How to Beat Kutum in Crimson Desert

TL;DR

• Kutum appears twice — once at the Kingshield Dig Site (overworld) and once as Abyss Kutum in the Twisted Thicketway.
• Both versions share the same core weakness: target and exploit the glowing eye.
• Normal attacks do very little. You need to use Axiom Force or a bow to trigger the damage phase.
• After stunning Kutum, unleash your heaviest attacks during the window.
• Rewards include the Kutum Shield, an Abyss Artifact, and a Power Core.

Kutum is one of those bosses that looks totally overwhelming the first time you see it. A massive stone worm covered in hardened rock armor, burrowing underground and charging at you — it’s a lot. But once you understand how this fight actually works, it becomes much more manageable. The trick is not to fight Kutum like a normal enemy. You need to play by its rules.

This guide covers both encounters: the overworld version at the Kingshield Dig Site and the Abyss Kutum version inside the Twisted Thicketway. For more boss guides across the game, visit our full Crimson Desert hub page.

Where to Find Kutum

Overworld Kutum is found at the Kingshield Dig Site in the Marshell Estate. On your map, look for the city of Demeniss and head directly north of the “D” in “Demeniss.” The ruins there are the dig site. This version is tied to the “Beneath the Dig Site” faction quest.

Abyss Kutum is found in the Twisted Thicketway inside the Abyss. To reach it, you first need to complete the Root’s End Ruins Puzzle. That involves using a pillar to turn gears and power up a large fan on a mountaintop. Once activated, jump and glide — the wind carries you up to the Twisted Thicketway. Head north from the Abyss Nexus, pass under an archway, and you’ll find the arena.

How to Beat Kutum — Kingshield Dig Site Version

This version is a melee-focused fight built around Axiom Force. Normal sword attacks barely scratch Kutum due to its fortified stone carapace. Here’s exactly how to handle it:

Watch the Dirt

Kutum spends a lot of time underground. When it dives under, watch for the disturbed earth moving toward you. That tells you which direction it will resurface from. Roll away from the dirt trail so Kutum doesn’t burst out directly beneath you.

Pull the Eye When It Surfaces

The moment Kutum comes back up, act fast. Use Axiom Force (L3) and lock onto the glowing red eye at the top of its body. Then hold L2 and pull the Right Stick to yank the eye clean out of Kutum’s head. This stuns the boss and gives you a long damage window.

Deal Damage During the Stun

Once Kutum is stunned, go all in. R2 attacks deal the most damage here. When your stamina gets low, switch to Turning Slash (R1 + R2) to keep the pressure on. Keep attacking until stamina refills, then go back to R2 hits. Repeat until the boss is dead.

After the stun ends, Kutum resets to its burrowing pattern and the cycle starts over. Stay patient, don’t panic-roll into the dirt trail, and the fight is very manageable. You won’t need many healing items as long as you stay calm and read the attacks.

If you want to know more about how Axiom Force works in general, our guide on how to use Axiom Force in Crimson Desert breaks it down fully.

How to Beat Abyss Kutum — Twisted Thicketway Version

This version plays a little differently. You’re in a more open arena and the bow is your best friend here.

Use Your Bow to Build the Stagger Bar

Abyss Kutum has a yellow stagger bar that appears under its health bar. The way to fill it is by shooting the eye with your bow. Use Focused Shot to deal targeted hits. Stay at mid-range — this keeps Kutum in laser attack mode, which gives you a clear view of the eye and easy openings to shoot.

Dodge the Lasers, Don’t Stand Still

If you stay at mid-range, Kutum will repeatedly fire clusters of lasers at you. These don’t home in very well. Wait for the attack to start before you dodge, and you’ll avoid the damage cleanly. You can usually get 3-4 bow shots in before needing to dodge again.

If you get too close, Kutum will slam the ground with its head in an AoE — this deals heavy damage. Keep your distance.

If the fight drags on, Kutum will burrow and surface three times in a row with ground slam attacks. Dodge these the same way you dodge the lasers — react, don’t pre-empt.

Melee During the Stagger Window

When the yellow bar fills, the crystal eye pops out of Kutum’s head. Run to it and unload your best melee combos. This is your main damage phase. After it recovers, go back to bow shooting and repeat.

Optional: One-Shot with a Tree

This is a fun cheese method that actually works. Before triggering the boss, look for a tree in the nearby area. Pick it up and carry it into the fight. Slam the tree into Kutum and it can one-shot the boss entirely. The tricky part is finding a usable tree close enough to the arena without triggering the fight early — and you’ll need decent stamina to carry it over. If it works, it saves you the whole fight. If not, just fall back to the bow method.

Kutum’s Attack List

Underground Dive — Kutum burrows and moves toward you. Watch the disturbed dirt trail to track its path. Roll away before it surfaces.

Ground Slam (Close Range) — If you walk up too close, Kutum slams its head into the ground with an AoE burst. Stay at mid-range to avoid this.

Laser Cluster (Abyss Version) — Fires multiple lasers at mid-range. They have poor homing. Wait for the animation and dodge.

Triple Surface Slam (Long Fight) — If the fight goes on too long, Kutum burrows and resurfaces three times with slam attacks. Dodge each one as it comes.

Tips Before the Fight

Make sure your Kuku Pot is not full before this fight. Kutum drops a Power Core when it dies, and you need Axiom Force to pick it up. If your pot is at capacity you’ll lose out on it. Check and clear space beforehand.

Bring food. Boss fights in Crimson Desert are balanced around using cooked meals for healing. A stack of Chewy Rice Cakes or your best healing food works great. Our guide on how to cook the best healing food in Crimson Desert will help you stock up.

Also make sure you’ve unlocked and upgraded enough Abyss Artifacts before this fight to have solid health and stamina. Check out our guide on how to get Abyss Cells in Crimson Desert if you need to grind some before the attempt.

Kutum Rewards — What You Get

Overworld Kutum drops:

• Kutum Shield
• Abyss Artifact
• Power Core (pick up with Axiom Force, seal in Kuku Pot for upgrades at Kilnden)

Abyss Kutum drops:

• Power Core — Spire of Defiance (make sure to loot this and store it in your cauldron)
• Abyss Artifact after restoring the Abyss area

Kutum can respawn after several in-game days, so if you need more Power Cores for armor refinement later, you can come back and farm the fight again.

After the Fight

Once you’ve taken Kutum down, there’s plenty more to work toward. If you’re building out your gear, check out our guide on how to get better equipment in Crimson Desert and our accessories guide to round out your loadout. For armor hunting specifically, the Cursed Soul Armor Set guide is a great next step — all pieces are in the Demeniss region with no boss kills required.

For more tough boss encounters in the area, see our guides on how to beat Beloth the Darksworn and how to beat Ator, Archon of Antumbra.

Crimson Desert is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. For the latest news and updates, visit the official Crimson Desert website.