The Forbidden Sanctum

"Forbidden Sanctum" redirects here. For the expansion, see The Forbidden Sanctum (expansion). For the league, see Sanctum league.

The Forbidden Sanctum is an area found in the Sanctum league. Players must explore a randomized dungeon, collecting Aureus coins and trying to reach the end before their Resolve runs out.

A Sanctum run contains 4 floors, each containing 8 rooms. The 8th room of each floor always contains a Boss. Players can choose to engage in a room every time they encounter the portal to the Sanctum in an area or map, or defer up to 8 rooms (1 floor) to be run consecutively at a later time.

Mechanics

Resolve

• Resolve is an additional stat player characters have while exploring the Sanctum, somewhat similar to Ruin from Ultimatum league.
• The default maximum Resolve is 300. Resolve is maintained between rooms, and the player is ejected from the Sanctum if it hits 0, resetting all floors and rooms.
• Resolve is lost from hits from monsters or traps in the Sanctum. Closer proximity to monsters may reduce the Resolve lost.
• Defences such as evasion rating, damage reduction, and avoidance do not affect the loss of Resolve.
• Minions do not cause Resolve to be lost if hit.
• A fixed amount of Resolve can be restored in Fountain rooms.

Aureus

• Aureus is a type of non-tradeable currency similar to Azurite which can be found in the Sanctum. Aureus is collected automatically when the player is near it.
• Aureus can be traded to the merchant for various Boons.
• Aureus is maintained between rooms and floors, and is lost when the Sanctum run ends.

Boon

• Boons grant various benefits to your Sanctum run and can help recover or mitigate damage to your Resolve, increase your Aureus and rewards, debuff monsters, grant Inspiration, or provide other helpful buffs.

Affliction

• Afflictions grant various downsides to your Sanctum run and can reduce or prevent Resolve recovery, spawn additional traps, buff monsters, affect your Aureus generation, or hide rooms or rewards on the Sanctum Map.

Room Types

Fountain

• Fountain rooms contain an interactable Fountain which grants Recover 25% of Maximum Resolve.

Afflicted Fountain

• Afflicted Fountain rooms contain an interactable Afflicted Fountain which grants Recover #% of Maximum Resolve, but also inflicts a random Affliction on you.

Merchant

• Merchant rooms contain an NPC which sells you Boons in exchange for Aureus. The "Chipped Dice" Boon is required to reroll the Merchant's Shop options.

Accursed Pact

• Accursed Pacts are unlocked after progressing through the Sanctum.
• Accursed Pact rooms allow you to accept one of three random Accursed Pacts which grants both a upside and downside:

Accursed Pact outcomes

Upside	Icon	Downside
Gain a specific Boon	Yellow nail	Lose 25% Maximum Resolve
Gain a random Major Boon	Yellow spiky nail	Lose 50% Maximum Resolve
Gain 2 random Minor Boons	Two yellow nails	Lose 50% Maximum Resolve
Gain a random Minor Boon	Yellow/Purple twisted arrows	Gain a random Minor Affliction
Remove a specific Affliction	Purple twisted arrow+Purple nail	Gain a random Minor Affliction
Gain 200 Inspiration	Blue pentagram ⛦	Lose 200 Resolve

Bosses

• Boss based on High Lithomancer (Primordial Blocks MapPrimordial Blocks MapMap Level: 69
  Map Tier: 2
  Guild Character: âWho is the true criminal, the one behind
  bars, or the one who tortures him?Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once.)
• Boss based on Kadaris, Crimson Mayor (Crimson Township MapCrimson Township MapMap Level: 68
  Map Tier: 1
  Guild Character: %Rain will wash away the stains,
  but the madness and memories will never fade.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once.)

Rewards

When players are offered rewards, they have three options:

• Recieve (a small quantity of) <item1> now
• Recieve (a moderate quantity of) <item2> at end of the Floor
• Recieve (a large quantity of) <item3> on completing the Sanctum

The quantity and types of items improve based on how long you defer the reward, at the cost of risking the reward entirely if the player loses all Resolve during the run.

Templar Relic

• Templar Relics can be found in the Sanctum and provide buffs to various mechanics related to the Sanctum.
• They can be stored in a special separate stash, which can also be placed as a hideout decoration.
• To equip a Relic, they must be placed in the Relic Altar on a 5x5 grid with some slots blocked off. Additional grid slots can be unlocked as you progress.
• Relics are unmodifiable and account-bound.

Sanctified Relic

• Sanctified Relics are special Relics that provide more general modifiers to the character, and have effect even outside of the Sanctum. They are marked with an orange glow behind the item's art.
• Sanctified Relics are unmodifiable and account-bound.
• Rarely, you may find a corrupted Sanctified Relic which can have special implicit modifiers, such as the Lethe Shade Keystone.

Version history

Version	Changes
3.20.0	Introduced to the game.