Stardew Valley is still going strong five years past its release date in 2016. Not many could have predicted that the pixelated Farming Sim would grip the gaming world as it has. Perhaps it's due to the fact that, past the farming, there is so much to see and do in the world of Stardew Valley. There are NPCs to meet (and romance), dungeons to conquer, and storylines to uncover. It's a grandiose adventure in the same vein as Harvest Moon, another cult classic that many players still remember fondly to this day. Even though it's an Indie Game at its roots, there is a ton of content to uncover, and it's going to take a while to see and experience everything.
All of those compliments aside, Stardew Valley is still very much a Farming Simulator at its core. Growing plants and food is necessary to progress through a lot of the quests sprinkled throughout the game. The early game can be a bit tough, while you gain enough tools and resources to keep your farm afloat. You'll find yourself scrambling to keep plants happy and healthy, watering and fertilizing them when necessary. Thankfully, as you grow your wealth, there are tools available to help you automate your crops. One of those useful tools is the Quality Sprinkler. Here's a look at how you can get your hands on one and what exactly they can do for you.
What The Quality Sprinkler Does
The Quality Sprinkler can help you automate your farm quickly, and will cover an abundance of crops compared to its predecessor. While the regular Sprinkler will cover four tiles (in a cross shape), The quality counterpart will cover eight tiles (in a 3 x 3 square). You'll be able to upgrade this to 5 x 5 with a Pressure Nozzle, and you can even turn the Quality Sprinkler into an auto-fertilizer with the Enricher.
It's important to note that the Quality Sprinkler will only work on tilled tiles, and ground of any other type won't receive the benefits from its auto-watering. You also won't be able to use these nifty tools to fill the pet's water bowl or water Garden Pots with them, so be sure not to waste them or set them in areas where you won't get the full 3 x 3 effect from their square watering pattern.
Where To Find A Quality Sprinkler
Quality Sprinklers can be obtained in a variety of ways, so no matter what aspect of Stardew Valley you enjoy the most, you should be able to get your hands on one. But before you can even set out on your quest to snag this useful device, you'll need to hit Farming Level 6. Once you've done that, you have some options to obtain a Quality Sprinkler:
Craft One
This is going to be the most economical way to get a Quality Sprinkler, especially if you plan on having an abundance of them. Once you have access to the item, you can craft one by putting together the following items:
- 1 x Iron Bar
- 1 x Gold Bar
- 1 x Refined Quartz
Buy One
By far the fastest way is to simply buy one. Sometimes, the Traveling Cart will feature the Quality Sprinkler as a purchasable item. It will cost anywhere between 1,350 and 2,250. Depending on how much G you have stocked up, waiting for the Traveling Cart to have these bad boys and stocking up on them might be the way to go. But for those of you that aren't swimming in income yet, there are a couple of other methods to grab a Quality Sprinkler.
Complete A Bundle
If you don't have the funds to secure a bunch of Quality Sprinklers but still want to get your hands on one to make watering easier, there are two bundles you can complete that will reward you with one.
The first one is the Summer Crops Bundle, for the Pantry. To complete it, you'll need to put together the following items:
- 1 x Tomato.
- 1 x Hot Pepper.
- 1 x Blueberry.
- 1 x Melon.
This is arguably the easiest way to grab a Quality Sprinkler without spending a fortune, depending on how deep you are into farming and if you have the necessary seeds. There is a second bundle that you can complete but it's important to note that it is only available in the Remixed Pantry (which can be accessed when starting a new game). The Garden Bundle is a bit more challenging than the Summer Crops Bundle and requires the following items:
- 1 x Tulip.
- 1 x Blue Jazz.
- 1 x Summer Spangle.
- 1 x Sunflower.
- 1 x Fairy Rose.
Find One
If those two methods don't sound very appealing to you, and you consider yourself more of an adventuring type, you can actually find a Quality Sprinkler if you're lucky enough. Once you reach level 10+ in the Skull Cavern, you'll have a chance to uncover a Treasure Room. These small rooms are filled with goodies and there are a wide array of things you can nab from the chests you come across. If you're fortunate enough, you'll be able to pocket 4 Quality Sprinklers at one time, with a 1/25 chance of them appearing. It's certainly not the easiest way to obtain the tools but it's refreshing to know that you may come across some randomly if you find yourself exploring the Skull Caverns often.
Upgrading The Quality Sprinkler
The Quality Sprinkler isn't the best sprinkler in the game, the honor goes to the Iridium Sprinkler, but it's still one of the most useful auto-waterers you'll come across, especially since Iridium can be expensive and difficult to find, especially for those just starting out. Thankfully, you can get even more bang with your buck with Quality Sprinklers by upgrading them, making them slightly better and more useful.
Pressure Nozzle
The Pressure Nozzle will increase the watering range of your Quality Sprinkler by one tile in each direction (effectively making it 5 x 5). You can grab one of these in Qi's Walnut Room for 20 Qi Gems each. You may also be lucky enough to find one on a slain monster while making your way through the Skull Cavern. The Slimes crawling through the Mines may also drop them, but only after activating the Shrine of Challenge or during the Danger in the Deep quest.
Enricher
This handy upgrade will automatically fertilize the tiles that your Quality Sprinkler waters, so long as seeds are planted in them. You'll also need to make sure fertilizer is loaded into the Enricher. A four-pack of these can be grabbed in Qi's Walnut Room for 20 Qi Gems. Like the Pressure Nozzle, they can sometimes drop as rewards from slaying monsters after activating the Shrine of Challenge or on the Danger in the Deep quest.