How to Unlock the Sewers in Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley
How to Unlock the Sewers in Stardew Valley
Tips
The Sewers are one of the most rewarding hidden areas in Stardew Valley — easily missed by players who don’t actively donate to the Museum. Krobus is a genuinely unique NPC with his own friendship arc, daily schedule, and one of the most charming character designs in the game. Reaching 60 Museum donations by the end of Year 1 is a realistic goal with consistent geode processing, and the Stardrop reward alone makes it worth prioritizing from early in the game.
⚡ Quick Answer
Step by Step
Donate 60 items to the Museum and Gunther will mail you the Rusty Key. Use it to open the sewer grate in the south of Pelican Town or the grate in Cindersap Forest. Inside you find Krobus — a Shadow Brute who sells rare items including Void Eggs, Iridium Band recipes, and Stardrop. The Sewers are also where you can adopt Krobus as a roommate.
1
Donate 60 items to the Museum. The Museum is in the east part of Pelican Town next to the blacksmith — Gunther runs it and accepts minerals and artifacts as donations. You need a total of 60 unique items donated, not 60 of the same item. Minerals from geodes and artifacts from digging artifact spots count toward the total.
2
Check your mailbox after donating enough. The morning after your 60th donation Gunther sends you a letter containing the Rusty Key. Check your inventory — it goes directly into your wallet alongside other key items like the Skull Key and Club Card. You don’t need to visit Gunther again to receive it.
3
Find the Sewer entrance. There are two entrances — a metal grate on the ground in the south part of Pelican Town (near the south exit of town, left of the road), and a second grate in Cindersap Forest south of Marnie’s Ranch. Either entrance works — both lead to the same underground area.
4
Use the Rusty Key to enter. Walk up to either grate and interact with it — the Rusty Key is used automatically from your wallet. The grate opens and you descend into the Sewers. The Rusty Key is reusable — you only need it once per entrance and can re-enter freely afterward.
5
Talk to Krobus inside. He stands near his shop counter in the Sewers and is available every day. He sells Void Eggs (5,000g), Void Essence (100g), Strange Bun recipe, Iridium Band recipe, and a Stardrop (20,000g) — one of only a handful of Stardrops in the game, each of which permanently increases your maximum energy.
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Buy the Stardrop from Krobus as soon as possible — at 20,000g it’s expensive but each Stardrop permanently increases your max energy, letting you do more each day without running out. There are only 7 Stardrops total in the game so getting this one early pays off for the entire rest of the playthrough.
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Krobus sells 1 Void Essence and 1 Iridium Bar on Fridays — the Iridium Bar for 3,000g is excellent early value before you can reach deep Skull Cavern floors. Check his stock every Friday without fail.
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Krobus can become your roommate if you are unmarried — give him a Void Ghost Pendant (crafted from 200 Void Essence + 1 Diamond + 1 Iridium Bar) and he moves into your farmhouse. He doesn’t take up a marriage slot and provides small daily gifts, making him a great companion for single-farmer playthroughs.
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Donate geodes to the Museum for fast progress — take geodes to Clint’s Blacksmith to crack them open, then donate the minerals inside to Gunther. Omni Geodes from the mines contain the widest variety of minerals and are the fastest way to reach 60 donations.