The south-east's navigation puzzle: heat that demands Calien Soup, floor gaps that have to be jumped, and the Artifact of the Massive on a tiny island in a lava moat. Entrance at 74.1 / 92.2 — the enemies are easy, the layout is the boss.
Coords: 74.1 / 92.2Artifact: MassiveBoss: BroodmotherDifficulty: Medium
The entrance at 74.1 / 92.2, at the back of a red-rock canyon.
Best MountBaryonyx, Thylacoleo or Direwolf — but a missed jump kills the mount too, so many run it on foot.
HazardsHeat, lava pits, jump puzzles, common cave critters
GearCalien Soup or Ghillie Armor, grappling hooks, crossbow, parachute
Artifact atA tiny island surrounded by lava — grapple across, don't jump
The run
Full Lava Cave Walkthrough
The Lava Cave is in the south-east of The Island and is mostly a navigation puzzle. The cave is hot enough that you'll need heat protection (Calien Soup is the cleanest fix; full Ghillie armor also works), and several gaps in the floor have to be jumped. Miss a big jump and you drop into lava — that's almost always a wipe for both you and your mount.
The enemies inside are easy compared to most caves — your real opponent is the layout. The Artifact of the Massive sits on a tiny island surrounded by lava, completely separated from the path.
Pro tip: Don't try to jump to the artifact island. Stand on the closest ledge, fire a grappling hook + crossbow combo to a pillar on the artifact island, and grapple across. Costs zero attempts, zero stress.
The artifact island — that lava moat is exactly why you pack grappling hooks.
FAQ
Lava Cave Questions
Where is the Lava Cave on The Island?
The entrance is at Lat 74.1, Lon 92.2, at the back of a red-rock canyon in the south-east. Inside is the Artifact of the Massive, used to summon Broodmother Lysrix. Some guides call it the South East Cave — same cave.
How do I deal with the heat?
Calien Soup is the cleanest fix; full Ghillie Armor also works. Without one of them the heat drains you the whole run.
How do I get the artifact across the lava?
Grapple, don't jump. Stand on the closest ledge, fire a grappling hook from your crossbow into a pillar on the artifact island, and pull across — zero attempts lost, zero stress. A parachute is good insurance for the jump puzzles on the way in.
