Star Knightess Aura: Northern Mines Guide

This guide shows where to find the loot, where the enemies and bosses are, and how to get from one level to the next.

Star Knightess Aura: Northern Mines Guide

This is a guide showing every level of the Northern Mines area on screenshots.

Source: Bookman

In order to keep spoilers to a minimum, this guide does not address how to defeat the enemies you encounter, nor does it give a specific time when you should come to the Northern Mines, except for mentioning the necessary quests that give you access to the area, as well as one quest that can be completed purely through exploration. This way players can choose for themselves whether to figure that out on their own, or to seek further information elsewhere.

1) Northern Mines Entrance (Level 0)

In order to enter the Northern Mines, you need Aura to sign up at the Adventurer Guild (it’s one of the steps for the quest Getting Started). The next day, visit the guild in Trademond, check what quests are available and select Spider Infestation.

If you are playing with World Fog turned ON, then accepting the quest reveals the Northern Mines just North of Trademond.

Now that you have a quest pointing you there, moving to the mine entrance on the World Map actually transports Aura to that area. Go there.

Watch the cutscene. Note that there is a chest containing an Ether, partially obscured by a tree. You can reach the chest by climbing the vine on the Eastern side.

The mine entrance is blocked by a Big Rock. You can clear it if you Remove Collar (not recommended) or spend 1 Bomb from your inventory. Bombs can be bought from the Alchemist or looted from the Central Forest of Runes.

2) Northern Mines Proper (Level 1)

You start in the Eastern half of this map, alongside the Southern edge. Remember to save your game regularly. This is a good moment.

Most of the enemies you will find on this level move about randomly instead of sticking to specific patrol routes, so you can just wait for them to turn around and sneak right past them. Aura’s allies join her on this quest, which helps you win battles, but you don’t actually have to fight these small enemies – the goal of your quest is to find and defeat the boss, after that the small fries will disappear. Keep that in mind as you explore.

Before showing the optimal path to proceed, I will show an alternate path and tell you why it’s not recommended.

Going West from the entrance leads to the boss’ area, but there is a locked gate in your way. This gate can only be opened if you Remove Collar, spend a Bomb to destroy it or unlock it from the other side. The first two options let you skip navigating through this level, but your gold reward for the quest will be reduced for wrecking your employer’s property.

There is a corridor leading North from here, too, but it doesn’t help you reach the boss.

Going North leads to a small dead end, with a doorway that Aura refuses to go through. This is the entrance to the Northern Mines: Cave-In Area, but it has tougher enemies so the game won’t let you explore that level until you finish the current quest and pick up the next quest in the chain.

With that out of the way, let’s return to the mine entrance. From the cave opening, go East.

There is a little storage area, where you can find 25g on a body. Make sure to get that, because if you skip it and finish this quest, the body will get cleaned up and the gold will be gone.

Continuing East leads to another dead-end area, where the miners haven’t quite expanded outward yet. There is a crack along the Northern wall, but that’s best ignored for now. Instead, follow the wagon tracks leading North.

There are more wandering enemies in this part of the mines, but there are also lots of obstacles you can hide behind – remember that enemies see four tiles ahead, but anything that blocks movement also blocks their vision.

The route splits here, but the Southern path is a dead end, you want to stick close to the Northern wall as you proceed. Continue West but stay off the wagon tracks, because…

There is an enemy racing West-to-East and back across the tracks, that can easily spot you if you get too close. The corridor narrows down for a bit, and you want to step into the gap next to the barrel to take a moment to rest.

This is a good time to save your game. Once the enemy passes you on the way East, step out of hiding and run West to continue deeper into the mines.

The path forks again, though both routes reunite shortly. If you’re willing to fight, there is a stationary enemy blocking the shorter of the two routes.

You can also follow the Northern tracks. This part of the mines is usually empty, but enemies might wander through it sometimes. You can fight them head-on or you can wait for them to pass you on the way East and then run to the West, since they are unlikely to turn around. This might take a little longer, but it does let you avoid battles and conserve your HP.

The Southern path is mostly empty of enemies, so you can proceed safely.

The Northern path leads to another large area with several enemy groups and more obstacles you can use to hide. As long as you take cover and bide your time, the enemies should eventually move apart and leave a gap for you to run through.

Both paths converge toward the South. Sometimes there is a lone enemy group wandering where the wagon tracks reconnect, at which point a battle may be unavoidable because the corridor is so narrow. You might get lucky and have the enemies facing away for a free round one, but that’s up to RNG.

At this point, you are about to enter the boss’ stomping grounds. This is an excellent point to save your game.

When you step into this part of the mines, the area automatically darkens (and brightens again if you back out to the North). Watch carefully for the boss’ movements, she has a unique sprite and moves around randomly, although she prefers to stick to one direction and only turns around upon meeting an obstacle or a wall. Use this to your advantage as you navigate this area.

If you can get there safely, you should head East along the wagon tracks and unlock the gate for a convenient shortcut.

Note the four free-standing torches in this area. Charlotte knows Fire I, which you can use to light them up. Every time you light a torch, the area becomes a little brighter, and once you light all four of them, you gain an advantage in the upcoming boss battle.

When you’re ready to fight the boss (after opening the gate and/or lighting all four torches), save your game, pick a spot around some obstacle and wait for the boss to run past it, then give chase to get a preemptive attack. Remember this ambush tactic, it’s one of the easiest methods for catching enemies by surprise.

After winning the fight, you can say Yes to Paul’s offer in order to quick travel out of the mines and back to Trademond.

2a) The Workers return

Finishing the Spider Infestation quest allows the miners to return to work. Collect your reward, then check for new quests and select the next one that’s been added, Spider Cleanup.

Coming back to the mines at this time, you don’t have to avoid all the wandering enemies, instead you can chat with workers and explore freely. This is a good time to harvest some resources from the mine, provided you have the time and can spare the HP to do so.

Going all the way East and investigating the Cracked Wall, you can spend a Bomb to blow it up and access a Pyromantium Deposit (10 HP to harvest a Pyromantium).

There is also an Ether Deposit you can claim (10 HP to get an Ether), at the end of a short diagonal tunnel. From the entrance, go East – North – Southwest to find it. Coming here earlier was risky because enemies could randomly follow you and force a fight on the way back, but now that they’re gone you can pick it up anytime you like.

Now, going West from the entrance, you will find a Foreman standing at a narrow path leading deeper into the mines. Talk to him and he will move aside, letting you access the area where new enemies appeared. There are four groups in total, two moving slowly and two moving much faster, with stronger enemies in the faster groups.

Go for the black doorway to enter the next area.

3) Northern Mines: Cave-In (Level 2)

This area is much darker, since there are no torches to provide any light. Watch for movement and note where all the enemies are, there are four groups in total, each one stronger than the last when counting them roughly based on closest to furthest away from the entrance.

There is a Star Metal Deposit here (10 HP for a Star Metal). There is also a ring of light that indicates a rope point, but Aura refuses to take a better look while there are still enemies wandering around – to continue the quest, you have to defeat all eight groups of enemies, four in this area and four on the upper level. Once you do that, checking the giant hole is sufficient to progress the quest, so you can return to Trademond and claim your reward.

Note that there is another Cracked Wall in here, in the NW corner of this small area. Blowing it up with a Bomb leads to a short tunnel, to the other half of this level.

The only things worthy of interest this deep in the Cave-In area are the Pyromantium Deposit and an optional boss you can challenge if you’re feeling strong enough. That’s unlikely the first time you pass through here, but remember this enemy for later.

3a) Saving Edwin the Merchant

In order to gain access into the rest of the mines, there is a certain event you must trigger first. Starting from the day after you complete the Spider Cleanup quest, you will see a ! sign pop up on the World Map.

Save your game, then approach it to trigger a cutscene. Win the following boss fight, then watch another cutscene. Note that Aura’s max Willpower decreases by -1 after this fight (or -2 if you’re playing on either Hard Mode or Nightmare Mode).

After the cutscene, go to Trademond and enter the large building in the center of the city – the Merchant Congregation.

Watch the cutscene. You have just received the quest Demonic Vaults from Merchant Leader Sardine. This quest gives you access to the next two levels of the Northern Mines.

Return to the Cave-In area, where you will find Aura’s allies already waiting for her, ready to delve deeper.

You need a Rope in your inventory to descend, so use one and climb down to the next level.

4) Northern Mines: Underground (Level 3)

The rope marks your entry point, while the corridor pointing North is the only way to proceed. Note that this far underground, the mines are consistently dark, so watch out for signs of movement to spot the enemies wandering around here.

Aura’s allies join her for the rest of the mines. This is significant since only Aura suffers Cursed debuffs at low Willpower, which means that sometimes you can proceed through here when she’s in poor shape, as long as you let her allies protect and support her during fights.

Directly to the North, there is a large, sturdy gate. This entrance connects the Underground with the next level of the mines (technically they’re the same depth, but for this guide I will count it as one level deeper).

To get through here, you have to either Remove Collar, spend 5 Bombs (yes, 5, not 1, that’s a very sturdy gate) or pull the correct lever found elsewhere on this level, which is I will lead you to shortly.

You can go either East or West from here – try going West first.

The enemies on this level (outside of the two groups near the gate) follow a steady patrol route, so by observing them you can figure out the right path and timing to sneak around. One enemy in particular travels North-to-South and back down a narrow corridor, where you don’t have any room to avoid them – but you can follow after them as they move South, since they never turn to look who’s behind them.

When you reach the Southern end of that corridor, the area opens up very slightly. The enemy circles around that rock and returns North, but instead of following you want to loot that chest to add 3 Static Bombs to your inventory. Wait near the chest for the enemy to come back, then follow them on the way North to ensure you don’t run up against them somewhere in the corridor.

Let the enemy circle around another rock while you proceed slightly West and take a look at this next part.

The spot shown on the screenshot is completely safe – one enemy circles around that rock, while the other one moves on the dirt path, going West-to-East and back.

You can grab an Ether if you can spare 10 HP, but you’re primarily here to press the lever. Doing this opens the huge gate you’ve found earlier, allowing Aura to enter the Vault.

4a) The Hidden Room

Before going through the gate, there is one more part of this level you should explore – the Eastern section has one wandering enemy group, a stairway covered by a false stalagmite and a lever that moves said stalagmite to another tile, letting you use the stairs. This leads to the Northern Mines: Hidden Room area.

This small area has some valuable loot. The sparkle in one of the cabinets is a Vitality Potion, the Human Skeleton carries a Mana Stone on him, and the note on the table is one of the four Formula Alpha pieces. Getting any of the four pieces starts the quest Slimy Oils, and due to this area being somewhat hidden, this piece is usually either the first or the last one that players find.

Once you’ve looted the room thoroughly, return to the gate and proceed to the next level.

5) Northern Mines: The Vault (Level 4)

A few steps North from the entrance you trigger a short cutscene, watch it then touch the Stone Tablet ahead of Aura. You can now teleport here directly from the Abandoned Shrine, saving you the long trek through the mines.

The sparkle to the East is gold, exactly 14g. The note to the West is one of the Formula Alpha pieces, the one that players can most easily reach unless they’ve already found the Hidden Room.

From the Stone Tablet, you can go in one of three directions: West, East, or North. Save your game, and then…

For the sake of explanation, I want to show you why the Northern path is not recommended, despite being the shortest of the three and lacking any wandering enemies.

Simply put, there are curse traps laid out on the floor, between pillars to force Aura to step on them if you try to pass through here. They decrease Aura’s stats, her max Willpower and her MDEF, by -1 each (or by -2 when playing on either Hard Mode or Nightmare Mode). There is no easy way to undo these stat penalties, so you should avoid them and get in the habit of watching out for more curse traps laid down in other areas.

Note that the curse traps deactivate when the one who placed them – the demon that cast these curses – is slain. Once that happens, you will be able to move through here freely.

Going West from the Stone Tablet, you find some stationary enemies glancing in different directions. You want to pass through when they’re not looking, the timing is pretty tight but it’s consistent.

There is another gate blocking you from continuing to the North. You can destroy it if you remove Collar or if you spend a Bomb to blow it up, but you can also unlock it from the other side… which means using either the Northern or the Eastern route. The latter option is the one I recommend in this guide, but we’re not done with this part of the Vault, yet.

You can harvest an Ether if you can spare the HP. Make sure to check the Human Skeleton near the hole in the floor too, for another Mana Stone, then proceed South down a narrow corridor.

The spot shown on the screenshot is safe. The enemies are positioned so that you can’t avoid fighting at least one group, but the mobile group is easier to get a preemptive strike against.

There is another Ether Deposit here. The three chests to the East contain one Inzectoid Armor material, one Rope and a lump sum of 100g. Also check the note hanging on the wall, since that’s another one of the four Formula Alpha pieces you are collecting for the quest Slimy Oils.

Once you’ve looted everything you can find in this section, hit Recall to return to the Abandoned Shrine.

And then use your Stone Tablet to teleport right back to the Vault.

The Eastern half of the Vault has no stationary enemies (except for the boss at the end), only randomly wandering ones. Do your best to avoid them as you explore and pick up loot – the first sparkle is the 14g I already mentioned, visible from the entrance area, while the sparkle near the huge hole in the wall is worth 9g. Don’t forget to check the skeleton, either, for another 50g.

When you’re ready to continue, save your game and proceed North.

The sparkle West of the beds has 27g, while the chest stores another 50g. Try not to get cornered by wandering enemies in these narrow pathways.

Continue North, climbing the stairs until you reach…

To the West of the underground pond, there is an Emerald Deposit (10 HP to harvest an Emerald Leaf). More importantly, right behind that deposit is a piece of the Formula Alpha, which should be the last one you need if you’ve been following the guide so far (to finish that quest, bring them to the Alchemist in Trademond).

The sparkle indicates another 15g lying on the floor. There’s nothing on the skeletons this time, and the red orb behind the boss is a key item you need to reach the next level.

After skipping or fighting the boss, go West towards the shiny circle. That’s a rope point, it lets you use a rope to descend to the next part of the Vault.

The curse trap you can see to the South indicates where you’d come through if you didn’t care about decreasing Aura’s stats. The rope in the NE corner of the screenshot is the point we climbed down after visiting the underground pond.

The gate blocks our way forward, to say nothing of the boss guarding it. It’s arguably the strongest of the three bosses found in the Vault, so keep that in mind when you decide who to challenge and when.

After skipping or fighting the boss, continue going West.

These stationary enemies change their facing rapidly, although the spot shown on the screenshot is safe. If you find it difficult to run past them, try fighting either one of the groups – the Northern one is easier to reach for a preemptive attack. The sparkle indicates 16g.

Note that there’s another Cracked Wall among the tombstones. If you Remove Collar or spare a Bomb, you can blast it open to reach a hidden area.

The Large Ether Deposit Aura is facing can be reached through the Cracked Wall mentioned above. For 25 HP you can harvest an Ether, then it leaves behind an Ether Deposit, so for another 10 HP you can harvest a second Ether.

The last of the three bosses is guarding a blue orb, the other key item you need from this area.

Note that you technically don’t have to fight the bosses from the two side areas. While you’re supposed to place the two orbs on monuments around the gate, you can also Remove Collar or use up 5 Bombs (yes 5, not just 1, this is another sturdy gate) to destroy the gate completely. Whether you get the orbs or not, the boss in front of the gate must be defeated in order to get this far.

Past the gate, there is the entrance to the final level of the Northern Mines – the Anchor.

6) Low-Demon’s Domain (Level 5)

The Anchor is a doorway connecting the mines with the boss’ domain. However, coming this far isn’t enough unless you also have the means to open it.

You can learn Open Domain I from the Black Priestess at the Church in Trademond. Training ends the current day, and Aura needs to have at least 20 MP available in order to successfully learn the spell. Also note that the Black Priestess won’t teach Aura Dark Magic until you have received the quest ‘Demonic Vaults’ – so, until you have saved Edwin the Merchant and talked to Merchant Leader Sardine.

Once you have learned Open Domain I, return to the Vault and cast it on the Anchor, for 10 MP. This triggers a small cutscene, and once the anchor is shining bright, you can advance to the next level.

This area is very small, with no room to get lost and very weak enemies that you can take out even if Aura is already Cursed III.

Note the steaming purple sludge on the ground. You can walk over that freely, it doesn’t block your movement at all, but for every step taken through the sludge, Aura and her allies lose 10 HP – but this cannot reduce them below 1 HP.

There is one Ether Deposit in here. Make sure you harvest it before fighting the boss, otherwise it becomes inaccessible.

The boss is waiting to the North, and rushes at the party as soon as you step into his field of view.

This is the toughest fight in the Northern Mines, so make sure you are prepared before attempting it.

After winning the battle, watch the following cutscene. Aura gains some immediate rewards, then the domain collapses and her whole party gets ejected back out into the Vault.

7) Final Notes

Since players will choose different upgrades and teach Aura different skills and spells, it is hard to suggest the right time for delving into the Northern Mines. Nevertheless, I can provide a few general hints.

When you start the game, the enemies and boss of the mines are easier than the enemies you encounter in the Forest of Runes. Even when you reach the Cave-In area, they are slightly easier to beat, especially if you pick up Fire I (and you should, Fire I is a good spell to get early). This coupled with the fact the quests tied to the mines give gold that you can spend on upgrades makes it worth focusing your efforts here before you try going elsewhere.

The second half of the mines is a step up in difficulty, since the boss that attacks Edwin, the enemies in the Underground and below, and the bosses you fight in the Vault are much stronger. Still, since Aura has allies fighting alongside her, it’s possible that winning these fights will be easier than pursuing other quests that involve Aura fighting bosses solo. Give them a try and see how each fight goes, if they prove too tough, try exploring elsewhere and come back once Aura is a little stronger.

The boss from the final level is extra strong, and will require many upgrades and a lot of planning to defeat. On the plus side, you don’t have to fight him right away, it’s possible to delay this fight until you have finished a few other quests and are preparing to progress the main story (winning this fight is a requirement for unlocking the Festival of Greed quest). There is some give-and-take here though, because other quests may make this boss easier to beat, but defeating the boss can help Aura finish those quests more easily, too. There is no wrong answer here – just return here now and then, to see how you’re doing, and if it’s still too difficult, you can always go somewhere else.

After slaying the boss, don’t forget to pick up the anchor before leaving the Vault. It’s a key item that can boost your party in combat, but in order to use it, you first have to charge it with mana from a mana-rich environment.

Like this one.