Getting the good ending in Sinner Maker, known as the “Redemption” ending, requires three specific conditions to be met flawlessly throughout your playthrough. You must correctly absolve all seven sinners without a single error, collect the three hidden Sacred Relics, and make the correct dialogue choice during the final confrontation with the Warden. Failing any one of these conditions will lock you into the lesser “Cycle” or “Damnation” endings.
This guide breaks down every step required to break the curse of the penitentiary and achieve true redemption. Success is a matter of diligence and empathy, demanding you look beyond the surface-level crimes presented to you.
The Three Pillars of Redemption
To unlock the “Redemption” ending, your entire journey must be oriented around completing three distinct, mandatory objectives. Think of these as the pillars holding up your chance at the best outcome. If any pillar crumbles, so does your hope for this ending. You cannot miss a single step and expect to recover later.
- Perfect Absolution (7/7): You must investigate the circumstances of all seven major sinners you encounter and choose the correct, empathetic judgment in the confession booth. This requires finding specific pieces of evidence for each sinner before making your choice.
- Sacred Relic Collection (3/3): You must find three powerful, well-hidden artifacts scattered throughout the prison’s most dangerous and puzzle-filled wings: the Shard of Truth, the Tear of Mercy, and the Heart of Penance.
- Final Judgment: During the game's climax, you must confront the Warden and choose to “Break the Cycle.” This dialogue option will only be available if the first two conditions have been successfully met.
How to Correctly Absolve Every Sinner
The confession booth is the heart of Sinner Maker’s moral choices. For each of the seven sinners, you are presented with their crime, but the truth is always more complex. To make the correct choice, you must first find a key piece of evidence that reveals their true motive or context. Rushing to judgment without this evidence will count as a failure.
Here is a breakdown of each sinner, the evidence you need, and where to find it.
| Sinner | Key Evidence Item | Location of Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| The Forlorn Guard | Torn Page from a Diary | In the Guard Barracks, inside a locked footlocker on the second floor. The key is on the mess hall table. |
| The Greedy Physician | Physician's Private Ledger | Hidden behind a false brick in the fireplace of the infirmary's main office. |
| The Vain Sculptor | Unfinished Letter to a Lover | Found in the Sculptor’s workshop, tucked inside a hollowed-out block of marble in the corner. |
| The Wrathful Blacksmith | Shattered Smithing Hammer | Lying in the ashes of the forge's cold furnace. Requires you to first douse the embers using the water pump. |
| The Deceitful Scribe | Coded Communiqué | In the Grand Library, use the celestial map puzzle to reveal a hidden compartment in the globe. |
| The Gluttonous Noble | Poisoner's Recipe Note | Taped to the underside of the dumbwaiter in the kitchen pantry, accessible only by sending it to the top floor first. |
| The Envious Musician | Sabotaged Instrument Reeds | In the auditorium's backstage dressing room, inside the musician’s locked instrument case. The key is hidden in the sheet music stand. |
Making the correct judgment is paramount. Once you have the evidence, the correct dialogue option will typically be the one that acknowledges the hidden context or mitigating circumstance, rather than the one that condemns the sinner for the crime as written in the official records.
Infographic of the seven sinners and the evidence needed for their absolution.
Finding the Three Sacred Relics
These three artifacts are not part of the main questline and are hidden within the game’s most challenging optional areas. You must have all three in your inventory before the point of no return—entering the Warden’s Sanctum—or you will be locked out of the Redemption ending.
The Shard of Truth: The Bell Tower's Celestial Puzzle
Located at the very top of the Bell Tower, the Shard of Truth is locked within a celestial mechanism. To solve it, you must align the rotating rings on the floor to match the constellation pattern shown on a faded tapestry in the Warden's old office. The correct sequence involves rotating the outer ring three clicks left, the middle ring one click right, and the inner ring two clicks left. This will unlock a compartment at the base of the bell, revealing the Shard of Truth.
The Tear of Mercy: The Flooded Cellar Timed Sequence
Deep within the prison's flooded cellar is a pressure-plate puzzle that requires both speed and precision. You must activate three plates in a specific order within 30 seconds to drain a central chamber. The correct sequence is hinted at by the number of tally marks scrawled next to each plate: II, V, then III. Activating them in this order (second plate, fifth plate, third plate) drains the water, giving you access to the Tear of Mercy resting on a skeletal corpse.
Annotated diagram of the Bell Tower puzzle showing how to get the Shard of Truth.
The Heart of Penance: Assembling the Broken Effigy
In the abandoned chapel, you will find a desecrated statue and its three missing pieces scattered nearby. The Stone Head is on the altar, the Stone Arm is in the confessional booth, and the Stone Base is hidden in the pipe organ's loft. You must collect all three pieces and reassemble the effigy on its plinth. Once complete, the statue's hands will open, offering you the Heart of Penance.
What Locks You Out of the Good Ending?
It’s just as important to know what not to do. Several actions will immediately terminate your chances of achieving the Redemption ending, regardless of how well you perform otherwise. Avoid these pitfalls at all costs.
- Misjudging Even One Sinner: There is no room for error. If you choose the wrong absolution path for any of the seven sinners, you are immediately locked into the “Cycle” ending at best.
- Siding with the Whispering Apparition: Early in the game, a malevolent entity known as the Whispering Apparition will offer you a powerful weapon, the
Mortal Blade. Accepting this blade will instantly lock you onto the path for the “Damnation” ending. - Missing a Sacred Relic: You must have all three relics before confronting the Warden. The game does not allow you to go back. The point of no return is clearly marked by the large, ornate doors leading to the Warden's Sanctum.
- Killing the Weeping Beast: In the catacombs, you have the option to kill a tormented creature known as the Weeping Beast or sneak past it. While not a hard lock, killing it adds a point of “Cruelty” that can influence the final dialogue, making the Redemption path harder. It is best to avoid it.
Comic showing the choice of accepting or rejecting the Mortal Blade, a key step for sinner maker how to get the good ending.
The Final Confrontation: Your Choice with the Warden
After absolving the seventh sinner and collecting all three relics, you will proceed to the Warden’s Sanctum for the final encounter. The Warden will reveal the truth of the prison and his role within it, before making you an offer: to take his place and perpetuate the cycle of judgment indefinitely.
If you have met all the requirements, a new, third dialogue option will appear:
[Accept] Take his place and become the new Warden.(Leads to “The Cycle” Ending)[Refuse] Fight the Warden.(Leads to a boss fight and “The Cycle” Ending)[Use the Relics] Break the Cycle.(Leads to the “Redemption” Good Ending)
Choosing the third option will consume the Sacred Relics and trigger the final cutscene for the good ending, where the prison’s curse is finally broken and the souls within are freed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still get the good ending if you absolve one sinner incorrectly? No. Perfect absolution for all seven sinners is a mandatory requirement. A single mistake will lock you out of the “Redemption” ending.
Do you need to find every single lore document in the game? No. While many lore documents add valuable context to the story, only the specific key evidence items tied to each of the seven sinners and the three Sacred Relics are necessary for the good ending.
What is the point of no return in Sinner Maker? The definitive point of no return is opening the large, ornate doors to the Warden's Sanctum after the seventh confession. Ensure you have collected all three Sacred Relics before this moment.
Is there a New Game+ mode? Yes, upon completing the game with any ending, you unlock New Game+, which allows you to start over with your collected lore documents. This makes subsequent attempts at different endings much faster.
The Final Take
Sinner Maker's true ending isn't about combat prowess or puzzle-solving speed; it's a test of your ability to investigate, empathize, and ultimately reject a corrupt system. By carefully following these steps, you can guide the lost souls of the prison to their final peace and earn their, and your own, redemption.