Dunes
The Dunes are the third location seen in Undertale Yellow, after the Ruins and Snowdin. They are a large desert region Clover finds themself in after exiting Snowdin, crashing there after their journey to Hotland goes awry.
The Dunes were showcased in an animated teaser and the Undertale Yellow launch trailer.
Features[edit | edit source]
- A blocked off tunnel that, on certain Fun Values, opens to have Gerson inside.
- An area besieged by a sandstorm; reaching the end allows Clover to turn off a fan owned by North Star that was causing it.
- A monster next to dynamite and a painted red X. Third of the golden items, the Golden Cactus, is found here by backtracking.
- Mo's second stand, selling different iced teas.
- The East Mines, a mine that goes up and down one of the mountains.
- Falling bounders from machines placed by North Star.
- Oasis Valley, a town centered around an oasis.
- The Wild East, a town of cowboy roleplayers containing the area's main characters and final boss.
- The introduction to Fast Travel.
Map[edit | edit source]
Main Story[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Years before the the game begins, The Dunes were called The Meadow.[1] The area was lush and alive with lots of greenery. However, miners, possibly from Mining Co., extracted a massive Swelterstone from the region elevations, releasing a massive amount of heat and destroying the environment, turning it into the barren wasteland of the present time. Most plant life was destroyed, with the Sunnyside Farm being an exception. The event was also stated to have led to a lot of migration from the area, leaving the place in an even more precarious situation. Around the time of the disaster, the Wild East was created as a roleplaying activity which ended creating a fully fledged town, something that brought a lot of the attention to the region and helped the Sunnyside Farm, in trouble due to the ecological disaster.
The Dunes are rich in minerals and other important materials. As such, the East Mines is set up in the Dunes, operated by Mining Co. Besides all the mining activity, the Dunes have two known monster settlements: Oasis Valley located somewhat centrally, and the Wild East, located at the eastern end of the area, close to the Steamworks.
Neutral Route[edit | edit source]
Clover rides the UG Aviator, with or without Martlet depending on how she was defeated. The intended destination is Hotland, but the boat overshoots and crashes into the West Mines in the Dunes. If Martlet is accompanying, she is separated from Clover at this point.
The next room has a SAVE point. Flowey pops out here to complain about being off-track and plant doubt about Martlet's motivations. The SAVE menu automatically appears here; if Clover does not save and has not saved previously, he calls them out on it.
Clover exits the mines into the main Dunes. A Dimensional Box and UGPS sign are found a bit further past this point. In the sandstorm area, the first NPCs can be found: TNT Man, who is standing by a suspicious painted red X, Sandstorm Stander, who is hiding from the storm, and Fan Fan, who is enjoying the breeze from the storm. Clover can turn off the puzzle by interacting with the fan at the end. The fan is said to be built by Hotland Mechanics.
Mo's stand is north of the puzzle. He sells Ice Tea, Green Tea, and Sea Tea for 20G each. Past the tumbleweeds to the east is the path to Oasis Valley; however, as it is blocked off by a rockslide, they are forced to detour through the East Mines. This area has a lot of information about the Dunes' mining industry and the Underground's work force. Clover encounters El Bailador at the top of the mountain, obtains the Dimensional Satchel, and travels back down.
Right before entering Oasis Valley, Martlet stops them. Her responses differ based on Clover's actions during her fight, as well as if they aborted a Genocide Route, but she will decide to accompany them in every case. The two of them enter Oasis Valley. This area has some information about the Meadow and how Dunes inhabitants are still handling the disaster.
A bit past Oasis Valley, Clover can offer Martlet a G at a wishing well. If they do, she wishes for them to return home safe. If they do not, they can backtrack here later and steal 50G out of the well.
Past this point is the Wild East. Upon entering, the Feisty Four will greet them. Starlo enters a bit after the posse. Recognizing Clover as a human, Starlo takes them to play with the town and puts Martlet in the slammer. Starlo brings Clover to the Saloon to introduce them to the Wild East and to Ceroba. After this is over, Clover leaves the Saloon and encounters Ceroba again. She apologizes for Starlo roping them into this, guesses that Starlo will let them leave eventually, and wishes them luck.
Clover has to complete various missions in the town to proceed. In between the missions, they can explore the town and talk to a rotating cast of NPCs. They start each mission by talking to Starlo in the Saloon.
In the first mission, Starlo brings Clover the Nice Hat and Wild Revolver, then gives them a tutorial on the new revolver's mechanics with the Dummy. After the mission, Ceroba talks to Clover again, mentioning for the first time that Chujin is her husband. In the second mission, Starlo and Clover duel. They take ten paces and shoot with fake guns. Starlo will pretend to die, then get back up and tell Clover this was a test of emotional resilience. After this mission, the Feisty Four are napping in their house; they can choose to nap on the couch with them for a bit. In the third mission, Vengeful Virgil tied up members of the town, including the posse, on railroad tracks outside the fence. Clover chooses what path a fake oncoming train should take: the path with one person or the path with five.
The next time Clover interacts with Starlo, he will promote them to deputy and leave them alone with the Feisty Four. The four initiate a battle against Clover. The only way to defeat them is to wait for Starlo to return and break up the fight. The members of the Feisty Four, along with Ceroba, call Starlo out on his behavior and leave the Wild East. After this, NPCs in the area take on a more worried tone. Clover has to fight Starlo, the final boss of the Dunes, to proceed.
If Starlo is spared, he tries to shoot Clover before Ceroba interrupts. She asks him to stop acting all the time and Starlo apologizes to Clover. Starlo notices Ceroba is on edge, but she brushes it off and leaves. Starlo also leaves to find the posse and apologize to them. Backtracking to the Saloon from the Steamworks after he is spared shows a Neutral-exclusive scene where the Feisty Five and Ceroba listen to Moray perform on stage.
If Starlo is killed, Ceroba asks where he went. Regardless of Clover's answer, she assumes he ran off. In Sunnyside Farm ahead, she can be found conversing with his family about where to look for him. If backtracking to the Wild East, Mooch is the only NPC outside. She apologizes to Clover and expresses a desire to talk to Starlo.
At the UGPS sign in Sunnyside Farm, the Mail Whale automatically descends and informs Clover that they can now fast travel.
At the Steamworks gate ahead, Flowey asserts that he is Clover's only real friend. He shoots the keypad to open the gate for them.
Pacifist Route[edit | edit source]
Clover's first conversation with Ceroba is slightly different on the Pacifist Route. She is more friendly with them and considers talking to Starlo herself to let them leave. She also hints at bringing them through the Steamworks later.
After sparing Starlo, Ceroba waits at the Steamworks gate with him for Clover to arrive. She tells Clover and Starlo that Kanako fell down and is with Alphys. She accompanies Clover through the Steamworks to go to The Lab in order to find out what happened to her, as well as, ostensibly, because this path is the fastest way to Hotland, where Clover was already headed.
After Clover and Ceroba leave together, Starlo and Ed open the gate to the Ketsukane Estate to clean up for Kanako's return. However, they stumble across Chujin's study and realize Clover is in danger. Starlo sends Clover a letter asking them to return to the Wild East for their own safety while also going after Clover and Ceroba themselves. Starlo and Ed reach them after sparing Axis.
Ed carries Clover back to the Wild East, where they reunite with Martlet. Clover and Martlet head to the Estate to investigate Ceroba's motives. After they view the tapes, Martlet leaves for UG Apartments, the Feisty Four wish Clover luck, and Flowey encourages Clover.
In the credits of the Pacifist Route, one of the scenes shown is of the East Mines. The scene shown varies depending on if Clover returned Bryan's hard hat or not.
Genocide Route[edit | edit source]
The Dunes are extremely barren on a Genocide Route. Most NPCs are absent from the overworld. Mo recognizes Clover as the human who was killing monsters but brushes aside their crimes and sells them items anyway. In the East Mines, the puzzles are already solved, though the boulders are still falling. The only NPCs in the mines are the Red Miner, who gets intimidated by Clover, and Angie and Gilbert, who offer Clover a safe place to hide.
El Bailador can be encountered if the kill count is not exhausted before reaching him. Clover does not enter the rhythm SOUL mode, remaining free as the notes come down the screen. He grows steadily less enthusiastic and allows Clover to kill him at the end. If he is spared, he awkwardly exits and the route is aborted.
Martlet confronts Clover before entering Oasis Valley. She tries to convince them to surrender, but Clover pulls their gun on her and they flee. The oasis is entirely abandoned. Entering Cafe Dune allows Clover to steal items, while they cannot buy from this shop on other routes. Just before entering the Wild East, Clover can pick up the Wild Revolver. They cannot obtain the Nice Hat on a Genocide Route.
In the Wild East, Starlo attempts to confront Clover. The two duel. Clover has the option to shoot him early. If they wait for him to shoot, he will. However, he used rubber bullets, allowing Clover to shoot him anyway. Ceroba arrives right after this. She comforts him as he dies, then attacks Clover, acting as the final boss of the Dunes in this route. Unlike other battles, Ceroba does not speak during her fight, only giving a short speech at the beginning and end.
The only person left in the Wild East after the fight is Dina. She expresses fury towards Clover, but the two do not fight. Sunnyside Farm is similarly abandoned, though voices can be heard from the cellar.
At the Steamworks gate, Flowey attempts to converse with Clover, but they interrupt him by shooting the keypad and opening the gate. After entering the Steamworks, the gate closes behind Clover, locking them out of the Dunes for the rest of the route.
Geography[edit | edit source]
The Dunes, much like Hotland, are a scorched and arid region. Unlike Hotland, in which heat comes from an abundance of exposed magma in the area, the Dunes are arid due to a large amount of Swelterstones that can be found there, producing heat and light. A massive Swelterstone also functions as a sort of sun in the area, and can be clearly seen from the mountaintop before the battle with El Bailador.
The Dunes are located somewhere parallel to Hotland, at points perhaps slightly beyond Hotland. It can be assumed the Dunes lie on the periphery of the Underground, given that the quickest route from Snowdin to New Home is still stated to be through Waterfall and Hotland, much like in the original Undertale, and that Flowey considers the trek through the Dunes to be a detour. The Steamworks is a large structure built on the precipice between eastern Hotland and the northeastern Dunes, connecting both areas. In general, the Dunes seem to be located further east than Hotland.
Entrance to Sandstorm[edit | edit source]
Clover falls off a cliff into the West Mines, a two-room abandoned mine. The second room has a SAVE point and abandoned mining supplies. A door to somewhere called the North Caverns is closed off, but on Fun Values 51 through 55, the path is opened to a small room with Gerson inside.
The mines exit to the main Dunes, showcasing the bright, open exterior. The path forward is bordered by fences and cliffs. The next room has a Dimensional Box and a scripted encounter with Dunebud. Going southeast leads to a ledge in the next room with the Packing Peanuts and going straight leads to a room with the West Mines UGPS station.
Sandstorm[edit | edit source]
The sandstorm is the Dunes' first puzzle. For two rooms, Clover has to hide behind shelters while wind blows, then move forward when the wind is not blowing. Safe spots are marked by darker ground and are mostly behind tall rocks or dilapidated brick buildings.
In the first room, there is an outcropping to the south where the TNT Man stands next to TNT and a red X. Coming back to this area later shows a hole where the X was. It leads to a cave with various gemstones, bridges over water, and the Golden Cactus.
At the end of the second room, Clover can turn off the fan causing the sandstorm. Inspecting the fan after this shows a paper indicating it was built by Hotland Mechanics.
Tree to East Mines[edit | edit source]
The next room has a SAVE point in front of a very large tree, the largest plant shown in the Dunes so far. North of this, Mo appears in front of a cliff to sell his products. The path forward is to the east of the tree. A scripted encounter with Sir Slither is in this room, right before a tumbleweed falls from a machine in the cliffside. The next room has four machines that produce tumbleweeds in different patterns. Clover has to dodge them to proceed.
The next room shows a gemstone processing machine. The scripted encounter with Cactony is found here. A large pile of boulders in the next room forces Clover to detour through the East Mines. They can pick up the Flint near the entrance.
East Mines[edit | edit source]
- Main article: East Mines
Mines to Oasis[edit | edit source]
Oasis Valley[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Oasis Valley
Oasis to Wild East[edit | edit source]
Wild East[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Wild East
Sunnyside Farm[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Sunnyside Farm
Steamworks Gate[edit | edit source]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- The entire cutscene at the Steamworks gate on a Pacifist Route was accidentally publicly uploaded to Gfycat by the developers in 2019. This was not only the first reveal of the Dunes, but also of the Steamworks, Ceroba, Starlo, and Kanako. This was caught and taken down in 2021 without many people seeing it.[2]