How to beat the Excavatron in Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert, though not a soulslike in general, has no shortage of boss fights, many of which would put even Elden Ring to shame, not only in design but also in difficulty.

These challenging fights are everywhere in the game, and some are less fair than others. The Excavatron, a powerful enemy guarding a story-crucial location called Karin Quarry, is one of those almost unfair fights, but it still bleeds (or leaks oil at least) and can thus be put down, permanently.

So, if you’re struggling with this boss, here’s what you should do to take it out.

Karin Quarry Excavatron boss – tips, tricks, and weaknesses

The Excavatron is a powerful mechanical being with several immensely strong attacks that can shave off most of your HP if you’re not careful. Its pattern consists of a single drill attack where it stands and tries to bore a hole in your skull, another such attack but with two drills, a charge attack, and two unblockable strikes where it burrows into the ground and emerges underneath you, dealing massive damage.

One of these attacks is “special,” i.e., the Excavatron starts burrowing rapidly while your screen goes dark. It constantly goes up and down, trying to catch you off guard.

The best way to deal with this boss is to use the Turning Slash attack each time the Excavatron uses the drill attacks, since it becomes wide open and takes massive damage, both to its HP and to its poise bar. Whenever it walks up to you, simply dodge one away while it’s stuck in its animation, then use the window after it strikes to land a single Turning Slash before backing off.

You can repeat this constantly until the Excavatron starts drilling into the ground.

In that case, wait for it to come as close as you can—you’ll be able to see it burrowing through the ground as it approaches. Each time it makes a sound and throws sand up into the air is an actual hit, so try to sprint in the opposite direction or use dodges to roll constantly until the attack finishes. Once it’s back up, it’ll try to strike you with the drills several times, allowing you to spam Turning Slash attacks constantly.

If you run out of Spirit, you can use Focus to regain it. It slows everything down so the Excavatron won’t be able to get to you before your Spirit gauge is sufficiently restored. Turning Slash attacks need Spirit to be used, so restoring it in time is important.

On top of all of this, you should come prepared with at least three Palmar Pills, i.e., Respawn Pills, which you can discover throughout the world or craft at a witch’s abode. Note that witches are not unlocked for a while in the main story, but you can still find Palmar Pills by the roadside in places where Sealed Abyss Artifacts are sometimes located.

Graveyards of any kind also tend to spawn them, and a certain witch cave under the bridge near Hernand also has three of them, as well as the recipe needed to make them when the time comes.

With these, if the Excavatron takes you down, you can simply get back up and repeat the same pattern of dodging its melee drill attacks and striking with the Turning Slash. Eventually, its poise gauge will fill up, allowing you to land a Finisher Attack while also opening the Excavatron up to another Turning Slash hit.

Using Force Palm will also stagger it, so if you’ve got Spirit to spare, then combining that with Turning Slashes will turn this fight from a terrifying encounter into a relatively easy one.

Repeat enough times, and the thing will go down with relative ease.

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Crimson Desert has no shortage of activities to engage yourself in, and fishing can be one of the most lucrative ones at that. While it doesn’t take too long for you to unlock the ability to fish, this guide will still help you out with all the steps.

To fish in Crimson Desert, you’ll need a rod. You can also get better rods once you spend more hours on your adventure. But first, let’s look at the basics, which start with obtaining your first fishing rod.

How to get a fishing rod in Crimson Desert

Once you’ve cleared the first few pieces of content that basically act as an extended tutorial, you need to find a fishing village. Fishing villages are shown as boats on the map. If you’re wondering how the villages look on the map, refer to the image below. You can find several of them spread all around the map.

You’ll find a fishing vendor at a fishing village. You can obtain a fishing rod from them. Once you have your first rod, you can start to fish. Do note that not all fishing vendors might be selling the rod. If you don’t find it at one vendor, try out another, and you should come across the rod.

How to fish in Crimson Desert

This is the easier part. Once you’ve found your rod, head to a water body. Make sure that your fishing rod is equipped. Next, you have to cast the line. Be careful not to cast it over any debris. Wait for a few seconds for a fish to catch the lure.

Typically, you’ll hear three splashes before the fish bites the lure. Once it bites, press the hook button to catch the fish. But first, you’ll have to tire out the fish. If the fish goes left, use the LS button to move the rod right. If it’s moving right, then use the LS button to take your rod to the left. Then, press the reel-in button to catch the fish. Only try to reel in the fish after it has tired out.

You can also get better rods like the Fine Fishing Rod from the Greymane camp, which an NPC sells. Having better rods will allow you to get better catches, and some of them will be a great way to earn money.

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