TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 2,013
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Find the locked room in the castle and access the building in the Abyss.
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The Mystical Key and Polar Opposites quests come immediately after each other in Crimson Desert. You will have just won an arm wrestling match in Hernand tavern and helped some random villagers clean their chimney. Now, though, you have to take a mysterious key and use it to unlock a room in Hernand Castle.
After that, you'll have to use the Axiom Force ability to move some dials and complete a circuit. All that said, here's how to finish both quests so you can keep progressing through Chapter 1.
After you help the villagers clean the chimney, you'll start the Mystical Key quest. First off, you need to examine the Engraved Key you just got, so find it in your inventory, interact to bring it out, then hold CTRL (LB on controller) to have a look at it. Now, you need to enter Hernand Castle, so simply equip the Hernandian Attire you got from the last quest, and approach either gate.
To find the door that the key unlocks, watch the clip above, or follow these steps:
Make sure to loot the chest in the room to get a Faded Abyss Artifact (which lets you respec) and then enter the portal to the Abyss.
Now you're in the Abyss, you'll be directed to "activate the Abyss Nexus" which you do by stepping on the pad directly in front of you—these are fast travel points, so you'll be doing this a lot in the game. Take the cobbled path towards the building directly ahead and you'll be greeted by a friendly white crow who gives you the Axiom Force ability.
Press and hold tab (or L3 on controller) to aim Axiom Force and let go to attach it to the discs on the floor (as in the video above). Now use the inputs listed in the bottom right to push and pull to align them so the circuit of blue light can pass through. This will open the door, letting you head inside. After that, all you have to do is complete the Abyss Without Balance quest to finish off Chapter 1.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Crimson Desert characters: Unlock eachCrimson Desert respec: Swap your skillsHow to steal in Crimson Desert: Pilfer some lootHow to get pets in Crimson Desert: Furry friendsHow to tame horses in Crimson Desert: Mount upHow to fast travel in Crimson Desert: Going places
Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
The Mystical Key and Polar Opposites quests come immediately after each other in Crimson Desert. You will have just won an arm wrestling match in Hernand tavern and helped some random villagers clean their chimney. Now, though, you have to take a mysterious key and use it to unlock a room in Hernand Castle.
After that, you'll have to use the Axiom Force ability to move some dials and complete a circuit. All that said, here's how to finish both quests so you can keep progressing through Chapter 1.
After you help the villagers clean the chimney, you'll start the Mystical Key quest. First off, you need to examine the Engraved Key you just got, so find it in your inventory, interact to bring it out, then hold CTRL (LB on controller) to have a look at it. Now, you need to enter Hernand Castle, so simply equip the Hernandian Attire you got from the last quest, and approach either gate.
To find the door that the key unlocks, watch the clip above, or follow these steps:
Make sure to loot the chest in the room to get a Faded Abyss Artifact (which lets you respec) and then enter the portal to the Abyss.
Now you're in the Abyss, you'll be directed to "activate the Abyss Nexus" which you do by stepping on the pad directly in front of you—these are fast travel points, so you'll be doing this a lot in the game. Take the cobbled path towards the building directly ahead and you'll be greeted by a friendly white crow who gives you the Axiom Force ability.
Press and hold tab (or L3 on controller) to aim Axiom Force and let go to attach it to the discs on the floor (as in the video above). Now use the inputs listed in the bottom right to push and pull to align them so the circuit of blue light can pass through. This will open the door, letting you head inside. After that, all you have to do is complete the Abyss Without Balance quest to finish off Chapter 1.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Crimson Desert characters: Unlock eachCrimson Desert respec: Swap your skillsHow to steal in Crimson Desert: Pilfer some lootHow to get pets in Crimson Desert: Furry friendsHow to tame horses in Crimson Desert: Mount upHow to fast travel in Crimson Desert: Going places
Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?