Hidden Grotto (Aberration)

Hidden Grotto

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A dangerous cave where you are forced to leave your tames behind. Beware of the Cnidaria.

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Location

Map

Aberration

Entrance(s)

55.2° Lat, 65.9° Lon

Loot

Artifact of the Shadows
50.5° Lat, 72.6° Lon

Overview

The cave entrance is a vertical, underwater shaft, located in the lake at (55.2, 65.9). The shaft is just large enough for a Rock Drake to fit through and there is space to park 3-4 drakes once through the tunnel. You won't be able to take the drake far into the cave system, but it's a convenient way to get there.

There are a number of vertical cliff climbs in this cave that you will need to traverse to get to the artifact, which can be overcome with  Climbing Pick and/or  Zip-Line Anchor (don't forget  Zip-Line Motor Attachment to get back out)

There are also several longer underwater tunnels, full of aggressive creatures. It is suggested to take multiple  SCUBA Armor,  Harpoon Launcher and plenty of  Spear Bolt or other ranged weapon (e.g.  Crossbow) that can be fired underwater, is recommended over melee weapons due to the presence of  Electrophorus,  Cnidaria, and  Baryonyx.

Bring a campfire with some wood when traveling through the cave; it is extremely likely you will be lamprey'd in the underwater tunnel, making you a target for the swarm of seekers that surround the artifact. Keep your wits about you in case of an earthquake; if climbing out of the water, time your movements so you don't fall back into the water.

Retrieving the Artifact

The artifact is located approximately at (50.5, 72.6).

Strategy (no cryopod)

This cave can be very challenging if you don't want to use cryopods. The combination of wicked choke points, pits and underwater tunnels filled with powerful creatures will force you to come up with a completely new strategy. There is a shortcut to the artifact but even that shortcut won't let you bypass the above combination of challenges.

• One possible strategy would be to use a small pack (about 6-8) of well bred  Dimorphodons as well as the following equipment :
  •  Crossbow and  Zip-Line Anchors
  •  Zip-Line Motor Attachment and  Gasoline
  •  Glider Suit Skin and  Climbing Picks
  •  SCUBA Flippers,  Tek Rifle and  Stone Arrows
• Since the entrance is underwater you'll have to take every Dimorphodon in on your shoulder. Once you got all your Dimorphodons in, whistle them to clear the entrance area of any mob and glide down. Proceed with your Dimorphodons until you pass the first choke point, go to the left and after approximately 30-50 meters you'll reach an area with 3 underwater blue gem nodes on the left. Look carefully at the ceiling above those 3 nodes until you see a hidden choke point, that's the shortcut. Climb up to that choke point with either a Zip-Line Anchor or Climbing Picks, proceed through the hidden tunnel with your Dimorphodons escort. You will eventually reach a deep pit, glide down.
• Next comes an underwater tunnel so this is as far as your Dimorphodons can go. This underwater tunnel is filled with dangerous mobs so you want to proceed with extreme caution. If an Earthquake starts, get out of the water ASAP or it will most likely be deadly. Equip your flippers to move faster underwater. Use the crossbow on slow mobs and the Tek rifle on fast or dangerous mobs. Take your time and dispatch the mobs one after another, rushing is a bad idea as most of the creatures in this tunnel can stun the player and you could quickly get outnumbered and stunlocked to death. If you see any  Aberrant Baryonyx, tame it as it is a powerful asset to clear this underwater tunnel. Once you have reached the end of the tunnel use a Zip-Line Anchor to get out of the water and you should see the artifact nearby. Glide to the artifact and take it.
• Glide back to the underwater tunnel. Go back to the pit and climb it up with a Zip-Line Anchor, whistle your Dimorphodons to follow. Go back to the entrance of the cave and use another Zip-Line Anchor to get out.

Creatures

Common

•  Aberrant Anglerfish
•  Aberrant Cnidaria
•  Aberrant Electrophorus
•  Aberrant Lystrosaurus
•  Aberrant Pulmonoscorpius
•  Aberrant Salmon
•  Aberrant Titanoboa
•  Glowbug
•  Nameless
•  Seeker

Uncommon

•  Aberrant Achatina
•  Aberrant Arthropluera
•  Aberrant Baryonyx
•  Aberrant Beelzebufo
•  Aberrant Dimetrodon
•  Aberrant Diplocaulus
•  Aberrant Dung Beetle
•  Aberrant Sarco
•  Aberrant Trilobite
•  Karkinos
•  Lamprey

Resources

•  Berries
•  Blue Gem
•  Crystal
•  Flint
•  Metal
•  Stone
•  Water
•  Wood

Notes

• It is possible to place structures in many places throughout the cave (clipping disabled)
• By virtue of the difficulty to reach and obtain the artifact, this cave is the most difficult to traverse. The Elemental Vault can easily be navigated with a Rock Drake with minimal conflict required and the Old Railway Cave is simply easier. While you can tame creatures further within the cave such as Baryonyx and Sarcos that can help with the aquatic sections, this cave is still difficult to successfully complete.
• Though HIGHLY unrecommended, it is indeed possible to raise a Rock Drake inside the cave, due to being able to tame creatures inside the cave, specifically because of Dimetrodons with their insulation mechanic, however, it will not be able to exit the cave. You have been warned.
  • This can be mitigated with  Cryopod. Be wary of where you release it however, as even though it can withstand (but is not immune to) Electrophorus electric stun attack enough to avoid knocking the rider off the saddle, groups of them can kill the drake easily.

Gallery

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  Entrance