Summary
- The Dangerous Mines provide challenging monsters and valuable resources.
- The Iridium Needle is a rare, powerful weapon with high damage and critical strike chance.
- The Enricher and Pressure Nozzle are valuable sprinkler upgrades, enhancing crop growth efficiency.
In Stardew Valley, the Dangerous Mines are activated by accepting the “Danger In The Deep” quest from 
Mr. Qi
, or by using the Shrine of Challenge, located on the 120th floor of the Mines. They are known to be one of the most challenging aspects of the game, featuring a new selection of monsters that are even tougher than those found in the Skull Cavern. This makes the Dangerous Mines a significant challenge, even for the most experienced players.
The Shrine of Challenge becomes available once players have completed the “Danger In The Deep” quest for the first time. Using it to activate the Dangerous Mines offers valuable opportunities to mine rare resources. Similar to the regular mines and the Skull Cavern, the Dangerous Mines have their own unique reward items that can be obtained by destroying crates and barrels or defeating monsters. Due to the high difficulty level of the Dangerous Mines, the special items found there are very valuable and useful throughout the game.
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1
Iridium Needle
One Of The Most Powerful Weapons In The Game
The 
Iridium Needle
is a formidable dagger in Stardew Valley, boasting 20-35 damage and a level 12 rating. It features the highest base critical strike chance of any weapon, with +6 critical chance and +200 critical power.
Dropped by special slimes, it is a rare and powerful weapon that thrives when forged and upgraded. When fully enhanced, the Iridium Needle becomes one of the most potent weapons in the game, making it a great find for players tackling tough enemies in the deeper levels of the Dangerous Mines.
2
Iridium Band
Combines Three Useful Ring Powers
The 
Iridium Band
combines the effects of several useful rings: the 
Glow Ring
Magnet Ring, and 
Ruby Ring
. It provides a 10-tile radius of light, increases magnetism by two tiles, and boosts damage by 10%. Crafting one requires 5 
Iridium Bar
, 50 
Solar Essence
, and 50 
Void Essence
, making it quite a costly item to craft.
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With its consistent enhancements to light, magnetism, and attack, the Iridium Band is one of the most valuable and powerful special items found in the Dangerous Mines. When paired with another Iridium Band, its effects are doubled, significantly enhancing its usefulness.
3
Enricher
Automatically Fertilizes Crops
The 
Enricher
is a sprinkler upgrade in Stardew Valley. When placed on a sprinkler, it automatically applies fertilizer to the soil tiles that the sprinkler waters. To use it, players load a type of fertilizer into the Enricher, and it will automatically enrich the soil. Up to four Enrichers can be purchased at Mr. Qi
‘s Walnut Room for 20 
Qi Gem
each, making finding them in the Dangerous Mines a valuable discovery.
Only one type of fertilizer can be loaded at a time. For example, when paired with an 
Iridium Sprinkler
and loaded with 
Deluxe Speed-Gro
, it can reduce the growth time of crops by 25%, saving players time and effort in fertilizing.
4
Pressure Nozzle
Extends Sprinkler Range
When a 
Pressure Nozzle
is attached to a sprinkler, it increases the watering range. With this upgrade, a standard 
Sprinkler
covers a 3×3 area, a 
Quality Sprinkler
covers a 5×5 area, and an Iridium Sprinkler
covers a 7×7 area. This expanded range takes effect once the Pressure Nozzle is added.
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Like the Enricher, the Pressure Nozzle can be purchased from Qi’s Walnut Room for 20 Qi Gems. However, finding one in the Dangerous Mines can save time and effort compared to gathering gems to buy one. Although the Pressure Nozzle does not stack with Enrichers, it is particularly useful in the greenhouse or on Ginger Island, where any crop can grow year-round, maximizing watering efficiency.
5
Radioactive Bar
A Highly Valuable Resource
Radioactive Bars are high-value materials in Stardew Valley, typically crafted using 5 
Radioactive Ore
and 1 
Coal
. They are essential for completing two important crafting recipes: the 
Heavy Tapper
(requiring 30 
Hardwood
and 1 Radioactive Bar) and the 
Hopper
(requiring 10 Hardwood, 1 Iridium Bar
, and 1 Radioactive Bar).
The Radioactive Bar has a multitude of uses and is very profitable. It is a loved gift for 
Maru
, and it can be sold for 3,000g (4,500g with the Blacksmith profession). Additionally, 10 Radioactive Bars can be traded to the Island Trader for a 
Galaxy Soul
on the last day of a season, after killing at least 50 Dangerous Monsters.
6
Qi Gem
Used To Buy Things In Qi’s Walnut Room
are the currency used in Mr. Qi
’s Walnut Room, essential for completing perfection in Stardew Valley. They are required to purchase recipes for items like the Heavy Tapper
Hyper Speed-Gro
Deluxe Fertilizer, Hopper
Magic Bait, and 
Blue Grass Starter
.
Qi Gems also unlock unique items in the Walnut Room, including the 
Horse Flute
(which summons the players’ horse), Pierre’s Missing Stocklist (which allows seeds to be available year-round), and the 
Key To The Town
(which grants access to all buildings at any time).
7
Auto-Petter
One Of The Most Useful Farming Tools In The Game
The 
Auto-Petter
is a convenient tool that automatically pets barn and coop animals, saving players the time and effort of petting each animal daily. This is especially useful when paired with an 
Auto-Grabber
, which automatically collects produce from farm animals.
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The Auto-Petter is a great asset in the late game, allowing players to focus more on mining or perfection progression instead of spending hours on animal care. Animals only gain up 8 friendship points from the Auto-Petter, as opposed to 15 when also manually petted, so it’s best to max out their friendship first if relying solely on the machine.
8
A Random Treasure Room Item
Various High-Value And Useful Rewards
In the Dangerous Mines, players can find a variety of random Treasure Room items. These are labeled as such as they are usually found at random intervals in the Skull Cavern Treasure Rooms.
The most common treasures include 
Warp Totem: Farm
Prismatic Shard
Crystalarium
Seed Maker
Mystery Box
Golden Mystery Box, and Auto-Petter
. These high-value items are extremely useful across all stages of the game, providing valuable resources for progressing through Stardew Valley. As well as these particularly universally useful items, there is also a chance to get 
Golden Animal Cracker
, Trinkets, and various seeds.
- Released
-
February 26, 2016
- Developer(s)
-
ConcernedApe
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
