Sanctums

Overview

Sanctums are ancient ruins scattered across Pywel that have been overtaken by hostile forces known as the Antumbra. In Crimson Desert, cleansing these sites is one of the primary side activities in the game and a core part of the witch questlines. There are 15 sanctums in total, spread across the regions of Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, and eastern Pywel. Each sanctum is tied to one of four witches, and completing a witch's full set of sanctums earns a Witch's Token required to reach the hidden White Crow.

Cleansing sanctums rewards Kuku weapon blueprints, treasure chests containing Abyss Gear, and progression toward 100% game completion. The sanctum system is closely connected to the Abyss Gear system, since the witches who assign these quests are also the NPCs who embed, extract, and craft Abyss Gears for the player's equipment.

How to Unlock Sanctums

Sanctums cannot be interacted with until you meet a witch. After acquiring the ability to slot Abyss Gear from the witch in the Witchwoods, you gain the power to cleanse Sanctums. Approaching a sanctum before meeting the corresponding witch triggers a message saying you have not met the right person yet. The first witch most players encounter is Elowen, the Witch of Wisdom, who is rescued during Chapter 5 of the main story. After meeting Elowen, her four sanctums become available immediately, and you can cleanse them in any order.

The remaining three witches (Bari, Lyselia, and Areciel) are discovered through separate faction questlines unlocked by performing specific acts of kindness in the open world. Each witch has her own set of sanctums that open up after you meet her. Sylvia, the Hermit Witch, does not have any sanctums. She is a utility vendor for Abyss Gear services only.

General Mechanics

Every sanctum follows a similar structure, though specific puzzle details differ from site to site.

Some sanctums also require lighting lanterns to unlock sealed doors, clearing vines with fire arrows or the Blinding Flash ability, or navigating underground sections to retrieve hidden components. Environmental cues such as green leaf effects appear when a Fusion Reactor Core is positioned correctly.

Sanctums by Witch

The 15 sanctums are divided among four witches. Each witch requests that you cleanse her assigned sanctums before she fully opens her workshop services.

Elowen, the Witch of Wisdom (4 Sanctums)

Elowen is encountered during Chapter 5 of the main story. After rescuing her from bandits in the Witchwoods, she asks Kliff to cleanse four sanctums in the Hernand region. These are typically the first sanctums most players encounter.

Bari, the Witch of Kindness (4 Sanctums)

Bari is found in the snowy northern reaches of Pailune. To meet her, find a woman shivering from the cold in front of a brazier near Silver Wolf Mountain and light the brazier to keep her warm. This act of kindness initiates her questline.

Lyselia, the Witch of Humility (4 Sanctums)

Lyselia is hidden in a cave in the Serpent Marsh area of the Demeniss region, between two mountains close to an Abyss Nexus. Colorful flags mark the path inside the cave. To find Lyselia, you must first help an NPC who is hanging off a bridge nearby.

Areciel, the Witch of Strength (3 Sanctums)

Areciel is located northwest of the World's Navel landmark, close to Urdavah, halfway up a mountain in the far eastern reaches of Pywel. To initiate her questline, find a beggar standing by a notice board and give him money. Areciel becomes available after completing Chapter 8 and the early portion of Chapter 9.

Rewards

Cleansing sanctums provides several categories of rewards.

Antumbra Guardians

Each sanctum is defended by Antumbra worshippers, zealots connected to the dark side of the Abyss. Standard Antumbra enemies include melee fighters, ranged attackers, and flying units. Boss-level guardians appear at certain sanctums and carry titles such as Antumbra's Spear, Antumbra's Sword, and Antumbra's Staff. These bosses repeat across different sanctum locations but scale in difficulty.

The Sanctum of Absolution is notable for featuring one of the toughest Antumbra boss fights. The boss uses duplicate ground pound attacks that can kill in a single hit when he powers up. Players are advised to bring plenty of healing food, avoid getting greedy with attacks, and focus on applying bleed damage through stab moves while waiting for openings after attack chains.

Cleansing vs Liberation

Sanctum progress happens in two distinct phases that are easy to confuse. Understanding the difference matters because the most valuable unique reward from each sanctum is gated behind the second phase, and many players walk away from a sanctum thinking they are done after only completing the first.

Phase 1: Liberation

Liberation is the main structured objective that the witch quests and map markers point you to. You arrive at a corrupted sanctum, clear the Antumbra enemies, locate the Fusion Reactor Cores or pillar tops hidden in the surrounding environment, carry them back with Axiom Force, and slot them into the generator or pillars with Force Palm. Once every component is in place, the sanctum powers up, a cutscene plays, and the witch associated with the sanctum speaks. After liberation, the location is counted as restored and contributes to witch faction progress, treasure chest loot, and overall game completion. However, liberation alone does not award the sanctum's signature Core item.

Phase 2: Cleansing

Cleansing is the hidden second phase that actually awards the sanctum's named Core. After liberation, return to the generator and check for a small floating antenna above the central refracting gem. If the antenna is still floating, draw Blinding Flash and press Focus Light (LB on controller or Control on PC) while aiming at the gem. A ring of nodes around the generator flashes a Morse-code-style rhythm that you must copy by tapping and holding the matching positions. Tight timing, audio cues on the holds, and a full reset on any wrong input make this a puzzle rather than a button prompt. A successful pattern lowers the antenna, drops a fragment that you hook with your Axiom Grapple, and awards a Core item tied specifically to that sanctum. The first sanctum, the Sanctum of Temperance, yields the Core of Temperance, and every sanctum follows the same pattern with its own named core.

These cores feed Kuku Pot recipes. Each sanctum's core unlocks new recipes or upgrades at the pot, turning the cleansing phase into the primary crafting progression gate for Kuku equipment. Check the Sanctum Secret Puzzles article for the full walkthrough of the cleansing step and which cores unlock which recipes.

Tips

• You can cleanse sanctums in any order within a witch's set. Tackle easier ones first to build confidence with the puzzle mechanics.

• Bring fire arrows or have the Blinding Flash ability equipped. Several sanctum puzzles require burning vines or lighting lanterns.

• Clear every enemy before attempting the puzzle. Environmental objects will not respond to Axiom Force while enemies are still active nearby.

• If a pillar top or Fusion Reactor Core does not seem to snap into place, try using Aerial Force Palm (jump first, then Force Palm) instead of the grounded version.

• Look for green leaf particle effects when dragging a Fusion Reactor Core. These effects indicate you are moving the core in the correct direction.

• Check inside and around buildings near the sanctum. Puzzle components are always within a short radius of the sanctum itself.

• Use the sword obtained from Crowcaller when dealing with flying Antumbra enemies, since its projectiles home in on airborne targets.

• Mark sanctum locations through your journal once the witch quest is active. Waypoints save a lot of wandering.

See Also

• Sanctum Challenges

• Witches of Pywel

• Abyss Gear Guide

• Abyss Cores

• Kuku Iron Pot

• Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations

• Abyss Island Puzzle Solutions