The Rotten Vale calls, and you’ve already done a Coral Highlands expedition, so what gives? Well, now that the initial, story-based expedition is over, the field researchers that populated the other two areas may have moved in to the Coral Highlands, complete with new quests for you to do. That alone is good enough reason to revisit the area, and covering those new quests is the purpose of this section of the guide. If you can’t be bothered, feel free to skip ahead.

Research Help: Gunpowderfish Capture¶

Up in the far northern reaches of the map, in AREA 11, you’ll find the Piscine Researchers, who has another challenge for you. This time he wants you to catch a Gunpowderfish, which he claims isn’t in the area before leaving it up to you to figure out where they dwell. This starts the delivery request Research Help: Gunpowderfish Capture. Well, you’re not reading a guide to have to go and figure all this out yourself. One play you can find them is in the pool of water in AREA 7, in a depression between two elevated platforms. This is one of those areas where using the Capture Net may be easier than just fishing, but it’s your call. Catch it and return to the Piscine Researcher if you need some positive reinforcement, but you’ll need to return to Astera to actually complete this request.

Research Help: Wiggler Capture¶

Make your way to the northwestern end of AREA 4, where you may find the Endemic Life Researcher. Talk to her when you find her and she’ll give you a new task - catch her some Wigglers! These timid, worm-like critters can be found throughout the Coral Highlands, and she wants you to capture three of them. This starts the critical bounty Research Help: Wiggler Capture, and there’s an added complication with this particular quest. Wigglers will retract back into the ground if they spot you coming, and even if you can get close to one, the rest will flee after you deploy your Capture Net. This just means you’ll have to wait for the first group you find to come out of hiding or find multiple groups.

You can find Wigglers in the following areas:

• The eastern end of AREA 1
• The western end of AREA 1
• The southern edge of AREA 3
• In a tunnel along the southeastern end of AREA 9
• Outside (west of) the Northeast Camp in AREA 10
• In the Troupers camp in AREA 11

This probably isn’t all the Wiggler locations throughout the Coral Highlands, but it should be sufficient for what you need. To avoid spooking the Wigglers as you hunt them, press [X]/[A] to crouch and sneak up to them, getting close enough while aiming your Capture Net for the reticle to change color. Capture three of them and return to the Endemic Life Researcher and she’ll tell you to report your success at Astera.

The Trouper’s Tzitzi Troubles¶

From AREA 8, head north along a path leading to AREA 10, where you may find the Lynian Research hiding behind some foliage. Talk to him and he’ll tell you about the Troupers, the belligerent, Shamos-riding Grimalkyne tribe in the area. Continue north to find them, and they’ll greet you with somewhat more hostility than the other Grimalkynes have. Fight back and kill their mounts, after which the Grimalkynes will rush off to their base and demand you show up.

Next top, the Troupers’ base, which is in the northeastern corner of the map, in AREA 11. Make the long climb through the level to reach them (find them on your map and place a waypoint so the Scoutflies guide you, if you must) and when you arrive, your Palico will chat with them and come to an understanding. Everybody’s so much more reasonable after a good thrashing! Seems two Tzitzi-Ya-Ku have been pestering the poor Grimalkynes, and you just so happened to intercept them on the warpath. Given how easily you won, it’s probably a good thing they ran into you instead of the monsters. In any event, your Palico agrees on your behalf - without even asking! - to hunt down the two Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, starting the quest Troubled Troupers, which will be covered below.