Relic Curses Explained
Burn, Shock and Petrify are the three backpack curses in Moonlighter 2. Learn how each one reshapes your 5×4 grid — and how to turn them into free Quality (and gold).
The Three Curses
Adjacent relics gain +Quality but can overheat. Use Burn modifiers next to your highest-value relics and keep flammables separated so a single spark does not cascade.
Shock chains between electric relics. Too many connected cells cause Overshock and destroy items — slip a battery or an empty slot between electric items to break the chain.
Petrified relics become immovable 1×1 stone blocks. Plan backpack rows so Petrify does not lock you out of the high-value corner slots you wanted to use.
How Curses Become Gold
Every Quality point adds +5% to a relic’s sell price. Curses are the main lever you control in your backpack: a well-placed Burn source can push a Legendary relic’s price well above its base Perfect Stamp value. The trick is containment — buff the relics you want to sell, and isolate the ones that would chain out of control.
Backpack placement tricksFAQ
What do relic curses do in Moonlighter 2?+
Curses are backpack mechanics tied to each biome: Burn (Kalina), Shock (The Gallery) and Petrify (Aeolia). They buff or penalize neighbouring relics, changing the Quality — and therefore the sell price — of everything around them.
How does the Burn curse work?+
Burn relics add Quality to adjacent relics, raising their sell price, but can overheat. Place Burn sources next to your most valuable relics and keep flammable items apart so the effect does not spread out of control.
What is Overshock?+
Overshock happens when too many Shock relics are chained together in your backpack — the overload destroys items. Break the chain with a battery or an empty cell between electric relics.
How do I avoid Petrify lockouts?+
Petrify turns a relic into a fixed 1×1 block. Keep at least one flexible row free so Petrify does not wall off the high-value slots you need for your best relics.