Sanctuaries Are Relics: Here’s Why They Need Revision in JWA

Sanctuaries were once one of the best ways to grind DNA, crucial for unlocking hybrids and steadily leveling them up. But over the years, their role has changed drastically, especially following the migration update. Today, Sanctuaries may be one of the least efficient methods of DNA collection in Jurassic World Alive. In this article, we’ll break down why this once-essential feature has lost its relevance, and why most players no longer invest time or resources into it.

State of Sanctuaries in Jurassic World Alive

Using Shop Offers to Gauge Value

To highlight just how outdated Sanctuaries have become, we’ll use in-game shop offers as a simple reference point. While not every player purchases bundles, these offers provide the clearest window into Ludia’s current valuation of DNA. By comparing them to Sanctuary yields, we can clearly see how far behind this feature has fallen, especially in light of the migration update and the direction Ludia has taken with DNA distribution moving forward.

To keep things simple, we’ll compare the two best offers on each side, using Unique evolutions as our baseline. On the Sanctuary side, the $19.99 FIP bundle is easily the best deal, offering 100 each of Feed, Interact, and Play items. On the other side, we’ll use the $34.99 Unique DNA bundle, which provides 350 DNA for a single Unique creature. These two bundles serve as a clear lens through which we can examine just how lopsided the DNA economy has become.

The Math Doesn’t Add Up

Let’s break it down. For this comparison, we’ll use a Unique creature that requires Epic DNA to fuse. On average, a single fuse yields 20 Unique DNA, and each fuse costs 200 Epic DNA.

📌 Note on Fuse Averages:

While the code lists the average DNA result from a single fuse as 22, this figure is based on large-scale data aggregated across the entire player base. In reality, most players fusing a single creature, or unlocking a Unique for the first time, often experience lower results, with many fuses yielding 10s or 20s. Because of this variability, 20 DNA per fuse is used throughout this article to reflect a more realistic and conservative average that better aligns with typical player experience, especially for short-term goals.

Now, a full FIP cycle, using one Feed, one Interact, and one Play, grants 19 Epic DNA from a level 20 Sanctuary. With the $19.99 FIP bundle giving you 100 of each item, that’s 100 full cycles, or roughly 1,900 Epic DNA in total. That translates to about 9–10 fuses, which nets you an average of 180–200 Unique DNA, just over half the amount you’d get instantly from the $34.99 shop bundle.

The Time Commitment is Even Worse

To get maximum return from each interaction, you need to wait for the 3-hour cooldown between FIP actions. In a typical Sanctuary setup, you’ll usually find around 4 duplicates of the creature you’re targeting. That means you can perform 4 full FIP cycles every 3 hours.

To use all 100 cycles from the FIP bundle, you’d need to complete 100 sets of interactions. With only 4 available creatures to FIP every 3 hours, that’s just 4 cycles per cooldown. At that rate, it would take 75 hours, or over 3 days of perfectly timed, around-the-clock interactions, to fully use the bundle. And that’s assuming you never miss a cooldown, have uninterrupted access to the right creature, and maintain consistent Sanctuary levels.

In contrast, the $34.99 shop bundle gives you 350 Unique DNA instantly, no cooldowns, no setup, no alliance coordination. Just tap, pay, and fuse.

Even That’s Only Half the Job

And here’s the kicker, this only covers one side of the Unique’s evolution. Since every Unique hybrid requires DNA from two component creatures, you’d need to repeat this entire process for the second ingredient as well. For the sake of simplicity, let’s just say you need to double the DNA return to have enough Epic DNA for meaningful fusing. Even though this is not close to the needs to perform each fuse.

That means burning through two FIP bundles, coordinating interactions for two creatures, and spending over 150 hours across several days, all to earn what a single shop bundle delivers in seconds.

What Would Sanctuaries Need to Offer to Be Worth It?

How Much Does It Really Take to Create a Unique?

Let’s break down the real DNA cost of creating a Unique creature using Sanctuaries, starting from scratch.

For this example, we’ll use a Unique that’s made from one Epic creature and one Legendary creature, where that Legendary is fused from a Rare and an Epic.

Here’s what it takes to create 250 Unique DNA (the amount needed to unlock one and assuming you’ve already leveled the components to fuse-ready status):

• 13 fuses required (based on ~20 DNA per fuse)

• Each Unique fuse = 200 Epic DNA + 50 Legendary DNA

• Each Legendary fuse = 200 Rare DNA + 50 Epic DNA

To complete those 13 fuses, you would need:

• 2,600 Epic DNA (from the Epic used directly in the Unique)

• 1,650 Epic DNA (from the Epic used to create the Legendary)

• 6,500 Rare DNA (for the Legendary)

  
  

FIP Bundle Breakdown

Let’s assume you're using the $19.99 FIP bundle, which gives you 100 each of Feed, Interact, and Play items, enough for 100 full cycles.

• A full FIP cycle on an Epic gives ~19 DNA → 100 cycles = 1,900 DNA

• A full FIP cycle on a Rare gives ~54 DNA → 100 cycles = 5,400 DNA

  
  

To collect the DNA required to fuse a Unique from scratch:

• 4,250 Epic DNA needed → 4,250 ÷ 1,900 = ~2.24 bundles

• 6,500 Rare DNA needed → 6,500 ÷ 5,400 = ~1.22 bundles

  
  

When combined, you’ll need just under 3.5 total bundles to meet both DNA requirements.

To keep things simple and realistic, we'll round up and say:

4 FIP bundles total = $79.96

(Best-Case Scenario)

If you’re using high-efficiency Sanctuaries and assuming the listed average of 22 DNA per fuse, the total requirement drops slightly:

• Epic DNA needed: ~3,800 → ~2 bundles

• Rare DNA needed: ~5,400 → ~1 bundle

  
  

That means you could technically complete the full evolution with just 3 FIP bundles ($59.97).

But this is an ideal outcome that depends on above-average fuses, minimal DNA waste, and already having some Rare DNA banked, which isn’t the reality for most players.

The Real-World Scenario

In practice, most players aren’t farming every ingredient for a Unique through Sanctuaries. Usually, one or two components come from events, strikes, raids, or map spawns.

But that’s not always the case, especially when dealing with newer hybrids or exclusives. And when you do rely on Sanctuaries, you're stuck with long cooldowns, limited access, and a poor return on your investment.

Meanwhile, Ludia often sells 350 Unique DNA for $34.99, with no waiting, grinding, or coordination required.

What If You’re Fusing 350 DNA Instead?

Creating 350 Unique DNA (the amount in Ludia’s $34.99 bundle) would require around 5,700 Epic DNA and 8,700 Rare DNA, assuming a 20 DNA fuse average.

That means burning through just under 5 full FIP bundles, totaling $99.95, compared to just $34.99 for the instant shop purchase. Even with generous fuse luck, the return just doesn't compare.

Bottom Line

Even if you only use Sanctuaries for part of the process, the time and effort required still don’t justify the reward. And if you rely on them for everything, you’re looking at $60-$80 worth of FIPs just to unlock a Unique, not level it, not boost it, just unlock it.

Sanctuaries aren’t just outdated, they’re fundamentally out of sync with the DNA economy of the game today.

Free-to-Play? Even Worse

Free-to-play players get just 6 of each FIP item per day, which means 6 full FIP cycles daily.

• 6 cycles x 19 DNA = 114 Epic DNA/day

  
  

• To earn 2,600 Epic DNA (enough for 13 fuses to reach 250 Unique DNA creation):2,600 ÷ 114 = 23 days

  
  

That’s nearly a month of perfect daily engagement, for half of a Unique’s components. For both, you’re looking at 40-45 days, assuming ideal conditions. That’s not progress, it’s punishment.

Why Players Are Walking Away

At the end of the day, most players are abandoning Sanctuaries because they’ve become a waste of time. You're either burning through days of cooldowns and FIPs for minimal return or spending money for a grind that still doesn’t match the shop. In a game that increasingly rewards fast progression, Sanctuaries feel like relics of a slower era.

How to Fix Sanctuaries

If Ludia wants Sanctuaries to matter again, the system needs a serious overhaul. Here are a few ways to bring them back into relevance:

1. Scale DNA returns to match the current in-game economy

2. Allow hybrid creatures & non hybrid Legendary creatures in Sanctuaries, and earn this DNA directly

3. Introduce time-based multipliers for sustained engagement

4. Add passive DNA generation from placed creatures (more than what we get now just from placement- could accumulate over time or from multiple placements)

5. Increase daily FIP limits or introduce periodic increased-FIP events

   
   

Final Thoughts: Sanctuaries Deserve Better, or Something New Entirely

Sanctuaries were built on a great idea, collaboration, strategy, and long-term DNA progression. But the game has evolved, and this feature hasn’t kept up. Whether you're a dedicated grinder or a free-to-play survivor, the time and effort Sanctuaries demand no longer match the value they offer.

If Ludia wants players to care about this system again, it needs more than a tweak. It needs a rework that respects the player’s time and reflects the true cost of progression in today’s meta.

Or maybe, it’s time to move on completely.

Imagine a system where you can FIP directly from your own collection. No placement. No cooldowns. Just open your roster, select a creature, and start generating DNA. Even better, what if you could FIP a creature as soon as you discover it, without even unlocking it? That would allow players to work toward long-term goals right away, without artificial gates slowing them down.

If Ludia still wants to encourage creature leveling then the DNA yield could scale based on creature level or rarity, giving players a reason to invest in their collection while cutting the grind. This wouldn’t just fix Sanctuaries, it would replace them with something faster, smarter, and more rewarding.

Sanctuaries had their moment. But if they’re not going to evolve, maybe it’s time to replace them with something that will.