Stardew Valley seems to be an incredibly healthy farming sim from the get-go. But as players delve deeper into the depths of Pelican Town, specifically the mines, they soon discover that this game isn’t as simple as milking cows and growing blueberries. Hundreds of monsters infest every floor within the confines of the mines, waiting for an innocent farmer to descend.
Fortunately, the Adventurers Guild is more than willing to advise anyone who doesn’t expect these horrors. Armed with a rather shabby sword and a will to craft minerals, however, actually facing these monsters is another story.
10 rock crab
If there’s one thing players expect to see when they plunge into the depths of the mines, it’s a lot of rocks. But these are not always exactly what they seem. Occasionally a group of orange legs will stick out and the stone will begin to move towards the player – a sign that it is a crab.
Annoyingly, these rocks can’t be broken with a pickaxe, which would make swinging the sword at the creature below that much easier. Instead, beating a crab takes a lot of precision based on timing. Wait until the crab’s legs are visible, then wave. Several hits will defeat this creature and possibly reward the farmer with a crab of its own.
9 Pepper Rex
Taking pole position as one of the greatest beastly encounters, the Pepper Rex is one of the most clumsy enemies you’ll encounter while deep diving into Skull Cavern. Tend to spawn in a pack of three to five, these hulking brute farmers will have their pockets filled with Maki Rolls in an effort to survive.
The best way to take them down is to pluck them individually. Unfortunately, activating more than one at a time will create a chain of fire breathing to dodge – which sounds easier said than done. However, it is easy to follow which way a Pepper Rex will spew fire, as it depends on the direction the dinosaur is facing. Make sure to avoid that direction and spam as many hits as possible.
8 snake
Players who have progressed far enough through the mines in Pelican Town to unlock Skull Cavern will know how intense it is to face a Serpent. As one of the most common enemies in these abandoned mines, their hefty damage handling and ridiculous speeds will highlight any veteran of the title. To make matters worse, these critters tend to travel in packs.
The best way to approach these enemies is to swing early, as their hitbox is bigger than their sprite. However, swinging too early or too late leaves players vulnerable to attack, and Serpents won’t shy away from dealing devastating damage.
7 mom
Any cave in a desert is sure to house a mummy or two, and Stardew Valley certainly delivers. These slow-moving humanoid bandages travel in packs to swarm the player; beating them is a two step process. Though a few swings of a sword will reduce the mummy to a pile on the floor, they quickly rise again.
Instead of being knocked down by a weapon, a bomb should finish the job. There is a ten-second window before the mummy will tremble and rise again, which is plenty of time for a well-placed cherry bomb. Since they spawn in groups, the job will be significantly less time consuming if you take down a few and use them for ten seconds for a well-timed megabomb.
6 Iridium bat
Bats don’t bring any news about the enemies in the mines, but given their different shapes and environments, it’s safe to say that Iridium bats are among the hardest to fight. With twelve times the HP of a common cave bat, these critters infest Skull Cavern and are always ready to spring into action as soon as they are spotted.
Since they come in all directions, players must be very alert when taking on an Iridium bat. The best technique is to block as soon as they approach and continue 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 To eat
While these larvae appear relatively harmless on first encounter, an infestation of cave flies will make any player’s life hell if they’re not taken out quickly enough. Converting their pulpy exterior into an untouchable concrete shell in seconds, larvae are trickier than challenging to face.
These spawn in groups and are best removed as a collective to prevent cave flies from spawning. With the help of a bomb or a mega-bomb, no group of larvae will reach the pupa. However, if a well-placed bomb isn’t a viable option, a few swings of any weapon, be it a sword, pickaxe, or hammer, will seal the deal with a satisfying squelch.
4 Lava lurking
Since they live in a pool of lava, these monsters feel almost impossible to reach when they are first encountered. But with a watering can in hand, any player can build a bridge towards themselves in hopes of receiving a coveted dragon’s tooth. While it’s challenging to build a bridge to them, the barrage of fireballs it sends at the player once it feels threatened only makes it harder to cope.
Once the player is in a suitable position next to the Lava Lurk, it can only be damaged if its head is visible above the surface. While it is swimming, there are no ways to damage the monster, so making the most of the small window is essential. Fortunately, farmers don’t have to collect the rewards from beating a Lava Lurk manually, as they are automatically sent to the inventory. So using a slingshot is an effective additional method, as the target is just right.
3 Fabric Sprite
Like grubs, Dust Sprites feel relatively harmless when first seen. However, these critters feel equally awkward rather than challenging to face, especially chirping and bouncing around in groups of what feels like hundreds. They are easy to take down as the player is in a good position, but their jumpy behavior is hard to follow.
To defeat them, the most convenient method is to corner large packs in a room and swing a weapon consistently. Using the wall as a springboard also guarantees that these sprites don’t bounce outside a player’s hitbox range.
2 Ghostly Skull
Haunted Skulls have two ways to appear in the Quarry Mines, just like Serpents and Bats. While most encounters come from spawning as a regular enemy on the floor, they can also randomly enter the screen and start the player swarming. In addition, their flight pattern makes it incredibly easy for them to change their flight direction. So all in all, their behavior is what makes them one of the hardest beasts to beat.
Swinging a sword in the general direction would be a suitable counter-attack for any attack. Using a sword’s blocking feature would provide a small window of recoil, which can be beneficial if more than one Haunted Skull is swarming, but other than that it’s a matter of swinging until they’re defeated.
1 Magma Sparker
These flame-based annoyances use high speeds and the ability to fly through walls to attack the player. If they get a hit, the player is debuffed with Burnt – which temporarily lowers a jack’s attack, speed, and defense for six seconds. While six seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, the Volcano Dungeon spares no expense for slower farmers, and it’s long enough for a barrage of enemies to launch their attacks.
While this enemy tends to charge toward the player at high speed, these attacks can be easily dodged by moving in the opposite direction. When it comes to hands-on combat, these feisty flames are knocked down in the same way as a bat, skull, or snake. A few swings of a swift sword will have each farmer exit 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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