Crimson Desert isn’t just an open-world action game. It also has a bunch of mechanics that are easy to miss if you don’t poke around in corners. One of the most interesting, yet not so obvious, are the four elemental affinities. Wind is easy to get, but fire… you’ll have to work hard to get it. I’ll explain it step by step.
Table of Contents
Step One: Ice – Strange, but Required
Yes, to even access the fire-related Abyss puzzles, you’ll first need to acquire the Ice element. It’s a slow process: you need to reach the Spire of Ringing Truth, defeat the boss in the basement, and then complete several Abyss puzzles. If you don’t have Ice yet, run and get our separate guide. You can’t do without it.
“Sanctuary of Darkness” Puzzle
Have you reached the Sanctuary of Darkness? Excellent. Immediately at the Abyss Gate, turn left and jump to the platform below. We pass under the gate and find a round gate. Climb it, hold the left trigger (to grab onto it), then perform a Palmara Strike – spin around and fly to the room on the other side.
Now, collect the Abyssal Core and raise it to the ceiling. Return to the Abyssal Gate, look for a hole in the ceiling – there, use the powers of the axiom to attract the core. Descend, find a socket on the left – insert the core with a Palmara Strike.
Power is restored. Climb back to the Abyssal Gate – there are two laser cannons in front of us. Aim the right one at the yellow switch opposite. Then, aim the left one at the same spot. Afterward, four huge fans begin to spin.
A large round switch on the other side of the chasm activates. Use the fan to fly across and hit the switch with a Palmara Strike. The puzzle is solved. An altar with an Abyssal artifact appears above, and beyond it, a triangular gate to the next puzzle.
If the switch doesn’t activate after reconfiguring the beams, try moving the beam off it and back again. I had this happen and had to redirect it again.
“Life Loop” Puzzle
This one is simpler. Jump down to the bottom ring and insert the Abyssal Core into the socket directly below it. Run along the left side of the rotating ring, grabbing the floating core. Raise it as close to the tower as possible. Climb the ledge with the door and take the core you just moved.
Insert it into the socket at your feet. Use the powers of the axiom to retrieve the core from the small room that opens. Retreat back to the ledge and grab the other core (the one you used to open the door). Now you have two floating cores. Both need to be delivered to the second ring above your head.
Insert one into the empty socket on the floating ring to activate it. Deliver the second to the third, currently inactive ring. Find the open socket, insert the core, and the ring is powered. The large switch opposite the third ring activates.
Hit the switch with a palmar blow. The puzzle is complete. Obtain another Abyssal Artifact and proceed through the triangular gate to the final puzzle.
Then comes the final puzzle, after which the element of fire will finally be yours. But more on that in the next part. Let me just say that it’s truly worth it. Fire in Crimson Desert isn’t just a pretty visual, it’s a serious attack boost.
The Tree of Dreams — how to defeat the most intricate puzzle on the way to the fire
So, we have reached the final test. To be honest, explaining it is more difficult than going through it. The task sounds simple — to make all five pillars of the same height (like Pillar 1, it is blue in the screenshot). How? Stick the sword into one of the four slots on the wheel and spin. Each groove affects its own group of pillars, and the wheel rotates, so the position of the grooves is constantly changing.
Still not confused? Then here’s the layout of the slots (it doesn’t change even when they move):
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Groove 1 → pillars 2, 3, 4
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Groove 2 → pillars 2, 4, 5
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Groove 3 → pillars 2 and 4
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Groove 4 → pillars 3, 4, 5
Life hack: when the weapon is stuck in the wheel, a silver glow lights up above the desired pillars. Always check with him — this will save you from mistakes.
The fast path (bug or feature — it’s up to you)
At the time of writing the guide, a workaround is working. We take Groove 1, lower pillars 2, 3 and 4 until their rings turn yellow. Then we climb to Pillar 5, squat down and hit it with a palmara blow from top to bottom. About 13 times. It will gradually drop to the desired level, and the puzzle will solve itself. Works.
The right solution for perfectionists
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Stage one. We use Groove 1, lower pillars 2, 3 and 4 until the yellow ring on each is about 30 cm from the ground. Follow the photo.
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Stage two. We take Groove 2. Lower pillars 2 and 4 all the way down until the sword stops pressing. Done.
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Stage three. Now Groove 3. By this point, it will have shifted approximately to the place where Groove 4 was at the beginning. We lift pillars 2 and 4 until their yellow rings light up. As a result, the rings light up on all five pillars — they turn blue.
The final
The puzzle is solved. We jump down to the opened switch — a palmara kick. Important: don’t miss the lava. Fall = instant death and re-entry.
After activation, take the Abyss Artifact from the altar. Along with it, the element of Fire and the ability “Element: Smoldering Blow” are unlocked. Now you can burn your enemies for real.
