Located in the sunny southern deserts of Orsterra, the Sunshade Sands are much brighter - and probably hotter - than the city they surround. If you choose to begin the game as Primrose you'll start off in Sunshade, and she'll spend some time trekking through the area. We'll start this guide from Sunshade itself and make our way steadily east.
The desert is seldom a kind place, and this one has monsters that are no exception to the rule:
- Sand Lizardman I - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Ice, and Dark. Pretty basic melee unit. Primrose's dagger will suffice.
- Sand Lizardman II - Weak to Sword, Dagger, Ice, and Dark. A stronger - but not too much stronger - version of the original Lizardman.
- Sand Lizardman III - Weak to Polearm, Dagger, Lightning, and Dark. Tougher than the other Sand Lizardmen, and can buff itself and use Hurricane Blow to hit the whole party. Worth killing first.
- Army Ant - Weak to Sword, Dagger, and Axe. Attacks normally and uses Acid Spray to debuff one character. Annoying, but not too bad.
- Dire Army Ant - Weak to Sword, Dagger, and Axe. Generally just chews on your characters. Pretty basic.
- Skull Roller - Weak to Polearm, Ice, and Dark. Can poison your characters; otherwise just smacks you around a bit.
- Sandworm - Weak to Polearm, Axe, Wind, and Light. A hefty chonker that can hit your team really hard. Get it stunned and deal with any other monsters first.
Southern Sunshade Sands
Unlike most other areas in Octopath Traveler the Sunshade Sands are wide-open, and there are few trails to follow. We'll just do a quick rundown of what you can find by following the edges of the desert:
- Run west from the entrance to Sunshade and you'll find a save point. Right beside it is the rear entrance to the Sunshade Catacombs, where a chunk of Primrose's Chapter 1 took place.
- There's a chest in the northwest corner of the desert that contains an Inspiriting Plum.
- There's another chest in the southwest corner of the desert that contains an Herb of Clarity. Just west of this chest is the path to the South Clearbrook Traverse, where you can recruit the Apothecary Alfyn.
- Just south of the entrance of Sunshade you'll find a chest containing an Old Coin. A short trek south of here is the path to Eastern Sunshade Sands.
Eastern Sunshade Sands
Another wide-open area here, so:
- In the northwest corner of the area you'll find a chest containing a Thunder Soulstone. Right next to it is the entrance to the Whistling Cavern, a Danger Level 20 dungeon that's good for beginners.
- A short job east of the Whistling Cavern is a chest containing an Olive of Life, beneath some decorative sandfalls.
- Roughly in the middle of the area you'll find a rocky island with a sign post. Beside it is a chest containing a Healing Grape. South of this island is a path to the Northern Wellspring Sands, a more-dangerous continuation of the desert. East of the island you'll find a save point and the path to South Cobbleston Gap. This road leads to Cobbleston, a remote village that's home to Olberic, another party member you can recruit.