Free Dreamlight Valley Update Announced, With New Storybook Vale DLC On The Way

Disney has just revealed loads of new content for its hit life-sim adventure game, Dreamlight Valley–including details on the game’s newest free update and next paid DLC. The announcement was made via a 23-minute showcase hosted by Dreamlight Valley community managers Rachel Annen and Ryan Blanchard, who kicked things off by sharing a redemption code for a pair of free in-game socks (more on those in a minute).

The hosts then moved on to discuss the six free updates the game has seen since its release, along with its paid expansion DLC, A Rift In Time. It seems another free update is on its way to Dreamlight Valley, with a focus on quality-of-life improvements. The Sew Delightful update launches for free on December 4, and its so packed full of new features, it’s practically bursting at the seams.

Last year, Disney added Jack Skellington to the game via The Pumpkin King Returns update. It seems that Disney has decided to build on this plotline for 2024’s holiday season, as Jack’s beloved Sally will join him in the Valley when Sew Delightful goes live, bringing her patchwork style to the game in the form of new furniture, clothes, and other customization options.

Plot-wise, Sally has gotten lost outside the Valley. It’s up to players to team up with Jack to “make sense of Sally’s creepy-crawly messengers as they craft a plan to reunite with her.” Later, once Sally has settled in and adjusted to Dreamlight life, players will need to help her embrace the art of quilting, figure out the meaning of her latest premonition, and set up a spooky-sweet date night with Jack, among other activities.

As for Sally’s Friendship Rewards, game manager Guillame Sauveur confirmed the Dreamlight Valley team stitched together a ton of patchwork loot to fit Sally’s spooky-cute aesthetic.

“Well, inspired by [Sally’s] sense of style, you can expect tons of patterns across clothing items and furniture,” Sauver said, adding that the new update “Just screams ‘Sally!'”

“This winter, we’ll be embracing the ethereal sides of the [holiday] season,” Courtney said of the update’s new Star Path. “You’ll get to step into your own personal fairytale with ice-adorned furniture and bring a sense of whimsy to your Dream Snap submissions with a wand that produces snowflakes.”

The Sew Delightful update also introduces a new feature: magic-infused areas called Floating Islands.

“These [Floating Islands] act as additional spaces parallel to the Valley, where players can decorate and let their creativity run free,” Sauveur explained as a time-lapse recording showed that Floating Islands have day and night cycles. “Each biome in the Valley will have a Floating Island counterpart with the same theme and ambiance [as the biome], but it will start as a clean slate. We plan to roll these out over time, and we’ll kick things off with four floating islands in the Sew Delightful update.”

The first four Floating Islands are Plaza Island, Forest Island, Sunlit Island, and Frosted Island, and can be purchased using the game’s main currency, Dreamlight. Floating Islands are roughly the same side as their ground-bound Valley counterparts, giving players double the real estate to decorate. Players will also be able to visit each other’s Floating Islands during Valley Visits. All previously collected houses, furniture, and decor–along with befriended villagers–will also be available to place on Floating Islands.

“Ultimately, the goal is to offer ample space to create without [the Floating Islands] feeling overwhelming,” Sauveur said. “We will have more to share about the exact size of the Floating Islands a little closer to launch.”

The Sew Delightful update also includes a new feature players have been requesting since the game’s launch: the ability to rotate items more easily. Previously, players could only rotate items in four directions. As of Sew Delightful’s launch, players will be able to rotate items in a total of 16 different directions, making house and furniture placement much less tricky.

In addition to details on the Sew Delightful update, the Dreamlight Valley showcase also revealed a roadmap listing the contents of future free updates. The roadmap includes an Aladdin- and Jasmine-themed event set to take place in early 2025, an Alice In Wonderland-themed update scheduled for Spring 2025, and a tropical mystery players will have to solve at Skull Rock (home to Neverland’s pirates) sometime in Summer 2025.

Lastly, the showcase revealed Storybook Vale (Part 1), a paid expansion that whisks players away to the titular world. Unfortunately, the likes of Maleficent and Hades have twisted the gorgeous, peaceful setting into a spooky world that players must navigate, solving puzzles and helping residents to restore Storybook Vale to its former glory. The expansion features tons of new collectible items, including new fish to catch, new berries to pick, and even harvestable lightning strikes–a reference to the gods of Mount Olympus and everyone’s favorite on-fire baddie, Hades. Hades’ feud with Maleficent has torn the realm apart, and references to both villains (and their origin stories) can be seen throughout the DLC.

“Expansion passes let us recapture the feeling that we gave players the first time they stepped into the Valley, telling a whole new story with new villagers to meet, mysteries to unravel, and biomes to make all your own,” creative director Josh Labelle explained. “They’re a great way for us to deliver just a huge amount of content to players.”

Labelle also revealed that unlike A Rift In Time–the game’s first expansion pass, which arrived in three parts–Storybook Vale will be told in two parts. Part 1, titled Welcome To The Vale, launches on November 20. The second expansion, called The Unwritten Realms, is scheduled to release sometime in Summer 2025.

“With this new format, you’ll get just as much content without as long of a wait,” Labelle said.

Thankfully, players won’t need to pay for Part 2 of the expansion. Just like with the game’s initial, three-part expansion, buying Part 1 of Storybook Vale will automatically unlock the second half of the story when it launches this summer. Just like A Rift In Time before it, Storybook Vale will be available to purchase for $30 USD when it launches on November 20. New players can purchase the Disney Dreamlight Valley base game, A Rift In Time, and The Storybook Vale via the Dreamlight Valley Enchanted Edition bundle, which is available for $80 USD. Players who purchase and play The Storybook Vale by November 30 will also earn the Keeper Of Lore outfit for free (the item will arrive via the in-game mailbox).

All in all, Dreamlight Valley players have tons of new content to keep them busy well into next year. But for anyone eager to get their hands on some Dreamlight Valley content immediately, we’ve got you covered. Players can use the following codes to unlock free in-game loot right now:

• “DDVSOCKS2024” unlocks two free pairs of Halloween-themed socks (thigh-highs and crew socks) for player-characters to wear in-game.
• “DDVBOWHB2024” unlocks a blue hair bow with a sparkle design on one half.
• “DDVJJACKET2024” unlocks a purple denim jacket with torn sleeves.