Crimson Desert Abyss Guide – Enter With Oongka and Damiane After Patch 1.13

Crimson Desert Patch 1.13.00, released July 4, 2026 and reported by gaming media, finally lets Oongka and Damiane enter the Abyss. Before this update, only Kliff could tackle the floating sky island puzzles that reward Abyss Artifacts and elemental skills. This guide covers exactly what the Abyss is, how to access it with each character, the fastest farming routes for skill points, and whether the Abyss grind is worth your time.

Crimson Desert has 40 Abyss Restoration Puzzles located on flying sky islands. These are accessed through a separate map layer you toggle with R3 or the mouse wheel on the world map. Each Abyss repair requires solving a unique puzzle—the most complex in the game. Each Abyss also rewards you with an Artifact (Skill Point) and unlocks a fast travel point in the sky from which you can skydive to reach surrounding ground areas.

The elemental skills in the red skill tree are also unlocked from completing Abysses—Lightning, Frost, Storm, and Flame. That means the Abyss directly gates some of your most powerful combat tools. You finish the first two Abysses as part of Chapter 1 in the story. The other Abysses are arranged in clusters, and each cluster is entered from one Spire. You’ll have to finish all 8 Spires first to access them all.

Starting from Version 1.13.00, players will finally be able to explore the Abyss as Damiane and Oongka, the game’s two other playable characters. Version 1.13.00 opens the Abyss to Oongka and Damiane, finally letting the full roster tackle the endgame gauntlet. Two characters who’ve been locked out of the toughest content can now chase those Memory Fragments and boss rematch rewards on equal footing with Kliff.

You access the Abyss through Spires distributed across the world of Pywel. You enter them through Spires. Each Spire has a set of Abyss islands linked to it. Once you unlock the ability of flight, you can head back to the Abyss by changing the map layer with R3, making sure you have it tabbed to show all icons, and teleporting to the Abyss Nexus on the Ethereal Pathway.

You must also have finished the story to access the final Abyss called “Dimensional Bonds.” Several other Abysses are also gated behind story progress. Pearl Abyss, the developer and publisher of Crimson Desert, designed the Abyss so it unlocks progressively—you complete seven Abyss islands as part of main story quests. The remaining ones open as you finish each Spire.

Following the patch, Oongka and Damiane can now enter the Abyss. Accordingly, the locations of Memory Fragments for certain rematchable bosses have been changed. If you previously memorized boss spawn locations such as Corrupted Caliburn, Goyen, Draven the Crowcaller, Clockwork, or White Horn, those Memory Fragments have shifted.

Abyss Artifacts are skill points, to put it in simple terms. Finding them allows you to spend them on skills or direct stat increases to your Health, Spirit, or Stamina. Every skill you want to unlock, every piece of gear you want to push past Refinement +5, and every stat boost your character needs runs through this one material.

The fastest active farming method is pickpocketing scholars at Scholastone Institute. Scholastone runs can give around 3 to 4 Abyss Artifacts each time. Greymane Rumor quests deliver the best Artifact-per-minute ratio in the game. Each quest follows a simple loop: chase down a rumor, find the relevant Greymane survivors somewhere in Pywel, and escort them back to camp. Every completed Rumor quest rewards 1x Abyss Artifact.

Abyss Artifacts (Skill Points)

Abyss Artifacts are spent across three systems: unlocking and upgrading nodes on each character’s skill tree (Kliff, Damiane, Oongka); raising core stats (Health, Stamina, Spirit); and as crafting materials for gear refinement past +5. Every puzzle completion drops one Artifact.

Elemental Abilities

The elemental skills in the red skill tree—Lightning, Frost, Storm, Flame—are unlocked from completing Abysses. You cannot get these from any other source. One recommended early path is the Spire of Ringing Truth north of Calphade, which unlocks two elemental skills including the very useful Fire ability.

Fast Travel Points and Skydiving Access

Each Abyss unlocks a fast travel point in the sky from which you can skydive to reach surrounding ground areas. This saves enormous time traversing Pywel later in the game.

For a full breakdown of all the new equipment added in Patch 1.13 including boss armor for Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane, check out our Crimson Desert 1.13.00 New Equipment Guide.

Myth: You Can Skip the Story and Rush Abyss Content

You must have finished the story to access the final Abyss “Dimensional Bonds.” Several other Abysses are also gated behind story progress. You complete 7 Abysses as part of main story quests. Trying to speed-run to Abyss content without progressing the campaign will hit a wall.

Myth: Damiane and Oongka Share Skill Points With Kliff

Kliff’s health, stamina, and spirit levels are shared among all characters. However, there are other abilities/perks that you still need to invest Abyss Artifact skill points into for your other allies. Even if Kliff’s Marksmanship is at level 5, Damiane’s and Oongka’s Marksmanship skills are still at level 1. Plan your Artifact spending accordingly.

Myth: Abyss Puzzles Are Combat-Based

Each Abyss repair requires solving a unique puzzle. They are the most complex puzzles in the game. They use mechanics like Axiom Force switch turning, platforming, and power core placement—not combat. For the second set of abyss puzzles, available after the Scholastone Institute, make sure you bring lots of arrows.