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, cultivate veritable fields of crops, and rid the village of those creepy Night Thorns.

The biomes hold various attributes specific to each one, and each subscribes to a well-worn environmental trope. 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 eleven, so you can decide for yourself.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is constantly evolving, with more regular content updates than even the most hardened Disney fan would know what to do with. The information in this list is liable to change as the game changes alongside it.

Updated December 23, 2023, by Bobby Mills: Dreamlight Valley has exited its early access period, and in doing so has acquired its first major expansion: A Rift In Time. This hefty DLC adds an entirely new island to explore, Eternity Isle, complete with its own culture, ecosystem, and three brand-spanking fresh biomes. We've seen fit to add them to our list, so you know where they rank.

11 The Plaza

Basic, But Not Bad

There's nothing wrong, per se, 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... well, more of a shack. Run-down and desperately in need of some TLC, it's your private oasis to decorate and expand upon to your heart's content, provided you can cough up the cash.

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.

10 Glittering Dunes

Dry, Dry Desert

One of the three biomes added in the Rift In Time update, the Glittering Dunes aren't anything particularly special. Any gamer worth their salt has seen desert worlds before, and they're always the same thing: cacti dotting the landscape, snakes to contend with, the occasional oasis chucked in for good measure. The Glittering Dunes do nothing to iterate on the concept.

Not helping its case are the gigantic piles of sand littering the biome, which are a total eyesore; these dunes can only be removed with some tedious busywork in the Furniture menu. Other attractions of note are Gaston's tavern and meat stall, which offer up some additional cooking options but pale in comparison to the kaleidoscope of produce Goofy hawks.

The sole bright spot is the aforementioned requisite oasis, which is a good spot to rack up some cash, with its rarer gemstones and 'Oasis Glass' abundant beneath the sands. The lush greenery offsets the dismal drudgery of the desert, but it isn't quite enough to keep the Glittering Dunes higher on our list.

9 Peaceful Meadow

Tranquil Green Space

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 the first branch of Goofy's Store. Just be sure you've collected your fishing rod first, itself a tricky thing to acquire.

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 bolster 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. The local bunnies are also more than happy to rope you into a game of tag.

8 Forest Of Valor

Entering The Forest Is Super Simple

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 (in a demonic portal, no less) and can start working through his missions, as well as collecting new ingredients, flowers, and crafting materials. His stall is a lifesaver when you're short on coal for cookery.

Finally, we see a different side to the Valley in this biome. The towering pines seem to whisper to one another as you meander between them, pointing to a dark secret yet to be uncovered, even as you hand out blueberries to the shy raccoons that live here. Ah, the innocence of simple critters.

It provides a welcome first taste of darkness in what could otherwise be described as a bubbly, sun-kissed land of nothing but joy – and it paves the way for plenty more chills yet to come. That final Forgotten quest will keep you up at night, folks.

7 Glade Of Trust

Bubblegloop Swamp

The Glade Of Trust is a swampy zone, 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. We... wouldn't blame you if you choose to use the game's Villager Select option to send her packing.

This is a great place to collect clay and iron ore for those more crafting-heavy friendship quests. Minnie, we're looking at you and your 200-clay clock tower...

The visual design here is stunning. Drooping tendrils from the weeping willows languish in the afternoon sun as a gushing waterfall, adorned with architecture from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, spills out into the ocean – punctuated 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 emanating from your screen.

6 Sunlit Plateau

Everything The Light Touches Is Yours

Dusty terrain bleeds into surprising, spontaneous greenery in Sunlit Plateau. The atmosphere here is wholly unique, offering the arid plains of The Lion King, complete with Scar's elephant graveyard, 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 or wildebeest drinking from the river to truly round off the aesthetic (ideally not the ones that killed Mufasa).

With more beloved faces from the Lion King-verse, like Timon and Pumbaa, inbound, 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. It is, however, outshone by...

5 Wild Tangle

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

Eternity Isle's tropical Wild Tangle rainforest takes the verdant concept of the Sunlit Plateau, and runs full throttle with it. Directly adjacent to the arid sands of Glittering Dunes, the dense foliage and colourful wildlife offer a welcome respite from its tedious acres of desolation.

You'll meet Rapunzel here, deep in thought about how best to apologise to Mother Gothel for sneaking off. With your help, she'll discover how to cast off her abuser. All in a day's work.

The flora and fauna here are suitably jungle-themed. Capybaras, whose model is lifted directly from Encanto's Chispi, strut about with aloof expressions, waiting for you to stuff their snouts with cabbage. Venus flytraps and pitcher plants await collection – the villagers on the Isle seem to have a curious penchant for these carnivorous specimens. Something you're not telling us, Gaston? All told, the Wild Tangle's a triumph – and the princess-appropriate pun in its name is a bonus.

4 Dazzle Beach

Sand, Sand, Everywhere

Rolling sand-dunes and crystalline 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, serene, and peppered with delicious coconuts (which, as Moana taught us, you must consider), 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. When's that Skull Rock opening up, though, eh Gameloft?!

3 Ancient's Landing

Ultimate Atlantean Tease

Okay, Dreamlight Valley. We need to chat. Since day one, you've been dangling Atlantis: The Lost Empire in our poor, starved Disnerd faces. The architecture of the village is Atlantean. 'The Ancients' are clearly meant to be Atlanteans, as their statues and crystals are everywhere. Even the language the journals are written in is Atlantean. So: where on Earth are Milo and Kida? Give them to us, you brutal teases!

Eternity Isle's Ancient's Landing, then, doubles down on the Atlantis love, which we are of course here for. Gigantic Atlantean guardian statues dot the coastline, waiting to come alive should danger befall the Isle. You'll be working with EVE (even donning a robot disguise) to explore assorted nooks and crannies behind waterfalls, and, with enough Mist Power, you can build a nice little borough for your townsfolk.

A secondary branch for Scrooge and Remy's respective establishments put a bow on things, as do the little ruined marketplaces and merchant docks that suggest a civilisation long since past. An... Atlantean civilisation, perchance? We won't drop this!

2 Frozen Heights

Unabashed Elsa Territory

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, denser 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 practically 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. After all, it does, in fact, not bother her.

If only there were more ponds than the scant two it offers to fish at, however, since it can take quite some time to find the rare sea creatures up here. God help you if a villager demands White Sturgeon that day.

1 Forgotten Lands

A Villain's Paradise

Spooky, mysterious, and quite literally bubbling with untapped lore, Forgotten Lands is by far the most unique and special of the game's 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, especially if you dig gloomy aesthetics. A thin bluish mist encases the dark terrain, with seemingly 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 Ravens swoop about, soon to become your critter of choice.

Twisted tree trunks snake overhead as you head to mining spots to unearth diamonds and crystals, and a charming pumpkin house sits right on the fringes of it all. Who could be living here? Why, it's Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, who's all too happy to help you put out the roaring inferno. Jack Skellington, too, emerges from a nearby tree, fresh from Halloween Town.

One thing's for sure: you can't have a story, least of all a Disney one, without a bad guy, and you thus can't have Dreamlight Valley without a few nightmares thrown in for good measure.