Karin Quarry, also known as the Stolen Quarry, is an area in Crimson Desert that has been taken over by Bleed Bandits and a terrifying robot boss called Marni's Excavatron. Liberating Karin Quarry is a massive undertaking, one where you'll effectively have to wipe out a whole army of bandits, but it's perfectly manageable, especially as it turns out that dying doesn't do anything to reset your progress, except against the Excavatron.
Below I'll lay out how to free Karin Quarry as part of the Stolen Quarry quest, how to beat the Crimson Desert Excavatron, and what you need to know about releasing locations from bandit control.
Karin Quarry walkthrough in Crimson Desert
To liberate Karin Quarry as part of the Stolen Quarry quest, you simply need to kill enough Bleed Bandits, then defeat the Marni's Excavatron boss. You can do this in either order, as long as both are defeated accordingly. We'll go into more detail on the Excavatron boss further down, but here's what you need to know about clearing Karin Quarry.
- Liberation progress does not reset on death. That means that even if the bandits kill you and you have to respawn, you can just come back and pick up exactly where you left off.
- You can assign Greymanes from camp to help. I don't recommend this if you're trying to conserve resources, but you can assign Greymanes from Howling Hill to the area as part of a Dispatch mission. They probably can't clear it on their own, but they'll reduce the number of enemies a little. Not only that, but if you show up at Karin Quarry while they're on the mission, they'll be present as allied NPCs to help you.
- Throwing explosive barrels is highly effective. These black barrels with white crosses on them can be thrown very far, and do major damage to groups. It's a good way to open a fight, though difficult to pull off in the middle of combat.
- Use throws and kicks near cliffs. Not only can it do heavy damage to knock somebody off a high point, but as the only character who can glide, it makes for a quick exit if you're in trouble.
Completing this quest is mostly just about perseverance. Karin Quarry has so many enemies that killing one amounts to just 0.56% completion, meaning you'll need to kill nearly 200 enemies in total, not to mention the Excavatron, so keep coming back to chip away at it.
How to beat Marni's Excavatron in Crimson Desert
On the West side of the quarry you'll find a boss fight against Marni's Excavatron, a robot that looks like a diving suit with drills for hands. It's relatively straightforward, though that doesn't mean it's easy. Here are some tips on how to beat the Excavatron:
- Be very careful when it tunnels into the ground. Its location will be marked by tremors for a bit, but then there'll be a moment where it's not. Keep dodging or risk getting caught by a powerful attack.
- Force Palm and Heavy attacks are essential. Staggering it for a finisher is the aim here, using these strikes between its attacks to build up that yellow bar.
- Don't use your shield. Many of the Excavatron's attacks will punch through your shield, so you need to rely on evasion. If it charges at you, make sure you roll to the side.
- Its melee stabs are deadly. Its simple attacks are startlingly powerful with very little warning. You'll want to stay behind it for the best chance not to get drilled to death.
The Sword of the Lord obtained from the Crimson Desert Kailok the Hornsplitter boss is quite good here, but I'd personally suggest dual-wielding it with a second sword or axe, as the shield doesn't do much to help protect you.
Once you've cleared Karin Quarry, you can use the built-in crane in a follow up quest to reveal some ruins underneath. The game doesn't tell you this, but what's inside those ruins is essential to the Crimson Desert Thinker's Meadow puzzle down by your camp at Howling Hill.
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