Ancient Sands is the first biome in Abyss where the game stops feeling like relaxed exploration and starts demanding real preparation. Many players enter this zone thinking it’s just a slightly harder area, only to quickly discover that oxygen management, aggressive fish behavior, and higher HP enemies turn it into a serious survival challenge.
If you’re aiming for 100% Bestiary completion, this biome is mandatory because it contains nine exclusive fish species that cannot be found anywhere else. Understanding how the zone works is the difference between efficient farming and constantly dying while losing progress.
This guide covers everything you need to know, from preparation and gear requirements to all fish locations, combat strategies, and the safest farming methods.
Ancient Sands
Ancient Sands is considered a mid-game zone, but in practice it feels like a difficulty spike rather than a gradual step up.
There are three main reasons for this:
First, the depth of the biome pushes players close to their oxygen limits, meaning mistakes are punished quickly.
Second, many fish here have significantly higher health pools, making weak weapons ineffective.
Third, this is the first biome where aggressive fish are common rather than occasional threats.
Because of this combination, Ancient Sands requires a shift in playstyle from passive hunting to careful resource management.
Minimum Gear Requirements
Before diving into Ancient Sands, your equipment needs to meet a certain baseline. Entering with early-game gear is one of the most common reasons players struggle.
Your diving tube must be at least the Pufferfish Tube or stronger. Without this upgrade, your depth limit prevents you from reaching the seafloor where most fish spawn.
Your weapon should be at minimum the Air Rifle. Fish in this biome have much higher HP than earlier zones, so weaker weapons dramatically slow down hunting and increase risk.
If you intend to farm sharks efficiently, upgrading beyond the Air Rifle becomes extremely helpful. Higher damage reduces the time you spend exposed to aggressive attacks.
Oxygen refills are also highly recommended. Because you operate near your maximum depth most of the time, having a backup oxygen supply often saves runs.
All Fish in Ancient Sands
There are nine total fish in this biome, divided into three categories based on rarity and danger level.
Common and Uncommon Fish
These fish are passive and primarily serve as income sources.
Pompino is the most common fish in the biome. It does not attack and moves slowly, making it ideal for quickly filling your tank early in a dive.
Cod is also passive but slightly less common. It behaves similarly to early-game fish and is easy to hunt.
Blackfin Tuna is faster than other passive fish, requiring better aim and leading shots, but it still poses no threat.
These fish are best used for quick cash farming while you get familiar with the zone.
Rare and Epic Fish
This category introduces real combat challenges.
Scorpia Fish is aggressive and camouflages itself against the sand. It often ambushes players who are not paying attention to their surroundings.
Grouper is large and slow but passive. It provides high value and is one of the safest profitable catches in the biome.
Cavefish tends to hide near rocks or darker areas. It remains passive but can be harder to locate.
Sharks are the main predators of Ancient Sands. They are highly aggressive, deal heavy damage, and require careful movement to defeat safely. However, they also provide some of the best mid-game profits.
Legendary Fish
The final two fish represent the most difficult encounters in the biome.
Bigmouth Fish looks intimidating but is actually passive. Its large size makes it easy to spot and capture.
Ancient Shark is essentially the boss of the biome. It has extremely high health, deals massive damage, and demands full oxygen reserves and strong weapons before attempting to fight it.
Most players should avoid engaging Ancient Sharks until they are comfortable with the zone and have upgraded gear.
Survival Strategies for Ancient Sands
The biggest challenge in this biome is balancing combat with oxygen management.
You should always monitor your oxygen bar closely. Since most fish spawn near your depth limit, it’s easy to run out of oxygen before returning safely.
Aggressive fish often give subtle audio or movement cues before attacking. Keeping sound enabled helps you react faster.
Positioning is also crucial. Staying near open areas gives you room to retreat from attacks rather than getting trapped near terrain.
Best Combat Method: Hit-and-Run Strategy
Standing still and trading damage with aggressive fish is extremely dangerous in this biome.
The safest approach is a hit-and-run method. Fire a few shots, retreat to avoid attacks, then repeat.
This strategy works especially well against sharks and the Ancient Shark, as it prevents you from taking unnecessary damage while slowly wearing them down.
Fastest Farming Method in Ancient Sands
If your goal is earning money efficiently, focusing on sharks provides the best results.
They sell for significantly more than passive fish and spawn frequently enough to farm consistently.
However, shark farming should only be attempted once you are confident in your combat skills and have upgraded weapons.
If your gear is weaker, farming Grouper and passive fish remains a safer alternative.
Ancient Sands marks a turning point in Abyss gameplay. It transforms the experience from relaxed exploration into a more tactical survival challenge where preparation, positioning, and resource management become essential.
Once you master this biome, you’ll not only complete the Bestiary but also gain the skills needed for the much harder zones that follow.