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If you’re starting to feel a little too OP for the regular Mines and Skull Cavern inStardew Valley, then you’d do well to consider trying your hand at the Dangerous Mines. One of the many Qi Challenges in the Walnut Room, you’ll be tasked with doing the Mines all over again without the elevator.
Located within the Dangerous Mines are monsters far more vicious than you’re used to, all of whom deal much more damage and have vastly better buffs – but they also drop better loot as a result. Here’s everything you need to know about the Dangerous Mines.
How To Unlock The Dangerous Mines
To gain access to the Dangerous Mines in Stardew Valley, you’ll first need toreach floor 120in the regularPelican Town Mines. It’s also how you findthe Skull Keythat allows you access toSkull Cavern. After you’ve reached floor 120 for the first time, you’ll then need tomake your way to Ginger Islandand head over tothe Walnut Roomjust past your Island Farm on the Western side of the island.
Here, you’ll be able toaccept Qi Challengesonce per week, each offering some pretty sweet rewards after you’ve located100 Golden Walnutsand gained access to the Walnut Room. Inside, alongside a shop where you cancash in your challenge rewards, is theQi’s Special Orders Board.
Similar to the Special Orders board in town,Mr. Qioffers some extra-tough optional quests, which are usually best saved for end-game players. The challenge you’re looking for is theDanger in the Deep Qi Challenge, which pops up for grabs just as often as the others, so be sure to check diligently every Mondaywhen the quests change over.
Accepting the Danger in the Deep questautomatically turns the Pelican Town Mines “dangerous,“which completelychanges the Mines andthe monsters within. Your challenge here is tomake it to floor 120 without using elevators, which means you’ll essentially need todo the Mines all over againwithout access.
Once you’ve battled your way to the bottom with the quest active and turned it in to Mr. Qi, you’ll then begin to find theShrine of Challengeon floor 120 of the Mines. This allows you to thenchoose to toggle the Dangerous Mines on or offat your discretion.
Since the Dangerous Mines are your only way tofarm Radioactive Ore, it’s good to have the option without needing to wait for the quest to pop up a second time - simply flip the switch at the Shrine of Challenge and wait for the following day.
Can You Use Staircases In The Dangerous Mines?
If you’re looking for a bit of an exploit to help you make your way to the bottom of the Dangerous Mines as you work through the Danger in the Deep quest, you’ll be glad to know you canstock up on Staircasesto use in the Dangerous Mines.
Sincethe elevators don’t workin the Dangeous Mines (until you’ve reached the bottom of the Dangerous Mines the first time with Danger in the Deep active, that is), and since there aresomany monsters coming at you, Staircases can help in a pinch.
If you don’t feel like fighting all these Dangerous Monsters, and you have more resources than patience or affinity for combat, we won’t judge you if you use Staircases to get down to floor 120 to complete the challenge.
By the time you’re tackling the Dangerous Mines in Stardew Valley, you’ll likely have enough Stone to make the Staircases yourself, but there’s alwaysthe Desert Trader, who’ll trade one Staircase for one Jade.
Complete Dangerous Mines Overview
In the expandable table below, we’ve kept track of what we encountered onevery floor of the Dangerous Minesin Stardew Valley. This list includesmonsters, resources,gems, and more to look out for on that stretch of floors in the Dangerous Mines.
Regular monsters from the Mines appear in the Dangerous Mines, too, but they’re considered to be in a “dangerous state,” whichchanges their appearance and stats, making them much stronger than before.
Any monster listed in the table below that also appears in the regular Mines should be assumed to be in the “dangerous state.”
It’s also important to know thatSlimes can spawn in stacksin the Dangerous Mines, in addition to singular Slimes. All of them will havesunglasses and a smirk, but the colors will remain synchronous with the colors that usually spawn on these floors.
1-9
Radioactive Ore does not spawn on floors with multiples of five (5, 10, 15, etc.)
10-29
30-39
Carbon Ghosts areyour source for Ectoplasm, so turn on the Shrine of Challenge when you need more or keep some on-hand to avoid needing to double back.
40-49
This and the next stretch of floors are great places toforage Mushroomsout of season, as well as harvestplenty of resourceslikeWoodorMahogany Seeds.
50-69
Be mindful of the cobwebs that spawn on these floors, as they’ll decrease your speed (and leave you relatively open to attack).
70-79
80-89
You’ll occasionally spot the monsters on these floors hiding in the grass, so be mindful as you walk around so you don’t get ambushed!
90-100
101-119
Reaching the bottom of the Dangerous Mines the first time completes the Danger in the Deep challenge, but you’ll be able to return to the Dangerous Mines if you’d like some better Combat XP or just need to gather some rarer resources.
