You finally made it to the Sunken Ancient City in Enshrouded, and honestly, the vibes are immaculate until you realize you’re stuck behind a massive glowing door. It’s a classic Keen Games move. They give you this sprawling, beautiful, slightly terrifying ruin and then tell you to go play hide-and-seek with small stone levers while high-level Scavengers try to take your head off. It's frustrating. You just want the loot, but the game wants you to do parkour in the Shroud.
The Enshrouded Sunken Ancient City switches are notorious because they aren't all just sitting at eye level. Some are tucked behind breakable walls, others require a literal leap of faith, and if you miss one, you’re basically running in circles while your Shroud timer ticks down to zero.
Why Everyone Gets Stuck at the Sunken City
The Sunken Ancient City is located in the southeast of the Nomad Highlands, and it’s a vertical nightmare. Most players roll in expecting a straightforward dungeon crawl, but this place is built like a puzzle box. The main gate requires four specific switches to open. If you’re looking at that giant door and wondering where the wires go, you aren’t alone.
It’s easy to miss the environmental cues. Keen Games loves to hide things in plain sight using shadows and verticality. You have to stop looking at the floor. Start looking at the rafters, the crumbling balconies, and the spots where the Shroud is thickest. Usually, if an area looks particularly hard to reach or "pointless," there is a switch there.
The First Switch: The "Easy" One
Don't let the first one fool you into a false sense of security. As you face the main gate, look to your left. There’s a staircase leading up into a ruined housing section. You’ll fight a couple of those annoying dual-blade Scavengers here. Once they’re dealt with, look for a small alcove near the top of the stairs. The switch is mounted on a stone pillar. It glows slightly blue, which helps, but in the midday glare of the Highlands, it can blend right into the masonry. Flip it. One down.
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Finding the Vertical Switches
This is where things get annoying. To find the rest of the Enshrouded Sunken Ancient City switches, you need to embrace your inner mountain goat.
The second switch requires you to head right from the main gate. You’ll see a series of wooden platforms and some stone ledges that look like they're about to collapse. They probably are. Use your Grappling Hook—hopefully, you’ve upgraded it by now—to swing across the gap toward the eastern tower. Inside this tower, you have to climb a series of ladders. Halfway up, there’s a break in the wall. Don't go all the way to the roof yet. Step out onto the narrow ledge outside the wall.
Follow that ledge around the corner. The switch is tucked away in a spot that feels like the developers were laughing when they placed it. It’s tucked behind a wooden crate. Smash the crate, hit the switch, and watch the second rune on the main door light up.
The Hidden Basement Switch
Most people miss the third one because it’s actually below the main level. Near the center of the ruins, there’s a section where the floor has completely caved in, revealing a Shroud-filled basement. It looks like a death trap. It kind of is.
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Drop down carefully. You’ll need a decent amount of Shroud resistance or some Shroud Survival Flasks if you want to take your time. Head toward the back wall where the water (or what used to be water) meets the stone. There’s a heavy iron gate that looks locked. It isn't. You can actually jump-climb over the rubble to the right of it. Inside that small chamber is the third switch.
- Tip: If your Shroud timer is low, there’s a Return Beacon right near the entrance of this basement. Use it to reset before you go hunting.
The Final Dash to the Gate
The fourth switch is the one that causes the most rage-quits. It’s located high above the gate itself. You have to circle back to the western side of the city and find the path that leads to the upper bridge. This bridge spans the entire width of the plaza.
Once you’re on the bridge, look for a collapsed section of the roof on the building directly over the gate. You’ll need to use your Glider to catch an updraft or just time a very precise sprint-jump from the bridge railing to the roof. Once you're on top, look down through the hole in the roof. The switch is on the interior wall, just above the lintel of a doorway. You can actually hit this one with a bow if you don't want to drop down, which is a massive time-saver.
What Happens When the Gate Opens?
Once all four Enshrouded Sunken Ancient City switches are flipped, the door grinds open. Inside, you aren't just getting "okay" loot; you're getting some of the best mid-to-late game gear in the Nomad Highlands tier. We’re talking about high-level chests that drop Epic and Legendary variants of the Magician or Warden sets.
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It’s also where you find specific lore notes that flesh out what happened to the civilization before the Shroud took over. The "Sunken" part of the name isn't just flavor text; the city literally subsided into the earth during the cataclysm.
Crucial Gear for the Sunken City
Don't go in there naked. Or do, but you’ll die. Fast.
- The Double Jump Skill: This isn't optional. Several of the paths to these switches are designed around the assumption that you can mid-air jump.
- Upgraded Glider: The Advanced Glider makes the jump to the fourth switch significantly more forgiving.
- Explosive Powder Balls: Sometimes it's easier to just blow a hole in a wall than to find the "intended" path. There are a few rubble piles in the city that hide shortcuts.
- A Good Bow: As mentioned, you can shoot at least two of these switches from a distance. If you see the blue glow, try an arrow before you spend ten minutes trying to climb to it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A lot of players think the switches are timed. They aren't. Once you flip one, it stays flipped. You don't need to rush from switch one to switch four in a single breath. Take your time, clear out the Scavengers first, and then do your "switch run."
Another mistake is ignoring the sound cues. When you flip a switch, there is a distinct heavy thud and a magical chiming sound. If you don't hear that, the switch didn't register. This can happen if you get hit by an enemy at the exact frame you interact with the lever.
Also, watch out for the "fake" levers. There are a couple of decorative levers in the residential houses that do absolutely nothing. They don't glow blue. If it’s not glowing, it’s not part of the gate puzzle.
Actionable Next Steps for Travelers
To finish this area efficiently, start by clearing the perimeter of Scavengers so you don't get shot off a ledge. Map out your route starting from the left side of the gate, moving to the eastern tower, dropping into the basement, and finishing with the rooftop glide. Make sure your Grappling Hook is equipped in your quick-slot, as several transitions require a fast pull to avoid falling into the deep Shroud. Once the gate is open, prioritize the gold chest in the back-left corner of the vault—it has the highest drop rate for Legendary weapons in this specific POI. Keep your stamina potions ready for the climb back out, or just fast-travel to your nearest Flame Altar once the loot is in your pockets.