Crimson Desert lets protagonist Kliff Macduff swap freely between swords, spears, bows, and bare knuckles — all in real time. Unarmed combat isn't a last-resort fallback; it's a dedicated branch of the game's skill system with its own combo chains, grapples, throws, and finishing moves. If you want to ditch the blade and let your fists do the work, you'll need to unlock the right node in the skill tree and feed it Abyss Artifacts to reach its full potential.
Quick answer: Open the skill tree, navigate to the blue section, and spend one Abyss Artifact on the Unarmed Combat node. Each additional Abyss Artifact invested (up to Level 5) unlocks new moves like the Scissor Takedown and torrential barrage combos.
Unarmed Combat Skill Tree Location
Crimson Desert's skill tree is divided into three color-coded sections. Unarmed Combat lives under the blue section. When you open the tree, scroll or navigate to the blue branch and look for the Unarmed Combat node. It won't be available from the very start of the game — you need at least one Abyss Artifact in your inventory before you can invest.
Abyss Artifacts function as the game's skill points. They're the universal currency for every node in the tree, so spending one on Unarmed Combat means one fewer point for archery, traversal, health, or any other branch. Plan accordingly if you want to commit early.
Unarmed Combat Upgrade Levels and Unlocks
The Unarmed Combat node can be leveled from 1 to 5. Each rank opens up a progressively deeper set of moves and abilities.
| Level | What It Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 1 | Basic unarmed combo chains (punches, kicks) |
| 2 | Scissor Takedown |
| 3 | Complex skill combos |
| 4 | Torrential barrage |
| 5 | Full unarmed moveset with advanced finishers |
At Level 1, you get the fundamentals — rapid punches and kicks that can be strung together into short combo chains. Higher levels add grappling techniques, ground-and-pound sequences, trip kicks, the ability to throw enemies, and more elaborate finishing moves. The full kit at Level 5 gives you enough variety to fight entire encounters without ever drawing a weapon.
How to Earn Abyss Artifacts
There are two main ways to collect Abyss Artifacts, and neither requires grinding a specific enemy type.
Passive accumulation: A progress bar sits next to the minimap during normal gameplay. As you fight, explore, and complete objectives, that bar fills. When it's full, you receive an Abyss Artifact automatically. Simply playing the game — clearing camps, finishing quests, defeating bosses — keeps this bar moving.
Sealed artifacts: Scattered across the open world of Pywel are sealed artifacts, each tied to a specific challenge. The challenge might be a combat trial, an exploration puzzle, or a timed objective. Completing the challenge breaks the seal and rewards you with an Abyss Artifact. These are worth seeking out if you want to rush your unarmed upgrades early.
Unarmed Moves and Techniques
Unarmed combat in Crimson Desert goes well beyond simple punching. The moveset draws from martial arts and pro-wrestling influences, with kick animations motion-captured from actual Taekwondo practitioners. Here's what the full unarmed toolkit includes once you've invested enough points:
| Technique | Description |
|---|---|
| Punch combo chains | Rapid multi-hit sequences performed with weapons sheathed |
| Kicking techniques | Trip kicks, vault kicks, and standard strikes |
| Grapples | Neckbreakers, command grabs, and wrestling-style holds |
| Throws | Toss enemies into hazards, off ledges, or into other enemies |
| Ground and pound | Follow-up strikes on downed opponents |
| Scissor Takedown | Dedicated takedown unlocked at Level 2 |
| Human shields | Grab an enemy to absorb incoming attacks |
| Wall jump kick | Contextual kick triggered near walls |
Some of these techniques — particularly kicks, grabs, and throws — are universal moves that can be mixed into weapon combos. The dedicated unarmed punch chains, however, require you to sheathe your sword and shield first. You can quick-swap between armed and unarmed stances mid-fight, similar to how you'd switch between a sword and a spear.
Mixing Unarmed Attacks Into Weapon Combos
Crimson Desert's combat system encourages fluid transitions. Switching weapons mid-combo doesn't break your attack chain, and the same applies to toggling into unarmed mode. A practical sequence might look like this: open with a sword launcher to pop an enemy into the air, sheathe the weapon, land a few bare-fist hits, then grab the enemy and slam them into the ground.
Kicks and grapples can also be woven into armed combos without sheathing. This means even players who don't fully invest in the unarmed tree will still use some hand-to-hand moves as part of their regular fighting rhythm. The difference is that dedicated investment unlocks the deeper combo strings and special techniques that make a pure unarmed approach viable.
Stamina and Defensive Play While Unarmed
Stamina management matters more when fighting barehanded than with most weapons. The stamina wheel governs attacks, dodges, blocks, and traversal from the same pool. Certain weapon combos bypass stamina costs entirely, but unarmed chains tend to be stamina-hungry — particularly the high-damage torrential barrage and grapple finishers.
Defensive options remain the same regardless of your weapon state. Blocking drains stamina but absorbs hits. A precisely timed parry negates damage completely and opens the enemy to a counter. The dodge roll includes a perfect-dodge window that actually restores stamina if you nail the timing. Learning to weave perfect dodges between unarmed combos is essential for sustaining pressure without running dry.
Companion Characters and Unarmed Styles
Kliff isn't the only character with hand-to-hand capability. Two additional playable characters unlock as you progress through the story, each with their own fighting styles. One of these companions — a lighter, mage-type character — features a heavy emphasis on wrestling and grappling moves alongside her sword and ranged attacks. If unarmed combat appeals to you, experimenting with her moveset offers a different flavor of the same system.
Unarmed combat in Crimson Desert rewards players who commit to it through the skill tree while still leaving room to blend fists with blades on the fly. Five levels of Abyss Artifact investment unlock the full moveset, and the game's seamless weapon-swapping means you're never locked out of grabbing a sword when the situation demands it. Put in the points, learn the stamina rhythm, and you can punch your way through Pywel from start to finish.