Moonlight Peaks: 8 Best Ways To Make Money Early

Anyone looking for a farming sim that feels like a departure from the usual Stardew Valley clone? Moonlight Peaks should be that and more. Serving as a goth girlie, vampiric romp, this title is delightfully grim and devilishly addictive. 

However, despite it being a rather unique venture, one thing remains the same. To get ahead, you need to make bank. Something that can be done in many ways, but some are definitely more obvious than others. 

So, to help you hit the ground running and turn your humble farmstead into a profitable asset, we have a few handy tips to help you get ahead in Moonlight Peaks. 

Dig Up Some Cash

One of the easiest ways to make cash very early in the game is by finding dig spots dotted around the map. These are marked with a little spiral on the ground, indicating goodies buried underneath the soil. 

What you'll find buried underneath can vary. You may find recipes and blueprints. You can dig up seeds that can be planted to make a profit later. Or, you might literally dig up coins for an instant cash injection. In short, you should never pass a dig spot. 

Early Game Foraging 

It might not seem like a worthwhile venture, as the items you'll find lying around are so common. But, if gathered in enough bulk, you can make a pretty sizable return on foragables. 

On the low end of the scale, you can pick flowers for around 6 gold each. You also have shells on the beach that go for around 10 gold each. 

But, it's also worth noting that there are wild crops dotted around if you're willing to look for them. For example, you can gather Sugarbones in the Howling Marshes, or Eggplant, which grows wild in the woods north of your home. It's pure profit and costs zero energy, making it a great way to get the most out of each day. 

Hook 'Em, Catch 'Em, Sell 'Em

Not long into your time living in Moonlight Peaks, you'll be challenged to a fishing competition by Noel, granting you access to a fishing rod. Which, by extension, gives you access to another money-making venture. 

Depending on the rarity and quality of the fish you dredge up, you could make anything from 15 gold to a couple of hundred in a single catch. You'll end up infuriated by the amount of Whispers you catch, but that's just the joys of fishing. 

Invest in Profitable Seeds 

In a farming sim, it may not come as much of a shock, but we'll say it anyway. Farming crops tends to make a pretty penny, especially if you pick the right seeds for the right season. 

You can buy seeds from Luna's pop-up shop on any given day, and you'll have access to a wealth of options. You can go for one-time harvests like Carrots or Eggplant. Or you can go for trellis crops like berries and get repeated yields across the season. 

A fair warning: you should always look at the seasons in which crops grow, and how long they take before harvest. But, in truth, you can't go wrong with crops, whatever you choose. 

Refine Into Wine 

Speaking of crops, in the early game, you don't have a lot of options to enhance your crops, as buildings like Mills cost quite a lot to make, and enhancing through magic is quite a long way off. But you do get the blueprint for a Keg very early on. 

This allows you to make juices and alcoholic beverages, changing those berries that go for about 6 gold each into bottles of wine that can sell for hundreds. Quite the upgrade. 

We would suggest building a few kegs early on to lean into this, and before long, you'll be turning basic crops into luxury goods. 

Critters For Cash 

A little later on in your first season, you'll have a run-in with Death. Something that would strike fear into most, but not you, because you're already dead. Plus, he seems to be on vacation anyway. 

He'll ask a favor of you: to catch Soul Blobs around the town, and will give you a net to catch them. But this also doubles as a way to catch critters as well. 

The downside is that swinging your net exerts quite a lot of energy, so you need to be precise with your swings. But the trade-off is that if you find a rare critter, you could end up making bank. 

Jobs Need Doing 

One of the most profitable things you can do early on is pick up odd jobs from the job board in town. This doesn't become available until about two weeks in. But when it does, you'll be able to gather specific items for NPCs around town and get paid handsomely for it.

You might need to grow a specific crop, or it might be as silly as gathering literal trash for Death. But, in that scenario, finding an Old Fish Can that typically sells for one gold will net you 1000x gold. In short, if you have the time, jobs are well worth doing. 

Lean Into Livestock 

Lastly, while it will cost you 4,000 gold plus 1,200 gold per Cheeken, it is a good idea to start leaning into livestock as soon as it's financially viable. 

This is because these animals allow you to collect passive income from their animal products, which is eggs in the Cheeken's case. Then you can also use the fertilizer they produce to either enhance your crops or sell for a small profit as well. 

More expensive livestock produces more lucrative items, but for beginner players, a couple of Cheekens is a good starting point.