Six years on since its original release, farming RPG Stardew Valley remains one of the most popular indie titles of all time. The gentle journey from cubicle-dwelling office drone to thriving farmer has been praised for its tone, mechanics, and visuals. There are many secrets to be unearthed in Stardew Valley, ranging from social scandals to archeological discoveries.
One unusual feature that players may notice on their journeys across Stardew Valley are little patches of wiggling brown sticks or worms. These are Artifact Spots, marking locations where players can dig up a random item using their Hoe. Which item players will get depends not only on the Artifact Spot's location on the Stardew Valley map but also on the Season.
How to Loot an Artifact Spot in Stardew Valley
Artifact Spots can spawn all across Stardew Valley, as well as in the Desert and on Ginger Island. Each night, there is a chance that new Spots will spawn on tillable tiles across the map. These Spots have only a 15% chance to disappear with each subsequent night, so players can often run into several of them in the same area. Artifact Spots are also much more common in the winter but are also less likely to contain valuable and unique Artifacts. The Tracker profession makes it much easier to find these Spots, adding an arrow that will point to any nearby Spot that is currently off-screen.
Because Artifact Spots can be found anywhere from Pelican Town to the mysterious Ginger Island, it's a good idea for players to always carry a Hoe with them as they travel. A Hoe with the Archeologist enchantment will double the odds of finding an Artifact, while the Generous enchantment gives a 50% chance that whatever the player finds will be doubled.
Which Items are Found in Artifact Spots in Stardew Valley
An Artifact Spot can contain all kinds of different items in Stardew Valley, with the odds of getting a unique Artifact or Lost Book decreasing as the player collects them. Before they've found any Lost Books, players have around a 30% chance of finding one in any Artifact Spot that isn't on the Farm. They also have a good chance of finding Secret Notes or an Artifact, which can be donated to Gunther's Museum in Pelican Town.
Non-unique items that can be found from Artifact Spots include Copper Ore, Coal, Gold Ore, Stone, and Clay. In winter, there's up to a 50% chance that any given Artifact Spot not in the Desert will contain a Winter Root or Snow Yam. In Spring, it's possible to find Rice Shoots in any location that isn't the Desert or Beach. Certain items can only be found when quests are active: Bone Fragments have a chance to appear during Gunther's Fragments of the Past Special Order, while Qi's Crop adds a chance for Qi Beans. Finally, there are several items that can only be found in Artifact Spots on Ginger Island. These include Snake skeleton parts, Fossilized Ribs, Golden Coconuts, Taro Tubers, Mahogany Seeds, Artifact Troves, Wild Bait, and Omni Geodes.
Stardew Valley is currently available on Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS Vita & Xbox One.
