Getting Started
Welcome to Disney Dreamlight Valley! The gameplay in Disney Dreamlight Valley is very open-ended, allowing players to choose what activity they'd like to focus on. Aside from story quests most gameplay is non-linear, and players can choose to spend time Gardening, Cooking, Mining, Foraging, gift giving, completing Friendship quests, or collecting clothing and furniture to decorate.
Character Creation
- Main article: The Player
The character creator screen determines what your characters appearance, body shape, hair, and initial clothing will be. Appearance can be changed in-game at anytime at no cost, but other clothing must be collected
- Not all hairstyles in the character creator are available to immediately switch to - some must be purchased if not selected as well. It's better to select a character-themed hairstyle at character creation and switch in-game later as you'll retain an 'extra' hairstyle for free when beginning the game.
- There are 15 initial appearances, but these are just base styles to start from and can be completely customized in the creator or in-game.
- Body type and shape can effect how clothing appears on the character - but these options can be changed later in-game as well.
- The name selected at character creation cannot be changed
Controls
- Main article: Controls
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Movement | |
| W A S D ⇧ ⇦ ⇩ ⇨ |
W⇧ Move Up A⇦ Move Left S⇩ Move Down D⇨ Move Right |
| Actions | |
| E | Interact |
| Camera | |
| Mouse Movement | Reposition Camera |
| K | Center Camera Behind Player |
| Tools | |
| Tab | Tool Wheel |
| 1 | Hands Free |
| 2 | Watering Can |
| 3 | Shovel |
| 4 | Fishing Rod |
| 5 | Pickaxe |
| 6 | Camera |
| Spacebar, Right Click |
Use Tool |
Menu Windows
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Q,E | Previous, Next Menu Tab |
| U | Dreamlight |
| I | Inventory |
| O | Collection |
| F | Furniture |
| L | Quests |
| V | Wardrobe |
| B | Show "Hang Out" Companion Bonus |
| M | Map |
| T | Fast Travel (While in Map) |
| F | Map Filters (While in Map) |
Time
- Main article: Time
Time in Dreamlight Valley is synced with the player's real world local time (after completing a few initial quests). The game world will mirror the time conditions in the player's world so during the day the sun will be out, and in the evening it will be darker. Because the game clock is synced to real time, some characters are not available to engage at certain times, as they may be sleeping.
Tip: Because it takes time for crops to grow, resources to respawn, and Scrooge's Store and Critters to reset, it is more efficient to play for several shorter periods spread out over time than a single long session.
Quests
- Main article: Quests
Quests are objectives given by villagers which progress the story, reward Friendship and can unlock new characters.
They're tracked in the Quests tab in the pause menu, and can be tracked on-screen by selecting them there.
Tip: Always hang out with a villager while doing activities to passively increase their Friendship and unlock new Friendship Quests. Villagers receive a hang out bonus that grants additional Friendship and bonus resources when doing an activity that matches their role.
The Player House
- Main article: Player's House
Inside the player's house there will be a storage chest and some old looking furniture. This can be immediately redecorated and rearranged by opening the inventory and selecting 'Furniture' in the right tab menu.
In furniture edit mode all objects can be moved, taken from/added to inventory and rotated. Additional furniture can be purchased from Scrooge's Store, found in chests, and rewarded from reaching Friendship levels with villagers. Inside the furniture edit mode the flooring and wallpaper inside the house can also be changed.
Tip: Energy can be restored by entering the Player's House without needing to eat.
Currency
- Main article: Currency
Currency is earned in a variety of ways, and different currencies can be used to buy and unlock different things in-game.
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Star Coins | Star coins are the primary currency earned from selling crops and resources. They're used to unlock villager's houses, upgrade the player's house, upgrade shops like Scrooge's Store, Chez Remy, and Goofy's Stall, as well as upgrade resource points like Moana's Boat and WALL-E's Garden. Star Coins can be earned by selling goods to Goofy's Stalls and are the currency used to buy all furniture and clothing at Scrooge's Store. |
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Dreamlight | Dreamlight is rewarded when completing tasks in the Dreamlight Menu. Tasks have specific requirements, and must be redeemed to collect Dreamlight. Dreamlight is used to unlock new area and realms. Inside the Dream Castle each door requires Dreamlight to open, and each biome also requires Dreamlight to clear the thorns blocking the pathway to enter. |
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Moonstones | Moonstones are the game's premium currency. They can be used to purchase in-game cosmetic items in the Premium Shop or to unlock premium event tracks, which reward exclusive items during Events. Moonstones are purchasable using real-life money on all platforms. |
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Event Currency | Event currency is limited time currency awarded when completing event specific tasks. This currency can only be redeemed during the current event to collect rewards, and after an event ends is no longer available and reset for the next event. |
Tip: Look for the Daily Moonstone Chest every day to collect 50 Moonstones. Focus on repeatable Dreamlight tasks to make enough Dreamlight to unlock new areas.
Earning Income
Earning income is done by completing activities. Fishing, Gardening, Foraging, and Mining all allow the player to collect resources which can be sold to Goofy for coins. Harvested crops and gathered ingredients can be refined into cooked meals which will sell for more than the ingredients would alone.
Tip: While it is tempting to sell resources such as Hardwood or Iron Ore for extra coins, doing so will slow down Quest progression because completing the various Friendship Quests require large amounts of these resources. Instead, focus on growing and selling cash crops such as Carrots, Canola, or Pumpkins.
Energy
- Main article: Energy
Energy is a resource represented by a blue cloud icon. It's tracked in a blue/yellow bar under the player experience bar, and depletes each time the player performs an action - such as watering, digging, planting, mining, clearing thorns or fishing.
Energy can be restored by entering the player's house or by eating food - either raw ingredients or cooked meals (which can buff Energy level past the blue bars maximum represented by a yellow bar over the blue).
Tip: Meals can be cooked for free using the unlimited ingredients in the Ratatouille Realm. While the ingredients and meals cannot be removed from the Ratatouille Realm, they can be eaten inside the realm to restore Energy or obtain the Well Fed Bonus which will carry over into the Valley upon leaving the Realm. It is possible to fast travel to the Ratatouille Realm from anywhere in the Valley by clicking on the Dream Castle icon on the Map of the Valley. It is therefore highly recommended to unlock the Ratatouille Realm first.
Scrooge's Store
- Main article: Scrooge's Store
Scrooge's Store is a large furniture and clothing store operated by Scrooge McDuck. It's opened early in the game during the quest Making Cents of Things.
After opening the store its stock will change daily. The store can also be upgraded using the upgrade sign outside to add more space and open access to larger sized items/goods.
Purchasing clothing from the store will remove it from rotation - it won't appear for sale again. Furniture has a chance to appear again, even after purchasing - and once collected furniture can be ordered from Scrooge directly by asking him to browse his catalog.
Events
- Main article: Events
There are limited time events which offer unique rewards - including exclusive furniture, clothing, companion pets and motifs. The current event details can be viewed in the Event tab of the pause menu.
Events have their own tasks to complete, and completing tasks will award event specific currency which can be exchanged for prizes during the event. After the event ends there's a short period when currency can still be exchanged for prizes, but can no longer be earned.