This article is part of a directory: Stardew Valley: A Complete Guide and Walkthrough
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Unlike other farming simulators, Stardew Valley offers quite an expansive list of things to do for fans, which makes it such a complex experience. Aside from planting and harvesting crops, players can construct new facilities, make friends and partners, and even try their hand at completing a rather in-depth combat scenario through the mines. And players who want to maximize their Stardew Valley experience may want to ensure they do their tasks in the best of circumstances - something they can achieve much easier through Luck.

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In Stardew Valley, Luck is actually an active mechanic that players should take advantage of due to its invisible benefits. Knowing how to capitalize on good and bad Luck days can help players ensure they make the most out of what their day offers them.

What Is Luck?

The Lucky Ring in Stardew Valley

Before players get into the deeper aspects of the Luck element in Stardew Valley, it may help to first understand how it works as a mechanic from within the game. At its core, Luck affects the overall effects of the numerical aspects of the Stardew Valley experience, especially when it comes to things that add stats to players.

Things affected by Luck include the drop rates of acquiring rare items and even the rate of encountering various creatures deep within the Mines. When used properly, players can transform Luck into an element that can help them take full advantage of a single day in Stardew Valley.

The Daily Luck Stat

The Fortune Teller in Stardew Valley

Players get their Luck stats refreshed as soon as they wake up with a hidden mechanic better known as Daily Luck. In order to determine the player’s Daily Luck, they need to go to the Television and select the Fortune Teller channel, as they provide the overall Luck stat of the player for that particular day. As such, it helps players to start their day off by viewing their Daily Luck stat in order to plot the day’s events, particularly for extended trips like when giving Gifts to Stardew Valley romances.

The Base Value

The Fortune Teller luck details in Stardew Valley

Daily Luck has a base value between -0.1 to 0.1 depending on the overall message of the Fortune Teller. Thankfully, the message of the Stardew Valley Fortune Teller is already set depending on the number in question, meaning players can memorize which message corresponds to which base value. Here are those messages alongside their respective base values to determine the player’s Daily Luck setting:

  • Red Skull, < -0.07: “The spirits are very displeased today. They will do their best to make your life difficult.”
  • Black Bat, <-0.02 to -0.07: “The spirits are somewhat annoyed today/The spirits are somewhat mildly perturbed today. Luck will not be on your side.”
  • Swirling Orb, 0: “This is rare. The spirits feel absolutely neutral today.”
  • Swirling Orb, >= -0.02 to <= 0.02, not 0: "The spirits feel neutral today. The day is in your hands.”
  • Pyramid, >+ 0.02 to <= +0.07): “The spirits are in good humor today. I think you’ll have a little extra Luck.”
  • Star, > +0.07: “The spirits are very happy today! They will do their best to shower everyone with good fortune.”

Luck Effects

The Very Good and Very ZBad Luck Indicators

Unlike other games where Luck can affect rather random game elements in minute ways, Daily Luck in Stardew Valley can affect specific aspects of the player’s gameplay experience. Players who want to maximize the way they use Luck may want to look into just which aspects of their Stardew Valley experience Luck affects and how they can fully take advantage of these occurrences:

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The Mines

The Mines in Stardew Valley

Perhaps the biggest effects of Daily Luck have to do with the way players encounter various things when venturing into The Mines. Depending on their Luck stat for the day, players may have an easier or harder time traversing the Mines for various objectives. Here’s how Luck affects certain stats and possibilities when visiting the Mines on any particular day:

  • That breaking rocks will spawn ladders
  • That breaking rocks will drop geodes and coals
  • That dying will make players lose less or more gold and items
  • That players can find Mystic Stones and Gem Nodes (The Mines, Skull Cavern)
  • That players can find Radioactive Nodes (The Mines via Shrine of Challenge, Skull Cavern via Skull Cavern Invasion)
  • That players can find treasure rooms (Skull Cavern)

The Farm Proper

The View of Pelican Town in Stardew Valley

Aside from the Mines, the player’s Daily Luck stat may affect the way they can gather various resources while working with different tools around their Farm and around Stardew Valley. Here are things to take note of when players are farming, especially when their Daily Luck stats are either on the higher or lower end of the spectrum:

  • That Fishing will yield more treasure chests
  • That Fishing will yield special items (e.g., Iridium Band, Prismatic Shard, Neptune’s Glaive)
  • That Harvesting will yield double the crops obtained in a Stardew Valley day (any crop would do, symbolized by a unique sound)
  • That Chopping trees yields more wood
  • That Panning gets a second item
  • That Panning yields more better-quality ores

Random Oddities

The Casino in Stardew Valley

Aside from being able to yield more things or getting higher spawn chances of objects and rooms in the Mines and throughout the Farm, Daily Luck may also affect some peculiar aspects of the player’s life while tending to their Farm. At its core, a high or low Luck stat may affect these things as well:

  • That animals drop Rabbit’s Foot and Duck Feather
  • That storms generate more lightning
  • That the Casino slot machines have better results
  • That the spouse won’t be jealous when giving a gift to another marriage candidate, especially if the player is dating them as well

Special Charm

The Special Charm in Stardew Valley

When players get Secret Note #20, they get treated to a puzzle that they need to solve in order to get a reward that can help with Daily Luck. This Stardew Valley puzzle actually reveals a map of the town square with directions headed to a particular location. Players must start at the town square and follow each arrow, heading only in a new direction after hitting a permanent obstacle.

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This puzzle leads them to a truck and then an interaction with a driver that would ask them for a Rabbit’s Foot. Players who have them in their inventory can trade this for the Special Charm, which permanently adds a 0.025 Daily Luck boost.

Special Luck Buffs

Lucky Ring increases Luck in Stardew Valley

Players who look at the Daily Luck stat might realize that just having either -0.1 to +0.1 to the probability of acquiring better gear or chances in the game might not be as satisfying - especially to those who want to maximize their performance throughout their Stardew Valley playthrough. Thankfully, players can actually get boosts to their Luck when doing certain things in the game, similar to how quests from the likes of the Stardew Valley Wizard net special items. Although temporary, these effects can still help players maximize their daily activities in Stardew Valley. Here are things to consider:

Daily Luck Versus Luck Buffs

Other Sources of Luck in Stardew Valley

While players may encounter items that can boost their “Luck,” this doesn’t necessarily pertain to the Daily Luck. Rather, these buffs refer to a separate Luck Buff stat that has similar effects to Daily Luck, with certain exceptions. Here are things to consider:

  • A Luck Buff can only come from one (1) drink and one (1) food at any given time
  • Luck Buffs don’t boost the drop chances of Rabbit’s Foot and Duck Feather
  • Luck Buffs don’t improve the chances of special items in Fishing treasures. Rather, players may get high chances of double resources
  • Luck Buffs also boost the chance of standard rings appearing instead of small rings in Fishing treasures

Food And Drink Buffs

Items that provide extra Luck in Stardew Valley

Aside from healing health and stamina, certain types of consumables in Stardew Valley do provide Luck Buffs, depending on what exactly is consumed. Players may want to pay particular attention to certain food or drink items, as their Luck Buffs can come alongside other benefits as well on top of their restorative qualities. Here’s a list of food and drinks that provide Luck Buffs, including an item that is considered a Stardew Valley Villager’s Universal Love:

  • Magic Rock Candy: Luck +5, Defense +5, Attack +5, Mining +2, Speed +1
  • Lucky Lunch: Luck +3
  • Pumpkin Soup: Luck +2, Defense +2
  • Banana Pudding: Luck +1, Defense +1, Mining +1
  • Shrimp Cocktail: Luck +1, Fishing +1
  • Spicy Eel: Luck +1, Speed +1
  • Fried Eel: Luck +1
  • Ginger Ale: Luck +1

Item Buffs

The Lucky Ring in its item form in Stardew Valley

Players may also equip special items in order to receive a Luck Buff. Unfortunately, the game only has one item that players can use in order to increase their Daily Luck, and this comes in the form of the Lucky Ring. When equipped, the Ring adds a +1 to Luck.

Those interested in the Lucky Ring can acquire it either as a rare drop via Panning or as a special item while exploring the Skull Cavern and fighting Stardew Valley monsters there. The rare quality of the Lucky Ring may explain why it has a 100g selling cost. Players who accidentally acquire the Lucky Ring should not sell it for this inherent benefit.

Stardew Valley was released in 2016 and is currently available for the PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and PS Vita.

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