Pink Desert (PD)

Remember that by reading further than the Overview you might get exposed to spoilers! The Wiki intends to describe every little detail and background knowledge (as soon as available and verified).

Alternative Names:
Dunes, Pink Sand

Overview
Pink Desert is the level were you are confronted with a huge area of sand with some ruins.

Compared to other levels, this one is rather wide than long. Carpets and Shooting Stars will be introduced in this level.

Things to do: either head directly to the mountain, while missing some collectibles or wander around through the desert.


 * Especially as Red Robe you might need help from Carpets to fill your scarf so you can fly and reduce the amount of walking in the dunes.
 * Try to find all the 4 symbols for a longer scarf and
 * free all cloth creatures / Carpets, those are found at 7 places. The last freeing process happens after watching the Vision.
 * Find the only plant in Journey: a Flower.

Companions are often eager to show players around here, flying from one important place to the other. There is no straight route to visit them all.

For this level the Trophies, Glyphs and Symbols are mentioned in sections, since there are many different ways you can get to them.

After one last big dune you will see a rather dark looking area (flying sand and shadow) with two connected Towers and a huge wall to the North. On the last tower you will find the Shrine, that opens the path to the next level.

Desert
When the player enters this zone they are treated to sweeping views of desolate sand dunes before control of their character is returned to them. Beyond the first dune is an inactive shell of a machine, from which a cloth creature may be freed.Scattered throughout the sand are several more ruins. There are parts of machines laying around and banners growing out of them. When activated, a or more carpets will be released from the inside of the machine part.

Shooting stars will cross the sky from time to time.

A route through the desert
The map on the right should help to find the basic directions to get the Glyphs, Symbols, Carpets (cloth) and the flower.

Again, in Journey there are often several different paths you can take. Some are shorter, some lead to certain places and others are used to mix things up.

Tandem Flying, flying together with a Companion while chirping and touching each other works very well in this level and helps a lot to be quicker. Each ones Chirp bubble needs to reach the other player to charge their scarf, to help with flying.

Two main options:


 * Heading directly to the North to the mountain, thus skipping (some) symbols.
 * Following a route and visit some or all places.

Common routeNote: this is not exactly the route shown on the map.

("I could not find another (shorter) way to deliver a text describtion on how to go. Finding all cloth and symbols may take some extended walking around, but it helps to get to know the level better too. Apologies for the long read! Ravingmadness (talk) 16:43, 2 June 2020 (UTC)


 * 1) At start either free "Cloth 1" straight ahead and then fly directly to east or skip the Cloth 1. Flying straight to the right side at the start is a very common route. Its a After a rather long way and the ruin is a bit hidden. finding a small ruin with a banner (freeing carpet / "Cloth 2") and a Symbol.
 * 2) "Cloth 3" on the map is a crashed Machine with a big Banner. You can either go more straight after the first Symbol to get to the Flower or North-West to free Carpets there first.
 * 3) Going North-West, will bring you to a small pit with a crashed Machine / "Cloth 3" to your left side. Activating the Banner will release a group of Carpets. One will pick you up and fly up the next dune.
 * 4) If you didnt got the Flower already: head straight East on top of the dune and look slightly to the right side you get to a little pit / valley and on the bottom of it is the Flower. It might be hard to see, since its rather small and blending in with the colors of the sand (though its yellow).
 * 5) As seen in the map, from "Cloth 3" or the Flower head rather North (depending on where you are more left or right...).
 * 6) From a dune you can see a little ruin from behind. On the front side is the "Glyph 1". Depending on Carpets freed, a group of them will show up here and start flying to the West or North.
 * 7) Heading straight to the West for some time will bring you to a big Tower with a Symbol on top and Carpets to free at the nearby building. Free the Carpets and use the Flyers to get up the Tower.
 * 8) South side of the tower, where some Flyers helped you up to get the Symbol: Hop down there, chirp at the Flyers and fly straight further south. This will bring you to "Glyph 2" and "Cloth 4". From there return to the big dune before the Tower with the Symbol.
 * 9) You can charge your scarf at the flyers if the Carpets did not do it in between. Then head North-East, more East though, crossing a plain between hills. You might see two shooting stars falling from the sky, then head towards where one of them seem to crash.
 * 10) "Symbol 3": Actually falls as star from the sky and crashes on a ruin, turning into a Symbol. If the timing is right, you might walk by the ruin and the Symbol is not there yet.
 * 11) From there just walk further North, over a huge dune. You will get a good overview over the last part of the level.



Towers at the end
Alternative Names: War Machine Factory, Sandstorm Tower, Factory in the SandstormAfter the big dune you see some buildings in the distance. The whole area seems to lay in shadow (from the big wall at the end?) and dust. Like awhirled sand is circulating around those Towers.

Two of many ways to get up the towers:


 * Slide down to the first/smaller tower. The carpets might hint to it, but on the right side is a ramp that you can just walk up from the ground. A carpet will lift you over the broken part of it (altough they sometimes seem to have a problem picking you up, after some tries it works).
 * From one of the bridge parts leading to the towers. Most common is the one at the front of the first tower, since its just a small distance. The longer bridge parts to the sides start at a higher position, thus giving a better starting position to get up the tower. This is of course easier with a Companion or as White Robe, but you can try as Red Robe too. Just keep your scarf full after the Symbol or when Carpets filled it.

At the small tower, after the broken part of the ramp you will see Carpets trapped behind bars, "Cloth 6". Chirp at them to free them, then they will pick you up to the top of the small tower.

A bridge leads to the bigger tower. Many people like to skip the walk around the tower here and jump directly to the left side, where the carpet picks you up to the platform.

The bridge leads directly to a window where one can see moving parts in the tower. An eye will light up (first scary part in the game), loud "machine working sounds" and sounds from the exaust below can be heard. While walking around the tower, you get to see that the other part of the tower is filled with carpets.

If you jump or fall down to the bottom the carpets will lift you up to the top again. Just need to find the one that is willing! There are certain places where pick-up carpets are waiting for you. Example: right below where the last carpet picks you up to the big platform.

On the big platform the player gets to see the trapped Carpets from above, but no chance to free them. "Symbol 4": Looking towards the statue, walking on the left side ledge to the end of it.

At the end of the vision you get to see that the gates on the platform open and free the last carpets in this level from both towers.

Depending on if you are with a Companion, one or two Carpets will wait at the platform to pick you up and bring you over the wall to the next level.

Companions-SMALL-75x43.gif Connection and Companion hints
There is a certain point, that is known to cause disconnects: To connect or to disconnect! Pink Desert.

General

 * Look around when on top of a dune and head for buildings.
 * If you fall behind the Carpets, they will often come back to you and refill your scarf while circling around you and then flying further on to the next sight in the level. Sometimes it helps to even stop walking or empty your scarf so they want to recharge it. It might take some playthroughs to get the places where they like to help and the amount to wait for them to pick you up.
 * When a Carpet hugs you after being released, keep on flying up. That way you can fly up real high and fly further (then float forward when your scarf is empty). Try to fly like a carpet, dive with them through the desert. Any robe will get lifted high up, when a Carpet circles around them and they fly (straight) up with them. When the Carpet leaves, dive down like them, try to touch them to recharge your scarf and be able to follow them (all while flying). "Be a dolphin".
 * After taking a Symbol, start flying when your scarf is still being filled. With that extra flaps you can make it further.

Trophies, Glyphs, Symbols
Often carpets to free for the Trophy are at the same place as a Symbol or Glyph. A good way to pick and find everything is to follow the route shown in the map. Since its hard to describe a way to every single Symbol or cloth, a route for to reach all Trophies, Glyphs and Symbols is given in Sections.



Trophies
Two Trophies can be achieved:


 * Mirage, if you find the Flower. This trophy is the first of two, crediting other ThatGameCompany Games. It is at the right edge/side of the pink desert. Its approximately at the middle of the length of the desert and a bit hidden in a valley/sinkhole. Sometimes the carpets will bring you there or a companion.
 * Explorer for freeing all carpets.

See map and Sections.

Glyphs
Two Glyphs can be found in this level, see images to the left and Sections.

Symbols
Four Symbols in this level.

As mentioned above, detailed description about a possible route to get them is found in Sections.

Note to "Symbol 3":

Actually falls as star from the sky. If the timing is right, you might walk by the ruin and symbol is not there yet.

In the gallery below, you can see that its possible to place yourself on top of the ruin before the star dropped. Figure the flying route and place yourself at other places on the ruin and catch the star before it reaches its final destination. See Galleries below.

"Symbol 4" / last Symbol
It can also be reached by flying from a bridge to the side directly up to the tower.

Sights

 * In the gallery above you can see that its possible to place yourself on top of the ruin before the star dropped. Figure the flying route and place yourself at other places on the ruin and catch the star before it reaches its final destination.
 * Flying with the carpets could be considered a sight in this level.
 * Try out the Carpet chase!!
 * Carpet elevator: At the two towers at the end, you can drop down the tower and get lifted up the whole way by a carpet. Example: right below where the last carpet picks you up to the big platform. Carpets near the smaller tower may lift you only up that tower.  Investigation-SMALL-75x43.gif They only bring you to the top, after you were up there already? Images of elevator-carpets (places) are missing

Trivia

 * This level was called "Desert" in the original concept for Journey.
 * There are triggers that will free the first carpet, if you do not free it first and fly further into the level. So when you come back to that place, there will be no banner anymore.
 * Investigation-SMALL-75x43.gif If this also counts for the Explorer-Trophy is unknown. It could be programmed in a way that its about the Banners to free them.
 * "Glyph 2" is the only Glyph where you can hang between Glyph and stone. Jump onto the tombstone of the Glyph to the left or right and hang on them. Its not too hard to do, but might take some tries until you can hang there. Fun little "mini-game". Encourage your Companion to do the same on the other side, screenshot material and maybe a welcomed short break.
 * The Carpet behind bars can be freed without a Chirp, just by touching and trying to get them glowing (activated). It might take time and patience. This can be done on PC, PS3 and PS4.
 * The Carpet behind bars can be freed without a Chirp, just by touching and trying to get them glowing (activated). It might take time and patience. This can be done on PC, PS3 and PS4.


 * This level has some hints to things that happen or are visible in the Underground level. Examples are the Glyph in Underground and the exhaust at the last tower (if you don't find it in Underground you can still hear the same sounds, when entering the room with the first War Machine.
 * About the Towers at the end:

After watching the vision:


 * Carpet pickup: There is space for experiments. Like flying in a circle around the tower, trying to get the carpet to hunt you while you flee. Its known that sometimes a Companion is dropped by the carpet in the animation, but they still will enter Sunken City. When doing this with a Companion a Ghost appearance might happen (either you leave a Ghost or you see the one of your Companion).
 * At the end of the vision you get to see, that the Carpets in the Tower are released. Both towers are empty now, but the machine inside is still working (the heads turning). But now the face/eyes of them does not light up anymore.

Quotes
About the flower and naming the main character:""Nurturer of the Flower, because obviously the whole Journey world is all about the one single plant in the entire world and it's the last hope of a dying world.""

- Alex

"When travelling in red (to get first runs), i like to wait a bit on top of a hill nearby the Flower.

I might chirp at them and if they come to me, they can see the Flower on the other side of the hill."

- ravingmadness