TL;DR
- Pick up Turnali’s Request from the Notice Board in Hernand Town
- Find Turnali at the Blacksmith (Smithy) northeast of the notice board — look for the anvil logo
- He gives you a free Logging Axe and asks for 3x Fine Timber
- Head east of Hernand to the island between the two rivers to find trees
- After delivering the timber, read the Smithy Flyer and refine the Bekker Shield to complete the quest
- Rewards include a Medium Bag, Bekker Shield, Timber x10, and Contribution EXP
Turnali’s Request is one of the first side quests you’ll come across in Crimson Desert. It pops up early in Hernand Town and serves as the game’s introduction to two systems you’ll be using throughout your entire playthrough — Logging and Equipment Refinement.
It’s short, it’s rewarding, and the Medium Bag you get from it gives you extra inventory space that you’ll feel immediately. Don’t skip it.
Here’s the full walkthrough from start to finish.
How to Pick Up Turnali’s Request
There are two ways to start this quest:
Option 1: Head to the Notice Board in the plaza in Hernand Town. Read Turnali’s Poster on the board. This officially unlocks the quest in your journal.
Option 2: Walk directly to the Blacksmith and speak to Turnali. You’ll recognize the shop by the anvil logo out front. Rhett (the large NPC with a spear) is usually standing nearby outside.
Both methods start the same quest. Once it’s active, you can track it in your Journal to see objectives and map markers.
This quest is part of the Hernand Commissions faction quests — a set of early side quests from local merchants. Completing it also unlocks Rhett’s Request, which is the next quest in the chain. Check out our guide on how to complete Rhett’s Request once you’re done here.
How to Find Turnali in Crimson Desert
Turnali is inside the Blacksmith in Hernand Town, northeast of the central Notice Board.
If you want directions:
- Open your Map and go to the Quests subsection.
- Look for the gray/white crest icon representing Turnali’s Request.
- Hover over it and press Set Destination (A on Xbox / X on PS5) to get a map marker and directions.
Once you find him, hold LB/L1 and select “Listen to Request” from the interaction menu.
Turnali explains that he can’t leave his forge — a blacksmith must stay at the anvil — so he needs someone else to chop the timber for him. He needs his mallet fixed. He’ll hand you a free Logging Axe right then and there.
How to Equip the Logging Axe
Before you go near a tree, make sure the Logging Axe is actually equipped. This trips up a lot of players.
There are two ways to equip it:
Option 1 — Inventory: Open your inventory and manually equip the Logging Axe from there.
Option 2 — Equipment Wheel (faster):
- Hold the Left D-pad button (F2 on PC) to open the equipment wheel.
- Move the selection to the upper left section of the wheel.
- Use L2/R2 (or your mouse wheel on PC) to cycle to the Logging Axe.
- Release to equip it. The axe will appear in Kliff’s right hand.
Once it’s equipped, you’re ready to head out.
Where to Find Trees and Get Fine Timber
After speaking to Turnali, leave Hernand Town through the main entrance and head east to the island sitting between the two rivers. The quest marks this area on your map.
You’ll find several trees here that can be chopped. Here’s how the logging process works:
- Approach a tree and face the trunk.
- Hold LB/L1 (or CTRL on PC) to aim at the tree trunk with your targeting circle.
- Press RB/R1 (or left-click on PC) to swing the axe and start chopping.
- Keep chopping until the tree falls. Then keep chopping the fallen trunk — this is the part that confuses most players.
- The trunk will split into sections. Each section gives you Fine Timber. Pick up the timber by holding Square (PlayStation) or the appropriate pick-up button.
Important: Fine Timber doesn’t appear until you break the tree trunk down after it falls. Just knocking the tree over isn’t enough — you need to chop it further.
You need 3x Fine Timber total. Two to three trees should give you more than enough. Chop a few extra while you’re there — Timber is used for Equipment Refinement later and you’ll want a stockpile.
Tip: Once you’ve learned Force Palm through the main story, you can use it to knock trees down faster. It’s not needed for this quest, but it’s useful to know for future logging sessions.
How to Return Fine Timber to Turnali
Once you have 3x Fine Timber, head back to Turnali at the Blacksmith.
- Approach him and open the interaction menu.
- Select “Hand Over Fine Timber” to give him the wood.
Turnali thanks you and says he can finally fix his hammer. He’ll hand over your first set of rewards immediately.
What You Get for Completing Turnali’s Request
After handing over the Fine Timber, Turnali gives you:
- Bekker Shield — a solid early shield
- Turnali’s Smithy Flyer — a key item that explains Equipment Refinement
- Timber x10 — used to refine the Bekker Shield
- Medium Bag — expands your inventory by 3 slots
- +50 Trust with Turnali
- +100 Contribution EXP for the Hernand Faction
But the quest isn’t finished yet. There are two more steps.
How to Finish the Quest — Read the Flyer and Refine the Shield
Step 1 — Read Turnali’s Smithy Flyer:
Open your inventory and go to the Key Items section. Find the Turnali’s Smithy Flyer and read it. It explains that you can bring gear and materials to the Blacksmith to refine (improve) your equipment’s stats.
Step 2 — Refine the Bekker Shield:
Go back to Turnali, interact with him, and select the “Refine Equipment” option. Choose the Bekker Shield from your gear list. Use the 10x Timber he just gave you as the refinement material. Press Refine to complete the upgrade.
This increases the Bekker Shield’s defense and unlocks the Equipment Refinement system for the rest of the game. The quest completes, and you keep both the shield and the Logging Axe.
Why This Quest Matters
Turnali’s Request seems simple on the surface, but it teaches two systems that are important throughout the entire game.
Logging is one of the main life skills in Crimson Desert. Timber is used constantly for refining wooden gear and crafting. Starting to log early and building up a stockpile saves you time later. Our guide on what to do with Learned Recipes and Blueprints covers how crafting materials fit into the broader system.
Equipment Refinement is how you improve your gear’s base stats. Once you understand it, you’ll want to apply it to your best armor and weapons regularly. Check out our full guide on how to reinforce equipment in Crimson Desert for a deeper look at the system.
The Medium Bag reward is also genuinely useful. Your inventory fills up fast in Crimson Desert — especially when you’re gathering resources and looting during quests. This quest gives you extra space early when you need it most. Our guide on how to increase inventory space covers other ways to expand your carrying capacity.
Tips for Logging in Crimson Desert
A few things to know about the logging system beyond this quest:
- Upgrading the Logging Axe doesn’t give more Fine Timber. It increases chopping speed, not yield.
- Force Palm speeds up felling. Once you learn it, you can use it to knock trees down faster — useful when you need large amounts of timber quickly.
- Trees are everywhere. You’ll find forests in almost every region of Pywel, so you’ll never run out of places to log.
- Timber vs Fine Timber: Both drop from the same trees. Timber is the more common drop. Fine Timber is needed for certain refinement recipes.
- You can buy a Logging Axe from the Provisioner’s Shop in Hernand if you ever need another one.
What to Do Next in Hernand
Turnali’s Request is one of several early Hernand side quests worth completing before you move on. Here’s what to tackle next:
- Rhett’s Request — the next quest in the Hernand Commissions chain. Our guide to completing Rhett’s Request walks you through it.
- Renee’s Request — another early commission quest. See our Renee’s Request guide for the steps.
- Ring the bell at the Hernand Town west entrance to clear map fog. It takes two minutes and reveals a large portion of the surrounding area. Our bell tower locations guide has all 8 bells listed.
- Activate the Abyss Nexus near the Blacksmith to unlock a fast travel point. Full details in our Hernand Mysterious Energy guide.
- Check your trophy progress. Many early side quests contribute to the Life Challenges category needed for the Natural Collector trophy. Our full trophy list and guide covers everything.
If you want the best start possible in the early hours, check out our guides on the best early build for Kliff and the best items to get early before heading beyond Hernand.
Where to Get Crimson Desert
Want to know if Crimson Desert is worth picking up? Read our full Crimson Desert review for a detailed breakdown.
