Fans of lifestyle games will appreciateStardew Valleyfor its unique take on the farming simulator. After all,Stardew Valleyboasts some of the most complex farming systems available to a game. For instance, aside from farming specific plants, players can venture off into other activities such as forming relationships and customizing their farm. Moreover, players can even explore other locales inside the game - including theMines.
InStardew Valley, the Mines open another layer of gameplay for players to experience. Essentially, the Mines serve as the location of both the mining and combat elements inStardew Valley. However, how exactly do the Mines change the gameplay dynamic for this farming sim?
Updated on July 16, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:With the recent Version 1.6 update bringing huge fixes and massive features to Stardew Valley, fans and newcomers to the farming sim may be tempted to start entirely new playthroughs to experience the reinvigorated magic brought to the beloved franchise. Given how some changes to the game included a new farm layout, new items, and even new approaches to mechanics, fans may be curious as to just what kind of adventures await them in their playthrough. For RPG fans, this playthrough may be focused on the Mines that contain hidden treasures of their own. While the rest of the update has brought changes to the overworld, the expansive Mines seems to have maintained its air of mystery - especially with its depths. With this in mind, fans who want to explore more of this Stardew Valley offering may want to get to know more of its secrets: regular containers and their contents, the possibility of special items, and even containers on the ground.
What’s The Mines?
An Important Location In Stardew Valley
The Mines serve as the primary mining component ofStardew Valleygameplay. However, unlike other simulation games with mining elements, the Mines in this particular game also have a simple combat system. Essentially, players enter the Mines not just to get ores and special loot but also to fight various monsters along the way.
At its core, players can venture deeper into the mine’s multiple levels - each containing varying degrees of environments, monsters, and items to collect.
Where Is The Mine Located?
Players will first encounter the Mine as a quarry entrance along the northern part of the Mountains. Specifically, players can get to the Mines if they go west from the Adventurer’s Guild or northeast from the Carpenter’s Shop.
The Mines don’t have a visible sign. However, it does have a wooden doorway that leads into a cave on the plains along the base of the Mountains.
When Is The Mine Unlocked?
Interestingly, players can almost always encounter the Mines if they tour around town. However, the doorway to the Mines will remain blocked by rock debris until the 5th Day of Spring in Year 1. By then, players will receive a letter that will start the quest to remove the debris blocking the entrance.
Mine Safely
General Reminders
It’s common knowledgeamongstStardew Valleycitizensthat monsters and treasure lie deep inside the Mines. Unfortunately, as a farm owner, players do need to venture into the Mines to gather valuable resources for their projects. Here are some important considerations:
Meet The Dwarf
An Inhabitant Of The Mines
TheDwarfserves as the main resident living in the Mines. It’s a Valley Resident, meaning players can form a meaningful relationship with it, albeit more as a friend. Here are some notable things about the Dwarf:
Get Ready To Explore
A Few Key Features To Keep In Mind
Despite its small entrance, the Mines appear to be a huge network of various terrains. In fact, some players might consider the Mines to be its own minigame due to its new combat mechanics and vast exploration opportunities outside regular areaswhere they can forageand do other farm mechanics. However, some eagle-eyed players may want to pay attention to certain details:
Section 0: Entrance
Players get to the Entrance as soon as they enter the Mines. It has a brown-earth theme that gives off the vibe of what a “regular” mine would look like. Here are some notable aspects of the entrance:
Section 1: Brown Earth
Players who venture down from the Entrance will arrive in the game’s first Section. This one has a brown-earth theme, with an abundance of rocky undertones, weeds, and a general “cave” aesthetic. For all intents and purposes, this Section has a familiar theme that can help players get more acquainted withthe game’s mining component. Here are some things to note:
Section 1.5: Grey Earth, Shadow
Players who end up in Level 31 will start to feel a change in the Section’s overall aesthetic. Instead of brown-earth, the Mines will have a more grey-earth feeling with an abundant shadowy atmosphere.
Section 2: Frozen Earth
Players who survive past Level 39 will find themselves welcoming the icy locale of Section 2. This particular set of Levels has a frozen-earth theme, which comes with its own set of new challenges to overcome, treasures to collect, and resources to harvest:
Section 2.5 Frozen Castle
Players who venture into Level 70 will begin to see a slight change in the atmosphere. Instead of navigating an icy environment, players stumble upon what appears to be a Frozen Castle. Unlike Section 1’s shadow theme with limited monsters, the Frozen Castle has most monsters from the frozen-earth theme alongside one addition.
Section 3: Lava Earth, Purple
Players who venture much deeper into the Mines will realize that the Earth gets hotter the closer they get to the core. This time around, players will end up in Section 3, dominated by a theme of lava and purple-earth. As a result, players encounter fire-themed monsters and what appears to be a civilization of Mine-dwellers.
Section 3.5: Lava Earth, Crimson
Players who venture into the last 10 Levels of the Mines will encounter the same lava-themed environment, albeit this time with a crimson hue. Interestingly, players will face the same set of opponents here as they would in Levels 80 to 109 of Section 3. There aren’t any notable items here as well.
Final Level: Lava Earth, Purple
The last floor or Level 120 of the Mines will revert back to a lava-earth with a purple hue of Levels 80 to 109. There won’t be any enemies here as well, and no more threats appear on this floor.
Treasure: Skull Key.Players can obtain a special Skull Key on this floor. This Skull Key will give players access to the Skull Cavern (in the Desert), and a minigame in the form of Junimo Kart (in the Stardrop Station).
General Exploration Tips
The 101 Of Mine Exploring
Players who visit the Mines for the first time during theirfirstStardew Valleyyearwill likely think it’s a straightforward combat component of the game. After all, players just have to gather materials, fight monsters, and traverse levels downward without reaching the day’s end to keep their items, right? However, due to the changing nature of the Mines, players need to consider other aspects of the Mines that may affect their objectives for every session:
What Are Swarms?
Similar to the real-life concept,Swarmsrefer to groups of creatures that gather around a particular area. In the context ofStardew Valley’s Mines, Swarms refer to groups of monsters that gather around the player and attack them. Players can notice Swarms beforehand if their screen becomes foggy, glowy, or even misty, as this indicates that the flying monsters currently in the area are primed for attack.
Thankfully, players can stop this from happening should they consume Oil of Garlic. Players can acquire this recipe once they reach Combat Level 6, or buy them from the Dwarf at 3,000 G.
What About Staircases?
Since the Mines progress vertically, it’s throughStaircasesthat players need to use to be able to navigate its areas. Each level in the Mines is organized into Floors, withStaircasesbeing used as “exit” areas to proceed to the next floor.
These Staircases are upgraded into Elevators whenever players access five floors. In these situations, players who enter the ground floor of the Mines can now access an Elevator Floor via a shortcut. Players should aim to traverse at least five Floors during a Mines session to ensure a quick exit via an Elevator, regardless ofthe season in theirStardew Valleyplaythrough.
Advanced Exploration Tips
For Seasoned Miners And Beyond
Thanks to the rather simple format of the Mines inStardew Valley, players can easily prepare to venture deep into the Mines to gather treasure and kill some monsters. However, players might want to consider special factors that can affect their overall exploration. Here are some advanced exploration tips:
Level Interactions
Aside from typical exploration, players do need to pay particular attention tocertain gameplay mechanicsthat can affect their progress at any particular level. Here are components inside Levels that players need to take note of:
Beware The Final Level
As mentioned, reaching Level 120 or the final floor of the Mines will give players access to the Skull Key. However, players should take note that reaching this far will also change some aspects of the game. Upon reaching the bottom-most part of the Mines:
What Are In Crates And Barrels?
A Breakdown Of The Loot
Like their other RPG counterparts,CratesandBarrelsin the Mines ofStardew Valleygameplayare essentially random loot containers. They’re ideally destroyed as soon as players see them, as they respawn when re-entering levels - at least, except those in platforms, as they don’t respawn. Despite their differences in appearance, Crates and Barrels draw from the same loot table when it comes to their drops.
Items may drop at higher rates based on the level where players are located, especially once reaching Skull Cavern. These rates may change should players have already reached the Minex before re-exploring. Some items of note include:
What Are Special Items?
Each Level Has Something Unique
Despite the already limited chance of acquiring items in Crates and Barrels, players have an even smaller chance of gettingSpecial Itemsout of these containers. Monsters may also drop Special Items at a fixed rate of around 0.2%, except Slimes, which have a 1.2% Special Item drop rate.
Depending on the Floor or the creature slain, certain items have a higher or lower chance of being granted to players. Items of interest per level set are the following:
What Are Dirt Patches?
They Exist For A Reason
Like their above-ground counterparts,Dirt Patchesin a player’sStardew Valleygameplay deep in the Mines can also be dug out to retrieve loot. Players may use a traditional Hoe to dig the soil or a nifty Bomb to explode their way to smithereens. The loot table is retained regardless of which digging tool is used, although the table is more limited compared to Crates and Barrels.
However, compared to the latter, Dirt Patches do contain more interesting loot. Some items that may be worth grinding for include:
Remixed Rewards
Tweaking The Game Settings
As players might notice, rewards commonly appear every 10 Levels within the Mines. However, they aren’t necessarily set rewards. If players go to the Advanced Options and select “Remixed” rewards at the start of the game, players can instead get special rewards every 10th Level. Here are things to consider:
List Of Remixed Rewards
Players who choose “Remixed” for Mine rewards in the game’s Advanced Options when they start the game will “randomize” the rewards offered in each Reward Level. In this iteration,Remixed Rewardscan potentially switch the rewards of all Reward Floors in the game, allowing players to earn even items thatVillagers inStardew Valleymay love. These include the following:
Let’s Get Slashing
Understanding Combat In The Game
Combat remains one of the most vital components in the Mines. Thanks to various weapons, players can actually take onStardew Valley’s most infamous monsters while searching and mining for Ores, Gems, and other Treasures.
Players who want to master the art of combat inStardew Valleyneed to understand some intricate aspects of combat as well:
Mind The Food
Players who want to stay alive during their stay in the Mines should always carry food with them. It’s important that players carry a substantial amount of these foods in order to increase the time duration of their buffs and also heal their Health and Energy. Here are other considerations:
Similar to other RPGs, players can consumeFoodin order to get various buffs while spending time in the Skull Cavern. However, players need to remember that only one Food with a buff can be in effect at any time, and eating another buffed Food will replace all existing buffs. Some of these foods mayinclude Universal Loves inStardew Valley.The best buffed Foods include:
Staircases, Elevators Galore
Players who need a quick exit off a Level can actually use the Staircase. Using this item will give players instant access to the Level next to the one they’re on. Here are other characteristics:
The Shrine Of Challenge
Players who have completed their exploration of all Levels in the Mines can actually change the final floor’s appearance. If they complete the “Danger in the Deep” quest via Qi’s Walnut Room (Ginger Island), they unlock something called the Shrine of Challenge. Here are some characteristics:
Special Levels
These Floors Keep Things Interesting
Interestingly, players might notice that some Levels in the Mines don’t always follow “convention.” Some of these Levels don’t share the same theme or layout, and may even have a completely different aesthetic. Players who experience this means they’re actually inside a Special Level. These floors have special elements that slightly change the way players navigate the Mines. Here are those areas:
Infested Floors
Sometimes, players may enter a floor that’s almost completely covered with slime. These include slime on the floor and the walls, and even a profound lack of rocks. In this case, players have entered an Infested Floor. Here are some things to note:
Dungeon Floors
Interestingly, players who want a more fantasy take on their journey in the Mines can look forward to Dungeon Floors. Its theme looks similar to the Quarry Mine. Here are some characteristics:
The Mushroom Floor
Among the Mines' lowest section will be something called a Mushroom Floor. Unlike other Levels, the Mushroom Floor will have an abundance of purple and red mushrooms as well as various colored lanterns. Here are some characteristics:
