TL;DR
- Kailok is found at the Goldleaf Guildhouse on Unicorn Cliff, tied to the main story quest “The End of Greed”
- He has one health bar but activates a superarmor (ultimate) mode mid-fight
- His biggest threat is the Wind Slash — a ranged projectile attack; dodge it, don’t block it
- Use parry to open him up for combos, and Force Palm to stagger him
- Learn Evasive Roll via Watch and Learn before finishing the fight — it’s one of the best skills in the game
- Stock up on food and refine your gear before heading in
- Rewards include the Sword of the Lord, Iron Ore, Contribution Points, and an alliance with the Goldleaf Merchant Guild
Kailok the Hornsplitter is the first real skill check in Crimson Desert. He’s a significant step up from the bandits and knights you’ve fought up to this point, and a lot of players get caught off guard by how fast and aggressive he is. But once you understand his attack patterns, this fight becomes very manageable.
This guide covers his location, how to prepare, every attack you’ll face, how to handle his superarmor mode, and what to do before you land the final blow.
Where To Find Kailok The Hornsplitter
Kailok is part of the main story quest “The End of Greed.” You can’t miss him — he’s a required boss fight. He’s located at the Goldleaf Guildhouse at the top of Unicorn Cliff, accessed via the path south of the Nas River.
The path to the guildhouse is guarded by Hornsplitter Guards. You have two options:
- Fight through them — risky if your food supply is already low
- Sneak around to the left — safer option that saves your healing items for the boss
Once you reach the back of the guildhouse, strike a wooden post with your sword to knock it down and walk inside. A cutscene will trigger immediately, starting the boss fight.
How To Prepare For The Kailok Fight
Preparation makes a huge difference. Do these things before you go in.
Bring plenty of food. Grilled Meat is your best bet. Buy meat from the Butcher in Hernand and cook it at the pot right next to the shop. Aim for at least 20 pieces before entering. You can also use Palmar Pills — these revive you with 30% health mid-fight so you don’t have to restart from scratch.
Refine your gear. Even a few levels of refinement on your starting sword and armor will make a noticeable difference in both damage dealt and hits absorbed. Check out how to upgrade weapons and armor in Crimson Desert before you go.
Use a sword and shield. Kailok fires ranged wind waves. You need a stamina-efficient way to block. Avoid two-handed weapons for this fight.
Upgrade stamina and health. Put Abyss Artifacts into the red skill tree for health and make sure your stamina can handle extended blocking and dodging sequences. If you’re struggling, consider how to respec in Crimson Desert to reallocate your points.
Unlock Armed Combat Level 2. This gives you Evasive Slash, which is useful throughout the whole fight. Also unlock Pump Kick if you haven’t already — it’s great for interrupting Kailok’s charging attacks.
Lock on to him. On PC, hold Ctrl to lock on and block, then press Caps Lock to fix Kailok as your sole target. On controller, use LB to lock on and Down on the D-Pad to fix the target. This keeps your camera from going wild when he dashes around.
Kailok’s Attack Patterns
Kailok is fast and aggressive. He mixes melee combos with ranged wind slashes and switches between them constantly. Here’s what you’ll face:
Basic Melee Combos
Kailok dashes in with slashing combinations. When he bends low with his sword at his side, he’s about to dash forward with a combo ending in an overhead jump slash. Either dodge sideways or parry the hit. After a successful parry, attack him twice and back off before he recovers his guard.
Pump Kick is your best tool for interrupting his charging attacks mid-combo. It sends him stumbling back and gives you breathing room.
Red Glint Attacks (Three Variations)
Watch his sword carefully. The position and glow tell you what’s coming:
- Sword in front, red glint: He jumps back and fires two wind slashes at you, then dashes back into melee range. Dodge sideways through the slashes.
- Sword behind, red glint: He launches an aerial overhead attack, jumps back, then fires a wind slash. Stay defensive and dodge — don’t try to attack here.
- Red glint with white glow (most dangerous): He fires five wind slash attacks. The fifth sends three waves at once, and he may sneak an extra wave into earlier attacks to throw off your timing. Dodge side to side throughout. Save your Evasive Roll for the final wave or any attack with two waves.
Wind Slash (Ranged Attack)
This is Kailok’s most dangerous move. When you give him any distance, he fills the gap with wind wave projectiles before jumping back into melee range. Do not block these — they drain stamina heavily and still deal damage through your guard. Instead, dodge through or around them.
Stay close to Kailok as much as possible to limit how often he uses this move.
Kailok’s Superarmor Mode (Ultimate Mode)
At some point during the fight, Kailok will activate his superarmor. The screen dims, a blue glow surrounds him, and he becomes completely immune to physical damage.
When this happens, stop attacking entirely. He’ll fire a relentless barrage of wind slash waves. One mistake here means heavy damage. Keep your distance and dodge everything until the superarmor wears off. Use this time to eat food and recover HP if needed.
Once the mode ends, get back in his face immediately and resume your attack pattern.
If you have Evasive Roll already, burn him down as fast as possible so he activates superarmor fewer times. The longer the fight goes, the more times you’ll have to sit through it.
Best Skills To Use Against Kailok
These three skills make the fight significantly easier:
Force Palm: Counter Kailok’s red glint attacks with Force Palm to stagger him. This leaves him completely open for a burst damage combo. It’s the most reliable way to deal heavy damage.
Evasive Roll: Learn this from Kailok himself via the Watch and Learn mechanic (see below). It lets you quick-dodge immediately after getting hit, which is essential for surviving his faster combos.
Pump Kick: Already in Kliff’s kit by this point. Use it to interrupt Kailok’s charge attacks and disrupt his rhythm.
Evasive Slash: Unlocked at Armed Combat Level 2. A solid alternative to pure dodging when his attacks come in quick succession.
How To Learn Evasive Roll From Kailok
This is important — don’t rush the fight.
Kailok teaches you the Evasive Roll skill via the Watch and Learn mechanic. To trigger it, face the camera toward Kailok as he performs the move, then hold the Interact button until the progress bar fills. A blue overlay will appear while it’s working.
Evasive Roll is one of the best skills in the game. Do not kill Kailok before you learn it. Once it’s unlocked, then go all out and finish the fight.
For reference, this is the same mechanic used throughout Crimson Desert to pick up boss skills. It’s worth mastering early. You can find more about how skills and progression work in our full main story quests guide.
Parrying — Your Best Weapon In This Fight
Parry is the most powerful tool you have against Kailok. Time your block right as his attack lands to trigger a parry. You’ll see a green glow when you do it correctly. This breaks his combo and leaves him open for several follow-up attacks.
It takes a few attempts to get the timing right. But once you’re parrying consistently, Kailok becomes much easier to control. If you’re struggling, it’s worth dying a few times just to practice parrying — the skill carries over to every boss fight in the game.
Kailok Boss Rewards
After beating Kailok, you’ll receive:
- Sword of the Lord — the best reward from this fight; a one-handed sword fitted with an Abyss Core that lets Kliff fire wind slashes, just like Kailok did. It auto-activates Wind Slash at the end of your R1/RB combo or after a jump attack. Hold onto it — keep boss weapons in general, as many have unique effects that make them worth using through several chapters.
- Seal of Greed — Goldleaf Merchant Guild
- 7 Iron Ore — useful for early crafting. See how to get iron ore in Crimson Desert for other farming spots.
- Contribution Points — see how to use contribution points in Crimson Desert to spend them well.
- Alliance with the Goldleaf Merchant Guild
- Chapter III begins — Howling Hill
- Introduction to Abyss Gears — items infused with Abyss Energy that slot into equipment for buffs. Read more in our Crimson Desert Abyss Gear guide.
Tips Summary
- Stay close to Kailok to reduce Wind Slash spam
- Parry light attacks and follow up with two hits before backing off
- Use Force Palm after red glint attacks to stagger him
- Never block Wind Slashes — always dodge them
- During superarmor mode, back off and dodge until it’s over
- Learn Evasive Roll before killing him — hold Interact while facing him mid-fight
- Eat food actively during the fight — don’t save it
- Refine your gear before going in
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- How To Get And Use Palmar Pills In Crimson Desert
- How To Respec In Crimson Desert
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- Crimson Desert All Main Story Quests & Chapters
- Crimson Desert Review
Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for the latest updates.
