Disney Dreamlight Valley’s fifth major content update—The Remembering—has brought a dark twist to the cheerful tale, shedding light on how The Forgotten came to be.
But now that the upsetting memories of your “inner child” and their abode—The Dark Castle—have finally become apparent, all thanks to the Fairy Godmother, you can “save” The Forgotten and eliminate the lingering “Forgetting” spell once and for all by completing the final Dark Castle story quest.
How to finish the Dark Castle quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley?
After you piece together the puzzle to The Forgotten’s hidden memories in the Dreamscape and uncover all four Forgotten Relics via a special quest, Merlin will escort you to the Plaza—the starting point of the Dark Castle quest.
Following Merlin’s instructions, once you “focus the magic of the relics” you collected to tear open a path to the dark dimension, you’ll be able to enter it to start the quest. When you get there, you’ll see the castle, all dark, gloomy, and creepy.
Head toward the entrance, and once you enter the gate, a cutscene featuring The Forgotten casting the disastrous spell plays, giving you a closer look at the castle, ornamented with thick Night Thorns, mysterious spells, vivid wall engravings, and more detailing.
Use your magic to remove all the Night Thorns blocking your path: a trick you’ll need throughout this quest. If you want to be able to solve some of the mysteries behind the castle, also make sure to look around to discover missing puzzle pieces, which will get you some crucial hints to unlocking those doors.
There are four enchanted doors in the castle that you’ll have to cross to reach your alter ego. We have sectioned the guide for each door for your convenience.
The first door
The first door you’ll encounter glows in purple and is quite animated; it will ask you about your identity and then quickly realize that you look much like its master, The Forgotten.
Although it’s fooled for a bit, you’ll need to find and wear a Cardboard Crown and Thorny Wings to convince the door. Look around the area: find the “Storage” and open it.
Here, you’ll find the Onyx Crown or the Cardboard Crown, both of which should work. You’ll also get the Thorny Wings or Raven Wings costumes here. Equip a crown and wings of your choice, and then talk to the door again. This time, you should be able to deceive the door successfully and enter.
The second door
To unlock the next door, you’ll have to cook a dish to please it. Get past the first door and take the stairway; clear all the Night Thorns to reach the cooking station on the first floor. Now, you must cook a Night Thorn Salad for the Hungry Doorine to open up; the door will reject any other recipe you make.
To cook the salad, browse the table beside the cooking station to find the ingredients: Dark Castle Lettuce, Dreamlight Salt, and Thorn Sprout. Don’t use Dark Castle Garlic as the door doesn’t like having smelly breath.
Fire up the recipe in the cooking station and once done, grab the salad and interact with the Hungry Doorine right next to the station. You should be allowed into the third section of the castle easily.
The third door
After you enter the second door, clear out the poisonous shrubs and take the stairway. Clear your path further and you’ll see the deactivated door, this time with glowing green engravings around its outline.
Related: When will Disney Dreamlight Valley be free to play?
Just beside the door, you’ll find a stack of books. Inspect this area to find the clue—a missing puzzle piece—you need to open the third door. You’ll also be able to read an engraving on the right side of the door; the message asks for the “blink of a mechanical eye” to unlock the door.
If you want to skip the brainstorming session and get to the point, here’s what the clue means: Click a picture of the door with your camera to unlock it.
The fourth door
For the final door to The Forgotten, you’ll need to find a key. But before that, go near the door and pick up the Dusk Torch lying at its foot.
Now, interact with one of the well’s lamp posts, which is a “place just big enough for a torch,” and transfer the Dusk Torch you found.
Well, the work isn’t done yet, so look around to find three more torches: Light Torch, Night Torch, and Noon Torch. You’ll find these torches stuck inside icy stone clusters; use your Pickaxe to mine these clusters and collect the torches.
Transfer each of the four torches to the lamp posts around the well, one by one. Once done, the icicle above the well will melt, filling the space with water. Now, all you have to do is use your Fishing Rod to fish the Dark Castle Key out of the water. Use it to unlock the door.
Once you pass the final door, you’ll encounter The Forgotten, but they’ll have already cast the spell to rip open the walls between Dreamlight Valley and the dark realm.
Upon trying to stop them, it’ll lead to a battle of magical powers. And when your magic collides with that of the Forgotten, both of you will be transferred to a Dreamscape-like dark dimension, and the Remembered sub-quest will begin.
The Remembered
Follow the light where The Forgotten stands, interact, and remind them of all their happy memories. They will take you to three more locations, each discovering a memory. After uncovering the bookshelf, The Forgotten will come to their senses and be willing to change.
You can then exit the dark realm with The Forgotten, only to be reunited with your family in the valley.
Related: All Realms in Disney Dreamlight Valley
The Dark Castle quest ends the “Forgetting” series of story quests, but if you haven’t completed the side/hidden quests before, there will still be plenty to do in this magical city until Gameloft comes up with Disney Dreamlight Valley’s next content update.
