The Gloom is one of the two possible fourth biomes in PEAK, appearing after the Alpine or Mesa and leading into The Citadel. It is a swamp buried under thick fog, and that fog is the real threat. Stand in it without a flame, and you build up sleep damage fast, start hallucinating, and eventually pass out.
Quick answer: Grab a candlestick or torch, press E to light it before you step into the fog, and keep a flame burning near you the whole time you move. Toggle it off in clearer spots to save fuel, and always carry a spare so you are never stranded when one burns out.
Why the Gloom’s fog hurts you
The purple fog that fills the Gloom inflicts sleep damage on any scout standing in it unprotected. The deeper swamp below the mist applies this pressure constantly, so you cannot simply outrun it. As the meter climbs, the screen distorts with hallucination effects, and once it maxes out, your scout collapses. If that happens over water in the Gloom, you drop straight into it.
A lit flame creates a protective radius around you that stops the sleep effect while it is active. That is the entire survival loop here. Keep light near you, and the fog does nothing.
Light sources that block the Gloom
Several items and fixtures produce the flame you need. Portable ones burn down over time, while the fixed towers are always available if you can reach them.
| Source | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candlestick | Portable | Lights for around 30 seconds, then goes out. Found in Luggage. |
| Torch | Portable | Lit with E, burns down with use. |
| Faerie Lantern | Portable | Produces a flame that clears the fog and burns up ghosts. |
| Bell Tower / Belltower | Fixed | Scattered around the map. Activate it to create a flame radius. |
To get a candlestick quickly, head into the swamp below the mist and search the Explorer’s Luggage found there. Because the candlestick only stays lit for roughly half a minute, treat it as a resource to ration rather than one you keep burning nonstop.
How to cross the fog safely
E to light the flame. A candlestick lights with a purple flame, and while it burns the surrounding fog stops damaging you. You can drop the item with Q or throw it with R if you need to reposition it.
E again to extinguish the flame when you reach a safe spot or a short gap in the fog. Toggling it off preserves durability, which is critical given how quickly a candlestick burns down. Relight it right before you re-enter the mist or start a climb.
Note: A dense forest section in the Gloom is easy to get lost in. Running out of light there is the most common way to end a run, so time your relights around the parts of the route where you actually need to see and climb.
Handling ghosts in the Gloom
Ghosts patrol the Gloom, and if one catches you it explodes and deals heavy cold damage. That is dangerous on top of the constant sleep pressure, so you want to deal with them fast rather than run. The same flames that protect you also destroy them.
Listen for a ghost’s sound cue. When you hear it, light your candlestick or activate a nearby bell tower, then get the ghost inside the flame radius. It burns up and pops. Doing this once unlocks the Exorcist Badge, which can only be earned in the Gloom biome. You can either chase a ghost down with a lit candlestick or a Faerie Lantern, or bait it into the flame of a bell tower.
Reaching the end and opening The Citadel
The Gloom ends at a large tower on the opposite side of the fog. Reaching it and lighting the campfire there opens the entrance to The Citadel, the medieval fortress biome that follows. Lighting that campfire also grants every living scout the Wanderer Badge if they do not already have it, which is your confirmation that the crossing is complete.
The Gloom rotates with the Caldera as the fourth biome, so it will not appear in every climb. When it does show up, the rule stays the same from the first patch of fog to the campfire: keep a flame lit, ration your candlesticks, and never step into the mist in the dark.
