The Crimson Desert Enhanced 2.0 update adds eight new skills for Kliff. These skills improve movement, exploration, aerial combat, and regular combat, giving players more options when rebuilding their skill tree after the update. The new skills are tied to existing skills in Kliff’s skill tree. You need to reach the required level of the related skill before the new ability becomes available. Let’s take a closer look at each of them below.
New Kliff Skills: Quick Overview
The eight new Kliff skills in Crimson Desert 2.0 are:
- Serenity
- Enhanced Flight
- Finishing Rush
- Enraged Parry
- Descending Force Palm
- Water Stride
- Ascending Force Palm
- Flowing Force Palm
Existing Skill Tree in Crimson Desert 2.0
The new Kliff skills are not separate from the existing skill tree. They are connected to skills you already know, and you need to level up the related existing skill to unlock the new ability.
The main skill branches remain important when rebuilding Kliff after the 2.0 reset. The new skills are placed behind specific skills, so the best approach is to first check which new ability you want and then level up its parent skill.
| Existing Skill | Required Level | New Skill | PS5 Controls | Xbox Controls |
| Focus | Level 4 | Serenity | L3 + R3 | LS + RS |
| Flight | Level 3 | Enhanced Flight | R2 during Flight | RT during Flight |
| Armed Combat | Level 6 | Finishing Rush | R1 | RB |
| Keen Senses | Level 4 | Enraged Parry | L1 | LB |
| Diving Force Palm | Level 2 | Descending Force Palm | R3 during Aerial Force Palm | RS during Aerial Force Palm |
| Double Jump | Level 2 | Water Stride | Hold X | Hold A |
| Force Palm | Level 5 | Ascending Force Palm | R3 + X | RS + A |
| Force Palm | Level 4 | Flowing Force Palm | R3 | RS |
Water Stride
Water Stride lets Kliff run across the surface of water instead of swimming. It is one of the biggest new movement abilities in the update and can make travelling around Pywel much faster.
To unlock Water Stride, you need Double Jump Level 2. The skill uses stamina while Kliff runs across the water, so it is not unlimited. This is one of the best skills to prioritize if you spend a lot of time exploring the open world.
Enhanced Flight
Enhanced Flight improves Kliff’s aerial movement and gives him additional control while flying. It also allows him to perform a dive while in flight.
You need Flight Level 3 to unlock the skill. It is especially useful for exploration, reaching difficult locations, and moving between different elevations more quickly.
Ascending Force Palm
Ascending Force Palm improves the vertical movement of Force Palm. It allows Kliff to gain more height and distance when using the ability.
You need Force Palm Level 5 to unlock it. This makes it particularly useful for climbing, reaching higher platforms, and combining Force Palm with other movement abilities.
Flowing Force Palm
Flowing Force Palm upgrades the regular Force Palm attack. It increases the damage of the first and second hits and adds an attack to the sequence.
The requirement is Force Palm Level 4. If Force Palm is already an important part of your combat style, this is a useful upgrade to pick up while rebuilding Kliff.
Descending Force Palm
Descending Force Palm expands Kliff’s aerial combat options. It allows him to follow up an Aerial Force Palm with Diving Force Palm.
You need Diving Force Palm Level 2 to unlock it. The skill is useful for players who like combining movement and aerial attacks during combat.
Finishing Rush
Finishing Rush is a combat-focused skill that helps Kliff move between enemies during an attack.
You need Armed Combat Level 6 to unlock it. The ability is particularly useful when fighting groups because it allows Kliff to continue his attack sequence while moving toward another target.
Enraged Parry
Enraged Parry improves Kliff’s defensive options by allowing him to parry incoming attacks while performing other actions.
The skill requires Keen Senses Level 4. It can be especially useful against aggressive enemies and bosses where timing your parries is important.
Serenity
Serenity is a Focus-based skill that improves Spirit recovery while Kliff maintains Focus.
It requires Focus Level 4 to unlock. Unlike the movement skills, Serenity is more useful for players who regularly rely on Focus and Spirit-based combat abilities.
Which New Kliff Skills Should You Unlock First?
If you mainly care about exploration, start with Water Stride, Enhanced Flight, and Ascending Force Palm. These three give Kliff better options for travelling across water, moving through the air, and reaching higher areas.
For combat, Finishing Rush and Enraged Parry are strong choices. Finishing Rush is useful against groups of enemies, while Enraged Parry gives you another defensive option during fights.
For players who use Force Palm frequently, Flowing Force Palm and Ascending Force Palm are worth prioritizing because they improve both the attack and movement potential of the ability.
Crimson Desert 2.0 Skill Reset
The new Kliff skills are especially important because the Enhanced Update also changes how skill progression works. When you first launch Crimson Desert after installing Version 2.0, your existing skill progression is automatically reset. This is intentional and does not mean your previous investment has been lost. Resources used for your previous skills, including Abyss Artifacts, are refunded. This gives returning players a chance to rebuild Kliff using the new skill tree and the eight new abilities.
What Is Abyss Link?
Crimson Desert 2.0 also introduces Abyss Link, a new resource for skill progression. When one character uses Abyss Artifacts to learn skills, the other playable characters receive an equivalent number of Abyss Links. Each character can then use their own Links to develop their individual skill progression.
The important change is that skill progression can now be reset individually for each character. When you reset a character, the Abyss Links used for that character’s progression are refunded. This makes experimenting with different builds much easier than before.
Double Jump Is Now a Quest Reward
There is also an important change to Double Jump. In Version 2.0, the Unexpected Gift quest now rewards Double Jump through Bilwise. This means players should check the quest reward before spending valuable skill resources on Double Jump. This is particularly useful when rebuilding your character after the 2.0 skill reset.
Summary
The eight new Kliff skills are one of the biggest gameplay additions in Crimson Desert Enhanced 2.0. Water Stride changes how Kliff travels across Pywel, Enhanced Flight improves aerial movement, while the new Force Palm skills add more options to combat and traversal.
The new Abyss Link system also makes rebuilding much easier because your old skill investment is refunded and individual characters can now be reset separately.
If you are returning to Crimson Desert after the 2.0 update, check the new skill tree before spending your refunded resources. Water Stride, Enhanced Flight, and the Force Palm upgrades are good places to start, while combat-focused players should look closely at Finishing Rush and Enraged Parry.
