Shifting Sands Dev Log #1: Skyborne Isles & Lost Civilizations

Ever since we announced the release date for 1.0 and Soulmask: Shifting Sands—launching officially on April 10—we’ve been eager to talk about the brand-new world we’ve been building.

Drawing inspiration from the sands of ancient Egypt and the Nile River basin—its culture, its landscapes, its legends—we’ve woven in the distinct Soulmask flavor we love. Our goal is simple: when you’re piloting a flying vessel across Shifting Sands, you should feel a world packed with discovery at every turn. After all—this DLC world is the same size as the base Soulmask world.

At the start, you’ll be transported to the first region of Shifting Sands. Under the effects of an anti-gravity engine, everything here runs opposite to the gravity you’re used to: above your head hangs the continent of Shifting Sands, while inverted skyships glide past you…

Repair the Horus Mask—Celestial Wings—on the platform, and with the wings it grants, you’ll dive down to the surface and begin a brand-new survival journey.

Whether you’re a brand-new Chieftain or an old friend, you can jump straight into the DLC’s new world. And before you set sail with your mobile base—your Barge—into unknown territory, here’s your survival guide to the regions of Shifting Sands.

This is where every player “Falls from the sky” to begin. A colossal abandoned palace overlooks this fertile land—yet the traces of civilization have all but vanished.

We took a hard look at the base game’s slower early pacing and lighter guidance. Here, on an isolated island in the delta bay, you’ll learn Soulmask’s most essential survival basics—and seize your first Barge from the Exiles.

In this lush river-mouth oasis, you’ll find unique wildlife—like sacred ibises and aardvarks—to hunt for early survival materials. Dense shrubland helps you stabilize fast, letting you build your first base or your first waterborne Barge, and begin growing your tribe.

But stay sharp: dangerous crocodiles near the river, roaming hounds, and barbarian drifters patrolling the waters can become your first deadly enemies. The flip side? They can also become loyal troops—or pets. Use your mask’s powers to intimidate barbarians, or capture hound and mule pups to add new guards and workers to your Barge.

Note: Don’t mess with hippos.

Giant floating pyramids. Majestic abandoned temples. White beaches stretching along the sea. The Dune Zone is the first destination after you graduate from the early game.

From here, survival pressure ramps up: resources grow scarcer, and desert heat replaces the delta’s cool breeze. Of course, you can mount sand sleds onto your Barge so your mobile base can move freely across the land—searching farther for what you need.

Or if you prefer something wilder: surf the desert on a shield!

Mines become widespread here, feeding your base a steady supply of ore. More importantly, the relics of the Age of Gods begin to appear: fallen skyship wrecks, mid-sized ancient underground ruins, massive sacred relic sites that unlock mask potential—where the power of the gods still lingers.

Life is still thriving in the dunes. Adorable fennec foxes hide in the shade and might become your newest companions. But venomous scorpions and hyenas will constantly threaten you and your tribesmen—and most crucially, desert bandit factions empowered by ancient technology now occupy dynasty ruins. They’re not here to negotiate.

As you push into the forbidden heart of the great desert, the environment turns brutal. Extreme heat and sudden, lethal sandstorms will constantly threaten everyone aboard your sky vessel—especially in the northern Eye of Sand, a region warped by forces from ancient ruins. Cataclysmic sandstorm tornadoes rage here day and night, sealing away the secrets within…

True to our map design philosophy: the more dangerous the region, the greater the reward. The Death Desert will be one of the key mid-game zones for rare resources—ranging from sulfur pools that yield special materials, to the adorable cats roaming the river-valley oasis in the east (another perfect “ship buddy”). This area will become a major hub as you expand deeper into Shifting Sands.

Which one’s your favorite?

Ah… sulfur.

But the true danger isn’t just barbarians, desert bandits, or predators. Deep within lurks something worse—the legendary beast that once destroyed kingdoms:

The Death Sandstorm.

Whatever you do… don’t wake it up.

Now, let’s turn our gaze beneath the scorching desert. The ancient civilization of the “Sun God” left countless mysterious ruins across this world—sacred and enigmatic, intricate and deadly. And in their depths, the legacy of a mighty lost civilization waits in silence… for someone bold enough to claim it.

In Shifting Sands, god-worshipping ruins are everywhere. The lost dynasties poured their resources into devotion—worshipping the gods who granted them miraculous flying ships. Massive temples spanning hundreds of meters remain imposing even when half-buried by sand.

As a key part of the Soulmask experience, we took Chieftains’ Early Access feedback on Sacred Relics and dungeons seriously. In Shifting Sands, ruin exploration will feel dramatically different.

Exploring ancient-civilization ruins in Shifting Sands will be a fresh experience—deadly, but thrilling: grander subterranean wonders, more varied puzzles, and far more dangerous traps. Whether or not you’ve explored dungeons in the base game, this will feel like a whole new kind of descent.

We also addressed a long-standing pain point: labyrinth complexity. In Shifting Sands (and in 1.0 as well), mask abilities now include a new “Pinpoint Navigation” feature—select the dungeon objective you’re searching for, and the mask’s consciousness will keep guiding you toward it. Loot what you came for… if you can survive the assault on the way.

The road to ancient treasure is never smooth. First, you’ll face desert bandit factions—also empowered by lost-civilization technology. Like raiders who dominate the rainforest, they hoard relics across the world. From crashed Solar Barges to ruin entrances, you’ll have to break through their blockades.

But once you push deeper, you’ll learn why even the bandits won’t approach the inner sanctums—because something far more terrifying is slaughtering anything that dares enter…

Mysterious machines that mercilessly attack all intruders. In Shifting Sands, the “gods” have granted them terrifying capabilities, pushing you into a completely different kind of deadly fight.

From anti-gravity systems derived from Solar Barge technology to lethal particle beams.

From heavy industrial machines… to agile scouts.

Rumor has it that somewhere in the deepest layer of a Sacred Relic lies the mask’s Highest Authority—a permission level that allows you, like the Old gods, to seize control of certain machines and bend them into service…

At the heart of every ruin, the most powerful machine core guards the most important legacy. We poured every “what if” idea we had about fighting mechanical creatures into these designs. Trust us—their ancient tech will feel unlike anything you’ve faced in Soulmask… assuming you live long enough.

You finally defeat a machine core, the most valuable lost-civilization spoils become yours: ultra-rare materials, a placeable mini portal, and even the mask’s most critical enhancement component—Redstone. And ruins like these are everywhere across Shifting Sands, waiting for you to uncover them one by one.

Beyond the rewards, you’ll also find carriers of ancient information deep inside—records of collapsed desert dynasties, wars of the gods, and legends of the Sun God who created it all.

Why did these once-glorious civilizations fall? What is the connection between “gods” and masks? In Shifting Sands, the story and worldview will still be delivered in fragmented form—gather scattered traces across the world, piece them together, and build your version of what truly happened in this desert.

This is only Dev Log #1, and we’ve already spent a lot of time on just the first slice of Shifting Sands—but we truly believe this world deserves it.

More developer logs are coming soon—from masks to skyships, to guardians who wield the power of the gods. We’ll break down every detail and design intention behind the Shifting Sands DLC, so you can be ready before you set foot in the desert.

I’m Maggie, your community manager—see you next week with more news!