Monument Valley is a special environment, located in the nation of Bastion, on the planet Coda, as of the year 468 LV.
History
In 468 LV, a valley had been invaded by Scars. These scars had attacked many traders and their caravans taking this route to reach Fort Tarsis with goods and valuables using acid type weapons.
Corvus contracted the Freelancer and a group of ally lancers to find the source of these acidic weapons. After traversing through the valley, silencing Shaper relics, and defeating many swarms of Scars, the lancers went underground to, well, do the same, until they finally reached a Shaper structure encroached by skorpions—this was the acid’s source was found in the Hive.
Geography and Layout
Monument Valley needs to be entered through a deep water lake. This path is actually unrevealed, but thought to be accessed through a deep water lake in the Bullet Mires. The valley is reached by going through an overgrown and dark tunnel. The valley is massive and has two Shaper relics here. Further along, many dormant Shaper structures can be seen, including a Shaper door. Through this door is another series of underground tunnels.
Traversing through these tunnels and going through a deep water underground lake, a massive Shaper ruin is reached. There are several cavelets here where more skorpions live. There is another Shaper door that leads to more tunnels and another underwater lake, this time, smaller. Further along this path is the end of this valley, called the Hive.
Many florae grow here and animals live here. This location also has some unique creatures living in it. There are some deep-water lakes between various connecting locations, and life can be found in there as well. This location is excellent for exploration, since it is made of various natural and Shaper structures.
Since Monument Valley is a Special Location, it has a unique map of its own with a unique geography not seen elsewhere, for the most part. Monument Valley has a complete day-night cycle. This location can only be experienced after Corvus contracted the Freelancer to investigate it following the missing incident of several supply caravans. This led to the Scars making acidic weapons, forcing Corvus to hire freelancers to stop the source. Since then, the location can be revisited through an unexplained mechanism, very likely through a Gateway Device, emphasized by the fact that Monument Valley is one of the few locations that show the Natural Satellites of Coda in Bastion, since Icetide of 468 LV.
Totally, there are 15 areas explorable by the Freelancer in a limited timed capacity. Each of these areas is given a unique name for convenience. All directions are mentioned with reference to looking at the exit of the area, which forms the entrance of the subsequent area.
Monument Valley Area 01: Arrival Area
Entrance of the Arrival Area
Monument Valley is entered through a large cavity on the top of a minor cave. This is located inside the Academy Ruins Subregion. It is heavily overgrown with various types of vegetations. It is so tranquil here, that water dripping can be heard when no one speaks. The ground has a few inches deep of water, suggesting that this location may partly be near a deep-water lake or under it.
Monument Valley Area 02: Minor Cave
Entrance of the Minor Cave
Minor cave is a relatively small cavern with stalactites, stalagmites, and columns that has some vegetation in it. Due to its darkness, bats can be seen here. A few saurians have also made this place their home. It is trickly going out of this place due to the inherent darkness and the odd curvatures of the exit tunnel.
Monument Valley Area 03: Anterior Relic
Entrance of the Anterior Relic
The Anterior Relic area has a Speaker Relic that needs to be silenced through an Echo Lock Ruin in the left side of the area. There is sparseness in the growth of plants around the relic. On the right side, there is an open ground with more vegetation. It is strange to see stalactites, stalagmites and rimstone pools in open areas, which suggests that a cataclysm has altered this location which once was a cave.
Monument Valley Area 04: Hill Precipice
Entrance of the Hill Precipice
The precipice of the hill, at the base of which the first relic is situated is reached by going over several rimstone pools. More plants and small trees grow here, even though the ground is mostly rocky. On the far side, the cliff is attached to a broken Shaper Spine of no significance.
Monument Valley Area 05: Abysm Valley
Entrance of the Abysm Valley
The Abysm Valley is a gigantic valley between the hill precipice of the Anterior Relic and the Posterior Relic. It is incredibly deep when compared to most environment in Bastion. It is filled with the magical type of ripstreams that mysteriously teleport people to nearby cliffs when entered. The remainder of the of the Shaper Spine found in the previous area is seen in here. One of the few locations from where the true depth from the sky can be observed here, providing gorgeous vistas of the celestial bodies around Coda.
Monument Valley Area 06: Posterior Relic
Entrance of the Posterior Relic
The second Shaper Relic is located beyond the abysm. This also is a speaker-type relic which is tied to an Echo Lock Ruin. There are waterfalls behind the top half of the relic on the far side. With other Shaper Structures embedded into the rocky hills encircling the relic, this location is overgrown with lush vegetation. Of course, there is a significant number of Skorpion Eggs here. The water from the plunge makes shallow pools and several cascades throughout the area.
Monument Valley Area 07: Shaper Bridge
Entrance of the Shaper Bridge
This is a one-of-a-kind location where a broken Shaper Spine has become a bridge of some sort. Only the outer shell of the spine is seen with no insides for each of the Shaper Key in the spine. There are a few grabbits found here, doing whatever it is that grabbits do. At the start of the bridge, Scar Javelins are seen hanging down through Skorpion webbing, trapped inside them. Going further, some water can be seen falling on the right side, and towards the end, it becomes quite obvious that the entire location is filled with skorpions and their eggs. On the upper and lower sides there are strange Shaper Beams. All shaper objects here are completely dormant.
Monument Valley Area 08: Tunnel Entrance
Entrance of the Tunnel Entrance
The following area is a tunnel that starts with a Shaper Door. There are skorpion eggs everywhere, with webbings, damaged scar javelins and several Abandoned javelins from Bastion’s lancers. The initial stage of this location is made of a damaged Shaper Spine, but it quickly morphs into a natural cavern, still affixed with some Shaper items. At the exit is a minor cliff.
Monument Valley Area 09: Major Cave
Entrance of the Major Cavern
The major cavern is a large cavernous area reached after getting down from the previous area’s clifftop. There are two levels in the area. The upper level can be reached from an opening near the entrance or the exit. In the upper level, there is a crevice that sheds some light around a Speleothem column and minor vegetation. On its far end are some scorpion eggs and webbings, leading to the second opening of the upper level. The lower level can directly be reached by moving further down the cliff top mentioned earlier. There are spider and scorpion eggs and webbings. Near the exit, there is an atrium with ample light, allowing the growth of vegetation. Opposite to the exit are some flowstones. The exit is a dormant Shaper Ring.
Monument Valley Area 10: Underground Lake
Entrance of the Underground Lake
The underground lake is a large deep-water lake leading from the opening into three distinct locations, one of which is the true exit of this area. The first is found immediately on the upper right side when moving further. This opening goes into another underground cave, which leads into a secondary opening leading to its true exit–a well illuminated human origin ruins, where people lived once, now overgrown and destroyed, and inhabited by a lone Anrisaur. So, this chamber is lovingly called the “Anrisaur Room” and the entry itself is the exit for this first location. Moving further along in the deepwater lake, on the lower right side there is a second opening that leads into another underground cave and nothing else. Returning to the main path, and going further, will lead to the true exit once coming out of the lake from the top. While the lake itself had several Aquatic Flora and Aquatic Fauna, the outside is made of luminescent and also rocky stalagmites, leading to a Shaper Door.
Monument Valley Area 11: Relic Atrium
Entrance of the Relic Atrium
This is a tall room with a large platform found at its bottom. On the upper side there are several dormant Shaper structures, including pillars, rings, and beams. There is an opening at the top that provides lighting into this area. Going down, on the ground there are several stalagmite mounds. There are three distinct caverns that can be reached into once at the bottom of the area, which do not form the exit of the area. The exit itself is on the off side of the central platform, led by a bridge coming out of it. There is a massive Shaper Relic hanging from the center and above the platform. The first cavern is on the right side of the exit, whose entrance is a broken Shaper key. This leads to a tunnel which opens into a slightly sizeable cavern with an acidic pool on the ground, which is not corrosive. There are some Shaper instruments scattered here, amid the speleothems. The second cavern is found immediately on the right side of the first. It starts as a tunnel, and becomes a small cave with rimstone pools. Final cavern is found on the left side of the exit, and it has natural lighting, some vegetation and spleothem formations. The entry is the exit for all three of the minor caverns found in in the bottom, and all are under the platform. Skorpion eggs can be found in this area. The true exit of the area is a shaper door behind the platform.
Monument Valley Area 12: Long Tunnel
Entrance of the Slicing Chamber
The Long Tunnel is a very long and serpentine tunnel filled with scorpion webs, eggs, and eggs hanging in webs! There are many skorpions that show to likely protect them. Towards the end there is a small valley with a minor rivulet flowing in it. There is also a small natural bridge that leads to the exit.
Monument Valley Area 13: Cavernous Atrium
Entrance of the Cavernous Atrium
Cavernous Atrium is a large cave with natural lighting coming from the left top through a crevice. There are spleothem formations here, on which plants grow. On the bottom, there are many Skorpion eggs. While going to the exit, cliffs are found that lead into an opening on the top. The cliffs have glowing stalagmites on them.
Monument Valley Area 14: Pictogram Atrium
Entrance of the Pictogram Atrium
The Pictogram Atrium is reached following a small tunnel from the previous area. The reason this is called Pictogram Atrium is due to the presence of several Skorpion Pictograms drawn here. While it is unknown who actually drew them. This couldn’t have been Scars, as they refuse to venture beyond the Relic Atrium. It is thought that the Humans who lived in the “Anrisaur Room” were the ones who may have drawn this. The exit, again, is a Shaper Ring.
Monument Valley Area 15: Exoskeleton Shed
Entrance of the Slicing Chamber
There is natural illumination and vegetation found above the dormant Shaper Ring that leads to the Exoskeleton Shed. Under the ring is a small deep-water lake, with aquatic flora and fauna. Once out of the lake, immediately, on the left side of the wall, there is a pictogram of a Swarm Tyrant. Further along, there is a Shaper Key wedged into the right-side wall with a closed Shaper Door. In the middle of this room is another closed Shaper Door on the ground. The reason why this place is called by its name is due to the presence of a Swarm tyrant’s shed exoskeleton, stored prominently as some kind of a Shed. Beyond the exoskeleton, there is a door the automatically opens and leads to a smaller tunnel. At the ext of the tunnel is the entrance to the Hive.
Flora
The following are the revealed varieties of plantlife that are guaranteed to be found in Monument Valley. Even a single instance of the flora found in this location is listed here. There may still be more plants that aren't accurately charted:
Creatures
The creatures marked with 
and 
are found only through World Encounters and World Events respectively. Those unmarked may also be found in such events, but are usually found on their own. The following types of fauna, Chimera, and Elementals are revealed to be found in Monument Valley. There may also be small Insects which are tough to identify. Weaponized and Shaper Corrupt creatures are not listed here
Enemy Encounters
As with all locations of Coda, Monument Valley may have hostile forces. Hostile plantlife and animals, if found here, aren't considered as enemy encounters. The enemies marked with and are found only through World Encounters and World Events respectively. Those unmarked may also be found in such events, but are usually found on their own.
The following types of enemies may be encountered in Monument Valley:
Cortex
This location currently doesn't have any exclusive cortex entry found in the game. Monument Valley may have been mentioned in certain situations such as, the Freelancer having conversations or overhearing when the people in Coda speak, or mentioned outside the game in legitimate sources like the official tie-in media.
Expedition List
The following expeditions take place in Monument Valley or this location is mentioned during conversations. The expedition types are marked with their appropriate icons:
Trivia
- This special or its surroundings will look different during various seasonal times, which includes the presence or absence of various cataclysmic storms.
- The name Monument Valley was revealed in the 2018 gameplay reveal trailer. At the time, the Monument Valley was reached by swimming through the Abyssal Loch.
- The name of this location will be updated if it is ever revealed. However, until then, it will be called as Monument Valley.
- As of Update 1.7.0, the underground tunnels found during the Tyrant Mine Stronghold is also considered a part of Monument Valley.
- The pictograms are unique to this location.
- Apart from the scorpion and swarm tyrant pictograms, there is an unknown type of pictogram that depicts a claw next to a Swarm tyrant’s pictogram.
- There are a total of five unstable relics found in this location, making it an extreme threat to Bastion.
Gallery
