How to beat Hornsplitter in Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert Hornsplitter — (Image credit: Pearl Abyss)

Defeating Hornsplitter is your first proper combat trial in Crimson Desert. Up to this point, you've likely been thinking that the combat was easy, as you cut through wave after wave of barely capable bandits, not even having to think about using your skills.

Hornsplitter is the first real foe, and while some of you will easily brutalise him, it can be a challenge if you haven't engaged properly with the combat or skill system yet. So, here are some tips to beat the Goldleaf leader and complete Chapter 2.

How to defeat Kailok the Hornsplitter in Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert Hornsplitter fighting Kliff — (Image credit: Pearl Abyss)

Hornsplitter is the first real combat test in Crimson Desert, considering most bandits up to this point are complete pushovers. It's also unlikely that you've been to battle Marnie's Excavatron yet, so this is probably your first boss.

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Here are some tips to triumph:

Use a sword and shield: Though you might've picked up a claymore and a fancy spear on your travels, this is a fight that benefits from having a stamina-efficient method of blocking attacks, especially his wind waves that he fires out. Remember to hold CTRL (LB on controller to lock on and block), and then Caps Lock (or down on the D-pad on controller) to fix him as the sole target.
Respec to get more stamina and health if you're struggling: Stamina is super important in bosses since it impacts your ability to block and attack. If you find you're getting completely overwhelmed, maybe take fewer fancy skills that might not be useful, and put more Abyss Artifacts into the fundamentals of staying alive.
Parry his attacks: Using a shield lets you more safely parry his attacks by blocking just as he hits you. This will make a clang noise and create a little green echo effect on your enemy. This gives you an opportunity to hit him a few times.
Dodge or circle to avoid his wind waves: Hornsplitter frequently throws out wind shockwaves with his sword, but you can avoid most of them simply by circling him. Any you can't avoid, use your shield to block, but remember to lower your shield again to recoup stamina in between his waves, so you can survive his longer combos.
Use Force Palm: This will stun Hornsplitter, but in particular, the three-hit combo you get at Force Palm Level 3 will basically knock him off his feet and give you a nice damage window to take advantage of. It also does a lot of stun buildup to him.
Make sure to use a finisher on him: As you attack Hornsplitter, the yellow bar underneath his health will build. When it hits full, he'll be stunned for a short period, letting you attack, but also perform a finisher when you get close with left click and right click. I'd suggest attacking a bit first, as the window is quite long, and then hitting him with a finisher.
Equip some food in your consumables wheel: One of the best ways to quickly beat Hornsplitter is to bring lots of healing food items. If you haven't equipped any food via your consumable wheel before, hold F3 (Right D-pad on controller) and move the arrow over the food. This will let you consume it using F3 or right on the D-pad even while fighting.

Altogether this should let you defeat Hornsplitter and get his Sword of the Lord weapon, which also fires out wind shockwaves on certain attacks. And with that, you've finished Chapter 2.

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

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