Stuck with a build that just is not working? You are not alone. Crimson Desert gives you an enormous skill tree to experiment with, and it is very easy to sink your Abyss Artifacts into the wrong branches early on. The good news is that the game does let you respec — but it comes with rules, costs, and a few critical surprises that most players do not find out until it is too late.
This guide covers everything you need to know about how to respec skills in Crimson Desert: what it costs, how to trigger it, what carries over after a reset, where to farm more Faded Abyss Artifacts, and when resetting is actually worth doing.
What Is Respeccing in Crimson Desert?
Respeccing refers to resetting your skill tree and reclaiming all the Abyss Artifacts you have previously spent. Think of Abyss Artifacts as your skill points — the currency you invest to unlock and upgrade abilities across the game’s three skill branches: the blue combat tree, the green spirit tree, and the red elemental tree.
When you respec, every single point you have spent is refunded instantly, and your entire skill tree is wiped clean. You can then reallocate those points from scratch into a completely different build. This is especially valuable if you are preparing for a tough encounter, switching up your playstyle, or simply fixing early-game mistakes.
Can You Respec Skills in Crimson Desert?
Yes, Crimson Desert fully supports skill respeccing. There is no permanent commitment to any build in this game, which is a welcome design choice given how sprawling and complex the Crimson Desert skills system is.
However, it is not free. Respeccing consumes a specific consumable item — the Faded Abyss Artifact — and you need at least one in your inventory before the reset option becomes available. Without it, the Reset All option in the skill menu will appear greyed out and cannot be used.
How to Respec Skills in Crimson Desert: Step-by-Step
The actual process of resetting your skill tree is straightforward once you have a Faded Abyss Artifact ready. Here is exactly what to do:
- Open the Skills Menu from the main interface.
- Navigate to the Skill Tree section.
- Look at the bottom-right corner of the screen for the Reset All or Reset Stats option.
- Press and hold the corresponding button for your platform:
- PC (Keyboard): Hold F
- PlayStation: Hold Square
- Xbox: Hold X
- Confirm the action when prompted.
Once confirmed, one Faded Abyss Artifact is consumed. In return, every Abyss Artifact you have spent on skills is refunded to your inventory. You are then free to rebuild your character from the ground up.
One important note: there is no option to respec a single skill. It is all or nothing — the reset wipes the entire tree at once.
The Critical Warning: All Three Characters Reset Together
This is where many players get caught off guard, and it is worth emphasizing before you commit to a respec.
Crimson Desert features three playable characters: Kliff (the main protagonist), Damiane, and Oongka. All three share the same pool of Abyss Artifacts. When you trigger a skill reset, the game resets the skill trees for all three characters simultaneously — not just the one you are currently using.
So if you have spent considerable effort building an optimized loadout for Damiane but want to tweak Kliff’s heavy attack branch, triggering a respec will wipe Damiane’s build entirely. You will have to manually rebuild all three characters every time you use a Faded Abyss Artifact.
Pro tip: Save your game manually before performing any respec. If you test the new build and dislike the results, you can reload your save and recover the Faded Abyss Artifact without wasting it.
What Carries Over After a Respec?
Not everything resets. There is one important exception: abilities unlocked through the “Watch and Learn” mechanic.
Throughout Pywel, when you fight certain enemies or encounter shadow spirits, you can observe them performing specific attacks. Watch the same move enough times and time will slow — Kliff permanently learns that maneuver without spending any Abyss Artifacts. Because no skill points were invested in these abilities, they are completely immune to the respec process. They stay with you no matter how many times you reset.
This is actually a significant strategic advantage. You can treat all your “Watch and Learn” abilities as a permanent free foundation and then respec your purchased skills repeatedly to build around them. As you discover more of these observation unlocks through natural exploration, your free skill base grows stronger with every playthrough — making each respec a little bit cheaper in practice.
What Is a Faded Abyss Artifact and Where to Find One
The Faded Abyss Artifact is the consumable currency required to respec in Crimson Desert. It is rarer and more valuable than the standard Abyss Artifacts used to unlock abilities, and knowing where to find them changes how freely you can experiment with your build.
1. Main Story Quest Rewards
The most reliable early source is simply playing through the campaign. Your first Faded Abyss Artifact can be found inside a chest in Hernand Castle during the Chapter 1 main quest called Trace. You will also earn one for completing Chapter 1 itself. Check your journal regularly, as several story quests reward this item as you progress.
2. Sealed Abyss Artifact Challenges
Sealed Abyss Artifacts are glowing cube-shaped objects scattered along main roads and hidden behind rock cairns throughout Pywel. Collecting one adds a specific challenge to your Journal under the Challenges tab. Completing the required tally for that challenge rewards you with a Faded Abyss Artifact. One example is the Keeping Balance on the Wind challenge, found at a roadside marker southeast of Hernand.
3. Treasure Chests
Treasure chests — particularly those tucked into the nooks and crannies of the floating Abyss sky islands — have a high chance of containing Faded Abyss Artifacts. These chests are not marked on your minimap, so you need to physically explore. Using fast travel in Crimson Desert efficiently can help you cover more ground and scout these hidden island areas without excessive backtracking.
4. Witch Vendors
Once you progress further in the game, Witch vendor locations throughout Pywel begin selling Faded Abyss Artifacts directly. Each Witch sells up to three per transaction, with each one costing 2.85 silver. This is the most on-demand source when you need a respec quickly and cannot wait for a quest reward.
5. Crafting (Chapter 4 Unlock)
For a sustainable long-term supply, crafting is the answer. To unlock the crafting recipe, travel to Scholastone during Chapter 4 of the campaign. Once there, interact with Grunvar to open the research interface and start the research project called Research on the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon. It costs 12 silver and takes eight real-world hours to complete.
After unlocking the recipe, you can craft Faded Abyss Artifacts at any Witch cauldron using the following materials:
- 1x Abyss Cell — Dropped by Abyss-corrupted creatures found near certain Abyss Nexus teleporters.
- 2x Mercury — Gathered from freezing pools in Hexe Sanctuary (northern Demeniss) and the Silver Wolf Mountains (northern Pailune).
Getting the crafting recipe unlocked as early as possible is strongly recommended, as it effectively gives you an unlimited respec supply tied only to farming effort.
When Should You Respec in Crimson Desert?
Respeccing costs a rare resource, so timing your resets wisely matters — especially before you have a reliable crafting supply. Here are the situations where spending a Faded Abyss Artifact is clearly worth it:
Before a major boss fight. If your current build is struggling against a specific enemy, pivoting to a survivability-focused loadout or a burst-damage build tuned to the boss’s weaknesses is a smart investment. For example, fights like the Reed Devil boss in Crimson Desert can demand a very different approach depending on whether you lean into aggressive combos or defensive counterplay.
After unlocking multiple “Watch and Learn” abilities. Once you have accumulated several free skills through observation, respeccing lets you redesign your purchased skill loadout to complement them more efficiently — getting more value per Abyss Artifact.
When switching between Kliff’s main playstyles. The skill tree branches significantly between physical combat, spirit techniques, and elemental approaches. Each rewards full investment, and splitting points across all three tends to result in a weaker build overall. A clean respec after you decide on a preferred style is a sound move. Learning to parry in Crimson Desert effectively, for instance, pairs well with a defense-heavy build that may require a full respec to properly execute.
After crafting becomes available. Once you can reliably craft Faded Abyss Artifacts, the resource cost of respeccing drops dramatically. This is the time to freely experiment with unconventional builds without worry.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Every Respec
A few practical habits will stretch your Faded Abyss Artifacts further and help you avoid wasting a reset:
- Always save before resetting. If you hate the new build after testing, a manual save lets you reclaim the consumed Faded Abyss Artifact by reloading.
- Test new builds on weak enemies first. Spend a few minutes testing your rebuilt skills against low-level bandits or wildlife before committing to a difficult encounter or boss.
- Plan all three characters at once. Since Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka all reset simultaneously, have a plan for all three before you pull the trigger. Rebuilding one character without thinking about the other two wastes time and potentially Abyss Artifacts.
- Check the Journal before farming. The Challenges tab lists which Sealed Abyss Artifact challenges reward a Faded Abyss Artifact. Prioritizing those saves time compared to random chest hunting.
- Pair your respec with gear upgrades. If you are rebuilding around a specific weapon type, use the opportunity to upgrade weapons in Crimson Desert at the same time, so your gear and skills both align with your new build direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does respeccing cost anything in Crimson Desert?
Yes. Each full skill tree reset costs one Faded Abyss Artifact. You need at least one in your inventory for the Reset All option to be available in the Skills menu. Without it, the option is greyed out.
Do I get my Abyss Artifacts back when I respec?
Yes, every Abyss Artifact you have spent on skills is fully refunded when you trigger a respec. The only exception is abilities unlocked through the “Watch and Learn” observation mechanic, which do not cost Abyss Artifacts to begin with and cannot be reset.
Does resetting Kliff’s skills also reset Damiane and Oongka?
Yes, this is one of the most important things to know. All three playable characters — Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka — share the same Abyss Artifact pool and the same respec action. Resetting one resets all three simultaneously.
Can I respec individual skills in Crimson Desert?
No. The respec system in Crimson Desert is all-or-nothing. You cannot target a single skill or branch for a partial reset. Using a Faded Abyss Artifact wipes the entire skill tree for all characters at once.
How many times can I respec in Crimson Desert?
As many times as you have Faded Abyss Artifacts. There is no hard cap on the number of resets. Once you unlock the crafting recipe in Chapter 4, you can craft more on demand, making unlimited respecs theoretically possible.
Where do I find my first Faded Abyss Artifact?
Your first Faded Abyss Artifact is found in a chest inside Hernand Castle during the Chapter 1 main quest called Trace. You also earn one as a reward for completing Chapter 1. Check your journal for other early-game quests that reward this item.
Conclusion
Respeccing in Crimson Desert is a well-designed system that gives players real flexibility without completely removing stakes. The process is simple — open the Skills menu, hold the reset button, and confirm — but the cost of a Faded Abyss Artifact means you should approach each reset with a clear plan rather than resetting on a whim.
The most important things to remember: all three characters reset together, “Watch and Learn” abilities are permanent, and unlocking the crafting recipe in Chapter 4 is the fastest path to a reliable long-term supply. Once you have that crafting formula, respeccing skills in Crimson Desert becomes far less stressful and far more of a genuine build tool.
Whether you are chasing Crimson Desert achievements that require specific playstyles or just want to find a build that finally clicks, the respec system makes sure no decision is ever truly permanent — as long as you have the right consumable on hand.
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