Official Walkthrough

Developer here! Here's the official Crown of Thorns walkthrough. Spoiler-free to the extent possible.

Introduction

As you explore the world of Crown of Thorns, you will move back and forth between two versions of the Halvard Castle complex: one in ruins and one in perfect condition. This guide will refer to these two areas as the Ruined Castle and the Pristine Castle.

There are a number of statues, monuments, or plaques inscribed with scriptural passages. There are also journal entries, letters, books, and other details lying around. These serve as hints and provide a narrative backdrop for the game. Anything you read will be stored in your Codex, which you can access through the pause menu. This guide does not note the placement of every Codex entry, just ones that are necessary for puzzles. I encourage players to carefully explore their environment to find them all.

I've tried to write this guide in a spoiler-free way, and interspersed hints in addition to solutions, so you can use this guide to get unstuck without completely bailing on the puzzles.

Game Opening

After the opening cutscene, go north through the gate to access the Ruined Castle. (You can step on the symbol to go back to the Pristine Castle gate, but there's nothing to do there.) There are several avenues of exploration, and some Codex entries to find, but all paths currently lead to some manner of dead end except the Eastern Courtyard. To advance the story, you must access the Pristine Castle.

Accessing the Pristine Castle

Activating the Eastern Courtyard Portal

• Go through the door on the far east side of the Ruined Castle Entrance Hall, continue through the corridor to reach the Ruined Castle Eastern Courtyard.
  
• Head east through the courtyard and across the bridge. You'll pass a goblet (which will be relevant later) and find yourself in front of a large marble structure (the Library, also relevant later). For now, step on the red sigil in front of the Library. You'll be transported to a strange world called the Interweave.
  
• Follow the path in the Interweave to the lower platform. (Optional: open the chest to get the Fourth Journal Entry. Note that this poem is packed full of hints. If you're ever stuck, re-read the Fourth Journal Entry and see if any words jump out at you.) Step on the blue sigil on the lower platform to find yourself in the Pristine Castle Eastern Courtyard. You can now travel freely between Pristine/Ruined Castle Eastern Courtyards by stepping on the sigil.

Activating the Castle Portals

This is optional, but highly recommended for ease of motion.

• From the Pristine Eastern Courtyard, head back into the castle and through to the Pristine Castle Entrance Hall.
  
• Step on the blue sigil in front of the statue in the Entrance Hall to find yourself in a new Interweave.
  
• Follow the path north and step on the red sigil at the end. You'll find yourself back in the Ruined Castle Entrance Hall, but now the portal there is active. You can freely move between the entrance halls now.
  
• Go back through the portal to the Pristine Castle Entrance Hall.
  
• Head up the stairs in the center of the room to the second floor, and step on the blue sigil in front of the statue due north of the stairs. This will take you to the same Interweave area, but along a different path.
  
• Head north along this path. (Optional: open the chest to the left of the path to get the Second Journal Entry.) Step on the red sigil at the north end to be transported to the Ruined Castle Second Floor. You can now freely travel through this portal as well.

Next steps

From this point, you have the more areas to explore and more choice about the order in which you do things. Broadly, there are three arcs: the Library Arc, the Catacombs Arc, and the Church Arc, with the only constraint being that you must complete the Catacombs Arc before you can start the Church Arc. You can also gain access to the Ruined Castle Throne Room, but will not be able to continue until you've at least accessed the catacombs, church, and library.

I recommend completing Obtaining Sacred Fire first. It is necessary to properly complete any of the arcs, and to access the Ruined Castle Throne Room. Doing it quickly after accessing the Pristine Castle interior will reduce the amount of running back and forth you need to do. Beyond that, I recommend doing the Library Arc first, since it is shorter and also gives you access to all the scriptural entries in your Codex.

Obtaining Sacred Fire

• Once you have access to the Pristine Castle, head to the Second Floor and follow either corridor to the south half of the room.
  
• You'll see a goblet of fire, a table with a book, and a treasure chest are on an alter. Open the chest to receive the Sunlight Vial.
  
• Interact with the goblet of fire to fill the vial with Sacred Fire.

Library Arc

This arc deals with the Library, the marble building in the northeastern section of the Eastern Courtyard. At the start of the game, you can only access the Library Atrium. In the Ruined Castle Library Atrium, the door ahead is blocked by a magic seal. In the Pristine Castle there is no seal, but the door is locked.

Accessing the Pristine Castle Library

Hint: The poem in the Fourth Journal Entry mentions a key. There is only one mirror in the game, and it's somewhere in the Pristine Castle.

Solution: Head to the Pristine Castle Dormitory (door in the southwest part of the Second Floor). Interact with the vanity just to the right of the bed in the upper room (which has a mirror on it) to find the Book Key.
(Optional: read the book on the desk in the same room to learn about the Halvard Castle complex.)

You can now pass through the locked door in the Pristine Castle Library Atrium.

Obtaining Books

Hint: Once in the library, keep your eye on the bookshelves. Anything leap out at you?
Hint: There are four obtainable books on bookshelves in this room. If you look closely, they glow periodically.

Solution: Book locations:
- Second shelf from the right, lower left row (Theognostica)
- Second shelf from the right, lower right row (Lessons of Daru)
- Second shelf from the left, upper right row (Tales of Bellu)
- The table in front of the statue (Teachings of Ma'al)

Optional: read the book on the table to the left of the door for a primer on the various books of scripture.

Note: when interacting with the scripture books, you can read any of the passages that appear elsewhere in the game (and a few that don't). When you take each book, all its passages are registered in your Codex, so you don't have to read them all immediately.

Accessing the Ruined Castle Library

Hint: In the Library Atrium (in either castle), read the text on the monument up the stairs and to the left. It says something about the way forward?
Hint: There's a statue in the upper right in the Library Atrium. Compare the one that appears in the Pristine Castle to the one that appears in the Ruined Castle. What's different?

Solution: Head to the Ruined Castle Library Atrium and interact with the statue up the stairs and to the right. Place Teachings of Ma'al under the statue's arm, and the seal will open.

Ruined Castle Library

You'll need to get across to the north side of the room.

Hint: Pay attention to the colors of the books and the colors of the orbs.

Solution: Place the three remaining books of scripture on the tables corresponding to the orbs of their color (Theognostica, Tales of Bellu, Lessons of Daru, left to right). A bridge of colored light will appear.

Crossing to the far side, you'll find there's nothing you can do due to distortions.

Hint: Interacting with the orbs will change the configuration of the bridge.

Solution: Interact with the colored orbs to get the bridge across on the left side, with a short yellow bridge from the far side to the platform on the right.
Cross the bridge on the left, then the short yellow bridge on the right. Follow the path to the right until you see a goblet. Interact with it and fill it with Sacred Fire to banish the distortions.

Obtaining the Writ of Sealing

You can now interact with the book on the table in the center of the upper platform, which presents you with a little riddle.

Hint: In what passage does Ma'al name his "greatest spell?"

Solution: Interact with the book, and turn to passage 3:15, 3:16, or 3:17. (3 is the chapter, 15, 16, 17 are the verses.) You will obtain the Writ of Sealing, and the library will return to a normal (ruined) state.

This concludes the Library Arc!

Catacombs Arc

Note: the Catacombs Arc is a prerequisite for the Church Arc.

Accessing the Catacombs

Hint: The Halvard Castle Guide (Pristine Castle Dormitory, upper room) notes where one may be able to access the Catacombs.

Solution: You need to gain access to the Dungeon. The door to the Dungeon is down the stairs at the end of the East Hallway, which is accessible through the door to the right of the stairs in the Entrance Hall.
In the Ruined Castle, the door to the dungeon is rusted shut, while in the Pristine Castle there is a broken mechanism that needs a chain.

Hint: The poem in the Fourth Journal Entry mentions where you might find a chain.

Solution: Head to the Ruined Castle Armory (door to the left of the stairs in the Entrance Hall). On a table in the upper left portion of the screen, you'll find a Rusty Chain.
Head to the Pristine Castle Dungeon Access and use the Rusty Chain to open the door. This gives you access to the Pristine Castle Dungeon, which has nothing useful in it.
Go back to the Ruined Castle Dungeon Access. The door that was rusted shut is now open.
In the dungeon, head down the ladder in the northeast part of the room to reach the Catacombs Entrance.

Getting Past the Catacombs Cave-in

You are blocked from exploring the Catacombs any further by a pile of rocks in the southern section of the Catacombs Entrance. You can, however, step on the red sigil to enter a new Interweave (which is my favorite area in the game). Follow the path to the lower platform. (Optional: open the chest to get the Third Journal Entry). Step on the blue sigil to reach the Pristine Castle Catacombs Entrance. You can now freely travel between the two. The cave-in blocks the path in both castles, however.

Hint: The monument in the Catacombs Entrance gives oblique advice on how to get past rock.
Hint: You'll need the pickaxe in the lower part of the Ruined Castle Catacombs Entrance. Anything else in the room catch your eye?
Hint: The little crack on the left side of the north wall is interactable.

Solution: Grab the Old Iron Pickaxe next to the caved-in corridor in the lower part of the Ruined Castle Catacombs Entrance. Interact with the crack in the wall in the upper left part of the Pristine Castle Catacombs Entrance, and use the Old Iron Pickaxe to widen the hole.
Go back through the portal to the Ruined Castle Catacombs Entrance. The way forward is now clear.

Grace Daru Teaches of the Fallen of Wickedness and Pride

Head through the newly open corridor in the Ruined Castle Catacombs Entrance to reach a large underground chamber. Follow the path to the northwest portion of the room. Two paths are blocked by two walls of flame.

Hint: Interact with the coffins and statue. In what passages does Grace Daru discuss wickedness and pride?
Hint: If you haven't been to the Library yet and filled out your Codex, check out the Garden of Daru and Bellu in the Pristine Castle Western Courtyard.

Solution: The two paths open when you interact with the coffins and enter the chapter and verse of Lessons of Daru that corresponds to the occupant's sin. The solutions are 1018 for the left coffin and 1123 for the right coffin.

Optional now but required later: follow the right path, then go down the stairs to the Hidden Vault. Open the chest to obtain the Olive Seed.

Head through the left path to reach the Catacombs Main Hall.

A Torch Which Shall Burn in the Darkness and Show the Way

The Catacombs Main Hall appears to be a dead end at a glance.

Hint: Read the inscription on the plaque next to the stairs, then interact with the statue. This puzzle is what it says on the tin. You'll have to take a leap of faith.

Solution: In the Catacombs Main Hall, first interact with the statue and light the torch. This will cause a little fireball to appear directly above the main platform. (You need Sacred Fire to light the torch. If you don't have it yet, see Obtaining Sacred Fire above.)
Walk off the edge of the platform directly towards the fireball.
When you reach the fireball floating in midair, it will split into two. Wait a moment and see which fireball evidences some distortion, and walk towards the one that doesn't. When you reach that fireball, it will split in two. Rinse and repeat until you reach the far side. Taking a wrong turn returns you to the beginning.
If you don't feel like waiting and looking at a bunch of flickering lights the sequence is as follows:
- up (from the statue), left, left, down, left, left, up, up, right, right, down, left, up, up

Once you reach the far side, a bridge of light will appear, so you don't have to go through that rigamarole again.

Optional now but required later: Light the goblet with your Sacred Fire to dispel distortions.

Past the goblet, there is an exit leading to the Church.

This concludes the Catacombs arc!

Church Arc

Note: you must complete the Catacombs Arc first.

Accessing the Church of Grace Daru

Head up the stairs from the northeast platform in the Catacombs Main Hall after completing the light bridge. You'll find yourself in a blocked off part of the Church. There is a riddle in the form of a passage from Lessons of Daru and a dial on the wall you can use to enter a number.

Hint: When did the Church first open its doors for mass? If only there were a history of the Halvard Castle complex lying around in the Pristine Castle Dormitory...

Solution: Interact with the dial and enter 1305, the year the original church was built. The wall will come down and give you access to the Church.

Light the goblet with your Sacred Fire to dispel the distortions.

There's still some work to be done with the statue here, but you can't do it yet. You need to access the Ruined Castle Western Courtyard First.

Activate the Western Courtyard Portal

• The Ruined Castle Western Courtyard has hitherto been inaccessible due to the floor collapsing in the Ruined Castle Western Courtyard Access corridor. You can now access the Ruined Castle Western Courtyard by exiting the Church.
  
• Head across the bridge and into the courtyard garden. Step on the red sigil in the southern portion of the garden to enter the Interweave.
  
• Follow the Interweave path to the lower platform. (Optional: open the chest in the southeast portion of the area to get the Fifth Journal Entry). Step on the blue sigil to reach the Pristine Castle Western Courtyard. You can now freely travel between the two.

Optional now but required later: in the upper right of the Ruined Castle Western Courtyard, near the door to the castle, is another goblet to light with Sacred Fire to dispel distortions.

The Riddle in the Church

The Church of Grace Daru has some unsolved riddles in it that you can address now.

Hint: The poem in the Fourth Journal Entry mentions a statue with "stone limbs shorn." Check out the statue in the Church and see what you can do with it.

Solution: You must put a sword in the left hand of the statue in the Church and an olive branch in its right hand.

Finding a sword

Hint: Where's the most likely place in the castle to find a sword?

Solution: You can find a Decorative Sword in a chest in the Pristine Castle Armory.

Getting the Olive Branch

This is a more involved process, which requires several hidden items.

Hint: There are passages in Tales of Bellu which talk about an olive branch. See if those are any inspiration.
Hint: There's no olive tree to hand. You're going to need to grow one, using an Olive Seed and Water of Life, reenacting the scene in Tales of Bellu.
Hint: There's an Olive Seed hidden somewhere in the Catacombs.
Hint: There are two passages that give hints for the location of Water of Life: the Fourth Journal Entry, and Bellu 14:31. That Bellu passage in particular mentions distances with odd specificity.
Hint: Once you have the seed and the water, you'll need to find a likely place to plant them. Somewhere in a nice, pristine garden, maybe with a passage from Tales of Bellu on a monument nearby.

Solution: See Grace Daru Teaches of the Fallen of Wickedness and Pride in the Catacombs Arc for how to obtain the Olive Seed (by taking the right-side path).
Head to the Ruined Castle Baths (door in the southeast on the Second Floor). Go down the steps and into the empty bath. From the grate, take two steps down and two steps right, and search to find the Water of Life.
You can plant and water the seed in a soft patch of dirt in front of a monument surrounded by trees in the Pristine Castle Western Courtyard.
After watering the seed, go to the same spot in the Ruined Castle to find a fully grown olive tree. Interact with it to get an Olive Branch.

Obtaining the Writ of Banishing

Take the Olive Branch and Decorative Sword to the statue in the Church, and put the sword in the left hand and the branch in the right. Interact with the book to receive the Writ of Banishing.

This concludes the Church Arc!

The Throne Room

Breaking the seal on the door on the Ruined Castle Second Floor

Note: you must complete Obtaining Sacred Fire first.

Hint: Take a look at the statues in front of the door on the Second Floor in both castles, and in the Entrance Hall of the Pristine Castle.
Hint: "Your crown of laurels shall become a crown of thorns. / And a path opened..."

Solution: Interact with the statue in the Pristine Castle Entrance Hall to obtain a Crown of Laurels. If you haven't already, go to the lower portion of the Ruined Castle Second Floor and light the goblet with Sacred Fire to dispel the distortions. Interact with the bare-headed statue in front of the sealed door in the Ruined Castle Second Floor, and put the Crown of Laurels on it. Lightning will strike the statue, the crown will transform, and the seal will disappear. Grab the Crown of Thorns off the statue--you'll need it later.

Activating the Throne Room Portal

Hint: There are six goblets in the Ruined Castle Throne Room. The poem in the Fourth Journal Entry uses that same number. The monument on the right side of the Ruined Castle Throne Room also might shed some light on the matter.

Solution: You need to use Sacred Fire to light six goblets around the Ruined Castle. If you've made it into the Throne Room, you've already lit the one on the Second Floor of the castle. The Library Arc, Church Arc, and Catacombs Arc sections detail one goblet each in their titular areas. The last two are in the Ruined Castle Eastern and Western Courtyards (note: the Western Courtyard goblet is not accessible until you complete the Catacombs Arc). Once all six are lit, the portal in the Ruined Castle Throne Room will activate.

Confronting the evil presence at the heart of the castle

Note: you can "fail" by not having the necessary items or making the wrong choices in the following scenes. There is no penalty for failure, you will just be sent back to the Entrance Hall.

• Step on the now-active red sigil in the Ruined Castle Throne Room, view a scene in the Pristine Castle Throne room, and enter the Interweave.
  
• Follow the path to the blue sigil in the lower part of the area. (Optional: pick up the Sixth Journal Entry in the eastern part of the room).
  
• Step on the blue sigil, which will take you to the Pristine Castle Throne Room. After a short scene, there is a confrontation.

Hint: How did Bellu defeat Edu the Usurper? What did she do first?

Solution: If you have either or both of Writ of Sealing and Writ of Banishing, you'll be given a choice. Choose "Use Writ of Sealing" if you can to seal Dargun in stone. If you don't have the Writ of Sealing, see the Library Arc section for how to get it.
Put the Crown of Thorns on Dagrun's head to open the final blue portal.

The final confrontation

Once activated (see Interrupting the Ritual), step on the blue portal directly in front of the seal in the Pristine Castle Thrown room, and proceed to the north end of one last interweave, and step on the red portal in front of the throne. You'll find yourself back in the Ruined Castle Throne Room, there will be a short scene, and another confrontation.

Solution: If you have the Writ of Banishing, you'll be given a choice. Choose "Use Writ of Banishing" if you can. Otherwise, see the Church Arc section for how to get it.

And that's it! Thanks for playing.