Ah, the Sands of Karak. If you thought the Blasted Steps were a walk in the park, think again. This godforsaken desert at the edge of the world is crawling with desiccated husks and ravenous fiends, and it's about as welcoming as a kick in the teeth. But fear not, fellow wanderer—I've been through the wringer and come out the other side. So buckle up, strap on that cloak, and let's dive into the Sands of Karak. Trust me, you're gonna need all the skills you've got.

How To Get There

You can access this area as soon as you have the Clawline ability, found in The Cauldron in the Underworks. While you may want to head there immediately, first, I would recommend that you go and get the Faydown Cloak from Mount Fay, giving you the ability to double jump. This is going to help you so much in terms of traversal that I can't imagine playing without it now.

Once that's done, head back to the Pinstress' house that you found way back in the Blasted Steps. Remember that blue house suspended above the sands? Well, there's a Clawline ring to the left of it, which will allow you to climb higher. Platform up, and through the next chamber, avoiding the little spiders on the walls. And soon you'll reach The Sands of Karak.

While this area is optional, there are quite a few things here that you'll definitely want to grab. Including a very important item for the Taste of Pharlom Quest.

A New Mechanic

The first thing you'll notice are these little golden orbs that sit near the sand. Striking this will produce a temporary vine that stretches across the sand and provides you with a little platform to traverse across. However, not all of these platforms are walkable terrain; some of the spiky balls need to be bounced on instead.

Start heading east, bouncing on the sprouting coral spines and crossing the vine, until you reach an entrance with spikes on the ceiling and ground. Clawline through to reach another orb, which will lead you back out and upwards. Continue to the right until you reach the main vertical chamber of the area.

In the cave up and to the left, you can find the Map Merchant, so grab it before you continue.

A Glorious Bench

Continue east, through to the next area, where there will be another set of vine puzzles, but they're more of the same. Once again, bounce off the spiky coral and wall-jump up to the next room. You'll reach another vertical shaft, but just keep going right; you'll come back here soon. The next room contains a lift that also returns to the Blasted Steps, just before the Last Judge fight. Trigger the shortcut, and then return to the lift entrance. Go right one final time, through the long hallway and ignore the enemies that spawn. In the next room, there will be a bench where you can rest and pick up a Simple Key!

Tricky Vine Platforming

Ok, are you ready for some quick finger work? It's platforming time. Return to the vertical shaft just before the elevator and now float down. Try and take out the enemies as you go, or let your cogflys do all the work, as you're going to be climbing back up in a second. You don't have a lot of time here, so get ready. Bounce off the spike coral and wall jump off the platforms that grow from the vine, using the cave wall to climb higher. Keep following the vine until it takes you to the top of the shaft, then head left into the next room.

Trigger the orb, and jump forward while it's still growing. It's good to anticipate the vine growth to maximise your time limit. Leap to the long vertical wall, jump right and trigger the next orb while dashing back to the wall. If you have the Ascendant's Grip, this works wonders here.

Wait for the next vine as the wall crumbles, and it will take you up to another cave entrance. Now you have to drop and Clawline the spike coral. A vine platform will form with an orb above it, so quickly strike it while you have time. Continue left on the path. Honestly, Clawline is your friend here; use it liberally. You'll now be at the top of the main vertical column.

The Elusive Crustnut

Before you continue, you'll want to head down into the vertical column and left through a breakable wall. Check your map to find the opening. This next area is a series of tight tunnels filled with breakable spike coral, which you'll have to clear out as you move on. Most of the time, you'll be gripping onto the wall while jumping up and using your needle to break the obstacles. I used the Crest of the Wanderer here, which is a terrible idea. You want a crest that gives you a long weapon reach. So don't be like me.

Keep heading west, using your Clawline to get through the narrow spike-filled gaps until you reach a small chamber where the Crustnut rests. This is one of the 5 main ingredients for the Taste of Pharloom Quest.

The Coral Tower

Conchfly Fight

Return to the top of the main vertical chamber and now head left. Luckily, there's no more vine platforming for you to do. So, sprint across the long paths until you reach the boss chamber. Remember that Great Conchfly that you killed before, and how its partner escaped? Well, now, this one's mad.

Of course, this fight is much of the same, but just a lot faster! You won't have a lot of time to hit the boss here, just focus on dodging and learning the attack pattern. This conchfly will spit coral spikes at you and summon mini conchflies that will drill through the air, too. It's all about threading the needle and finding the gaps. Honestly, this fight is more sad than difficult. If you read the bestiary, it says the Conchflies partner with a mate and are rarely seen alone. This one has the right to be angry at you.

The Great Red Tower

Continue past the defeated boss and jump over to a long platform where the Coral Tower stands. Go on through and amidst the long-dead soldiers, you can claim the Conchcutter tool.

Carry on to the right, and through the wall, there will be a bench where you can rest and try out the tool. This is similar to the projectiles that the conchflies fire at you, firing and bouncing off the walls as they search for a target. It's useful because you don't need to be good at aiming for it to make its mark. I prefer the Cogflies, though.

The Voltnest

Traversal

When you check your map, it may seem like you've done everything. But there's one more area to go. Again, return to the top of the main vertical area, and now head up again. There's a hidden area in the very top right of the column that you'll need to Clawline to and wall-jump up. The environment will start glowing pink, and you will reach The Voltnest. Head on in.

This area is filled with electricity-charged walls that damage for 2 masks (of course) upon touch. In addition, large streams of electricity will bolt between the walls, halting your progress. You have to time your jumps to avoid the voltage streams. Head past the charges until you reach a long drop with multiple beams in. Jump and dash through. Don't float too much, or you'll go too slow and be caught. Once you reach the bottom, head left and get ready for another fight.

The Voltvrym

This is the mini-boss of the area, but luckily, it's a pretty easy fight. Simply focus on dodging and finding space between the gaps. The boss will always be on the ceiling, so you need to jump up to be able to hit it. As I said, there really isn't a lot to this boss. In all honesty, getting to it is more difficult than the fight itself.

Upon completion, you will earn the Volt Filament, a blue tool which upgrades your Silk Skills, granting one of the coolest interactions ever. If you use this, for example, with Sharpdart, not only will you pierce them for damage, but also inflict them with an electrical charge, causing even more damage! And it looks awesome too! What's not to love?

Finally, leave the Voltnest by going right and following the looping path around. That's it! Sands of Karak completed!

Final Thoughts

Whew! That was a wild ride, wasn't it? The Sands of Karak might be optional, but the rewards—especially the Crustnut and the Volt Filament—make it well worth the pain. Just remember to bring your A-game, plenty of patience, and maybe a stress ball. And if you see another Great Conchfly, give it a wide berth. Trust me, it's still holding a grudge. 😉

Here's a quick recap of the key goodies you can snag:

So go on, brave the sands, and show those desiccated husks who's boss. Happy hunting! 🕷️⚡

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