your map once mined and regrow over time, so setting up a route is easy.
Sturdy Hide
Sturdy Hide drops from crocodiles along the Red River in Hernand. It’s one of the more reliable animal material farms in the game — crocs respawn quickly and drop consistently. If you’d rather buy it, the Tanner in Hernand sells it as well, which saves time if you have the silver. If you’re also after other hides and animal materials, our guide on how to sell animals and how to breed animals can help you set up a more passive supply through your camp’s ranch.
Ivory
Ivory drops from elephants and rhinos. The easiest farming location is the Scholastone area in southwest Hernand, where large horned animals roam. Note that hunting them counts as a crime, so you may pick up a bounty. Our how to remove bounty guide covers exactly how to clear that. For late-game farming, elephants north of the Crimson Desert region near Veria are easier to farm in bulk. Use a fire-imbued attack to take them down faster — our elemental attacks guide explains how to imbue your weapon with fire. You can also get Ivory at the hidden Patrigio secret shop if you’re lucky with his inventory.
Rubber (The Tricky One)
Rubber is the bottleneck material for most players. There are three ways to get it.
Method 1 — Harvest from rubber trees in Beardtree Hills. Rubber trees grow in the humid, tropical zones around Beardtree Hills on the northeast coast of Delesyia. You can identify them by visible cuts running along the trunk where white liquid seeps out. To harvest rubber, you don’t use an axe — you use Healing Force Palm. Hold R3 and aim (PS5), or hold the Right Stick (Xbox), then press L3 to switch to Healing Palm. Apply it to every cut on the trunk. After six in-game days, return and collect the rubber. You can change the time of day to speed up the wait.
Method 2 — Trade with NPCs at Scholastone. Head to the Scholastone Institute, located west of the Witchwoods. Outside, find an NPC named Grimrick sitting with a book. Give him a Chipmunk to build trust. Nearby scholars also trade for Thin Hide — give around 10 Thin Hide to a scholar and he’ll reward you with Rubber. This method is faster than waiting on tree cycles, but it depends on having the right trade items.
Method 3 — Grow Rubber Tree Seeds on your camp farm. Rubber Tree Seeds can be found south of Fort Perwin in southern Hernand, as well as in swampy terrain across Hernand and Pailune. Plant them in your farm at Howling Hill and they’ll grow into harvestable rubber trees over several in-game days. If you haven’t unlocked the farm yet, our guide on how to unlock the ranch and farm shows you how.
Step 3 — Craft Olvald’s Logging Axe at a Smithy
Once you have all the materials, head to any Smithy in the game. Select the crafting option and find Olvald’s Logging Axe in the recipe list — it unlocks permanently after you learned the blueprint. Craft it and you’re done.
You can also refine the axe at a Blacksmith to push its stats higher over time, which improves gathering efficiency further. For the upgrade process, see our how to reinforce equipment guide.
Step 4 — Use It to Farm Flawless Timber
Equip Olvald’s Logging Axe from your tool slot. Approach any tree in the game world and use L1 + R1 (PlayStation) or LB + RB (Xbox) to fell it. Then keep hitting the fallen log to cut it into pieces and collect the drops.
With the Expert Logging passive active, you’ll start seeing Flawless Timber appear in your drops consistently. You’ll also get the standard Timber and Fine Timber alongside it.
A couple of things to know: the axe shows a red targeting circle instead of the blue one you see with a basic axe — this is normal, not a bug. If the fallen tree disappears after one hit, try repositioning slightly or restarting the session. It’s a known occasional glitch. For the best results, focus on large, old-growth trees in dense forests. The northern Pailune forests and the outskirts of Delesyia have some of the best tree density in the game. Trees respawn after roughly one in-game day, so building a logging route you can revisit is worth the time investment.
What Is Flawless Timber Used For?
Flawless Timber is a high-tier refinement material used at the Blacksmith. It’s primarily required for upgrading wooden shields to their top tiers — the upgrade chain from Level 1 to Level 10 needs all three timber types: Timber, Fine Timber, and Flawless Timber. It also appears in advanced crafting recipes, including armor sets like the Shadowleaf Disguise set. Any recipe that calls for “expert-tier” wood is going to want Flawless Timber, so building up a stockpile early saves headaches later.
If you’re pushing gear upgrades at the same time, check out our guide on how to get Abyss Cells and how to get skill points to keep pace with your progression overall.
For everything else in Crimson Desert, visit our full Crimson Desert guide hub. And while you’re optimizing your loadout, check out our guide on the best one-handed swords in Crimson Desert to make sure your weapons match your upgraded gear.
Crimson Desert is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. For the latest updates, visit the official Crimson Desert website.
