The Moonlit Forest is filled with rare ores and hidden treasure chests to discover as you explore Starsand Island. It isn’t an area you can avoid, as it’s full of resources to help you progress. Just watch out for the dangerous creatures guarding some of the areas!
If you are looking for specific ore or plants, or are having trouble beating the Ruin Guard, the walkthrough below can help. Here is everything you need to know as you wander through the Moonlit Forest, and eventually unlock the rare and beautiful Luna Deer mount.
How To Unlock The Moonlit Forest
The Moonlit Forest entrance is behind your first home on Starsand Island, and is blocked off to begin with, by a large, broken, stone door with weak spots.
Accessing the Moonlit Forest is part of the Explorer Profession, which you start after speaking to Zephyria. He gives you a slingshot blueprint and some ammo, so you can craft your own slingshot using 2 Softwood and 2 Fiber.
After slinging ammo at the golden weak spots of the blockage, you can enter the Moonlit Forest.
In the very first area here, before you enter the Moonlit Forest, you can find some Midnight Herb and Copper Ore, and the portal to the first Moonlit Forest section.
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Evernight Forest
When you first enter the Moonlit Forest, you get to the first area, named the Evernight Forest. Here you will have your first camp, with rocks blocking one way and large, glowing mushrooms to the right.
Head towards the large mushrooms, mining and gathering resources as you go. You can find:
- Fluorite
- Tin
- Copper
- Quartz
- Midnight Herb
- Moondew Shroom
- Mirthshroom
- Twilight Succulent
- Celeb Moth
- Green Firefly
The Evernight Forest has a few different ores and plants to gather, plus some orange Gravecrystals, which you’ll need to break down to release the Gravestars. These cute little spirits will help you unlock the gate further on.
As you follow the Gravestar, repair the broken bridge using 15 Stone, and move onto the next area.
Gate Of Life
At the Gate of Life, fix the Moonweaver with 5 Fluorite to activate the camp. The Gravestar will float to the blocked gate to the right, but it looks like you need to find two more Gravecrystals to finish unlocking the Gate Of Life.
Luckily, one is right outside the gate, to the right of your camp. The other is down the path to the left of the camp, past the large tree and on the grassy rocks near the right side of this area.
Here are the other resources you can find here:
- Fluorite
- Tin
- Copper
- Quartz
- Midnight Herb
- Moondew Shroom
- Mirthshroom
- Twilight Succulent
- Red Firefly
- Moonflower
- Celeb Moth
In the open area of this space is a Runebird, which you’ll have to defeat using your slingshot. You can also use your pickaxe to break the blockage here that leads back to the Evernight Forest.
After breaking the Gravecrystal to release the spirit, go back to the Gate of Life and head through. Before you can proceed to the next area, you encounter another roadblock, but this one requires an Impulse Pickaxe to break through.
Go to the workbench at the nearest camp and craft yourself an Impulse Pickaxe using 10 Copper, 10 Fluorite, 5 Softwood, 5 Quartz and 1 Pickaxe. If you haven’t acquired the blueprint yet, you’ll have to go back to Starsand Town and buy it at the General Store.
Dreamfall Garden
Jump across the bubbles to get to the Dreamfall Garden camp. Activate it with 5 Fluorite, so you can return here any time.
Don’t forget to find the chest behind the waterfall and take the treasure map to find another chest nearby.
This area provides new resources, and some familiar ones:
- Copper
- Fluorite
- Quartz
- Coal
- Tin
- Iron
- Salt
- Sunveil Shroom
- Mirthshroom
- Moondew Shroom
- Moonflower
- Twilight Succulent
- Luminwing Butterfly
Use your slingshot to break the weakspots in the broken gate and go through to the other side. There is a Luminfrog here, which will attack as soon as he sees you. Take him out with a few slingshot hits.
To activate the bridge, you’ll need to catch some Luminwing Butterflies with a Bug Net. You can craft a net on the workbench at the camp nearby, using 2 Softwood and 2 Fiber.
Explore further by using the two ladders to the left of the Luminpath that lead to a chest and additional ore.
At the top of the Luminpath is another area full of ore and plants. Gather all you can, and then head up to find the first boss: Crystalith.
Crystalith Boss
The Crystalith boss is a huge golum type of creature with an orange glowing abdomen. A few times during the fight, the Crystalith will try to draw power from the crystal in the center. Take this opportunity to hit it in its weak spot to do double damage.
The Crystalith has two attacks: a boulder throw and a smash that sends a ripple of damage-dealing tides toward you. Both are easy to avoid if you keep moving and always watch what the boss is doing.
Don’t leave the area, or the boss will respawn with full health.
Once defeated, the boss will drop a chest, and the door will open to the next area.
Crystalith Hideout
This area has another camp to activate, and a large gate that will open automatically as soon as you approach. You can also find the usual resources here:
- Fluorite
- Gold
- Tin
- Copper
- Quartz
- Iron
- Sunveil Shrooms
- Moondew Shrooms
- Midnight Herb
- Hydrangea
- Moonflower
- Red Fireflies
To the left of the large gate is a huge purple mushroom. Under this mushroom is a Gravecrystal to hit and release a Gravestar. As you continue on, there is another Gravecrystal on your right, and the third is under a giant mushroom a little further on to the left.
These three Gravestars will reveal a chest under the first large mushroom. After opening it up, carry on to the next camp.
Azure Bay
This new camp has some new ores to extract, and some of the previous offerings. There is a blocked-off spot opposite the camp, but that will be unblocked later. Here’s what you can find when you explore:
- Primorite
- Fluorite
- Iron
- Tin
- Twilight Succulent
- Blue Sleep Lily
- Pink Sleep Lily
- Yellow Sleep Lily
- Hydrangea
- Sunveil Shroom
- Moondew Shroom
- Mirthshroom
As you head up the path from the camp, there is a river and waterfall to your left, with a bubble floating nearby. Use your slingshot to hit the bubble and then open the chest that falls. Go further up the path and onto the ledge under the large glowing mushroom to find a fairy ring of different colored Sleep Lilies. Harvest them all to reveal another surprise.
There is another Luminfrog to defeat at the top of the path, and some bubbles to jump across to reach the other side. Before you do this, jump down into the river below and go to the elevator. Open the chest to receive the Left Ruin Key.
Interact with the elevator pillar to call the elevator and return to the top to find the Mural Valley camp. To the right of the camp is a Gravecrystal to break open. As you go up, you can see a Gravecrystal on the cliffside. You’ll have to stand on it to mine it.
Mural Valley
Left of the Mural Valley camp is a pathway leading to another Gravecrystal situated up high. Break it open to help the Gravestar escape. Those three spirits will open a chest that you can find if you go across the log from that last Gravecrystal.
This area has all the resources the previous area had, plus a large door that you can only unlock if you have two keys.Primorite
- Magnetite
- Gold
- Fluorite
- Quartz
- Twilight Succulent
- Midnight Herb
- Moondew Shroom
- Mirthshroom
- Sunveil Shroom
- Hydrangea
- Red Firefly
- Green Firefly
- Celeb Moth
One of those keys you found in the chest by the waterfall, the other is obtained from Zephyria after completing the Intermediate Explorer Certificate.
Once you have both keys, you can open the door which leads to the next boss. There is also a path to the left that you can unblock, leading to the camp.
Glintortle Boss
This adorable giant turtle will do some serious damage if you aren’t careful. It has a few different ways of attacking you, from waves of powerful water to shooting bubbles.
As with the Crystalith, you’ll need to keep moving and watch out for weakspots. After a dizzying attack, the Glintortle will be dazed, and you can use this to your advantage.
His weak spot is on the top of his shell, which glows to show you when to hit it. Hit it there for extra DP, and when it’s dazed for double damage.
After defeating this boss, the next section of the forest requires Water and Fire Arrows, so make sure to complete the Exploration Certificate quests to continue.
Harvest Yard
This last section of the Moonlit Forest has some important high-rarity ore to collect:
- Oilstone
- Flamecore
- Diamond
- Primorite
This entire area can only be explored if you have Water and Fire Arrows. Use a Fire Arrow to remove the tree root blocking the door, and then activate the camp, so you won’t have to defeat Glintortle every time you want to come through.
Use a Water Arrow on the chopped root so it grows and creates a path to the other side. There are two Gravestars to release to get the water wheel working. They are both stuck in bubbles nearby.
Once they are free, you can get the water wheel to work using ore you have collected, and make your way to the top to Grain Haven, or to the bottom to Darkwater Shore, where there is not much more than a camp and a fishing spot.
Grain Haven, Homeward Trail, Serenity’s Rest, Moonlight Meadow
Activate the camp and then make your way up and then down some steps, along the tree root and to the left to find a Runebird. Keep going through the ruins to find Gold, Primorite, and Oilstone, and some plants like Midnight Herb.
Keep activating camps as you go through, and mining the resources that appear. There is nothing new in these areas except the Mirage Sunflower, so keep collecting and mining!
This entire section is basically just a run through ruins to get to the Ruin Guard final boss. After the Homeward Trail camp, you enter a large space with wooden scaffolding and some scattered resources. Head through the open door on the right and go up the wooden paths.Follow the path all the way up to the next camp, Serenity’s Rest. Head out of the camp, down a ladder to another Runebird. You can just avoid him and run past if you want.
When you follow the wooden paths down to the lower level, you’ll find Moonstone and Aurorite with some Flamecore. Opposite this area is a puzzle.
Light each pillar with a Fire Arrow to open the chest at the end and create a path to the final camp, Moonlight Meadow, where you can find Echo Bean plants.
Ruin Guard Boss
This final boss is the toughest of them all, with four different moves that he can attack you with. Thankfully, they are predictable and easy to avoid if you keep your distance.
Use any moment when the Ruin Guard is dazed from a large attack to deal double damage, and hit his weak spot as he performs his attacks.
The trick is to be far enough away to have time to aim and fire at the Ruin Guard as he tries to fire his shots. See where he is about to fire, run to the side, aim and fire.
His attacks go as follows:
- Throws an ore
- Spin attack as he moves towards you
- Fire lazer
- Green energy pulse
- Floral area of attack that follows you as you run
As soon as you can figure out how to avoid each one and then understand that he performs each one in turn, you can beat him easily. If you only have pellets or stones, it will take you a long time, however, so make sure to bring plenty of arrows.
You may get hit once or twice, so also bring some Grilled Chicken Wings or other HP foods with you. After he is defeated for the first time, you will unlock the stunning Luna Deer mount, which is yours to keep for the rest of the game.
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