Part of the nostalgic magic of Disney Dreamlight Valley is the expansive world of the Valley itself. Spanning eight unique biomes, there is a lot to see and do if you want to max out your friendships and rid the village of those creepy Night Thorns.
The biomes hold various attributes specific to each one. Feeding the shy turtles of Dazzle Beach is a lovely way to spend the morning before you go mushroom-picking in the swampy flora of the Glade Of Trust, but which biome is the most special? Here's a look at all eight, so you can decide for yourself.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is currently in early access. The information in this list is liable to change as the game changes alongside it.
8/8 The Plaza
There's nothing wrong with The Plaza at all. It's the perfect introduction to Dreamlight Valley, featuring Uncle Scrooge's store and Mickey's house, all while holding a lot of potential to become something magical. The Plaza is overlooked by the sweeping turrets of the Enchanted Castle, and you'll be spending a lot of time here in those early hours after you first load into the game. It also features your house. Run-down and desperately in need of some TLC, it's your private oasis to decorate and expand upon to your heart's content.
You can even start feeding the critters from day one - and man, do those squirrels love them some apples.
The central location of The Plaza makes it a great early headquarters. It's a shame we can't move our house to other biomes after unlocking them - especially since purchasing the Magic Well upgrades in each area will allow you to fast-travel across the map from anywhere, thereby doing away with the need to have a central base camp.
However, there is still a lot to love here. Fans of Ratatouille especially will take delight in restoring Remy's restaurant, something that opens up a lot of culinary doors for you and will let you progress through Friendship Quests even faster.
7/8 Peaceful Meadow
Meandering down toward the coast, you'll pass through the idyllic Peaceful Meadow. Fans of fishing will spend lots of time slinging their hook in search of aquatic goodies in the three ponds, and you'll be able to unlock Goofy's Store. Just be sure you've collected your fishing rod first.
These are the only two biomes available in the early section of the game, so to unlock Dazzle Beach or the neighboring Glade Of Trust, you need to work through some active quest lines and visit other Realms from the locked doors in the Enchanted Castle.
All in all, the meadow is a beautiful patch of grass. Aesthetically, it doesn't differ too much from The Plaza, but it provides plenty of opportunities to build friendships as well as your coffers. Try mining for new gemstones and selling them to Goofy for a pretty penny, or gift them to your friends to bump up your relationship with them.
6/8 Forest Of Valor
Shades of woodsy green and brown provide a lush backdrop for your journey as you venture through the Forest Of Valor. Here is where we first meet Kristoff and can start working through his missions, as well as start collecting new ingredients, flowers, and crafting materials.
Finally, we see a different side to the village. The towering pines seem to whisper to one another as you move between them, pointing to a dark secret yet to be uncovered even as you hand out blueberries to the shy raccoons that live here. It provides a welcome first taste of darkness in what could be described as a bubbly, sun-kissed land of nothing but joy - and it paves the way for plenty more chills yet to come.
5/8 Glade Of Trust
The Glade Of Trust is a swampy gem nestled just off the coast of Dazzle Beach. While it might hold similarities to the Forest in terms of the verdant green flora and fauna, you'll discover entirely new creatures and items in the Glade. It is also the home of everyone's favourite gaslighting queen, Mother Gothel.
The level design here is stunning. Drooping tendrils from the weeping willows languish in the afternoon sun as a gushing waterfall spills out into the ocean, with small crocodiles scuttling about your ankles. They hide behind stray boulders and patches of mushrooms as you pick your way through the marshlands, and you can almost smell the damp mossy air from your laptop screen.
What's more, it's a great place to collect clay and iron ore for those more crafting-heavy friendship quests. What's not to love?
4/8 Sunlit Plateau
Dusty terrain bleeds into surprising greenery in Sunlit Plateau. The atmosphere here is wholly unique, offering the arid plains of The Lion King just a stone's throw away from the bustle of The Plaza. Beautiful sunbirds flit about and welcome a tasty snack of bromeliads or houseleek flowers, and you can finally start mining for gold nuggets once you unlock this beautiful biome. The only thing it lacks is a herd of gazelle drinking from the river to truly round off the aesthetic.
Traipsing through the Elephant Graveyard, we already know Scar is due to make an appearance in the Valley. It's just a matter of time before the devs invest even more detail into an already iconic biome that stands out from the crowd for its singular blend of the unnerving and the mellow.
3/8 Dazzle Beach
Rolling dunes and crystaline waters welcome you as you mosey on down to Dazzle Beach. There are many important main quests to be carried out here once you unlock it, but there's plenty to do even after you return the Orb to its rightful place. A large biome covering the village's coastline, you'll spend a lot of time scouring the shores for shellfish to feed the sea turtles and doing Ursula the sea witch's dark bidding - and, later on, you'll be welcoming Ariel back home.
Charming, calm, and peppered with delicious coconuts, it's a literal sea of calm amidst the chaos. Change into some summery threads and pretend you're dozing on the soft sand; there's nowhere else in Dreamlight Valley quite like Dazzle Beach.
2/8 Frozen Heights
The ice never thaws at Frozen Heights, which is just as well because it's such a visual delight. Perched high above the Forest and The Plaza, its refreshing flashes of blue and white are a cooling palate-cleanser after scurrying around the other biomes.
Get dolled up in your best Frozen finery or bundle up in a puffer jacket before chasing foxes, fishing for freshwater crabs, or picking some blooming passion lilies to gift to your friends. You can almost taste the morning frost as you mine for amethyst crystals, and you know that Elsa will never stray far from the wintry chill that envelops this biome in a constant sleepy blanket. If only there were more ponds to fish at, however, since it can take quite some time to find the rare sea creatures up here.
1/8 Forgotten Lands
Spooky, mysterious, and bubbling with untapped mystery, Forgotten Lands is by far the most unique and special of the eight biomes.
It's probably the last one you will unlock, costing a whopping 15,000 Dreamlight to clear the thorny barricade that leads up to it from the Plateau, but it is well worth the investment. A thin bluish mist encases the dark terrain, with unquenchable neon-green flames erupting from the desiccated earth. You'll be able to collect Darkwood here in the Forgotten Lands - a material you can't find anywhere else in the village - and we already know that Ravens will soon be added to the Lands as your critter of choice.
Twisted tree trunks crowd your vision as you head to mining spots to unearth diamonds and crystals, and a mysteriously vacant (for now) pumpkin house sits right on the fringes of it all. Who could be living here? Hopefully, we will find out soon enough as more content gets added.
We don't know too much about this beautiful late-game biome just yet, but one thing's for sure: you can't have a story without a bad guy, and you certainly can't have Dreamlight Valley without a few nightmares thrown in for good measure.
