A sculk-heavy zone in the End that gets more dangerous the farther you go

The End currently feels pretty empty and desolate, with large open spaces between the islands. This actually makes it one of the better places in the game for a Warden-based area to exist.

The Warden needs a lot of space to hunt and spread sculk effectively. The End’s open layout and separated islands would give it room to create its own ecosystem without being cramped by dense terrain or constant player activity. The void gaps between islands could also act as natural barriers, keeping the sculk influence contained to certain areas instead of spreading everywhere.

One way this could work is if there was a zone where sculk gradually takes over the farther you travel. Close to the entrance it would be mostly normal End terrain, but the farther out you go, the more sculk appears and spreads. This could happen because the Warden’s sonic boom kills things from range, and those deaths trigger sculk catalysts over time.

This kind of zone would also connect physically with Ancient Cities through the central portal. Ancient Cities already have large open structures and areas built around sculk, so the portal could act as a direct link into a similar but new environment in the End.

This would make the End feel less empty while still respecting how isolated and desolate it currently is. It mostly uses mechanics that already exist, so it wouldn’t require a bunch of new systems.