Patch 1.01 dropped a lot into Crimson Desert at once, and Hernand Refinement Tokens are one of those additions that's easy to miss. You probably got a pop-up telling you they landed in your inventory, then closed it and forgot they existed. That's a mistake worth fixing, because these tokens let you skip the material cost on early gear upgrades entirely, which is a genuine time-saver when ores and leather are still in short supply.
What are Hernand Refinement Tokens?
Hernand Refinement Tokens are a region-specific currency introduced in Crimson Desert's update 1.01. According to PC Gamer's coverage of the patch, they function as a substitute for crafting materials during the gear refinement process, letting you push equipment up by one level per token without spending a single ore, hide, or other resource.
The key word in the name is "Hernand." These tokens are tied to that specific region and can only be redeemed with the blacksmith there. Other areas of Pywel have their own equivalents: Pailune Refinement Tokens and Delesyia Refinement Tokens follow the same rules but become available as you push further into the game. If you haven't reached those regions yet, you won't have those tokens, and that's fine.
Turnali's smithy in Hernand City
How do you use Hernand Refinement Tokens?
Head to Turnali, the blacksmith located in Hernand City. Open the refinement menu as you normally would, select the armor piece or weapon you want to upgrade, and look for the Refinement Tokens tab sitting alongside the standard material-based option. Select it, choose your token, and hit Refine. One token consumed, one level gained.
The process is straightforward, but there's a hard cap to keep in mind: tokens only work on gear below Stage 4. As documented by Game Rant, once your equipment hits level 4 or higher, the Refinement Token option disappears from the sidebar entirely. That means tokens are most useful right at the start of your gear progression, when you're resource-poor and need quick boosts to stay competitive.
Refinement Token tab at Turnali
Spending a token at Turnali
- Travel to Turnali's smithy near Hernand Castle in Hernand City.
- Open the refinement menu and select a weapon or armor piece below level 4.
- Switch to the Refinement Tokens tab (next to the standard materials option).
- Confirm the token selection and press Refine.
- Your gear upgrades by one level at zero material cost.
How do you get more Hernand Refinement Tokens?
Tokens come from main quests and faction quests set in Hernand. There's no vendor selling them as of patch 1.01, though Game Rant notes a vendor option could arrive in a future update. For now, questing is the only reliable source.
If you completed relevant Hernand quests before patch 1.01 launched, Pearl Abyss handled the retroactive reward correctly: those tokens will already be sitting in your inventory. No need to replay anything.
For players who want to maximize their token count, the strategy is simple: clear Hernand's main story quests first, then sweep the faction quests. The Journal tab shows token rewards at the end of each quest's reward list, so you can quickly scan which quests pay out.
warning
Once your gear reaches level 4, tokens become unusable on that piece of equipment. Don't stockpile them expecting to burn through a full upgrade path; they're specifically for the early stages.
Should you save tokens or spend them immediately?
Spend them. There's no reason to hoard Hernand Refinement Tokens past the early game because they stop working once your gear clears level 4 anyway. The moment you have a weapon or armor piece sitting at level 1, 2, or 3 and you're short on materials, pop a token. That's exactly what they're designed for.
For more Crimson Desert coverage including weapon guides, boss walkthroughs, and system explainers, browse the latest guides on GAMES.GG.