Plant Guide Zetsubou No Shima

Zetsubou No Shima Plant Collection Guide

The Island of Despair in Code Vein has sixteen collectible plants scattered across a pretty dense vertical area. A lot of people get stuck because the map is overwhelming and some plants are behind non-obvious platforming sections. I've spent more hours than I care to admit mapping these out, so here's the breakdown of how to actually clear this efficiently. Load into the zone from the Gate of Sorrow checkpoint. Do not try to grab everything in one pass unless you're prepared to backtrack heavily. The area is split into three main elevation tiers, and the eastern cliffside path that loops back around gets skipped by most first-time visitors. That loop is where four of the sixteen plants live, so factor it in from the start. The first three plants are close together near the initial drop zone. One sits on a collapsed stone bridge just past the first enemy camp. Another requires dropping through a breakable floor that isn't visually obvious until you're near it. The third is on a narrow ledge to the left after crossing the bridge — you can't miss it if you look down at the path immediately after landing.

The Mid-Zone Plants and the Common Pitfall

Plants four through nine cluster around the central hub area with the three-way path. Here's where most people waste time: the plant behind the large wooden door in the eastern corridor requires defeating a specific boss or using a key item. If you approach that door before clearing the adjacent dungeon room, you're going to turn around confused. Clear the room first, grab the key, then come back. The plant is directly inside the previously locked room. Two plants sit on floating platforms that require precise jumping. The game's hitbox for these ledge grabs is tight but consistent. Stand still, align your character facing the platform, and time the jump. Do not run-jump into them — the momentum throws off the grab animation and you fall. This cost me roughly twenty minutes on my first run because I kept bailing.

Upper Tier and the Back-Path Plants

Plants ten through thirteen are up top near the ruined structure. The climb uses a series of vine walls. Standard vine wall mechanics apply — climb at a steady pace, don't spam the climb button or you'll overshoot the next handhold. Two of these plants are positioned right after vine wall sections, which makes them easy to overlook because players are focused on surviving the climb itself. The remaining three are in the western loop path I mentioned earlier. This path branches off after the upper tier central area and connects back to the lower section. It's marked on the map but easy to ignore because there's no combat checkpoint along it. The plants there are in relatively safe zones though, so there's minimal risk running through.

Efficiency Notes and What Actually Works

Running the full collection loop takes about 45 minutes on a careful first attempt. If you already know the layout, you can compress it to roughly 20 minutes. The biggest time sink is always the floating platform section, followed by finding the eastern loop entrance on a fresh playthrough. One thing the game doesn't make clear: plants only register as collected when you physically pick them up, not when they appear in your inventory list. There's a half-second delay between picking up and the save trigger, so if you quit mid-collect, you might lose one. I ran into this specifically when my console froze during a grab near the eastern loop. Had to reload from checkpoint and re-grab the last plant. Just save after every plant if you're doing a clean run. There's no fast-travel point inside Zetsubou No Shima itself, so plan your route based on your nearest checkpoint. If you're low on items before entering, restock outside. The zone has limited healing points spaced far apart, and losing progress on a dead run means starting the plant hunt over from the gate.