TL;DR
- Explosive Arrows are not crafted and not sold at regular shops.
- You can buy them from three Back Alley Vendors: Calphade, Tomasso, and Demeniss (east castle wall).
- Each vendor sells only 2 at a time for 6 Silver Coins each. Stock refreshes every 7 in-game days.
- The most reliable method is the Demeniss Armory Dispatch Mission: 3 Explosive Arrows every 12 in-game hours in exchange for camp resources.
- For unlimited Explosive Arrows, use the Infinite Arrows Abyss Gear build.
Explosive Arrows in Crimson Desert are one of the best tools for dealing with groups of enemies and bosses. Each shot deals AoE explosive damage, making them far more efficient than regular arrows when you need to clear a room or melt a health bar fast.
The catch is that they do not drop from enemies and are not sold at normal shops. You have to know exactly where to look. There are two reliable ways to get them: Back Alley Vendors and the Demeniss Armory Dispatch Mission. This guide covers both methods plus how to equip them once you have them.
Method 1: Buy Explosive Arrows from Back Alley Vendors
There are three Back Alley Vendors in Crimson Desert that stock Explosive Arrows. Each vendor sells 2 Explosive Arrows at a time for 6 Silver Coins each. Stock is limited and refreshes roughly every 7 in-game days, so this is best treated as a supplement rather than your main farming method.
Here are the three locations:
Calphade (North of Hernand)
Look for the Back Alley Vendor in Calphade, north of Hernand. This is usually the most accessible location early on if you are spending time in the Hernand region.
Tomasso (South of Tashgkalp, Crimson Desert Region)
Head to Tomasso in the south of Tashgkalp inside the Crimson Desert region. The vendor is tucked away in a back alley, so look carefully rather than expecting them to be on the main road.
Demeniss (East Castle Wall)
The third vendor is located outside the east castle wall in Demeniss. This one is particularly convenient if you are already visiting the Demeniss Armory for the Dispatch Mission below.
Since the stock limit is low and the refresh is slow, buying from all three vendors on a circuit gives you a small but steady trickle of arrows on top of whatever you earn from the armory.
Method 2: Demeniss Armory Dispatch Mission (Best Method)
This is the most consistent and reliable way to farm Explosive Arrows in Crimson Desert. The Demeniss Armory Dispatch Mission rewards you with 3 Explosive Arrows every 12 in-game hours in exchange for camp resources.
Here is how to use it:
- Open your map and find the Demeniss Armory. It sits just east of the last “S” in “Demeniss” on the map.
- Approach the armory and press Triangle on PlayStation or Y on Xbox.
- Navigate to the Missions tab using R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox.
- Start the dispatch mission. It costs camp resources to run.
- Wait 12 in-game hours, then return to collect your 3 Explosive Arrows.
- Restart the mission immediately to keep the cycle going.
The resource cost per run is 680 Camp Weapons, 700 Camp Food, and 640 Camp Funds. It is not cheap, but if you are keeping up with your camp income and farming Camp Funds regularly, the supply is sustainable. For tips on completing camp donation quests quickly to keep your resources topped up, see our camp donation guide.
The key habit here is to restart the mission every time you collect. If you let it sit idle, you are leaving arrows on the table. Make it part of your routine whenever you pass through Demeniss.
How to Equip and Use Explosive Arrows
Once you have Explosive Arrows in your inventory, you need to equip them before they do anything.
- Hold Left on the D-Pad to open the Weapons Wheel.
- Use the Right Stick to highlight the arrow slot at the bottom.
- Press R2 / RT to cycle through arrow types until Explosive Arrows are selected.
Once equipped, they fire like regular arrows but explode on impact. They deal AoE damage, so a single well-placed shot can hit multiple enemies at once. They are especially effective against bosses and packed enemy groups where standard arrows would require multiple hits to achieve the same result.
Note that Explosive Arrows are heavier than standard arrows. You cannot carry an unlimited amount without specific gear. If you keep running out mid-fight, keep reading.
How to Get Unlimited Explosive Arrows
If you want to use Explosive Arrows freely without worrying about running out, the Infinite Arrows Abyss Gear build is the endgame solution. With the right Abyss Gear setup, Explosive Arrows effectively become unlimited, removing the resource management entirely.
This is a separate build that requires progression through the Abyss system. For a full breakdown of the best bow-focused Abyss Gear, check our infinite arrow archer build guide and our best weapon Abyss Gears guide.
For general Abyss Gear farming, our unlimited Abyss artifacts guide is also worth reading.
Tips for Keeping Your Explosive Arrow Supply Topped Up
- Prioritise the Dispatch Mission. It is the only reliable high-volume source. Back Alley Vendors are too limited to rely on alone.
- Do the vendor circuit regularly. All three vendors combined give you 6 arrows every 7 in-game days. Not a lot, but every bit counts.
- Restart the mission immediately after collecting. Never let the armory sit idle.
- Save Explosive Arrows for bosses and large groups. Do not waste them on single weak enemies. Use standard arrows for regular combat and save the explosives for when they matter.
- Build towards Infinite Arrows Abyss Gear if you play archer regularly. It completely removes the supply problem.
For more on building out an effective bow-based playstyle, see our all bow challenges guide and our list of the replenishing arrows guide. If you are focused on getting the best bows to pair with these arrows, our Divine Echoes Bow guide and Crimson Warden’s Bow guide are good starting points.
Where to Buy Crimson Desert
Not playing Crimson Desert yet? You can get it on the following platforms:
For a full list of Crimson Desert guides, visit our Crimson Desert guide hub. For other recent guides, check out how to get the Sotdae of Bond and the full Wanderer of Faith Armor Set guide.
