Crimson Desert: Sanctum of Absolution Boss and Puzzle Walkthrough

Learn how to cleanse the Sanctum of Absolution in Crimson Desert, how to solve the secret puzzle, and deal with the Antumbra’s Sword boss.

Where to find the Sanctum of Absolution

You can find the Sanctum of Absolution far south of the Scholastone. Northwest of the Mountain of Frozen Souls.

Important: You will only be able to solve the Sanctum of Absolution puzzle after reaching Chapter 5 and visiting Elowen, the Witch of Wisdom.

Dealing with the Antumbra Order

You have to liberate the Sanctum first. Each Sanctum is guarded by forces of the Antumbra Order. The Antumbra Order is a group of religious zealots who believe that darkness can bring true balance to Pywel. Their way of worshipping is by offering human sacrifices.

Most of the enemies in the Sanctums fight with traditional melee weapons. However, a few of them fly and cast shadows that deal considerable damage. Having to deal with them while being overrun by the sword and axe wielders is not fun, but luckily for you, there is an easy way to get rid of them.

To kill these flying enemies, simply use Blinding Flash to reflect the light against them. There is no death animation; they just disappear.

Arrows or Aerial Force Palm can work as well, but I don’t recommend this slower and less efficient method because the NPCs are very fast.

How to beat Antumbra’s Sword Boss

The Antumbra’s Sword is one of three “minor” bosses of the Antumbra Order.

If you haven’t left Hernand, it’s likely that you haven’t fought any boss who is as overwhelming as this guy. He can kill you with two or even one hit if you are not careful.

This boss’s most dangerous attack is when it summons shadows of itself that hit you at the same time. This is what can kill you instantly. The worst part is that it can attack up to four times.

Additionally, it teleports all over the area and strikes at high speed. Sometimes you can block/parry, but that’s not always the case. Because of how fast it attacks, it’s very hard to react properly every single time.

I can’t recommend a specific build in this article because everyone has different playstyles/weapons of preference. But what I can do is recommend four skills that will prove extremely useful in this fight, regardless of what type of weapon you wield:

Force Palm: It can interrupt most of its attacks + briefly staggers it.
Focus: Slows time, making it a lot easier to react to the enemy’s attacks.
Keen Senses: It lets you dodge/parry an attack during Focus. The best combo for this battle.
Evasive Roll: The most reliable way to avoid the Antumbra Sword’s strongest attack.

Other recommendations include:

Attempting to clear this boss after Chapters V or VI.
Use Elixirs to boost your stats
Refine gear, use the grindstone and anvil before the fight.
Carry a lot of food. Clear Soups are great because they don’t require too many ingredients and provide very good healing.

How to cleanse the Sanctum

With the Antumbra’s Sword defeated, you can now cleanse this Sanctum by finding the two missing pieces. Take the stairs that are in front of the area where you fought the Antumbra’s Sword.

After a few steps, you will see a cluster of jars. Break them and take the Fusion Reactor Core. Sealing it in your Kuku Pot is easier than carrying it, so I suggest you do it this way.

The next part of the hallway looks like a dead end, but it’s not. Continue walking, and the floor will start to break. Jump down and be careful with the fire trap.

Look at the adjacent room; the second piece is floating there.

Go to the Sanctum and take both pieces out of your Kuku Pot. Place the Fusion Core inside while the sphere goes to the incomplete column. Doing this correctly will trigger a cinematic.

Second (Secret) Puzzle

There is a hidden puzzle in this Sanctum. See the blue crystal at the front of the Sanctum? You have to use the Blinding Flash to redirect light directly into it. The circle with the little gems will start to rotate.

Make sure to focus the light only when a gem is passing through the circle at the top. A metallic sound will trigger when you do it correctly. I’d describe it as something metallic being hit with a sword.

Try to get used to the timing. That will make it easier for you. The piece that comes out of the Sanctum is the actual reward, not another part of the puzzle. Seal it away on your Kuku Pot.

If you have a custom keybind for Blinding Flash on a single button, this may prevent you from completing this puzzle and timing here is key.