What to know
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Hound’s Claws is a melee‑only abyss gear that triggers off your sprinting light attack, unleashing a wide, circular slash around you.
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It gives massive AoE damage and strong stagger, making it one of the best crowd‑clearing effects among the current abyss gears.
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The gear is tied to the Hound greatsword, which you unlock by progressing a Hernandian‑faction quest chain ending with a named boss fight.
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Once you obtain the Hound, you can socket Hound’s Claws into any compatible melee weapon to replicate the same AoE effect on different setups.
Hound’s Claws is an abyss gear‑locked, melee‑only skill that turns your sprinting light attack into one of the widest, highest‑damage AoE sweeps in Crimson Desert, making it ideal for wiping out groups in tight corridors or enemy camps. To get this insane AoE effect, you must first unlock the unique Hound greatsword through a specific faction‑quest chain in the Hernandian Parish of Solumen territory.
Hound’s Claws details
Where Hound’s Claws comes from
Hound’s Claws is not a standalone drop; it is bound to the Hound greatsword, a special two‑handed weapon obtained through a Hernandian Parish of Solumen faction quest. That quest chain starts in the Hernandian‑controlled regions of the map, specifically the Hernandian Highlands / Hernandian Parish of Solumen area, so you must first be far enough in the main story and reputation gates to access this faction.
Once the faction is available, head to the Hernandian church in that region.
A short quest‑giver interaction there will kick off a short chain that sends you to a besieged village in the Hernandian Highlands, where you must clear all enemy soldiers to reclaim the outpost and speak with the new NPCs. After that, the next objective points you toward a fort that houses the key relic and the final boss linked to the Hound and its abyss gear.
How to unlock the Hound greatsword (and Hound’s Claws)
Step 1: Unlock the Hernandian Parish of Solumen faction
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Reach the point in the main story where Hernandian‑controlled regions open up on the map.
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Travel to the Hernandian Parish of Solumen region and interact with the Hernandian church quest marker to start the faction quest line.
Step 2: Rescue the village in the Hernandian Highlands
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Follow the quest marker southwest/down‑map from the church into the Hernandian Highlands until you reach a village under attack.
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The quest will force a cutscene as you near the village, showing enemy forces occupying it.
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Climb the ledges or cliffs to reach the elevated village, then clear all enemy soldiers in the settlement.
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Once the area is secure, speak with the friendly NPCs that appear and complete the “Reliquary of Saint Senia”‑style objective to receive the next stage.
Step 3: Take the fort and defeat Hemon Beindel
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The next quest marker will send you to a fort holding the relic and the boss.
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Inside the fort, clear all standard enemies in the area to reduce pressure during the boss fight.
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The boss associated with the Hound is Hemon Beindel.
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Fight Hemon Beindel using your heaviest melee weapons, focusing on high‑damage finishers and heavy attacks to bring him down quickly.
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After the boss is slain, return to the quest‑giver or inspect the relic chest to receive the Hound greatsword as a reward.
Step 4: Extract and socket Hound’s Claws
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Once the Hound is in your inventory, inspect its abyss‑gear slot; the skill “Hound’s Claws” will appear attached to it.
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Use the abyss‑gear extraction system (gear‑prep or workshop menu) to extract Hound’s Claws from the Hound as a separate abyss‑gear cell.
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Equip your preferred melee weapon (e.g., another greatsword, spear, or one‑handed weapon) that has an open abyss‑gear socket.
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Socket Hound’s Claws into that weapon so that your sprinting light attack now triggers the same wide, circular AoE strike seen on the Hound.
How to use Hound’s Claws for maximum AoE damage
Triggering the skill correctly
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Swing your sprinting light attack (the standard sprint‑cancel light attack input for your weapon) instead of a normal sprinting heavy attack to activate Hound’s Claws.
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The game will respond with a larger, bloody arcing wave around you, visibly sweeping through all nearby enemies in a full circle.
Ideal positioning and timing
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Enter tight enemy groups (corridors, camps, and narrow valleys), then sprint directly into the densest cluster and immediately fire the sprinting light attack.
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Use this to stagger multiple enemies at once, softening them before following up with heavy attacks from the same or a different weapon.
Combos and synergies
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Pair Hound’s Claws with nature‑based skills or buffs (those that increase attack speed or damage on successive hits) so that the AoE has a follow‑up wave of damage.
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On long‑reach weapons like spears or greatswords, you can chain Hound’s Claws with turning‑slash or finisher abyss gears to create back‑to‑back AoE bursts.
Rewards and gear you unlock
Hound’s Claws stands out because it turns a basic sprinting light attack into a room‑clearing AoE sweep, which is far more mobile and faster than most heavy‑attack or finisher gears. It also has excellent synergy with high‑damage melee builds, letting you carve through groups while keeping your main damage output high. If you’re stacking abyss cores that boost dark or physical damage, Hound’s Claws becomes one of the most reliable ways to one‑turn a crowded ambush anywhere in the map.
