Dungeon delving in Stardew Valley can yield players some handy crafting materials, but to do so, they have to contend with some hostile creatures. The mines, the Volcano Dungeon, and Skull Cavern are all filled with monsters ready to destroy the player, and it can be dangerous to venture forth.
However, taking on these creatures in a fight can have its benefits. Not only do they drop some useful items of their own, but Stardew Valley's Adventurer's Guild will provide some handsome rewards for meeting certain monster-slaying bounties. Here are a few tips for players hoping to hone their combat prowess in this farming sim.
Updated August 7, 2022 by Demaris Oxman: Stardew Valley may be a peaceful game at heart, but players may still want to let off steam from time to time. If that's the case, head down underground where the monsters dwell. Slaying these creatures is an essential skill for players who want to achieve Perfection, as this goal involves reaching all the Adventurer's Guild Monster Slaying Goals, as well as completing Qi Challenges that require some difficult combat. To help players who wish to reach this lofty goal, this list has been updated with more tips to master Stardew Valley's monster-slaying action.
9 Boost Speed
It's hard to find an aspect of Stardew Valley where speed cannot improve the player's performance. When it comes to combat in the mines, mobility is key, as it helps players avoid enemy attacks when they're being ambushed from all angles.
The faster the player can move, the faster they can react to cave bugs flying their way, or Shadow Shamans shooting dark projectiles at them. Coffee is a great choice to increase speed, but certain food items can do the same. Many of the following items have other boosts as well, but they all offer +1 speed for varying durations:
- Coffee: 1m 23s
- Super Meal: 3m 30s
- Triple Espresso: 4m 12s
- Spicy Eel: 7m
- Pepper Poppers: 7m
- Magic Rock Candy: 8m 24s
- Crab Cakes: 16m 47s
8 Cook Helpful Recipes
Speaking of handy consumables, plenty of food items can provide the player with some helpful buffs as they venture into caves and dungeons. Some of the best for monster-slaying missions include:
- Spicy Eel: This dish provides +1 Luck and +1 Speed. Players will not only move faster, as mentioned above but have a higher chance of finding valuable items and rare monster drops. Make it with an eel and a hot pepper.
- Roots Platter: Made from a cave carrot and a winter root, this meal provides +3 to attack, letting the player hit monsters harder.
- Mango Sticky Rice: It's inevitable that players will take damage while fighting these fiends, so a recipe that offers +3 Defense is invaluable, especially in places like the lower levels of Skull Cavern. Make this recipe with a mango, coconut, and rice.
Additionally, remember to take non-buffing food items as well. When eating a food item, any buffs that it contains will replace any buffs that the previous food item granted. It's important to bring items that can replenish health and energy without removing active buffs. Purple mushrooms are a great choice for this. Alternatively, Pink Cake, Fruit Salad, and Fiddlehead Risotto all replenish plenty of health without any buffs.
7 Find Your Weapon Preference
There are plenty of different weapon types in Stardew Valley, and each will appeal to different play styles. Some players may find themselves to be handy with a slingshot, while others might prefer the simplicity of swinging a sword or thrusting a dagger.
Players should take the time and invest the coin to purchase and try out different types of weapons that the Adventurer's Guild has to offer. The easiest, most effective choice may differ for everyone, so figure out which one feels most natural to the player. Players can find a more detailed guide to Stardew Valley's weapons here, but here's a quick summary of each type:
- Swords are well-rounded weapons, with fast attacks and short swing delay.
- Daggers are the game's fastest weapons, but have shorter range.
- Clubs swing slowly, but have a wide range and can hit monsters farther away.
- Slingshots allow players to fire from a distance, and vary in damage depending on ammo used.
6 Forge & Enchant Weapons
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No matter what weapon the player has chosen, they can't go wrong by adding some extra punch to it. At the Forge at the end of Ginger Island's Volcano Dungeon, players can add stat boosts and extra effects to their weapons by using Cinder Shards and various gemstones.
Players can also use this forge to create Infinity Weapons, powered-up versions of the Galaxy Weapons. These are the most powerful items of their kind in the game, featuring higher stats.
5 Choose Rings Wisely
Rings can make a huge difference in a player's experience on a monster hunt. By far the best option is the Iridium Band, which glows, increases magnetism, and boosts attack power by 10%. As the player can wear up to two rings at once, the following make good choices for combat missions as well:
- At the Adventurer's Guild, players can purchase a number of different rings once they reach certain milestones in the mines. Depending on the gemstone they contain, they may increase the player's weapon's knockback, critical hit chance, or speed. Any of these make good choices.
- The Thorns Ring causes enemies to take damage when they damage the player. Craft it with 50 bone fragments, 50 stone, and 1 gold bar.
- The Phoenix Ring will restore the player to 50% health once per day when they are knocked out in combat. It may appear in chests in the Volcano Dungeon.
- The Napalm Ring causes enemies to explode when slain, breaking rocks and damaging other monsters (but not harming the player). It can be collected from the Adventurer's Guild after completing their serpent bounty.
At the Volcano Forge, players can merge two rings into one, combining their effects. This essentially allows the player to wear four rings at once. However, bear in mind that this process cannot be undone, so fuse with caution.
4 Craft & Use Monster Musk
For players trying to meet the Adventurer's Guild monster-slaying goals, it can actually be helpful to try and attract more monsters. To that end, it can be worth crafting a few bottles of Monster Musk, which draws creatures to the player's scent.
To obtain this crafting recipe, players must first complete the Wizard's special order, "Prismatic Jelly," by bringing him the titular item. Once the player has crafted the item using 30 slime and 30 bat wings, it will double the number of monsters that appear on a floor in the mine. The effect lasts 10 minutes, so bring a few bottles for long expeditions.
3 Learn Enemy Types & Attacks
"Know your enemy" applies to combat in Stardew Valley just as it does in any other game. There are a wide variety of monsters that roam the various dungeons, and each has a particular style of attacking. Slimes, for example, are slow-moving but will occasionally launch themselves at the player, usually taking a moment to gather momentum before they do. Cave Flies and Serpents will dive-bomb the player at high speeds, making them a priority to take out.
Understanding enemy behavior makes it easier for the player to take them out. Shadow Shamans in the lava levels of the Mines, for example, have a healing spell that restores the health of other enemies. Kill them first to make it easier to hunt the rest. Some enemies have ranged attacks, but others can only harm the player by touching them. Knowing which enemies one will be facing and anticipating their attacks can help players prepare.
2 Use Bombs
Though the right weapon is invaluable in wiping out monsters, nothing compares to the damage that bombs can do. Even the little explosions that Cherry Bombs provide can be useful, but nothing compares to the power of Mega Bombs. What's more, bombs are the only means of permanently killing the mummies in Skull Cavern.
When monsters are swarming and players are at a loss, simply plant a bomb and make a break for it. Players will take damage if caught in the blast, so be sure to take cover. The following Bombs can be crafted in Stardew Valley:
|
Bomb Type |
Level Learned |
Materials |
Blast Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cherry Bomb |
Mining Level 1 |
|
3 tiles |
|
Bomb |
Mining Level 6 |
|
5 tiles |
|
Mega Bomb |
Mining Level 8 |
|
6-8 tiles |
1 Time Weapon Strikes Carefully
When it comes to Stardew Valley's combat, there's more to success than just clicking rapidly to swing a sword. If they time their strikes right, players can knock away monsters at the right time to avoid an attack. By putting this distance between themselves and the enemy, players can gain vital seconds in which to eat a snack, plant a bomb, or simply strike their foe again.
The best time to strike is right when the monster is about to attack — say, when a slime readies itself to lunge forward, or a serpent closes in on the player's hitbox. Additionally, keep weapon speed in mind when timing strikes. The Obsidian Edge, for example, moves more slowly than the Galaxy Sword; remember this when timing attacks. As with many aspects in video games, the best way to hone this skill is to practice.