Crimson Desert Ashen Warrior Set: How to Get All the Pieces?

The Ashen Warrior set arrived with update 1.13 of Crimson Desert. Five pieces, five different methods of obtaining them - none drop as regular loot. This is unapologetically mid/late game, completionist-oriented content, and you'll need to have progressed well into the Pailune faction quests to unlock the main chain.

Note

If you had already met the conditions for certain challenges before patch 1.13, the corresponding pieces will land directly in your private storage on the next load. The helmet remains the only piece you need to buy manually.

The Ashen Warrior armor - the chestplate

This is the reward from the boss Tarandus the Ashen himself. To access it, you need to progress through the Pailune faction quests until you unlock the Odeck Tribe chain. The path in your journal: Faction Quests → Pailune → Odeck Tribe → The Executor of Justice → The Ashen Warrior.

The quest The Executor of Justice doesn't appear until you've completed a certain number of faction missions in Pailune - the first quest in the Odeck Tribe series is called The Black Bears and the Red Smoke. Once that one's wrapped up, The Ashen Warrior unlocks and you can finally face the boss.

The Ashen Warrior helmet

This is the only piece of the set that can be bought. Head to Craig, the merchant located south of Odeck, along the roadside, just south of the river that meets the village - directly north of the nearby Abyssal Nexus. Price: 39.64 silver coins. You must have defeated Tarandus the Ashen beforehand for the helmet to be available for purchase.

Handy detail

If you lose or want to buy other pieces of the set again later, Craig also sells them from his shop.

The Ashen Warrior boots

Reward from the next challenge: acquire knowledge of 100 out of the 136 caves found across the world. The sealed abyssal artifact that triggers the challenge is located northwest of Pailune, on a pile of rocks by the roadside, just west of the "Silver Wolf Mountains" label on the map.

No shortcut here: you'll need to explore. You'll naturally come across a good number of them during your regular sessions - check a map if you want to speed through the last few dozen.

The Ashen Warrior gloves

Reward from the challenge where you must hang onto a bear's back for more than 10 seconds. The artifact is on an altar inside Odeck, just north of the Odeck Floodgates building (the large bridge over the river).

Technical prerequisite: unlock the Back Hang ability by leveling the Grapple skill to level 4 on any character. To find a bear quickly, one spawns northwest of the Sanctuary of Penitence southeast of Hernand, near the Abyssal Nexus. Approach, jump, use Back Hang to latch on, then spam Palm Strike - the bear stays stunned and the 10 seconds will pass effortlessly.

The Ashen Warrior cape

Reward from the challenge which involves obtaining all the knowledge concerning insects and arthropods, which is exactly 76 specimens. The sealed abyssal artifact is located on the road southeast of the Odeck shop, directly north of the nearby Camp.

Two tools make this challenge much less tedious:

• Helm of Knowledge (obtainable at the Pierrudite Institute): highlights the butterflies and insects you haven't yet captured in the area.
• Cuckoo's insect collection bag: automatically collects insects around you while worn.

Most of the rarer insects are found east of Odeck, near the artifact's location. Teleport from zone to zone with the pack equipped and let the game do the work gradually.

Ashen Warrior set stats

The chestplate and gloves form the offensive/defensive backbone of the set, with a particularly sturdy chestplate for tanking, and a skill EXP gain that remains useful even in the late game. The cape shines for its ice resistance - very relevant in certain areas of Pailune. As for the helmet's stun immunity, it's the kind of understated stat that truly makes a difference against certain bosses.