Magnetite is a mid-to-late-game resource in Starsand Island that you need primarily to craft Magnets, which feed into higher-level recipes like the Energy Converter. The game's own description points you toward the Moonlit Forest near Spiritshade River, but that hint is incomplete — and plenty of players have wandered the forest without finding a single piece. There are actually several distinct ways to obtain Magnetite, and each has its own prerequisites.
Quick answer: The most reliable source of Magnetite is mining the translucent, white-colored deposits in the Glintortle boss arena, located between Mural Valley and the Harvest Yard in the Moonlit Forest. You need a high-tier pickaxe (the Impact Hammer or better) to harvest them.
Prerequisites before you can collect Magnetite
You cannot simply walk into the Moonlit Forest and start mining Magnetite on your first visit. Progress through Zephyria's quest line at the Exploration Club is required. Specifically, you need to reach the area past Mural Valley, which is locked behind a large door that requires two keys. One key comes from a treasure chest near the waterfall elevator in Azure Bay, and the other is a reward from Zephyria after you complete the Intermediate Explorer Certificate.
You also need to level up your combat job class to a certain threshold, since the door's unlock condition is tied to that progression. If you've been focusing exclusively on crafting, you'll need to invest some time in the fighting track before you can pass through.
Mining Magnetite deposits in the Glintortle boss area
Once past the locked door in Mural Valley, you enter the zone where the Glintortle boss spawns. Magnetite deposits appear in this arena, sitting between Mural Valley and the Harvest Yard. The ore has a distinctive look — light white, slightly translucent, and almost sparkling — so it stands out against the darker rock formations nearby.
A standard pickaxe won't work here. You need the Impact Hammer or an equivalent high-level mining tool to actually harvest the deposits. Swinging anything weaker will produce no results.
Because Glintortle respawns every time you leave the Moonlit Forest and return, the ideal approach is to mine all the Magnetite deposits immediately after defeating the boss. If you'd rather skip the fight, you can mine while Glintortle is still active, but equip Rollerskates so you can dash between nodes quickly and dodge its water-wave and bubble attacks.
Processing Uncommon Ore Chunks through the Ore Analyzer
If you haven't reached the Glintortle area yet — or if you need Magnetite and can't get past the gate — there's an alternative path. Magnetite can drop as a processed result from Uncommon Ore Chunks run through the Ore Analyzer.
Uncommon Ore Chunks don't come from regular mining nodes. Instead, dig up Soil Mounds located near Spiritshade River, deeper in the Moonlit Forest. The Soil Mounds closer to the forest entrance yield Common Ore Chunks, so make sure you're digging in the river's vicinity. You can also occasionally get Uncommon Ore Chunks as a byproduct when mining high-value ores like Gold or Primorite.
Take the chunks back home and load them into your Ore Analyzer. If you've progressed far enough to need Magnetite, you've already built the Analyzer during an earlier crafter quest involving Common Ore Chunks and Ancient Parts. Processing takes a while, especially with multiple chunks queued, so handle other tasks and check back later. Magnetite is one of several possible outputs, meaning you won't always get it — plan on making multiple trips for more Soil Mounds if your first batch doesn't yield enough.
Other Magnetite sources
A few less consistent methods exist for players who need just a piece or two in a pinch.
- Luminfrog drop — the frog enemy located across the bubble bridge before the Mural Valley gate can occasionally drop a single Magnetite on defeat. The drop isn't guaranteed on every kill, so this is slow and unreliable, but it works if you're locked out of the boss area.
- Treasure chests scattered throughout the Moonlit Forest sometimes contain Magnetite, though the odds are low and the chests don't respawn freely.
- Romance candidate gifts — characters you've built a high affection level with may occasionally gift you Magnetite, but this is rare and not something you can plan around.
How to tell you've collected enough
Magnetite's primary crafting use is making Magnets, which are components in recipes like the Energy Converter. Check your active quest log to see exactly how many Magnets (and therefore how much Magnetite) you need. If a quest appears to require a duplicate craft due to a bug — some players have reported the Energy Converter quest asking for a second build — the Luminfrog and Ore Analyzer methods can bail you out without needing to clear the boss gate again.
Once you've crafted the Magnets, the quest tracker will update to confirm completion. If it doesn't, double-check that you're placing the finished item in the correct crafting station or turning it in at the right NPC.
Magnetite is one of the more confusing resources in Starsand Island because the game nudges you toward the Moonlit Forest without spelling out the specific sub-areas or tool requirements. Prioritize unlocking the Mural Valley gate and upgrading to the Impact Hammer, and you'll have a steady, repeatable supply every time you visit the Glintortle arena.