Like any true sandbox experience, Crimson Desert encourages you to experiment with many of its systems until you discover what they do. And even if the game ends up doing a good job at explaining the basics, there are some other things you’ll have to find out on your own, such as different fighting styles. In this case, we’re referring to dual-wield combat in Crimson Desert, which, believe it or not, is possible, but the game never tells you how to unlock it.
How To Unlock Dual-Wield Combat in Crimson Desert
Alright, in terms of unlocking it, there aren’t a lot of things you need to do, other than having two one-handed weapons in your inventory. When you open your quick access wheel, you’ll notice that you have a slot for tools, food, two-handed weapons, and your shields. You want to head to the shield tab and scroll until you see another one-handed weapon. From there, just select the weapon, and Kliff will dual-wield automatically.
When dual-wielding, Kliff’s attack patterns will change, but one thing to keep in mind is that every Abyss Core skill you have slotted into your weapons will trigger with these new patterns. For instance, if you have a skill that triggers by pressing R2/RT on both weapons, both of the skills will trigger at the same time, making dual-wielding one of the highest DPS combat approaches in the game.
On the other hand, you’ll be missing out on the damage reduction that shields bring. We discovered that dual-wielding still lets you parry attacks and execute moves that do not require a shield, such as vaulting over enemies or piercing them. However, charging at enemies or countering them with your shield to disarm them will not work.
Another good thing about dual-wield combat is that you can mix and match different types of weapons. For example, you can use a combination of sword and axe, axe and mace, etc. And the same rules we mentioned above apply here in terms of the Abyss Core skills.
While we prefer the sword and board approach, dual-wielding can be extremely powerful, especially when clearing enemy camps or fighting several foes at once. Yet, for boss encounters, we will always recommend sticking with your shield, as it provides far greater protection.
