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A Conan Exiles Sandstorm Mask guide will give you your best chance against the elements in the Exiled Lands. Though the name Sandstorm Breathing Mask indicates what it does, there’s more to this mask than a fancy muslin cloth to protect against the sand.
I remember walking into Noxious Gas the first time, which freaked me out. Luckily, I had a mask on me, which saved my life. But that was a mask a friend had given me; it took me a while to find out how to make one. Don’t let that happen to you.
Instead, protect yourself. While I hate spoilers, I find a few tricks and tips that can help make life easier without ruining the game. Though when it comes to survival games, spoilers are different because it’s far from a story-based genre.
Conan Exiles Sandstorm Mask Overview
- The Sandstorm Breathing Mask requires level 30 to make
- You need 1 Light Padding and 45 Steel Bars
- The Sandstorm Mask also protects against gas, but not poison or corruption
- You can hide from the sandstorm in caves or manmade shelters
- Some headpieces, such as Set’s, Godbreaker’s, and the Witch Doctor’s, act as a sandstorm mask
- The sandstorm happens around every 45 minutes and lasts for around 4 minutes
- There is a separate Underwater Breathing Mask that drops from an animal tamer at Buccaneer Bay
- The sandstorm does not hurt thralls or pets
- Petruso, the Sandstorm Maniac, is an NPC at Sandswept Ruins, bound to the sandstorm and the reason it hits the Exiled Lands so often. You can kill him, but he comes back quickly as he is a key NPC for making the Heart of the Sands
Making the Sandstorm Mask
To make the Sandstorm Breathing Mask, you only need two ingredients. However, you need to be level 30 and have the Iron Tools and Armorer knowledge unlocked to unlock the Sandstorm mask recipe.
Light Padding – 1
- Hide – 26
- Twine – 5
You only need one Light Padding. But to get it, you have to make Twine from Plant Fiber and gather a decent amount of Hide from creatures. Most creatures have Hide, so just go out there and farm mammals for your best bet.
You need to use an Armorer’s Bench to make the Light Padding. You should already have one of these, but if you don’t, all you need are the Weaver and Stone Tools knowledge to get the Armorer.
To make the bench, you only have to be level 10. Then gather 200 Stone, 100 Wood, and 25 Twine. You can upgrade the bench later, but for now, all you need is the basic one.
Steel Bar – 45
- Steelfire – 45 total
- Iron Bars – 225 total
This is the time-consuming part. For some reason, you need over 200 iron to make a Sandstorm Breathing Mask, which doesn’t make sense, but we have to roll with it in this game.
To get Iron Bars, you need to farm Ironstone. If you can’t find any, check the area south of the Tower of Bats. Because you need two Irstone per 1 Iron Bar, you need 450 Ironstone for one mask.
You also need Steelfire. For that, you need Brimstone and Tar (2x per Steelfire.) The easiest early game Brimstone farm is Gallaman’s Tomb, and Tar comes from using the Tannery or putting Coal in the Fluid Press. The former is what I recommend because you may need to use the Tannery anyway.
To make Steelfire, you need a Firebowl Cauldron. Finally, to make the Steel Bars, you need to use a Furnace, which you need for Iron Bars anyway.
What the Sandstorm Mask Protects against
The name Sandstorm Breathing Mask lets you know the mask protects against sandstorms. But using that knowledge is more important than having it. Not to mention, it’s not the only thing this mask can do.
Sandstorms
If you pay attention, you can see a sandstorm coming far away. After you see the sandstorm, expect to feel the effects less than a minute later. The storm will last a few minutes, so being prepared can save your life.
The sandstorm won’t hit the entire map, but there are places where it seems to hit at regular intervals. You’re relatively safe if you’re in the jungle or snow, but the desert and savanna get hit the hardest.
Noxious Gas
Noxioius Gas is a status effect in Conan Exiles that you can see in the air as green spores. The gas does damage every second and can stack up to ten times, so it can easily kill anyone.
But if you wear the Sandstorm Breathing Mask, it can’t get through. The most notable gaseous area is Shattered Springs, but others are The Black garden, The Pens, and Terrace of the Tenders.
Gaseous Orbs and Traps
Gaseous Orbs, Poison Arrows, and Vapor Traps are player-made items that inflict noxious gas effects. The orbs work as grenades are difficult to avoid. You can see the Vapor Traps on the ground, but if you’re distracted, you will pay.
Neither natural Noxious Gas nor Gaseous Orbs protect you if you put the mask on after you start getting hurt. You must do so before to prevent the gas from entering your lungs.
Non-Mask Ways to Protect against Sandstorms
The Sandstorm Mask isn’t the only way to protect against sandstorms. Some mods can do the same, but even in vanilla Conan Exiles, you can get by without one for a long time.
Caves
Take note of nearby caves whenever you see a sandstorm coming. Caves will always protect you. Sometimes, you can even stand in a crevice or against the wall, and it will stop the inhalation.
High Health or Armor
While it will still heart you, if your armor and/or health are high enough, the sandstorm won’t hurt you enough to matter. If your HP regen is high, it may not even lower your health by more than one point because you will regen it back right away.
Tents or Other Shelter
A tent is a good mobile way to protect yourself. But any roofed and walled manmade structure will protect you. The Simple Tent is easy to make, though, and only requires level 23, whereas the mask requires level 30.
Other Sandstorm “Masks”
The Sandstorm Breathing Mask isn’t the only mask you can wear in a sandstorm to protect you. There are many other options, some that you can get in less than ten minutes, no matter your level.
Setite Mask
- Source – Altar of Set
- Ingredients – Light Padding, Human Hearts, Plant Fiber
This is the easiest sandstorm mask to make, requiring only level 20. You do have to spend a decent amount of points to learn the Preist of Set though but the set of armor isn’t bad for early-game light armor.
Yoggite Chosen Mask
- Source – Yoggite Chosen Mask recipe (Archives)
- Ingredients – Perfected Light Padding, Insulated Wood
To learn the Yoggite Chosen Mask, go to the Unnamed City and turn in Fragments of Power at the Archives. Then, the Library of Esoteric Artifacts (Knowledge) can teach you the mask recipe.
Getting the ingredients isn’t an early-game thing, even though it’s a level 0 recipe. You need to be level 60 to learn the Exile Epics knowledge, so by the time you get here, making Perfected Light Padding and Insulated Wood will be second nature.
Mask of the Witch Doctor
- Source – Corrupted Mask recipe, Dafari Witch Doctor
- Ingredients – Light Padding, Hyena Pelt, Wood
The ingredients for this one are simple, and the knowledge is in your inventory. However, you can get it for free by killing the Dafari Witch Doctor on the Exiled Lands, which is worth it, so you don’t have to farm hyenas.
The Dafari Witch Doctor spawns at the back of the put at the Summoning Place. He also drops Giant’s Fingerbone, a good early-game weapon. I recommend heading here early if you feel confident taking him on.
Commander’s Helmet
- Source – Unnamed City bosses
This is the best medium armor choice because you can keep it on all the time and still be protected against physical damage. The only way to get it, though, is to kill Unnamed City bosses.
Guardian of the Flame, The Commander, The Watcher, and The Gravewalker all can drop it. The chance is low, so this is not a sure thing, and I don’t recommend going her just for that.
Godbreaker Helmet
- Source – Godbreaker Armor (Warmaker’s Sanctuary)
- Ingredients – Rusted Helmet, Dragonpowder, Alchemical Base, Armor Scraps
You can wear this end-game gear in any situation and feel safe. It is extremely difficult to get this helmet, but it’s so worth it. You can’t make it unless you are level 60 because it requires Exile Epics.
Chilled Godbreaker Helmet
- Source – Godbreaker Armor (Warmaker’s Sanctuary)
- Ingredients – Rusted Helmet, Dragonpowder, Alchemical Base, Armor Scraps
Another armor set learned from the same stele is the Chilled Godbreaker armor. The helmet protects against hot weather and sandstorms. But it doesn’t keep you warm like the normal set does.
What the Sandstorm Mask Doesn’t Protect against
A few misconceptions exist about the “gas mask” in Conan Exiles. I’m not sure where they came from, but the rumors suggesting that the Sandstorm Breathing Mask protects against everything are incorrect.
Corruption
Corruption comes from many sources, such as Corrupting Brew, Soul Essence, and Wights. But the most common source is the pink gas surrounding certain caves and all obelisks. Corruption reduces your max health and stamina, making you significantly weaker. But you can’t get more than 50% corrupted.
This corruption does not fade on its own. The only way to get rid of it is to eat a Haert of the Hero, drink Cleansing Brew, wear Champion’s Leggings, or watch a dancer. The Dancer route is most common and even works with NPC dancers like the ones in Sepermeru.
Water
Surprise, you can’t breathe underwater with the Sandstorm Mask. Instead, you can get an Underwater Breathing Mask or use a temporary potion. For the mask, you need to kill Beastmaster Teimos.
You can find Teimos sometimes at Animal Trainer Camp near Buccaneer Bay. There’s a chance he will drop the mask, and there isn’t any other consistent way to get it. So most people use potions.
Breath of Dagon, Fish Gill Potion, and Breathing Potion are all viable options. The best of these is Breath of Dagon, which you can learn via a stele in the Sunken City. However, the ingredients are quite rare.
Poison
Poison is an annoying effect that can stack up to ten times. It hurts you and prevents you from climbing. A Set Antidote is the best way to get rid of the poison because you only need one which completely cures you.
FAQs
Question: Does the Sandstorm Mask Protect Against the Elarikan Plague?
Answer: No. The Elarkian Plague is an Age of Calamitous exclusive that kills almost anyone in seconds. I made the mistake of confusing it for gas the first time, but the mask did not work against it.
Question: What is the Conan Exiles Sandstorm Interval?
Answer: It is set at 45 minutes unless changed by an admin. The storm lasts 3 to 5 minutes and will generally hit a player 30 seconds after they see the first sign of a sandstorm.
Question: Can You Initiate a Sandstorm in Conan Exiles?
Answer: Yes. If you use the keybind Ctrl+Alt+Shift+X, it should start a sandstorm. There is also a setting in the Admin Panel and the Server Settings section if you’re an admin that lets you adjust sandstorms.
Conan Exiles Sandstorm Mask – Who Needs It?
You do, at least for a while. Once you max level, chances are, the sandstorm won’t hurt you, and Noxious Gas does little enough damage that you can work through it with your wits.
But for a long time, sandstorms can be deadly, especially if you’re in a fight during it, as the elements will be working against you, doing extra damage. As annoying as this is, I’m glad it exists in Conan Exiles.
I don’t know many other games with active sandstorms that affect you this way, and if a game does something unique like this, I applaud it. We’re talking about a survival game, after all.