How to Unlock the Mines in Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley
How to Unlock the Mines in Stardew Valley
Tips
The Mines are the engine of Stardew Valley’s progression — every tool upgrade, every building material, and every combat unlock flows from how deep you go and how often you go there. Reaching floor 120 in Year 1 is a realistic and worthwhile goal that unlocks Skull Cavern, the Iridium tier of tools, and the late-game crafting recipes that make everything else on the farm dramatically more efficient. Plan two or three dedicated mining days per week from Spring onward and you’ll hit the bottom before Summer ends.
⚡ Quick Answer
Getting Started in the Mines
The Mines unlock automatically on Spring 5 of Year 1 — you receive a letter from Jodi saying the path has been cleared. Head north from your farm past Marnie’s Ranch, follow the road to the mountain area, and the Mines entrance is next to the Adventurer’s Guild. No quests or actions required — just wait until day 5 and the path opens on its own.
1
Wait for Spring 5. On the morning of Spring 5 a letter arrives from Jodi saying the landslide blocking the mountain path has been cleared. The Mines entrance is now accessible — it’s the large stone doorway in the mountain area north of the farm, directly beside the Adventurer’s Guild building.
2
Talk to Marlon at the Adventurer’s Guild first. He gives you a free Rusty Sword on your first visit — your starting weapon for the mines. The Guild also sells better weapons, boots, and rings as you progress deeper. Check back every few floors for upgraded gear.
3
Enter the Mines and find the ladder on each floor. Each floor has a ladder hidden somewhere — break rocks and kill enemies to reveal it. Some floors have a guaranteed ladder location visible immediately, others require clearing most of the floor first. Take the ladder down to descend.
4
Key milestone floors to reach: Floor 40 unlocks Copper Ore abundance, Floor 80 unlocks Iron Ore abundance, and Floor 120 reaches the bottom and gives you the Skull Key for Skull Cavern. Each 5-floor milestone (5, 10, 15…) has an elevator checkpoint — you can fast travel back to these from the mine entrance.
5
Leave before 2:00 AM or you pass out. Passing out in the mines causes you to lose gold and some items. Watch your energy bar — running out of energy makes you move slower and take more damage. Eat food to restore energy mid-run and always leave with enough time to get home safely.
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Bring food on every mine run — foraged items like Salmonberries (Spring) restore small amounts of energy and health for free. Field Snacks crafted from seeds are a reliable early option before you have better food available.
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Stairs are your best friend — craft Stairs from 99 Stone to skip floors entirely. On days when you want to reach a specific depth quickly, use Stairs on floors with no visible ladder to save time and energy.
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The Mines reset partially each day — rocks and enemies respawn overnight but your elevator checkpoints remain. Use the elevator to jump back to your deepest checkpoint each new mining session instead of starting from floor 1.
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Prioritize the pickaxe upgrade over the sword — a Copper Pickaxe breaks rocks in fewer hits, saving huge amounts of energy per floor. Upgrading your pickaxe at Robin’s shop doubles your effective floors-per-day immediately.