Who is the Sand Dragon
While you are making a lot of progress in playing Stardew Valley, you will come to the point where you will have to meet and feed the Sand Dragon. It might sound a little confusing because why would a dragon be present in Pelican Town?
As you hear the word Sand Dragon, you might think about magic and castles. But there is none in this game.
Feeding the Sand Dragon his last meal would be just a part of the Mysterious Qi questline which will be activated once you have already replaced the battery pack from the tunnel near the bus stop. When you have already accomplished this, you will receive random requests from Mr. Qi.
This quest is actually pretty challenging. This might cause you to wander around and look for a dragon floating above the sky when, in fact, there is none as well. To finish this quest about feeding the Sand Dragon his last meal, here is a brief guide that will tell you everything that you need to know about this challenge from Mr. Qi.
How to Feed the Sand Dragon His Last Meal Quest
For you to trigger this challenge, you must first know the mysterious Mr. Qi. Discover this character by going to the Skull Cavern for the first time. It is located in the Calico Desert. This guy is the operator of the Casino in the desert.
After meeting him, you will receive the main quest the next day called Qi’s Challenge wherein you have to reach level 25 of the Skull Cavern. This is quite a challenge but you will receive 10,000 gold as a reward.
Besides that, Mr. Qi will also have another questline that you will receive called The Mysterious Qi. This questline has four quests that you have to accomplish in order to receive the Club Card in the end. One of the quests that you will have to deal with is feeding the Sand Dragon his last meal. The quest note will be found in the Mayor’s Fridge.
The only thing you have to do here is to find a Solar Essence, get access to Calico Desert, and find the Sand Dragon to feed him his last meal.
How to Get Solar Essence
The reason why you have to look for a Solar Essence is that it would be the last meal of the Sand Dragon.
A Solar Essence is a non-consumable item for humans, but perhaps it is edible for the Sand Dragon. It is not an item that you can find by foraging in the forest or by simply grinding your fishing skills. Solar Essence can be acquired by defeating dangerous monsters in Skull Cavern and Dangerous Mines. This only means that you will have to spend a lot of time, sweat, and effort just to get this precious item.
But of course, we will not let you go to those dangerous places without knowing which enemies to target. Here is a list of all the enemies that have a chance of dropping Solar Essence upon defeat:
- Ghost
- Iridium Bat
- Metal Head
- Metal Head (dangerous)
- Haunted Skull
- Squid Kid
- Squid Kid (dangerous)
- Mummy
- Hot Head
- Blue Squid
All of these enemies can be found either in the Skull Cavern or Dangerous Mines. That being said, the next time you enter these places, you won’t have to try taking down all the enemies you encounter. Simply choose which enemies to fight and wait until you get a Solar Essence.
However, if you are not fond of wandering in those places and fighting with dangerous enemies, you can still get the Solar Essence that you need by spending your gold. Simply buy one from Krobus for 80 gold each. You can buy 10 Solar Essences from him each day.
How to Access the Calico Desert
Once you have already secured a Solar Essence in your inventory, the next thing you have to do is to gain access to Calico Desert. However, you will not be able to enter this area in the early game.
To get access to Calico Desert, you must first repair the bus in the Bus Station by doing and completing the Vault Bundles in the Community Center. Another way to repair the bus without doing the bundles is by purchasing the Bus Repair from Joja Community Development Form for 40,000 gold.
How to Get to Calico Desert
If you have already gained access to Calico Desert, the next thing you have to do is buy a bus ticket from Pam, the bus driver. You will only be able to purchase a bus ticket from Pam once she rides the bus and takes her spot. To get one, you have to pay 500 gold.
Time is also your concern in traveling by bus. The waiting line starts at 10:10 AM. Pam ends his route at 5:00 PM. So, if you are planning to take the bus back home, you have to check the time. Do not worry because taking the bus back to the town will not require you to buy another ticket.
https://stardewcommunitywiki.com/Warp_Totem:_Desert#/media/File:Warp_Totem_Desert_location.png
Moreover, you can also use Warp Totems to go to Calico Desert. Since we know that riding the bus back home is free, you can opt to use your Warp Totem to go to Calico Desert, and just ride the bus on your way back to the valley.
Feed the Sand Dragon His Last Meal
Arriving at the desert, head over to the west of the road and you will see a gigantic skeleton on the ground. This skeleton is the Sand Dragon Mr. Qi is referring to.
To feed the dragon, equip the Solar Essence and interact with its mouth.
