Crimson Desert Guide: How to Unlock the Frost Element

Frost is one of the four elemental imbuements in Crimson Desert, and it's the most work to obtain. Unlike Wind or Lightning, which are relatively straightforward to access, Frost sits behind a boss fight, three Abyss puzzles, and a freezing gauntlet that will kill you if you rush it. This guide walks through every step from the Spire of Ringing Truth to the final Abyss Artifact.

What do you need before going to the Spire of Ringing Truth?

Before heading to the Spire of Ringing Truth in western Pailune, preparation matters. According to TheGamer's guide, you should stock up on food, have gear at a minimum of Refinement Level 5, and have both Nature's Snare and Nature's Retribution unlocked as skills. GameRant also recommends bringing ice-resistant clothing or food that provides Ice Resistance, since the final puzzle area actively freezes you.

The Axiom Force's Aerial Maneuver ability is not required to climb the spire, but it makes the ascent significantly faster by letting you pull yourself up between scaffolding floors.

Bell drop opens the basement

How to reach Priscus the Ancient

The Spire of Ringing Truth is entirely under construction inside, which means the path upward runs through planks and scaffolding rather than stairs. Climb to the very top and locate the large bell. Aim your Axiom Force at the rotting planks holding the bell in place and fire. This triggers a short cutscene where the bell crashes through the tower floor and opens the basement below.

Drop down and proceed into the basement to find the Priscus the Ancient boss arena.

How to defeat Priscus the Ancient

Priscus is a flying mage who spends most of the fight airborne, summoning laser-firing cubes and dive-bombing the arena. The core challenge is that he's hard to damage while in the air, so the goal is to force him to land by stacking stagger damage.

Here's the breakdown of his attack patterns and how to handle each:

The most effective stagger source is the cube laser barrage redirect. When Priscus flies high and summons cubes, immediately trigger Nature's Snare to absorb the incoming beams, then fire them back with Nature's Retribution. This deals heavy stagger and keeps you from taking any damage. The timing is tight on faster laser animations, so prioritize this counter on the big multi-cube volleys rather than individual shots.

For the dive bomb, dodge the initial impact and roll toward him rather than away. The smoke explosions spread outward, so moving in is actually safer.

Once Priscus is down, take the teleporter up into the Abyss.

How to complete the Ether Rest puzzle

The first Abyss puzzle after Priscus is Ether Rest. Use the fans surrounding the spinning tower to glide into the opening. Once inside, find the circular switch above the central cage, take control of it, and rotate until you create a doorway leading to a fan. Ride the fan upward.

The next room appears to have no exits. Look for a wall segment with a large circular hole cut into it. Use Nature's Grasp to raise that wall segment, then let Nature's Snare run out so the raised section locks in place. This exposes a switch you can hit with Axiom Force to spin the room and form another makeshift door.

Keep ascending until you reach a room containing fans and a floating Abyss Core. Grab the Abyss Core, carry it to the opening at the top of the room, and place it on the pedestal with the floating cube above it. Walk up the cables to the roof, glide across the gap using the large fan, and land on the circular switch on the far island. Hit the switch with a Force Palm to complete Ether Rest and open the triangular gate to the next area.

How to complete the Frostbitten Paradise puzzle

This puzzle is the most involved of the three and centers on moving beam cubes to activate switches and lower barriers. A few things to know upfront: you cannot move the beam cubes with Axiom Force, so you must physically carry them.

Here's the sequence:

1. Pick up the beam cube near the entrance and position it so the laser hits the switch. This drops the first barrier.
2. Enter the hallway and step on the square pressure plate to the left. The floor shifts, revealing a lower hallway.
3. Drop in, grab the rectangular Abyss Core, and slot it into the receptacle to lower the next barrier.
4. Retrieve the second beam cube from behind that barrier and place it near the yellow switch where you dropped down. This deactivates the shield along the right side of the hall.
5. Ride the moving platform down the hall and jump across the gap to the opening on the right.

Abyss Core placement activates the gate

In the room at the end, you'll find a square Abyss Core and another beam cube. Remove the square Abyss Core from its podium to start the conveyor belt moving toward you. Place the beam cube on the belt facing south, then return the Abyss Core to its podium to reverse the belt direction. The cube rides into the adjoining room and activates the switch there.

Follow the hallway into the adjoining room, collect the beam cube you just sent over, and bring it back to the conveyor belt room. Place it on the podium next to one of the two large yellow switches. Remove the Abyss Core again to reverse the belt, take the cube off, and position it on the raised platform across from the second yellow switch. Grab the rectangular Abyss Core from the newly opened room and bring it into the two-cube room.

Now reverse the sequence: put a beam cube back on the belt to lower the shield to the adjoining room, bring the second cube to activate the barrier in the moving platform hall, place the rectangular Abyss Core in that hall, return the first beam cube to its original podium, ride the platform to the end, and slot the rectangular Abyss Core into its final receptacle. This activates a teleporter.

Take the teleporter up, hit the large floor switch with a Force Palm, and collect the Abyss Artifact to finish Frostbitten Paradise.

How to complete the Path of Trials puzzle

The final puzzle is the Path of Trials, and it's a survival challenge as much as a puzzle. Once you pass through the tall gates beyond the Abyss Gate, the temperature drops immediately and you start taking cold damage. Staying near lit torches is the only way to avoid freezing.

Here's the route through the puzzle, based on the walkthrough documented by both TheGamer and GameRant:

1. Follow the torches to the northeast side of the room with floating platforms.
2. Climb the wall, head left through the door, and go up the icy ramp to the generator.
3. Pull the rectangular Abyss Core off the generator.
4. Head down the stairs and take the first left into the furnace room.
5. Climb the furnace room wall and follow the path to find a slot on the ground for a square Abyss Core, with that Abyss Core frozen solid next to it.
6. Grab the frozen Abyss Core and bring it to the furnace. Dunk it in the lava pool in the corner and leave it until all the ice melts.
7. Quickly carry the thawed core back to its slot. The core will begin refreezing, so move fast.
8. Slam it into place with a Force Palm.
9. Climb above the slot and hit the circular switch with another Force Palm to complete the puzzle.
10. Collect the Abyss Artifact above the switch.

According to GameRant, if the battery in the puzzle area is frozen, you can light an arrow at a nearby stone lantern and shoot the battery to thaw it before using Axiom Force (L3) to place it in the slot.

Once you activate the final Abyss Gate panel by climbing the wall and using L2 to grab on, then R3 to Force Palm the panel, you will automatically learn the Frost skill. This unlocks both Frost Lv 1 for Elemental Imbuement and the Frost Mantle ability for Kliff. The Abyss Artifact here also grants a free skill point.

For more Crimson Desert walkthroughs covering bosses, puzzles, and gear, browse more guides on GAMES.GG.