Stacklands is a village builder where you stack cards to gather food, build structures and fight creatures. The Dark Forest is a dangerous new area that came to the game with a free update, and it brings a whole set of new cards with it. These Dark Forest cards cover Villagers, Equipment, Mobs and Ideas, and many of them come from the fights you take on there.
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Villagers
Equipment
Mobs
Ideas
Dark Forest Cards: Villagers, Equipment, Mobs and Ideas
Dark Forest cards come in four groups, and each one has a job. Villagers are the people you send into the Dark Forest to fight, and equipping one with a weapon turns them into a class such as an Archer, Mage or Warrior. Equipment cards are weapons and gear you place on a Villager to make them stronger in battle. Mobs are the monsters waiting inside, and some of them leave cards behind when they're beaten. Ideas are recipes that show you how to make new cards, and many of them unlock weapons, armor and magic gear.
Put together, the loop is simple. You send Villagers in, they fight Mobs, they bring back loot, and Ideas help you turn that loot into better Equipment.
How to Get Into the Dark Forest in Stacklands
You reach the Dark Forest through a portal, and the game has three kinds. A Strange Portal can appear on your board, and a Rare Portal is a rarer version of it. To go through either one, place up to seven Villagers on top of it. The third kind is the Stable Portal, which you build from two Brick cards, two Magic Dust cards and a Villager. Once it's built, you can head into the Dark Forest whenever you want, which makes it the most reliable way to plan a trip.
How Dark Forest Battles Work
Each trip is fought in waves. Once a wave is cleared, you can leave or push on to the next one, so you always get a chance to pull back. The update also reworked combat. Villagers who bump into an enemy start a battle automatically, and they fight harder when you give them weapons or have them team up against enemies. You'll meet Dark Elves, Ents, Ghosts, Ogres, Mimics and Mermen, among others.
Which Dark Forest Cards Matter Most
The Wicked Witch is the goal of the Dark Forest, so her fight is the one most players are working toward. Her drop is the Magic Broom, an Equipment card. The Dark Elf also leaves behind an amulet, and loot from the Dark Forest's monsters is where many Equipment upgrades come from. Ideas matter too if you'd rather craft your own gear than rely on drops.
Tips for Collecting Dark Forest Cards
Bring healing with your group, because Villagers who get hurt early can fall in later waves. Pirates are worth a spot in the group, since they have a natural chance to stun enemies even before you give them gear. Check every drop you collect, since a reward can be better than the gear your Villagers went in with. The main reasons to make the trip are to fill out the Cardopedia, the game's card log, and to get stronger Equipment.
FAQ
Is the Dark Forest a paid add-on in Stacklands?
No. The Dark Forest came in a free update on November 9, 2022, so you don't need to buy anything to collect its cards. The two paid add-ons, Stacklands: Cursed Worlds and Stacklands 2000, are separate purchases.
Which wave is the Wicked Witch on in the Dark Forest?
She shows up on wave 9, so your party has to get through the earlier waves first. Bring healing and your best gear, because her fight is much harder than the opening waves.
Do I have to enter the Dark Forest to get the Magic Broom?
Yes. The Wicked Witch can only be met by sending Villagers through a portal, so entering the Dark Forest is the only way to get her drop.