Red Desert

Rolling dunes, stone arches and mesas under a huge orange sun, with a hand drum in the music. You arrive after the Giant Archer, at around 500 metres.

On a run: 500 to 1,000 m
New here: Scorpions
Best ink: Steel or fire for scorpions
Boss: The Catapult at 1,000 m
In Fight: Waves 6 to 10
Look and sound: Dunes, stone arches, blowing sand and a hand drum

The desert keeps everything from Bamboo Valley and adds one enemy that comes to you. From around 480 metres on, dangers also arrive as close together as they ever will, so the desert is where runs start to feel busy.

The dangers of Red Desert

Scorpions

A small mound of sand twitches ahead. As you get close, a scorpion bursts out and scuttles straight at the ninja, tail raised. Touching it ends the run, and because it is moving toward you it arrives sooner than a thorn bed would.

Beat it: Bridge over it, bounce over it with rubber, crush it with a steel line in its path, or burn it with fire.

Archers, firing twice

By now archers loose two arrows, one after another, and from 350 metres some turn round after you pass and shoot at your back.

Beat it: Send the first arrow back: the archer goes down and the second shot never comes. Watch the left edge for a red arrow warning of a shot from behind.

Which ink works here

Ink	What it does here
Pen	A bridge over a scorpion works. Aim it a little closer to the ninja than the scorpion is now, since it is coming toward you.
Rubber	A short stroke just in front of him bounces him clear over it.
Steel	The scorpion walks into the line and is crushed. The surest answer.
Fire	Burns the scorpion. Fire lines don't need to hold the ninja up, so a quick slash in its path is enough.
Ice	An ice ramp launches him over a scorpion and whatever is behind it.

Tips for Red Desert

The run is faster here than in the valley. Draw a beat earlier than feels natural.
Scorpions often come with other dangers. One bridge that crosses a scorpion and a thorn bed together is a great use of ink.
A steel line laid flat on the sand in front of the scorpion both crushes it and gives him a path.
Every scorpion you get past keeps your combo going and counts toward your stats.

Common mistakes

Drawing the bridge where the scorpion is now. By the time he gets there, it has moved closer.
Using fire as a bridge over a scorpion. Fire burns it, but he can't run on fire.
Forgetting arrows from behind once you pass 350 metres.

Red Desert in Fight and Duel

Fight moves to a new world every five waves, in the same order as the run. Waves 6 to 10 take place in Red Desert, and the last of them ends with the Bow Master. After the Mist Caves the order starts again from Bamboo Valley at wave 41. In a Duel, every match is set in a world picked at random, so you may meet your opponent here too. See Fight: surviving the first twenty waves for each warlord.

The boss

At 1,000 metres, the Catapult. Remember: no steel against its boulders. After it, the air turns cold: the Snow Peaks.