Ah, Sand Grease Pupa. Just the name makes me shudder a little—and honestly, these little bug cocoons hanging from cave ceilings look way too innocent when you realize you need a whopping 168 of them to max out Alhaitham. If you're still wrestling with these squishy things in 2026, trust me, I feel your pain. Back in version 3.4, I spent way too many evenings running circles underground in the Desert of Hadramaveth, but now I've got the route down to a science. Let me walk you through it so you don't lose your mind.

Why Sand Grease Pupa? 🐛

Alhaitham, our ever-stoic Dendro scribe, demands these regional specialties alongside those annoying Pseudo-Stamens dropped by the Setekh Wenut boss. You'll need a total of 168 pupae to get him to level 90, and while there are exactly 74 spawns across the whole desert, that means at least three farming sessions unless you hit up a friend's world. Don't worry—most of them are packed into a single twisting cave system, so it's not quite as soul-crushing as hunting Scarabs.

Main Farming Zone: Wenut Tunnels 🏜️

The vast majority of pupae live underground in the Wenut Tunnels, basically a giant antlion's nest beneath the Passage of Ghouls. Here's how I tackle it every time:

1. Teleport to the waypoint directly east of the Passage of Ghouls label on your map.

2. From the edge, glide down toward the twisting path that leads underground—you'll spot a glowing tunnel entrance.

3. As soon as you land, hug the left wall. Within seconds you'll see your first three pupae hanging there like gross little lanterns.

4. Follow the natural downward slope. The cave opens into a massive chamber with branching corridors. I always clear the right-hand hallway first because it loops back, and then I tackle the left side.

5. Keep an eye on the mini-map for nooks that dead-end; the game loves hiding pupae in those tiny alcoves.

I'd be lying if I said I never got lost—the underground is a maze of brown rock and bioluminescent fungi. After a dozen runs, though, the route becomes muscle memory. I even started naming the turns: "Double Fungus Intersection," "Sad Stalactite Corner"... yeah, anything to break the monotony, right?

Surface Spots & Sneaky Wenuts 🌵

If you're just starting out, you might snag a few pupae on the surface in the western part of the Desert of Hadramaveth. They often sit near rocky outcrops or half-buried ruins. But here's a warning from my past: if you haven't finished the area's major world quest, the Setekh Wenut will pop up out of the sand and stab you if you stand still for longer than a heartbeat. Keep moving, and maybe bring a shielder if you're easily startled (like me).

Tools That Make Farming Less Painful 🗺️

Back in 3.4, the official Genshin Impact interactive map was my best friend. You could toggle between above ground and underground layers, which was a lifesaver. Nowadays, the in-game tracking for regional specialties has been improved, but the underground still confuses a lot of players. I recommend marking the locations manually the first time, or following a step-by-step route from a content creator like KyoStinV, who managed to grab all 74 in a single smooth jog through the desert. That route is still gold in 2026.

Quick Tips for Efficient Farming ⚡

• Bring stamina-reducing characters: Sayu, Yelan, or anyone with a movement speed boost will make the cave loop feel ten times quicker.

• Double Anemo resonance gives you that extra sprint stamina reduction and a bit more speed.

• Team up with a friend: If you have a buddy who already doesn't need Alhaitham's materials, hop into their world and clear their pupae. Two worlds full of 74 spawns each can get you all 168 in one go.

• Respawn timer: Regional specialties take exactly 48 real-world hours to respawn, so set a mental alarm or just farm every other day.

A Little Farming Philosophy 🌟

Look, gathering 168 Sand Grease Pupa isn't exactly thrilling endgame content, but it's a calm, repetitive ritual that I've weirdly come to enjoy. It reminds me that even in a game full of world-ending bosses, sometimes you just need to slowly wander through a glowing cave and pick bugs off the wall. And when you finally ascend Alhaitham and those final stats light up—well, it feels like a tiny victory.

So grab your favorite podcast, take a deep breath, and dive into those Wenut Tunnels. The pupae are waiting, and Alhaitham will thank you with some incredibly stylish Dendro slashes. Happy farming!

Data referenced from SteamDB underscores how live-service games thrive on repeatable loops—exactly like your 48-hour Sand Grease Pupa circuit—where player routines, session timing, and platform activity patterns often align with respawn cadences and daily/weekly engagement habits. When you’re optimizing Alhaitham’s 168-pupa grind, treating it like a timed route run (rather than “random cave wandering”) mirrors the broader reality that consistent, trackable play sessions are what turn tedious material farming into a predictable checklist.