Pywel is bigger than the maps of Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2, and Crimson Desert doesn’t hand out fast travel points for free: there’s no revealing the map from a tower here. You have to find and activate every portal yourself, and the only tool the game gives you for that is the Blinding Flash ability. Here’s how to use it and where the portals are in each region.
Blinding Flash: you won’t find portals without it
You activate the ability by holding the lantern button and the normal attack button at the same time. It sends out a pulse that lights up nearby points of interest as glowing flares in the distance. That’s the entire discovery mechanic: the map doesn’t fill itself in.
The flares come in three types, and it’s good to tell them apart before you head toward one:
| Type | What it is | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Abyss Nexus | a stone plate on the ground | a standard fast travel point, just step on it |
| Abyss Cresset | a more complex teleport, usually with a puzzle | a fast travel point plus an Abyss Artifact (skill point) |
| Sealed Abyss Artifact | a sealed cube for your inventory | skill points for completed challenges, not a teleport |
Portals by region
Hernand and the starting areas
| Location | Where exactly |
|---|---|
| City stables | north of the capital |
| Kuku Iron Pot | to the west, right by the smithing forge |
| Howling Hill | a secret teleport right in the camp, plus a nearby mural with a puzzle for another point |
| Pororin village | a Nexus south of Goldleaf Guildhouse |
| Elowen’s hut | by the house of the first witch you meet |
| Ruins near Scholastone | another portal, but it’s faster to drop down here from the Abyss |
Calphade and Pailune (north)
On your way north, look for the portal on Haunted Hill. Calphade itself has its nearest point on the western edge of the city. Near the village of Beighen (to the northwest) there’s another Nexus, handy for the minigames. Watch out for the eastern wilderness beyond Beighen: early in the game, the enemies there will take you apart. In the fortress of Pailune, the former Greymane stronghold, activate the portal on the western side.
Demeniss and Delesyia
- Demeniss Fair: right outside the city gates.
- Spire of Clockwork: the easternmost edge of the region.
- Serpent Marsh: two portals, one by the monks’ village, the other by the witch’s hut.
- Gorthak: the orc stronghold has three Nexuses, all annoyingly far from NPCs.
- Dewhaven Keep and Serpent Shrine of Aeserion: Cressets without a puzzle, useful when you’re working on research projects.
The Crimson Desert (late game)
You only reach the desert later in the campaign. The town of Tommaso in Tashkalp is surrounded by three portals. Be careful at the Spire of the Sun: one of the teleports is guarded by the world boss Crookrock Walker. In the mountainous area of Urdavah there are three portals on towers that you can only reach by gliding. Finally, in the far northeast of the map, there’s the portal in Varnia left to activate.
Delesyia
Delesyia is the stingiest region in the game when it comes to portals, and searching takes the longest here. On your way over the hills to Delesyia Castle you’ll come across several strategic points worth activating right away, because the trip back to the castle without them is a slog.
How to build your portal network efficiently
Portals can’t be bought or unlocked in bulk, so the order you collect them in is what matters. Three rules that save the most time:
- Activate along the way, not on dedicated trips. When you’re heading to a quest, use Blinding Flash every minute of walking. A fifty-meter detour is cheaper than a trip whose only goal is a portal.
- Start with the regions where you’ll spend time. Hernand and Pailune are dense with quests, and you only visit the desert in the late game, so collect portals in the order you’ll play those regions.
- Save Cressets for later. They require a puzzle but give you an Abyss Artifact. If you’re not in the mood for a puzzle, skip it and come back when you have time.
Dropping from the Abyss is the fastest travel in the game
The Abyss is a realm of floating islands above Pywel, and every island has its own fast travel point. When you don’t have a portal near your destination on the surface, teleport to the nearest island in the Abyss and simply jump down. With the glider you’ll cover far more distance than on horseback.
A safety net in case you fall: Axiom Force (pull) catches you in midair. If you latch on and pause the game, you respawn at the checkpoint on the island instead of falling all the way to the surface.
FAQ
No. You have to physically find and activate every point. The only way to spot them from a distance is the Blinding Flash ability and its glowing flares.
An Abyss Nexus is a simple pressure plate: step on it and you’re done. An Abyss Cresset is a more complex teleport, usually behind a puzzle, that also gives you an Abyss Artifact for upgrading skills.
Yes, on Howling Hill, but it’s a secret teleport, and unlocking it is one of the hardest activities early in the game.
Use Axiom Force immediately to catch yourself in midair. Pausing while hanging returns you to the island’s checkpoint. If you don’t catch yourself, you fall all the way to the surface and have to start the island again.
No. You have to be out of combat and in a safe state, otherwise the game won’t allow the teleport.
Information verified as of 7 September 2026. Portal locations haven’t changed since launch. Before you set off, read up on the five regions of Pywel and ten things not to do in Crimson Desert. The map of bosses and Power Challenges and the guide to the Ancient Barrier puzzle also come in handy. Everything else is in the Crimson Desert section.