Moonlighter: Complete Shopkeeper and Dungeon Guide

How to price items, grow the shop, gear up, and clear all four dungeons (and the fifth) in Moonlighter, plus where the 2026 sequel fits in.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final post-roadmap build of Moonlighter (with New Game+, Companions and the Between Dimensions DLC). Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault left Early Access on 2 September 2026. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Days are for selling, nights are for dungeons. Open the shop in the morning, then head into a dungeon in the evening (or after closing). You can also go in during the day, but shop time is money.
• Price by customer reactions and write them down. The notebook records what you've learned. A happy customer means the price is right or low, and an angry one means too high.
• Sell the first unit of a new item a bit high, then adjust. It's the fastest way to find the ideal price.
• Upgrade the shop early. More display tables means more sales per day, and more gold means more gear.
• Build the blacksmith (Vulcan Forge) as early as possible. Weapon and armor upgrades matter far more than potions in the early game.
• Always carry the Merchant Pendant. It lets you leave a dungeon early, keeping your bag, for some gold. Dying loses most of what you're carrying.
• Keep the materials you need for your next upgrade. Check the forge recipes before selling rare drops.
• Pay attention to item curses in your bag. Some items destroy, transform or send other items away when you leave the dungeon, depending on where they sit in your bag.

The Core Loop

You play Will, the young owner of the Moonlighter shop in the village of Rynoka, which grew up around ancient dungeon Gates. The loop:

• Dive into a dungeon, fight, and collect loot.
• Return (by finishing a floor's exit, using the Pendant, or dying).
• Sell the loot in your shop at the best price you can find.
• Spend gold on shop upgrades, town buildings, gear, enchantments and potions.
• Go deeper next time.

The four dungeons (plus one)

Dungeon | Theme | Boss

Golem Dungeon | Stone ruins, golems | Golem King

Forest Dungeon | Plants, spores, beasts | Carnivorous Mutae

Desert Dungeon | Sand, fire, traps | Naja

Tech Dungeon | Machines, energy | Energy Flux

The fifth door | Opens after the four dungeons | Story finale (achievement: Hero or Merchant?)

Each dungeon has several floors with a mini-boss section and a boss floor. Floors are procedurally assembled, and the post-launch updates added 100+ new room layouts and new mini-bosses.

Between Dimensions (DLC released 23 July 2019, included in the Complete Edition) adds a post-game dimension-hopping dungeon with new enemies and gear, plus Trick Weapons from the Dimensional Watcher and extra companions.

Shopkeeping in Depth

Reading customer reactions

When a customer looks at an item, a face appears over their head:

Reaction | Meaning | What to do

Ecstatic (big grin, coins) | Much too cheap | Raise the price a lot

Happy / content | Right on or slightly cheap | This is the sweet spot. Write it down

Unhappy / hesitant | A bit expensive | Lower it slightly; they may still buy

Angry | Far too expensive | Lower it a lot. They won't buy, and it can hurt the item's popularity

The notebook fills in price ranges as you learn them. The game's aim is to find the highest price that still makes customers happy.

Popularity and demand

• Selling the same item over and over lowers its demand, which lowers the price customers accept. Spread sales across different items.
• Popularity can also rise, so something that's "in demand" will sell above its normal price for a while.
• Watch for requests from villagers. They pay well for specific items.

Thieves and shop events

• Thieves grab items and run for the door. Roll into or tackle them to get it back.
• Upgrades like better display cases and decorations add bonuses (tips, customer patience, price boosts).
• Hire an assistant once you can afford one so the shop can sell without you.

Shop and town upgrades (priority order)

• Shop expansion: more tables means more gold per day.
• Blacksmith (Vulcan Forge): craft and upgrade weapons and armor.
• Potion shop: health potions become essential by the Forest and Desert dungeons.
• Enchanting: boosts your gear's stats using dungeon materials.
• Retail and banking buildings: extra ways to buy decorations and invest gold.
• Bed and decorations: buffs that carry into the next dungeon run.

Combat and Gear

Weapon types

You carry two weapon sets and can swap between them at any time.

Weapon | Style | Best for

Short Sword and Shield | Fast combos plus block | New players; safe and flexible

Big Sword | Slow, huge damage and reach | Crowd control, bosses with long openings

Spear | Long reach, fast pokes | Keeping distance from dangerous melee enemies

Gloves | Very fast punches | Aggressive DPS once you know the patterns

Bow | Ranged, charged shots | Turrets and bosses, safe damage

A great starter pair is Short Sword and Shield plus Bow. Later, Big Sword or Spear on one slot and Bow on the other covers everything.

Armor

Helmet, chest and boots. Heavier armor gives more defense but lowers speed. Light armor suits dodging playstyles, and heavy suits players who trade hits. Upgrade armor with each new dungeon.

Rolling

The dodge roll has invulnerability frames. It's your most important defensive tool. Learn each enemy's wind-up and roll through, not away.

Potions and healing

Carry healing potions in your quick slot. Pools in dungeons restore health. Some potions give temporary buffs.

Companions

A post-launch update added Companions, familiars that follow you in the dungeon and help in fights or give bonuses. Experiment and keep the one that suits your weapon.

Bag Management and Curses

Your backpack has limited slots, and some dungeon items come with curses that trigger based on their position in the bag, for example:

• Destroying an adjacent item when you return to town
• Turning an item into something else
• Sending an item straight to the shop, or turning it into gold
• Requiring a specific edge or row of the bag

Read an item's curse before you pack it, and rearrange loot so curses hit worthless items (or nothing). Throwing a low-value item into a curse's path to protect something valuable is a common trick.

Leaving a dungeon

• Merchant Pendant: teleport home anytime for gold, keeping your bag.
• Merchant Emblem (the portal version): lets you go home and come back to the same floor. More expensive, great for deep runs.
• Dying: you keep only a small part of your loot. Leave before you die.

Suggested Progression

• Golem Dungeon, floors 1 to 2: learn the combat. Sell everything, get the first shop upgrade.
• Build the blacksmith. Craft or upgrade a sword and shield and a bow.
• Clear the Golem King. Save rich materials for the next gear tier.
• Forest Dungeon: poison and ranged enemies. Upgrade armor before tackling Carnivorous Mutae.
• Desert Dungeon: fire, sand traps and aggressive enemies. Potions become essential. Enchant your gear.
• Tech Dungeon: fast, projectile-heavy enemies. Bring your best upgraded weapons for Energy Flux.
• The fifth dungeon, then Between Dimensions and New Game+ for the post-game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Selling crafting materials you'll need. Check the forge recipe list first. Rare drops like boss materials are gear keys, not cash.
• Flooding the market with one item. Demand drops. Mix your shelves.
• Diving without an exit plan. Always carry the Pendant, and leave when your bag is valuable and health is low.
• Ignoring curses. A curse can quietly destroy your best item on the trip home.
• Buying decorations before gear. Gear first, then shop cosmetics.
• Fighting in open rooms without rolling. Most damage is avoidable.

Advanced Tips

• Price-probing: put a new item out at a high price, watch one customer, then adjust in small steps. Record the "happy" price.
• Stack buffs for boss runs: sleep in the upgraded bed, drink a buff potion, and bring your best companion.
• Use the Emblem on the boss floor approach. Go home to cash in and restock, then return straight to the boss.
• Farm materials by floor. Once a dungeon is cleared, run the floors that drop what the forge needs rather than full clears.
• New Game+ adds tougher challenges on top of your completed save, so enchant your best gear before starting.

Achievements Worth Planning For

Most achievements come naturally, but a few need a plan (names from the Steam achievement list):

Achievement | Requirement | Tip

Good Merchant / Evil Merchant | Sell 20 items at the perfect price / 20 slightly overpriced | Both come from normal price-probing; the notebook helps

Careful Merchant | Finish the game with under 40 deaths | Leave with the Pendant instead of pushing a bad run

Gotta go fast! | Beat the game in under 10 hours | A second, focused run once you know prices and routes

Janitor | Kill all bosses with the broom | Late-game challenge for a replay; bring potions

Weaponmaster | Craft every weapon | Separate achievements exist per weapon type

Scribe / Archeologist | Complete the notebook / read all Crazy Pete notes | Sell one of everything and read every note you find

Emporium | Upgrade the shop to its final version | Four shop upgrades in total

Greedy | Hold more than 1,000,000 gold | Endgame shop income; don't spend it all at once

Wasteful Merchant | Buy more than 10 times at Le Retailer | Le Retailer is one of the town shops you unlock

Trick Weapon Collector / A Bigger Family | All Trick Weapons from the Dimensional Watcher / all DLC companions | Between Dimensions content

Moonlighter 2 in 2026

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault entered Early Access on 19 November 2025 and fully released on 2 September 2026 on PC and consoles, with the story's conclusion and the Infinite Endless Vault post-game mode. It moves Will and his crew to a new town, Tresna, and swaps the fixed-price backpack for relic "quality" multipliers. The original Moonlighter was free to keep on Steam until 9 August 2026 to celebrate the date announcement. Moonlighter 1 stands on its own, and you don't need it to follow the sequel, though it's great context.

FAQ

How do I know the right price for an item? Watch customer faces. Happy or content means the price is right. Ecstatic means too cheap, angry means too expensive. The notebook stores what you learn.

Is Between Dimensions worth it? Yes, if you finish the main game and want more. It's a post-game dimensional dungeon with new gear. The Complete Edition bundles it.

What's the best weapon? There isn't one. Short Sword and Shield is the safest, the Spear keeps you at range, and the Bow is the best secondary for bosses.

What happens if I die? You go home and lose most of the loot in your bag. Use the Merchant Pendant to leave safely.

Does Moonlighter have co-op? No. It's a single-player game.

Should I play Moonlighter 1 before Moonlighter 2? It isn't required, but the original is still well worth playing, and it's short enough to finish before the sequel.

Sources

• Moonlighter on Steam
• Moonlighter news on Steam (Moonlighter 2 launch, free weekend)
• Moonlighter Steam achievements (boss and feature names)
• Moonlighter (video game) on Wikipedia