Another useful tip: you don't lose items if you pass out. Items are only lost when your health reaches 0, which means it's more beneficial to stay in the caverns until 2 am. The largest fine you can get is 1000 g. If you already have coops and barns set up that price is basically already covered

Oh thank god, someone who doesn't assume I have an endless pile of iridium sitting around or have already gotten to ginger island. I poked my head into the skull caverns for the first time and got instantly murdered :(

Also: If you can manage to kill 1000 slimes, the Adventurer's Guild will give you a ring which will completely eradicate slime damage and effects. If you get this ring, absolutely bring it with you. That slime debuf has gotten me killed So. Many. Times.

The only issue with using staircases is Qi basically accuses the player of cheating when you meet him on floor 100 when you use them, but you still get the reward.

For anyone wondering, Qi only gets mad if you use 10 staircases so might as well bring nine to avoid any infested floors or just horrible ones

I appreciate the work you did for the teleport edit.

imo, the slime charmer ring makes life 10 times easier in the skull mine. Those slimes hit hard and it's so nice being completely invincible to them.

[EDIT]: This bug has been fixed already so don't worry!! Just a tip for those who want to get to floor 100 to complete MR. Qi's quest, from personal experience: If you're very close to reaching floor 100, avoid jumping into holes, use stairs or staircases instead. If you accidently end up on floor 101 or higher, you won't complete the quest. I had spent a long time trying to reach it on my first farm (only using staircases to avoid infested rooms), and when I made it to floor 97 or 98 I got SUPER excited, then hopped into a hole and fell down around 6 leves. It took me MONTHS to actually complete the challenge after that mistake lol

Napalm ring + slime charmer ring changed my life in the skull caverns. Everytime I defeat an enemy they act like a bomb and blow up the rocks beside them, and I can easily find holes and ladders. Napalm ring + slime charmer and Iridium band + Burglar is my go to

The first time I played SDV and got to the Skull Caven, I was scared and did not want to EVER step back into it. After watching this video I can say I reached level 50! haha not that far down but it's better than nothing. Thank you so much for this video!

i feel like every other tutorial I watched was asking too much like they wanted me to be a pro already and it was so frustrating. thank you for a beginner friendly tutorial

You do not actually have to bring the farm totem because if you pass out due to time, you do not lose items. You only take the energy penalty and 1k gold max

That "Walk like an Egyptian" clip was delightful

great useful video, i'm definitely going to consider the pumpkin soup tip. the only suggestion i would make is that you don't really need the mega bomb, the big red one. they're only useful if you're on a floor with a huge open floor plan and even then it's kinda overkill. the cherry bomb and the regular 600g bomb are perfect for a skull cavern run, many of the floors are narrow areas or the amount of rocks in an area are not worth the mega bomb.

literally the first serpent i killed gave me a prismatic shard and so naturally i went straight for the sword. the next day as i was showing off to my friend over discord (who hasnt gotten a single shard yet, and shes been playing for longer than me) i got another one from killing a regular ass slime. i felt like the king of stardew for a second with that luck lmao

Also crystallariums can be used to get quartz which 5 quartz = the medium bomb at the desert trader.

I personally love the Phoenix ring and it has saved my butt multiple times. Once you reach your lowest point of health you will regain half of your health, I would recommend for those who end up dying a lot.

I would never have reached the 100th floor without this video, so THANK YOU! Five crystalariums churning out jade had me over 100 staircases in no time. I never even left the ladder area and was done by 10am with nearly all my health. Only on one floor did I have to hit a rock to make room for the staircase.

I've sunk so many hours into Stardew Valley, and fishing the legendary fishes and Skull Caverns have always been an extremely difficult thing for me to do. I am SO GLAD that I have these guides! Now I regularly run Skull Caverns whenever I want to find Prismatic Shards, and I no longer fear going down!

Newer player here and highly suggest for the first method still bringing 5 or so staircases. Even on the highest luck days Random is Random. Got hit with back to back infestation and prehistoric floors that killed my runs.I most likely an outlier of bad-good luck but being over prepared is better than underprepared.

I know everyone thinks panning is useless, but if you live on a river farm you pan all the time. I also see quite a bit of panning spots on ginger island. So that's a good way to find the luck ring. If you really want to.

for a food item, if you took the mushroom cave i definitely recommend bringing life elixirs, purple mushrooms, or if neither of those are viable then common mushrooms (since you probably build up a bunch of them by year 2 ish)

I'm the guy who just found this channel the other day, and I'm seriously impressed! I love your clear, calm narration. No wasting time with filler or preamble, no screaming or freaking out about everything: just information with a little bit of humor to liven things up. Keep doing what you're doing, man.

If speed is your main concern, I recommend the Crab Cakes and coffee/espresso as food buffs, especially if you are easily overwhelmed during combat: one Crab Cake will give you a +1 Speed and +1 Defense buff, and will pretty much last the entire day, so that's one less thing to worry about renewing during your run. Add the Triple Shot Espresso to that (lasts longer than the coffee) and you have a pretty good shot at getting some distance from enemies, as well as covering the floor more quickly. Also for the non-buff food, I highly recommend cheese, especially the gold quality--one or two can get your health up FAST, which is very helpful if you are getting swarmed. There is always that fraction of a second between consuming each food item where the enemies within reach can damage you. Other than that, this video pretty much covers everything--well done!

I mean this in the best way possible - this video really feels like a Blade video for non-code things. You've made something that's equally informative, entertaining, and chill. Absolutely subbing!!! Keep up the good work :)

pacifist route stan here, boutta go make as many crystalariums as possible

Don't sleep on Galaxy Dagger because when the special attack is used accurately, it oneshot kills the annoying enemies like slimes and flying eels without allowing them to float around you, saving a ton of time swapping and dancing around your pickaxe, bombs and explosive ammos back to your weapons.

After doing this few times, I'm so glad for the skull cavern elevator mod. No more crazy prep just for some iridium

6:18 Yup, I haven't been using pumpkin soup! lol 9:13 That is the best transition I've ever seen! "oh ey oh!"

I used to always rewatch your lets play episodes when you go into the mines as a sort of "guide" on how I could do the mines too, so I'm excited to get a formal guide from you! Pumpkin soup really is an underrated food item

Fun thing I learnt is that you can place the bear statue and the standing geode from your museum collection rewards in her path (one on each screen) and she will get to the bus by 9:30-40 instead. Not much of a time save but it's better than before, and you no longer have to stand there yourself

Don't forget to check those treasure chests. Those treasure chest floors don't usually produce monsters and if you didn't choose the Joja route then that's the only way you will find the auto-petters.

Thank you so much !!! I never knew the desert guy only sold staircases on Sunday’s 🙃 I’m trying to find a prismatic chard and I have yet to come across one 😭 I’ve only been the skull cavern once but watching this really helped me thank you 🙏🏼 Update: I finally found 2 prismatic shards a little before level 100 (I think I was in level 90's) and I'm SO HAPPY

Omg thank you so much- each time i set foot in skull cavern I died immediately, this is so helpful

I like to use the slime ring, which makes you invincible to any slime, so you don't have to warry about them. plus that with the iridium band.

„I can sum it up it one word: Staircases. … NOW I‘LL USE A FEW MORE WORDS!“ That was executed greatly! 🤣 And the guide is really good and helpful.

I just started playing Stardew recently and this is absolutely the best guide to the Skull Caverns I've seen. Every single other of dozens I've watched only recommended items I couldn't obtain yet.

When walk like an Egyptian my brother looked up at me with a star struck face. I also really love the video! I just unlocked the skull caverns and they look scary so this will help me out a lot thank you!!

Best guide ive seen so far, straight to the point and easy to understand. 10/10

this is honestly such a helpful guide, i’m five years into a save that i’ve been playing on since around 2021 and i just saved up stone to be able to waltz straight to the bottom, possibly the most inefficient way but this guide must help newer players so much

For anyone who might need to know this - Time doesn't stop in co-op, so it's even more important not to let your health drop and to take food that will buff your health in bigger chunks.

I got the Lucky Ring from breaking a barrel in the Skull Cavern. I guess I must be lucky.

Thank you for the guide! Ive been avoiding going into the skull cavern because it's definitely intimidating, but i should be okay with your guide! Appreciate it

This is a really high quality video! You went in depth and put a lot of effort into making this. The content’s good, the editing’s good, the whole video’s good! Great job and thank you for the help. My favorite part is that you thought to only use pre-Skull Cavern materials and weapons. Many others wouldn’t consider that. Thank you and keep it up!

It's so worth it to grind to the slimer charmer ring. I know it's super late game but the Iridium band + slime charmer combined ring is a God tier ring 👌👌

this is a phenomenal video!!! i have upwards of 500 hours in this game and still learned from this, great stuff!!!

this is the best guide on skull caverns. i watched 10's of them but none of them was good as this.

Excellent Advice!!! I've had a lot of trouble getting iridium. took some steps mentioned in the vid as far as inventory organization and it worked like a charm!

This is amazingly handy! I just gave up with the skull cavern and haven't returned to Stardew in a while. This makes me want to go back and try again

This video is completely brilliant, and kudos to the whole Indiana Jones vibe for the teleporting to the desert. Love it! Thanks for a very entertaining and extremely helpful video

I’ve been playing for about 5 years and know this stuff, but I appreciate a new perspective and am always looking for any new info to keep it interesting. Very informative video 👍👍

liked and subbed! your tips are waaaay better than most of the shorts i have seen over and over again!

When I first started playing, I had no idea what a Prismatic Shard was! I actually managed to get one on the first day that I unlocked the Quarry and was like, "Nice rainbow rock" and immediately donated it to Gunther. Now, on my second playthrough, I still haven't found one yet.

I love using the pacifist method to hunt for treasure rooms, I got so many free iridium sprinklers and 5 autopetters out of about 400 staircases, very useful if you're looking especially for treasure rooms because it maximises your time (no time wasted with blowing up rocks/killing enemy's= going down more floors giving you more chances of getting treasure rooms)

thank you!! it's an incredibly good video, not just the tips themselves, but the way you present information - easy to get the message quickly and remember the important parts cuz they are all shown clearly and talked through. you have an eye for neatly organising information you want to present!))

This is one of the first videos I've found and certainly not the last, yall sleeping on pumpkin soup AND I WAS and now I'm obsessed with it! I appreciate you're dedication to the vid, they've certainly helped me soo much, thank you!

I have NEVER seen the moonstone ring till my latest play-through...and somehow I have found TWO!!

Left you a like bro, i appreciate the time and the dedication you put into this video, it doesn't seem easy at all to put this together due to how random these caves can be xD.

Serpents indeed !!! This is a great tutorial ; straight to the point and VERY informative. Thanks.

This was a great, succinct video. Love the three options. Straight to the point and so helpful! Thanks.

Another good drop of the Iridium Bats is battery packs. Yes you can get them from other methods, but doesn't hurt especially when trying to craft crystalariums

Another thing i'd suggest is (although it seems obvious in hindsight) don't waste bombs on rocks that only take 1 hit if you cant afford to. 5 or 6 swings doesnt use too much energy and bombs arent too easy to get unless you're early mid-game. Idk how everyone else feels about this but its something that has saved me a lot of materials.

Having just recently gotten into Stardew (late to the party is my MO), this was very helpful! Thanks, Salmence.

Very useful tip: Take both a hammer and sword with you in case of a storm of serpents(whatever you call it) come in you can use the hammers ability The sword for normal attacks.

Even as someone with 400+ hours in Stardew Valley, this video was super helpful! ❤

That's the perfect guide, thank you so much! I was afraid of skull cavern and thought you needed special weapons but now I want to go

rhe teleport edit was perfect, and as someone really trying to dig deep into this cavern, i will be taking this and rewatching til i get everything memorize lol

I would not advise eating Starfruit for energy.

On my first run ever of the skull cavern, I got a lucky ring, and got to floor 96, then I blew myself up on accident bc I was rushing and restarted the day and tried again. I didnt know at the time how rare lucky rings were, and I have hated myself ever since lol

THANK YOU. I CANNOT SAY THAT ENOUGH!! I've been struggling, so thank you for this!!!

Awesome! Well edited and narrated, thank you!

LMAO thank u for putting in all the hard work for this vid and for the unexpected laughs!! immediate sub and great video!!

It was a extreme luck day, had like 50 mushrooms, steel falchion and a ton of bombs and stairs, i even ate a lucky lunch before entering Literally the first floor when i came down 5 serpents rushed at me essentially insta killing me and my should-be floor 100 run Thats why i looked up a guide

Got it on my second try after this video and you are now my go to stardew KZfaqr to watch thank you

Thanks for all the tips!! I've got plenty of iridium thanks to the Statue from grandpa....but I always forget the staircases! Going to have to start remembering them.

Crab cakes are more preferable when encountering monsters def and speed for 16 mins. And super cucumber for restoration of health and energy, they can be fished in the summer 6pm to 2am.

Got the burglar ring early from farming coal on the dust sprites, and I mainly play Stardew for the spelunking, so I had a massive reservoir of gold and essences to craft into 200 megabombs when I finally fixed the bus

😂 This is a lifesaver for the Skull cavern I was not looking forward to it, but your video has helped me get an idea for prep. Thank you 🎉

Just did my first ever skull cavern run - with good luck, lucky ring( I got it by accident from the crate when I decided to enter skull cavern earlier just for fun), and recommended buffs. Used 40 regular bombs, 15 megabombs, 15 cherry bombs, 2 pumpkin soup, 2 triple shot espressos, 8 cheese and 15 staicases. Got to around floor 80 by 1 am( I used the bus, didn't have geodes for a warp totem), collected 37 iridium ore, around 60 of each of the other ores, some gems, 20 omni geodes and 3 spicy eels. I am pretty happy with that, and with 4 iridium I got from breaking geodes earlier I can now either craft 4 crystallariums or 1 crystallarium and save iridium for unlocking ginger island. Tough choice, I would say. Thank you for your guide, never would've figured using pumpkin soup and would'nt bother buying steel falchion. For non-buff food I personally recommend either cheese( if you have cows) or glazed yams( recipe at 21th of fall). Yams are easy to mass grow in fall, beets too, and 1 beat gives 3 sugar, so it's a reallly good food choice

this is EXACTLY what i needed! I havent done much of the skull cavern to be honest, other then the pacifist route to get to Mr. Qi. I actually got my statue of perfection a while before i ventured at all into he skull cavern so i do in fact have a bunch of iridium already. I just wan to explore it now i guess :D Also dino eggs sound GREAT to have. Thanks so much!! This'll be a big help :}

Cheese is the best imo. If you get large milk silver to gold stars it turns cheese to gold star which is very beneficial to health and energy. Not to mention its renewable daily

Love the The Bangles throw in when you take a trip to the desert, that was fire.

This is going to be super useful for me! Thanks so much! I have some good rings(including slime charmer) but I have still struggled on each of my trips. I have too much pride to use the staircase method lol

"This floor just feels racist" 💀💀

A slight correction to lava bats. They will only appear on floor 20 and 40, and not in all room types. This makes them very rare to find. But I have seen them.

Nice Bangles insert! You’re my new favourite Star-Dewtuber! Hats off, Sal!

my biggest advice is to use rocks to your advantage when slaying mummies and slimes, yes you can easily trap slimes from a big slime in one place or against a wall but you can also effectively herd slimes together using the pushback from a sword. on top of this it pays to down multiple mummies at once and to clear them with one bomb as you not only get the ladder chance from killing them but the bombs will clear all rocks surrounding them which will give you more chances to spawn stairs. Also do not forget that mummies drop that cloth, that sweet sweet cloth

nice guide will definitely try the staircase way. didn't know that the desert merchant sold them on sundays. nice vid and thanks for the help.

There's a glitch to get the galaxy sword with a wallpaper because it has the same item id or something. Also the galaxy hammer is so op because of spamming left-click during the special ability animation, which isn't a glitch according to CA. Passing out at 2am also isn't much of an issue as u only lose up to 1000 gold and 1/2 of your energy, which isn't much

While I didn't learn anything new, I did greatly enjoy just how much fun you had making this video. Passionate creators make better content. Great video, my man.

I love my Slime Ring. You also mentioned respeccing combat in a short to boost your defense. I think those are good additions to the advice given here.

I personally fill my greenhouse with Peach Trees and use peaches as my go to healing items. You get tons of them on the daily, and they add up fast if you take a day or two off from running the mines. They are also really great at conserving space in the inventory because unlike other foragables or crops or whatever, they are all going to be the same quality at all times (assuming you planted them all at the same time) so they all go neatly into one stack. And for traversing the mines quickly, my personal method is setting up a shed full of crystallariums and set all of them to making Jade. You can buy heaps of stairs and just shoot as deep as you want in an instant until you find chests or ore nodes or whatever you're looking for. All you need is like gold, iridium, and batteries I think, and you'll be rolling in iridium and gold, so batteries are really the only bottleneck in production.

I got the strange capsule, a few stone owls a meteor, a crop fairy, but I still can't find a prismatic shard ;(

Managed to get to floor 125 on my second go, thanks for the great guide, it helped a lot!

with this guides help I got to floor 100. a combo of getting to floor 40 and then staircasing across the rest and grabbing iridium on the way with a galaxy hammer and without having completed the center (I just need like 2 items) alongside pumpkin soup and triple shot espresso

When using sword, always remember to use block. It will deflect those serpents and give you some breathing room. You are all welcome.

Might be helpful to note that having your home totem in the starting line might cause you to accidentally use it and sent home mid fight :,)

personally already finished the skull cavern quest, just need to find the pepper rexes, but rly nice video, refreshing to see one that's not just "mod the game lol"

Structurized and detailed info, great video. You gained a new sub there, bud

All speedrunners and challenge runners prefer spicy eel over pumpkin soup or lucky lunches. They specifically say that luck buff should never come at the cost of speed buffs. Haboo even said in one of his streams that he would 100% pick 1 speed over 7 luck. Also the best way to go trough skull caverns is to use an explosive ammo slingshot. Its the most mobile and efficient mining tool by far.