Chapter 1 of Crimson Desert drops Kliff into the bustling City of Hernand with nothing but questions and a burning need for answers. What starts as a series of small acts of kindness quickly spirals into a journey through the mysterious Abyss, where the rules of reality bend and ancient powers awaken. This chapter introduces several mechanics that carry through the entire game, so understanding every beat here pays dividends later.
What Happens in the Trials of Kindness Quest?
The first major quest block in Chapter 1, Trials of Kindness, sends Kliff across Hernand to help its citizens. These tasks are not optional filler — they are a structured test that unlocks the path into the Abyss. There are five missions bundled inside this quest, each rewarding you with items and story progression.
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Before leaving the starting area, take a moment to explore Hernand freely. The city is dense with points of interest, but avoid venturing outside the town boundaries until Chapter 1 is fully complete.
Where Rumors Gather: The Arm Wrestling Minigame
Head south from your starting position toward the Hernand Tavern, identifiable by the sign above its entrance. Inside, a man seated at a table invites you to an arm wrestling match. This is your first real minigame in Crimson Desert, and winning it advances the quest. The mechanic is straightforward: follow the on-screen prompts and time your inputs correctly.
How Do You Help the Old Beggar?
Step outside the tavern after the match and look left. An elderly beggar is being harassed by a group of boys. Wait for them to disperse, then approach and give the beggar some coins. In return, he hands you a Shabby Wooden Key along with a cryptic riddle hinting at its purpose.
Crucially, the beggar was sitting directly on top of a sewer entrance. That key opens the trap door right beneath him.
Investigating the Sewers and Helping the Distressed Villagers
Drop into the sewers using the key. At the far end, you will find a woman with her hands bound. Approach and free her — she gives you a letter as thanks. This encounter is more significant than it appears, as the same woman resurfaces later in the Abyss.
Next, find a child wearing green to the north of town. His cat has climbed onto a rooftop and refuses to come down. Climb up, collect the cat, and return it to the boy. After he leaves, he drops a strange green pendant on the ground. Pick it up, do not skip this.
Finally, head southeast to a house with smoke pouring from the chimney. The husband has fallen from the roof while attempting to clean it, and his wife is less than impressed. Kliff steps in: equip the broom item you receive, climb to the rooftop, and interact with the chimney to clean it. The couple rewards you with Hernadian Attire upon completion.
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Keep the Hernadian Attire in your inventory. You must wear it to pass the guards at Hernand Castle later in this same chapter. Selling or discarding it will block your progress.
How Do You Get Into Hernand Castle?
Once all five Trials of Kindness tasks are done, open your inventory and inspect the Shabby Wooden Key. Examining it triggers a transformation — the key upgrades into an ornate version that specifically unlocks the alchemist's chamber inside Hernand Castle.
The castle sits north of the town. Equip the Hernadian Attire before approaching the gate, or the guards will turn you away. Inside, take the stairs to the right of the entrance, then turn right again. The alchemist's chamber is the first door on the left.
Inside the chamber, interact with a treasure chest. This activates a portal on the wall. Step through it.
What Is the Abyss and How Does It Work?
The portal deposits Kliff in the Abyss, a surreal location suspended in the sky above the world. This is where Crimson Desert's environmental puzzle mechanics first come into play.
Before moving toward the building ahead, step onto the glowing platform directly in front of you. This is your first Abyss Nexus, which functions as a fast travel anchor point. Activating these is always worth doing immediately.
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Abyss Nexus points serve as both fast travel nodes and checkpoints. Activating every one you encounter early prevents long backtracking sessions later in the game.
A white bird will land on Kliff's hand near the building entrance and grant him a new ability: Axiom Force. This power lets you grab and physically move objects in the environment, and it is the foundation of nearly every puzzle in the Abyss.
How Do You Solve the Disk Rotation Puzzle?
The entrance to the building in the Abyss is sealed by a circuit puzzle. Using Axiom Force, rotate the disks on the gate to align the visible lines of power so they connect into a continuous circuit. If you are having trouble seeing the lines, activate your lantern or use Blinding Flash to illuminate them. Completing the alignment opens the gate.
The Skybridge Puzzle and Force Palm
Inside the building, Kliff encounters the beggar again — now revealed as a mysterious figure who orchestrated the entire Trials of Kindness sequence as a test. He explains that Kliff must restore balance to the world and sends him to the Skybridge.
To restore the Skybridge, locate the panel behind the gate and use Axiom Force to rotate it until it turns blue. This raises the bridge path. Cross it with some basic platforming until you reach the far Abyss Nexus.
At this Nexus, the left pedestal already holds a blue cube. Use Axiom Force to retrieve the second cube from below and place it on the right pedestal. With both pedestals active, a power cell becomes available. Grab it and slot it into the wall mount.
A ghost appears and demonstrates the Force Palm ability. Use Force Palm to punch the cell into its housing. This activates the round mechanism on the upper floor. Climb to the mechanism's center and use Force Palm again to fully power the Nexus.
Abyss Nexus cube puzzle solution
What Rewards Do You Get in Chapter 1?
Chapter 1 splits its rewards across two quest blocks. Here is a summary of what you earn:
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The Faded Abyss Artifact earned in the Traces quest is a key progression item. Hold onto it and check the Abyss Gear system as soon as it becomes available in your menu.How Does Chapter 1 End?
After activating the Nexus, an item appears on the upper floor. Collect the Abyss Artifact, which triggers a cutscene. The white bird transforms into the same woman Kliff freed from the sewers — confirming she was testing him all along. She grants Kliff gliding wings and tells him to return to Hernand.
Her method of sending him back is simply asking him to jump off the edge. Trust the wings, use the in-game tutorial prompts to get comfortable with gliding, and land near the city to complete the chapter and transition into Chapter 2: Golden Greed.
Chapter 1 is one of the most tutorial-dense sections in Crimson Desert, but it rewards patience. Every mechanic introduced here, from Abyss Nexus activation to Axiom Force puzzles, reappears throughout the rest of the game in increasingly complex forms. If you want more guides covering the chapters ahead, browse the latest Crimson Desert content at GAMES.GG to stay ahead of the curve.