THE MELTING POT [0405]

Guide to The Melting Pot in Bastion: Learn how to deal with Stabweeds, defeat enemies, and secure the Core. Plus, tips for The Bastion.

Alright, so you've made it to The Melting Pot, and let me tell you, this place lives up to its name with all these spiky Stabweeds everywhere. Seriously, these things can poke you if you're not careful, and they're all over the place. Your main goal here is to grab a Core that's stuck in a cage. Keep your eyes peeled and watch where you're stepping!

First things first, head to the right side of the island and grab the Something Nasty. Then, make your way down the stairs on the left. You'll see the cage with the Core in the plaza. Before you can even think about getting it, you need to clear out all the Stabweeds and any other junk cluttering the area. While you're at it, pick up the Trip Mine Secret Skill on the left side of the plaza. Once the area is clear, head to the southern end and hit that switch.

Now, here's where things get a little hectic. When you flip that switch, the cage with the Core starts to slowly, and I mean *slowly*, rise. To keep you busy while it's making its ascent, enemies are going to start dropping in. And don't worry, there's a massive wave of Fragments that drops first, so grab those!

You'll mostly be dealing with Windbags at first, and they tend to pop out of these white boxes. My advice? Destroy those boxes before they even open. If you see a white box start to shake, hack it apart quickly. It's way easier to take out the enemies and the box at the same time.

After the initial wave of Squirts and Windbags, you'll get some help! A few Squirts and Gasfellas will actually defect to your side – you'll know them because they'll have little hearts floating above their heads. Keep fighting, because next up you've got Scumbags and Security turrets to deal with. Once they're down, various items will start raining from the sky. You'll want to grab the Health and Black Tonics, but keep an eye out for more Stabweeds popping up. Oh, and an Ancient Spices Memento will also fall, so try to snag that in the middle of all the chaos.

Keep an eye out for cornbins that appear; smash them up. Then, you'll have to deal with another group of Squirts. The cage might be almost all the way up by now, or even fully raised, while monsters are still showing up. Don't feel like you have to stick around for the cleanup. If you've got the Core, just grab it and make a run for the barge to escape. No shame in leaving the mop-up duty to the enemies!

Once you're back in The Bastion, show the Stranger the Ancient Spices you collected. Then, it's time to place the Core in the Monument. You've only got one building and one foundation left to build, so take your time, get everything sorted in The Bastion, and then you can head off to the Skyway.