You're standing in the dark, cold depths of the Dimrill Dale entrance, staring at a massive wall of stone, and all you can think about is poop. Specifically, bat poop. In The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, your progression basically hits a brick wall if you can't find the right resources, and strangely enough, Moria where to get bat guano becomes one of the most frantic searches in the early to mid-game. It’s not just flavor text. Without it, your farming projects and certain high-tier crafting recipes simply won't happen.
Finding it isn't always intuitive.
The game doesn't exactly hold your hand and point a neon sign toward the nearest cave-dwelling mammal. Instead, you're forced to navigate the procedural labyrinth of Khazad-dûm, dodging Orcs and Goblins, just to find a handful of droppings. It’s gritty. It’s annoying. It’s also entirely necessary if you want to turn your dusty base into a sustainable Dwarven homestead.
Why Bat Guano is the Secret Engine of Your Forge
Most players think the game is all about Iron and Coal. They're wrong. While those are the literal building blocks of your armor, Guano is the fuel for your survival. It is the primary ingredient for making Saltpeter. If you’ve played any survival game before, you know Saltpeter is the gateway to explosives and advanced gardening. In Return to Moria, it’s the catalyst for the Meat Farm and various brew buffs that keep your stamina from cratering during a deep-dive expedition.
Honestly, the logic is sound. Dwarves are subterranean. They can't exactly go out and buy bags of Miracle-Gro from a Shire garden center. They have to use what’s available in the deep.
Hunting the Shadows: Moria Where to Get Bat Guano Early On
You won't find this stuff lying around in the Western Halls or the initial Elven Quarter ruins like common stones. To find Moria where to get bat guano, you have to look for specific environmental cues. The game uses a procedural generation system, so your map won't look like mine, but the "biomes" or room types remain consistent.
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Look for the "Dark Rooms." These are specifically the high-ceilinged chambers where the light of your torch barely hits the rafters. If you hear a high-pitched screeching or the fluttering of wings, you're in the right place. Most players make the mistake of looking at the walls. Look at the floor. Specifically, look under the rocky outcroppings and near the edges of large pits.
The Cave System Strategy
The most reliable spots are the natural caves that branch off from the main Dwarven architecture. These are often filled with mushrooms and "Ubath" (the game's version of cave-dwelling pests).
Bats in Moria aren't just background decoration; they are active entities. They congregate in areas with high verticality. If you find a room that requires a lot of platforming or building quick-ladders to ascend, there’s a 90% chance there’s a guano deposit at the base of those cliffs.
Identifying the Physical Nodes
It doesn't look like much. In the flickering light of a flickering torch, bat guano looks like small, dark, slightly shimmering mounds on the ground. It’s easy to mistake it for common dirt or just texture work on the floor.
- Color: Deep brownish-black, often with a slight "wet" sheen.
- Interaction: You don't need a pickaxe. You just walk up and interact with it to "gather."
- Yield: Usually, one node gives you 2-4 pieces of guano. It’s stingy.
If you're struggling to see it, turn your brightness up or use a Masterwork flare. The contrast against the gray stone of the mines makes the dark guano pop.
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The Saltpeter Connection
Once you've secured your supply, the next step is the Meal Table and the Saltpeter. You’ll need a Stone Hearth and a specialized crafting station to process the raw waste. This is where the game's complexity starts to show. You aren't just a miner; you're a chemist.
By mixing the guano with other minerals found in the lower depths, you create the chemical basis for the most potent buffs in the game. It’s kinda funny that the most powerful Dwarven warriors are essentially powered by processed bat droppings, but that’s the reality of life under the mountain.
Beyond the First Map: Scaling Your Search
As you push deeper into the Lower Deeps and toward the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, the bats get bigger. So do the deposits.
In the Lower Deeps, you'll encounter "Great Bats." These aren't the little nuisances from the Elven Quarter. These things are aggressive. However, their roosts are goldmines—or rather, guano-mines. Finding a Great Bat roost usually means you can walk away with 20+ units of guano in a single run.
But be careful. These areas are usually shrouded in "The Shadow," that purple, health-draining mist that permeates the corrupted parts of Moria. You have to balance your need for fertilizer with your need to, you know, stay alive.
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Quick Tips for Efficient Gathering
- Mark Your Map: Since rooms are procedural, use the waypoint system. If you find a room with high bat activity, mark it as "Guano Farm." Bats respawn over time, and so do their deposits.
- Empty Your Bags: Guano is light, but the stuff you find near it (like stones and mushrooms) will weigh you down. Go on dedicated "poop runs" where you don't care about ore.
- Listen, Don't Just Look: Use a headset. The directional audio in Return to Moria is actually decent. You can hear the bats squeaking long before you see them. Follow the sound to the ceiling, then look directly down.
Common Misconceptions About Bat Guano
A lot of players on Discord and Reddit keep saying you can "farm" bats by building enclosures. You can't. This isn't Minecraft. You can't domesticate the bats to get a steady stream of Saltpeter. You are a scavenger.
Another mistake is thinking guano only spawns in "natural" caves. While it's more common there, I've found plenty of it in the ruined noble houses of the Dwarven lords. If a roof has a hole in it, bats can get in. If bats get in, there’s guano.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re currently stuck on a recipe requiring Saltpeter or specialized fertilizer, do this exactly:
- Head back to the Elven Quarter if you’re early-game; it’s safer and the bats are less likely to kill you.
- Locate a "Dark Room"—these are the ones where your light source feels significantly dimmer.
- Hug the perimeter of the room. Guano rarely spawns in the dead center of a hallway; it's always near the walls or under ledges.
- Gather at least 10 units before heading back to your base. This gives you enough to start a meaningful farm or craft your first batch of explosives.
- Build a Chest specifically for organic waste. Don't mix your guano with your Iron Ore. You’ll lose track of it, and in the late game, you’ll be kicking yourself when you need to craft a batch of "Ironheart" ale and realize you’ve misplaced your Saltpeter.
The hunt for Moria where to get bat guano is basically a rite of passage for every Dwarf player. It’s the moment you stop being a tourist in Middle-earth and start becoming a survivalist. Grab your torch, keep your eyes on the floor, and don't mind the smell. It's the smell of progress.