With the second major update toFields of Mistira, 20 new floors were added to the Mines. These are the first additional floors to be added since the early access release in August 2024, and there are many new things to be found down in the depths.
The Mines inFields of Mistriaare the richest and most consistent source of much-needed resources, such as Stone, various gems, and the metals needed to craft improved weapons, tools, and armor. As such, it’s always worth mining and battling your way through every level.
The Lava Caves, housed between floors 61 and 79, are as they sound. Filled with lava pools that require a unique mechanic to cross, new monsters to tackle, and new resources up for grabs.
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How to access the Lava Caves
You’ll only be able to reach the Lava Caves and reap the rewards once you’ve reached level 60 of the Mines and broken through the Fire Seal. We have a full guide onhow to get through the Fire Seal, but here are the basics.
To get through, you’ll need to get the following items and place them on the pedestals on floor 60 of the Mines:
Once you’ve put all those items on the pedestals and gone through the cutscene that introduces you toCaldarus’ human form, you’ll have access to the Lava Caves.
Getting around the Lava Caves
For the most part, the Lava Caves are remarkably similar to the previous three biomes within the Mines, except where once was water is now lava. This means that you obviously can’t swim across, but there is a way to cross the lava if a platform is too far away for a simple jump.
If you use your Watering Can, you may water the lava in front of you and create a permanent stepping stone (they disappear after you leave the floor). You need to do these one at a time, regardless of how upgraded your watering can is, as any charged actions do not apply.
This allows you to fully explore every level of the Lava Cave floors of the Mines, giving you full access to all of the resources down there. You can do this in Silver Armor without too much trouble as long as you’ve got some food at hand, but I’d recommend upgrading to Gold Armor as soon as possible to make life a little easier.
Monsters in the Lava Caves
Each biome within the Mines inFields of Mistriahas a selection of specific monsters to deal with. Down in the Lava Caves, the only familiar monster you’ll encounter will be the Mimics that occasionally pop up. For help on dealing with them, check outour guide on Mimics.
Outside of this, there are five new monsters with new battle mechanics to deal with. Here are all of the new monsters, along with their attacks and how to deal with them:
Resources in the Lava Caves
Down in the Lava Caves, there are four main new resources to be found:
There are also various recipes and cosmetics to be found in chests scattered across the floors, and the same basic monster drops (such as Monster Fangs, Shells, and Horns) and, of course, resources such as Stone and Wood.
Artifact sets in the Lava Caves
If you’re trying to complete the newMuseum Collections, you’ll need to find the following sets within the Lava Caves:
Lava Caves Fish Set
There isn’t much water down in the Lava Caves, but wherever you stumble across some, you’re guaranteed to find at least one fish swimming around. In my gameplay, the Sulfur Crab took the longest to find:
Lava Caves Insect Set
The following five insects can be found on any floor of the Lava Caves. They spawn sporadically, and in my own experience, the Smoke Moth proved to be the most elusive:
Lava Caves Forage Set
Forageables can be found scattered on any floor of the Lava Caves, and some of them are more common than others. Flame Peppers and Breath of Flame come up pretty regularly, but I struggled to find a Hot Potato for a long time:
Lava Caves Artifacts Set
Artifacts are found in Dig Spots throughout the Lava Caves, so every time you see a lump in the ground, it’s recommended to dig it up. If you have the Tier 2 Archaeology Perk “Stoneturner”, you’ll occasionally be rewarded with an artifact simply by breaking Stones on any floor of the Mines:
Other Artifacts in the Lava Caves
As well as the above sets, you can also get one step closer to completing both the Metals of Mistria and the Gems of Mistria Museum sets. Neither of these can be completed just yet, with the final items for both likely coming on floors 80-100 of the Mines when they’re eventually added, but you can get to 80% completion with the following two Artifacts:
