Nestled in the far corner of theStardew Valleymap are The Mines, where players must explore, extract ores and gems, and fight various monsters.Mining inStardew Valleyis one of the most important aspects of the game, especially in the first couple of years, when players start to unlock valuable resources to upgrade their tools and farming equipment. When first dipping their toes into The Mines, new players may go in with nothing more than a rusty sword and optimism,only to waste an entire day by not refreshing their energy levels.
To be successful in mining, especially in the first year or two ofStardew Valley, it is critical to bring the right foodsdown into The Mines.Due to restricted funds, early-game players will only have access to the crops they grow or forage. Knowing what food will help the most, and how to access it to keep those energy levels high, can make mining a much more fruitful experience.
Best Food For Early Game Mining
It’s Not Cheesing The Game, It’s Just Cheese
The easiest item to bring into The Minesfor a successful trip is cheese, especially of gold quality. Keeping up the farmer’s energy is important, as players want to make the most out of every day, especially during that first year. Bringing a small stack of cheese to snack on as energy levels deplete will extend any mining trip to the very last minute, allowing players to go deeper and extract even more ore. The biggest plus for cheese, beyond the high level of energy it provides, ishow easy it is to obtain for players who might not have enough moneyto buy pre-made food from the Saloon.
125+
56+
230g
175+
78+
287g
225+
101+
345g
325+
146+
460g
Cheese is an artisan good made with the use of a cheese press from cow’s milk. Since cows are easily accessible in the first year by at least Fall or even Summer,players can have a daily supply of cheese for their mining expeditions. Keeping cows happy will produce better quality milk, and in turn, will make better quality cheese. This food source is reliable as well, sincecows continue to produce throughout Winterso players never run out during the most barren season for crops.
Best Foods For The Skull Caverns
Foods With An Emphasis On Stats
Options for food and recipes expand as players get further intoStardew Valley, especially as they enter the Skull Cavern oractivate the Dangerous Mines. The best foods for that stage in the game foran average day of mining is the Spicy Eel dish as well as Triple Shot Espresso. The real benefits of these items are the buffs they give. Spicy Eel gives 115 energy and 51 health, alongside a +1 boost in both Luck and Speed.
Triple Shot Espresso doesn’t do much for health or energy, butthis drink does provide a +1 boost in Speedwhich is incredibly useful for fighting monsters and navigating around the Caverns. These types of boosts help make a day of mining more successful while also making it far less likely thatplayers lose all their good items due to one day of bad luck.
Spicy Eel is especially convenient for the Skull Cavern, since this dish has a 6% chance of dropping from Serpents.
With Serpents occupying every level of the Skull Caverns and attacking the player on sight, they make for a solid source of Spicy Eel.Triple Shot Espresso is easily made in the upgraded Farmhouse kitchenas long as the player has a source of coffee beans to make coffee. Another great late-game option is to simply purchase salads from the Saloon. They are only 220g, which is a pittance for wealthier players in the later stages ofStardew Valley, and provide 113 energy and 50 health, giving players not only energy during their trip, but health as well in the event an enemy catches them off guard.
