TL;DR
- Steamclouds Station and Steelsail Archipelago are the third and fourth sections of the Eternal Corridor in Delesyia’s Abyss chain.
- You need the Force Current skill to destroy the laser-firing orbs in Steamclouds Station — no other method works reliably.
- Force Current requires Force Palm Lv 2 and Axiom Force Lv 2 to unlock — spend Abyss Artifacts before entering.
- After clearing all orbs, stand on the glowing center platform to teleport into the Steelsail Archipelago.
- In Steelsail, activate the elevator with Force Palm, activate the Abyss Nexus, then glide northwest to the teleporter pad.
- That teleporter takes you to the Fleet of Archives — the next section of the Eternal Corridor.
The Steamclouds Station and Steelsail Archipelago are where many players hit a wall in the Eternal Corridor. The Steamclouds section throws explosives at you from every angle, while the Steelsail section asks you to navigate a sprawling floating environment with no obvious path.
Neither section is unfair once you understand what is required. But without the right skill and the right approach, both can feel impossible.
This guide covers both sections in full, from the moment you arrive to the moment you step onto the Fleet of Archives teleporter. For everything that came before this point in the Eternal Corridor, see our Gate to Advancement & Skypillar Archipelago walkthrough.
For all other Abyss content across the whole game, the Crimson Desert hub has everything in one place.
How to Get to Steamclouds Station
You arrive at Steamclouds Station by teleporting in from the Skypillar Archipelago. After climbing the large clockwork cube in Skypillar and standing on the device at its top, you are transported directly into the Steamclouds Station.
Once inside, use Force Palm on the south wall to activate the entry mechanism and open access to the main area of the station.
If you are still making your way through earlier Abyss content, see our guides on how to use Axiom Force and how to get Abyss Cells to prepare.
Before You Enter – Unlock Force Current First
This is the single most important thing to do before attempting Steamclouds Station. Without Force Current, you cannot destroy the orbs, and without destroying the orbs, you cannot progress. The station will feel like an unwinnable fight.
Force Current is an Abyss skill that fires a charged blast through your Axiom tether. To unlock it, you need:
- Force Palm Lv 2 — upgrade Force Palm using Abyss Artifacts
- Axiom Force Lv 2 — upgrade Axiom Force using Abyss Artifacts
Both of these are in the skill tree. If you are short on Abyss Artifacts, backtrack to earlier Abyss puzzles to collect more before entering. Check out our Abyss Gears list and the guide on how to open sealed Abyss Artifacts to top up your supply.
Also stock up on recovery items before you enter. You will take chip damage from explosives during the fight, so having food buffs and healing items ready makes the section much smoother. See our guide on how to cook the best healing food if you need to restock.
Steamclouds Station – Full Walkthrough
What You Are Facing
The Steamclouds Station is a hostile, fog-filled mechanical chamber. Red orbs are mounted throughout the room and they fire laser-guided explosives at you constantly. The explosives have a wide area of effect, so you will take damage even from near-misses.
Your job is to destroy all of these orbs using Force Current. Once enough orbs are destroyed, a glowing platform opens in the center of the room. Standing on it teleports you to the next section.
How to Use Force Current
Force Current is not a standalone button press. It works through a two-step sequence:
- Use Axiom Force (L3 on PlayStation / L3 on Xbox) to tether and grab an object in the environment — or grab one of the red orbs directly.
- While holding the tether, press Force Palm (R3) to discharge Force Current through the tether, destroying the target.
The key thing to understand is that you are combining two actions together. You grab with Axiom Force and then blast with Force Palm while the tether is still active. Releasing the tether before pressing Force Palm will not trigger Force Current.
Practice the timing on the first orb you reach before moving further into the station.
Step-by-Step: Clearing the Station
Step 1 – Enter and get your bearings Once you are inside the main area, pause and use your Observation Mode (Focus / Blinding Flash) to scan the room. This highlights all hostile entities in red, including any orbs that may be tucked behind steam pipes or in hard-to-see corners. Note their positions before you start engaging.
Step 2 – Equip recovery items and keep moving The orbs fire regularly. Do not stand still. Move between positions while targeting each orb, and use dodges and rolls to avoid the explosive blasts. Staying mobile is your best defense.
Step 3 – Use Force Current on each orb Work through the orbs one by one. Approach each orb, tether it with Axiom Force, and immediately trigger Force Current via Force Palm. Each destroyed orb reduces the total threat in the room and makes the remaining orbs easier to handle.
Step 4 – Check for hidden orbs if the platform does not open The most common reason the center platform does not activate is a missed orb. These are often tucked behind upper steam pipes or in the higher sections of the chamber. Use Observation Mode again after clearing what you can see to find anything remaining.
Step 5 – Stand on the glowing center platform Once all required orbs are destroyed, a glowing platform in the center of the station activates. Walk onto it and stand still in the center. It teleports you directly into the Steelsail Archipelago.
Alternative Strategies
Using a Bow (Slow but Safe) If your Force Current timing is off and you keep failing the combo, you can use a bow with Abyss Arrows to snipe orbs from range. This keeps you further from the explosions but takes longer and burns through arrow supply. It works, but Force Current is much faster.
Abyss Gear with Extended Axiom Reach If you have gear that extends your Axiom reach distance, you can tether and destroy orbs from across the room without entering the most dangerous areas. This turns a chaotic fight into a calmer, methodical clear. See our guide on how to use elemental attacks and imbue elements for build context.
For more on Force Current’s uses elsewhere in the game, see our Lightning Surge guide at the Courtyard of Precision.
Steelsail Archipelago – Full Walkthrough
What You Are Facing
The Steelsail Archipelago is described by the game itself as a place of steel masts rising above an endless sea, connected by metallic light. In practice, it is a large floating Abyss environment where you need to navigate from the arrival point to a teleporter pad in the far northwest corner.
The main challenge here is not combat. It is aerial navigation and stamina management. The distance from the Abyss Nexus to the final teleporter is large, and players who run out of stamina mid-glide will fall and have to respawn.
Step 1 – Activate the Elevator
When you first arrive, face the south wall. You will see a Force Palm activation trigger on the wall. Hit it with Force Palm. This calls a large cube-shaped elevator to your position. The cube takes about a minute to travel to you — this is a scripted transition that loads the next area, not a bug. Wait for it.
Step 2 – Ride the Cube and Activate the Abyss Nexus
Once the cube arrives and you are on it, it travels through to the next section of the Archipelago on its own. Ride it to the end.
When you arrive, immediately find and activate the Abyss Nexus. This is the circular fast travel device — use Force Palm on its center to lock it in as a permanent fast travel waypoint. If you fall during the next section, this Nexus is where you respawn. Activating it now means you will not have to redo the cube ride.
After activating the Nexus, stand on it and face west. You can see a large spread of floating islands and platforms stretching away from you. Your destination — the teleporter pad — is in the far northwest corner.
Step 3 – Glide to the Northwest Teleporter
The path to the northwest teleporter is not marked clearly. You are navigating open air between floating platforms, so you need to manage your stamina carefully.
Use Jump + Triple Force Palm to push yourself upward and then open your Glide ability to cross the distance between platforms. Chain these moves together — jump, Force Palm three times for height, glide forward, land, repeat.
Using the Fans to Recover Stamina Fans are scattered at the bottom sections of the Archipelago. If you are running low on stamina mid-air, you can drop down toward the bottom of the map to find a fan, use it to recover stamina, and then push back up toward the northwest. This is the intended recovery mechanic for this section — do not ignore the fans if you are struggling.
If you have the Airborne Recovery perk in your skill tree, you can also consume a Spirit Potion mid-air to reset your stamina without needing to drop to the fans. This makes the crossing significantly easier.
Step 4 – Stand on the Northwest Teleporter Pad
Once you reach the far northwest corner, you will find the teleporter pad. Stand on it to activate it. This ends the Steelsail Archipelago section entirely and transports you to the Fleet of Archives — the next part of the Eternal Corridor.
The Fleet of Archives introduces a new boss: the Power Core. It fires deadly lasers and requires the Nature’s Retribution skill to take down efficiently. That is the next challenge in the Eternal Corridor chain.
Common Issues and Fixes
Force Current is not triggering in Steamclouds Make sure you are pressing Force Palm while the Axiom Force tether is still active. Releasing the tether first cancels the combo. The tether and the blast need to happen in sequence without a break between them.
The center platform in Steamclouds is not activating There is at least one orb you have not destroyed yet. Use Observation Mode to scan the upper sections of the room near the steam pipes. Hidden orbs near the ceiling are the most commonly missed.
Falling off in Steelsail Archipelago If you activated the Abyss Nexus, you respawn there with a small health penalty. If you forgot to activate it, you will need to restart from the cube elevator ride. Always activate the Nexus first.
Can’t find the northwest teleporter Keep heading west and then northwest from the Nexus position. The teleporter is at the furthest reachable point in that direction. If you feel like you have gone too far, you probably have not gone far enough. Use the fans at the bottom to recover stamina and keep pushing.
Can I skip either section? No. Both sections are mandatory scripted transitions within the Eternal Corridor chain. The cube ride in Steelsail is a loading transition, not an optional event.
What Comes Next
Completing both sections puts you at the entry point for the Fleet of Archives. The full Eternal Corridor chain runs as follows:
Gate to Advancement → Skypillar Archipelago → Steamclouds Station → Steelsail Archipelago → Fleet of Archives → Clockwork Heart
The Fleet of Archives is the penultimate section and the Clockwork Heart contains the final boss of the chain — the Clockwork White Horn — which drops the White Horn’s Ring on defeat.
More Crimson Desert Guides
Working through the Eternal Corridor or other Abyss content? These guides connect directly:
- Gate to Advancement & Skypillar Archipelago Puzzle
- Twisted Thicketway Puzzle Guide
- Ascetic’s Rest Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Monolith Crown Abyss Cube Puzzle Solution
- Vault of Vengeance Abyss Puzzle Guide
- Root’s End Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Precipice of Truth Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Secret Garden Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Unlock Witches Abyss Gears Guide
- Loop of Life Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Sanctorum of Darkness Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Frostbitten Paradise Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Ether Rest Abyss Puzzle Solution
- How to Enter Spire of Clockwork
- How to Beat Marni’s Excavatron
- How to Get Max Stamina
- How to Get Max Health
- How to Use Focused Force Palm
- How to Unlock Double Jump
- Best Skills to Level Up First
- All Bosses Locations
- How to Reinforce Equipment
- How to Get Replenishing Arrows
- OP Infinite Arrow Archer Build
- Marni Laser Helmet Upgrade Guide
- How to Repair Mech ATAG
- How to Get the Electro-Mecha Spear
- How to Get the Electro-Mecha Longsword
Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for more.
