In Crimson Desert you’ll find a huge arsenal of weapons, techniques and unique skills that can turn the tide of battle. Understanding how these systems work—and how to unlock them—will dramatically boost your odds of staying alive.
One of the most important yet easy-to-miss mechanics is the four elements you can apply to both weapons and standalone abilities. To tap into the wind element you’ll need to put in a bit of story work first.
Table of contents
How to unlock the Wind element
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Finish Chapter 8
Step one is to play through the main campaign until you complete Chapter 8. At the end of that chapter you’ll face a tough boss fight at the foot of the Spire of Mechanisms in eastern Demeniss. Until this chapter is cleared you won’t receive the key required to open the Spire, which leads to the Abyss section that houses the element.
Climb the Spire of Mechanisms
Save
After Chapter 8, return to the Spire of Mechanisms in the Golden Plains and approach the main entrance. Use the key to get inside; directly ahead you’ll spot a yellow horizontal lever (shown in the image above). Hop onto the lever and let your weight pull it down.
This activates the lower section of the tower and lets you climb higher. If you own the Aerial Maneuver skill from the Axiom Powers tree, use it to ascend the metal platforms to the midpoint, where another yellow switch awaits activation. Without Aerial Maneuver you’ll have to ride the rotating mechanisms as platforms instead.
Save
Once you flip the second lever and restore power to the whole spire, keep climbing until you reach a rotating clockwork face. Wait for the opening, dash out onto the balcony, hang a right, and you’ll find a lift on the side of the tower. Hit the button, ride the lift up, and step onto the tower’s summit.
The Gates of the Abyss will open, warping you to the Plaza of Riddles in the Abyss.
Beat the glider trial at the Plaza of Riddles
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Despite the name, you won’t be solving any riddles or puzzles. Instead, head to the center of the Plaza and trigger your Axiom Powers on the yellow switch to the right of the giant fan on the ground. Your new objective: use the gliding ability to soar through a series of rings within a set time.
Before you start, strongly consider unlocking the Swift Flight skill in the skill tree—it makes the time limit trivial.
When the trial begins, launch straight up, bank left, and thread the gates. Each gate refills your stamina, so don’t worry about managing the gauge. Aim for the dead center of every ring; clipping an edge will snag you and kill your momentum.
Save
Use Swift Flight whenever you hit a straight line of rings to finish with time to spare and keep enough lift from the fans to reach the next cluster. If you’re about to fail, pop Axiom Powers to grapple back to the island—saves you the long drop and the jog back to the Plaza.
After the final ring you’ll land in front of a large circular switch.
Climb onto it and hit it with Palm Strike to activate it. This spawns an Abyss Artifact on the pedestal below. Grab it to earn a free skill point and unlock the wind element.
To equip wind, hold right on the D-pad to open the gear wheel and select wind from the radial menu. You can now summon a smoke bomb to break line of sight by pressing RT + A (Xbox) / R2 + X (PlayStation). If you’ve unlocked Elemental Enhancement, you can also add wind to attacks like Palm Strike or Spinning Strike.
