Ethan Erekson 
Ethan is our resident Stardew Valley expert. He has also covered Genshin Impact, Animal Crossing, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Reviewed by Ashley Johnson
On Day 5 of Spring 1, you’ll receive a letter from Joja letting you know that they cleared the landslide by the mountain lake. Once you head up there, you’ll gain access to a new area in Stardew Valley — the Mines. Following a cutscene with Marlon, you’ll receive a sword and be able to enter the depths of the Mines, where you can fight monsters, mine ore, and find a variety of valuables and treasures. Our Stardew Valley Mines Guide paints a picture of what awaits you as you journey through the Mines in Stardew Valley, along with some tips and tricks to help you on the way.
Adventure awaits, so let’s get started.
What to Bring to the Mines
There’s all sorts of stuff to be found in the Mines in Stardew Valley, from useful ores and valuable gemstones to artifacts from a bygone time. Sure, there are monsters and danger lurking around every corner, but the rewards are worth the risk, especially if you’re prepared. However, there’s one slight problem — you only have so much pocket space. And the more you take with you, the less space you have to carry these resources and valuables, especially in the early game. As such, you should take only what you need. What should you bring and what should be left behind?
Gear and Equipment
When you’re first getting started, just bring your sword and pickaxe. For the most part, that’s all you need. Put the rest of your stuff in a chest back home, and just take the essentials as you venture into the Mines. You’ll need to save your pocket space for the stuff you’ll find down there. You’ll also want to take some food with you, so you can replenish your energy and health, letting you stay down there longer. Cheese is always a good option, but just use whatever you have. And if it’s Spring 15–18, then you’re in luck! This time of the year is salmonberry season in Stardew Valley, so you can just pick a bunch of salmonberries from some bushes on your way to the Mines, giving you plenty of food as you venture deep down into the Mines.
As you progress, you’ll gather some items and unlock others that you can purchase in the Adventurer’s Guild. This includes stuff like rings, boots, and better weapons, and you’ll want to equip those when you have the chance. Boots increase your defense and immunity, and rings have a variety of useful effects, so you’ll want to equip them when you have the chance.
The Mines in Stardew Valley
Now that you’re ready, it’s time to enter the Mines. 120 floors of resources, monsters, and treasure are down there, ready for the taking. You’ll go through caves, shadows, frozen caverns, and fiery depths as you venture through the many floors. Here’s what you need to know about the Mines so you can progress and take advantage of everything the Mines have to offer.
The Elevator
When you first enter the Mines in Stardew Valley, you’ll see a ladder and an elevator. Both are used for descending into the depths of the Mines, but at first, the elevator is broken and unusable. As such, you’ll have to go through all 120 floors to reach the bottom. On each floor, there’s at least one ladder somewhere, but it’s not always in plain sight. You’ll likely need to mine or slay monsters until the ladder appears. However, time is of the essence, so you’ll want to keep moving. Collect the vital resources and move on. Otherwise, you may risk losing your progress.
That’s where the elevator comes in. As you venture into the Mines, you’ll come across the elevator every five floors. Once you reach those floors, the elevator is repaired, letting you return to that point and pick up where you left off. As such, whenever you go mining, try to make it to the next floor that has an elevator before you call it quits. You don’t want to start over each day! Don’t worry about leaving anything behind. You can always use the elevator to return to the floors later. Your main priority should just be getting to the bottom. Afterward, you have access to just about any floor with the elevator, letting you mine whatever you desire to your heart’s content.
Monsters & Infestations
Of course, the resources and rewards found in the Mines aren’t without risk. Several monsters can be found in the Mines in Stardew Valley, and if you’re not careful, you could lose all your health. When that happens, you collapse, and when you wake up, you’ll have lost some of your stuff, along with some of your hard-earned money. Fortunately, you can get your stuff back, but you’ll have to pay a price. As such, you should try to prevent “dying,” either by killing the monsters before they get you or avoiding them altogether.
Of course, you can’t avoid them completely. Occasionally, you’ll come across an infested floor, whose walls and floors are typically covered in green slime. Slimes are usually found on these floors, though some have a variety of monsters instead. You’ll have to slay all of them for the ladder to appear so you can proceed. Another thing you’ll need to watch out for in the Mines is swarms. Swarms are preceded by the screen getting misty, and then several of that floor’s flying monsters will spawn in and attack. Keep your weapons ready when this happens so you can fend them off.
Monster Loot and Drops
Despite the danger, slaying monsters can be worthwhile. Of course, you should try to get to the bottom of the Mines first, but after that, consider hunting monsters. On top of granting you combat experience, monsters drop monster loot upon their death, along with other valuable items. Monster loot has a variety of uses and can sell for a decent amount. If you’re strategic, you can hunt down specific monsters for their unique drops (a Burglar’s Ring also helps). This can be a decent way to get some bombs or an ancient seed or two for free!
It can take some time. though, so keep that in mind. Also, using weapons doesn’t consume any energy, so if you’ve spent it all on something else and still have plenty of time left in the day, consider heading down to the Mines and slaying some monsters.
Treasure, Gems, & Ore
Of course, what the Mines are really about in Stardew Valley is mining! There are tons of resources and valuables down there, from ores like copper, iron, and gold to gemstones like amethysts and diamonds. There are also geodes, which often have valuable minerals inside. The ores, coal, and stone you mine can be used in a variety of crafting recipes, and the ores can be used to upgrade your tools after you smelt them into bars.
You can take your geodes to Clint, the blacksmith, and have him break them open for you. Then, you can sell what’s inside to him for a profit. They’ll often contain all sorts of minerals, many of which are valuable, though you’ll want to donate the first of each type of mineral to the Museum, along with any artifacts you find. If you want to earn even more cash selling gemstones and minerals, consider choosing the Geologist and Gemologist professions once you’ve gained enough mining experience.
The Dwarf
Behind a rock inside the entrance to the Mines is the Dwarf. To reach him, you’ll need to break it either with an upgraded pickaxe or a bomb. They speak Dwarvish, so you won’t be able to understand them at first, but after you find all four Dwarvish scrolls and donate them to the Museum, you’ll get the Dwarvish Translation Guide from Gunter. With that, you’ll be able to speak to and befriend the Dwarf, along with gaining access to his shop. He carries all sorts of useful items, from Life Elixer to bombs. These items come in handy, though they cost quite a bit.
The Adventurer’s Guild
And then there’s the Adventurer’s Guild. While it’s not part of the Mines, it’s closely related to the stuff you do there. You’ll need to slay 10 slimes first, but afterward, you gain access to the Adventurer’s Guild. Marlon runs the shop, where you can buy weapons, rings, and footwear, all of which will help you as you journey through the Mines. He also runs the Item Recovery Service, so if you lost all your health and some items along with it, you can get them back (for a fee, of course).
Gil, on the other hand, runs the Monster Eradication Goals. After you slay a certain amount of each monster, he’ll give you a reward! This is how you’ll get some of the better rings, such as the Burglar’s Ring or the Napalm Ring. And if you slay 150 Magma Sprites, then you’ll get Marlon’s phone number, letting you utilize the Item Recovery Service from your home.
Tips and Strategies for the Mines in Stardew Valey
Now you know the basics, but maybe you want a little more. Whether you’re low on energy or pocket space or just want to speed things up, here are some tips and tricks you can use to make the most of what the Mines has to offer.
Bombs and Mega Bombs
The pickaxe works fairly well for mining. However, you can only mine one thing at a time, and using it costs quite a bit of energy. That’s where bombs come in. Bombs cover a much wider area, and they practically do all the mining for you. You even get mining experience when you use them to mine! Just place one down and move out of the way. Then, pick up all the resources left behind. Bombs make it easy to clear out a floor without using any of your energy. Just keep your weapons on hand, as they don’t work particularly well for combat.
Bombs can be expensive and you’ll need a decent number of resources to craft them. But if you have the means, you should definitely start using them instead of your pickaxe. Just make sure you have plenty of iron and coal, along with some food. You’ll want to heal up if you accidentally get caught in the blast.
Food and Buffs
For the most part, you can use just about any food to top up your energy and health, but if you want to take things a step further, a variety of foods can grant you buffs that’ll help you out. Crab Cakes with a Triple Shot Espresso is always a good option, as that’ll give you a nice speed buff. Spicy Eel and Coffee also works fairly well if you need something more accessible. Miner’s Treat is another great option, as it buffs your mining and magnetism.
If monsters are giving you trouble, consider crafting (or buying) some Oil of Garlic, which prevents weaker enemies from spawning for ten minutes. In the regular Mines, it prevents all monsters from spawning, which is one less thing you have to worry about.
Extra Storage with the Elevator
On top of being a handy way to save your progress, the elevator can also be used to help with your limited pocket space. Since it saves your progress, you can just head back up and unload the resources you’ve gathered. If you want to make things even more efficient, you can also place some chests in the entrance to the Mines. Then you can just unload your stuff there and immediately head back down.
Speed Up Progress with Staircases
Finally, there’s staircases, which are easily the fastest way to get through the Mines. Just place one down and a ladder will spawn, which you can then use to go to the next floor. This can be great if you just want to speed through the Mines. You’ll want to keep a few on hand the first time you descend through the Mines, as they’ll let you get to the next elevator floor so you can save your progress when your health or energy is running out or the day is close to being over.
Crafting them takes a lot of stone, but they also save a ton of time, on top of letting you skip certain floors. If you’re short on stone, you can always buy some from Robin. Or if you have access to the Desert and it’s a Sunday, you can go to the Desert Trade and trade some jade for some staircases instead. With these, you’ll reach the bottom of the Mines in no time. What’s down there? Use these methods and information and find out!
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