The GLOOM is a fog-covered biome added in PEAK’s Final Ascent update, sitting as one of the two possible fourth-stage areas after Alpine or Mesa and before The Citadel. It plays differently from most of the game because you barely climb here. Instead, you wade and move sideways across an ocean of drowsy mist, and the real threat is the sleep effect that builds the moment you drop below the fog.
Quick answer: Carry a flame source, either a Candlestick from luggage or a lit Belltower, keep it active only while you are inside the fog, and aim yourself at the next visible island before diving so you cross before the sleep effect stacks too high.
How the fog hurts you
The mist covering the GLOOM is the biome’s main hazard. You have to enter it to cross, since the walkable ground sits underneath the fog. While you are inside it, you rapidly gain the sleep effect. Sleep builds up on your stamina bar and lowers the maximum stamina you can hold, so the longer you linger under the mist without light, the closer you get to being eliminated.
The upside is that the sleep effect drains away quickly once you resurface. Climbing onto rocks and trees above the fog clears it, lets you catch your breath, and gives you a clear view of where to head next. Visibility inside the mist is poor, which is exactly why surfacing to reorient is worth the time.
Flame sources that keep sleep at bay
Light is what lets you stay under the mist without falling asleep. Two options matter most, and they behave the same way, clearing the fog in a bubble around them and stopping sleep damage while active.
The Candlestick is found inside luggage scattered around the biome. When you light it, it burns for about 30 seconds and creates a safe pocket around you that blocks sleep. It also burns up ghosts. Because its fuel is limited, treat it like a survival tool rather than a flashlight. Light it only when you are actually in the fog and snuff it during safe windows so you have fuel left for the next stretch.
Belltowers are fixed structures hidden throughout the biome, sometimes below the waters. Ringing one instantly clears the surrounding GLOOM and gives you a wider safe area to stand in than a Candlestick provides. A lit Belltower also burns the large ghost if it drifts close. Their drawback is that they do not move with you, so they are checkpoints rather than portable safety.
Note: lighting all five Belltowers in a single expedition completes the Bellringer badge. Small grey statues point toward nearby towers, and Crows tend to circle above them, so both are useful clues when you are hunting for the next bell.
Candlestick controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
Q | Light or put out the Candlestick |
F | Drop the held Candlestick |
RMB | Throw the held Candlestick |
Use Q as your main survival button. Dropping and throwing are best kept for emergencies, since a mistimed input can waste fuel or leave the Candlestick behind in the mist.
How to cross the GLOOM
Q and push through. Move toward your landmark while the flame is burning, following rock ledges, fences, and tree lines as guide rails when the fog thickens.Threats to watch while moving
The GLOOM has fewer chasing enemies than Roots or Mesa, and most of its danger is environmental. Knowing exactly what each threat does lets you react instead of panic.
| Threat | What it does |
|---|---|
| The mist | Builds the sleep effect and lowers max stamina while you are inside it; clears fast once you surface |
| Frogs | Croak directionally so you can hear them; drag you in with their tongue if you are in line of sight, causing damage and ragdoll, often pulling you to the bottom |
| Ghost | Announced by a whirring sound; the cloud chases you and explodes, flinging you back and applying a heavy freeze effect. Burn it with a Candlestick or Belltower |
| Spike fences | Found only inside the misty water; stick you in place and deal constant damage if you try to move while caught |
| Crows | Circle the Belltowers and can chip away at your health |
Tip: listen for the frog’s croaking and the ghost’s whirring. Both give away their position before they reach you, which is often enough warning to reroute or light your flame in time.
Best items for the GLOOM
Flame sources are the core answer, but the biome gets much easier when you pair them with items that clear status effects or skip fog entirely.
| Item | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Faerie Lantern | Heals status effects, burns ghosts, and fully stops the sleep effect on your stamina bar |
| Cure-All | Instantly heals, restores hunger, and removes negative status effects including sleep |
| Fortified Milk | Grants a short window of damage immunity so sleep cannot harm you |
| Rope Cannon | Fire it into the trees above to hang out of the fog while sleep wears off |
| Rescue Claw | Pulls you from island to island without entering the mist at close range |
| Glider / Parasol | Glide over gaps and foggy stretches from higher ground |
| Jetpack | Fly over the mist for a breather, though it takes the backpack slot |
| Energy Drink | Covers a long stretch fast, but stacks a lot of sleep, so use it carefully |
Treat movement items as support, not a full replacement for light. A jetpack or glider can carry you across a wide gap, but it does nothing once you land in thick fog with no flame left. Following Stone Scouts can also point you toward items and Belltowers when you are unsure where to head.
Exiting the GLOOM and confirming the Wanderer badge
The GLOOM leads to a large tower on the far side, ending at a final campfire. The stretch just before it is the hardest, and a ghost commonly spawns along the way, so test the route ahead before you commit rather than sprinting blind. Watch for frogs and spike fences during those last jumps, since a careless landing can undo a long crossing.
Lighting that final campfire opens the entrance to The Citadel and awards the Wanderer badge to every living Scout who has not already earned it. Once the badge notification appears and the path onward unlocks, you have successfully climbed past the GLOOM and cleared the biome.
