In Crimson Desert, while not strictly a Soulslike, certain boss encounters can prove to be an epic challenge. After easily dispatching hordes of regular enemies, you might be surprised by the difficulty once a large red health bar appears at the top of your screen. The Excavatron, a powerful foe encountered via a side quest early in Chapter 2, is one such boss that will certainly test your limits, perhaps even more so than Matthias.
The Excavatron is an incredibly formidable unit. If, like many players, you’ve felt discouraged after being repeatedly hit by its relentless drill attacks, this guide is designed to help you turn this deadly enemy into scrap metal.
First and foremost, we strongly advise against confronting the Excavatron as soon as its quest becomes available in Crimson Desert. Unless you’ve spent considerable time exploring, fighting, and training in Chapter 1 – which can be difficult – you likely won’t survive more than one or two hits from this boss. While it’s tempting to keep trying, you’ll have a much better experience if you return to the main quest, engage in other side activities, or simply explore more of the vast open world to strengthen your character before attempting the fight again.
It’s highly beneficial to acquire health and stamina upgrades through Abyss artifacts. However, one specific Spirit Tree skill proved vital in transforming this formidable foe into manageable scrap: the ability that grants a moment of time slowdown when you dodge. This is an absolute lifesaver because, without it, even a well-timed dodge might not prevent you from being caught by the Excavatron’s drill attacks. Blocking is also generally ineffective unless you’ve heavily invested in defense and opted for heavier armor. In summary, robust health, effective dodging capabilities, and adequate armor are the three most critical elements to address before re-engaging the Excavatron.
When you’re prepared to return to the quarry arena, simply having enough health to take a few hits isn’t enough. You’ll need to be cautious about when to strike. The Excavatron hits incredibly hard, and approaching with a sword might not be the best strategy. If you plan to face it, ensure you’ve prepared healing food items beforehand; Crimson Desert conveniently allows you to pause combat, consume a snack to restore health, and then resume. Alternatively, if you prefer to keep your distance, consider using a spear or stocking up on a significant number of arrows for ranged attacks. Even so, relying too heavily on ranged safety can still cost you a lot of health when the Excavatron burrows underground.
Fortunately, there’s a crucial counter to its burrowing power. When the Excavatron leaps into the air and begins to dig towards you, there’s no need to flee. Instead, if you jump and click the right stick (to perform a “palm strike”), it will immediately force the Excavatron out of the ground and stun it. This is your prime opportunity to deal significant damage. Since the Excavatron loves to go underground, this boss fight loses much of its initial daunting nature once you know this trick. However, the Excavatron can still inflict considerable damage, so make sure to quickly move out of its path once it recovers from the stun.
As long as you maintain your distance during its attacks (typically preceded by a winding drill arm or flashing lights from its mech suit) and effectively punish its attempts to burrow underground, you should be able to defeat the Excavatron. Don’t worry if you need to disengage and return later; we ourselves abandoned the fight for much of Chapter 2 and only returned once we had acquired significantly better equipment. When you’re ready, hopefully, you can take it down!