Salt and Sanctuary

Hey there! Before we dive deep into the treacherous world of Salt and Sanctuary, I want to give you a quick heads-up on how this guide is put together. Think of me as your experienced friend, walking you through this tough game. You might have questions about why I've structured things a certain way, or why I suggest tackling a boss or a situation like I do. This section is all about explaining my choices!

To make things super clear, I've got a few formatting cues for you:

• If you see a word in bold, it's either a really important piece of info or it's an item you'll find in the game.
• If a word is _bold and in italics_, that's a heads-up that you're dealing with an enemy.
• And if a word is just in italics, it usually means it's a location name. I sometimes use it for bosses you've already defeated, too.

You'll also notice Blue Boxes scattered throughout the guide. These highlight key stuff – think opportunities for trophies, NPCs you should chat with, crucial enemy details, and more. They're there to make sure you don't miss anything vital.

Now, a quick word on my strategies. Everything you read here is based on how I personally played through Salt and Sanctuary. This means my advice might not be your perfect fit, and that's totally okay! The game demands quick thinking and even quicker reflexes, and sometimes you'll have to adapt on the fly. I've beaten the game multiple times with different builds, and I try to explain what I was doing during boss fights. Sometimes I might say

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. About this Guide (Please Read)
3. Controls
   • Menu Interface
   • Equipment and Inventory
4. Game Mechanics
   • Status Attributes
   • HUD (Heads-Up Display - on-screen information)
   • Combat Mechanics
5. Getting Started
6. Character Creation
7. Prologue: The Ship
8. The Shivering Shore
   • Sanctuary: The Shivering Shore
9. The Festering Banquet
   • Boss Fight: The Sodden Knight
10. Bandit's Pass
    • Sanctuary: Bandit's Pass
    • Traveling to the Village of Smiles
11. The Village of Smiles
    • Sanctuary: The Village of Smiles
    • Boss Fight: The Queen of Smiles
    • Traveling to the Watching Woods
12. The Watching Woods
    • Sanctuary: The Watching Woods
    • Boss Fight: The Mad Alchemist
13. The Sunken Keep
    • Sanctuary: Sunken Keep
    • Boss Fight: The False Jester
    • The Vertigo Brand
    • Backtracking: The Black Obelisks - Festering Banquet and Bandit's Pass
14. The Sunken Keep (Part 2)
    • Boss Fight: Kraeken Cyclops (Optional Boss)
    • Bandit's Pass: Traveling to The Castle of Storms
15. The Castle of Storms
    • Sanctuary: The Castle of Storms
    • Boss Fight: Kraekan Wyrm
    • The Shadowflip Brand
16. The Red Hall of Cages
    • Sanctuary: The Red Hall of Cages
    • Sanctuary: The Red Hall of Cages/Cran's Pass
    • Boss Fight: The Tree of Men
17. Hager's Cavern
    • Sanctuary: Hager's Cavern
    • Boss Fight: The Disemboweled Husk
    • Traveling to the Mire of Stench
18. The Mire of Stench
    • Sanctuary: The Mire of Stench
    • Boss Fight: That Stench Most Foul
    • The Redshift Brand
19. The-Fort-Beyond-The-Mire
    • Sanctuary: The-Fort-Beyond-The-Mire
    • Sanctuary: The Far Beach
    • Sanctuary: The Ziggurat of Dust
    • Backtracking: The Village of Smiles
20. The Dome of the Forgotten
    • Sanctuary: Dome of the Forgotten
    • Boss Fight: The Untouched Inquisitor
    • Dome of the Forgotten (Part 2)
    • Boss Fight: The Third Lamb
    • The Hardlight Brand
    • Backtracking: Hardlight - The Castle of Storms
    • Traveling (back) to the Ziggurat of Dust
21. The Ziggurat of Dust
    • Sancutary: Ziggurat of Dust (Part 2)
    • Boss Fight: The Dried King
    • The Dart Brand
    • The Ziggurat of Dust (Part 2)
    • Boss Fight: The Bloodless Prince
22. The Ruined Temple
    • Sanctuary: The Ruined Temple
    • Boss Fight: The Coveted
23. Siam Lake
    • Sanctuary: Siam Lake
24. Pitchwoods (Optional Area)
    • Boss Fight: Carsejaw the Cruel (Optional Boss)
    • Creed: Keepers of Fire and Sky
    • Sanctuary: Pitchwoods
25. Siam Lake (Part Two)
    • Boss Fight: The Witch of the Lake
    • Backtracking: The Shivering Shore
    • Backtracking: Mire of Stench
    • Backtracking: Cran's Pass
    • Boss Fight: Ronin Cran (Optional Boss)
    • Backtracking: The Ruined Temple
    • Backtracking: Hager's Cavern
26. Mal's Floating Castle (Optional Area)
    • Sanctuary: Mal's Floating Castle
    • Boss Fight: Murdiella Mal (Optional Boss)
27. Salt Alkymancery
    • Sanctuary: Salt Alkymancery
    • Boss Fight: The Architect and The Unskinned
28. Crypt of Dead Gods
    • Sanctuary: Crypt of Dead Gods
    • Boss Fight: The Forgotten Three
    • Boss Fight: Kraekan Dragon Skourzh
29. The Still Palace
    • Boss Fight: The Nameless God
30. New Game Plus
31. Trophy Guide
    • Overview
    • Trophy Guideline
    • Trophy List
32. Creeds
    • Devotion Rank
    • Creed: The Three
    • Creed: Devara's Light (Goddess of Light)
    • Creed: Mountainsmiths (Iron Ones)
    • Creed: The Stone Roots
    • Creed: House of Splendor
    • Creed: Order of the Betrayer
    • Creed: Order of Fire and Sky
33. Sanctuaries
    • Offerings
    • Clearing Claimed Sanctuaries
34. Spells
    • Spells: Class 1
    • Spells: Class 2
    • Spells: Class 3
    • Spells: Class 4
35. Incantations
    • Incantations: Class 1
    • Incantations: Class 2
    • Incantations: Class 3
    • Incantations: Class 4
36. Prayers
    • Prayers: Class 1
    • Prayers: Class 2
    • Prayers: Class 3
    • Prayers: Class 4
    • Prayers: Class 5
37. Version History and Updates
38. Legal Information, Copyright, and Contact Information
    • Contact Information

Hey there! Before we dive headfirst into the grim world of Salt and Sanctuary, it's super important to go over how this guide is put together. You might have some questions about why I've formatted things a certain way, why I suggest tackling bosses or areas in a particular order, or maybe you just disagree with my approach. Totally understandable!

To make things clear right off the bat:

• If you see a word in bold, it's either a key piece of information or it's an item you can find or use.
• If a word is _bold and in italics_, that's an _enemy_ you'll be facing.
• If a word is in italics, it usually means it's a location. I've also used italics a few times to point out bosses you've already defeated.

You'll also notice these handy Blue Boxes. Think of them as important call-outs. They might highlight a chance to snag a trophy, point out an NPC you should chat with, give you crucial intel on enemies, or other vital details.

Now, a quick heads-up: my strategies and suggestions are based entirely on how I personally played through the game. This means that what worked for me might not be the perfect fit for your playstyle, and that's perfectly okay! I approach guides the way I like to read them – as a source of ideas and suggestions for how to tackle a tricky situation. My goal is to share how I got through it, hoping it sparks some good ideas for you to approach the same challenges.

I'm not claiming my advice is the absolute best or foolproof. Salt and Sanctuary is a game that really demands quick thinking and reactions. Mess up, and you might find yourself on the receiving end of a boss's instant-death attack. Even after beating the game four times with different classes, many of my strategy sections are written from the perspective of what I was doing *during* the fight. So, while I might say something like "stay in melee range," it's a general suggestion. Depending on the boss's AI and what it decides to do, you'll likely need to adapt on the fly.

One last thing for the Archers out there: If you don't see a specific section for you in a boss fight, don't worry! It usually means the strategy isn't drastically different from what you've been doing. I actually think Archers are pretty versatile. By pairing a Pistol with a one-handed weapon, you can handle both close and mid-range combat effectively. The strategies I've written cover both melee and long-range approaches (since Casters often hang back), so all the advice should still be applicable – you just need to figure out how you want to engage.

Alright, that's the lowdown on how this guide works. I really hope it helps you enjoy your journey through this challenging world!

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- Next: Controls