As players go through Stardew Valley, they may eventually start the Mysterious Qi questline. After players replace the Battery Pack in the roadway tunnel by the bus stop, they will be given a variety of strange requests from Mr. Qi that they must complete.
One of the requests for players is to “give the sand dragon his last meal.” With Stardew Valley players mostly seeing anything dragon-like as enemies in Skull Cavern, they may think that the sand dragon is an enemy they need to defeat. However, players don’t need to face off with any kind of dragon boss for this request. The only things players will need for this part of the quest are one Solar Essence and access to the Calico Desert. Here’s how to give the sand dragon his last meal and complete Mr. Qi’s quest.
Updated August 12, 2022 by Michael Christopher: We’ve refreshed this guide to make it as readable and helpful as possible.
How To Get Solar Essence
In order to finish this quest, players will need to get their hands on a Solar Essence.
Solar Essence is an item dropped by the following enemies:
- Iridium Bats Haunted Skulls Squid Kids Mummies Hotheads Ghosts Blue Squids Metal Heads
Players can also purchase them from Krobus for 80g. If players have a Fish Pond with ten Sunfish in it, there’s a chance they’ll produce a Solar Essence each day, too. The easiest way, especially early on in the game, is to travel to the icy mine levels between level 51 and 79, which can spawn ghosts.
Ghosts are nearly a guaranteed source of Solar Essence, and the most accessible to players who may have yet to gain access to Skull Cavern, Krobus, or invest into a Sunfish Fish Pond. Solar Essence can also be farmed in Ginger Island’s volcano dungeon if players happen to be playing on the island and need some Solar Essence quickly.
How To Gain Access To Calico Desert
The sand dragon is actually located in Calico Desert, which is an area outside of Stardew Valley. In order to get access to the Desert, players will need to complete the vault bundles in the Community Center.
- 2,500 Bundle - Reward: 3 Chocolate Cakes 5,000 Bundle - Reward: 30 Quality Fertilizer 10,000 Bundle - Reward: 1 Lightning Rod 25,000 Bundle - Reward: 1 Crystalarium
In total, this will cost players 42,500g, but will repair the bus and allow players to buy bus tickets to the Desert.
If they take the Joja Route, they’ll just need to pay for the “Bus” option on the Development Form. This costs 40,000g.
How To Travel To Calico Desert
Once players have everything they need, they need to take the Solar Essence to the desert. The bus line starts at around 10:10 am in Stardew Valley’s in-game time. Players can only buy tickets once Pam gets to the bus. She will leave her station at 5:00 pm, but players can still go home if they are in the desert past 5:00 pm.
It’s also possible to travel to the Desert and back using Warp Totems, which saves players from having to buy the bus ticket. Taking the bus back to the Valley doesn’t actually cost any money, so players can simply consume a Desert Warp Totem and then return on the bus when they need to.
How To Find The Sand Dragon And Feed Him His Last Meal
After getting off the bus in the Desert, players need to head west on the road until they see a large animal skeleton on the south side of the road. This is the sand dragon that players need to “give his last meal” to.
Once players approach the sand dragon’s skeleton, they need to use the Solar Essence on the skull’s mouth. This will unlock the final request for the Mysterious Qi questline that players need to follow, in which they need to check the lumber pile next to the player’s farmhouse. Doing this will give players the Club Card, which will allow full access to the Casino inside Calico Desert.
The Casino is located in the Oasis store that’s south of the sand dragon’s skeleton. Going inside with the Club Card will allow players to get into the secret back room where the Casino is. There, players can participate in multiple gambling games.
Stardew Valley is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
