Sunken Keep | Salt and Sanctuary Wiki

Full  Sunken Keep Walkthrough

A full walkthrough including all the items, enemies and bosses is shown below. You can add links, images. and other details.

Sunken Keep is the fifth region you will tackle after making your way through The Watching Woods. The Keep is riddled with ferocious Retchfeeder that can overwhelm you quickly if you do not keep your guard up. It is however not that difficult to make it through this area if you follow this guide below. There are 2 routes to getting to the Keep and its sanctuary. You can choose either way as the Keep is interconnected and you can still reach the other route later.

Route #1 - Fighting the Kraekan Cyclops

In the dark room with the Retchfeeder, heading to the left brings you to an elevator that leads down to the Kraekan Cyclops (Video). Defeating this boss awards you the Green Key, which will be extremely useful for the next boss fight. If you keep heading right, you will see a shortcut to Hager's Cavern (unlocked from Cavern side). Ignore it for now and head up the stairs to the right. You will see a long ladder going up. Alternatively, you can also reach this ladder without fighting the Cyclops.

Route #2 - Without Fighting the Kraekan Cyclops

In the dark room with the Retchfeeder, heading to the right, brings you to a broken bridge with an entrance underneath it on the other side. Jump over and collect the 3x Bell of Return in front of it, then enter the cave. Go all the way down, and exit the cave to find a Warhammer. Then jump down the ledge and you will find the same long ladder mentioned above. If you head left from the ladder, you will reach the Kraekan Cyclops, should you wish to fight him. 

No matter which route you take, you will have to climb the long ladder and go all the way to the top, then continue heading right from there into another cave. Head up a floor and continue ahead to find an unclaimed Sanctuary. Just like you did in Shivering Shore, claim the sanctuary by placing your Creed's Idol at the altar. To the right, through some broken bridges you can find a Link of Fire and Sky.

Head back out the sanctuary where you came in from, and just walk straight to the left, up the small stairs and stand by the wall there to reveal an Illusory Wall. The wall will lead you to a ledge outside with a Stone Merchant and a Pack of Salt to pick up. Head back inside and continue going upwards and exit to the left, picking up 10x Forestfang on the way.

Continue ahead to the Vilehawk, climb up to his ledge and then keep on making your way left. Just to the left of an Obelisk, on a platform with a Vilehawk on it, you may drop down a few platforms. You will see a pathway to the left and a small platform below you. To the left, hidden by the foreground trees is a Crystal Sphere. Go back and drop down to grab Plated Band. To the left is a dark room with the Light  prayer in it. Head back out, drop down, and continue right to return to the Sanctuary and where the Vilehawks were. At the top of the three platforms with Vilehawks you can find another 10x Forestfang. If you killed Kraekan Cyclops, head all the way left to a locked door which will open with the key he dropped. This will lead to a lever and a Shrine, to the right of which is The False Jester. This shrine provides a significantly closer respawn point, with an enemy-free route to the boss fight. Otherwise, make your way towards the top room by heading left a little more, then climbing up the ladder, picking up a Stone Leader, and then hopping back towards the room. This room is where you fight the area boss, The False Jester.

The False Jester is a swift melee boss that likes to attack in combos. His speed can sometimes be overwhelming as you often find yourself out of stamina to avoid the last bit of his combo. The more heavily armored classes such as the Knight and Paladin will be able to block most his swings using their shields. Rolling through his jump-attacks to get behind him and attack him is the safest way to do this. For more tips and strategies on how to defeat this boss, see The False Jester boss page. 

After defeating the boss, keep going left, pick up Chain Chausses, and take the upper exit on the left side. Climb up the long stairs inside to find the Mad Jester, hanging upside down. Choose 'Yes' in your dialogue to have him gift you the Vertigo Brand. This brand grants its owner power over gravity. Wear this brand to gain the ability to use Eminent Obelisks (The black towers that you may have noticed along your way). The chest to his left holds the Jester's Crown, the Jester's Motley and the Jester's Slippers.

Use the Eminent Obelisk (black tower) to the right of him to port yourself to the top. Drop down to the left. Above you is a Silver Leaf. Keep heading left up the hill till you find yourself in a cave with a lever that unlocks the gate leading into The Festering Banquet. Continue through the gate then above the merchant and to the right is another obelisk, use it to access a chest with the Onyx set, and a lever that leads back to the main room. Then make your way through the Festering Banquet back into the Bandit's Pass. (Video)

Go back to where the Mad Jester was, then head right, back down the cave. At the other end, you will find another Obelisk. Use it to reach the ceiling above, and head right into the cave. Go back to the left to find a Stone Alchemist.  Continuing right will bring you directly underneath the Bandit's Pass (Video).  If you instead head left and drop down then continue right, past the room where you fought The False Jester and continue outside and down to the right, past the enemies, you will see another Obelisk.  Use it, then head right to reach the ledge above.  Head left and drop down into the cave to the right to find a Sack of Salt and the Askarian Scutum. Go back out and drop down to the left.  If you use the Obelisk again but this time go to the top ledge and continue right, after a series of long jumps you will find the Voracious Charm at the end of the ledge.

The Sunken Keep Video Walkthrough