How to beat the Reed Devil in Crimson Desert

One of the first big bosses in Crimson Desert is the Devil of the Reed Field, and he is a doozy if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.

How do you beat the Reed Devil? You would be forgiven for settling into a rather relaxed routine when playing Crimson Desert; fishing, doing little archery contests, and taking in the sights are all in a day's work for Kliff. Eventually, though, death comes for you and yours, and you have to step up and fight the Reed Devil.

You first get the hint of something supernatural when you enter Glenbright Manor, on the search for your comrades. Things are a lot quieter there for reasons you'll see immediately, and a chase breaks out as you attempt to apprehend the Crimson Desert Reed Devil. Before you attempt to defeat this mysterious figure, preparation is needed, and some important information could save you a lot of time and frustration.

Defeating the Reed Devil

First things first: you need to catch up with the Reed Devil. Use your lantern to see the direction of his escape, and follow it to some cliffs. It's at this point that you'll be ambushed by a bunch of the Reed Devil's henchmen - these ambushes continue constantly as you make your way up the cliffs towards the reed fields.

These enemies will continue to spawn until the nearby scarecrow is destroyed. Regular attacks work, but we found that charging up a special attack worked best, as it destroys the effigies in one go.

Try not to fight these mobs for too long, as it's likely to whittle down your food reserves, which will be sorely needed for the upcoming boss fight. You can skip these fights altogether by skirting the edge of the road, or by simply running past the enemies - this is, in our opinion, the best strategy.

Once you reach the picturesque reed fields, the real fight begins. There is a cooking pot near the tree where the fight starts, if you need to prepare some food. Once you're ready, approach the map marker to begin the boss fight.

Reed Devil phase one

Straight off the bat, it's worth knowing that there are three phases to this fight. The first phase sets the tone - the Reed Devil is aggressive, can teleport, and doesn't stand still for long enough to deal sustained damage. The first phase sees the boss stand still after his flurries, as he re-sheathes his sword. Parry if you can, but you can whittle him down by blocking and attacking when the opportunity arises.

Reed Devil phase two

Once the Reed Devil's first health bar has been depleted, he creates a bunch of clones. This phase can be ticked off fairly quickly, but it will punish you if you hesitate. This phase mirrors the initial run to the boss fight, as several scarecrows appear in the arena that must be destroyed to get rid of the ultra-aggressive mobs.

Run and dodge from scarecrow to scarecrow - don't bother even attempting to fight the Reed Devil clones. Once all five of the scarecrow effigies have been dealt with, it's back to a one-on-one fight.

Reed Devil phase three

The third phase of the Reed Devil plays similarly to the first, only more so. He is faster and more aggressive, and he adds a couple of ranged attacks to his repertoire. Keep that block held high, and parry whenever you can to build up his break bar - you can perform a finisher should you fill it up, otherwise keep chipping away, and hope you brought enough food to stay healthy.

If you aren't an expert at parrying, you can win this battle of attrition with enough healing items and a positive attitude. If you are struggling, you can always exit the fight and return later, after doing some odd jobs around town and completing puzzles like the Dragon's Stone Chamber to get some extra skill points. You've got this.