The Holloway Manor DLC in The Sinking City 2 adds a compact investigation filled with locked rooms, family secrets, occult rituals, and optional discoveries. Released on August 18, 2026, the DLC is a standalone investigation set inside the Holloway estate and rewards exploration with additional equipment that carries back into the main game.
One of the more unusual optional puzzles is the occult candle puzzle in the old utility room. The solution is not based on guessing the combination. Instead, you need to investigate Catherine’s history, find the required candles and photograph, and then translate her death year into the candle arrangement.
| Quick overview | Details |
|---|---|
| Game | The Sinking City 2 |
| DLC | The Holloway Manor |
| Puzzle | Occult Candle Puzzle |
| Puzzle location | Old Utility Room, off Archive A |
| Important character | Catherine |
| Death year | 1750 |
| Candle sequence | 1, 7, 5, 0 |
| Reward | Occult Key |
| Main DLC release | August 18, 2026 |
How to find everything needed for the occult puzzle
Before attempting the puzzle, you need to collect the items that provide the information and materials required for the ritual. The candles are spread around the manor, so you cannot simply walk into the utility room and enter the solution immediately.
The first candles can be found in the Emergency Relief Crate (ERC) box in Archives B. You also need to search the Boiler Room for another set of candles. The final important item is Catherine’s photograph, which can be obtained in the Museum.
The Museum and archive areas are particularly important because Holloway Manor’s puzzles generally expect you to use information gathered from different rooms rather than treating each locked interaction as an isolated combination. Recent player discussions also confirm that the candle puzzle’s solution is tied to the date of Catherine’s death found through the investigation evidence.
How to solve the Holloway Manor occult candle puzzle
Step 1: Collect the candles from Archives B
Make your way to Archives B and search the Emergency Relief Crate. Take the candles from the ERC box and keep them in your inventory.
The Emergency Relief Crates are also used elsewhere in The Sinking City 2 as resource locations, so it is worth searching them whenever you encounter one. The game’s investigation and survival systems encourage you to explore side areas for useful supplies rather than rushing directly between objectives.
Step 2: Search the Boiler Room
Next, visit the Boiler Room and collect the additional candles located there. You need the different candle sizes for the occult ritual, so make sure you have gathered the available candles before returning to the puzzle room.
If the interaction does not appear to work when you reach the table, check your inventory and make sure you have not overlooked the candles in either location.
Step 3: Find Catherine’s photograph
Travel to the Museum and obtain Catherine’s photo. This is an important piece of evidence because the puzzle is ultimately based on Catherine’s death date.
The broader Holloway Manor investigation uses portraits, family records and other objects as clues, so the photograph is more than a collectible. It connects the physical puzzle to the information you need to solve it.
Step 4: Go to the old utility room
With the required items collected, return to the old utility room off Archive A.
This is where the occult setup is located. The room contains the candle arrangement that must be configured using the information you have uncovered during the investigation.
At this point, you should have the candles from Archives B and the Boiler Room as well as Catherine’s photograph.
Step 5: Identify Catherine’s death year
The crucial clue is Catherine’s death year: 1750.
This is the number you need to translate into the candle arrangement. The puzzle is therefore much easier once you recognize that the four digits of the year correspond to the four candle positions.
The current community discussion around the Holloway Manor candle puzzle also points players toward checking their notes for the date Catherine died rather than trying to brute-force the arrangement.
Step 6: Arrange the candles as 1-7-5-0
Follow the medium’s instruction and arrange the candles from smallest to largest according to the digits in Catherine’s death year.
The correct sequence is:
1 → 7 → 5 → 0
Set the candles into their corresponding positions in that order. The important detail is that you are representing 1750, not entering the number as a conventional four-digit keypad code.
Once the candles are correctly positioned, the occult interaction will trigger.
Step 7: Wait for the occult interaction
After the correct arrangement is in place, the puzzle produces a supernatural response. Allow the interaction to play out rather than immediately leaving the room.
This is the confirmation that the ritual has been completed successfully. The appearance of the supernatural event also makes it clear that the candles were not simply opening a conventional mechanical lock.
Step 8: Collect the Occult Key
Once the interaction finishes, the Occult Key is revealed.
Pick it up to add it to your inventory. The key is the actual payoff for completing this occult puzzle and can then be used for the corresponding locked area or progression associated with the key.
If the key does not appear, the most likely explanation is that the candle arrangement has not been accepted yet. Recheck that the sequence is 1, 7, 5, 0 and that you collected the required items beforehand.
What the occult puzzle rewards you with
| Reward | How to obtain it |
|---|---|
| Occult Key | Complete the candle puzzle using the 1750 sequence |
| Access/progression | Use the key at its corresponding locked location |
The Occult Key is separate from the larger set of rewards offered by the Holloway Manor DLC. Completing the full DLC investigation can eventually unlock the Bucking Bronco revolver, along with the Kane’s Hefty Barrel attachment, Kane’s Wrapped Grip attachment, and a revolver ammunition recipe. These rewards carry into the main game.
How to avoid getting stuck on the 1750 solution
The biggest mistake is treating the puzzle as a random candle combination. The answer comes directly from Catherine’s death year. Once you have established that she died in 1750, the four digits provide the required order.
You also do not need to experiment with every possible arrangement. The intended solution is 1-7-5-0, with the candles arranged from smallest to largest as instructed by the medium.
It is also worth keeping in mind that Holloway Manor contains other puzzles and optional discoveries. For example, the DLC’s separate safe uses the code 1890, which comes from Dorian Holloway’s death year. That is a different puzzle and should not be confused with the occult candle sequence.
How the Occult Key fits into Holloway Manor
The Occult Key puzzle is a good example of how Holloway Manor combines investigation with survival-horror exploration. Rather than simply giving you a lock code, the game makes you search different parts of the manor, identify an important family detail and then apply that information to an environmental puzzle.
That structure fits the overall design of the DLC. Holloway Manor is built around an interconnected mansion where family objects, locked areas and occult clues gradually reveal new routes. The official description specifically emphasizes exploration, interconnected rooms and hidden paths, while the DLC itself is presented as an optional investigation.
Leave a Reply