Wondering exactly how to transfer demo save Moonsigil Atlas to the full 1.0 release? Simply navigate to your Windows directory at %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Snake Tower Games\Moonsigil Atlas Demo\saves, copy the profile_1.sav file, and paste it directly into the \Moonsigil Atlas\saves folder of the newly installed full game. Once you launch the title, your unlocked Latin sigils and starting decks will be instantly available.
If you poured dozens of hours into the pre-release Next Fest build of Twin Sails Interactive’s brilliant spatial deckbuilder, starting from scratch is the last thing you want to do. With the game launching to massive critical acclaim, dedicated players are scrambling to retain their hard-earned progress. This comprehensive, step-by-step guide explains exactly how to migrate your data seamlessly, avoiding frustrating Steam Cloud overwrites and preserving your overpowered shape combos for the full campaign.
Why You Need to Know How to Transfer Demo Save Moonsigil Atlas
Moonsigil Atlas is far from a traditional roguelike deckbuilder. Because your cards act like physical tetromino shapes that you slot together on a restrictive spatial grid, the initial learning curve is notoriously steep. During the limited demo period, dedicated players spent countless hours mastering the complex geometry of the board, unlocking crucial starting tools like the "Lil' Clonker" companion card and the foundational Latin root syllables necessary to summon cosmic entities.
Losing that progress means re-grinding the frustrating first three Ascensions and defeating the Prime Monster tutorial boss all over again. By understanding exactly how to transfer demo save Moonsigil Atlas files, you bypass the early-game friction entirely. You keep your compendium of discovered card shapes, your detailed run history statistics, and most importantly, the permanent meta-progression currency known as Astral Dust, which you accumulated from failed runs against the Cosmic God.
The transition to the full game should be seamless, provided you follow the exact directory mapping. Many players make the mistake of assuming Steam Cloud will handle the migration automatically. Unfortunately, because the demo and the full game are listed as entirely separate applications in the Steam database (App ID 3284290 for the full game), the cloud servers do not communicate with each other. Taking manual ownership of your local files is the only guaranteed way to ensure your progress survives the launch window.
Step-by-Step: How to Transfer Demo Save Moonsigil Atlas on PC
Snake Tower Games did not implement an in-game automatic migration tool for the 1.0 launch. Therefore, PC players must manually migrate their local files using Windows File Explorer. Here is the exact, foolproof method to ensure your data moves over without corruption.
Step 1: Locate the Original Demo Save Directory
Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Snake Tower Games\Moonsigil Atlas Demo\saves and hit Enter. This will open the hidden AppData folder where the Unity engine stores local player data.
Step 2: Isolate and Copy the Target Files
Inside this folder, you will see a variety of JSON and SAV files. You only need to copy profile_1.sav (which contains your main progression, Astral Dust, and unlocked Ascensions) and compendium.json (which tracks your discovered Latin sigil combos and card shapes). Do not copy the settings.ini or graphics.json files, as the full game features updated resolution scaling and UI parameters that will conflict and potentially cause a crash on startup.
Step 3: Navigate to the Full Game Directory
Go back up one level to the main Snake Tower Games folder. You should see a newly created Moonsigil Atlas folder (without the "Demo" suffix). Open it, then proceed into the \saves directory. If this folder does not exist yet, you need to launch the full game once to the main menu, let it create the directory structure, and then exit the game completely.
Step 4: Paste and Replace
Paste your copied profile_1.sav and compendium.json files into this folder. If prompted to overwrite existing files, select "Yes."
Step 5: Disable Steam Cloud Temporarily This is the most critical step. Before launching the game, right-click Moonsigil Atlas in your Steam library, select Properties, navigate to the General tab, and toggle off Steam Cloud saves. If you skip this step, Steam will notice a discrepancy between your local files and its empty cloud server, and it will forcefully overwrite your imported demo files with a blank slate.
Once you have booted the game and verified that your Latin sigils and unlocked shapes are present in the compendium, you can safely close the game and re-enable Steam Cloud. Steam will now upload your imported save to the server as the new master file.
What Actually Carries Over? Demo vs. 1.0 Full Game
Not everything from the Next Fest demo makes the jump to the 1.0 release. During the transition from early access to full launch, Snake Tower Games rebalanced several overpowered combos, meaning your save file will undergo a slight, automated conversion process upon its first load in the new client.
Here is a detailed breakdown of what survives the migration and what gets left behind:
- Retained Progress: All unlocked base cards (including the community-favorite "Lil' Clonker" defensive block), your total banked Astral Dust currency, your run history statistics, and your unlocked Latin root vocabulary. If you defeated the Prime Monster in the demo, that victory flag is also retained.
- Reset Elements: Any active mid-run saves are wiped. If you quit the demo halfway through a boss fight, you will spawn back at the central hub world in the full game. Additionally, any corrupted "Cosmic God" anomaly cards (which were demo-exclusive teasers meant to showcase late-game mechanics) are removed from your deck.
- Converted Mechanics: Any 5-block spatial cards (Pentominoes) you unlocked in the demo will be automatically converted into standard 4-block Tetromino cards with boosted attack stats. This is because the developers slightly reduced the maximum grid size for the final release to make combat faster and more punchy.
This background conversion script is exactly why managing your data manually is critical. If you rely on third-party cloud sync tools, the conversion script may fail to trigger, leaving you with a corrupted profile_1.sav that the 1.0 client cannot read.
Troubleshooting: When Learning How to Transfer Demo Save Moonsigil Atlas Fails
Even when following the correct file paths perfectly, some players encounter the dreaded "Save File Incompatible" error on the main menu. This usually occurs if you played an extremely early build of the demo and never updated it before the demo was delisted from the Steam store.
If your game crashes upon loading the transferred save, or simply refuses to recognize the file, follow these advanced troubleshooting steps:
Check the Internal File Version
Right-click your profile_1.sav file and open it in Notepad or any plain text editor. Look at the very first line of code. It should read "version": "0.9.5". If it says "version": "0.8.0" or lower, your save is too old to be directly imported into the 1.0 client.
The Hex-Edit Bypass Method Advanced users can manually change that version string from "0.8.0" to "0.9.5" and save the text file. While this forces the game engine to read the file and attempt the conversion, be warned that it may result in missing textures for certain spatial cards, as the older asset IDs no longer match the 1.0 database.
Steam Deck and Linux Sync Issues
If you are playing on a Steam Deck, the Linux Proton file structure makes finding the AppData folder slightly more complex. Switch to Desktop Mode, open the Dolphin file manager, enable hidden files, and navigate to: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/3284290/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/Snake Tower Games/. From there, the transfer process is identical to Windows.
Maximizing Your Imported Roster: The "Lil' Clonker" Strategy
Once you successfully execute the transfer, you instantly possess a massive tactical advantage over day-one players. The spatial grid deckbuilding mechanics of Moonsigil Atlas heavily reward players who already have a wide library of geometric shapes at their disposal.
With your imported save active, immediately navigate to the deck assembly screen and equip the "Lil' Clonker" starter deck. Because you already possess the advanced Latin sigils from your demo playtime, you can confidently slot the Clonker card into the dead center of the 6x6 combat grid on turn one.
From there, surround it with L-shaped and T-shaped attack cards. This creates an unbreakable, interlocking defensive wall against the Prime Monster's early onslaught. New players will be forced to rely on basic 1x1 and 2x1 blocks, taking heavy chip damage, while your imported arsenal allows you to control the board's geometry right from the tutorial. Combining the Clonker with the "Astra" and "Lux" Latin syllables will trigger a board-clearing resonance effect, allowing you to speedrun the first three Ascensions in record time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does this guide on how to transfer demo save Moonsigil Atlas apply to console versions? No. This method applies strictly to the PC Steam version. The console ports did not feature a public demo with persistent local saves that could be extracted.
Will I unlock Steam achievements retroactively after transferring? Yes. Upon successfully loading your imported demo save and entering the hub world, any major milestones you previously reached (such as "Defeat a Prime Monster", "Spell a 5-Sigil Latin Word", or "Collect 1,000 Astral Dust") will instantly trigger their respective Steam achievements in a satisfying cascade.
Can I transfer my save back to the demo if I want to play the old build?
No. Once the 1.0 full game client converts your profile_1.sav file to the new release format, it is permanently incompatible with the older demo build. If you plan on archiving the demo, always keep a separate backup copy of your original files in a different folder.
What happens if I already started a new game in 1.0?
If you already have a profile_1.sav in the full game folder, pasting the demo save will overwrite your new progress. If you wish to keep both, rename the demo save to profile_2.sav before pasting it, which will load it into the second save slot on the main menu.
Sources
- Twin Sails Interactive Official Steam Forums
- Snake Tower Games Local Data Documentation
- Moonsigil Atlas Community Subreddit
Transitioning from a pre-release build to a full 1.0 launch doesn't have to mean sacrificing your hard-earned spatial combos and meta-progression. By taking ownership of your local AppData folders and carefully migrating your files, you can bypass the tedious early grind and jump straight into the deeper cosmic mysteries of Snake Tower Games' brilliant deckbuilder. Double-check your file versions, remember to temporarily disable Steam Cloud, and your transition into the full release of Moonsigil Atlas will be entirely seamless.