Most Stardew Valley players would challenge themselves mining all day in Skull Cavern to gather Iridium Ore despite it being a dangerous place. Some would find themselves heading there every day, trying to bag a couple of hundred Iridium Ore in one run, but fail to do so in the end. If you wonder how to farm this sought-after Ore the easy way, this guide is for you.
Iridium Ore Uses
You might want to know why players spend so much time destroying rock after rock, looking for Iridium Ore in Skull Cavern when they could plant some crops and enjoy the relaxing game as it is. Well, the answer to this is that iridium ore is one of the most valuable resources you can find in Stardew Valley.
It is not as rare as the Prismatic Shard and not as common as Coal. But Iridium Ore is a resource to upgrade your farming tools, create artisan equipment, and even farm buildings. Hence, we have made a list of all the crafted items you could obtain with Iridium Ore:
Deluxe Scarecrow: Crows within the vicinity would get terrified at the sight of this Scarecrow.
Warp Totem: Desert: With just one click of this Warp Totem, you will be immediately transported to Calico Desert.
When you smelt five Iridium Ore in the Furnace, you’ll get one Iridium Bar. Below are all the tools and machines you can make using this bar:
Iridium Sprinkler: It automatically waters nearby crops every morning.
Iridium Band: A ring that glows in the dark, increases your attack, and attracts dropped loot from enemies.
Crystalarium: A machine that can duplicate any gemstone.
Slime Incubator: A slime-breeding machine that incubates Slime Eggs.
Wedding Ring: It is used to propose to co-players in Multiplayer mode.
Deluxe Fertilizer: A top-level fertilizer for your growing crops.
Hopper: It can automatically send an item stored inside it into the machine in front of it.
Iridium Farming Tools: These are indispensable tools that all farmers should have.
Crafted items are not the only benefit you get from Iridium Bars. With this material, you can also own several Buildings such as these:
Slime Hutch: A farm building that can shelter all kinds of Slimes.
Earth Obelisk: A magical pillar that can teleport you to the Mountains.
Water Obelisk: A magical pillar that can teleport you to the Beach.
Desert Obelisk: A magical pillar that can teleport you to the Desert.
Island Obelisk: A magical pillar that can teleport you to Ginger Island.
Other Uses: Some may not be aware of this yet, but you can also use Iridium Ore as ammunition for Slingshots. It is regarded as the strongest of all Slingshot ammo in the game.
Also, with an Iridium Ore, you can create the Iridium Energy Shirt. You can also make an Iridium Breastplate using the Iridium Bar.
Quick and Easy Way to Farm Iridium Ore
The Skull Cavern is the only place in Stardew Valley where Iridium Nodes commonly materialize, and they only ever increase as you go deeper in the dungeon.
But one does not simply head off to the cavern without taking precautions beforehand. Therefore, here is a link to a page with a comprehensive guide that might help you prepare for Skull Cavern.
When you decide to do some Iridium Ore farming, make a checklist of things you should have before hitting the road.
- Food: Bring food items that are easy to make and can restore a large portion of your energy and health, such as Red Plate and Pumpkin Soup. Cooked meals like Lucky Lunch and Spicy Eel are the best to consume to boost your luck.
- Staircases: Aside from luck, you must keep an eye on the time. Skipping floors using crafted staircases will help you save time, but they can be wasteful of resources as you need 99 stones to make one. The best way to obtain staircases would be to get them from the Desert Trader for 1 Jade. If you have a Jade, you can put it in a Crystalarium and wait two days to get it duplicated.
- Bombs: Speaking of efficiency, you will need plenty of bombs to clear up all the rocks and nodes you see on a floor.
- Napalm Ring: A ring that can make enemies explode upon defeating them. You can obtain this accessory from the Adventurer’s Guild after slaying 250 Royal Serpents. Napalm Ring can be useful for killing monsters since it can also destroy the surrounding rocks.
- Return Scepter or Warp Totems: Warp totems are extremely useful and can send you to the desert and back home in less time. But if you are an end-game player tired of crafting warp totems all the time, you may purchase a Return Scepter. The Return Scepter can instantly warp you back home and is non-consumable. It can be bought from Krobus for 2,000,000 Gold.
As soon as you arrive at Skull Cavern, make haste in plopping down staircases floor after floor until you reach the 140th level.
Iridium Nodes start to spawn in large numbers on the 140th floor, but you can go as low as you would like as long as you have plenty of time left for mining.
Another tip is to aim for purple nodes with protruding light blue crystals and ignore other rocks if your sole purpose for going to Skull Cavern is mining Iridium Ore.
In doing this, you are guaranteed to collect at least 400 to 500 Iridium Nodes in one day. This amount of Iridium Ore is enough to fill your cabin with Crystalariums. Having this much stock of Iridium Ore can also help you save up for Obelisks late in the game.
You might also spot Mystic Stones on floors 100 to 120. These stones may contain a couple of Iridium Ore Gold Ore; sometimes, they might even have a Prismatic Shard. So keep an eye out for these stones with spiral markings.
Other Methods to Get Iridium Ore
If you are starting to grow weary of repeatedly going down to Skull Cavern, here are some alternative ways to accumulate Iridium Ore:
Smashing rocks in the Mines or the Quarry: You can find Magma Geodes and Omni Geodes on the lower floors and sometimes in the Quarry. Clint, the Blacksmith, can crack open these Geodes.
Buying from Merchants: Krobus will also sell you Omni Geodes on Tuesdays. The Traveling Merchant may also randomly have Iridium Ore in stock, but they can be pricey.
Defeating Monsters in Dungeons: Iridium Bats have a high chance of dropping them. You can kill them on sight to get lots of Iridium Ore.
Raising Purple Slimes: You can slay some of the Purple Slimes you have for Iridium Ore.
Raising Super Cucumbers in Fish Ponds: Once you have succeeded in raising 9 Super Cucumbers in your Fish Pond, you might be able to get Iridium Ore from them.
Getting the Statue of Perfection: The Statue of Perfection can produce up to 8 Iridium Ore daily. However, you need to pass Grandpa’s Evaluation to become worthy of owning one.
Destroying a Purple Meteorite: In rare cases, a purple Meteorite will crash land on your farm. Breaking it open will give you 6 Iridium Ore.
Fishing and Panning: Catch fish with the Treasure Hunter tackle equipped, and you may obtain some Treasure Chests with Iridium Ore inside. You might also get lucky in getting these Ores using a Copper Pan.
