Where To Find and Farm Aeserion's Scales In Crimson Desert: The Shackled God Quest

Aeserion's Scales are a key late-game gear upgrade resource in Crimson Desert. There is, however, only one location you can find them which opens up once you complete a quest chain. Full details about both are below, with spoiler tags used in the first section to avoid any potential issues.

This guide will also walk you through the The Shackled God quest, which is linked to the farming of Aeserion's Scales.

Note: You can collect the Aeserion's Scales before doing the Shackled God quest, though it's made harder by the lightning, etc. If you want to, skip straight to the farming section.

Where to Find Aeserion: Serpent Shrine Location

Aeserion the Great Serpent is a godlike creature imprisoned in Pywel by the Ancients. Head to the Serpent Shrine (near Three Brothers' Cliff), located at the southwestern tip of the Delesyia region. When you arrive at the clifftop, you'll see groups of people on the cliffs casting spells onto the island.

Jump and glide from the cliffside to reach the shrine below. You'll see the serpent load in as you get close. Once you land, step on the altar marked on your map, as shown above. Aeserion will then reveal the existence of three Ancients you must defeat: Priscus, Praevus, and Primus. This kicks off the Shackled God faction quest chain. From here, you need to defeat the three to advance the quest.

Pro Tip: Track all three Ancient locations under Journal → Faction Quests → Delesyia → Aeserion the Great Serpent. Their map markers stay active as long as the quest is being tracked.

All three Ancients are airborne fighters. Unlocking Focused Shot and Nature's Snare before engaging any of them will make each fight significantly more manageable.

The Shackled God Quest: The Three Ancients

Note on spoilers: If you are not on this quest, it's very spoiler-heavy, and to keep the guide clean we won't be spoiler-tagging the entire thing.

Primus the Ancient location

Location: Arrowhead Rock, located just north of Serpent Shrine, making him the closest of the three.

Primus is the most straightforward fight of the trio. His Tempest ultimate summons dust clouds and tornadoes that deal area damage, but he telegraphs his abilities and leaves room to reposition.

Reward: Ancient Ring - Ancient Reckoning (Abyss Gear) - Sage's Eye (quest item) - Abyss Artifact.

Priscus the Ancient location

Location: Spire of Ringing Truth, located west of Pailune, and found west of the area between the "P" and "A" in Pailune, but before you reach the Upper Nas River. Once you get to the location, you need to get into the basement of the tower. To do this, climb to the top, either via the outside or inside, by climbing up the "puzzle". Once you reach the top, attack the wooden board above the bell to make it drop, breaking the floor.

His moveset mirrors Primus: multi-projectile spells, a dive bomb, and quake-type ground abilities.

Note: This location is also an Abyss Travel network and can lead you to unlocking Flame Strike and Frost Mantle elemental spells.

Reward: Blessing of the Immortal (quest item) - Ancient's Necklace - Ancient Retribution (Abyss Gear) - Abyss Artifact.

Praevus the Ancient location

Location: Abyss Debris, located in the Crimson Desert, you'll find it to the west of the "T" in Tashkalp on your map.

Pro Tip: You must have fire resistance gear before fighting Praevus.

Praevus is the hardest fight by a clear margin. The Abyss Debris arena has scorching ambient temperatures, and all of his abilities carry fire damage on top of the base moveset his counterparts use. Kliff can become burned and temporarily unable to act, both from taking hits and from the environment grinding him down over time.

His ultimate, triggered when the screen goes dark, is an unrelenting sequence of exploding projectiles, laser beams, and cascading eruptions. It will kill you if you aren't actively moving

Reward: Memory of Ancient Nature (quest item) - The Ancient Earring - Ancient Wrath (Abyss Gear) - Abyss Artifact.

Shackled God Part 1: Removing the Bismuth Emitters

With all three Ancients down, return to the Serpent Shrine. The next stage requires you to climb onto Aeserion's back and destroy three Bismuth Emitters, the large red metal objects on the back of the serpent that need to be destroyed.

Note: Aeserion moves constantly, so you need to time jumping on him. Also, note that there are lightning strikes that will knock you off.

The best way to remove the Bismuth Emitters is to use the Turning Slash attack: Keyboard & Mouse Left Mouse Button + Right Mouse Button - PlayStation R1 + R2 - Xbox RB + RT

Shackled God Part 2: Cleansing the Three Cores

Each destroyed Bismuth Emitter exposes a corrupted core underneath. Cleanse all three using Focused Force Palm. This is a bit tough as the lighting strike can get intense, so take time and make sure you are healed.

1. Keyboard & Mouse Press X then Right Click - PlayStation and Xbox L3 + R3 to activate, then R3 to charge.
2. Highlight the Force Palm over the core until it glows golden as shown above. Once it does, release the Force Palm to destroy the core.
3. Do this for all three to complete this step.

Once done, this will trigger a cutscene with Aeserion, the Great Serpent, with some story context as to what you did. Once that ends, you can now return to the island, along unlocking the Comrade missions.

Shackled God Reward

You will get the Aeserion Sword for completing the quest. This is a 22 Attack, 0 Speed One-Handed Sword with three Abyss Gear Slots that starts at level 5.

Aeserion's Scales: Where to Collect and How to Farm

Now, down to the actual Aeserion's Scales farming part of the guide. Simply head back to the island where you found him, and there will be Aeserion's Scales all over the area. They appear on the minimap to make them easier to spot.

To collect a scale:

1. Approach it and use Axiom Force to grapple it.
2. Select "Seal" to store it in your Kuku Pot.
3. Afterwards, open your Kuku Pot in your inventory and press "Take Out" to move the scales into your regular inventory.

Follow the path that Aeserion had traveled around the shrine for the highest yields of scales possible. Check the upper sections of the ruins too; some are placed higher up. A full sweep should yield roughly 50 Scales. It's not a quick process, but it is a one-and-done.

While you're here, mine the Bismuth deposits on the island as well; they yield high-end crafting materials used in the same weapon recipes as the scales.

Ongoing Farming: Greymane Camp Expedition

Once the island has been swept, the Greymane Camp expedition is your repeatable supply source.

1. Return to your Greymane Camp on Howling Hill.
2. Speak to Ross and select Delesyia: Serpent Shrine Exploration.
3. Ensure at least one Greymane has the Explorer skill.

Hidden Chest: Aeserion Gear Blueprint

To make use of these Aeserion's Scales, it's good to grab the Blueprint book hidden on the island. Head off the south cliff, shown in the map image above. Drop down onto the platform and use your Focused Force Palm (Keyboard & Mouse: Press X, then Right Click - PlayStation and Xbox: L3 + R3 + R3) to remove the stone. From there, head inside and loot the book. Examine it to learn the following:

Overall, these are some good items; the dagger is a standout as it feels the most unique. With the lack of attack speed, any of the one-handed ones are best used with a shield.

Check out our other content for more in-depth Crimson Desert coverage and expert tips.