Salty's Guide To Ash Canyon Or How I learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Snow Shelter


Kitsune_Wizard

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So for starters, Ash Canyon is not like Hushed River Valley. There's an actual reason to go out there and brave its difficult landscapes. The two major finds here are the Crampons and the Technical Backpack that always spawn in the same location 100% of the time.

Case in point, the technical backpack does not take up an inventory space and adds a flat +5KG to carry weight. This can be combined with a moose hide satchel and the 'Well Fed' buff for +15 KG carrying capacity (15!!) (Three extra rifles worth of capacity!!!!)  

The crampons add +10 defense and make you take, from my estimation, about half the stamina to climb a rope that you normally do. In addition, they pretty much eliminate sprains. I walked on a sideways snow drift for like a minute and didn't get a sprain. Your bandage stores will thank you.

Prep work

Braving Ash Canyon is difficult. If all you want is the loot and don't plan to stick around for long you're going to want at least clothing gear that adds +20 warmth, supplies for multiple snow shelters, and a flare gun. You'll be moving fast enough you won't need to hunt. The whole trip, from entering to leaving, should take around four in game days. And that's if you take your sweet time.

+Flare Gun, 1 round.
+Decent Gear
+enough cloth for three snow shelters
+five pounds of meat (remember you'll be leaving the region with +5kg of carryweight so you can take all the extras you can fit)
+A single hand flare (you'll find more light sources)
+Well Fed buff (Moose Satchel is a bonus)
+bedroll

Optionals
+Rifle, revolver, bow. Not required but if you've got the extra space and it makes you feel safe.
+Mapping Equipment
+Maps (from the internet)
+Bear Skin Bedroll (+ snow shelters make you immune to blizzards)

Step-by-step

So to start off with, the path we're following is shaped like a U. Eo1ErbqW8Ac7fhW.png

There are two entrances to ash canyon. Go in from the one on the left. If you're having trouble finding it start a darkwalker save on Timberwolf Mountain and run straight to it. It's the one thats farther away, right up the first required rope climb to reach to TWM summit. 

Pop your flare at the entrance cave. It's a straight shot, you can't get lost. When you exit, you'll come upon a hill that goes straight up, and paths to the left or right. Go left. Keep your eye on the cliff face at your left, you can find a cave about half way down the path for rest if needed. Follow the path here until you come across a burned forest, then continue hanging slightly left. Eventually you'll come across a rope climb. You're gonna have to do a lot of these.

Cimb up. On the ledge above, you'll have even more climbing to do. Place down shelters to rest and climb at your leisure. Remember to disassemble them for the sticks and cloth refund. Sometimes a snow shelter will be spawned here. You'll also come across burned out campfires. Luckily it's pretty much impossible to get lost now. The only way you can go is forward or back.

You're looking for this thing
unknown.png

Which I am too lazy to backtrack to and show off myself. But when you reach this, you've reached the mine. The area below is what you're looking for. You can tie off a rope near this, or just skyrim-slide your way down the cliff. (which is faster and less fatigue draining so I say do that)

In the cave it's once again a straight line. Remember to take your shoes and socks off before you step into ankle-high water or they will get wet. The gear you're looking for is right next to a bed. Once again, hard to miss. Start a fire for torches if you're out of light sources.

Following the mine to the exit out the other side, you'll come to an earlier spot in the trail you already followed. Slide down the rocks until you get to the ledge, then hang left. There's a rope you've already climbed here. 

Now you get to make a decision. Wanna backtrack the way you came, or just continue on the path? If you back track, it's kind of easy to get lost. But following the path out will have you following the trail across the rope bridges, and finally the river.

If you choose to follow the path, re-climb the rope you, and find yourself back at the pulley thing above. Then you just continue along the trail. There's some decent sights to see. I even found a full bear-skin coat leaning up one of the rocks here once. Eventually you'll reach a small mining hamlet called Miners Folly. There's a bear here, that's what the flaregun is for. Just in case.

You can loot miners folly for some decent goods. In the barn there's a workbench. If you're staring at the small mining cabin, to the right from it and up a hill is the Foreman's cabin. It's much cozier, and comes with two fireplaces and some basic food loot. Once you're rested up, continue on your way with the rope bridges.

On one of these raised platues you'll find yourself on, it has two exits. If you reach a place called High Meadow, you've gone the wrong direction. Turn around.

There's no real landmarks here to guide yourself by. Just do the old video game strategy of walking along the wall until you find the way to go. But we prepared for getting lost, that's what the snow shelters are for.

When you find a rope climb leading down to a small cabin, you've found the exit to the region back to Timberwolf. Inside the cabin is a rope you need to tie off at a rock nearby, a revolver and a revolver book, and some bullets. The marsh below you is a place called Bitter Marsh. There's a fishing hut here to fish with. You can technically fish here and drag them all up the rope climb you just dropped down and hang out for awhile if you want.

But once you're done, you can follow the river to the Echo Ravine exit. It's up a small snow ramp to the right from where the river terminates.

And congratulations, you've conquered a difficult region and got rewarded for it. In my opinion this is a much better reward than 'mysterious signal fires' and not a single timberwolf in this entire region, thank goodness.

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That's not the only way to the gold mine. It's possible without a huge number of rope climbs and shelters. And also without taking huge detours through the whole map.

So they kind of balanced "easiest to find" with "most exposed and exhausting"

Edited by Serenity
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1 hour ago, Serenity said:

That's not the only way to the gold mine. It's possible without a huge number of rope climbs and shelters. And also without taking huge detours through the whole map.

So they kind of balanced "easiest to find" with "most exposed and exhausting"

I find this route to be the best way to loot most of the map (save the fisherman's cabin and such) and get out as soon as possible with minimal backtracking and prep required.

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