Sinkhole

Sinkhole

Sinkhole from above
Description
Added in	v0.16
Location(s)	Northwest of the center of the Peninsula
Altitude	Fair height above sea level
Environment	Rocky
On Patrol Route	Surrounding it entirely

The sinkhole (also referred to as the pit, the crater, or simply the big hole) is an environmental feature added in v0.16. It was not mentioned in the patchnotes, so the sudden appearance of it surprised many players.

Reaching the Bottom[]

There are multiple ways to reach the bottom of the sinkhole. To get to the bottom you can:

Go through Cave 7, which will open up a pair of sacrificial doors at the bottom of the sinkhole, allowing the player to walk straight in.
Jump from the highest cliff straight to the pond in the center of the sinkhole; it may take a lot of attempts to get it.
Jump/slide down ledges on the walls. This is very dangerous, and the player will likely sustain serious, possibly fatal injuries as he proceeds; meds and other healing items are necessary. This method is often used in speed runs.
Build a set of stairs. This is a very time-consuming option. As of v0.70, the sinkhole has an invisible layer with a few ferns growing on it. It cannot be bypassed with a log sled, which will just hang in the air on top of the invisible barrier; the only way to deliver the needed materials is to carry logs down under the barrier layer.
Use the climbing axe to help climb down. At the sides of the sinkhole, a few places have areas you can attach your climbing axe. The area with the tents, halfway down the sink hole is one of these areas. As of v1.09 there are very few areas in the sinkhole where the climbing axe can be used, however.
Building a freestanding zipline across the sinkhole. Use it and let go when you are halfway across the sinkhole (about 6 seconds on the zipline). If you time it right, you will land in the center where the water is.
Use the turtle shell as a sled and ride down the slopes.(Patched*: No longer a reliable option; it is still possible to ride down the walls, albeit it is now rather difficult, and you will take a lot of damage if you do make it.)
Use a glider, spinning to lose altitude progressively without running into the walls.
In multiplayer, fall damage can be cancelled by landing on top of a downed ally. Incredibly hard to pull off, but by landing on any downed ally you can cancel the fall damage and resurrect them, leaving you both alive at the bottom.
Create a diving board into the center of the sinkhole where the water is using sideways basic walls, this costs a lot of logs.

Contents[]

Fully exploring the sinkhole is required to complete the story. The location contains the entrance to Cave HC, which leads to the Sahara Research Laboratory and the end of the game. The player will need, among other things, the keycard, climbing axe, and rebreather to fully explore the sinkhole.

There are large rock formations scattered throughout the bottom of the sinkhole, along with a couple of small waterfalls on the north and southeast sides. Multiple creepy mutants and several regular cannibals wander around the sinkhole floor in close proximity to each other, making it one of the most dangerous areas in the game. There are usually 4+ pale mutants, 1-2 armsies, and 2-3 (as of v1.09) cowmen. These cannibals will spawn no matter the game mode (Normal or Hard).

Near the sacrificial doors, there is also a crashed helicopter; the machete may be found just outside the cockpit.

Some flat cardboard boxes and wooden crates scattered around contain circuit boards and other supplies.

Combat[]

The rocks at the bottom of the sinkhole form walls that direct the player along around the bottom. Luckily, they are climbable if the player can find a low spot to jump up (such as somewhat near the sacrifice doors). Once on top of the rocks, the cannibals below are easy pickings. Simply use the flare gun, flaming arrows, or molotovs. Do note that if the player remains on the low spot on the rocks, the cannibals and mutants can and will charge or jump up.

Notes[]

There is a note about the sinkhole that can be found on the Peninsula. The document is colloquially called the "Latin Paper" and shows a drawing of the sinkhole.
The sinkhole bears some resemblance to real-life cenotes, which are linked with Mayan and Aztec cultures. The deep, usually flooded caves were places of worship and were used for sacrifices and burials.

Gallery - Release 1.0[]

Sinkhole seen from above the waterfall
Mountain in distance
Cave exit and another entrance. Rock shelf
Another Rock shelf and cave exit
Bottom of sinkhole seen from distance
Flares
A lot of cartons and empty boxes
Endgame cave system entrance. Bring rebreather if you're going dive here
Sinkhole entrance doors and helicopter
Sinkhole - view from cave system exit
Helicopter and machete
Sinkhole exit - use it to get back to Peninsula
View from the bottom - day time
View from the bottom - during the sunset
View from the bottom - during the night

Guide[]

Gallery[]

A view in the sinkhole from the upper rim.
The lake at the bottom of the sinkhole.
The ground of the sinkhole.
Looking up from the sinkhole's bottom.

Update History[]

Version	Changes
v0.16	Added to game
v0.18	Man made stone rim was added around surface of the hole
v0.22	Man made stone rim around the hole was removed
v0.23/v0.24/v0.25/v0.26?	Ground has been added to the sinkhole including two streams, large stones and a dark hole
v0.61	Fixed enemies in the sinkhole spawning in Peaceful and Creative modes.
v0.63	Added a crashed helicopter and the machete to the bottom of the sinkhole