Abyss Without Balance
Chapter 1 tutorial – Axiom Force, Force Palm, and Wings
Abyss Without Balance is the 12th main mission in Crimson Desert, set in Chapter 1 – The First Encounter. It serves as the game's foundational tutorial for Abyss puzzle mechanics, teaching you the two core abilities — Axiom Force (to grab and move objects through the air) and Force Palm (to slam objects into place and activate mechanisms) — that are used throughout the entire game. The quest takes place on the Ethereal Pathway, a series of floating platforms and structures inside the Abyss. Players must manipulate a Power Core into a lantern, descend to a lower chamber to synthesize an Abyss Cell, and finally activate a large circular power supply mechanism. Completing the quest rewards an Abyss Artifact (Skill Point) and unlocks the Wings/Flight ability, which fundamentally transforms how Kliff navigates the world. It also completes Chapter 1 and opens Chapter 2 – Golden Greed.
Location
The Ethereal Pathway — an Abyss realm accessed from the Axiom Archive. After speaking to Alustin inside the Axiom Archive, you are sent to an otherworldly floating platform structure suspended in the Abyss, above which the puzzle takes place.
Prerequisites
Complete the preceding main quest "Polar Opposites." The quest begins automatically after that — no special abilities or items are required at the start, as the necessary skills (Axiom Force and Force Palm) are taught within this very quest.
Abilities Taught in This Quest
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Speak to Alustin and Exit the Axiom Archive
After the cutscenes with Alustin inside the Axiom Archive, you will appear outside on the Ethereal Pathway. Your objective is to "Pass through the gate and operate the alignment device with Axiom Force" to activate a skybridge across the Abyss.
Activate the Skybridge with the Alignment Device
Approach the circular disk alignment device just past the gate. Use Axiom Force (hold L3 on controller, or the designated PC key) to grapple onto the center of the disk — make sure the targeting reticle attaches to the center and not the outer edges. Rotate the disk left and right using the D-pad or mouse until it glows blue and emits an audio cue. Hold the interaction for several seconds until the skybridge materializes. This creates a path of floating platforms leading across the Abyss.
Cross the Skybridge and Register the Abyss Nexus
Follow the floating platforms across the Abyss toward the main puzzle structure. Some platforms move into position after a short delay — time your jumps accordingly. Certain ledges require a held jump input to reach higher levels. When you land in the main garden area, immediately find the round floor pedestal with a white ring and step on it to register the Abyss Nexus fast-travel point. This is critical — if you fall or fail later, you can teleport back here instead of redoing all the platforming.
Move the Floating Power Core to the Deactivated Lantern
Your objective updates to "Move the floating power core to the deactivated lantern." Use Axiom Force to grab the floating blue-ish cube hovering in the center of the area. Move it to the lantern — the cube-shaped receptacle with square holes on each face — located on the right side of the area. Positioning does not need to be extremely precise; an animation plays automatically once the cube is close enough to the correct slot. The blocking wall disappears once the core is placed correctly, granting access to the lower chamber.
Drop Down and Learn Force Palm from the Ghost
Once the wall is gone, drop down into the chamber below. Here you will see a ghost silhouette — a child-like hologram standing near the wall slot. Approach it and press Ctrl (PC) or L1/LB (controller) to Observe the ghost. "Learning in Progress" will appear on screen. Watch as the ghost demonstrates placing a power cell into the wall, teaching you the Force Palm ability in the process.
Synthesize the Abyss Cell — Place and Affix the Panel
Your objective now reads "Synthesize the Abyss Cell." Use Axiom Force to grab the floating blue square power cell in the lower chamber. Move it to the wall indentation slot — the indent with a square shape just to the right of the three sparking battery units. On PC, hold Ctrl and scroll to rotate the cell for finer alignment; on controller, use the D-pad to rotate it. You do not need perfect alignment — once it is approximately in position, use your newly learned Force Palm (press R3 on controller) to slam the panel firmly into the wall slot, properly affixing it and completing the synthesis.
Climb Out of the Pit
After affixing the panel, climb out of the lower pit. Use the pillars directly in front of you — grab onto them, pull yourself up, grab the ledge above, and you're out. Do not attempt to jump straight up; use the pillar-climbing route instead.
Activate the Abyss Power Supply (the Glowing Wheel)
This is the trickiest and most commonly missed step. Your objective updates to "Activate the Abyss power supply." Head back up to the large circular wheel mechanism that is now glowing after you inserted the cell. Do NOT use a regular Force Palm — you must switch to the Force Palm: Healing variant. Aim at the center of the wheel, then release the button to launch the attack at the center point. The recoil will throw Kliff backwards — this is intentional and signals that the puzzle is complete. The Abyss power supply activates and your reward spawns at the top.
Collect the Abyss Artifact and Speak to White Crow
Head up the stairs above the activated wheel and approach the glowing floating item that has appeared — it is automatically collected. Then speak to White Crow to trigger the completion cutscene. This concludes Chapter 1 – The First Encounter and unlocks Chapter 2 – Golden Greed.
Rewards
Abyss Artifact x1
A key progression item used to unlock new skills in the Skill Tree, upgrade existing abilities, or invest into core stats (Health, Spirit, or Stamina). Abyss Artifacts are found throughout the game by completing Abyss puzzles — collect as many as possible to strengthen Kliff.
Force Palm (Permanent Ability)
Learned mid-quest from the ghost silhouette. Force Palm is one of the most important abilities in the game, used to slam objects into place, activate Abyss mechanisms, and even gain vertical height when used mid-jump in later puzzles. Kept permanently after this quest.
Wings / Flight Ability
Unlocked after speaking to White Crow following the puzzle's completion. Press X (PlayStation) or A (Xbox) while falling from any height to deploy wings and glide. This fundamentally transforms exploration in Crimson Desert — Kliff can now safely traverse cliffs, skip platforming sections, and reach previously inaccessible areas. Stamina upgrades extend gliding duration and eventually allow sustained flight.
Chapter 2 Unlocked – Golden Greed
Completing Abyss Without Balance wraps up Chapter 1 – The First Encounter and opens Chapter 2 – Golden Greed, granting access to new story content, a significantly wider portion of the world of Pywel, and new side content.
Tips
- Always activate the Abyss Nexus pedestal in the main garden area the moment you arrive — it is easy to overlook, but it saves you from repeating the entire skybridge traversal if you fall later.
- For the alignment disk in Step 2: target the CENTER of the disk, not the outer ring. If the reticle won't attach to the center, reposition yourself and try again from a slightly different angle.
- When moving the power cell to the wall slot in Step 6, you do not need pixel-perfect alignment — get it approximately into position and then use Force Palm to slam it into place. The game is somewhat forgiving with object positioning.
- On PC, hold Ctrl and use the mouse scroll wheel to rotate held objects with finer control. On controller, use the D-pad for rotation.
- The Force Palm: Healing variant (required for Step 8) is a variant stance of Force Palm. Make sure you switch to it before targeting the wheel — using the wrong variant will not activate the mechanism.
- The recoil from Force Palm on the wheel in Step 8 is supposed to knock Kliff backwards. Do not panic — this confirms the puzzle is complete.
- PS5 players may experience visual issues in Quality/Balanced graphics mode in later Abyss puzzles (particularly with QTE indicators). If any Abyss mechanic becomes hard to see, switch to Performance Mode in the graphics settings.
About Abyss Without Balance
Abyss Without Balance (Quest #12) is the foundational Abyss tutorial that teaches Axiom Force and Force Palm — the two abilities used in virtually every Abyss puzzle for the rest of the game. The most commonly missed step is the final one: you must use the Force Palm: Healing variant (not standard Force Palm) to activate the large circular wheel. The recoil pushing Kliff backwards is intentional and confirms success. Always register the Abyss Nexus pedestal upon arriving at the garden area — it saves you from repeating the entire skybridge sequence if you fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I can't figure out how to activate the power supply in the final step. What am I doing wrong?
- The most common mistake is using the standard Force Palm instead of the Force Palm: Healing variant. You must switch to the Healing variant of Force Palm before targeting the large circular wheel. Aim at the very center of the wheel and release to launch — the recoil pushing Kliff back is normal and confirms the puzzle is complete.
- I fell off the platforms. Do I have to redo all the platforming?
- No — if you registered the Abyss Nexus fast-travel point in the main garden area (the round pedestal with a white ring), you can teleport directly back there. This is why activating Abyss Nexus points immediately upon finding them is critical.
- When do I unlock the wings/flight ability?
- Wings are unlocked after you collect the Abyss Artifact from the top of the puzzle area and then speak to White Crow, triggering the completion cutscene for Chapter 1. Deploy them mid-fall by pressing X (PlayStation) / A (Xbox).
- What is Axiom Force and how does it work?
- Axiom Force is Kliff's telekinesis-like ability that lets him grab, move, and rotate objects in the environment at a distance. Hold L3 (controller) or the designated PC key to activate it, point at a target object to attach the targeting reticle, and then use movement inputs to reposition the object. It is used in virtually every Abyss puzzle in the game.
- Is this quest required or optional?
- Abyss Without Balance is a required main story quest — it is the 12th mission in Chapter 1 and cannot be skipped. It also teaches the core mechanics (Axiom Force usage, Force Palm, and the Abyss Nexus system) used throughout the rest of the game.