The Sanctum of Penitence puzzle in Crimson Desert is one of the easier sanctum puzzles and part of the “The Witch of Wisdom” faction quest, involving the witch Elowen. Here, you need to liberate a sanctum by defeating enemies and solving a repair puzzle on an ancient machine.

If you haven’t reached the area yet, then you need to progress to the second half of Chapter 5 in the main story to unlock the relevant faction quest. This guide will provide you with tips and tricks on how to complete the Sanctum of Penitence puzzle in Crimson Desert.

Clear the Enemies to Liberate the Sanctum

Before going into the sanctum, it’s recommended to unlock and have access to Axiom Force abilities for grabbing and moving heavy objects, as well as Force Palm for securing the missing piece. Also, be sure to bring the Kuku Pot or an Iron Pot, which is useful for sealing and carrying the piece.

Once that’s done, you’ll find the Sanctum of Penitence on a plateau in the far southeast of the City of Hernand. It’s located past the Unicorn Cliff, close to the southeastern border, and near the Sanctum of Temperance beyond the Goldleaf Trading Post. Use the nearest fast travel point and ride your horse to reach the Ethereal Altar Plateau in the Grace Estate area.

Clear all the enemies to liberate the sanctum from Antumbra worshippers who occupy the ruins. Defeat them all until the liberation progress bar on the left side of the screen drops from 100% to 0%. This liberates the area and allows you to finally access the puzzle.

Locate the Missing Piece

You’ll notice that the central machine has four pillars, but one of them is missing the block on top for the Fusion Reactor Core. Here’s how to find that missing piece:

1. Head south of the main machine and enter the ruins.
2. Look for a set of stairs with broken flooring.
3. The piece is embedded in rubble below.
4. Activate your Axiom Force ability and grab the piece, which may require a strong tug to unstick it from the rubble.
5. You can seal it in your Kuku Pot for easier transportation.
6. Drag it back to the central machine and the broken pillar.
7. Use Axiom Force controls to position it above the pillar.

Secure the Piece to Complete the Puzzle

Note that the piece won’t slot in fully on its own, so just leave it hovering above the pillar. Then, you need to manually secure it by following these steps:

1. Exit Axiom Force and climb onto the top of the hovering pillar piece.
2. Perform a jumping Force Palm attack to drive the piece down and secure it into place.
3. Once secured, the pillar will restore and activate the ancient machine.

After completing the puzzle, go to the ruins area surrounded by pillars, where you dropped down. The ground there should break, dropping you into a hidden lower area. Open the chest for Blackwing Leather Gloves, which are a part of the Crowcaller’s Blackwing armor set that provides you with health regeneration and lightning resistance.