Player Mechanics

Well, hello there. You're just a fleshy bit of flotsam, washed ashore with the rest of us, hmm? If you're confused about the basics of gameplay in Salt and Sanctuary, look no further. Every Saltborn should know the following details, regardless of whether they are new or veteran.

May they be candles to you in this roaring salt sea.

Basic Controls

The player has many specific actions they can take while exploring the Island. This is a simple list to help players experiment with the actions available to them. If you need to know the specific button or input that will cause the player to use said action, please refer to the Controls tab of the in-game Menu.

^Light Attack: Player performs a light attack with their equipped weapon, attacking quickly but for less damage.

^Heavy Attack: Player performs a heavy attack with their equipped weapon, attacking slowly but for more damage.

^Jump: Player jumps. This can be used to cross gaps, dodge enemies, and grab/drop from ledges.

^Use: Player interacts with an object on the map. This also allows players to use false walls, which are sprinkled throughout the map to hide shortcuts and other rewards.

^Use Item: Player uses the item currently selected on their hotbar. This is also how consumable weapons are thrown.

^Roll: Player dodges left or right, depending on directional input. Rolling grants the player i-frames, allowing them roll through attacks and past enemies.

^Switch Loadout: Player switches to their second loadout. This will change the player's equipload to the new loadout as well, which may change the player's movement speed if the loadout weights are different.

^Block: Player blocks with their equipped weapon or shield. This will use stamina and may cause chip damage if the equipped item's defense is lower than 100%.

^Parry and Riposte: Player parries an incoming attack by pressing Light Attack while simultaneously Blocking. If timed correctly, the player will take no damage and open the enemy to a riposte. Ripostes are performed by pressing the Use button, and will be prompted on screen. These attacks do massive damage and grant i-frames.

^Light Torch: Player pulls out a torch if they have one in their inventory. This will increase the player's visibility, and can also be used in combination with several Brands later in the game. Torches have durability, and will eventually break with use. This durability bar can be seen in torch's UI on the bottomleft of the screen.

Sanctuaries

Sanctuaries act as safe spaces for the player. Enemies can follow a player into the Sanctuary though, so be careful! When a Sanctuary has been found, the player can claim it for their creed by placing their creed's icon on the pedestal. From here, the player now has several options.

^ Rest: Resting at a Sanctuary will refill your health, mana and creed items, and reset all enemies (excluding bosses) in the world.

^ Level Up: the player may now use any Salt they have acquired to gain Black Pearls. These Pearls can be spent in the Skill Tree.

^ Skill Tree: the player may use any Black Pearls they have earned throughout their travels or through leveling up in the Skill Tree. This tree is how the player gains stats and the ability to use different tiers of weapons and armor. See "Leveling Up" below for details.

^ Make Offering: the player may offer any Stone NPC replicas to the altar, spawning in that particular NPC. Up to 4 NPCs may be spawned at one Sanctuary, so pick wisely. Each NPC also provides a specific bonus to the map area that Sanctuary is found in, which may help you decide who to place.

If a Sanctuary has already been claimed by another creed, you can still use it for the purpose of leveling up and using the Skill Tree, but will be unable to Make Offerings. The only way to change this is to either Take an Oath and join that particular creed (simultaneously abandoning your previous creed), convert the creed to your own with a Crystal Sphere, or to use a Stained Page in an attempt to destroy that creed and remove them from the Sanctuary. Doing the latter option will result in several Sanctuary Guardians spawning and all other Sanctuaries of that particular creed becoming hostile.

Candlelit saferooms cannot belong to a creed, and are only used for resting. Resting at these saferooms will refill your health, mana, and creed items.

Combat

Combat in Salt and Sanctuary tends to be swift and fierce. Each enemy has different attacks and patterns, and will require different strategies to overcome. Use light and heavy attacks to defeat your foes, and don't be afraid to experiment with consumables.

It is highly suggested that a player test out any new weapons they come across before using them in battle. This will help the player get a feel for the speed and moveset of the weapon.

It is also suggested that a player try as many combinations of light and heavy attacks as they can think of, including pressing up and down while attacking, as some weapons have hidden movesets. See the weapon category pages for specific movesets.

Death Penalties

If the player dies at any point, they will respawn at the last Sanctuary or candlelit saferoom they rested at. Upon reviving, the player loses all of their Salt and 10% of their gold. The Salt can be regained if the player returns to where they died and recollects it.

The player's Salt will take one of two forms: it will either be inside an enemy, who now glows white and is slightly stronger, or it will take the form of a Saltbat. Killing either of these two forms will regain the player's Salt.

Bosses can also steal a player's Salt, but it will be returned to the player if they can deal enough damage to the boss' health bar (approximately 25%). Bosses do not get stronger when they have stolen the player's Salt.

Leveling Up

When the player collects enough Salt, the player will be given the option to level up when they reach any friendly Sanctuary. After confirming that they wish to use their Salt to level up, the player will be given a Black Pearl for each level they obtain. These Black Pearls can be used in the Skill Tree.

Inside the Skill Tree, the player can pick from a large number of nodes that will grant the player stat increases and, on select nodes, give the player the ability to use new weapons and armor. Nodes must connect to previously acquired nodes in order to be selected.

If the player does not wish to push further into the Skill Tree, each basic node can be selected up to 5 times.

For Skill Nodes, the player must use the same amount of Black Pearls as the tier of the skill to unlock it (2 Black Pearls for Swords2, 4 Black Pearls for LightArmor4, etc).

If the player is ever uncertain if they have enough Salt to level up, they can simply look at the thin white bar beneath their salt and gold count. If the white bar fills, it will become a brighter white, indicating the player has enough salt to increase at least one level.

Equipload

A player's weight is determined by their equipload. The game has several tiers of equipload, each of which will change the movement speed and rolling speed of the player. If the player wishes to remain in a specific tier of equipload while using heavier gear, they will need to invest an appropriate amount of levels into Endurance.

^0-25%: The fastest movement speed available. Players run across the map and roll quickly. This is also the suggested tier of equipload for mage builds, as having less equipload will make the player's spells and incantations cost less.

^25-50%: Normal movement and rolling speed.

^50-75%: Slightly slower movement and rolling speed.

^75-100%: Slowest movement and rolling speed. Players plod across the map, their rolls becoming a clunky mess. This is also the suggested tier of equipload for prayer builds, as having more equipload will make the player's prayers cost less.

^+100%: Overburdened. The player stumbles slowly forward, barely able to move, and cannot roll. Death comes swiftly to those foolish enough to wear this much equipment.

Game Progress

Salt and Sanctuary is a large game, and has many twists and turns. Players will find many shortcuts back to previously explored areas, and sometimes find paths that lead to areas that they've never seen before. If an area feels too difficult, it is suggested that the player try another route, as they may be in an area that is beyond their current level.

If you have no desire to explore the Island yourself and would rather play through the game at a steady pace, please see the Suggested Route page for details.

New Game +

When the player completes the game and picks and ending, they will be able to load up their save file upon completing the credits. The player will find themself on the Shivering Shore, and New Game+ will begin.

In this gamemode, the player will retain all of their equipment and stats, and will even keep their current devotion and creed. However, the player will lose any key items and brands they have collected, and must collect these again. The game will also become much more difficult, with enemy HP, damage and Salt rewards increased significantly.

If the player is able to beat the game again, the game will continue to get more and more difficult, up to NG+7.