Crimson Desert: full platinum guide step by step

«You've claimed every trophy. Your name will echo through Pywel's history as the legendary explorer for venturing every path and conquering every challenge.» · Pywel Legend

Earn the other 34 trophies. There is no shortcut, but there is an order that saves you dozens of hours.

Category

Platinum

Missable

No

Unlocked by

4.49% of players

The order that works. Do not touch the story for the first 25 hours: ring the 8 Hidden Bells to lift the fog, open the fast travel points in every region, upgrade your gear to refinement 5-6 and collect the 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts. It sounds like a waste of time and it is exactly the opposite, because no challenge starts counting until you have its artifact and progress is not retroactive. With that done, push the campaign while clearing challenges as they come up, and leave the final cleanup for after the last chapter: the world stays open.

The three real bottlenecks. The first is Natural Collector, which asks for 30 pets and only moves by interacting with village animals daily: it is a calendar requirement, so start on day one or you will be sitting around waiting at the end. The second is Grand Collector of Arms, where two special weapons are lost forever if you sell them and some challenges become impossible if you convert breakable gear into its unbreakable version. The third is Expert Explorer, because of the 22 Legendary Animals, the one exploration subcategory with no trophy of its own and the one almost everybody skips entirely.

Watch four challenges during the campaign. Operation 7 disappears when you clear the Pailune camps in chapter 7. Above the Law 4 does not count retroactively. Sinking Fort and Barraging Cannon 5 depend on watchtowers and are best done before you liberate the enemy bases. Those are the four points where a 250-hour save can end up one trophy short.

What you do not need. You do not need to replay the campaign: one playthrough is enough. You do not need to be online: all 35 trophies are offline. And you do not need to suffer, because no trophy depends on difficulty and you can do the whole thing on Easy since patch 1.04.

4.49% of players have it, a high figure for a game this long. The number that describes it best: 18.99% finish the story, so 23.6% of everyone who completes the campaign reaches 100%. That conversion only happens when the obstacle is time and not skill. Here, whoever decides to platinum it, platinums it.

«Countless adventures await beyond the horizon.» · Novice Adventurer

Complete chapter 1 of the main story.

Where it popssub-chapter «Trace» · mission «Woman in White»

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

100.00% of players

It pops during the main quest Woman in White, inside the Trace sub-chapter. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to lose: this is the trophy that marks the end of the game's long prologue.

100% of tracked players have it, which confirms you cannot move forward without it.

«A safe haven now stands ready for you and your comrades.» · Master Camper

Activate the camp at Howling Hill during chapter 3.

Where it popsChapter 3 · sub-chapter «Homestead» · mission «Familiar Curses»

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

76.64% of players

It unlocks in the main quest Familiar Curses, inside the Homestead sub-chapter. The camp is your base of operations: you manage companions, upgrades and supplies from here, so getting there early puts the rest of your playthrough in order.

76.64% of players have it. Almost a quarter of everyone who starts Crimson Desert quits before reaching chapter 3.

«Trials overcome have paved the way back home.» · Proud Returnee

Relocate the Greymane Camp from Howling Hill to Pailune.

Where it popsChapter 7 · mission «Reconstructing Pailune (faction quests)»

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

9.88% of players

First finish chapter 7 with the main quest Time to Face Justice. That unlocks the Reconstructing Pailune faction questline; complete it in full and the camp moves on its own.

It is not automatic like the rest of the story trophies: the faction line has to be done separately, which is why its 9.88% sits well below the 40.60% who reach chapter 7.

«Freedom returned to Pailune after defeating the Black Bears and the Jackals.» · Protector of Pailune

Complete chapter 7 by defeating the Black Bears and the Jackals.

Where it popsChapter 7 · sub-chapter «Twisted Fate» · mission «Time to Face Justice»

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

40.60% of players

It pops when you finish the main quest Time to Face Justice, inside the Twisted Fate sub-chapter of chapter 7, Homecoming.

Mind the order: clearing the Pailune camps makes the Operation 7 challenge disappear, and you need it for Brilliant Tactician. If you have not done it before, you lose it here.

Only 40.60% of players get this far. It is the biggest drop-off in the whole playthrough.

«Every thread of Pywel's narrative now forms a complete story.» · Expert Storyteller

Complete every main quest in Crimson Desert.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

18.99% of players

Time

~60 h

It closes out the campaign and is one of the four gold trophies. It closes nothing else: the world stays open after the ending and you can keep clearing challenges freely.

18.99% of players have it. Put another way, four out of every five people who start Crimson Desert never see the ending.

«Even the most tangled paths fail to lead you astray.» · Maze Pathfinder

Complete the 4 Maze challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

8.68% of players

There are only four in the whole game, yet just 8.68% of players have it. The reason is not difficulty: it is that mazes are not on your route, you have to go looking for them.

Being so few, it is one of the best effort-to-reward trophies on the whole list.

The 4 mazes in Crimson Desert →

«Climbing ever higher has opened the way toward the skies above.» · Conqueror of Spires

Complete the 8 Spire challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

13.07% of players

They are climbing and traversal trials at height. You can see them from far away, which is why 13.07% have it despite there being only eight: plenty of people do them without meaning to.

Some unlock later in the story, so check the category again once you finish the campaign.

The 8 spires in Crimson Desert →

«The constellations that illuminate Pywel have revealed their secrets.» · Navigator of the Stars

Complete the 13 Constellation challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

7.24% of players

They come down to finding the stargazing points scattered around Pywel and interacting with them.

Compare the numbers: Spires are 8 challenges and 13.07% have that trophy, while Constellations are 13 and only 7.24% have this one. More objectives and half the players. The difference is not difficulty, it is that constellations are not found in passing: you have to go out and look for them.

The 13 constellations in Crimson Desert →

«You've defeated the beasts, bringing peace to Pywel.» · Beast Slayer

Complete the 7 New Power challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

11.50% of players

Each one is a unique boss, and there is a detail here that the trophy description never mentions: the bosses are not available from the start. Each region unlocks its own once you have completed a certain number of faction quests in that area.

If you comb the map looking for them early and they do not show up, it is not a bug: you are short on faction quests.

The 7 New Power challenges in Crimson Desert →

«The hidden beauty of Pywel has been revealed.» · Pilgrim of Wonders

Complete the 60 Secret Places challenges, the ones known as Wandering Footsteps.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

6.54% of players

It is the biggest subcategory in the whole game. They show up in the world as zones marked with a white question mark and a strange energy; always check them, because they can also be fast travel points.

Ringing the 8 Hidden Bells before you start is what turns this from a blind hunt into an orderly sweep.

The 60 Secret Places in Crimson Desert →

«Sharp insight now guides you through any riddle.» · Puzzle Solver

Solve the 37 Ancient Ruins puzzles.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

6.49% of players

Good news: the exploration puzzles are one of the few challenge sets that do not need a Sealed Abyss Artifact. You can solve them from the first minute and the progress counts.

Even so, it pays to clear the map first with the Hidden Bells, because the ruins are spread across all of Pywel and they are far quicker to spot without fog.

The 37 Ancient Ruins puzzles in Crimson Desert →

«Shadow guided into light has restored the forgotten sanctums.» · Lightbringer

Complete the 16 Sanctum challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

17.68% of players

It is by far the most common exploration trophy: 17.68% of players have it, almost as many as finish the story. The reason is that sanctums sit on the main routes and get cleared just by playing normally.

If you are going for the platinum, this one falls on its own. Do not plan around it.

The 16 sanctums in Crimson Desert →

«Exploration of every abyss extends far into the depths of the world.» · Conqueror of the Abysses

Complete the 40 Abyss challenges.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

8.08% of players

Time

~25 h

These are the Restoration challenges, the biggest exploration category after Secret Places. At 8.08% it is the most common exploration trophy, because the abysses are visible on the map and you cross them on the way to other things.

Some only unlock later in the story, so do not obsess over closing the category in your first few hours.

The 40 Abyss challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Revelation of every corner of Pywel brings the entire land into clear view.» · Expert Explorer

Expert Explorer requires completing all nine Exploration subcategories to 100%. It is the longest trophy in the game and the one most people leave half-finished.

Category

Exploration

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.29% of players

Time

~80 h

The nine subcategories and their exact counts: The Abyss (40 challenges), Secret Places (60), Ancient Ruins (37), Mazes (4), Sanctums (16), Spires (8), Constellations (13), Legendary Animals (22) and New Power (7). That is 207 challenges.

Here is the detail you will not see in any other guide, and it is the one that decides whether you get this trophy or not: eight of those nine subcategories also have a trophy of their own, so you are going to complete them anyway while chasing other trophies. The Abyss is asked for by Conqueror of the Abysses, Secret Places by Pilgrim of Wonders, Ancient Ruins by Puzzle Solver, Mazes by Maze Pathfinder, Sanctums by Lightbringer, Spires by Conqueror of Spires, Constellations by Navigator of the Stars and New Power by Beast Slayer.

The ninth, Legendary Animals, has no trophy of its own. Its 22 challenges only count towards Expert Explorer. If you chase trophies one by one without looking at the Challenges menu, that is exactly the subcategory you will skip entirely, and then you will not understand why the gold does not pop with everything else done.

Remember that no challenge counts until you have its Sealed Abyss Artifact: collect all 141 before starting on this.

Full Expert Explorer guide →How to sweep the Crimson Desert map without covering the same ground twice →

«Through discipline and mastery, you've earned the right to be called a true master of the blade.» · Master of Swords

Complete the 6 sword mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

11.03% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of sword combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: the sword is used by Kliff, Damiane and Oongka. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

It is the most common of the weapon trophies at 11.03%, because the sword is the default weapon and almost everybody builds progress without trying.

All 6 Sword Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Your reputation for mastery in wielding shields has spread across the land.» · Master of Shields

Complete the 6 shield mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

8.75% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of shield combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Kliff and Damiane can equip a shield. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

At 8.75% it sits below the sword despite having the same 6 challenges. The reason is the cast: only Kliff and Damiane can equip a shield, so if you have invested in Oongka you have to switch characters.

All 6 Shield Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Arrows guided by the wind reflect mastery over the art of archery.» · Master of Bows

Complete the 6 bow mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

7.47% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of bow combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Kliff can use bows. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

Its 7.47% leaves it in the lower half of the weapon trophies. Since it is Kliff-only, it pays to group bow, spear and the operations into the same sessions rather than spreading them across the whole playthrough.

All 6 Bow Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«All under the skies revere you as the master spearsman.» · Master of Spears

Complete the 5 spear mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

10.36% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of spear combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Kliff can use spears. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

At 10.36% it is one of the more common ones despite being Kliff-only, most likely because there are just five challenges and the spear is one of the weapons people use most in open combat.

All 5 Spear Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Warriors honor you for your strength and precision with two-handed weapons.» · Master of Two-Handed Weapons

Complete the 6 two-handed weapon mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

7.00% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of two-handed combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Kliff and Oongka wield two-handed weapons. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

At 7.00% it is the least common of the weapon trophies, tied with the rapier.

All 6 Two-Handed Weapon Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Artillery skill honed through practice makes your enemies mere measure of efficiency.» · Master of Artillery

Complete the 5 cannon mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.91% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of cannon combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Oongka can use cannons. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

Watch out for the Barraging Cannon 5 challenge: it is tied to the watchtowers and is best done before you liberate the enemy bases.

All 5 Cannon Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Rapier mastery has carved a name recognized far and wide.» · Master of Rapiers

Complete the 5 rapier and shield mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

7.02% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of rapier and shield combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Damiane wields the rapier. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

Its 7.02% ties it with two-handed weapons at the back of the pack. Damiane covers both the rapier and firearms, so the ten trials across both categories come out of the same character if you organise your sessions well.

All 5 Rapier and Shield Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Firearm expertise keeps your foes' heads bowed in fear.» · Master of Firearms

Complete the 5 firearm mastery challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

6.33% of players

They unlock by finding their matching Sealed Abyss Artifact, and here is the trap that ruins playthroughs: progress only starts counting once you have the artifact. Every bit of firearm combat you do before that counts for nothing.

On top of that, not every character handles this weapon: only Damiane can use firearms. If you try to clear the challenges with the wrong character, you make no progress.

At 6.33% it is the second least common of the weapon trophies. It includes a precision-shot challenge, and like the rapier it depends entirely on Damiane.

All 5 Firearm Mastery Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«All the weapons in the world are now in your hands.» · Grand Collector of Arms

Get all 10 special weapons in the game by completing their challenges.

Category

Mastery

Missable

Yes

Unlocked by

5.44% of players

They are spread across Pywel and include pieces like the Flamespitter and the Propeller Spear. Each one has its own associated challenge.

This is the riskiest trophy on the whole list, for four separate reasons. First: the Marni Laser Helm has no known second copy. Second: the Vessel of Dark Pursuit can be sold by accident with no way to get it back. Third, and the one fewest people know: some challenges require breakable gear, and if you convert that piece into its unbreakable version you can no longer complete the challenge.

And there is a fourth trap almost nobody documents: the Kuku versions of the weapons do not count towards the challenges. Always use the base version.

The rule we follow at EveryTrophy is simple: do not sell, do not discard, do not convert to unbreakable and do not use Kuku versions until the trophy is in your hands.

All 10 Special Weapon Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Even the wildest horses yield to your steady guidance.» · Tamer of Legends

Complete the 10 horse challenges, the Harmonious Hooves 1 to 10 series.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.49% of players

They cover taming, racing and mounted manoeuvres, and they unlock with their Sealed Abyss Artifact like the rest. Being a numbered series, they can be chained in a single session once you have the artifact and a decent mount.

They also count towards Unvanquished Strategist, so they are not optional even though they look it.

All 10 Horse Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Command of battle's momentum makes the entire field yours to orchestrate.» · Unvanquished Strategist

Complete every mastery challenge: the nine weapon categories — sword, shield, bow, spear, two-handed, cannon, rapier, firearms and special weapons — plus the mount ones.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.04% of players

Time

~50 h

By our weapons matrix that is 64 challenges. Some guides say 63 and others 58, and we have not managed to reconcile the difference, so the counter that matters is the one in the game's own Challenges menu.

The detail that wrecks planning: each weapon is only handled by part of the cast, so you cannot clear any challenge with whoever you like. The weapons matrix on the game page says who uses what, and it appears in no trophy description.

Do not confuse it with Expert Explorer, the other completion gold, which is about the nine Exploration subcategories rather than mastery.

The 141 Sealed Abyss Artifacts in Crimson Desert →

«Unwavering resolve has forged strength worthy of a relentless warrior.» · Relentless Warrior

Complete the 10 Training challenges.

Category

Combat

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.92% of players

They include trials like Tornado of Steel and Stepping on Clouds, all built around mastering specific combat mechanics.

Find their Sealed Abyss Artifact before touching any training activity. This is one of the challenge sets where people lose the most progress, because training is the first thing everybody does when they start.

All 10 Training Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«By sensing the rhythm of battle, you've learned to bend the battlefield to your will.» · Battlefield Conqueror

Complete the 10 Battle challenges.

Category

Combat

Missable

Yes

Unlocked by

5.82% of players

Prioritise two above everything else: Sinking Fort and Barraging Cannon 5. Both depend on watchtowers and it is not confirmed that they remain available once you have liberated every enemy base. Do them as soon as you have the artifact.

The rest are large-scale fights that come up naturally while you clear camps, as long as the challenge is already unlocked.

All 10 Battle Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«You've steered countless operations to success by reading the tide of battle.» · Brilliant Tactician

Complete the 10 Operation challenges.

Category

Combat

Missable

Yes

Unlocked by

5.35% of players

These are the tactical infiltration and sabotage missions, and most of them can only be cleared with Kliff, so plan your character before diving in.

This is where the game's clearest missable sits: Operation 7, Disruption, requires the Jackals faction and disappears the moment you clear the Pailune camps during chapter 7. If you get there late, the trophy is locked out of that save for good.

All 10 Operation Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Astute trade and quick judgment have filled your coffers well.» · The Golden Merchant

Complete the 5 Trade challenges.

Category

Life and trades

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.10% of players

They cover trade routes, haggling and deals with innkeepers, so you have to talk to the tavern owners in every region.

A practical tip that pays off for the whole playthrough: the north of the desert region has scolecite and azurite. A couple of mining sessions gets you around 100 silver coins and you can forget about money for the rest of the game.

All 5 Trade Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Knowledge of the shadowed world reaches depths few have ever known.» · Shadowlord

Complete the 10 Above the Law challenges.

Category

Life and trades

Missable

Yes

Unlocked by

5.41% of players

These are the activities from Pywel's darker side: smuggling, robbery and dealings with outlaw factions.

It contains a missable. Above the Law 4, Back Alley Cleanup, does not count retroactively: you have to hold the artifact before doing it, or the challenge goes unregistered and the category never reaches 100%.

All 10 Above the Law Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Your name is honored in every corner of the lands.» · Lord of Honor

Complete the 9 Challenges and Changes challenges.

Category

Life and trades

Missable

No

Unlocked by

4.97% of players

If you check older material and cannot find this category, that is because it was called Greymane's Vow in earlier patches. It is the same set under a different name.

At 4.97% it is one of the three rarest trophies in the game outside the platinum. Find its artifact before touching any related activity.

The 9 Challenges and Changes challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Success in diverse hunts has forged a hunter of legendary renown.» · Ultimate Hunter

Complete the 11 Hunting challenges.

Category

Life and trades

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.54% of players

They require hunting each type of creature spread across the different regions, so it is a trophy about covering ground rather than about skill.

Like the rest, it needs its Sealed Abyss Artifact before you start. If you have spent fifty hours hunting without it, you have banked nothing.

All 11 Hunting Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Deeper understanding of Pywel's nature enriches knowledge of life throughout the land.» · Natural Collector

Complete the 12 Life challenges.

Category

Life and trades

Missable

No

Unlocked by

4.58% of players

This is the trophy that wrecks the most platinums, and it is not one of the four golds. At 4.58% it is the rarest in the game after the platinum itself, which sits nine hundredths below it. Almost everyone who ends up one step short is stopped here.

The reason is a requirement that never appears in the description: you need 30 different pets. You get them by interacting daily with village animals until their trust reaches 100. It is a calendar requirement, not a skill one: no amount of playing gets it done in one afternoon.

Start greeting animals from the very first village. And buy the logging axe and the pickaxe at the provisioner's shop in Hernand, across from the blacksmith, because several challenges ask you to gather at least one of every resource. Always pick up anything marked with a ???.

All 12 Life Challenges in Crimson Desert →

«Claim victory in various minigames so no challenge dare rattle you.» · True Gamer

Complete the 5 Minigame subcategories: 15 challenges in total.

Category

Minigames

Missable

No

Unlocked by

4.83% of players

The breakdown is 2 Shooting, 4 Test of Strength, 5 Duel, 1 Racing and 3 Mind Games.

They have one advantage over the rest: they need no Sealed Abyss Artifact. They unlock simply by interacting with each minigame venue for the first time, so all it takes is not walking past the taverns and fairs.

Even so, only 4.83% have it, the second rarest trophy outside the platinum. Some minigames only appear later in the story.

The 15 minigame challenges in Crimson Desert →