So... Golden Apples...

[Ingwe]

I've run into two White Stags over the past several months and in an old MOTD I learned that they like Golden Apples. Now I spenmd most of my game time just running around all over the place looking at everything, and I'm constantly using Ctrl-Shift to see what can be interacted with, and I haven't run into a single Golden Apple yet. I've even done some research and come up with a list of 10 or 11 potential Golden Apple spots but nothing has panned out there yet either. Anyone got some helpful advice to share? Like, do these apples only spawn once a month? Do they decay if they aren't picked up? How many real spawn spots are there? Just give me anything to narrow this search down to less than 'Sometime, somewhere between the far West and the far East reaches of Sosaria'.

[Falkor]

The next hint is: They are not golden in color (I suppose I could change that) and aren't called "a golden apple." You can't tell them from a regular apple until you try to eat one.

They stand out because they're not near trees. Spawned items do not decay until picked up, but they can change locations.

[Ingwe]

The tip that they aren't near apple trees was HUGE and has at least saved me from frying my brain over that - thanks very much Falkor! I'd already read about them looking like normal apples but you can't eat them, they need to be polished or rubbed or something. That'll be handy info if I ever find one. And I appreciate you letting me know that they don't decay on the ground. I'll keep plugging away!