Finding and Using the Six Portal Ruins Variants in Eternal Starlight
Portal Ruins are the Overworld structures you must locate to reach the Starlight Dimension in Eternal Starlight. There are six variants, and each one appears in a different set of biomes. Once you find one, you face The Gatekeeper to unlock the gateway to the stars.
The Six Variants
The mod includes these Portal Ruins types:
- Common Portal Ruins
- Cold Portal Ruins
- Desert Portal Ruins
- Forest Portal Ruins
- Jungle Portal Ruins
Each variant generates only in biomes belonging to its own biome tag. Common Portal Ruins use the `#eternal_starlight:has_portal_ruins_common` tag, Cold Portal Ruins use `#eternal_starlight:has_portal_ruins_cold`, Desert Portal Ruins use `#eternal_starlight:has_portal_ruins_desert`, Forest Portal Ruins use `#eternal_starlight:has_portal_ruins_forest`, and Jungle Portal Ruins use `#eternal_starlight:has_portal_ruins_jungle`. In practice, this means the ruins you encounter depend on the climate and terrain of the biome you are exploring.
How Placement Works
Every variant follows the same placement rules. Each one makes a single generation attempt per 36x36 chunk region, and each attempt must be at least 30 chunks away from another attempt. Because of this spacing, you will not find Portal Ruins packed tightly together. Expect to travel a fair distance between one ruin and the next, and plan your search around broad stretches of the appropriate biome rather than a small local area.
Searching Efficiently
Because placement is tied to biome tags, the most reliable approach is to identify which variant matches the biome you are standing in and then cover ground systematically.
- Check your surroundings against the variant list: cold regions point toward Cold Portal Ruins, sandy regions toward Desert Portal Ruins, wooded regions toward Forest Portal Ruins, and so on.
- Move in straight lines across the biome instead of wandering, since each 36x36 chunk region only gets one attempt.
- Keep in mind the 30-chunk minimum spacing. If you just passed a ruin, the next one will not be nearby.
- If a biome does not match any variant's tag, move on to one that does.
Reaching the Starlight Dimension
Finding a Portal Ruins structure is only the first step. To unlock the gateway, you must face The Gatekeeper. Defeating this encounter opens the way to the Starlight Dimension, a mystical realm bathed in starlight that is full of wonder, danger, and discovery.
What Comes After
Once you arrive in the Starlight Dimension, the mod offers a wide range of content to explore: diverse biomes, rare ingredients, unique mobs, and an array of tools and weapons. Boss encounters are part of that journey as well. The 
Seeking Eye helps you locate each boss, and the 
Glimmering Tablet provides clues to track them down.
Practical Notes
The six variants share identical placement behavior, so no variant is inherently rarer than another in terms of generation rules. What changes is where each one can appear. If you are hunting a specific variant, your real task is finding the right biome tag rather than searching longer in the wrong terrain. Bring enough supplies for a long trip, since the spacing rules guarantee that Portal Ruins are spread out across the landscape.
Covers the mod’s in-game guide topics: Common Portal Ruins Cold Portal Ruins Desert Portal Ruins Forest Portal Ruins Jungle Portal Ruins
Ether