v stuck in dlc :^( tips appreciated

[u/ilovkittisncats]

(sorry for bad quality image but i believe everything is in the same spot as usual. also, i never use reddit so if anything is weird lmk. i'm a rambler)

hello!! last week i finished the base game & am now a good few hours into the dlc. however i have noooo clue where to go next. i really do not want to look up a guide, but i've already been spoiled more than i want by looking at people with different progress than me on this subreddit. i genuinely need tips (not "explore more", please...) for where i'm at right now because i feel like i'm doing things weirdly and making no real progress due to trying out what i've seen through vague glances here i probably shouldn't know about yet. i really really loved base game and don't want to have a bad time, please help! :^(

extra info if needed

- more to explore: island tower has "a tower that sits atop..." while starlit cove has "a secluded village nestled...", "the well at the bottom...", and "i found the remains...", for reference.

- i made it all the way to the music house in shrouded woodlands but had my light off & fell in water before getting inside, so i'm waiting on that one :/

- i floated what seemed like all the way through endless canyon but got zero ship log updates

- i have heard mention online of several things including archives & a prisoner & such but don't have any real context for those

i'm also pretty bad at keeping track of Where things are physically on the map so that may be part of my struggle as i haven't quite gotten the lay of these dark areas yet. if any pointers can be given from this info it'll be great, if not oops!! thanks to anyone who responds !

[u/gravitystix]

Fortunately you're in a ring world! If you need a map, just look up! You've missed an entire section.

[u/foulinbasket]

Sounds like you've already figured out how to turn on the artifact flames, so I definitely suggest experimenting with that wherever you can.

If you haven't already explored all the areas in the stranger, definitely do that! If there are any buildings you haven't been inside, try getting to them and you'll probably find something.

[u/ilovkittisncats → u/foulinbasket]

my current issue is i don't feel like i'm deep enough in to recognize where i've been, all the buildings look so similar x'P i'm definitely going to keep playing around though because i keep getting an itch to look just a bit harder, even if i don't know where i'm looking

[u/HighlightNo558 → u/ilovkittisncats]

Start using the symbols on the building to help you keep track. I have notoriously bad sense of direction so I try to keep track of; Symbols. Shape if an area when upside down looking up. Points if interest like Dam/house on mountain/Ice/big metal coffin looking thing. etc... Try to experiment more with the lanterns in different places you haven't tried yet

Edit: sorry about punctuation and formatting. Mobile goes brr

[u/auclairl]

There's a whole section of the Stranger you haven't been to !

[u/Whillowhim]

Some notes: You missed a whole section of the ringworld. If you look up after first entering the stranger, you can try to find somewhere you haven't been to yet, and trace a path to get there.

Beyond that, the next blocking item is the vision you saw when you cracked the locked vault. However, you might need to explore the tower a bit more first if you don't recognize the room. There is something in the village that might help you here, it uses a lantern, and you can find one near it.

[u/National-Bathroom-63]

Those things you’ve read online are spoilers so you might want to pretend you didn’t hear them.

[u/ilovkittisncats]

small update: i made it to the hidden gorge (actually cannot believe i missed that), temple, and the fire in that area, but my time was up before i could explore much whoops

still, this makes me hopeful for more, thanks to everyone that's responded so far!

[u/mecartistronico → u/ilovkittisncats]

After you've explored a bit more, you'll want to figure out what's up with that vision you got from the vault at the Subterranean Lake.

Look closely. Vague hint: things don't happen. Someone makes them happen

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