Duscae Monsters¶

In the past bit of questing and exploration, you’ve been somewhat sheltered from the local wildlife, mostly by sticking to the road. Now, however, you’re going to be fully immersing yourself in the wilderness of Duscae, with all the risks from the local fauna that entails. That being the case it’s worth discussing a few of the critters you’ll be facing.

The most common pest you’ll be fighting are Voretooth foes, which basically act as stronger Sabertusks. They can poison you, but otherwise aren’t terribly dangerous. You’ll also have to deal with the usual imperial attacks, and your old friends - the Garula - may be the first things you encounter, just south of the Coernix Station - Alstor outpost. These ones are joined by a beefy bull, a Garulessa, which has a scary high level, but isn’t as difficult as that high number suggests.

Another deceptively high-level beast worth hunting are Gigantoads, which appear throughout Duscae (especially north and east of the highways running south-west and south-east from the Coernix Station - Alstor outpost, respectively)… but only when it’s raining. While they too boast a deceptively high level, they’re easy enough to circle around and land a Blindside Strike on, which may flip them over, leaving them vulnerable to more abuse. You can also get Slimy Oil from them, which will be needed for a side quest in a bit, so hunting some Gigantoads now will benefit you down the road.

The reason to hunt them is simple - they drop Gigantoad Steaks, which will inspire Ignis to concoct the “Toadsteak Drumsticks” recipe. This meal gives a massive boon to combat stats, including +120 attack, +100 magic and +500 maximum Hit Points, making it in every way superior to the Spicy Long-Bone Rib Steak you may have been relying on up until this point. If you can harvest a few Gigantoads (each one usually drops two Gigantoad Steaks) you’ll have access to a meal that’ll help you get through any tough fights you might come across.

The Ever Gleaming Regalia¶

Anywho, enough of that, other monsters can be pointed out as you come across them. From the Coernix Station - Alstor outpost cross the highway to the south and head into wilderness, fighting or avoiding everything enroute as you make your way south towards a large pond that dominates the area. Along the way you might as well go complete that errand for Cindy, which requires startlingly little work on your part. Enter the rather large search area and look for a water tower, which stands next to a shack near the edge of the pond. Head to the northern side of the house (ignore the Garula and they’ll ignore you) and search near a car to find some Fiberglass Coating, which is what Cindy is after.

Return to Cindy at your leisure and she’ll reward you by giving you the very item you picked up. Afterwards, talk to her again for another quest, “The Ever Valorous Regalia”. The object of her desire this time is a Supercharger, but its location is far to the north-west, so… it’ll be a while before you get to it.

Neeglyss Pond¶

When you’re done bothering with Cindy and ready to keep questing the Alstor Slough area continue south to reach the edge of the pond that dominates the area. Wonder at the majestic Catoblepas feeding in the water (how such a relatively small body of water sustains such massive creatures is anyone’s guess) and run west/south-west along the northern end of the pond to find the Neeglyss Towerfront Fishing Spot. Don’t indulge in any fishing yet, however, as you’ll find better incentive to go fishing shortly. If you head north-west from the Neeglyss Towerfront Fishing Spot you’ll find the Pullmoor Haven Campground, for your resting needs… you know, in case you decide to spend a long day fishing sometime in the future.

For now, however, you’ll want to head to the southern end of the L-shaped pond, where you’ll find the Neeglyss Pond Fishing Spot. Ignore this one, too, and keep following the southern end of the pond to the north, ignoring fisherman with a quest icon for now and proceeding into the search area in the elbow of the L-shaped pond’s eastern edge.

The Professors Protege¶

Time to hunt some frogs. They’re red, so they should stand out fairly obviously, and you can hear them croaking when you’re close, but other than that, you’re just going to have to hunt them down. There are two on the rocks along the south-western edge of the search area, one along the shore to the north, one on the grass near some bushes east of the center of the search area, and one on some high ground near the center of the search area. Once you’ve got all five, you can turn the quest in at your leisure.

Fishing Buddies¶

One quest down, one more to go. Remember that fisherman you bypassed on your way around the southern side of the lake? Make your way to a small peninsula north of the Neeglyss Pond Fishing Spot and talk to the fisherman - Navyth. Noctis and him connect over their shared passion for fishing, and Navyth will take this opportunity to level a challenge at Noctis - catch a Crag Barrmundi from the nearby pond. This starts the quest “Fishing Buddies”.

It’s an aptly named quest, and if you haven’t tried your hand at fishing much, don’t worry, this quest isn’t too hard, and the fishing around Neeglyss is bountiful. Search the Treasure Spot near Navyth to score an Amethyst Bracelet, then make your way to the Neeglyss Pond Fishing Spot. Once there, just start fishing, use the Sweet Jamming: Custard lure and aim for the yellow spots, which indicate game fish. Reel one in and return to Navyth for a reward, which happens to be an adorable tonberry lure, used for luring big game fish.

Ausace Haven Campground¶

You’re now done by Neeglyss Pond, time to grab a few more bits of loot before quitting the Alstor Slough area and returning to the Coernix Station - Alstor outpost. To start things out, head south from Neeglyss Pond to discover the Ausace Haven Campground, if you haven’t already. From here continue south to find a Treasure Spot, which yields Calamity , a firearm that can envenomate foes. It’s a worthy upgrade for Prompto, at the least.

Mystery Map VI¶

Return to the Ausace Haven Campground and from there make your way west a good distance until you reach a highway. Follow the highway south a bit until you reach the Roadside Scrapyard Parking Spot, which itself isn’t terribly impressive. There are, however, two broke-down cars at this scrapyard, one to the north and one to the south. Search the northern end of the northern car to find Mystery Map VI , which will start “Scraps of Mystery VI” when picked up.