How to get Fang of Decay and defeat Carrion King Squevald in Crimson Desert

In the open world of Crimson Desert, treasures are often hidden where the average player hasn’t gone before. Goods, weapons, and consumables are all scattered liberally across the map. But some things require a real hunt. For example, the legendary Abyssal Gear, the “Fang of Decay.” It’s an item for those who prefer to dismantle enemies with their bare hands. However, you won’t be able to take it that way. You’ll have to track down and slay the local monster.

Where to start: the “Overlord’s Wasteland” quest in Crimson Desert

The Fang of Decay drops from the Carrion King boss, Skevald. He lives in the Crimson Desert region. Fast travel: northeast of the map, a large town just south of Tashkalpa. Once there, look for the Southern Outskirts. There’s a huge statue of the arena champion there. Near the fence where the prisoners are held, a Wanted Order is pinned to a post. Pick it up and read it.

The warrant mentions a pack of hyenas led by Skevald, who are terrorizing the locals. This triggers the quest “The Overlord’s Wasteland.” Objective: track down and kill the leader.

Hunting Skevald: Don’t Approach Them Directly

Head to the marked area on the map. There are piles of dead, half-eaten animals there. Equip your Fire. Raise it, and a yellow line will appear, indicating the direction the pack has gone. Follow it until you encounter the enormous leader and a crowd of hyenas.

And here lies the main trap. If you charge at Skevald directly, the entire pack will attack at once. Dozens of them, plus the boss himself, who deals monstrous damage. Even a prepared character risks being defeated.

Lure-out tactics: Arrow from the darkness

The recipe is simple. A regular arrow. Pick off a couple of hyenas from the back of the pack—from a distance, so the main group doesn’t notice. The small group will retreat. Deal with them away from the boss. Repeat. Lure them out, draw them away, and kill them in groups. The main thing is to avoid making noise near Skewald. Otherwise, you risk attracting more minions and ending up surrounded. And that’s almost guaranteed to send you back to the nearest checkpoint.

How to defeat Skewald: phases, vulnerabilities, and the main trophy

Skewald doesn’t stand still while you deal with his smaller minions. He continues to circle around his route. So don’t forget about Fire—after each group of hyenas cleared, check the yellow line to keep track of the leader.

When the enemy ranks thin out noticeably, you can converge on the Carrion King. But first, finish off the remaining regular hyenas. Individually, they’re not dangerous, but their charge can stun you if you take two or three hits in a row. The most reliable method is area attacks. Destroy the crowd, then switch to the boss.

Fire is his weakness

Once alone, Skewald becomes more predictable. Keep your distance and, if you have a Fire elemental, equip it. The boss clearly doesn’t like flames: when set on fire, he rolls on the ground for a few seconds, becoming a stationary target. The easiest way is to invest Fire into the Roundhouse Kick via the Abyssal Gear “Breath of Flame.”

As for his own attacks, here’s the mix: slashing with his claws, a dash and bite, orange poison clouds around him, and a deafening screech. Another nasty move is to knock him to the ground and bite him. If this works, you’ll lose a fair amount of health.

Screech and Poison Puddles

Notice how Skewald has reared up on his hind legs? Retreat immediately. This is preparation for an area-of-effect sound wave. Also, avoid standing in the poison clouds left behind by his movements and attacks. The puddles are hard to see—they blend into the surroundings, so keep an eye on your health bar. Also, the boss secretes poison even when hit. So, stock up on food before the fight to offset the constant tick damage.

Second phase: No pack, but angrier

When you deplete the first health bar, Skewald will dissolve in a cloud of poison. Don’t panic, this isn’t a bug. Equip Fire and follow the yellow trail. In the second phase, he won’t have any hyenas. The attack pattern is the same, but the boss himself becomes much more aggressive. He’ll especially often attack with his claws from the front. Stay to the side—it’s safe there, and you can safely attack with your weapon.

Trophies: Fang of Decay and Hyena Helmet

Did you kill him? Congratulations. Take the Abyssal Gear “Fang of Decay.” Equip it in your armor slot. Effect: When you use the “Throw” attack, you inflict the same poison on the enemy as Skewald himself. And don’t forget to return to the guard in town. For your efforts, you’ll receive a cool hyena-themed helmet. This is a rare item and will be appreciated by collectors.

How do Abyssal artifacts work, and why should you equip them?

After speaking with the witch, you’ll unlock a new mechanic: you can incorporate special modifiers directly into your gear with the artifacts you find. It sounds simple, but in reality, it revolutionizes your build approach.

There are three possibilities. The first is the flexibility to tailor your character to any situation. The second is the ability to change tactics on the fly, without having to rebuild everything from scratch. The third is to enhance your build’s strengths or, conversely, patch up its weaknesses. This is especially useful against bosses like Skewald.

From this point on, the Abyss system transforms from “another feature” into a fully-fledged leveling engine. Without it, there’s nothing to do at higher difficulty levels. In combat, new abilities are perceived as a mandatory part of progression, not an additional bonus. So don’t be lazy in searching for the witch and artifacts—the rewards are worth it.

Abyss Leveling Mistakes: How to Avoid Ruining Your Progression at the Start

The first 15-20 hours in the Abyss are easy to ruin. Just a couple of wrong turns will do. Progression stalls. Below is a detailed analysis of the mechanics that ruin the start and ways to recover from defeats.

• Greed for base leveling. Waiting for legendary drops from the first mobs is frankly stupid. You’ll spend 8-12 hours of real time running until you get your first decent weapon. And during this entire period, you’ll be battling elites with a basic sword. Don’t skimp: level your starting weapon at the blacksmith to at least +5. The costs are negligible, but you’ll be knocked out at checkpoints twice as often.
• Blind faith in a single set. There are no universal builds here. Half the servers are consistently taking on bosses in the same gear they used to farm regular mobs in. It doesn’t work that way. Skewald burns perfectly, Ice Elites in Tashkalpa crumble with Fire, and Desert Elementals require Lightning. Prepare three specialized Abyss gear sets for each element. Switch early.
• Ignoring the storyline. Delving deeper into the Abyss before completing the region’s main quest line is a questionable decision, to say the least. Why? Artifacts from bosses require a maxed-out weapon slot. Without it, something like “Fang of Decay” will only deliver half its potential, and the armor modifier won’t activate at all. First, finish the storyline, then go farm legions from Skewald.
• Trash in the modifier slots. There are critically few slots at the start, literally 2-3 for the entire set. But players still manage to stuff the first scrap they find there. Playing a long-range mage? Forget about the “Throw” artifact with poison—the skill won’t work. Always check triggers before installing. Yes, the local witch can dismantle stones, but she’ll charge you the rarest Abyssal resources for it.
• Bonfires from valuable loot. Fire here doesn’t serve as a road light, but as a crucial consumable for tracking targets and breaching vulnerabilities. For everyday lighting, there’s a cheap torch. Use Fire only on the hunting route, otherwise you’ll find yourself empty-handed before the boss.

And one more thing for hardcore players. Clearing the Abyss solo as a pure melee class without healing is a surefire way to reroll. The combat architecture (including Skewald) is geared toward kiting and ranged finishers. Want to survive? Bring a companion with a bow or quickly upgrade to a hybrid.