How to Clear Black Ground in Fae Farm

There are two sorts of blockades you’ll encounter early on in Fae Farm, and they are thorns and black ground. While the thorns are removed fairly quickly, you can’t get rid of the muddy spots that force your avatar back. Like the thorns, this is tied to a Fae Farm story quest that teaches you a Vortex Spell. However, it’s one that involves getting to the bottom of the Saltwater Mines and finishing a quest for Neppy to remove whirlpools first.

Screenshot by Siliconera

How to use the Vortex Spell in Fae Farm

First, you need to actually get the spell. It’s tied to the “A Watery Wonder” story quest. You only get this after meeting Neppy on floor 25 of the Saltwater Mines. This took me until Spring 22nd in my first year, given you need to forge enough seals to fast travel to certain later floors. Fortunately, once you hit floor 25, you don’t need any seal to unlock it and you permanently unlock access to Neppy.

After gathering all the items for Neppy’s meal, you’ll clear the whirlpools with the spirit the next morning. When you do so, you’ll be able to access the spell wheel for the first time. On the Switch, equip your staff. Then, approach some of the dark ground together. When you do, hold the Y button to perform the Vortex spell in Fae Farm and clear away the black ground. If you do this around multiple corrupted patches, you can clear them away with a single use.

Fae Farm is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC.