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Stardew Valley is a deceptively simple-looking game. In truth, there's so much to accomplish that it can get pretty overwhelming and convoluted quickly. Most importantly, the game doesn't hold your hand. It simply drops you down into your farm and the rest of it is up to you to figure out.
With how many different crafting recipes and cool items there are in the game, it's important to know where to find the crafting ingredients and basic resources needed to make them. However, the game once again doesn't just tell you this. It's a lot of trial and error trying to figure everything out, which can feel frustrating for perfectionists. This handy guide will tell you the most common places to get the most basic resources.
Updated December 30, 2021 by Ryan Bamsey: Stardew Valley is as timeless as any game, with new players picking it up each and every day. We've added some more tips on how to get the game's basic resources and some pointers as to how they can be used.
Where To Find Wood In Stardew Valley
You can chop down any tree you find around town, in the forest, or at the farm to get some wood.
Trees outside of the farm will grow back on their own, and if you don't pick up any of the seeds at your farm, trees will grow from acorns and pine cones and the like.
Where To Find Hardwood In Stardew Valley
Mahogany trees, large stumps, and large logs all drop hardwood provided you have the right axe for the job. A steel axe or better is always the best to have for this, though large stumps can be broken with a copper axe and mahogany trees can be felled with any axe.
The Secret Woods is the best location to go back to for hardwood that respawns regularly. You can gather about 12 pieces of hardwood there daily. Those playing on the Forest Farm map benefit from 16 hardwood respawns a day on top of that.
Where To Find Stone In Stardew Valley
Break any small rock or a large boulder to drop some stone. When you first arrive at your farm, there's a bunch of rocks around which can be broken.
You can also head to the mines and the quarry once they're unlocked to get some more stone. Rocks will respawn daily.
Where To Find Sap In Stardew Valley
When cutting down any type of tree, the broken-down tree will drop some sap. You can also install a tap on a mahogany tree to get some regularly.
You can also place Tappers on trees to obtain Maple Syrup, Oak Resin, and Pine Tar, depending on the trees you put them on. You will learn the recipe to make a Tapper when you reach Foraging level three.
Where To Find Coal In Stardew Valley
Head to the mines. Any rocks you break have a chance of yielding some coal. If you encounter Dust Sprites in the mines, slaying them will also drop a few pieces of coal.
In a pinch, you can always purchase some coal from Clint the blacksmith.
Where To Find Fiber In Stardew Valley
Using a scythe, when you first arrive at your farm, you can start breaking down the weeds that are scattered all over the ground.
These weeds can also be found in the forest, and some areas of the mines as well.
Where To Find Copper Ore In Stardew Valley
You need to mine copper nodes to get copper ore. In the mines, the best levels to find a ton of these nodes are between 31 and 39.
Wooden crates might sometimes yield some, as well as artifact spots. If the quarry is unlocked, there's also a chance to find some copper there.
Where To Find Iron Ore In Stardew Valley
To get iron, you need to break an iron node with a pickaxe. The best place to do so is in the mines, and the highest concentration of iron nodes is between levels 41 and 79.
The quarry can also spawn some iron nodes if you're lucky. Five iron ore can be smelted into an iron bar using a Smelter.
Where To Find Gold Ore In Stardew Valley
Gold nodes need to be broken to get your hands on some gold ore. These nodes are most abundant in the mines past level 80.
The quarry can also occasionally have gold nodes spawn in, and ghosts encountered in the mines have a slight chance of dropping gold ore. Five gold ore can be turned into a gold bar using a Smelter.
Where To Find Iridium Ore In Stardew Valley
The best bet to find Iridium ore is to ignore the mines and go deep into Skull Cavern instead. The deeper you go, the more likely it is you'll find Iridium ore, either naturally or dropped by Iridium bats. Alternatively, mining for Magma and Omni Geodes in the regular mines, found between levels 115 and 119, is a somewhat reliable source.
If you're lucky, the quarry might occasionally spawn with Iridium nodes. When a meteorite drops on the farm, you can mine it for six Iridium ore with the right tool. Using the Smelter, you can turn five iridium ore into an iridium bar.
If you're successful during grandpa's evaluation and he gives you four candles, he'll grant you the Statue of Perfection, which will drop you a few pieces of Iridium ore per day.
Where To Find Radioactive Ore In Stardew Valley
This unique ore can be found inside Skull Cavern or the mines provided you have a challenge quest active.
Head to Skull Cavern during the Skull Cavern Invasion quest, or to the mines during the Danger In The Deep quest, and they will be spawning in.
Where To Find Quartz In Stardew Valley
Quartz is a very common material found mostly in the mines while foraging for resources.
It doesn't have to be mined - just pick it up - and appears throughout almost all floors of the mine, between 1 and 120. Putting quartz into the Smelter will turn it into refined quartz for use in higher-level crafting recipes.
Where To Find A Battery Pack In Stardew Valley
To get a battery pack yourself, you'll need to craft a Lightning Rod and place it down on your farm. If a charged rod gets struck by lightning, it will yield a battery pack for you the next day. You will learn the recipe for a Lightning Rod upon reaching Foraging level six.
Solar Panels will also provide you with a battery pack after seven days of constant sunny weather. Alternatively, you can also buy battery packs by visiting the Traveling Cart in the forest.
Where To Find Clay In Stardew Valley
Clay is another very common resource that can be most often found when digging artifact spots. Digging randomly around in dirt and sand has a chance of yielding some clay.
Where To Find Cinder Shards In Stardew Valley
Head to Ginger Island, and visit the volcano where cinder shard nodes are in abundance. Sometimes, Magma-type enemies might drop cinder shards as well.
Where To Find Bug Meat In Stardew Valley
Bug meat is probably one of the first resources you'll get once you enter the mines. The early levels of the mines are full of insect enemies, all of which have a chance of dropping some bug meat. The enemies will respawn regularly.
Where To Find Slime In Stardew Valley
Slimes are dropped by one of the most common enemies found in the mines and Skull Cavern. It doesn't matter what color or type the Slime is, as they all have a high chance of dropping regular slime.
Where To Find Bat Wings In Stardew Valley
To get yourself bat wings, you'll need to find Bats. The mines are the ideal place to start and include normal, frost, and lava bats.
Ignore Iridium bats in Skull Cavern, as they don't drop any.
The best levels for the regular mines to look for bats are between 31 and 119, so practically most of the mine levels.
Where To Find Solar Essence In Stardew Valley
Various enemies found in the mines and Skull Cavern have a chance of dropping some Solar Essence. The easiest enemy to deal with are ghosts, found between levels 51 and 79. After that, Metal Heads can drop some between levels 80 and 119.
In Skull Cavern, mummies are the best enemy for Solar Essence since they spawn on all floors and have a near 99% chance of dropping it upon dying.
Where To Find Void Essence In Stardew Valley
Several hostile enemies can drop Void Essence in both the mines and Skull Cavern, but the safest bet is to fight Shadow Brutes. These beings are found in the mines past level 80, along with Shadow Shamans which also drop Void Essence.
In Skull Cavern, look for serpents, which have a near 99% chance of dropping Void Essence, and can spawn at any floor.
Where To Find Bone Fragments In Stardew Valley
If you don't have Ginger Island unlocked, head to the mines and find some skeletons between levels 71 and 79. They will typically drop bone fragments when killed. In Skull Cavern, they can be found randomly inside crates. Sometimes, digging in artifact spots has a slight chance of yielding some, too.
If Ginger Island is unlocked, the Lava Lurks inside the Volcano Dungeon might drop bone fragments. At the dig site of the island, you can also find some bone nodes which can be harvested for bone fragments.