Where to Get Frost Spike in Crimson Desert

TL;DR

• Frost Spike is a weapon Abyss Gear that triggers on Turning Slash, summoning a frontal cone of ice spikes that deal additional frost damage.
• It drops automatically from Beloth the Darksworn, one of the three Overwhelming Beings in Crimson Desert.
• Beloth is found at Hoenmark Ruins in northern Hernand (just above the “H” in “HERNAND” on the map), accessed during the Wraith in the Frost faction quest in the White Blizzard House Lanford questline.
• You need to complete Chapter 6 fully before the quest and boss unlock — Beloth spawns at the beginning of Chapter 7.
• Ice Resistance is mandatory. Without at least Level 15 Ice Resistance, Beloth’s environment and attacks will one-shot you. Use Kuku Cold-Resistant Armor + Frostcursed Plate Cloak.
• Never light the torches in the Hoenmark Ruins arena — lighting them spawns infinite Dark Sorcerer enemies during the fight.
• Enter from the west (via the nearby Abyss Nexus fast travel point) to avoid aggroing ghosts.
• Beloth also drops the Plate Helm of the Shadows (Glacial Domain ability) and an Abyss Artifact. Additional Shadow Armor set pieces are in nearby chests after the fight.
• Frost Spike and Groundsurge create a V-shape when both are socketed — for single-target bosses, consider pairing Frost Spike with Wound of Darkness instead.

Frost Spike is one of the strongest elemental weapon Abyss Gears in Crimson Desert, but it sits behind one of the game’s toughest optional boss fights. Beloth the Darksworn is an Overwhelming Being — the highest boss difficulty tier in the game — and his frozen arena makes even reaching him dangerous without the right preparation. This guide covers everything: what Frost Spike does, exactly where Beloth is, how to unlock the fight, how to prepare, how to beat him, and what else you get from the encounter.

For the full Abyss Gear system overview, see our Abyss Gears List and Best Weapon Abyss Gears guide. Our full Crimson Desert Guide Hub has everything else.

What Does Frost Spike Do?

Frost Spike is a weapon-only Abyss Gear that triggers on Turning Slash (RB+RT / R1+R2). When activated, it summons a wave of jagged ice spikes that erupt from the ground in a frontal cone ahead of Kliff, dealing additional frost damage to every enemy caught in the path.

The key effects of Frost Spike in combat:

• Extended Turning Slash AoE: The ice spike wave extends the effective range of Turning Slash, hitting enemies that the base swing would miss at the edges of the attack cone.
• Additional frost damage: Every spike that connects adds a separate damage instance on top of the base Turning Slash damage. This stacks with elemental Imbue and other Turning Slash Abyss Gears.
• Stagger buildup: Frost Spike pushes the boss stagger meter significantly faster than a plain Turning Slash, shortening the window to a finisher substantially.
• Works on both groups and single targets: The cone shape covers a wide area, making it strong in group fights. At point-blank range against a single target, the spikes pass through the enemy and deal full damage.

Important socket interaction to know before committing to a slot: When Frost Spike and Groundsurge are both socketed into the same weapon, they fire in a V-shape rather than both shooting straight ahead. This means one of them may miss a single-target boss entirely. For boss builds, pair Frost Spike with Wound of Darkness instead — Wound of Darkness always fires directly at your locked-on target and combines cleanly with Frost Spike’s frontal cone for consistent single-target damage. For mob clearing, Frost Spike + Groundsurge together is still very strong even with the V-shape split. See our Best Weapon Abyss Gears guide for full socket planning advice.

Where to Get Frost Spike — Location and Quest

Frost Spike drops automatically from Beloth the Darksworn when you defeat him. There is no other source — it is a unique boss drop, not craftable or purchasable from merchants in any standard way.

Beloth is located at Hoenmark Ruins in northern Hernand — specifically just above the “H” in “HERNAND” on the world map, in the Argent Peaks region. The ruins sit in one of the coldest areas of Hernand, and the temperature inside the arena drops to its lowest possible value during the fight.

The fight is tied to the Wraith in the Frost faction quest, which is part of the White Blizzard House Lanford questline. However, no side quests are strictly required to reach Beloth — you can travel directly to Hoenmark Ruins and fight him at any time once the chapter requirement is met.

How to Unlock Beloth the Darksworn

Beloth the Darksworn becomes accessible after completing 100% of Chapter 6 of the main story. He spawns in the arena at the beginning of Chapter 7. If you travel to Hoenmark Ruins before finishing Chapter 6, the boss will not be present.

Once Chapter 6 is complete, travel to Hoenmark Ruins in northern Hernand. There is an Abyss Nexus fast travel point southwest of the ruins — unlock it on your way there so you can return quickly for future runs if needed. An optional step in the quest involves meeting wounded soldiers at the Argent Peaks Outpost, east of Hoenmark Ruins, but this can be skipped if you’ve already visited that location earlier in the game.

For context on where you are in the story and what other content is available at this point, see our All Main Story Quests and Chapters guide. For the Chapter 2 content that preceded this, our End of Greed quest walkthrough has the full detail.

How to Prepare for Beloth the Darksworn

Beloth is one of only three Overwhelming Beings in Crimson Desert — the hardest boss tier in the game. Without proper ice resistance preparation, his attacks and the arena environment will one-shot you before you can react. Preparation here is not optional.

Step 1: Build Ice Resistance to Level 15 Minimum

The Hoenmark Ruins arena subjects you to constant freezing temperatures that drain your health over time and slow your movement. Beloth’s attacks add additional freeze damage on top of the environmental cold. You need at least Level 15 Ice Resistance to neutralise the arena blizzard and avoid instant death from his stronger attacks.

The two-piece combination that reaches this threshold:

• Kuku Cold-Resistant Armor — provides Ice Resistance Level 10 from a single chest piece. Craft it at Grimnir at the Kuku Shop in Hernand using: Enhanced Kuku Pot + Frostcursed Plate Armor + Power Core + Core of Exaltation. This armor cannot hold Abyss Gear sockets, but the ice resistance it provides is essential for surviving the arena. See our guide on crafting Kuku armor for reference on the crafting process.
• Frostcursed Plate Cloak — provides Ice Resistance Level 5. Found in Mistshard Cave behind a waterfall in the southern Hernand area. See our Frostcursed Armor Set locations guide for the exact chest location.

Together, these two pieces reach Ice Resistance Level 15, which gives you Freeze Immunity in the Status screen — the environment stops draining your health and Beloth’s freeze attacks become manageable rather than lethal. Alternatively, you can slot Frostward III Abyss Gears into your armor pieces to build ice resistance through the socket system. Our Ice Resistance and Frost Protection guide covers all the available options.

Step 2: Stock Consumables

• 40+ food items with healing — Grilled Meat is the most accessible option. Cook it from lean meat bought at the Hernand Town vendor. HP recovery food that also grants temporary Ice Resistance is ideal — it provides both healing and a resistance boost in one slot. See our best healing food guide.
• Palmar Pills — Beloth hits hard enough that deaths are inevitable on first attempts. Pills let you revive on the spot and continue without restarting from outside the arena. You can also find Refined Palmar Pills in chests near the Frostcursed Armor pieces. See our Palmar Pills guide.

Step 3: Buff at the Grind Stone and Anvil

Before entering the arena, find an Anvil and a Grind Stone in any nearby town. Using both applies temporary attack and defense buffs to your equipped weapon and armor. These buffs make a meaningful difference in how quickly you can shave off Beloth’s 13,000 HP and how many hits you can absorb. See our guide on how to reinforce equipment for full details on the refinement system that complements these temporary buffs.

Step 4: Use Fire-Imbued Attacks

Beloth is heavily resistant to plain melee damage but takes amplified damage from fire-imbued attacks. Activate Imbue Element with Fire before the fight and keep it active throughout. Fire Abyss Gears like Volcanic Eruption and Flames of Judgment compound this further. See our guide on how to use elemental attacks and imbue elements. If you have the Flame Strike skill, use it — it deals significant stagger damage and fire elemental hits against Beloth simultaneously.

Step 5: Use a Two-Handed Weapon

A two-handed weapon’s extended reach lets you attack Beloth from behind arena pillars without fully exposing yourself. The extra range is a significant tactical advantage in this fight since the pillars are your primary defensive tool. Consider the Vow of the Dead King Halberd or the Kylu’s Greataxe for their reach and damage output.

How to Beat Beloth the Darksworn

Beloth the Darksworn has 13,000 HP, one HP bar, heavily armoured to make your damage feel small, and a slower-filling stagger meter than most bosses. This fight is a battle of attrition — patience and positioning matter more than raw offensive output. For the full dedicated boss guide, see our Beloth the Darksworn boss guide. The key points are below.

Critical Arena Rules — Read Before Entering

• Never light any torches. The Hoenmark Ruins arena is scattered with unlit torches. Do not interact with any of them. Lighting a torch spawns infinite Dark Sorcerer enemies that bombard you with ranged magic throughout the fight. Keeping all torches unlit means a clean 1v1 with Beloth only.
• Enter from the west via the Abyss Nexus fast travel point. Entering from the east risks aggroing ghost enemies that join the fight. The west approach keeps the fight clean.
• Watch the freeze accumulation bar. A temperature gauge appears at the bottom left of your screen near the minimap. When it drops to blue and stays there, you’ll freeze in place. Dodge frequently to raise your temperature back to green — evading keeps the bar up even during combat.
• Spam sprint to break out of freeze. If you do freeze during the fight, hammer the sprint button (or A on controller) immediately to break free. Standing frozen in the open is a death sentence.

Pillar Strategy — Your Core Defensive Tool

The arena has multiple thick stone pillars. These are not decoration — the entire fight is designed around them. Position yourself near a pillar as soon as the fight starts and treat it as your home base.

• Let Beloth charge toward you. The pillar absorbs his incoming attack if you’re behind it.
• Step out briefly after his attack completes, land 2–3 hits or a Turning Slash + Frost Spike combo, then retreat immediately behind cover.
• After Beloth misses his charge into a pillar, he’s briefly vulnerable — dash behind him and land a backstab, then use Evasive Roll to create distance before his next attack.
• Use the pillar to block his ranged spike waves. Standing in the open against these is dangerous regardless of ice resistance.

Beloth’s Main Attacks and How to Handle Each

• Halberd Swing Combo: Beloth’s primary attack — a series of halberd swings ending in a slam. Dodge sideways through his body as he completes the combo rather than backward, which keeps you close for a counterattack. A two-handed weapon’s reach lets you hit him from the edge of his swing arc without entering its full danger zone.
• Ice Spear Combo (Red Flash): Beloth flashes red, summons an ice spear in his off-hand, swings both weapons twice, then spins and follows with a stab. The stab can one-shot you if it connects. Dodge through him as he spins with the ice spear — going through the spin rather than away from it is the safe escape. Never try to parry red-flash attacks — they’re unparryable.
• Spear Lunge: Beloth charges forward in a straight line with his spear extended. Dodge sideways — moving perpendicular to the lunge completely avoids it. After he misses, he has a recovery window that’s your best opportunity to deal burst damage before he resets position.
• Ice Spike AoE: Beloth seeds the ground with markers that indicate falling ice shards. Move out of the marked areas immediately — standing still while these activate deals heavy damage. The pattern is visible before impact, giving you a window to reposition.
• Hailstorm: A wide-area blizzard attack that covers most of the arena. Sprint to the edge of the affected area or dodge through it. Your ice resistance reduces but doesn’t eliminate the damage from this move — taking it head-on is a mistake even with max resistance.
• Halberd Tornado: Beloth spins with his halberd extended, covering a large radius. Back away immediately when this starts — the spin has wide reach and each rotation deals damage. Don’t try to attack through it.

Building Stagger and Using Finishers

Beloth’s stagger meter fills slower than standard bosses, making this fight longer than most. The most efficient way to build it:

• Use Turning Slash + Frost Spike every time it’s off cooldown and Beloth is exposed after a pillar charge or spear lunge.
• Chain triple Force Palm combos when you can safely position behind him — Force Palm builds stagger quickly and Beloth’s recovery windows after missed charges are long enough to land two or three charges.
• Fire-imbued Turning Slash deals amplified damage and additional stagger due to the elemental damage type advantage.
• When the stagger meter fills, trigger the finisher immediately — press R1+R2 (PS) / RB+RT (Xbox). The finisher deals a significant chunk of his HP in one hit and is your fastest path through this prolonged fight.

Beloth the Darksworn All Rewards

Defeating Beloth the Darksworn rewards:

• Frost Spike — drops automatically to your inventory when Beloth dies.
• Abyss Artifact — also drops automatically. Use it on the glowing spot in the arena to trigger a cutscene that melts the surrounding ice and opens up the rest of the ruins.
• Plate Helm of the Shadows — found in a chest inside the now-opened ruins after using the Abyss Artifact. Contains the Glacial Domain ability — equipping the helm lets you exhale frost that damages over time, freezes enemies, and freezes water surfaces allowing Kliff to walk across them.

Additional loot in the opened ruins:

• Plate Armor of the Shadows — contains Heart of Stone, granting Petrification Immunity.
• Plate Gloves of the Shadows — contains Ascent I (climb speed) and Surge I (swim speed).

These three pieces, combined with the Plate Helm of the Shadows, make up most of the Shadow Armor set — one of the strongest armor sets in the game both for stats and for unique ability coverage. See our full Armor of the Shadows Set guide for all piece locations including the ones found outside Hoenmark Ruins.

How to Use Frost Spike — Best Weapon Pairings and Socket Strategy

Once you have Frost Spike, take it to any Witch to embed it into a weapon socket. If your target weapon doesn’t have an open socket, use Create Socket from the Witch’s menu to unlock one by paying Silver.

Best weapons to socket Frost Spike into:

• Any two-handed weapon with 5 sockets gives the most flexibility. Pair Frost Spike with Greysoul Howling for a two-effect Turning Slash combo: ice spikes forward plus the Goyen shadow strike. Or use it with Volcanic Eruption if you’re running a fire imbue build — fire imbue overrides ice, but the spike visual still fires and the stagger buildup remains.
• For the best single-target boss build, socket Frost Spike alongside Wound of Darkness rather than Groundsurge. Both fire straight at the locked target, stacking damage cleanly without the V-shape split issue.
• For mob clearing and group fights, Frost Spike + Groundsurge together works even with the V-shape — the wide coverage of both effects covers more ground area than either does alone.

To extract Frost Spike from a weapon and move it to a different one, use the Extract Abyss Gear option at any Witch. There’s no cost to extraction — only re-embedding costs Silver for the socket if the target weapon doesn’t have one open.

For a complete dual-wield or two-handed build that incorporates Frost Spike, see our Best Dual-Wield Swords Build guide. For the full Turning Slash setup that Frost Spike feeds into, see the Critical Rate OP Boss Build.

Is Frost Spike Worth Getting?

Yes — but it requires significant investment to get there. Beloth is one of the hardest optional bosses in the game, and reaching him requires Chapter 6 completion, proper ice resistance gear, and enough consumables to survive a long attrition fight.

If you want a strong Turning Slash Abyss Gear without tackling Hoenmark Ruins yet, Groundsurge (from Melted Ambition, Chapter 7 story drop) and Greysoul Howling (from the Fated Shadow weapon on the Nest of Valor Abyss Island) are both excellent alternatives available earlier. Both deal comparable damage on Turning Slash without the difficult boss unlock requirement.

That said, Frost Spike’s elemental damage type and stagger efficiency make it uniquely effective against ice-resistant enemies and in builds that pair it with Imbue Element. If you’re pushing toward an endgame elemental build and the Shadow Armor set appeals to you, Beloth is absolutely worth the effort. The Plate Helm of the Shadows’ Glacial Domain ability — which lets you walk on water — is also one of the most practically useful traversal tools in the game, making the encounter’s combined rewards exceptional for the investment.

Where to Get Crimson Desert

Available on all major platforms:

• Steam (PC)
• Epic Games Store (PC)
• PlayStation Store (PS5)
• Xbox Store (Xbox Series X|S)

Final Thoughts

Frost Spike is locked behind one of the most demanding boss fights in Crimson Desert, but the encounter rewards you with two unique items that no other source provides — the Abyss Gear itself and the Glacial Domain helm. Both are strong enough to justify the effort, especially if you’re building toward an elemental or Turning Slash-focused kit.

The preparation is the hard part. Reach Level 15 Ice Resistance before entering, stack fire imbue for the fight itself, bring 40+ food and Palmar Pills, and never touch the torches. Once you’re equipped correctly, the fight becomes a patient pillar-based game of baiting charges and punishing recoveries — not a reaction test that demands perfect play. Take your time, use the Force Palm stagger loop, and build to the finisher windows.

For all other Overwhelming Being fights, see our guides on how to beat Ator, Archon of Antumbra — the first Overwhelming Being — and the full All Bosses and Locations guide for every optional encounter in the game.