Enshrouded Nomad Highlands - Guide, Terrain & Mid-Game Plateau

The Nomad Highlands are where Enshrouded opens up. After the enclosed forests of Springlands and Revelwood, the mid-game is a high plateau: wide sight lines, exposed approach paths, and terrain you can no longer hide behind. That changes the base-design math - you build into the slope and let the cliff walls do the defending for you, rather than building a walled compound.

Where the Nomad Highlands fit

1.0 check (launch day): the patch notes do not publish biome Flame gates, so the early-access band stands pending in-game verification. What did change at 1.0: the world is fully open, Cinder’s Cradle adds a seventh region, and most former no-build zones are now buildable.

See where the Nomad Highlands sit on the interactive world map.

What the open terrain demands

• Terrace, do not fight the slope. Cut steps into the hillside and let the natural contour break up the approach. A flat compound on a plateau is easy to see - a terraced base is not.
• Watch the exposed approaches. With no forest to funnel enemies, your weak side is whichever direction the open ground faces. Put your Flame Altar and the critical stations on the sheltered side of the rock.
• Use the rock as a wall. The highland outcrops are your best friend here - build against them and the Shroud has to come around them.

Bosses in Nomad Highlands

The open plateau is the densest mid-game boss region.

Resolved at 1.0: the community wiki lists the Fell Wispwyvern in Revelwood (Pikemead’s Reach, “The Pike”), matching its own boss page — the Nomad Highlands grouping below was an early-access mix-up.

The full per-region boss breakdown is in the bosses & dungeons hub, and the three factions that hold this biome — Fell, Scavenger, and Vukah — have their own faction guides.

Named bosses, dungeons and key NPCs in this biome, from the community wiki (early access — re-check at 1.0):

• Named bosses: Fell Monstrosity
• Hollow Halls: Nomad Highlands Hollow Halls
• Night Sanctums: West of Rattlebleak, Inside southern Pillars of Creation, East of Rat Infested Outpost, North of Ancient Spire - Nomad Highlands, South of Lupa’s Lair
• Ancient Vaults (artisan rescue sites): None listed in early access — the artisan rescues are concentrated in Springlands.
• Notable dungeons: Catacombs, Raven’s Keep

Nomad Highlands on the map

Every named landmark in Embervale - caves, dungeons, shrines, temples and Ancient Spires - is marked below; the map opens on the Nomad Highlands spire, the plateau’s regional hub. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, and tap a pin for details.

Key resources

The highlands open the metal and mid-game material tiers.

• Highland stone and ore - the primary input for the mid-tier armor and weapon tiers.
• Terrace build materials - the inputs you need to cut steps and raise foundations on the slope.

Resource list by gathering method, from the community wiki (early access — re-check at 1.0):

• Gathering: Aloe, Archaic Essence, Azure Russula, Bell Pepper, Calla Luna, Fresh Shroud Spore, Mint Mushroom Meat, Penny Bun, Plant Fiber, Resin, Rooibos, Sage Leaves, Shroud Liquid, Shroud Wood, Straw, Sugar Cane, Twigs, Wheat Grains, Wood Logs
• Hunting: Aerated Banshee Gel, Ammonia Gland, Animal Fur, Bones, Corrosive Blood, Critter Glands, Critter Parts, Eggs, Feather, Fell Monstrosity Head, Fell Thunderbrute Head, Fur Patch, Giant Critter Scales, Monstrous Ribs, Petrified Shroud Stalker Shell, Raw Bird Meat, Raw Game, Raw Lean Meat, Scavenger Matron Helmet, Shroud Adhesive, Shroud Core, Shroud Particles, Shroud Sack, Spider Gland, String, Torn Cloth, Vukah Brawler Head
• Mining: Acidic Mycelium, Copper Ore, Fossilized Bone, Limestone, Luminous Growth, Mycelium (Material)

Getting to the Kindlewastes

With the plateau cleared and your camp terraced into the slope, the next region is the Kindlewastes (levels 20-30, Flame 5-6), a scorching desert. The highlands are the last “comfortable” mid-game region before the hazards stop being about the Shroud and start being about the environment itself.

For a base layout that fits the open highland, see the base design gallery and filter by the Nomad Highlands biome.

In-game screenshot © Keen Games, used here for editorial reference only. Not for commercial redistribution. Source: Enshrouded on Steam / official Enshrouded trailer.