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Sanctums
April 25, 2026 at 03:05 PM
Rewired 1 wikilink to longer matching article titles
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.
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 serves as a utility vendor for Abyss Gear services only.
Every sanctum follows a similar structure, though specific puzzle details differ from site to site.
Mechanic | Details |
|---|---|
Clear enemies | When you arrive at a sanctum, the area is overrun by Antumbra worshippers. You must defeat all hostiles before the puzzle elements become interactive. A green progress bar tracks your clearance percentage. |
Solve the puzzle | Most sanctum puzzles involve locating Fusion Reactor Cores or pillar tops hidden in the surrounding environment, then placing them on the sanctum's generators or pillars. You use Axiom Force to grab and carry objects and Force Palm (or Aerial Force Palm) to lock them into position. |
Restore the generator | Once all components are placed, the sanctum powers up and a cutscene plays. The witch associated with that sanctum appears and shares lore about the site's history. |
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.
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 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.
Sanctum | Region | Puzzle Summary |
|---|---|---|
Retrieve a missing power cube from underground through an opening beneath the sanctum. Place it in the empty slot and activate with Force Palm. Find a missing pillar top inside a vine-covered building nearby. Reward: Kuku Lightning Spear and Kuku Bird Boltspitter blueprints. | ||
The most challenging of Elowen's sanctums. Guarded by a powerful Antumbra boss (Antumbra's Sword). Requires strong gear and careful dodging. Defeating Antumbra's Sword drops the Vessel of Dark Pursuit two-handed sword and an Abyss Artifact. Reward: Enhanced Kuku Pot blueprint, Kuku Spear blueprint, and Vessel of Dark Pursuit two-handed sword from the boss. | ||
Western Hernand | Light the lantern to the right of the main entrance to unlock the sealed building. Retrieve the pillar top inside and place it on the broken pillar using Aerial Force Palm. Reward: Kuku Marni Laser Helm blueprint. | |
A missing cube is located atop a ruin on the south side, embedded in a pile of rubble. Climb up to retrieve it and restore the structure. Use Axiom Force to dislodge the cube from the rubble, then use a jumping Force Palm to secure it on the pillar. Reward: Kuku Pack blueprint. |
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.
Sanctum | Region | Puzzle Summary |
|---|---|---|
Locate two Fusion Reactor Cores and place them in the generator. Rewards two Kuku Blueprints upon completion. | ||
Clear Antumbra forces and solve the environmental puzzle to restore the sanctum's power. | ||
Southeast of Stormtalon Ridge | Find Fusion Reactor Core: LII-VI and Core: IV. Light two lanterns by the sealed door to open it. Seal a core inside the Kuku Pot with Axiom Force, then unseal and drag both cores to the generator. Rewards Kuku Flame-Resistant Armor and Kuku Frostspitter Blueprints. | |
Defeat the Antumbra guardians and restore the generator by locating hidden Fusion Reactor Cores in the surrounding area. |
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.
Sanctum | Region | Puzzle Summary |
|---|---|---|
Retrieve hidden Fusion Reactor Cores and restore the generator using Axiom Force and Force Palm. | ||
Clear the Antumbra forces and solve the environmental puzzle involving multiple core placements. | ||
Locate the missing puzzle components scattered around the sanctum grounds and restore the structure. | ||
Navigate the sanctum area to find and place the required Fusion Reactor Cores in the generator. |
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.
Sanctum | Region | Puzzle Summary |
|---|---|---|
Eastern Pywel | Find hidden Fusion Reactor Cores and place them in the generator. Summons the Witch of Strength upon completion. | |
Eastern Pywel | Locate two missing Fusion Reactor Cores and attach them to the generator after defeating all enemies. | |
Eastern Pywel | Restore the sanctum and speak with the Witch of Strength to receive Blueprint II: Kuku Rishi's Boots. |
Cleansing sanctums provides several categories of rewards.
Reward | Details |
|---|---|
Kuku weapon and armor blueprints | Each witch's sanctum chain rewards Kuku Blueprints that can be crafted at the Kuku Iron Pot. For example, completing the Sanctum of Temperance chain yields the Kuku Lightning Spear and Kuku Bird Boltspitter Blueprints, while the Sanctum of Deliverance rewards the Kuku Flame-Resistant Armor and Kuku Frostspitter Blueprints. |
Treasure chests | Cleansed sanctums often contain treasure chests that were inaccessible while the site was corrupted. These chests can contain Abyss Gear, crafting materials, and silver. |
Witch's Tokens | Completing all sanctums assigned by a specific witch earns a Witch's Token from that witch. All four tokens (from Elowen, Bari, Lyselia, and Areciel) are required to open the door at the Wayward Woods Witch Hideout, where the White Crow waits. Reaching the White Crow unlocks the most powerful Abyss-related capabilities in the game. |
Game completion | All 15 sanctums contribute to 100% completion and the associated trophies and achievements. |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
