Crimson Desert Abyss Without Balance Puzzle - Complete Guide

The Abyss Without Balance is one of the earliest major puzzles you'll encounter in Crimson Desert, appearing as the 12th main quest in the campaign. While the platforming section is relatively straightforward, many players find themselves stuck at the final puzzle mechanics—particularly when it comes to activating the circular power supply mechanism. This guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you unlock the crucial abilities and progress smoothly through Chapter 1.

Starting the Abyss Without Balance Quest

The Abyss Without Balance quest triggers automatically after completing the Polar Opposites main quest. You'll find yourself outside the Axiom Archive building in the Hernand region, ready to embark on your first true Abyss exploration.

As you approach the triangular gateway ahead, you'll notice an alignment device—a glowing pillar with a rotating dial. This is your introduction to the Axiom Force mechanic that will be crucial throughout this quest.

Using Axiom Force to Create the Skybridge

To proceed:

1. Approach the alignment device and look for the glowing dial mechanism
2. Activate Axiom Force by pressing Tab (PC) or L3/Left Stick (Controller)
3. Rotate the dial using your mouse or D-Pad until you hear a distinct click or feel controller vibration
4. Once locked into position, a skybridge will materialize, creating your path into the Abyss

Mastering Precision Jumping

Before tackling the platforming section, you need to understand Crimson Desert's precision jump mechanic. The standard jump in this game is deliberately short and imprecise, but the precision jump system allows for accurate, targeted leaps across the floating platforms.

How to Execute a Precision Jump

Navigating the Platforming Section

After forming the skybridge, you'll face a series of platforming challenges. While this section is mostly linear, a few spots can be tricky:

Key Platforming Tips

• Wait for Moving Platforms: Several platforms slowly travel across gaps. If you see what looks like a dead end, wait up to a minute—a platform is likely on its way to you.
• Use Climbing: For ledges that seem too high, run toward them, jump, and press Space (PC) to grab and climb. Most surfaces in Crimson Desert are climbable.
• Stand in the Center: When on moving platforms, position yourself in the middle to avoid accidentally rolling off the edges.
• Take Your Time: There's no timer or penalty for going slowly. Rushed jumps are the main cause of death in this section.

Continue through the platforming until you reach a larger floating island known as the Ethereal Pathway. You'll recognize it by the ancient machinery, circular arrangement of trees, and a central pit—this is where the actual Abyss Without Balance puzzle begins.

Puzzle Step 1: Moving the Power Core

Your first objective in the puzzle area is to "Move the floating power core to the deactivated lantern." Here's how to solve this step:

1. Locate the Power Core: Look for a glowing blue cube hovering in the center of the area
2. Find the Lantern Structure: On the right side, you'll see a cube-shaped structure with square openings on each face
3. Activate Axiom Force: Press Tab (PC) or L3 (Controller) and aim at the blue power core
4. Guide the Core: Walk slowly toward the lantern structure while maintaining your grip on the core
5. Auto-Snap: Once you get close enough, an animation will trigger and the core will lock into place automatically

Successfully placing the power core removes an invisible barrier in the floor, causing you to drop into the lower section of the puzzle area. Don't worry—this is intentional and part of the puzzle progression.

Puzzle Step 2: Learning Force Palm

Now in the lower pit area, you need to learn a new ability called Force Palm. This ability is essential not just for this puzzle, but throughout your entire Crimson Desert journey.

How to Learn Force Palm

1. Look for the Ghost Silhouette: Search for a translucent, child-like hologram figure standing near the wall slot area with three sparking batteries
2. Approach and Observe: Walk up to the ghost and press Ctrl (PC) or L1/LB (Controller)
3. Wait for Learning to Complete: You'll see "Learning in Progress" appear at the top-left of your screen

Puzzle Step 3: Combining the Abyss Cell

With Force Palm learned, you can now complete the next puzzle objective: "Combine the Abyss Cell."

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Find the Abyss Cell: Look for another floating blue square object in the lower pit area
2. Grab with Axiom Force: Use Tab (PC) or L3 (Controller) to grab the cell
3. Locate the Wall Slot: Bring the cell toward the wall slot near the three sparking batteries
4. Rotate the Cell: Use your controls to orient the cell properly:
   • PC: Mouse scroll wheel (or Ctrl + Scroll for fine adjustments)
   • Controller: D-Pad buttons
5. Position the Cell: The flat side should face you, positioned roughly in front of the slot
6. Apply Force Palm: Step back a few paces, then hold Middle Mouse Button (PC) or R3/Right Stick (Controller) to charge Force Palm
7. Punch It In: Release to slam the Abyss Cell into the wall slot

When successfully completed, the wall will illuminate, the large circular mechanism above you will begin glowing, and you'll hear activation sounds. The puzzle is almost complete—but there's one more crucial step that trips up most players.

Puzzle Step 4: Activating the Power Supply (The Tricky Part)

This is where most players get stuck. Your objective updates to "Activate the Abyss power supply," but the solution is far from obvious. Here's the complete walkthrough:

The Complete Solution

1. Climb Out of the Pit
   • Face the pillars directly in front of you (the ones near where you punched the cell in)
   • Run and jump toward them, then press Space (PC) to grab and climb
   • Pull yourself up to exit the lower pit area
2. Navigate to the Circular Device
   • Look for the large glowing wheel mechanism in the center of the room
   • This is now actively spinning and emitting yellow light
   • Jump onto the circular device
3. Position Yourself in the Center
   • Carefully position yourself as close to the middle of the spinning wheel as possible
   • You can hang onto the device—you don't need to stand on it
4. Use Force Palm on the Center
   • While hanging or standing in the middle, activate Force Palm
   • Hold Middle Mouse (PC) or R3 (Controller)
   • Aim toward the center mechanism and release
5. Don't Panic When You Fall!
   • The recoil from Force Palm will blast you back into the pit below
   • This is completely normal and intended
   • The circular device will shift from yellow to blue light
   • A cutscene will show a glowing cube spawning at the very top of the structure
6. Climb Back Up One Final Time
   • Use the same pillars to climb out of the pit again
   • Navigate toward the top of the structure where the animation showed the cube
   • Collect the Abyss Artifact (it may magnetize toward you as you get close)
7. Complete the Quest
   • After grabbing the artifact, a cutscene plays
   • You'll respawn at the beginning of the puzzle area
   • Turn around immediately—don't wander forward
   • Talk to White Crow, the NPC standing right behind you
   • This triggers the final cutscene and completes the Abyss Without Balance quest

Quest Rewards: What You Unlock

Completing the Abyss Without Balance quest grants you several extremely valuable rewards that fundamentally change how you play Crimson Desert:

Frequently Asked Questions