Shadowgate

Shadowgate is a Portal World set around the GATE Intrados Containment Facility in Finland. It is a Gatekeeper-controlled site, repurposed as a center for Gatekeeper operations after GATE took ownership in the late 1980s. The surrounding area is a forested approach with uneven ground, ponds, broken ruins, and scattered anomalies, while the facility itself serves as the core of the location’s combat and exploration. Shadowgate is notable for its heavy Gatekeeper presence and for being one of the few portal worlds that leads directly into another portal world, rather than into Cascade.

Approaching the facility means crossing a broad forested zone where Gatekeeper Witches first appear and patrol freely. The forest also contains stone cubes floating in clumps through the air, which emit strong radiation and are the remains of graphite reactor moderator blocks. Rare bushes can be foraged in the area, though their placement changes between visits. A natural beehive can also spawn high in a tree on a steep hill. The outer wall of the facility is heavily defended, with three entrances protected by Hardlight barriers; these must be disabled before entry, and it takes at least 7 seconds to open all necessary Hardlight-sealed passages. The front entrance is especially dangerous, with three built-in machinegun turrets and additional exterior defenses, while the east and west walls are less fortified but still watched by Chieftains inside the grounds.

Inside Shadowgate, the facility is relatively safe compared with the exterior approach, though “safe” is relative: most Gatekeepers gather in and around the main containment chamber, and the rest of the building can be explored more freely. The main chamber contains all ranks of Gatekeeper defending the Containment Devices from multiple angles, and combat is effectively unavoidable there. Once the five destructible Containment Devices are disabled, players may ignore any remaining defenders and proceed into the rift portal. There is also an Email Terminal in an office on the right side of the chamber. A single Jotun is stationed at the top of a stairwell in the west wing, and extra entrances inside are sealed with Hardlight, though only one barrier needs to be disabled to gain access.

Shadowgate is also associated with Albert Cahn, who can be spoken to both near the entrance portal and inside the area. He disappears after all Containment Devices are broken. IS-0117 is present as well, but is not dangerous in this portal world.

• Be prepared with good rest, food, hydration, and plenty of bandages before entering.
• Expect to fight large numbers of Gatekeepers, including Witches, and do not assume any route is clear.
• The facility is heavily guarded by machinegun turrets that can see you before you see them.
• Shadowgate contains large amounts of Cement Bags, often on wooden platforms, making it a useful renewable source.
• It is the first portal world to contain 12g Buckshot as placed loot rather than enemy drops.
• The radioactive stone cubes are intentionally placed environmental hazards, and are not mere decoration.
• The Finnish sign outside the area translates to a warning that trespassing and loitering are prohibited.