TL;DR
- Crimson Desert has 34 trophies on Xbox and Steam, and 35 on PS5 (including the Platinum)
- The Platinum is called Pywel Legend and requires every other trophy
- There are NO missable trophies
- Most trophies are tied to completing challenge categories unlocked by finding Sealed Abyss Artifacts
- Expect 300+ hours for full completion — this is one of the most demanding Platinums in recent memory
Crimson Desert is a massive game. And if you’re going for the Platinum, you’re signing up for one of the most ambitious completion runs you’ll find in a single-player game right now.
There are 34 trophies on Xbox and Steam, and 35 on PlayStation 5 — the extra one being the Platinum. The Platinum is called Pywel Legend, and it requires you to claim every other trophy first. Based on early estimates, getting there takes 300+ hours, and that’s not an exaggeration.
The good news? There are no missable trophies. You can’t lock yourself out of anything by progressing too far in the story. That said, two challenges related to destroying watchtowers may become inaccessible after liberating all enemy bases, so try to complete Battle Challenge – Sinking Fort and Cannon – Barraging Cannon V as early as possible.
Also important — do not discard the 10 Special Weapons found through bosses and exploration. They’re needed for the Grand Collector of Arms trophy, and it’s currently unclear whether multiple copies exist.
This guide covers every trophy, how to unlock it, and the fastest approach to getting them all. For the full game overview, start at our Crimson Desert guide hub.
Crimson Desert Trophy Breakdown at a Glance
| Platform | Total Trophies | Platinum? |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 35 | Yes — Pywel Legend |
| Xbox Series X/S | 34 | No |
| Steam (PC) | 34 | No |
Trophy breakdown on PS5:
- 1 Platinum
- 4 Gold
- 10 Silver
- 20 Bronze
Difficulty rating: 7/10 — some difficult bosses, many puzzles, minigames, and a massive amount of challenge content.
Before You Start: The Most Important Tips
Unlock challenges first. Challenges only track progress after you find the associated Sealed Abyss Artifact. Progress does not count retroactively (with a few exceptions for cumulative requirements). The earlier you find and unlock each challenge, the sooner your progress counts.
Unfog the map first. Ring all 8 bells to clear the fog of war across Pywel. This makes finding Sealed Abyss Artifacts and challenge locations much easier. See our complete bell tower locations guide for every bell.
Find Sealed Abyss Artifacts constantly. These are found along roads across the open world. They appear as purple icons on your minimap when you’re nearby. Use Blinding Flash (L1 + R1 / LB + RB / Ctrl + Left Click) to highlight them with a blue glow. Don’t wait — the earlier you unlock challenges, the better.
Activate fast travel points along the way. Every time you head to a new area to find a challenge or artifact, activate any Abyss Nexus points nearby. Our guide on fast travel in Crimson Desert covers how the system works.
Don’t skip faction quests. Many trophies tie directly into faction progress and camp upgrades. Do them consistently as you go rather than leaving them all for the end.
All Crimson Desert Trophies and How to Get Them
Story Trophies
These unlock automatically by playing through the main story. No extra effort needed.
Novice Adventurer (Bronze) Complete Chapter 1 of the Main Quests.
This is the first trophy you’ll earn. Just play through Chapter 1 normally. It comes quickly and sets you off on the right foot.
Master Camper (Bronze) Complete the activation of the camp at Howling Hill.
You unlock Howling Hill in Chapter 3. This is your main camp and base of operations throughout the game. Once you activate it, this trophy is yours. Our camp unlock guide walks you through the process in full.
Protector of Pailune (Silver) Complete Chapter 7 of the Main Quests.
Unlocks automatically by completing Chapter 7. This is the chapter where you liberate Pailune. It takes significant time to reach, so keep progressing through the story and work on side quests and faction quests along the way.
Proud Returnee (Silver) Complete the camp relocation to Pailune.
After Chapter 7, continue upgrading Howling Hill and rebuilding Pailune through Dispatch Missions. This trophy requires completing all Greymane Faction Quests and enough Dispatch Missions to fully relocate the camp back to Pailune. It’s a significant time investment post-Chapter 7.
Expert Storyteller (Gold) Complete all main quests.
Finish Chapter 12 to unlock this. You don’t need to complete the Epilogue. This is your biggest story trophy and will come after a substantial number of hours invested in the main campaign. Check out our full list of main story quests and chapters to track your progress.
Exploration Trophies
Conqueror of Spires (Bronze) Complete all Spire challenges.
There are 8 Spires to find and climb across the open world. Most are encountered naturally through the story. You can check their locations by viewing the map while inside the Abyss. These are platforming and puzzle challenges tied to the Abyss system. Our various Spire guides can help when you get stuck.
Conqueror of the Abyss (Silver) Complete all Abyss challenges.
There are 40 Abyss Puzzles spread across the Abyss’s floating islands. Each connects to the next in a chain. Complete one from a Spire and work your way through all 40. It’s a long process but structured — you won’t miss one if you follow the chain carefully. We have guides for many of them, including the Precipice of Truth, Root’s End, Secret Garden, and many more Abyss puzzle solutions.
Lightbringer (Silver) Complete all Sanctum challenges.
There are 16 Sanctums that need cleansing. For each one, you need to find it, liberate it, and activate the puzzle piece. You can discover all Sanctum locations by finding the 4 Witches scattered across Pywel. Our Witches locations guide shows where to find them. We also have full walkthroughs for every Sanctum, including the Sanctum of Absolution, Sanctum of Veneration, Sanctum of Devotion, Sanctum of Faith, Sanctum of Oblation, and Sanctum of Mortification.
Maze Pathfinder (Bronze) Complete all Maze challenges.
Mazes (also called Mysterious Zones) are more complex than standard Ancient Ruins and require navigation through labyrinthine layouts. The exact total number is still being confirmed by the community. Check back for updates as more are discovered.
Puzzle Solver (Silver) Complete all Ancient Ruins challenges.
There are 37 Ancient Ruins to find and complete. These appear as question marks (?) on the map. We have guides for dozens of them, including the Spire of Insight, Bamboo Forest Seonangdang Ruins, Kingshield Mountains Ruins, Five Finger Mountain Valley Ruins, Golden Plains Ancient Ruins, and many more.
Navigator of the Stars (Bronze) Complete all Constellation challenges.
There are 13 Constellations to activate. These unlock after completing the Scholastone Institute Faction Quests, which become available after Chapter 3. Plan ahead — don’t leave these until the very end.
Pilgrim of Wonders (Bronze) Complete all Secret Place challenges.
There are 60 Secret Places hidden across the world — mostly caves, areas beneath waterfalls, hidden rooms, and concealed passages. This one takes serious exploration time. Use Blinding Flash regularly and always investigate waterfalls, as many secret places are accessed by using the Stab skill to push through them.
Expert Explorer (Gold) Complete all Exploration challenges.
This is a broad trophy with 9 subcategories and well over 200 unique challenges inside them. These cover puzzles, legendary animals, bosses, and many other things found through exploration. It’s one of the most time-consuming trophies in the game. Start unlocking the associated Sealed Abyss Artifacts early so your progress counts. Our guide on finding Legendary Creatures is a good starting point for one of the bigger subcategories.
Weapon Mastery Trophies
All weapon mastery trophies work the same way. Each requires completing a set number of challenges tied to that weapon type. The challenges are unlocked by finding the relevant Sealed Abyss Artifacts in the open world.
Master of Swords (Bronze) Complete all 6 Sword Challenges. All three characters can use swords.
Master of Shields (Bronze) Complete all 6 Shield Challenges. Kliff and Damiane can use shields.
Master of Bows (Bronze) Complete all 6 Bow Challenges. Only Kliff can use bows.
Master of Spears (Bronze) Complete all 5 Spear Challenges. Only Kliff can use spears.
Master of Two-Handed Weapons (Bronze) Complete all 6 Two-Handed Weapon Challenges. Kliff and Oongka can use two-handed weapons. Our guide on how to get the Hwando two-handed katana covers one key weapon in this category.
Master of Rapiers (Bronze) Complete all 5 Rapier & Shield Challenges. Only Damiane can use Rapiers.
Master of Firearms (Bronze) Complete all 5 Gun Challenges. Only Damiane can use Guns.
Master of Artillery (Bronze) Complete all 5 Cannon Challenges. Only Oongka can use Cannons.
Combat and Mastery Trophies
Relentless Warrior (Bronze) Complete all 10 Training Challenges. Most are only possible with Kliff. Understanding how to parry, counter, and dodge is essential here.
Battlefield Conqueror (Bronze) Complete all 10 Battle Challenges. Most require Kliff.
⚠️ Priority note: Complete Battle Challenge – Sinking Fort as early as possible. This may become unavailable after liberating all enemy bases.
Brilliant Tactician (Bronze) Complete all 10 Operation Challenges. Most require Kliff.
Grand Collector of Arms (Silver) Complete all 10 Special Equipment Challenges. Requires all three characters and specific weapons found from bosses and exploration.
⚠️ Do not discard Special Weapons. There are 10 of them, and it’s currently unknown if duplicates exist. Hold onto all of them. Our guide on how to get better equipment covers finding high-tier weapons.
Beast Slayer (Bronze) Complete all 7 New Power challenges.
Each of the 7 New Power challenges involves defeating a unique boss. These bosses only unlock in each region after you’ve completed a certain number of Faction Quests there. Make sure you’re progressing faction quests in each region as you go. Some of the toughest bosses in the game fall under this category — see our guides on how to beat the Titan, Keglord Garnier, and Kearush the Slayer.
Unvanquished Strategist (Gold) Complete all 10 subcategories in the Mastery section — a total of 64 challenges. This is one of the most demanding trophies in the game outside of Expert Explorer. Plan your time carefully and unlock all the Sealed Abyss Artifacts in this category as early as possible.
Lifestyle and Side System Trophies
Tamer of Legends (Bronze) Complete all 10 Horse Challenges. These are unlocked via Sealed Abyss Artifacts and involve horse-related activities. Our horse guide and legendary horses locations guide are essential reading for this trophy.
Ultimate Hunter (Bronze) Complete all 11 Hunting Challenges. Some involve Legendary Animals, others involve more unusual hunts. Our guide on finding Legendary Creatures gives you a head start on the tougher hunts.
Natural Collector (Bronze) Complete all 12 Life Challenges. These focus on gathering materials, resources, and Knowledge. Make sure you’re regularly picking up resources as you explore. Our guide on how to get Gold Bars and Iron Ore can help with the resource side of this trophy.
The Golden Merchant (Bronze) Complete all 5 Trade Challenges. Most involve visiting NPCs and completing Trade Missions with the Wagon. Check out our guides on how to trade goods and how to make money fast to understand the trade system.
Shadowlord (Bronze) Complete all 10 Above the Law Challenges. Most involve criminal activity — stealing, robbing, and operating outside the law. Our guides on how to steal items, how to rob banks, and how to remove bounties will be useful here.
Lord of Honor (Bronze) Complete all 9 Challenges and Changes Challenges.
True Gamer (Silver) Complete all Minigame Challenges. There are 5 subcategories: Archery, Card Games, Arm Wrestling, Test of Strength, and Duel Challenges. Our Duo Card Game guide and how to win arm wrestling are good starting points for this trophy.
The Platinum
Pywel Legend (Platinum — PS5 only) Claim every trophy.
This unlocks automatically once you’ve earned all 34 other trophies. It’s the culmination of 300+ hours of exploration, combat mastery, puzzle solving, and open-world challenge completion. It is genuinely one of the most demanding Platinums available right now.
If you’re chasing it — good luck. You’re going to need it.
Trophy Roadmap: The Smartest Order to Do Things
Here’s the most efficient approach for working toward 100% completion:
Step 1 — Ring all 8 bells early. Clear the fog of war across Pywel as fast as possible. A revealed map makes everything easier. Full details in our bell tower locations guide.
Step 2 — Unlock Sealed Abyss Artifacts as you explore. Do this constantly from the very start of the game. Challenges only track progress after you’ve found the artifact. Don’t wait.
Step 3 — Activate fast travel points in every region. You’ll be traveling a lot. Make the journey faster by activating Abyss Nexus points along the way.
Step 4 — Progress the main story while doing faction quests. Don’t ignore faction quests. Many trophies and challenge unlocks depend on them. Check our guide on how to get comrades and how to research for faction-related progression.
Step 5 — Complete weapon challenges across all three characters. Remember that some weapons are character-locked. Switch between Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka to make progress on all weapon types. Our best skills to level up first guide helps you prioritize skill point spending.
Step 6 — Mop up exploration, lifestyle, and minigame trophies. These take the most time but can be done alongside everything else. Save the rarest hunts and most distant puzzles for when you have fast travel everywhere unlocked.
Step 7 — Complete the story. Finish Chapter 12 for Expert Storyteller, and keep going with post-story content for Proud Returnee.
Final Tips for the Crimson Desert Platinum
- Never skip a Sealed Abyss Artifact. If you see a purple icon on your minimap, go get it. Immediately.
- Manage your inventory space carefully. You’ll accumulate a massive amount of items. Our guide on how to increase inventory space is essential.
- Use the HUD explained guide to understand every tracker and icon on screen — critical for tracking challenge progress.
- Save often. Know how saving works so you never lose significant progress.
- Learn combat mechanics deeply. Many challenges require specific combat conditions. Our guides on how to use Axiom Force and how to beat flying enemies will help when challenge requirements get specific.
Where to Get Crimson Desert
Not sure if the game is worth your time investment? Read our full Crimson Desert review first.
