The word "Kuku" covers two very different things in Crimson Desert, and the game does almost nothing to explain either of them. The Kuku Bird Hatchling is a temporary mount you steal from soldiers in the Steel Mountains, while the Kuku Iron Pot is a specialized storage item you craft in Chapter 4 that underpins some of the game's most complex progression systems. Both are worth understanding fully.
How to get the Kuku Bird mount
The Kuku Bird Hatchling is not a mount you tame or purchase. It belongs to Blinding Arrow soldiers patrolling the Steel Mountains, specifically in the area east of the Spire of Insight. To ride one, you need to defeat the soldier currently on its back.
Here's the catch: the bird bolts the moment its rider goes down. You have to chase it and mount it before it puts too much distance between you. The birds are fast, so don't pause to loot the soldier first.
Kuku Bird location in Steel Mountains
Once you're riding, the bird won't turn hostile if you dismount. It wanders nearby, so you can re-mount it without another fight, at least until you leave the area.
What can the Kuku Bird actually do?
The Kuku Bird Hatchling has one genuinely useful trick: controlled gliding from height. You cannot fly upward with it, but you can steer your descent from tall cliffs or structures and land safely. In the Steel Mountains, where the terrain drops sharply in several directions, this makes the bird worth grabbing even if you're not planning to keep it long.
How to get the Kuku Iron Pot
The Kuku Iron Pot arrives during Chapter 4 as part of the main quest called Mysterious Pot. The quest sends you to Kilnden Workshop, located due west of Hernand, where you meet a dwarf named Grimnir.
Before Grimnir hands over the pot, you need to repair his workshop. This involves two tasks: fixing the furnace and repairing three kilns.
Kilnden Workshop furnace puzzle
How to repair the Kilnden Workshop furnace
The furnace uses a dial-and-lever system to align runes across three rows:
- Move the dial left to control the top row
- Move the dial to the middle to control the second row
- Move the dial right to control the third row
- Push the lever to rotate whichever row is selected
- The alignment must be exact. A click sound confirms correct positioning
- All runes glow blue when the furnace is fully repaired
How to repair the three kilns
- Disconnected kiln: Attach the cable, then push the lever left until the fires ignite
- Dismantled kiln: Use Axiom Force (your grapple ability) to align the flat piece first, then attach the top section. Climb the structure and use an aerial Force Palm to lock the pieces in place
- Fuel kiln: Find and insert five fuel cores using Axiom Force. Two sit beside the kiln, one is in the water, one is inside a bird statue's eye (pull it out with Axiom Force), and the fifth is near a tunnel entrance. If the fifth core isn't visible, save and reload
The fifth fuel core near the tunnel entrance sometimes fails to spawn on first load. A quick save and reload consistently fixes this.
Once all three kilns are repaired, talk to Grimnir to craft your first Kuku Iron Pot. He then directs you to an NPC named Togrum to learn the pot's functions.
What does the Kuku Iron Pot do?
The Kuku Iron Pot is a specialized storage container with 230 slots. The critical detail most players miss: it does not hold regular items. No weapons, armor, food, or recipes fit inside it.
What it does hold:
- Abyss-type objects (power cores, large metallic orbs, objects dropped by Abyss enemies)
- Machine parts and advanced contraptions
- Specialized technologies unlocked through Grimnir's workshop (these become available once you begin the Witch questline from Chapter 5 onward)
How to seal and retrieve items
To store an object in the pot:
- Approach an Abyss item or valid machine part
- Activate Axiom Force near it
- If the object is compatible, a "Seal" prompt appears in the bottom-right of the screen
- Confirm to store it in the pot
To retrieve an object, open the Kuku Iron Pot and select the "Discard" option. The standard withdraw button does not work for this. Some objects deal damage when released, so don't pull them out carelessly in confined spaces.
The "Discard" label is misleading. It does not destroy the item. It simply places it back into the world so you can interact with it again.
How does the Kuku Iron Pot connect to late-game crafting?
This is where the pot becomes genuinely important rather than just a curiosity. According to GameSpot's reporting on the Kilnden Workshop quest, the pot feeds into several major progression systems:
- Dispatch missions: Send Greymane recruits to Kilnden Workshop to earn additional Kuku Iron Pots
- Grimnir's blueprints: New crafting options unlock as you progress through the Witch questline (Chapter 5+) and later through the Ironflame Orcs faction (Chapter 10+)
- Small Kuku ATAG: The pot can be converted into a small mech. Items stored inside are retained within the ATAG. Dismiss the mech to access them through its inventory
- Abyssal Fusion: The Small Kuku ATAG is a component in crafting the Abyssal Fusion, the mecha armor for the Blackstar Dragon mount. Use an empty ATAG for this conversion, since the entire unit gets consumed in the process
If you want to explore more of what Crimson Desert has to offer beyond mounts, browse more guides at GAMES.GG for tips on builds, bosses, and everything in between.