A lifeless desert within which rests a holy relic.
This region is covered with endless desert sands as far as the eye can see. Within it can be found the shanties which form a base for treasure hunters seeking their fortune in the arid wilderness, as well as ancient ruins said to conceal a divine treasure.
Many monsters with a character unique to the area appear in this region, such as the sand swimming fiends of the open desert and the undead horrors that lurk within the ruins.Official description[1]
The Dead Dunes is the desert continent in Nova Chrysalia in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The area is dotted with ruins and Lightning can slide down the steep dunes. An oasis village serves as a base for the local bandit group called Monoculus. The fal'Cie Atomos and parts of Titan are found among the sand, rendered immobile, suggesting the Dead Dunes was once the Archylte Steppe.
This area is much more sparsely populated than the other areas of Nova Chrysalia and has fewer quests. The desert is considered more dangerous during the day time, when the toughest enemies come out. The ruins below the desert don't have a day and night cycle. The player can fast-travel the area via the red cactuar waystones, which are scattered around the desert and in the ruins below. The player can collect "Unappraised Items" around the desert and have them appraised at Ruffian, the oasis town amid the desert.
Datalog[]
The fringes of this desolate desert are lapped by the ocean of Chaos. It is not a place meant for human inhabitation, but thanks to the ancient ruins that are scattered among the dunes, many lawless bandits have come here to plunder the treasure within. In the desert, wild monsters are most active during daylight hours. Unlike other parts of the world, nights in the desert are blessed by relative peace and quiet.
Centuries of plundering have emptied most of the ruins, but one legendary treasure—the holy clavis—still sits beyond a seal that no one has been able to break.
Story[]
Lightning activates a crux.
Lightning arrives on the Dead Dunes following the rumors that an artifact called the holy clavis is buried somewhere in the desert. Suspecting the local bandits know something about it, she locates their settlement, Ruffian. Lightning speaks with a Monoculus member named Adonis, who says they won't divulge anything until Lightning joins their gang. As a trial, Adonis tasks Lightning with stopping the sandstorm known as God's Wrath that blocks a path to the settlement. After defeating a Gurangatch, Lightning obtains a crux which helps her operate a monument to quell God's Wrath.
Adonis accepts Lightning as a part of Monoculus and reveals the group's boss is a woman who knows Lightning and has been keeping tabs on her ever since she got off the monorail at the station. Back in the Ruffian, Adonis introduces Lightning to the boss, her old friend Fang. Fang explains she left the Order of Salvation in Luxerion and is now looking for the clavis, and asks Lightning's help.
Fang and Lightning team up and head for the Temple Ruins, an ancient maze under the desert. As Lightning is the savior she can open the doorway. Fang and Lightning locate tablets from shrines around the desert and use them to activate murals within the ruins to open the chamber where the clavis is kept. The murals spell humanity's creation story, showing how Goddess Etro's blood birthed mankind, whose souls would cycle between death and rebirth. The god Bhunivelze, however, saw death as impure, and thus deemed the souls of the dead as tainted.
Lightning and Fang reach the clavis, and to Lightning's surprise Fang sets out to destroy it. Lightning stops her. Fang explains her friend Vanille wants to use the clavis to draw in the anguished souls of the dead from the Chaos so that the Order can destroy them, but the ritual would kill her. Lightning is shocked the Order wants to eradicate the souls of the dead, and that Vanille is onboard with their plan.
The Order's military branch, the Secutors, arrive to claim the clavis and send a monster after Lightning and Fang. The two defeat the monster, but meanwhile the Secutors nab the clavis and seal the pair within the chamber. The mysterious Lumina appears, gloating how she led the Secutors to them. She looks forward to Vanille performing the Soulsong on the world's final day to obliterate the souls of the dead, including Lightning's sister Serah. Lumina opens the chamber's door and disappears.
Lightning tells Fang she cannot save Vanille if she is bent on dying, and says Fang is the only one who can convince her. Fang departs, saying the Monoculus is officially disbanded, and the two promise to meet in Luxerion on the eve of the Apocalypse.
Locations[]
Ruffian[]
The headquarters of Monoculus is located here. The settlement has shops, an inn, a sorcery shop, a boy who will appraise the Unappraised Items the player can collect from the lizards on the desert and the skeletons in the ruins, and a restaurant.
Giant's Sandbox[]
The large area where the monorail stops is known as Giant's Sandbox. Chocolina's Canvas of Prayers is found just outside the station with a merchant and an outfitter.
Entrances to different parts of the Temple Ruins are found at the sandbox, and the superboss Aeronite patrols the dunes here after Day 7. A merchant is camping out here next to the north entrance to the Temple Ruins, who is part of a mission the player can start with the item shop owner in Ruffian.
Grave of the Colossi[]
There is Bhakti's Oil under the skeleton of an oretoise, and a shrine where one of the tablets that activates a mural in the ruins is located. If the player quells a sandstorm near here, they can open a new area that has a quest item and a treasure sphere locked by Lumina that requires Energy Points to open.
Atomos's Sands[]
Area of the Dead Dunes where the fal'Cie Atomos's remains lie. It is assumed that Atomos had felt God's presence, prompting it to enter into a form of stasis while it waits for the world to end. The people residing within the Dead Dunes view the area as a "public dumping ground", prompting Adonis to post a bulletin about littering. Lightning can find a loupe on the ground near here for the boy who wants to appraise items back in Ruffian. There is also a shrine for one of the tablets needed to activate murals in the Temple Ruins here with a cactuar waystone outside it.
Oasis Lighthouse[]
The way to the lighthouse is blocked by a sandstorm that has a Cactair caught in it. Defeating it earns one of Dajh Katzroy's soul fragments needed for a main quest in the Wildlands. The player can battle Cactuars here who drop good gil and locate the quest giver for the game's most arduous quest: to fell every Last One enemy. Because some enemies only appear in the final dungeon this quest cannot be completed until in New Game Plus.
The lighthouse is lit between 6pm and 6:55am.
Dry Floodplains[]
There is a shrine for one of the tablets needed to activate a mural in the Temple Ruins here. Otherwise it is a large and empty sandy area that has been left abandoned. There is a look-out post Lightning can climb, but no one else ever ventures out there but Lightning, and randomly Sazh Katzroy when his quest for soul fragments (in the Wildlands) has been started but not completed; if Sazh appears, he is to the east from the Oasis Lighthouse, and stays around for one in-game hour.
Temple Ruins[]
Temple Ruins is an expansive maze below the sands. The structure is ancient, predating Cocoon, and nobody knows who built it or why. The ruins are said to hold the holy clavis, an artifact that can draw in the souls of the dead. The ruins are littered with murals that spell the creation story of mankind. The temple is filled with sealed doors that operate via magic and mystical tablets and cruxes are needed to delve deeper into the ruins. The skeletons standing guard can be torn apart to reveal Unappraised Items and Yellowed Skulls, but sometimes this also initiates a battle.
Map[]
Quests[]
Dead Dunes has the fewest quests of any area of Nova Chrysalia. Its main quest is to join Monoculus and band with its leader to get the holy clavis in the Temple Ruins, an ancient maze below the desert. The sidequests include helping a Bhakti robot in the ruins, felling the superboss Aeronite and every Last One in the world; this cannot be completed until New Game Plus because some enemies only appear in the final dungeon.
The Dead Dunes also has a total of eighteen Canvas of Prayers quests, which can be accessed by speaking with Chocolina, located outside the Monorail Station. These quests do not earn Eradia, but completing them will award gil, stat boosts, and adornments.
Main quest[]
| Name | Area | Character | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-1 Bandits of the Desert | Dead Dunes | Oerba Yun Fang | Find the Bandit's Hideout | |
| Somewhere in the Dead Dunes lies the holy clavis, a treasure with the power to draw the souls of the dead and open doors to the otherworld. The Order is anxious to find it—perhaps Lightning should search, too. Bandits operate in the desert, making a living from plundering the ruins. They might have information about this clavis. Lightning should seek them out. | ||||
| 4-2 Aspiring Bandit | Dead Dunes | Oerba Yun Fang | Help Adonis calm the Sandstorm. | |
| If Lightning wants to join the bandit gang, she must quell God's Wrath, a sandstorm that rages near Ruffian. The key to breaking it is held by a monster that can be found nearby. No ordinary human has ever been able to make the key work, but then, the savior is no ordinary human. God's Wrath rages in the area around the Giant's Sandbox. | ||||
| 4-3 Where the Clavis Lies | Dead Dunes | Oerba Yun Fang | Head to the Ruins near the Giant's Hand and investigate the suspicious door. | |
| Fang has been using her position as head of the bandit gang to search for the clavis, but she does not disclose why she wants an ancient relic that gathers the souls of the dead. Meanwhile, the Order is redoubling their efforts to find the clavis. If Lightning and Fang are to reach it first, they must head quickly to the ruins which it is buried. The entrance stands near the Giant's Hand. | ||||
| 4-4 Murals of the Gods | Dead Dunes | Oerba Yun Fang | Decode the Mural of the Gods by collecting lithographs. | |
| Three murals depicting events of the crystal legends are the key to unsealing the door to the clavis chamber. Only those who have seen the three murals and know the deeds of the gods may pass through the Sacred Gate and into the presence of the holy treasure. Each mural is displayed in its own gallery, located in different parts of the ruins. Lightning must visit each one in turn. | ||||
| 4-5 The Holy Clavis | Dead Dunes | Oerba Yun Fang | Find the clavis and defeat Grendel/Parandus. | |
| Lightning and Fang have seen the three murals. They have the three pieces of the crux, and now they can open the Sacred Gate. Soon, the holy clavis will be in their hands. But the Order is closing in on the treasure as well. The pair will have to hurry to the chamber if they are to claim the prize and keep it out of the Order's hands. | ||||
Side quests[]
| Name | Difficulty | Client | Quest Item | Expiry Date | Availability | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Life of a Machine | ★★☆ | Bhakti | Bhakti's Oil x3 | 3 days after starting quest | From Day 1 | Temple Ruins (Floor 3) |
| In an isolated chamber of the Sacred Grove in the Temple Ruins, Lightning finds an exploratory rover bot called Bhakti. It seems he is almost out of fuel, but Lightning might be able to help. This quest has a time limit. | ||||||
| Reward: Cyber Scanners, Max HP +80, Strength +4, Magic +4
Subsequent Rewards: Max HP +20, Strength +2, Magic +4 | ||||||
| Old Rivals | ★☆☆ | Tobias | — | — | From Day 1 | Ruffian |
| Tobias is a wealthy merchant who runs several shops across the Dead Dunes. But the lack of competitors out in the desert means his selection is poor and his customer service worse. Tobias just can't bring himself to get excited about his business without competitors to spur him on. People like Ramon, for example, who was once a fierce rival but now does nothing but loiter around the Giant's Sandbox. | ||||||
| Reward: 500 gil, Snakeskin Hat, Max HP +50, Strength +4, Magic +2
Subsequent Rewards: 750 gil, Max HP +20, Strength +4 | ||||||
| His Wife's Dream | ★★☆ | Ramon | Arithmometer x1 | — | From Day 1, start "Old Rivals" quest | Giant's Sandbox |
| Ramon was once a hardworking businessman, but he abandoned his shop and now spends his days lounging near the north entrance of the Temple Ruins. The only reason he hasn't left the Dead Dunes is because he is still hoping to find the arithmometer that belonged to his departed wife, Monica. Perhaps Lightning can help. | ||||||
| Reward: 1300 gil, Gold Padlock, Max HP +100, Strength +6, Magic +2
Subsequent Rewards: 1950 gil, Max HP +40, Strength +4, Magic +2 | ||||||
| Tool of the Trade | ★☆☆ | Elmer | Loupe x1 | — | From Day 1 | Ruffian |
| In Ruffian, Lightning meets a young man who speaks in a strange code. Elmer first came to the Dead Dunes to unlock the secrets of the ruins, and although he has given up on his research, he still knows a great deal about them. Lightning may help rekindle his motivation if she finds his old appraising tool, the loupe. Hint: The bandits discard their garbage in the Atomos's Sands area. | ||||||
| Reward: 400 gil, Retro Scopes, Max HP +50, Strength +2, Magic +4
Subsequent Rewards: 600 gil, Max HP +20, Strength +2, Magic +2 | ||||||
| Adonis's Audition | ★★☆ | Adonis | — | — | From Day 1 | Ruffian |
| In the outlaw settlement of Ruffian, Lightning encounters a character called Adonis, who appears to be an important figure in the bandit gang known as Monoculus. He tells her that they have information about the holy clavis, but they will only share it if she joins the gang. Monoculus runs everything in the desert. If Lightning wants to accomplish anything while she is here, it might be a good idea to do what Adonis suggests. | ||||||
| Reward: 1500 gil, Monoculus Mask, Max HP +100, Strength +4, Magic +8
Subsequent Rewards: 2300 gil, Max HP +50, Strength +4, Magic +6 | ||||||
| Skeletons in the Closet | ★★★ | Jamus | — | — | Complete main quest 4-3 | Ruffian |
| In Ruffian, Lightning encounters a former bandit by the name of Jamus, He is a tormented soul, who cannot forget the day when Skeletons attacked him and his children and left him as the only survivor. Jamus's life is in tatters, and the only thing that might save him is revenge. Lightning agrees to seek out all the Skeletons and destroy them once and for all. | ||||||
| Reward: 4500 gil, Pioneer's Eyepatch, Max HP +140, Strength +14, Magic +12
Subsequent Rewards: 6700 gil, Max HP +60, Strength +6, Magic +6 | ||||||
| Last One Standing | ★★★ | Zanford | — | — | From Day 1 | Oasis Lighthouse |
| At the foot of the Oasis Lighthouse, Lightning meets a man called Zanford who seems to be the last researcher. Not the last remaining researcher, he clarifies, but one who investigates the phenomenon of Last Ones. Last One monsters are fearsome beasts that concentrate the strength of their... predecessors into one last ultimate incarnation. Lightning's task is simple, yet surely impossible. Can she eradicate all monster species and slay every Last One incarnation? | ||||||
| Reward: 12000 gil, Hermit's Cap, Bladed Lance, Max HP +160, Strength +18, Magic +16
Subsequent Rewards: 18000 gil, Max HP +100, Strength +10, Magic +8 | ||||||
| What Rough Beast Slouches | ★★★ | Nolan | Monster Flesh x1 | — | From Day 1, Aeronite appears on Day 7 | Giant's Sandbox |
| Inside the southern entrance to the Temple Ruins, on the upper level of Scorched Earth, Lightning meets a man who presents Lightning with a perilous mission. He claims that a terrible beast has appeared to herald the end of the world, and he wants Lightning to find this beast, the Aeronite, hunt it down, and bring back a sample of its flesh. | ||||||
| Reward: 8200 gil, Pro's Beret, Max HP +160, Strength +12, Magic +16
Subsequent Rewards: 12300 gil, Max HP +90, Strength +6, Magic +10 | ||||||
Shops[]
Forge (Rare)[]
Treasures[]
- Angel's Headband (at Oasis Lighthouse)
- Arithmometer (in Grave of the Colossi behind the sandstorm)
- Bandit's Bloodseal (in the entrance to the Shrine of the Tablet: Grave of the Colossi)
- Corsair Scarf (treasure sphere on south end cliff in Ruffian)
- Crux Body (obtained after activating a mural within Temple Ruins)
- Defaith Lv. 2 (north of Giant's Sandbox)
- Debrave Lv. 2 (under an arch of ruin in northern Giant's Sandbox)
- Earth Eater's Notes (in the ruins near path leading to Ruffian in the Grave of the Colossi area)
- Key to the Sand Gate (at Oasis Lighthouse)
- Loupe (north of Ruffian)
- Lizard Tail (obtained by killing the lizards wandering around the desert)
- Pilgrim's Crux (found in various places in the Dead Dunes. Can also be bought from a man in Ruffian)
- Rainbow Gem (treasure sphere in Atomos's Sands, east of the Tobias's Branch Store)
- Serenity Sachet (treasure sphere in the Grave of the Colossi west)
- Silk Scarf (open the 4 EP cost treasure sphere in the dead end of the Grave of the Colossi)
- Silver Barrette (Oasis Lighthouse in a 4 EP cost treasure sphere)
- Star Bracelet (treasure sphere in Dry Floodlands south)
- Study of the Depths (Giant's Sandbox area south from the general shop, east from the Temple Ruins: South Gate)
- Tablet (in shrines in Atomos's Sands, Dry Floodlands and the Grave of the Colossi.
- Unappraised Item (found by killing lizards and destroying skeleton statues)
- Yellowed Skull (destroy skeleton statues in the Temple Ruins and Shrines)
| Trophy: Lizard Lariat | |
|---|---|
| Proof of hunting down more than 30 lizards in the shifting sands of the Dead Dunes. | 
|
Lightning can slash lizards that wander the desert for lizard tails and unappraised items, the latter having a 40% chance of dropping. Lizards will respawn after 12 hours. Slashing 30 lizards in the Dead Dunes earns the Lizard Lariat achievement.
Enemies[]
- Anubys
- Cactair (One encounter per playthrough)
- Cactuar
- Desert Sahagin
- Earth Eater
- Gaunt (Temple Ruins)
- Goblot
- Gorgonopsid
- Gurangatch
- Schrodinger (Temple Ruins)
- Skeleton (Temple Ruins)
- Aeronite (superboss)
The superboss Aeronite roams around Giant's Sandbox from Day 7 onwards, its location depending on the clock.
Musical themes[]
The theme that plays depends on the time of day. "Desert Awakening" plays in the morning, "The Dead Dunes" plays in the afternoon and "Desert Lullaby" plays in the evening. "Graveyard of Dreams" plays during the night. "Bandit Gang Monoculus" plays when Lightning reunites with Fang and "Fang's Theme ~The Boss~" is Fang's leitmotif that plays in scenes associated with her. "Treasures Within" plays in the Temple Ruins. "Village and Void" plays in the Grave of the Colossi area during the day.
In the Ruffian bar a singer performs a vocal arrangement of "Eternal Wind", the theme of Final Fantasy III. A full arrangement of the song appears on the game's Original Soundtrack PLUS.
Other appearances[]
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]
The Dead Dunes in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call.
The Dead Dunes appear as the background for the Field Music Sequence of its eponymous theme.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]
This section about a location in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Behind the scenes[]
Early screenshot displaying Vali and Hanuman in the Dead Dunes, something that is impossible in the final game.
The Dead Dunes were inspired by real-world location Cairo.[2] Early screenshots differ from the gameplay demo shown during Japan Expo 2013: while early screenshots suggest Lightning was meant to look for a hidden treasure, the treasure became the holy clavis artifact. In early screenshots, Adonis wears silver as opposed to his final red color. Another screenshot displays Lightning fighting Vali and Hanuman in the Dead Dunes, whereas in the final game these enemies only spawn at the Wildlands.
The Dead Dunes are likely the dried remains of the Pulsian Archylte Steppe. A skeleton of an oretoise is found buried in the sand, creatures only found on the steppe in both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. Other landmarks from the steppe are the cactuar waystones and the dormant fal'Cie Atomos and the pieces of Titan.
The small lizards roaming the sands use the same model as a staggered Gurangatch.
Gallery[]
- Artworks
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- Screenshots
