Abyss Artifacts are the main progression currency in Crimson Desert: you spend them to learn and upgrade skills, to raise Health, Stamina and Spirit, and to refine gear past +5. You earn them by filling the artifact gauge under the minimap through combat, by solving Abyss puzzles and Cressets, from bosses, main quests and challenges, and from a few vendors and minigames. Since the Enhanced update, every Artifact one character spends also gives the other heroes matching Abyss Links, which changes how you should spend them as of November 2026.
We checked this against Pearl Abyss's official patch notes (including 2.00.00 and 2.04.00), Game8's Abyss Artifact and Faded Abyss Artifact guides, and Beebom's acquisition guide in November 2026.
What Abyss Artifacts Actually Do
Crimson Desert has no traditional experience levels. Beebom's guide points out that skills are the main progression path, and Abyss Artifacts are what you spend in the skill tree window to unlock and improve them. Most skills cost Artifacts, although Game8 notes that some are learned through "Watch and Learn", by observing certain NPCs and bosses perform them. The in-game description of the Faded Abyss Artifact also confirms that Artifacts can be invested in Stamina, Spirit and Health, so they double as your stat points.
The third use is easy to overlook until you need it. Game8 explains that Artifacts are also crafting materials: equipment at Refinement +5 and above requires them for further upgrades. Patch 1.06.00 tightened that rule by limiting refinement with identical copies of a piece of equipment to the level just before an Artifact is required. In short, every serious weapon or armor upgrade eventually competes with your skill tree for the same currency.
That competition is why players run short. Spend everything on skills and your favorite weapon stalls at +5; spend everything on refinement and your character lacks the moves to use it. Game8's advice is to balance the two, and the rest of this guide is about making that balance easier.
The Abyss Link Change in Crimson Desert Enhanced
Patch 2.00.00, the free Enhanced update released on August 25, 2026, rebuilt how skill learning works. It added a new resource called Abyss Link. When one character uses Abyss Artifacts to learn a skill, the other playable characters receive an equivalent number of Abyss Links, and each character can spend their own Abyss Links on their own skills.
Three related changes came with it:
- Skill progression can now be reset individually for each character instead of all at once, and the Abyss Links that character used are refunded.
- Because of the new system, every save had its skill progression reset the first time the game launched after the update, with all resources used, including Abyss Artifacts, refunded.
- After finishing all main quests, you can start a new game and carry over Abyss Links and other in-game currency from your existing save.
The practical result is that Artifacts spent on Kliff are no longer "lost" to Damiane and Oongka. If you mainly play one hero, spend freely on that hero and let the Links build up for the others. If you share time between all three, it still pays to pick one main, because the Links follow whatever you spend.
Every Way to Earn Abyss Artifacts
The most constant source is combat. Beebom describes an artifact gauge shown below the minimap that fills as you defeat enemies, including small ones, and awards an Artifact each time it fills. Game8 calls this the Abyss Artifact XP bar next to the lower-left minimap and notes there is no limit on how many times it can level up.
- Abyss puzzles and Cressets. Solving them rewards Artifacts. The Azure Moon Labyrinth is a typical example, paying one Artifact plus a travel point.
- Main quests and bosses. Beebom lists both as sources.
- Challenges in your Journal. Game8 says not every challenge pays out, and points to Exploration Challenges (puzzle-related, marked with a question mark on the map) and Mastery Challenges (using specific weapons against certain enemies) as the reliable ones.
- Sealed Abyss Artifacts. Some drop sealed, each with a requirement you can read by hovering over it; Beebom's example unseals at Spear Mastery 2. Complete the condition, then use it from your inventory.
- Vendors. Game8 says some NPCs, such as the witch Elowen, sell them for Silver, but stock is limited and does not reset.
- Skill observation. Since patch 1.04.00, observing a skill you already learned with Artifacts earns Artifacts back.
- Minigames. Patch 1.06.00 added a claw machine at the Laughing Marionette that can pay out Abyss Artifacts, and 1.10.00 added Pinball at the inn near the Delesyian Institute (through the Marni Token Exchange) and Orb Roll at the Great Gate of Urdavah, both listing Abyss Artifacts among their prizes.
A simple way to use this list is to match sources to your play style. If you mostly fight, the gauge and Mastery Challenges will carry you. If you mostly explore, puzzles, Cressets and Sealed Artifacts will. If you are stuck on a single expensive skill, the vendors and minigames are the quickest top-up, as long as you accept that vendor stock does not come back once it is gone.
Exploration also turns them up on the ground. Beebom notes they are hidden around the map, and the desert region alone has nine Sealed Abyss Artifacts according to Game8's region guide.
Faded and Sealed Artifacts Explained
Two variants confuse new players. Sealed Abyss Artifacts are normal Artifacts with a lock: the item tells you what to do (a weapon mastery level, for example), and once you meet that condition you can use it. They are worth keeping even when the condition seems far away, since they become free skill points later.
Faded Abyss Artifacts are a different item. Game8 describes them as a rare Abyss item that lets you reclaim Artifacts invested in Stamina, Spirit and Health, and says each "Reset All" respec costs one. Game8 lists four sources: Abyss Treasure Chests (accessible after the Chapter 4 main quest "Forbidden Knowledge", which also drop Abyss Gear), certain chests and quest rewards, witch-affiliated vendors with limited stock, and crafting at a witch's cauldron using 1 Abyss Cell and 2 Mercury once you complete the research request "Research on the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon" at the Scholarstone Research Institute around Chapter 4.
One caution: Game8's Faded Artifact guide was written in March, before Enhanced changed resets to work per character and refund each character's Abyss Links. Before you reset, read the prompt in your own game to see what it costs in the current version. The witches who sell these items are listed in our witch locations guide.
Farming Routes That Work
Because the gauge has no cap, farming is really about finding enemies quickly. Game8 recommends Blockaded areas for dense groups of enemies. Patch 1.05.00 added Re-blockade, and 1.10.00 expanded it with Battle and Reconstruct stages, so regions you already liberated can fill up with fights again, which keeps the gauge moving late in the game.
- Early game: Game8 notes that in Chapter 3, before the Reed Devil fight, enemies respawn without limit from Totems on the mountain. Killing Reed Devil destroys the Totems, so farm first if you want to use it.
- Mid game: clear Exploration and Mastery Challenges as you travel; they reward Artifacts and push weapon mastery, which can also unseal Sealed Artifacts.
- Any time: chain Blockaded or re-blockaded strongholds. Liberation also rewards contribution, provisions and trade goods according to 1.10.00, so the trip is never wasted.
- Downtime: the Pinball, Orb Roll and claw machine prizes are a light bonus rather than a main route, but they add up if you enjoy the minigames.
Spending Them Without Regret
A few rules make your Artifacts go further. First, do not fear refinement. Patch 1.06.00 added Extraction at smithies, which recovers special materials such as Artifacts at 100 percent of the amount used (common materials come back at about 70 percent), so an upgrade on a weapon you later abandon is not wasted. That makes it reasonable to refine a good early bow or sword; our best bow guide covers which bows deserve the investment.
Second, buy core skills before stat points. Health, Stamina and Spirit help, but new skills change how fights play out. Third, remember that skills now have another route to growth: the Garden of Trials, added in 2.04.00 near the Axiom Archive Abyss after "Journey's End", enhances one existing skill for each of its ten groups you complete. Finally, if you are planning the look and loadout of a new character, the cosmetic side lives at the barber, covered in our appearance customization guide. For the weapons themselves, the existing best weapons guide ranks the strongest options.
Short on Artifacts?
If your skill tree is stuck and you would rather not grind the gauge, the store sells Abyss Artifact packs as a single product with a dropdown for the exact stack: 25, 50, 75, 150, 500 or 999. After purchase the store contacts you to coordinate a login, and delivery is done by hand on your account, usually about 5 to 30 minutes once started. The listing does not name platforms, and it suggests mentioning in checkout notes if you are stacking it with Silver or gear orders.
Everything else the store offers for the game is on the Crimson Desert services page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Abyss Artifacts used for?
Learning and upgrading skills, raising Health, Stamina and Spirit, and refining equipment at +5 and above.
What is the fastest way to farm Abyss Artifacts?
Fight dense groups to fill the gauge under the minimap, which has no level-up limit. Blockaded and re-blockaded strongholds are the usual spots, plus the Chapter 3 totems before Reed Devil.
What is an Abyss Link?
A skill resource added in patch 2.00.00. When one character spends Abyss Artifacts on a skill, the other playable characters get the same number of Abyss Links to spend on their own skills.
How do you open a Sealed Abyss Artifact?
Hover over it to read its requirement, such as a weapon mastery level, complete it, then use the item from your inventory.
How do I get Faded Abyss Artifacts?
Game8 lists Abyss Treasure Chests after "Forbidden Knowledge", quest rewards, witch vendors, and witch cauldron crafting with 1 Abyss Cell and 2 Mercury after the Scholarstone research request.
Do I lose Artifacts if I extract a refined weapon?
No. Since patch 1.06.00, Extraction at a smithy returns special materials such as Artifacts at 100 percent of the amount used.