Hello everyone! In this tutorial, we will continue to introduce new locations in Stardew Valley Expanded (SVE) and mainly focus on how to meet Lance, unlock the Highlands, and obtain the Diamond Wand.
To the right of the Adventurer’s Guild, there is a small boat at this location that can only be accessed by completing a quest. Heading to Ginger Island Volcano will trigger a cutscene where we meet Lance, a new NPC added in SVE and a marriage candidate.
Lance tells us that there was once a huge dwarf kingdom here, and informs us that we can use the forge behind him to enchant weapons and tools, as well as forge rings with divine attributes.
The next morning, when leaving the farm house between 6 AM and 10 AM, we will encounter Lance, who compliments our farm. He came to tell us that Marlon needs a battle mage, and Lance decides to join Marlon’s Adventurer’s Guild. Since he is often away on business, Lance gives us his schedule.
We need to reach a two-heart friendship level with Lance, then leave the farm house to meet Marlon, who tells us to find him at the Guild. We then head to the Adventurer’s Guild, where Marlon informs us that Lance has an outpost in the Northern Highlands. The small boat next to the Guild can take us there.
Marlon says we need to collect monster loot to use the boat, including 100 Void Essences, 80 Solar Essences, 50 Slime Mud, 40 Bat Wings, and 30 Bug Meats. We hand over the collected items to Marlon.
The next day, when leaving the farm house, we meet Marlon, who tells us to find him at the Guild’s dock. At the dock, Marlon says it’s going to be a long journey.
We then sail with Marlon to the Highlands, where he tells us Lance’s outpost is at the top of the stairs. After arriving at the outpost with Marlon, we meet Lance, who welcomes us and invites us inside to discuss matters.
Lance introduces the outpost, explaining that he conducts research here and has discovered that the monsters in the area are quite unique. Their dropped seeds have unusual arcane properties when matured. Marlon tells Lance that we are farming experts, and Lance acknowledges this, sharing knowledge gained from his research.
Lance says we can obtain strange crop seeds by hunting monsters in the Highlands. These seeds can also be cultivated into crops. We can then reach the Highlands by boat.
Upon arriving, we meet Lance, who admits he lacks the skill to grow monster crops. He tells us there are four types of monster crop seeds and believes we are well-suited for the task. He says monsters won’t nest near magical flames, so we can take refuge at the outpost. Lance also gives us a box of Life Elixirs. We need to collect four types of monster crops for Lance.
By defeating Slimes in the Highland Forest, we can obtain Slime Seeds to plant in the spring, maturing in 13 days. Defeating Wilderness Golems in the Highland Forest yields Monster Stem Seeds for summer planting, maturing in 25 days . By defeating Dust Sprites in the Highland Ruins, we can obtain Fungus Seeds to plant in the fall, maturing in 13 days. Defeating Shadow Brutes in the Highland Caves provides Void Seeds for winter planting, maturing in 8 days.
Planting Slime Seeds yields Slime Berries, Monster Stem Seeds produce Monster Fruit, Fungus Seeds give Monster Mushrooms, and Void Seeds result in Void Roots. We deliver each type of monster crop to Lance.
These four monster crops are also essential items to sell for completing all the shipping achievements in SVE and for achieving 100% progress in the game.
The next day, when leaving the farm house, we meet Lance, who tells us he has been researching the monster crops we provided. He also mentions that there is a treasure chest at the Highland outpost, which he discovered in a distant dungeon.
We then head to the Highland outpost, where we find the treasure chest. Upon opening it, we obtain the Diamond Wand, an 84-level sword with strong knockback power. However, its usefulness seems limited, and I generally don’t use it.
That concludes our tutorial on meeting Lance, unlocking the Highlands, and obtaining the Diamond Wand in Stardew Valley Expanded. Happy farming, and good luck in your adventures!