A guide to Navigating the Sanctum (Ancient Echoes Update)

[Snapchrap]

Yesterday on the dev stream for the new Ancient Echoes update, one of the devs hinted at a way to navigate the sanctum. I have since figured it out, and I have tested it on two of my saves. It appears that you can find the puzzle room within 2 rooms from the beginning.

When entering the sanctum through the waterfall, the first two rooms will always be the same! Keep an eye on the pattern surrounding the waymarker, as it will be an important clue to solving the navigation puzzle.

These are the first two rooms you will encounter. When examining the waymarker that leads to the following room, notice the pattern on them. There are three circles surrounding the waymarker, and each have a blue mark. The circle in the back has 2 blue tics on the left and right. The circle on the left has one blue tic in the bottom left corner. The circle on the right has 2 blue tics on the front and on the side. 

Above is a close up image of the pattern the waymarker in the beginning two rooms show.

 

When entering the maze, you'll be faced with several waymarker. Examining each of them shows that they have different patterns on them. Below is an example of a waymarker that doesn't share the same pattern as the waymarker in the starting rooms/the above images.

So, I'm sure you know where this is going, but the key to navigating the sanctums maze is to find the waymarker that share the same pattern as the ones in the beginning rooms. Doing so, you'll be able to find the puzzle room within 2 waymarkers from the room with the ancient corpses.

 

After the room with the ancient corpses:

Maze Room 1:

Maze Room 2:

Puzzle Room (3rd room):

As for solving the puzzle in the room above, that is for you to figure out. There are three variations, but according to the devs there might be more in the future.
Thank you for reading this post, and enjoy the update!

Note: I haven't tested this thoroughly enough to say with confidence that the pattern on the waymarker in the starting rooms will be the same for every savefile. So, if they are different for you, keep the pattern that your waymarkers have in mind when navigating the maze. However, given that the dev on stream also had the same pattern to guide him, its safe to say that we all will have the same pattern.

Edited September 19, 2025 by Snapchrap

[Schry]

You are Right.

This topic deserves to be seen by more people! 

The compendium entry for the Sanctum Waymark mentions this.

The directions of the sanctum rooms are fixed, and the orientation is determined by the pattern on the waymark pedestal.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

I looked at another player's analysis and learned this, and afterward I reviewed the code myself.

Spoiler

The N of the lobby connects to the S of mask1

The mask1's N connects to the S of teleport1

The teleport1's W, E, and N connect to hall1's E, hall2's W, and hall3's S, respectively

The hall3's N connects to the S of puzzle1……

So, I drew a floor plan of the Sanctum.  
P.S. Sorry it’s kinda ugly.

Spoiler

Spoiler

By default, up is north, down is south, left is west, and right is east.

Green arrow: direction to enter puzzle rooms for solving puzzles

Blue arrow: direction you can go after solving the puzzle

Red arrow: waymark is broken, needs fixing to pass both ways

 

The latest update replaced hall4 with puzzle2, so hall4 isn’t on the map anymore.

Edited October 6, 2025 by Schry
Add some comments ;->

[Snapchrap]

7 hours ago, Schry said:

You are Right.

This topic deserves to be seen by more people! 

The compendium entry for the Sanctum Waymark mentions this.

The directions of the sanctum rooms are fixed, and the orientation is determined by the pattern on the waymark pedestal.

  Hide contents

  Hide contents

  Hide contents

  Hide contents

I looked at another player's analysis and learned this, and afterward I reviewed the code myself.

  Hide contents

The N of the lobby connects to the S of mask1

The mask1's N connects to the S of teleport1

The teleport1's W, E, and N connect to hall1's E, hall2's W, and hall3's S, respectively

The hall3's N connects to the S of puzzle1……

So, I drew a floor plan of the Sanctum.  
P.S. Sorry it’s kinda ugly.

  Hide contents

  Reveal hidden contents

By default, up is north, down is south, left is west, and right is east.

Green arrow: direction to enter puzzle rooms for solving puzzles

Blue arrow: direction you can go after solving the puzzle

Red arrow: waymark is broken, needs fixing to pass both ways

 

The latest update replaced hall4 with puzzle2, so hall4 isn’t on the map anymore.

Thank you so much for adding to this. It's nice to see people who dig into the code confirm what ive tested and expand on it!