Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon – Sanctuary of Sarras DLC Review
A moody, underwater expansion that adds ~15 hours of new story, 20+ dungeons, 100+ items and a flexible new progression system. Great for fans who love exploration and dark Arthurian vibes—warts and all.
Sanctuary of Sarras drags Tainted Grail into the deep in a surprisingly fresh way. If you liked the original’s grim Arthurian tone, this DLC doubles down with spooky merfolk, vertical zones and a progression twist that keeps builds interesting.
The DLC drops you into a submerged realm where exploration is king — think winding interiors, vertical traversal and secret nooks that actually reward curiosity. Combat uses the same tactical action-RPG backbone as the base game but feels a touch tougher thanks to level-scaling foes and a few elite encounter designs. The headline feature is the new progression system: activate shrines to weaken enemies, earn points and flip between three distinct Sarras skill trees on the fly, which makes adapting mid-dungeon satisfyingly strategic. You’ll find about 20 handcrafted dungeons, a handful of memorable epic bosses and more than 100 new equipment pieces (armor, weapons, rings, relics and spells) that meaningfully change builds. New side quests and NPC threads — including some delightfully awkward mermaid moments — add personality and often force a moral choice. The pacing is condensed: roughly 15 hours if you poke into most areas, and it encourages replaying with different tree combos. Minor annoyances crop up: a sluggish sickle mechanic that rarely shines and occasional bugs (some players reported combat-stuck issues). On the plus side, there’s new music, solid voice work and loading screens that actually feel like part of the mood rather than filler. Overall it’s an expansion that expands the toolbox and the map without reinventing the wheel.
Sanctuary of Sarras is a thoughtful, atmospheric DLC that adds meaningful toys and a neat progression twist — not perfect, but worth it for fans. Buy it if you loved the base game; newcomers should be ready for a compact, replay-friendly expansion.
Pros
- Rich, moody underwater atmosphere and clever vertical level design
- New Sarras progression with three switchable skill trees — fun to experiment with
- Lots of new content: ~15 hours, 20+ dungeons, 100+ items and memorable bosses
Cons
- Shorter than some marketing suggested — feels a bit condensed
- Minor bugs and a weak sickle mechanic that rarely changes combat
Player Opinion
Players rave about the atmosphere, new music and cleverly designed side quests — many loved the mermaid moments and replay potential for NG+. Common gripes: length felt shorter than promised and a few technical hiccups (some reported getting stuck in combat). If you enjoyed the base game's dark Arthurian story and tactical combat, this DLC will likely scratch that itch — and if you want more build toys and vertical maps, you’ll be happy.