Home > Guides > Stardew Valley > How to Get Radioactive Ore in Stardew Valley

How to Get Radioactive Ore in Stardew Valley

Updated:

Everyone’s favorite roleplay simulation game, Stardew Valley, brought a host of resources in its update last year. Radioactive Ore is an elusive one on the list, with limited ways to procure it in the game. In this guide, find out how to get Radioactive Ore in Stardew Valley.

This glowing green rock is one of the rarest items in the game, plausibly even rarer than the Iridium ore (another tricky resource to find). 

Methods to Farm Radioactive Ore

There are two primary methods in which you can farm Radioactive Ore. These include completing a couple of tasks and then traveling to either Skull Cavern or The Mines

While these are Radioactive Ore locations, it’s impossible to stumble upon them simply by visiting the right place. There are certain in-game processes to unlock radioactive ore availability, and here’s how to go about farming Radioactive Ore: 

Method 1: Farming Radioactive Ore in Skull Cavern

Level of Difficulty: Tricky

Image via ConcernedApe
  1. IIn order to complete the Skull Cavern Invasion Quest, you need to have unlocked access to Mr. Qui’s Special Orders. You’ll get two quests on Mondays, and one of these will be the Skull Cavern Invasion Quest. 
  2. The Skull key is initially locked in the game, and you’ll have to procure the Skull key to access the area. The Skull Key can be found on Floor 120 of the Mines. Once you’ve obtained the Skull key, you’ll find it in the player’s wallet in the Skills tab. 
  3. The Skull Cavern can be found in the northwest area of the Desert. 
  4. You can accept Mr. Qui’s Special Order for the Skull Cavern Invasion Quest on the Ginger Island in Qui’s Walnut Room. 
  5. As soon as you start the quest in the Skull Cavern, you’ll find yourself facing monsters similar to quests in the Mines. However, these monsters are stronger variations, making this one of the tougher quests out there. 
  6. If you’re able to get past the monsters and defeat them, you’ll have to reach Level 100 of the Skull Cavern within the special order quest time limit. 
  7. If you finish the quest successfully, you’ll find Radioactive mines in Level 100, and you can obtain them along with the quest reward: 40 Qui gems. 
  8. However, the availability of Radioactive mines isn’t guaranteed. It is entirely possible to complete the special order quest without coming across a single Radioactive mine or Ore. This fact, coupled with the difficulty level of the quest, makes it a rather unreliable method of obtaining Radioactive Ore. 

Tip: Using a lucky ring or making your character consume lucky foods and drinks massively increases the chances of coming across a Radioactive Ore in the Skull Cavern special quest. Watch out for in-game lucky days as well.

Method 2: Farming Radioactive Ore in Shrine of Challenges

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Image via ConcernedApe

This method of farming radioactive ores is significantly longer than the Skull Cavern quest but has a higher success rate. 

  1. Travel to Qui’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island. Here’s where you’ll be able to accept special quest requests from Mr. Qui. 
  2. You’ll find a Special Order board inside the Walnut Room. This is where all challenges will be listed. 
  3. Locate the Danger in the Deep challenge. This challenge has to be completed in the Mines. After accepting the challenge, travel immediately to the Mines to complete the challenge. 
  4. You’ll notice that the mines look different! The floors will change into an eerie blue tone, and you’ll come across monsters that look familiar but are stronger variants, similar to the Skull Cavern quest. If you’re able to successfully defeat all the stronger variant monsters within the specified time, you’ll complete the Danger in the Deep quest. 
  5. While fighting monsters in the Mines, keep your eyes peeled for Radioactive mines. You may not find many, but you’re bound to come across at least a few. You can farm Radioactive ores from these mines amidst slaying, stronger variant monsters. 
  6. Additionally, more Radioactive Ore is to be acquired upon completion of the Danger in the Deep challenge. There are only seven in-game days to complete the challenge, and it’s a good idea to pack plenty of supplies (food and weapons, as well as staircases) to get past the tricky challenge. You can skip any level that’s too difficult if you have a staircase crafted with 99 stones. You get 50 Qui gems for completing the Danger in the Deep quest.
  7. Once you’ve successfully finished Danger in the Deep, you’ll have access to the Shrine of Challenges on the 120th Floor. 
  8. The Shrine of Challenges can essentially alter the difficulty of challenges undertaken in the Mines. While it’s tempting to toggle it off to make life easier, switching it on gives you tougher enemies to face off, with the reward of rare loot. You guessed it: the rare loot we’re referring to is none other than Radioactive Ore. 
  9. Once you’ve toggled the Shrine of Challenges on, the difficulty level will be set to Dangerous, and you’ll find Radioactive Nodes spawning across the area. Players will have to wait a day after toggling the Shrine of Challenges. 
  10. There are plenty of levels in the Mines. We recommend that you stick to levels 30-35 and 40-45 – this is where Radioactive Nodes are most commonly found.  

Uses for Radioactive Ore in Stardew Valley

Image via ConcernedApe

There are a couple of things you can do once you’ve obtained precious Radioactive Ore in Stardew Valley. Here are some of the most popular uses:

HyperSpeed-Gro

Image via ConcernedApe

HyperSpeed-Gro is the best fertilizer out there for your plants. You’ll need Radioactive Ore in order to craft it, but you can’t do so without the crafting recipe. Players can buy the crafting recipe for Hyper Speed-Gro from Mr. Qui for 30 Qui Gems. 

Magic Bait

Image via ConcernedApe

While Hyper Speed-Gro works miracles on a crop, Magic Bait is the wind beneath your wings while you fish in Stardew Valley. With Magic Bait, it’s impossible not to catch the fish you want, including Smallmouth Bass, no matter the weather, time, or season. You can buy the crafting recipe from Mr. Qui for 20 Qui Gems.  

Heavy Tapper

Way more efficient than a normal tapper, a Heavy Tapper gives you a steady supply of tar and syrups, depending on the tree. 

This Heavy Tapper is made from Hardwood and, of course, Radioactive Ore. You can buy the crafting recipe from the man himself, Mr. Qui, for 20 Qui Gems. 

Trade Radioactive Ores for Galaxy Souls

Image via ConcernedApe

Galaxy Souls are important to Stardew Valley. You can refine all kinds of weapons and tools and even procure Prismatic Shards, another rare item in the game. Instead of trying to find Galaxy Souls in the Danger of the Deep quest through enemy drops, you can trade 10 Radioactive Ores for 1 Galaxy Soul. 

Selling Radioactive Ores

If money’s what you’re after – the radioactive ores are good for that too. You can choose not to craft anything and sell a radioactive ore for 300 gold coins. If you smelt a radioactive ore into a bar, the value significantly increases to 3000 gold coins. 

Stardew Valley has some tricky aspects to the game, particularly when it comes to understanding in-game dynamics and obtaining rare items. Check out our guide on how long is a day in Stardew Valley.

Photo of author

AUTHOR

Freelance Gaming Writer specializing in news and guides for various games. Apart from being passionate about writing and gaming, Kanishka is also a professional actor.