The Corruption Update is one of the biggest updates to arrive in 100 Days at Sea. Instead of adding just another boss fight, this update sends you across almost every major event in the game before unlocking a completely new corruption area.
The first time I played through it, the shard system felt a little confusing because there are several different ways to earn them. Once you know where every shard comes from, though, the whole update becomes much easier.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the new redeem code, every shard location, how to unlock the Corruption Portal, and what you’ll face inside the new area.
100 Days at Sea Corruption Update Guide – All Shards, New Portal
Before doing anything else, redeem the latest code:
| Code | Reward |
|---|---|
| corrupt | 20 Pearls |
It’s a free reward, so you might as well claim it before starting your shard hunt.
Your Main Goal: Collect Five Corruption Shards
Everything in this update revolves around collecting five Corruption Shards.
Every time you pick one up, your progress increases until all five are collected. Once you have them all, you’ll be able to activate the new Corruption Portal.
The nice thing is that there are multiple ways to obtain the fifth shard, so if one activity isn’t available in your world, you aren’t completely locked out.
Shard 1 – Volcano Boss or Ice Boss
Your first shard depends on which biome appears in your world.
If you have the Volcano
You’ll first need to defeat three Golems that spawn around the volcano.
After defeating them:
- Collect the required items from the Golems.
- Place them into the volcano.
- This opens the Volcano Boss encounter.
- Defeat the boss.
- Pick up the Corruption Shard that drops afterward.
If you have the Ice Region
If your map spawned the Ice biome instead, simply defeat the Ice Boss to receive the shard.
Either boss rewards one Corruption Shard.
Shard 2 – Ghost Ship Boss
The second shard takes a few more steps.
Step 1: Raid the Castle
First, collect three keys.
Once you have all three:
- Open the castle.
- Defeat the enemies inside.
- Kill the castle boss.
After clearing the castle you’ll receive a Bell Building.
Step 2: Build the Bell
Take the Bell Building back to your base and place it.
To activate it you’ll need:
- 10 Ghost Souls
Spend the Ghost Souls to ring the bell.
Step 3: Clear the Ghost Ship
Ringing the bell summons a ghost ship.
Inside you’ll fight:
- Waves of ghost enemies
- Multiple portals
- A final Ghost Boss
Defeat the final boss to receive your second Corruption Shard.
Shard 3 – Kraken Boss
Thankfully, this one is much simpler.
The Kraken attacks your base automatically during gameplay.
Simply:
- Defeat the Kraken.
- Destroy its final tentacle.
The shard appears where the last tentacle dies, so make sure to look around before leaving the area.
Shard 4 – Buy It From the Market
If you don’t feel like fighting another boss, one shard can simply be purchased.
Visit the Market NPC and buy the available Corruption Shard.
This is easily the quickest shard to obtain.
Shard 5 – Ancient Tablet Puzzle and Squid Boss
One of the longer methods involves completing the Ancient Tablet challenge.
You’ll first discover a mysterious area containing a tablet.
From there you’ll need to complete several small objectives, including:
- Pulling levers
- Delivering wood
- Delivering metal
- Completing various puzzle tasks
Once every tablet objective is complete, the area activates and summons a Squid Boss.
Squid Boss Fight
The battle has two phases.
Phase 1
Destroy the giant tentacles.
Phase 2
The real squid appears.
Defeat it to earn another Corruption Shard.
Missing a Shard? Use the Cargo Ship
Don’t worry if you’re still missing one.
After Day 59, a Cargo Ship begins appearing.
This ship actually gives you another opportunity to finish your shard collection.
To explore it:
- Bring a Gasoline Barrel.
- Blow open the blocked entrance.
- Enter the lower section of the ship.
- Defeat the crew members.
- Open the treasure chests.
The chests can reward batteries needed later in the update.
If you’re missing only one shard, simply climb to the very top of the ship after clearing it and you’ll find another Corruption Shard waiting there.
This acts as a backup option if you skipped one of the earlier bosses.
How to Activate the Corruption Portal
Once all five shards are collected, return to the Cargo Ship.
A short cutscene begins automatically.
During the scene:
- Every shard is inserted into the portal.
- The portal becomes fully powered.
- A new entrance opens.
Simply walk into the portal to enter the Corruption dimension.
Preparing Before Entering
Don’t rush inside unprepared.
The corruption area is much harder than earlier content.
I highly recommend bringing:
- Plenty of food for healing
- Lots of ammunition
- Strong weapons
- An unlimited ammo class if you have one
Running out of supplies halfway through can make the dungeon much more difficult than it needs to be.
Corruption Area Walkthrough
The Corruption dungeon is made up of several combat encounters and puzzle rooms.
You’ll progress through them one by one.
Destroy Blocked Paths
Early on you’ll find blocked passages.
Nearby are explosive barrels.
Move the barrels into position and shoot them to clear the path forward.
You can even press buttons inside the dungeon to spawn additional barrels whenever needed.
Defeat Corrupted Enemies
Several new corrupted enemies appear throughout the dungeon.
One enemy type fires dangerous laser attacks, so avoid standing still for too long.
After clearing every enemy in a room, the next door unlocks automatically.
Memory Light Puzzle
One room contains a simple memory mini-game.
You’ll see a sequence of colored lights.
Your job is to repeat the exact same pattern.
The sequence gradually becomes longer, so pay close attention before pressing anything.
Successfully completing the puzzle unlocks the next section.
Monster Chest Room
This room can easily catch players off guard.
At first glance it looks full of treasure chests.
The problem?
Some of them are actually monsters.
Instead of opening every chest immediately, shoot them first.
If it’s a monster, it’ll reveal itself and attack.
Once every monster chest is defeated, safely open the remaining chests.
Your goal here is collecting three batteries.
Insert all three batteries into the nearby machine to unlock the next room.
Second Memory Puzzle
Another color sequence puzzle appears shortly afterward.
Complete it exactly the same way as before to continue deeper into the corruption facility.
Weight Puzzle
Near the end you’ll reach a room containing several crates and a weighing scale.
The intended solution is to:
- Pick up crates.
- Place them onto the scale.
- Reach the required weight.
However, many players have reported that this puzzle sometimes gets stuck at 0 KG, preventing progress.
At the time of writing, this appears to be a bug affecting some servers. If it happens to you, switching servers or waiting for a future fix may be necessary.
Corruption Boss
After clearing every puzzle and combat room, you’ll finally reach the Corruption Boss.
This is the final challenge of the update and marks the end of the current Corruption storyline.
Make sure you’ve stocked enough healing items and ammo before entering, since there aren’t many opportunities to rest once the boss fight begins.
Tips to Finish the Update Faster
If you’re trying to complete everything efficiently, these tips save a lot of time:
- Redeem the corrupt code before starting for free Pearls.
- Buy the Market shard whenever possible since it’s the easiest one.
- Defeat the Kraken whenever it appears because its shard is essentially free.
- Always bring extra food and ammo before entering the Corruption Portal.
- Shoot suspicious treasure chests first to avoid surprise monster attacks.
- Keep explosive barrels nearby whenever you see blocked paths.
- If the weight puzzle is bugged, try another server before assuming you’ve done something wrong.
The Corruption Update encourages players to revisit nearly every major activity in 100 Days at Sea, from boss fights and castle raids to puzzle-solving and dungeon exploration. While collecting all five Corruption Shards can take some time, the update offers multiple ways to earn them, making the process more forgiving if you miss a boss or event.
Once you finally activate the Corruption Portal, expect a mix of challenging enemies, clever puzzles, and a tough final boss fight. If you go in with enough supplies and know where each shard comes from, you’ll have a much smoother experience clearing the update.