The world of Crimson Desert is treacherous, and filled with bosses both optional and mandatory to conquer. One of the first few bosses you will encounter during your stay in Pywel is the Hornsplitter, the current ruthless leader of the Goldleaves merchant guild.
Defeating him is not going to be an easy task however, given that Hornsplitter is the first real DPS and skill check in the game. You will need to be on the top of your form here, mastering counters and dodges while you whittle down his health.
Where To Find The Hornsplitter
You’ll come across the Hornsplitter as part of the main quest., near the Serkis Estate. Once you’ve reached there, walk up the hill and into the Goldleaf Guildhouse to trigger the fight. Be wary of enemies in the lower section.
How To Defeat Kailok, the Hornsplitter In Crimson Desert
Kailok is not going to be an easy boss to deal with. He stands in stark contrast to Matthias, the first, introductory boss in the game, and is no pushover. Unlike Matthias, the Hornsplitter is a lot more aggressive in his attacks, wielding a mysterious sword that can exude beams of corrosive energy.
Kailok usually does this in a 3 hit combo, which doesn’t appear to be interruptible. So keep your distance and time your parries just right.
When he begins his combo, it is imperative that you step out of the way. Roll around the arena using Jump + Dash (A + B on an Xbox styled controller) and time your movements just right. Failing to do so will take out a significant chunk of your health.
Once he stops, roll back and begin spamming combos. This is a safer approach, but a much slower and tedious one.
Be mindful of the camera too. Crimson Desert has a very weird camera positioning system, so make sure to face the enemy before spamming attacks. The arena is also quite small, so stay within it unless you want to trigger a timeout.
If you’re feeling a little adventurous, you can consider facing the Hornsplitter head on instead. Jump into close quarters combat, and parry just before the attack connects. Follow this with an immediate counterattack. Don’t go throwing in too many combos though, or you might leave yourself open to attacks. Strafe away and repeat until you whittle down his health to zero.
How To Prepare For The Fight
Your starter equipment should be mostly fine for the task, with the Grey Wolf Wooden Shield being particularly useful in those parry windows. The two handed greatsword, the Balton Longsword is also a fantastic weapon to have, even if it needs a bit more skill to wield.
Unlike other bosses in Crimson Desert, the Hornsplitter has only one phase, so there’s no real need to be stingy on healing items. It might be worth preparing a few Hearty meals in advance as well, which can be consumed to restore HP.
You can prepare these meals at a nearby Bonfire. Just make sure to have enough ingredients beforehand.
