With the announcement of its free summer update,Disney Dreamlight Valleyhas also revealed what’s next for theStorybook Valeexpansion. After its originally release at the end of 2024,Storybook Valeplayers have been desperately waiting several months to complete the story and uncover who the remaining secret character is. Now,on July 9th, 2025, the wait will finally come to an end.
Disney Dreamlight Valleyrecently confirmed some of the major suspicions that I had leading up to this expansion announcement, includingwhether this would be the finale ofStorybook Valeand who the secret character would be. Following a strong start from what many consider to be the best expansion, Part 2 is sure to bring players joy as they return toStorybook Vale’s cozy atmosphere with new content.
Part 2 Will Conclude Storybook Vale
Storbook Vale Will Not Consist Of 3 Parts, Like A Rift In Time Did
Although we already knew the next part ofStorybook Valewould be launching this summer, per the 2025 Roadmap, there was no official confirmation of whether this would be the finale or if it would be split into two additional smaller parts for summer. With only one expansion before it,A Rift in Timewas the only example we had to base any assumptions on. Starting in winter and concluding in summer,A Rift in TimeandStorybook Valeseemed to be following the same general schedule, until it was revealed thatStorybook Valewouldn’t have a spring update.
When originally announced,A Rift In Timewas scheduled to receive two updates: one in spring and one in summer. WhileStorybook Valedidn’t have any plans to release an update in spring, that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be concluding with part 2. Thefree version of the 2025 Roadmapfeatures an early summer and late summer update, so there was still a chance thatStorybook Valemight be broken down the same way, with Part 2 in early summer and a Part 3 finale in late summer, but I didn’t have high hopes, given that they hadn’t hinted at that.
Now that we have the official announcement, we know thatStorybook Valewill be concluding with Part 2 and will not have a Part 3. While it is a bit unfortunate given how many players, including myself,favorStorybook ValeoverA Rift In Timeand would enjoy more content from it, there might be a silver lining. SinceStorybook Valeis being consolidated into two parts, it’s presumable that Part 2 will be larger thanA Rift in Time’s Part 2, essentially offeringthe same amount of total content as the previous expansion, but in a shorter time.
Once Defeated, Maleficent Will Be Added To The Valley
Maleficent Will Join The Growing List Of Valley Villains This Summer
Given thatA Rift in TimeandStorybook Valewere similar in some ways and different in others, there was no way to know for sure whether the villains of this expansion would also be welcomed to the valley as villagers, especially since this one offered two, whereasA Rift in Timeonly included one, technically. SinceHades served as the primary focus for the first half ofStorybook Vale, he has already been welcomed to the valley, leaving just Maleficent remaining.
While it was naturally presumable that she, too, would be welcomed to the valley, after being the primary focus for the finale ofStorybook Vale, there was no confirmation of this. As one of Disney’s most notable villains,there was a possibility that she could simply disappear at the end, to be used as an antagonist again later on, especially since we already had Hades as anew villain in the valley.
Maleficent can be seen talking to a Feather with glasses in the trailer as well, but this is presumably a version of the Lorekeeper and not a character that will be relevant beyond the finale of Storybook Vale or welcomed to the valley.
That being said, I couldn’t seeDisney Dreamlight Valleydangling another major character in front of us and then taking them away, especially with how vocal players have been in expressing their frustration over the fact that Cinderella and Wreck-It Ralph are still absent from the game after being shown in early trailers. In Part 2, officially named The Unwritten Realms,players will help Maleficent rescue a missing princess, both of whom will then be added to the valley.
Princess Aurora Will Be Revealed In The Unwritten Realms
Travel Beyond Storybook Vale To Rescue The Missing Princess
As the final act ofStorybook Vale, The Unwritten Realms story was naturally going to reveal who the remaining fifth character would be. Although it was originally speculated that Hercules might be a part of this expansion, it was fairly obvious after playing the first half of the expansion that this would not be the case. As you exploreStorybook Vale,you frequently stumble on diary entries throughout the expansion, all labeled as being from Aurora.
Given these diary entries and the fact that Maleficent was clearly taking a backseat throughout the first half so she could be the primary focus of the second half, it wasn’t hard to guess that Sleeping Beauty would probably be the finalcharacter reveal forDDV’sStorybook Vale. Thankfully, whileDisney Dreamlight Valleycould’ve left us to continue speculating until the update launched, Gameloft has instead chosen to reveal that players' suspicions were correct andAurora is the missing character.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean that there couldn’t be a hidden surprise waiting in the new update, it’s probably unlikely. There’s been nothing to indicate any other characters, and the story is concluding here. However, that’s no reason to be disappointed, asHercules could very well still make his way to the valley through a free update. After all, Aladdin and Jasmine were not part of theA Rift in Timeexpansion with Jafar, but both were still welcomed in theTales of Agrabah updateearlier this year.
Even though the newStorybook Valeannouncement didn’t truly reveal anything many weren’t already expecting, it’s still sure to be a great update packed with content. Plus, there’s always the chance thatDisney Dreamlight Valleydidn’t play its full hand in the developer update. There could still be a few small surprises waiting for players on July 9th, 2025, when the finale launches.
