Darkwater Shore

Overview

The Darkwater Shore is a small but important zone in the deeper sections of the Moonlit Forest dungeon. It sits at the bottom of the waterwheel structure, next to a lake at the base of a cliff. The zone serves primarily as a resource farming hub for quest-critical plants and as a unique fishing location. Despite its compact size, Darkwater Shore plays an important role in the Explorer profession questline because it is packed with Eldergrain and Echobeans needed for the Senior Explorer certification.

How to Reach Darkwater Shore

Darkwater Shore is deep in the Moonlit Forest, requiring significant progression through earlier zones. The full path to reach it is:

1. Evernight Forest and Gate of Life (entry zone; free 3 Gravestars).

2. Dreamfall Garden (catch 5 Luminwing Butterflies for the Luminpath).

3. Crystalith boss fight.

4. Crystalith Hideout and Azure Bay (obtain Left and Right Ruin Keys).

5. Mural Valley.

6. Glintortle boss fight (obtain Water Arrow and Fire Arrow blueprints).

7. Harvest Yard (burn tree roots with Fire Arrow to enter).

8. Repair the waterwheel with 5 Primorite, 5 Magnetite, 5 Gold, and 1 Waterwheel Bearing.

9. Ride the waterwheel down to Darkwater Shore.

There is also an alternative route: from the Grain Haven area near a wooden platform by the bridge, you can drop off the cliff into the lake below and land next to Darkwater Shore.

The Waterwheel Puzzle

The waterwheel is located in the Harvest Yard and is a bidirectional elevator. It takes you up to Grain Haven or down to Darkwater Shore. Repairing it is one of the more involved puzzles in the dungeon.

Materials Required

Repair Steps

1. Enter the Harvest Yard by using a Fire Arrow to burn the tree roots blocking the entrance.

2. Activate the Harvest Yard camp.

3. Shoot a Water Arrow at a chopped root stump to grow a vine bridge path forward.

4. Free two Gravestars trapped in bubbles near the waterwheel. They travel back to the Harvest Yard's stone bridge, unlocking the waterwheel gears.

5. Return to Zephyria on the main island and start the Senior Explorer trial. She gives you the Waterwheel Bearing.

6. Gather 5 Primorite, 5 Magnetite, and 5 Gold from the Moonlit Forest.

7. Feed all materials into the waterwheel mechanism to repair it.

8. Ride the waterwheel up to Grain Haven, or press the button to reverse direction and ride down to Darkwater Shore.

Magnetite Farming

Magnetite is the hardest material to obtain. It does not drop from standard mining nodes. The two methods are:

• Dig up Soil Mounds found near Spiritshade River in the deeper forest. Run the resulting Uncommon Ore Chunks through your Ore Analyzer at home. Magnetite is one of several possible outputs, so multiple trips may be needed.

• Mine translucent white-colored deposits in the Glintortle boss arena using an Impact Hammer or better.

Glintortle Boss

The Glintortle is the second major boss of the Moonlit Forest. Its arena is between Mural Valley and the Harvest Yard, so it must be defeated before you can access the waterwheel and Darkwater Shore.

• Keep moving constantly. Jump over waves.

• Do not attack during the spinning phase; focus entirely on running.

• Wait for the Glintortle to become dazed after a major attack, then unload on the glowing crystal.

• Deploy Sentry Bots for additional passive damage.

Resources

Quest Plants

Darkwater Shore is the primary farming location for two quest-critical plants needed for the Senior Explorer certification:

Both plants are gathered by hand. After collecting them, bring them to Youfang at the temple near Cloudrest Lake, then report back to Zephyria to advance the Explorer questline.

Other Resources

All resources in the Moonlit Forest regenerate daily, so Darkwater Shore can be farmed repeatedly for Eldergrain and other materials.

Fishing: Green Swordtail

Darkwater Shore has one fishing spot: the small pond at the bottom of the waterwheel. The signature catch here is the Green Swordtail.

This is one of only two fishing spots in the entire Moonlit Forest (the other is at Dreamfall Garden). See the Bait Guide for detailed bait information.

Campsite

Darkwater Shore has one campsite requiring 5 Fluorite to activate its Damaged Moonweaver. The camp provides a tent, campfire, and Workbench. Once activated, it is a fast-travel point to other Moonlit Forest camps and the overworld.

Treasure Chests

• At least one chest is located near the Darkwater Shore campsite.

• Another chest sits next to the lake at the bottom of the waterwheel.

• Additional chests in the adjacent Harvest Yard area (numbered #28 to #30 in some guides) may require breaking Gravecrystals or defeating Runebirds to access.

The Moonlit Forest contains 47 treasure chests in total across all zones.

Progression

Darkwater Shore is an optional detour off the main path. After gathering resources and fishing, return to the waterwheel and ride it up to Grain Haven to continue deeper into the dungeon. The remaining zones leading to the final boss are:

Tips

• Collect Eldergrain and Echobeans during your first visit. Both are needed for the Senior Explorer quest and respawn daily if you need more.

• The waterwheel button reverses direction. If it went up last time, press the button to send it down to Darkwater Shore.

• Bring extra pickaxes for mining runs. The surrounding Harvest Yard area contains high-tier ores like Oilstone, Flamecore, and Diamond.

• Magnetite is the biggest bottleneck for the waterwheel repair. Start farming Uncommon Ore Chunks and processing them at the Ore Analyzer early.

• The Green Swordtail accepts all bait types, so use whatever you have on hand.

• Darkwater Shore has no documented enemies, making it a safe zone for relaxed resource farming and fishing.

• Use the Darkwater Shore camp as a fast-travel anchor for repeated farming trips to the deep Moonlit Forest.