The Sunless City is one of the most fascinating and intricate locations in Outer Wilds, a game known for its environmental storytelling, time-loop mechanics, and interstellar mystery. Located deep within the Ember Twin, the Sunless City challenges players with collapsing tunnels, limited oxygen, and dangerous sandflows. Despite its harsh conditions, this ancient city built by the Nomai holds crucial secrets and insights into the game’s central mystery. Exploring every corner of this subterranean labyrinth reveals much more than meets the eye. For those looking to uncover every hidden path and answer, there’s always more to explore in the Sunless City.
Accessing the Sunless City
How to Get There
To begin exploring the Sunless City, you must land on Ember Twin, the smaller of the Hourglass Twins. The entrance lies within a cave system just east of the tower at the North Pole. As the time loop progresses, sand from Ash Twin begins to fill the caves, gradually burying the city and making parts of it inaccessible. This creates a built-in timer that urges players to navigate efficiently.
- Start exploration early in the time loop for best access.
- Use your flashlight and scout launcher to detect safe paths.
- Monitor oxygen levels oxygen tanks are limited inside.
Entering the city too late in the loop will result in many tunnels being filled with sand, cutting off access to important sections. Efficient movement and planning are essential.
Multiple Entrances
The Sunless City has several entry points, which can help players access different areas depending on the time in the loop:
- Main Cave Entrance: Near the Gravity Cannon at the North Pole.
- South Entrance: Accessible from the High Energy Lab path.
- East Tunnel: Leads to the Anglerfish Fossil area.
Using these alternate routes allows clever players to reach parts of the city even when sand has started to rise.
Key Districts of the Sunless City
Anglerfish Fossil
This eerie and memorable area features the fossil of a massive Anglerfish. It’s essential for learning how to avoid them in Dark Bramble later in the game. A Nomai experiment here teaches that anglerfish are blind and rely on sound, which becomes vital information for navigating the maze-like Bramble.
High Energy Lab Connection
The Sunless City is connected to the High Energy Lab on Ash Twin through a teleportation arch. Understanding the mechanics of the Ash Twin Project starts here. Although blocked early by sand, this area becomes accessible later in the loop, giving insight into warp core experiments and Nomai energy studies.
Stepping Stone Cave
This cavern acts as a traversal hub. It connects various city districts and provides an overview of the city’s layout. It’s a good area for orienting yourself during early runs. Players can see multiple pathways branching off, some leading to secrets, others to collapse zones that are time-sensitive.
The Eye Shrine District
Dedicated to worship and research about the Eye of the Universe, this section reveals the spiritual importance the Eye had to the Nomai. It’s filled with murals and ancient texts. Reading these records helps you piece together the philosophical drive behind the Nomai’s actions across the solar system.
District of Escape Pod Signals
This room connects signals received from Nomai escape pods scattered throughout the system. It’s an important location to understand how different clans of Nomai arrived and where they landed. Linking this information with external locations improves your understanding of the Nomai migration story.
Environmental Challenges and Hazards
Rising Sand
The biggest threat in the Sunless City is the sand that pours in from Ash Twin. This sand gradually fills tunnels and chambers, permanently cutting off access as the time loop progresses. Planning a route and prioritizing locations becomes a key skill.
- Explore deeper areas like the High Energy Lab early.
- Return to upper chambers like the Eye Shrine after halfway through the loop.
Understanding the flow of sand and its timing will allow you to plan efficient routes through the city before it’s buried.
Oxygen Depletion
Another challenge is managing your oxygen levels. There are limited oxygen refill stations, such as nearby trees or certain devices left by the Nomai. Running out of oxygen while deep in the city is a common cause of death, so it’s crucial to keep an eye on your meter and know your exit paths.
Secrets and Lore Found in the Sunless City
Nomai Research
The Sunless City holds significant documentation of the Nomai’s scientific progress and their emotional journey. Journals, recordings, and wall texts reveal a community driven by curiosity and unity. From the construction of warp cores to the philosophical questions about the Eye, this city is a repository of Nomai knowledge.
Time Loop Mechanics
Hints about the time loop you’re trapped in begin to emerge here. While you won’t get the complete picture until later, the Sunless City provides essential groundwork. Information about warp technology, solar anomalies, and ancient experiments points players in the direction of deeper discoveries.
Hidden Passages
Several small tunnels and collapsible structures exist throughout the city. Some lead to lore-heavy areas, while others offer shortcuts or refill zones. Paying attention to markings, ruins, and even the direction of sand flow can uncover hidden areas.
Tips for Full Exploration
Start Immediately
As soon as the loop begins, head directly to the Ember Twin and start your descent. The sooner you get inside, the more you’ll be able to access before it fills up with sand. Don’t waste time exploring the surface unless absolutely necessary.
Bring the Scout
Your scout launcher is invaluable in the Sunless City. Use it to test if pathways are accessible, to light up dark areas, or to judge whether a tunnel is worth entering. It’s also useful for checking how far sand has progressed.
Note Taking
Because the city is so complex and changes throughout the loop, keeping mental or physical notes helps tremendously. Jot down which entrances lead to which districts and when you lose access to each zone. This helps with optimizing future loops.
Return for Follow-Up
Don’t expect to uncover everything in one visit. The Sunless City almost demands multiple explorations across different loops. Use each trip to gather specific pieces of information or reach one targeted zone. You’ll eventually piece the whole story together.
Why the Sunless City Matters
The Sunless City is more than just a location; it’s a key to unlocking the deeper mysteries of the Outer Wilds universe. It ties together themes of exploration, knowledge, and impermanence, echoing the game’s larger narrative. For completionists and lore lovers, it’s one of the most rewarding areas to dive into again and again.
Even after multiple trips, players often find there’s still more to explore in the Sunless City more secrets to uncover, more context to grasp, and more connections to make. It is a masterpiece of game design that encourages curiosity and rewards persistence. As you become more familiar with its pathways and puzzles, the city reveals itself layer by layer, mirroring the very theme of time that defines Outer Wilds itself.