Stardew Valley appears to be an incredibly wholesome farming sim from the get-go. But as players delve further into the depths of Pelican Town, more specifically the mines, they quickly learn that this game isn’t as simple as milking cows and growing blueberries. Hundreds of monsters infest each floor within the confines of the mines, waiting for an innocent farmer to descend.

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Luckily, the Adventurers Guild is more than willing to advise anyone who doesn’t expect these terrors. However, armed with a rather shabby sword and a will to farm minerals, actually facing these monsters is a different story.

10 Rock Crab

Rock Crab approaching the player in the Pelican Town Mines

If there is one thing players expect to encounter when plunging into the depths of the mines, it’s a lot of rocks. But these aren’t always exactly what they seem. Occasionally, a group of orange legs will poke out, and the stone will start advancing toward the player - a sign that it’s a crab.

Annoyingly these rocks cannot be broken with a pickaxe, which would make swinging the sword at the creature underneath much more straightforward. Instead, defeating a crab takes a lot of timing-based precision. Wait until the legs of the crab are visible, and then swing. Several hits will defeat this creature and potentially reward the farmer with a crab of their own.

9 Pepper Rex

Two Pepper Rex and one defeated by Player in Forest Floor of the Mines

Taking pole position as one of the largest beastly encounters, the Pepper Rex is one of the most inconvenient enemies to come across during a deep dive into Skull Cavern. With a tendency to spawn in a group of three to five, these colossal brutes will have farmers filling their pockets with Maki Rolls in an attempt to survive.

The best way to take them down would be to pick them off individually. Unfortunately, triggering more than one at a time will create a chain of fire-breathing to evade - which sounds easier said than done. However, it’s easy to track which way a Pepper Rex will breathe fire since it depends on the direction the dinosaur faces. Just make sure to avoid that direction and spam as many hits as possible.

8 Serpent

A pair of Serpents approaching the player in Skull Cavern and a giant purple slime in the corner

Players who have progressed through the mines in Pelican Town far enough to unlock Skull Cavern will know how intense facing a Serpent is. As one of the most common enemies within these deserted mines, their hefty damage dealing and ridiculous velocities stress any veteran of the title. To make matters even worse, these critters tend to travel in packs.

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The best way to approach taking these enemies on is swinging early, as their hitbox is larger than their sprite. However, swinging too early or too late will leave players vulnerable to attack, and Serpents will not shy away from causing some devastating damage.

7 Mummy

Several Mummys approaching the Player in Skull Cavern

Any cavern set within a desert is bound to host a mummy or two, and Stardew Valley certainly delivers. These slow-moving humanoid bandages will travel in packs to swarm the player; defeating them is a two-step process. Although a few swings of a sword will reduce the Mummy into a pile on the floor, they’re quick to get back up.

Instead of being taken down at the hand of a weapon, a bomb will need to finish the job. There’s a ten-second window before the Mummy will tremble and rise again, which is enough time for a well-placed cherry bomb. Since they spawn in groups, taking down a few and utilizing this ten-second gap for a well-timed mega bomb will make the job significantly less time-consuming.

6 Iridium Bat

Iridium Bat approaching the player in the mines

Bats are not breaking news regarding the enemies within the mines, but from their several forms and environments, it’s safe to say that Iridium Bats are among the hardest to face. With twelve times the HP of a regular Cave Bat, these critters infest Skull Cavern and are always willing to swing into action as soon as they are seen.

Since they flock in every direction, players need to be on high alert when taking on an Iridium Bat. The best technique is to block as soon as they approach and follow through with a hit. Continue this process until the bat is knocked back and a quick escape can be made, or until a prize of two bat wings is claimed.

5 Grub

Grubs surrounding the player in the Mines

Although these grubs seem relatively harmless upon the first encounter, a plague of Cave Flies will make any player's life a living hell if they aren’t taken down fast enough. Transforming their pulpous exterior into an untouchable concrete shell within a few seconds, Grubs are more inconvenient than they are challenging to face.

Spawning in groups, these are best taken down as a collective to prevent any Cave Flies from spawning. With the help of a bomb or a mega bomb, any group of grubs won’t make it to pupation. However, if a well-placed bomb isn’t a feasible option, then a few swings of any weapon, be it a sword, pickaxe or mallet will seal the deal with a satisfying squelch.

4 Lava Lurk

Player standing on a bridge over lava and a Lava Lurk in the Volcano Dungeon

Residing in a puddle of lava, these monsters feel almost impossible to reach when encountered for the first time. But with a watering can in hand, any player can create a bridge to them in the hopes of receiving a coveted dragon tooth. However, even though creating a bridge to them is a challenge, the barrage of fireballs it’ll send toward the player as soon as it feels threatened only makes them harder to face.

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As soon as the player is in a suitable position next to the Lava Lurk, it can only be damaged when its head is visible above the surface. While it’s swimming, there are no ways to damage the monster, so making the most of the small window is integral. Luckily, farmers do not have to manually collect the rewards of defeating a Lava Lurk, as they get automatically sent to the inventory. So using a slingshot is an effective additional method, given the aim is just right.

3 Dust Sprite

Dust Sprites Swarming the player in the frozen floors of the Mines

Like Grubs, Dust Sprites feel relatively harmless when they are first seen. However, these critters feel similarly inconvenient rather than challenging to face, especially by chirping and bouncing around in groups of what feels like hundreds. They’re easy to take down, given that the player is in a good position, but their bouncy behavior is hard to track.

In terms of defeating them, cornering large packs in a room and consistently swinging a weapon will be the most convenient method. Using the wall as a bounce board also guarantees that these sprites will not bounce out of a player's hitbox range.

2 Haunted Skull

A group of Haunted Skulls swarming the Player at the end of the Quarry Mines

Haunted Skulls have two methods of appearing in the Quarry Mines, much like Serpents and Bats. While most encounters come from spawning like a regular enemy on the floor, they can also enter the screen randomly and begin swarming the player. In addition, their flight pattern makes it incredibly easy for them to shift their flying direction. So, all in all, their behavior is what makes them one of the most burdensome beasts to defeat.

Swinging a sword in the general direction would be a suitable counter for any attack. Using the block function of a sword would provide a small window of knockback, which may be beneficial if more than one Haunted Skull is swarming, but aside from that, it’s a case of swinging until they’re defeated.

1 Magma Sparker

Magma Sparker in Stardew Valley over a pool of lava in the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island

These flame-based annoyances will utilize high speeds and the ability to fly through walls to attack the player. Should they land a hit, the player will be debuffed with Burnt - which temporarily lowers a farmer's attack, speed, and defense for six seconds. Although six seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, the Volcano Dungeon spares no expense for slower farmers, and it’s a long enough time for a barrage of enemies to begin their attacks.

Although this enemy tends to charge toward the player at high speed, these attacks can be evaded easily by moving in the opposite direction. When it comes to hands-on combat, these feisty flames are taken down in the same way as a Bat, Skull, or Serpent. A few swings of a quick sword will have any farmer leaving the dungeon with pockets full of Cinder Shards.

Stardew Valley is available on Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS Vita, and Xbox One.

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