Every Sanctum in Crimson Desert has a hidden secret puzzle that most players walk straight past. There is no quest marker, no map indicator, and no NPC that tells you about it. Once you cleanse a Sanctum, you can return to its final area and complete a bonus puzzle using Blinding Flash on a blue crystal dial. Each one rewards an Abyss Core — a material used for Kuku recipes at the Kilnden Workshop. There are 16 Sanctums with secret puzzles in total. This guide covers exactly how to trigger the puzzle, how the Blinding Flash mechanic works, what happens if you miss the core, and all 16 Sanctum locations.
TL;DR
- Secret Sanctum puzzles are completely unmarked — no quest marker, no hint. You have to know they exist and revisit each cleansed Sanctum.
- You must cleanse the Sanctum first before the secret puzzle becomes available.
- After cleansing, return to the central stone area of the Sanctum and look for a blue crystal dial in the centre.
- Use Blinding Flash (L1+R1+L1 on PS / LB+RB+LB on Xbox) on the crystal only when the rotating dial crosses a blue square. Release when it crosses stone.
- Repeat until the entire circle is activated. An Abyss Core drops.
- Pick up the Abyss Core with Axiom Force (L3) and seal it into your Kuku Pot (Triangle/Y).
- If you completed the puzzle but had no Kuku Pot, buy the missed Core from Carl at Howling Hill for 1 Silver Coin.
- Cores are used in Kuku recipes at the Kilnden Workshop in Hernand.
- There are 16 Sanctums with secret puzzles — the 16th (Cloister of Ruination / Sanctum of Mortification) is main-story-only and does not follow this mechanic.
What Are the Secret Sanctum Puzzles
After you cleanse any Sanctum as part of a Witch faction questline, the Sanctum’s final area contains a hidden bonus puzzle. These are designed as optional challenges for players who explore thoroughly. The game gives you no signal they exist.
Each secret puzzle uses the same mechanic — a blue crystal dial at the centre of the final Sanctum stone — but is presented slightly differently per Sanctum. The reward is always an Abyss Core specific to that Sanctum. These Cores are used in Kuku recipes at the Kilnden Workshop in Hernand and are required to unlock and upgrade Kuku items at Grimnir’s Kuku Shop.
You get the Blinding Flash skill and the Kuku Pot during the main storyline. You need both before you can complete any secret Sanctum puzzle. If you do not have Blinding Flash yet, see our how to use Blinding Flash guide. For the Kuku Pot, make sure you have unlocked it before visiting Sanctums for their secret puzzles.
Requirements Before You Can Do Secret Sanctum Puzzles
- Cleanse the Sanctum first. The secret puzzle is only available after you have completed the full cleansing objective for that Sanctum. If enemies are still present or the Sanctum has not been fully restored, the secret crystal will not be active.
- Blinding Flash skill. This is the only skill that activates the blue crystal dial. You must have it unlocked. See our Blinding Flash guide for how to get it.
- Kuku Pot equipped. The Abyss Core that drops from the puzzle must be sealed into your Kuku Pot using Axiom Force. Without the Kuku Pot, the core will appear on the ground but you cannot collect it through normal inventory pickup.
- Axiom Force (L3 / Left Stick Click). Used to grab the Abyss Core after it drops. See our Axiom Force guide if you have not used this mechanic before.
How to Activate the Secret Sanctum Puzzle — Step by Step
Step 1 — Return to the Cleansed Sanctum
After cleansing any Sanctum, fast travel back to it via the Abyss Nexus near the entrance or by using the map. Head to the final inner area of the Sanctum — the central stone chamber where you fought the last enemies during cleansing.
Step 2 — Find the Blue Crystal Dial
In the centre of the final stone area, look for a blue glowing crystal embedded in the ground or a stone platform. This is the secret puzzle trigger. It is not marked and has no interact prompt — you activate it by using Blinding Flash while standing near it.
The crystal has a rotating ring around it with alternating blue squares and blank stone sections. This ring rotates continuously and your timing against it determines whether each Blinding Flash counts.
Step 3 — Use Blinding Flash on the Crystal
Stand near the blue crystal and use Blinding Flash:
- PS: L1 + R1, then L1 again (L1+R1+L1)
- Xbox: LB + RB, then LB again (LB+RB+LB)
The key timing rule:
- Fire Blinding Flash when the rotating dial is crossing through a blue square.
- Release / hold off when the dial is crossing through a blank stone section.
Each correctly timed Blinding Flash activates one segment of the surrounding circle. The circle fills segment by segment with each successful hit. Incorrectly timed flashes — fired during stone sections — do nothing and the dial keeps rotating.
Note that there is a roughly 0.5-second delay between pressing the button and the light reaching the crystal. Fire slightly ahead of each blue square to account for this lag. Once you calibrate your timing for the first one, the rest become rhythmic.
Step 4 — Complete the Circle
Keep firing Blinding Flash on the blue squares until the entire ring is activated. The number of segments varies slightly between Sanctums but the mechanic is identical across all of them. When the last segment lights up, the puzzle completes.
Step 5 — Collect the Abyss Core
When the circle completes, an Abyss Core drops near the crystal. It glows with a blue-white light and cannot be picked up through normal inventory interaction.
- Use Axiom Force (press L3 / Left Stick Click) to pull the Abyss Core toward you.
- Then press Triangle (PS) / Y (Xbox) to seal it into your Kuku Pot.
- The core is now stored in your Kuku inventory, separate from your regular inventory slots.
If you complete the puzzle but do not have a Kuku Pot equipped, the core appears but cannot be collected. In this case, go to Carl at Howling Hill camp, select the shop option, and buy the missed core for 1 Silver Coin. You do not need to redo the puzzle.
What Are Abyss Cores Used For
Each Sanctum’s Abyss Core is named after that Sanctum (Core of Benediction, Core of Veneration, etc.) and is used as a crafting material in Kuku recipes at the Kilnden Workshop in Hernand. These cores are the key ingredient for unlocking and upgrading Kuku items at Grimnir’s Kuku Shop — items that are not available through any other crafting path.
Related Kuku crafting guides:
- How to craft the Enhanced Kuku Cooler
- How to craft the Kuku Lightning Spear
- Where to get Power Cores in Crimson Desert
- How to farm Kuku Packs
All 16 Secret Sanctum Puzzle Locations
There are 16 Sanctums with secret puzzles spread across Hernand, Pailune, the Crimson Desert region, and Delesyia. All follow the same Blinding Flash mechanic. The 15 active Sanctums below all have secret puzzle rewards. The 16th — the Cloister of Ruination (also called the Sanctum of Mortification) — is a main-story-only Sanctum tied to the Byron Estate and does not feature this secret puzzle mechanic.
Each Sanctum’s full puzzle solution and cleansing walkthrough is covered in its own dedicated guide. The secret crystal puzzle is done after cleansing — return once the Sanctum is restored.
Hernand Sanctums (6)
- Sanctum of Benediction — western Hernand, high in the frozen mountains. One of the first Sanctums you encounter during the Witch of Wisdom questline in Chapter 5. Full guide: Sanctum of Benediction puzzle solution.
- Sanctum of Veneration — Hernand region. Full guide: Sanctum of Veneration walkthrough.
- Sanctum of Devotion — Hernand region. Full guide: Sanctum of Devotion walkthrough.
- Sanctum of Faith — Hernand region. Full guide: Sanctum of Faith walkthrough.
- Sanctum of Absolution — southeast of The Witchwoods, near Skybreeze Hearth in southern Hernand. Full guide: Sanctum of Absolution puzzle solution.
- Sanctum of Atonement — just west of Haunted Hill in Hernand, near the Hernandian Ruins. Full guide: Sanctum of Atonement puzzle guide.
Pailune Sanctums (3)
- Sanctum of Oblation — Pailune region. Full guide: Sanctum of Oblation walkthrough.
- Sanctum of Mortification — Pailune region. Full guide: Sanctum of Mortification walkthrough.
- Sanctum of Deliverance — Pailune region. Full guide: Sanctum of Deliverance puzzle guide.
Crimson Desert Region Sanctums (3)
- Sanctum of Expiation — Crimson Desert region. Full guide: Sanctum of Expiation puzzle guide.
- Sanctum of Renunciation — Crimson Desert region. Full guide: Sanctum of Renunciation puzzle guide.
- Sanctum of Revelation — Crimson Desert region. Full guide: Sanctum of Revelation puzzle guide.
Delesyia Sanctums (3)
- Sanctum of Solace — Delesyia region. Full guide: Sanctum of Solace puzzle solution.
- Sanctum of Exaltation — Delesyia region. Full guide: Sanctum of Exaltation puzzle solution.
- Sanctum of Temperance — Delesyia region. Full guide: Sanctum of Temperance puzzle solution.
For a full map of all Sanctum locations across Pywel, see our all Sanctum locations guide.
Tips for Completing All Secret Sanctum Puzzles
- Do them immediately after cleansing each Sanctum. You are already there. Returning later means extra travel. Clear the Sanctum, then stay and do the secret puzzle before fast travelling away.
- The 0.5-second delay is real — fire slightly early. Aim to press Blinding Flash just before the dial reaches a blue square, not when it is already on it. After one or two misses, the timing becomes intuitive.
- Always have the Kuku Pot before entering a Sanctum. If you complete the puzzle without it, you lose the core unless you buy it back from Carl. Buying it back works fine but costs an extra trip to Howling Hill.
- The puzzle does not time out. The crystal dial keeps rotating indefinitely. Take your time learning the rhythm — there is no penalty for slow attempts.
- Some Sanctums are locked until specific story chapters. The first Sanctums (Benediction and the Witch of Wisdom set) open in Chapter 5. Later Sanctums require story progress into Chapters 7 through 11. Do not try to force entry into locked Sanctums early.
- Unlock Witches first. Sanctums are tied to the four main Witch faction questlines. Each Witch unlocks a set of Sanctums. Completing all four Witch questlines is required to access all 15 active Sanctum secret puzzles. Our Witches and Abyss Gears guide covers how to unlock each Witch.
- For the Witch faction questline that involves reading memory fragments and the Visione helmet — a mechanic also used in the Blood Coronation quest — see our Read the Memory on the Blood Coronation guide for how the Visione and memory systems work across the game.
- Collecting all Abyss Cores from the secret puzzles unlocks the Lightbringer Silver Trophy on PlayStation: “Shadow guided into light has restored the forgotten sanctums.” See our full trophy list and achievements guide for details.
Quick Reference
- Trigger condition: Sanctum must be fully cleansed first — no marker, no hint
- Location: Central final area of each cleansed Sanctum — blue crystal dial in the stone
- How to activate: Blinding Flash (L1+R1+L1 on PS / LB+RB+LB on Xbox) timed to blue squares on the rotating dial
- Timing rule: Fire during blue squares, hold off during blank stone — account for 0.5s delay
- Reward: Abyss Core unique to each Sanctum
- How to collect: Axiom Force (L3) to grab → Triangle/Y to seal into Kuku Pot
- Missed core: Buy from Carl at Howling Hill for 1 Silver Coin
- Total Sanctums with secret puzzles: 15 active + 1 story-only (Cloister of Ruination — no secret puzzle)
- Uses: Kuku recipes at the Kilnden Workshop in Hernand
- Trophy: Lightbringer (Silver) — collect all cores from all 15 active Sanctums
For the full Sanctum overview and every individual Sanctum walkthrough, visit our Crimson Desert guide hub. Related guides: all Sanctum locations, Cloister of Ruination guide, how to get unlimited Abyss Artifacts, and how to open sealed Abyss Artifacts.
Crimson Desert is available on PC via the official site, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox.
