Minecraft Dungeons 2 Howling Woods Guide — Quests, Merchants, Dungeons, and Rifts

• TL;DR
• Howling Woods is the third region in the game, recommended at level 6.
• It has the most quests of any early region — 5 main story quests and 4 side quests.
• Two merchant villages are here: Little Howl Hamlet and Woodcutter’s Outpost — both with a Blacksmith, Enchantsmith, and Town Merchant.
• The region has 12 dungeon entrances and 11 rift entrances — the largest count in the early game.
• Key rewards include the full Phantom armor set, Mushroom armor set, Heavy Crossbow, Twisted Warden Vest, and Wolf Claws.
• Two boss fights happen here in the main story: the Witch and the Twisted Warden.
• Soul Storms unlock here after the final story quest and bring Cube bosses and high-rarity loot.
• Howling Woods has 17 unique weapons and 16 unique armor pieces in its loot pool — one of the best in the entire game.

What Is Howling Woods in Minecraft Dungeons 2?

Howling Woods is the third major region you visit in Minecraft Dungeons 2. You arrive here after completing the Lost Merchant quest in Honeycomb Fields and fixing the broken bridge. The recommended level is 6.

This is where the game shifts gears. The story gets deeper, the bosses get harder, and the world opens up significantly. You will be coming back to Howling Woods multiple times across the campaign, and it remains one of the best farming zones well into the endgame.

It is the largest early-game zone with the most quests, the most dungeons, and two separate merchant villages — which means you do not have to run back to Brave Haven every time you need to upgrade gear.

Howling Woods quick stats:

• Recommended level: 6
• Minecart stations: 4
• Dungeon entrances: 12
• Rift entrances: 11
• Merchants: 6 (2 full villages)
• Total quests: 9 (5 main, 4 side)

New to the game? Start with our Minecraft Dungeons 2 beginner guide first. You can also check our Honeycomb Fields guide if you have not cleared that region yet.

How to Enter Howling Woods

The bridge into Howling Woods is locked at first. You cannot cross it until you complete The Lost Merchant quest in Honeycomb Fields. Once that quest is done, the Merchant sets up his stall in Brave Haven. Go speak to him there and he gives you a bridge lever. Return to the bridge, use the lever, and the crossing opens.

If the bridge is still closed, check Brave Haven for the Merchant’s green-awning stall rather than clearing more enemies. The lever is the key — not fighting.

All Main Story Quests in Howling Woods

Five of the fifteen main story quests take place entirely in Howling Woods. That is more main quests than any other single region in the game. Here is each one in order.

The Silence in Little Howl Minecraft dungeons 2

Main Quest 4 — The Silence in Little Howl

This is the first quest in Howling Woods and the fourth overall. After crossing the bridge, you head to Little Howl Hamlet — a small village that has gone suspiciously quiet.

What happens: You reach Little Howl and find Illagers have taken over. You clear them out, investigate the hamlet, and follow them into a rift where you witness the enigmatic Singer creating a Soul Block. You defeat rabid Sifters inside the rift, check on a creature, and return to the Overworld.

Key objectives:

1. Return to the bridge and speak to the Farmer
2. Replace the broken lever
3. Reach Little Howl Hamlet
4. Open the gate
5. Investigate Little Howl
6. Enter the rift and pursue the Illagers
7. Defeat the rabid Sifters
8. Return to the Overworld

First clear reward: Axe

Tip: Enable your Guidance Trail (middle mouse on PC, L-Stick on controller) when navigating Little Howl for the first time. The hamlet has multiple paths and the trail keeps you on track.

Main Quest 5 — Training with the Enchantsmith

This is the fifth main story quest and one of the most important in the entire game. It teaches you how enchanting works and permanently unlocks the Enchantsmith as a resource.

What happens: You head to a dungeon near Howling Woods to find a Book of Ancient Alchemy. You fight Illagers around the entrance, enter the dungeon, recover the book, and bring it back. The Enchantsmith uses it to teach you the enchanting system.

Key objectives:

1. Find the Book of Ancient Alchemy
2. Head to the dungeon entrance
3. Defeat the Illagers outside
4. Enter and clear the dungeon
5. Return the book to the Enchantsmith

First clear reward: Ancient Alchemy enchantment book + Healing Smite enchantment book + Piercing enchantment book

Important: After completing this quest, the Enchantsmith is fully unlocked. This is your first chance to start building a real character. For the full system breakdown, see our Minecraft Dungeons 2 all enchantments guide. Remember: Enchantment Points are refunded when you disenchant, so spend them freely.

Main Quest 6 — Corruption in the Woods

The sixth main story quest sends you deeper into Howling Woods to find out what the Illager High Council is hiding. This quest features the first real story boss fight.

What happens: You return to Little Howl Hamlet and speak to a villager, then head deeper into the woods. You search for missing foragers, enter the Spider Caves, rescue the captured foragers from waves of cave spiders and Illagers, push further into the caves, and reach the Witch’s hut. You investigate her cauldron and then fight her.

Key objectives:

1. Return to Little Howl Hamlet and speak to the Villager
2. Head deeper into Howling Woods
3. Search for the Deep Dark caves
4. Speak to the Forager
5. Enter the Spider Caves
6. Find and rescue the missing foragers
7. Reach the end of the caves
8. Reach the Witch’s hut
9. Investigate the cauldron
10. Defeat the Witch
11. Speak to the Forager to finish

Boss: The Witch

The Witch is a ranged caster. She uses poison potions and will keep distance from you. Stay aggressive and close the gap. Dodge sideways to avoid her thrown bottles. If you have a melee build, rush her between throws. Defeating the Witch also unlocks the Craftier than Witchcraft achievement and opens the The Witch Revived side quest for a boss rematch later.

First clear reward: Heavy Crossbow

Main Quest 7 — Down into the Deep Dark

Quest seven takes you from Howling Woods into the Deep Dark caves below. This is the mid-point of the early game and contains the hardest boss you have faced so far.

What happens: The Illager High Council has been searching for something in the Deep Dark. You venture underground, discover what they are after, and face two major boss encounters back to back — the Warden and the Twisted Warden.

Key objectives:

1. Head deeper into Howling Woods toward the Deep Dark entrance
2. Enter the Deep Dark caves
3. Search for what the Illagers are looking for
4. Open the gate
5. Defeat the Twisted Warden (boss fight)
6. Check on the trapped Echo Golem after the fight

Boss: The Twisted Warden (with a Warden also present)

The Twisted Warden is an empowered version of the Warden and is one of the major boss encounters in the game. It hits very hard. When it begins a slam animation, stop attacking and move away immediately. The shockwave deals massive damage. Chip away at range when possible and only go in close during recovery windows after each slam. Completing this quest unlocks both The Missing Note Blocks and the The Twisted Warden Revived side quest for future boss rematch runs.

First clear reward: Twisted Warden Vest

Main Quest 8 — The Missing Note Blocks

The eighth main story quest starts in the Deep Dark after you rescue the Echo Golem, but it pulls you back through Howling Woods as part of its objectives.

What happens: The Echo Golem tells you that Illagers stole the Note Blocks needed to run the portal machine. They took them to an Illager base in Rainy Plains. You speak to the Cartographer, travel through Howling Woods past Woodcutter’s Outpost, deal with another Warden encounter, recover two stolen axes, and eventually find the Blacksmith at the outpost.

Key objectives:

1. Speak with the Echo Golem near the Note Blocks
2. Travel to Little Howl Hamlet via portal
3. Talk to the Cartographer in Brave Haven
4. Catch up with the Blacksmith
5. Recover the first stolen Axe
6. Explore the dungeon
7. Defeat the Warden
8. Recover the second stolen Axe
9. Reach Woodcutter’s Outpost
10. Speak with the Blacksmith to complete

First clear reward: Full Phantom armor set (Chestplate, Helmet, Pants, Boots)

The Phantom armor set is excellent for mid-game builds. Do not salvage it immediately — check our salvaging guide to understand when to keep or disenchant gear.

All Side Quests in Howling Woods

Howling Woods has 4 side quests. Two are standard story side quests and two are boss rematch side quests unlocked by Boss Totems. All are worth doing on your first pass through the region.

Side Quest — Part of the Pack

This side quest unlocks after you complete Training with the Enchantsmith. It involves helping a wolf rescue its captured packmates from Illager poachers.

What happens: A wolf approaches you and leads you to where the Illagers have caged other wolves. You follow the wolf, free the first group from poachers, then follow it again to a Wishing Well. You climb down the well and free a second group of captured wolves from more Illagers below.

Objectives:

1. Follow the wolf
2. Talk to the wolf
3. Search for the captured wolves
4. Defeat the Illager poachers
5. Free the wolves
6. Return to the pet wolf
7. Follow the wolf again
8. Climb down the Wishing Well
9. Defeat the second group of Illager poachers
10. Free the remaining wolves
11. Return to the pet wolf to finish

First clear reward: Wolf Claws (unique)

Tip: The Wishing Well section is a tight underground space. Melee builds perform well here. Every repeat clear also rewards 5 to 45 Emeralds from the Honeycomb Fields–level drop pool.

Side Quest — The Cleric’s Apprentice

This side quest unlocks after you complete Corruption in the Woods. It is given by the Cleric NPC found in Howling Woods. Completing it earns you the Spider Slayer achievement.

What happens: The Cleric’s Apprentice has gone missing in the Spider Caves. You search for them, speak to them when found, fight off waves of cave spiders to rescue them, find their lost satchel, and bring it back to Little Howl Hamlet.

Objectives:

1. Find the Apprentice
2. Speak to the Apprentice
3. Defeat the spiders (arena fight)
4. Rescue the Apprentice
5. Find the lost satchel
6. Pick up the lost satchel
7. Bring the satchel to Little Howl

First clear reward: Full Mushroom armor set (Robe, Cap, Leggings, Boots)

The Mushroom armor set is one of the standout early side quest rewards. Go here before rushing to the next main quest.

Side Quest — The Witch Revived (Boss Rematch)

This side quest unlocks after you complete Corruption in the Woods and defeat the Witch for the first time. It is given by a Boss Totem in Howling Woods.

What it is: A rematch against the Witch. Same fight, but scaled to your current level. This is your go-to boss kill for Witch-specific unique drops.

First clear reward: Realmreacher Boots

Repeat every clear for a chance at unique loot from the Howling Woods pool. Boss kills have a 16.7% unique drop chance — much better than regular enemies.

Side Quest — The Twisted Warden Revived (Boss Rematch)

This side quest unlocks after you complete Down into the Deep Dark and defeat the Twisted Warden for the first time. Like all boss rematches, it is tied to a Boss Totem.

What it is: A rematch against the Twisted Warden and Warden. The same two-boss encounter, scaled up. Best farmed after reaching a comfortable power level.

First clear reward: Sculk Digger Hood

Tip: The Twisted Warden hits harder each time you replay it at higher difficulty. Bring your best gear, prioritise dodging slams, and aim for Hard difficulty for better unique drop rates.

Side Quest — The Trembling Golem

This side quest unlocks after you complete The Missing Note Blocks. It involves an Echo Golem who has lost something important to Illagers in Howling Woods.

Objectives:

1. Track down the Illagers
2. Defeat the Illagers
3. Pick up the Soul Block
4. Return to the Echo Golem
5. Place the Soul Block

Reward: Emeralds (5 to 45 per clear)

This quest does not have a unique first-clear item reward, but it does give Emeralds on repeat runs and is quick to complete once the area is unlocked. For a look at how Talismans connect to the Echo Golem lore, see our Talisman guide.

Merchants in Howling Woods

This is one of the biggest practical advantages of Howling Woods over earlier zones. There are two full merchant villages here, each with a Town Merchant, Blacksmith, and Enchantsmith. You do not need to travel back to Brave Haven every time you want to upgrade.

Little Howl Hamlet

Little Howl Hamlet is the first village you reach in Howling Woods. It becomes your main base of operations for the early Howling Woods quests. After completing The Silence in Little Howl, the village is safe and all three merchants are available.

• Town Merchant — Sells gear at your current power level
• Blacksmith — Upgrades item power using Echo Shards
• Enchantsmith — Adds and removes enchantments from gear

For how to get the most out of the Blacksmith, see our Blacksmithing guide.

Woodcutter’s Outpost

Woodcutter’s Outpost is deeper into Howling Woods and becomes accessible during The Missing Note Blocks quest. It has its own full set of merchants and is the more convenient stop once you are farming the deeper parts of the region.

• Town Merchant — Sells gear at your current power level
• Blacksmith — Upgrades item power
• Enchantsmith — Manages your enchantments

Both villages are connected via minecart. Use the 4 minecart stations across the zone to get around quickly.

Dungeons and Rifts in Howling Woods

With 12 dungeon entrances and 11 rift entrances, Howling Woods is the best early-game zone for farming Echo Shards and gear outside of Soul Storms. No other early region comes close to this density.

Dungeons

Dungeons in Howling Woods are procedurally generated encounters. Each one has enemies, chests, and a chance at gear from the Howling Woods drop pool. With 12 entrances, you have plenty of options to run. The Deep Dark dungeons also count as part of this region’s content.

Dungeons are the best reliable source of Enchantment Books and Echo Shards outside of Soul Storms. Run them between Soul Storm events to keep your Shard supply up — remember you can only hold 100 at a time. For the full Rifts system breakdown, see our Rifts guide.

Rifts

Howling Woods has 11 rift entrances. These lead into The Sift dimension and are one of your primary sources of Echo Shards and gear in the mid-game. Two of the rift entrances lead to Singer’s Meadow, a Sift sub-area that opens as part of core quest progression.

Rifts scale to your power level, so they stay useful well into the endgame. Prioritise running a mix of Dungeons and Rifts between Soul Storms for the best overall loot income.

Enemies in Howling Woods

Howling Woods has the most varied enemy roster of any early region. Cave spiders in the Spider Caves are a new threat here — they swarm in groups and can be tricky in tight spaces.

Standard overworld enemies:

• Baby Zombie
• Bogged
• Cave Spider
• Charged Creeper
• Chicken Jockey
• Creeper

Quest-specific enemies:

• Cave Spider — Spider Caves, Corruption in the Woods, The Cleric’s Apprentice
• Baby Zombie — Spider Caves, Corruption in the Woods, The Witch Revived
• Bogged — Spider Caves, Corruption in the Woods, The Witch Revived

Soul Storm enemies (post-game):

• Copper Cube
• Redstone Cube
• Sculk Cube
• Dartback
• Seedling
• Sentinel

Boss encounters:

• Witch — Corruption in the Woods
• Twisted Warden — Down into the Deep Dark
• Warden — Down into the Deep Dark and The Missing Note Blocks

Howling Woods Loot — What Can Drop Here?

Howling Woods has one of the richest loot pools in the early game with 17 unique weapons and 16 unique armor pieces. It beats Honeycomb Fields on unique weapon count by 9. Here is what you can find.

Ranged Weapons

• Scatter Crossbow — Fires 3 shots in a forward spread pattern (12 max arrows)
• Greatbow — Single shot that pierces enemies (10 max arrows)
• Longbow
• Creaking’s Reach (Longbow unique) — Ranged attacks deal 100% more damage at close range
• Humbler Heartstring (Greatbow unique) — Projectiles pierce up to 10 enemies
• The Cross Pollinator (Rapid Crossbow unique) — Reduces time between ranged shots by 40%

Armor Sets

• Phantom set — Chestplate, Helmet, Pants, Boots (main quest reward)
• Mushroom set — Robe, Cap, Leggings, Boots (side quest reward)
• Wolfpack set — Hood, Jacket, Leggings, Boots
• Disciple set — Robe, Mask, Leggings, Wraps

Unique Armor Drops

• Dreamruler Pyjamas — Increases movement speed by 40% while Shadowcloaking
• Fly Agaric Trousers — Companions deal 40% more damage

Artifacts

• Corrupted Seeds — Poison AoE centered on the player (5s cooldown, 20 souls)
• Venomous Quiver — Next 3 bow shots apply poison (5s cooldown, 20 souls)
• Pouch of Thunder

For the complete list of unique items and where each one drops, see our Minecraft Dungeons 2 all unique items guide.

Howling Woods Soul Storms — Endgame Farming

Soul Storms unlock in Howling Woods after you complete The Final Souldown — the last main story quest. Howling Woods is one of the seven Soul Storm zones in the game, making it a major endgame farming destination.

How it works:

• A Soul Storm rotates through 7 areas roughly every hour and lasts around 40 minutes
• Your objective is to destroy 3 Storm Generators
• Each generator is protected by tough enemies including Cube bosses and Soul Corrupted mobs
• Gear drops during the event and a reward chest spawns when all 3 generators are destroyed
• Storm chests drop no Common gear — roughly 80% Special and 20% Unique
• Special items from Soul Storms have 3 modifiers instead of the usual 2, making them potentially stronger than some Uniques

Soul Storm bosses in Howling Woods:

• Copper Cube
• Redstone Cube
• Sculk Cube

Always prioritise Soul Storms over regular dungeon runs in the endgame. The chest reward odds are the best in the game outside of boss kills. Play on Hard difficulty — Easy difficulty disables Special and Unique drops entirely from storm chests.

For a full look at what the endgame loop looks like, see our max level cap guide.

Howling Woods Farming Tips

• Complete The Cleric’s Apprentice early. The full Mushroom armor set on first clear is one of the best early side quest rewards. Do not skip it.
• Use both merchant villages. Little Howl and Woodcutter’s Outpost each have a Blacksmith and Enchantsmith. You never need to go back to Brave Haven mid-session unless you want to.
• Run dungeons between Soul Storms. Howling Woods has 12 dungeon entrances. With the 100 Echo Shard cap, you want to spend Shards regularly — use the Blacksmith at one of the two outposts right after each dungeon run.
• Farm the Twisted Warden rematch for unique drops. Boss kills have a 16.7% unique drop rate — far better than regular enemies. The Twisted Warden Revived side quest lets you replay it indefinitely.
• The Witch rematch is quick and easy loot. The Witch is one of the faster boss kills in the game. Good for quick farming runs when you do not have time for a full dungeon.
• Hard difficulty is worth it here. Once your gear is comfortable for level 6 content, switch to Hard for better drop rates. Easy disables Unique and Special drops entirely.
• Do Part of the Pack for Wolf Claws. This unique item drops only from this quest on first clear. It is easy to miss if you rush the main story.
• Check the best settings before long farming sessions. See our best settings guide to optimise your experience.

Where to Play Minecraft Dungeons 2

Minecraft Dungeons 2 is available on all major platforms:

• Minecraft.net — About Dungeons II
• PlayStation Store
• Xbox Store
• Nintendo Switch 2
• Steam (PC)

For a full overview before you buy, check our Minecraft Dungeons 2 review and release date and features page.

Related Guides

• Minecraft Dungeons 2 Honeycomb Fields Guide
• All Honeycomb Fields Item Drops
• Beginner Guide
• All Unique Items and Where to Get Them
• Rifts Guide
• Blacksmithing Guide
• Blacksmith and Salvaging Guide
• Talisman Guide
• All Enchantments
• Max Level Cap
• How to Equip Capes
• Best Settings
• PC Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions