Crimson Desert Chapter 5 “Black and White” Guide: Crowcaller Boss Walkthrough

Black and White is the second half of Chapter 5 in Crimson Desert, and it’s a turning point for two big reasons: it expands the story’s dungeon-and-boss momentum, and it pulls you into a Witch-focused system for upgrading gear using Abyss Gears. The chain introduces Elowen the Witch, then escalates into a multi-phase fight against Crowcaller—one of the chapter’s most demanding encounters. If you’re trying to rescue Elowen and push through to the next chapter, here’s a walkthrough-style breakdown of every step, puzzle, and combat check you’ll run into.

Checklists

At a glance, here’s the full set of walkthrough segments tied to this Chapter 5 quest chain. If you’re stuck, jump to the section that matches where you are.

• The Missing Seal Walkthrough
• Witch of Wisdom Walkthrough
  • Azure Moon Labyrinth Ruins
• Crowcaller Walkthrough
• The Crow’s Warning Walkthrough
• Secret at the Church Walkthrough
  • Secret at the Church Tile Puzzle Solution
  • Pillar of Radiance Puzzle Solution
• Toward the Nest Walkthrough
  • Spire of Soaring Puzzle Solution
  • How to Activate the Skybridge
  • How to Defeat Crowcaller at the Crow’s Nest

The Missing Seal Walkthrough

The Missing Seal is the opening quest in this Chapter 5 chain. After you defeat Kearush and speak with Damiane, the magic sealing White Crow’s letter will fade away.

Open your inventory and read the Unsealed Letter. It’s located in the purple Key Items section at the top of the inventory screen.

Reading the letter grants you a Diamond, a False Starwort, and a blueprint that unlocks crafting for the Haste Abyss Gear. Be sure to read the crafting blueprint too—otherwise the recipe won’t be available.

Before the main story can progress, you must complete a faction side quest called Witch of Wisdom. This quest introduces Elowen, a Witch who lives in the Witchwoods near Hernand Town. You can find it in your journal under Faction Quests > Witches.

Witch of Wisdom Walkthrough

To start Witch of Wisdom, travel west of the Hernand Highlands and enter the Witchwoods. You’ll spot a group of bandits discussing a plan outside an abandoned house.

On the road in front of the house, collect a Sealed Abyss Artifact.

Defeat the bandits, then use Blinding Flash to remove the vines blocking the house.

To get inside and rescue the person within, climb up into the broken section of the roof.

Then drop down and untie Tanya, the woman inside. There’s also an Abyss Artifact on the table beside her.

Afterward, Tanya shares the location of Elowen’s hiding place. It’s in the center of the Witchwoods, a short ride to the northwest of the house you just cleared.

Go there (and remember to activate the Abyss Nexus near Elowen’s home). Speak to Elowen and select “Listen to Request” to complete the quest.

While you’re interacting with Elowen (or other Witches), you can embed your equipment with Abyss Gears. These are powerful additions that can raise weapon stats or grant entirely new abilities.

While you’re in the area, it’s also a good moment to check out the Azure Moon Labyrinth Ruins. They sit east of Elowen’s house in the Witchwoods.

Enter the ruins through a hatch inside a wooden shack at Phoniel Ranch. Expect bandits throughout the area, so prepare for a fight.

Crowcaller Walkthrough

Once the Witch detour is handled, return to Hernand to track down Crowcaller. Fast travel back to Hernand Town and head toward the castle. Near the interior gate, some Hernand guards will be arguing loudly. Approach them and offer your help.

You’ll learn there’s an invader wreaking havoc inside the castle, but the guards can’t locate him. Head in and investigate on your own.

Your target is the same door you used with the Mystical Key back in Chapter 2. Enter the castle hall and turn right.

Go through that door, take the stairs, and once you reach the second floor, enter the stone archway on your right.

Immediately after passing through the archway into the next hall, the intruder will be through the door on your left. In front of that door, you’ll see feathers circling on the floor.

To reach the next area, enter the Abyss using the gateway in the wall and make your way to the Axiom Archive.

As you approach the tower, Crow Brothers ambush you. They’re quick and awkward to hit, and their axes land hard—so keep healing items ready and don’t let them swarm you.

After defeating them, enter the tower to reunite with Alustin. Things in the Abyss are getting worse, and he sends you to investigate the mysterious “Crow” behind the attack.

The Crow’s Warning Walkthrough

The chapter then moves on to The Crow’s Warning, which sends you back down to Hernand to continue hunting Crowcaller.

After the cutscene with Alustin, you can drop directly to your destination from the Abyss. Your next stop is Muckroot Ranch, which is almost directly below the Axiom Archive’s position in the sky.

When you reach the marked spot, a cutscene plays and Crowcaller reveals himself. He clearly has an issue with Kliff, but he isn’t ready to fight immediately—so he sends his Crow Brothers after you instead.

These enemies are the same ones you fought at the Axiom Archive, so your earlier strategies still apply. The upside is that there are fewer of them on the surface.

Clear the area, and if you need healing meals, you can use the cooking pot by the house. Once the area is wiped out, the quest ends.

Bloodwind Walkthrough

Bloodwind begins right after you defeat the Crow Brothers at Muckroot Ranch. This quest pushes you into Demeniss to chase the feathered man.

If you haven’t explored much of the eastern side of the map, expect to cross a large region of unfamiliar territory. Demeniss is also full of hostile soldiers patrolling roads and farms, so you’ll need to ride past them quickly on your horse to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Along the way you’ll find plenty to do, but these are the key activities worth checking if you want optional content:

• Golden Plains Ruins Puzzle
• Karin Quarry
• Sealed Abyss Artifacts

If you’d rather keep the focus strictly on the main story, you can jump ahead to the Crowcaller fight section.

Sealed Abyss Artifacts

As soon as you cross the river into Demeniss, you can pick up several Sealed Abyss Artifacts by following the road.

Sword of Trials V

The first artifact is across the river, east of the Goldleaf Trading Post.

Harmonious Hooves I

The next one is up the road to the north, just past the Reventine Winery.

Sharpened Spear IV

From there, head east toward Flame Knight’s Castle. You’ll find one more Sealed Abyss Artifact before reaching your main quest objective.

After that, clear the Flame Knight’s Castle stronghold to grab a fire-infused shield and a new sword—if you’re willing to take on the challenge.

How to Defeat the Crowcaller

At the Church of West Demeniss, Crow Brothers attack you again. Once they’re taken down, it becomes a direct duel with Crowcaller.

This Crowcaller encounter is a single phase, but it’s not the last time you’ll face him. Treat this as your warm-up: learn his rhythm and move set so later fights feel fairer.

Crowcaller is a slippery opponent who teleports around the arena to throw you off. He fights with twin swords that drain stamina when blocking, and they also deal chip damage through your shield. Make sure you have a lot of food.

He’ll frequently dodge your attacks using flips and twirls, so a reactive approach is your best bet. Let him commit, then parry or dodge to create an opening.

During this early encounter, Crowcaller keeps things relatively straightforward with basic slash combos. More complicated tricks arrive later in the chapter, so focus on mastering the parry/dodge timing for his twin sword string—this will help heavily in your upcoming rematch.

After you win, Crowcaller retreats, setting up an even more punishing fight later.

Secret at the Church Walkthrough

After Crowcaller is defeated, the Secret at the Church quest begins. To finish it, you need to gather information at the orphanage nearby.

Sealed Abyss Artifact Alert!

Before moving on, leave the cemetery through the eastern gate and look a few meters down the path to find a Sealed Abyss Artifact.

Harmonious Hooves VI Sealed Abyss Artifact

Next, head to the orphanage by the church. There isn’t much to see, but there’s a notice board in the courtyard that you can examine. If your minimap shows a purple indicator, that’s your sign there’s new information to uncover.

After checking the notice board, enter the home across the courtyard to meet Abbess Marina.

She sends you to retrieve a relic back at the Church of West Demeniss. Return to the church, then go to the small stone shed on the southern side of the main building.

Use the ladder to descend to the lower level. You’ll need to solve a strongbox puzzle to obtain the relic. There’s also a Palmar Pill on the shelf to the left of the strongbox.

Secret at the Church Tile Puzzle Solution

To solve the tile puzzle and claim the church’s relic, you must light up all nine tiles at the same time.

You can brute-force it by pressing tiles randomly until the box opens, but if you want the fastest sequence, press the tiles in this order:

1. Top Left
2. Bottom Right
3. Bottom Left
4. Top Right

Inside the strongbox is the Dagger of Radiance. It isn’t a usable weapon, but you’ll need it to continue the quest.

Carry the Dagger of Radiance to the Pillar of Radius north of the church. Place the dagger into the pedestal to trigger another puzzle.

Pillar of Radiance Puzzle Solution

To activate the Pillar of Radiance, align each of the metal rings on the pedestal. You can swap between rings freely, and they each move independently—no shortcuts or trick mechanics here.

When the puzzle is solved, the rings should form an image of an eye with a dagger pointed downward.

Toward the Nest Walkthrough

With the Pillar of Radiance puzzle completed, your next quest is Toward the Nest. This sends you to the Spire of Soaring, which leads you toward Crowcaller’s nest in the Abyss.

The Spire of Soaring is north. After you activate the Pillar of Radiance, you can spot it above the horizon. Once you arrive, you’ll find the front door blocked.

Spire of Soaring Puzzle Solution

Good news: there’s an alternate entrance through a cave beneath the tower. Climb down the rocky cliff to the right of the front entrance to find the underground route into the Spire of Soaring.

Inside the lower level, you’ll see a massive fan pushing air upward. Glide into the airflow and ride the updraft as high as you can.

Eventually you’ll hit your head on a floating platform. That platform acts like an elevator to the spire’s peak, but it requires power first.

Shine your lantern to locate power cables running through circular pads on the wall. Restore power to the elevator by using Axiom Force to grab and rotate each pad so the blue power line connects to both bottom corners.

After the wiring looks like the intended solution, the elevator activates. It only lifts you a short distance.

At the next stop, there’s a large wheel mounted on the wall. Use Axiom Force to rotate the wheel so the T-shaped power line points downward.

Then ride the elevator to the top of the Spire of Soaring. It pauses briefly while the roof opens—if you think you’re stuck, just wait in place.

After that, the elevator floats upward into the Abyss, taking you to the next area.

Enjoy the view—you’ve earned it.

How to Activate the Skybridge

In the Abyss, your next job is to activate the Skybridge so you can reach Crowcaller’s nest ahead. Look around and you’ll see blue laser beams firing across the floating island.

Remember to activate the Abyss Nexus so you can quickly return to the Crescent Skybridge if you need another attempt.

The puzzle requires delivering power to the far side of the floating island by firing those lasers into square power pads. The lasers are already shooting in the right directions, but they’re slightly misaligned.

Laser #1 and Laser #2

The first laser is attached to the stone orb in front of you when you first arrive at the Crescent Skybridge. It’s already aligned correctly and acts as a reference.

A second laser sits directly above it, and that one is already fixed in place as well.

Laser #3

The third laser is up above to your right. Jump for height, use Force Palm to gain extra elevation, then climb to the top using your remaining stamina.

Use Axiom Force to grab the control pad in the center of the stone orb, then align the laser with the square pad across the gap. When it activates, the laser will turn blue.

Laser #4

The fourth laser is on the left side opposite the third one. Glide over and guide it into the proper position using Axiom Force.

If everything is aligned correctly, all four large floating rings begin spinning and glowing blue, indicating power has been delivered by the lasers.

Connecting the Wires

With all four lasers aligned, glide to the far side of the Skybridge where the square power pads are located.

To fully energize the Skybridge, you must reconnect two broken wires. The first is in the center of the Skybridge, right where the middle laser points.

The second broken wire is on the right side of the Skybridge near some thin trees.

Reconnect both wires, and the Skybridge’s power wheel comes online. Climb to the wheel’s center and strike it with Force Palm to restore the Abyss.

You’ll be rewarded with an Abyss Artifact. Climb past the power wheel, then grab it.

After collecting the artifact, move forward through the triangular gate ahead. Beyond it is a stone pedestal.

Use Axiom Force to grab the pedestal’s center and rotate the hand until you find the correct sweet spot that powers the Skybridge.

A path forms that lets you cross the gap into the boss arena. Use the updraft from the spinning fans to gain height, then glide to the tree at the path’s end.

Step onto the blue transporter next to the tree to warp to Crowcaller’s nest.

Don’t forget to activate the Abyss Nexus in front of the arena. You may want to leave, upgrade your gear, and this Abyss Nexus makes retries far easier.

At the nest, Crowcaller will summon one final wave of Crow Brothers for you to defeat before he faces you for real.

How to Defeat Crowcaller at the Crow’s Nest

Crowcaller now has three full phases, and his moveset is noticeably expanded compared to the earlier encounter. The core rules remain the same, though: he darts around the arena, dodges with flips and dashes, and his twin swords rapidly drain stamina while also dealing chip damage through your shield. Bring plenty of food.

The best way to beat him here is to stay defensive. Try to parry his combos (they become more repetitive as you learn them), then strike only after he whiffs. If you rush him, he’ll simply back out and make the fight harder.

Phase One

Phase one is close to the previous battle with Crowcaller, but with a few adjustments. His red slash combo from the earlier fight remains, and for most of this phase it’s basically all he uses.

That said, he’s more evasive in phase one, so landing hits will take patience.

He introduces one new move here: Aerial Roll. When Crowcaller crosses his swords, he leaps into the air, performs a quick aerial dash, then dives straight toward you.

To avoid it, dodge as soon as he turns to face you after the air dash. He’s vulnerable after landing, so punish immediately.

If you haven’t unlocked Aerial Roll yet, your dodge timing can be thrown off by the learning mechanic: the screen darkens and time slows until you’ve observed the attack.

Best Skills to Defeat Crowcaller

Because Crowcaller runs away so often, you need to exploit short damage windows. Use sword skills like Stab (R2 + Triangle) or Spinning Slash (R2 + X) to close distance, then finish with a grapple move such as Lariat (Square + X).

Frequent use of grapples, along with unarmed strikes using the Triangle/Y input, builds Crowcaller’s stagger meter. When he’s staggered, you can land several standard attacks, then follow with a finisher to maximize damage.

If you still have Abyss Artifacts available, unlocking Turning Slash Proficiency is strongly recommended. It allows a Turning Slash (R1 + R2) right after using any sword skill (like Stab or Spinning Slash) while skipping the slow charging startup entirely. The result is a heavy burst of damage on the boss.

Also consider raising your Spirit. Crowcaller can be stunned with Force Palm and related follow-ups. Landing Force Palm boosts his stagger meter and slows him down, making parries easier to land.

Focused Insight is another useful pick. In Focus mode, it instantly counters incoming attacks, which gives you quick, free openings to strike.

Phase Two

Once you drain Crowcaller’s first health bar, phase two begins, and it’s the toughest part of the fight. After the transition cutscene, hold block—Crowcaller immediately starts attacking with a red slash combo as his final dialogue line finishes.

He becomes more aggressive in phase two. His red slash strings extend, and instead of just evading away from you, he dodges around you. He still uses his bird dash to create distance, but now it’s also part of how he pressures you—stay alert.

He also performs Aerial Roll twice in a row. Don’t counter after the first dive. Wait for the second landing before you commit.

Aerial Roll happens much more frequently in phase two, and it’s especially annoying when combined with a disorienting camera and the slanted arena terrain. Don’t let particle effects and random birds confuse your reads.

Again, Force Palm helps. It can slow Crowcaller so you can land hits. If you stock up on Spirit-replenishing food, you’ll be able to exploit this weakness repeatedly.

If you’re planning to spend Palmar Pills during the fight, phase two is the right moment. Your odds improve substantially if you can reach phase three—but phase three is still not a guaranteed win.

Phase Three

In the final phase, Crowcaller ramps up his aggression again and adds new attacks. First, his red slash combos become even longer than before. Keep your shield up and try to parry when he closes the gap.

Aerial Roll expands yet again here: three full jumps before Crowcaller finally settles down. He remains most vulnerable after landing from Aerial Roll, so wait for the lull and then hit him with your strongest options.

Don’t get too greedy. Crowcaller has a one-hit-kill grapple attack that can be hard to react to if you aren’t watching carefully. There isn’t a clearly readable startup animation, but there is a red flash like other unblockable attacks. If you see the flash, get away immediately.

He also uses a new fake-out. He charges up and jumps into the air, but instead of finishing the full Aerial Roll, he backflips and slashes at you with both swords. Monitor his body and animation cues closely so you don’t get caught by the surprise.

Finally, he gains an attack where he sheaths his swords, then slashes through you and repeats the process from the opposite side. This has a long wind-up, so be ready to roll out when you see it.

Beyond those additions, phase three is more of the same: dual-sword pressure, spacing to break your rhythm, and periodic Aerial Rolls. With enough food, you should be able to defeat him after several attempts.

When Crowcaller falls, you’ll complete the quest and finish Chapter 5.

Rewards for the boss fight include Blackwing Leather Armor and Blackwing Mask, plus the Tauria Curved Sword. The sword has a unique Abyss Gear that fires crows after every heavy attack. If you prefer a different sword, you can extract this Abyss Gear and place it onto your favorite weapon.

Up Next: Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield

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