Ancient Well

Ancient Well
Statistics
Inhabitant(s)	Crazy ThornTail MushGus Bloops FireFlies White GrubTub Fungus
Establishment(s)	Rocket Boost Staff Cavern
Object(s)	Rocket Boost Pads Bomb Spore Plant Bomb Spore Planting Patchs
Behind the scenes
Appearance(s)

The Ancient Well is a place in "Star Fox Adventures", located in ThornTail Hollow on Dinosaur Planet. It is inhabited by a lone ThornTail (otherwise known as "Crazy ThornTail"), who claims to have lived in the Well for 50 years. Near the entrance of the well, Fox will find a Magic Cave with the required Rocket Boost Staff ability. 

Overview

The Ancient Well is located in ThornTail Hollow, specifically across from the Queen EarthWalker's shelter on the path to Moon Mountain Pass and the ladder leading to SnowHorn Wastes. The lonely ThornTail who keeps to himself is always found standing near the Well. The irritating Bloops are found wandering the inside of the Well, as well as an abundance of MushGus acting as hazards.

In the game

After Fox returns from Ice Mountain and SnowHorn Wastes having rescued Prince Tricky, he finds that the Queen EarthWalker is lying unconscious in her shelter after she was attacked by SharpClaw raiders. As per Tricky's instincts, they will need to bring EarthWalker medicine to the Queen, in the form of White GrubTubs, which only grow in the depths of the Ancient Well, and because she's bigger than he is, she will need plenty more than he would. Once Tricky uncovers a hole entrance to the Well with his Find Command, he will dig the cracks into an entry tunnel for Fox to enter the Well. Since Tricky cannot climb the ladder, Fox will be required to enter the Ancient Well without him.

Because the darkness of the depths makes finding the right ways nearly impossible, the Crazy ThornTail will not allow Fox to further explore the Well if he does not have a Lantern. After acquiring the Lantern from the ThornTail Store, Fox can explore the deeper half of the Well to collect the six White GrubTub Fungus he needs for the ill-stricken Queen EarthWalker. Using FireFlies are helpful to light darker areas, but since they only last for so long, stocking up on them in the ThornTail Store is ideal.

Later in the game, after Fox and Tricky return from placing the 2nd Fire SpellStone back in the Volcano Force Point Temple, a large gathering of Bloops flock out of the Ancient Well and start attacking the ThornTail tribe.

Gallery

Entrance to the ThornTail well.

One of the key rooms in the Ancient Well.

The ladder down into the Well.

The ladder down into the depths.

The ThornTail.

In the darker depths of the Ancient Well

Using a firefly.

In the depths of the Ancient Well.

One of the White GrubTubs scattered in the lower area.

Notes

• If Fox has not already purchased the FireFly Lantern by the time he finds the Crazy ThornTail, it will trigger the cutscene where he rejects Fox's entry without having a Lantern to light his way in the dark. Once Fox has returned with the Lantern, or he already has it, the ThornTail will allow him to enter the deeper section where the White GrubTubs are.
  • The Crazy ThornTail will not wake up again after letting Fox past.