Mining and scavenging for materials in Stardew Valley is an interesting and well-executed concept. There are thousands of materials you can get (and will most likely need) to craft better tools for your farm, and there are different ways to get them. Mining for coal and raising animals to get mayonnaise are just two examples. Stardew Valley Solar Essence is just one of those kinds of materials.
It’s just one of the few benefits you can get from mining in the game. Some recipes that require Solar Essence to craft are one of the most powerful you can get in the game.
There are many great uses for Solar Essence, ranging from crafting to gifting. Still, some players might be confused as to how they can obtain Solar Essence, what they can do with it, and who to gift it to. Our guide to Stardew Valley Solar Essence should give you all the information you need to make the most out of this material in the game.
What is Solar Essence in Stardew Valley?
Solar Essence is a monster loot you can obtain in the game. There are various sources of Solar Essence, including monsters, fish ponds, and Krobus.
We’ll cover the topic of monsters that can drop Solar Essence soon. In the meantime, it’s good to know that Sunfish will sometimes produce Solar Essence, true to their name. The process is completely random, so there’s no way to trigger the Sunfish to produce Solar Essence. It’s also worth noting that the fish pond needs to be populated with 10 Sunfish for them to start generating Solar Essence.
Similarly, the player may obtain Solar Essence from Krobus. Krobus sells 10 Solar Essence a day, charging 80g for one. If you’re in a pinch and need some Solar Essence, Krobus is the best option. His shop is also open all day every day, even during festivals.
Which Monsters drop Solar Essence, and how?
Various monsters will drop Solar Essence on different levels of the Mines, the Volcano Dungeon, and even the Skull Cavern, should the player choose to venture there.
Below is a complete list of enemies that drop Solar Essence, as well as where they can be located.
- Ghost – The Mines – floors 51-79
- Iridium Bat – Skull Cavern – levels 51+ (and Prehistoric Floors)
- Metal Head – The Mines – floors 81-119
- Metal Head (dangerous) – Dangerous Mines – floors 81-119
- Haunted Skull – Quarry Mine, The Mines – spawns randomly
- Squid Kid – The Mines – floors 81-119
- Squid Kid (dangerous) – Dangerous Mines, Skull Cavern – floors 81 – 119
- Mummy – Skull Cavern – mummy levels
- Hot Head – Volcano Dungeon – all floors
- Blue Squid – Dangerous Mines – floors 11-29
Beginners will most likely only have access to the regular Mines. It’s important to know how to unlock the Skull Cavern and the Dangerous Mines, as well as how to get to the Volcano Dungeon if you want to farm Stardew Valley Solar Essence in those locations instead.
However, note that the Skull Cavern, Dangerous Mines, and Volcano Dungeon are considerably harder to clear than the Mines. If you’re not too good at fighting, you’re better off sticking to the Mines and clearing the floors we mentioned.
Who can you Give Solar Essence to? How will they react?
Solar Essence is interesting as a gift. It doesn’t seem like something the villagers wouldn’t like. However, giving it to pretty much anyone other than the Wizard will give you a bad result. All of the villagers will have a bad reaction to being given the Solar Essence.
The Wizard, however, loves it. It’s one of the best gifts for him, along with the Purple Mushroom, the Super Cucumber, and Void Essence. Another character, the Dwarf, is impartial to receiving Solar Essence as a gift. It’s not a bad choice if you don’t have any of the Dwarf’s favorite gifts, which is essentially any mineral or an Omni-Geode.
There aren’t many theories as to why everyone else dislikes receiving Solar Essence. Our best guess is the fact that its tooltip reads: “The glowing face is warm to the touch”. Could it be the heat that makes everyone dislike it?
How can you farm Solar Essence?
Farming Stardew Valley Solar Essence is a simple matter. If you don’t want to waste gold on buying Solar Essence for Krobus and you’re willing to get your hands dirty, there are ways.
The best way to farm Solar Essence is simply by killing the enemies in the Mines. The Mines are the simplest option because the process is not too complicated. The enemies are moderately strong and you shouldn’t have too much trouble killing them.
As for your weapon of choice, you’re free to make any decision you want. However, a useful tip is to make explosive ammo to use with your slingshot. The Area of Effect attack is good for killing large amounts of enemies at once. Afterward, you can simply pick up your loot and continue to the next level. Explosive ammo is also a good way to kill Mummies if you encounter them in the Mines.
Still, a regular sword should do just fine for almost all enemies except Mummies, who can’t die any other way.
What does Solar Essence do in Stardew Valley?
Solar Essence is a great material for a variety of reasons. From certain NPCs requesting Solar Essence to tailoring cool clothes and, most importantly, crafting, you’ll surely find a use for it.
Quests
There are two quests that require the player to procure Solar Essence.
The first quest is The Mysterious Qi, which introduces you to an interesting new NPC. The quest is composed of 4 steps, each one with cryptic notes and hints on how to solve it. The third step in particular requires you to “give the sand dragon his final meal”. If the player puts one piece of Solar Essence into the sand dragon’s mouth in the Desert, they will complete the third step of this quest.
Although the fish pond requests aren’t really traditional quests, they still count as tasks you need to complete for NPCs. Several types of fish may request 5 Solar Essence to increase the fish pond’s capacity from 7 to 10. This quest is easy to solve by purchasing Solar Essence from Krobus or clearing a few levels of the Mines.
Tailoring
If you haven’t unlocked the Sewing Machine yet, you won’t consider this section particularly useful. However, if you’re into dressing up your character and discovering new features of the game, you should definitely look to do so.
Placing Solar Essence in the spool of the Sewing Machine lets the player craft the Yoba Shirt. The drawing on the shirt is a little bit unclear. However, it’s still a great garment the player character can wear.
If you want to use Solar Essence as a dye, you can do that as well. All it takes is placing the Solar Essence into the dye pots at Emily and Haley’s house. The result is some yellow dye which you can then use for dyeing other clothing items.
Crafting
There are seven items in total that use Solar Essence as part of their recipe.
Glowstone Ring
The Glowstone Ring is a useful tool for those who like wandering around late at night or who enjoy digging around in the Mines. The Glowstone Ring emits a soft and constant light, and it also increases the player’s item-collecting radius. The recipe requires 5 Solar Essence and 5 Iron Bars. You receive the recipe after reaching Mining level 4.
Mega Bomb
The Mega Bomb is the go-to item for players who spend most of their time in the Mines. It generates a powerful explosion and can clear a pretty sizable amount of a level in the Mines or the Skull Cavern. You can craft a Mega Bomb after reaching Mining level 8 using 1 Solar Essence, 4 Gold Ore, and 1 Void Essence.
Iridium Band
An Iridium Band is essentially the upgraded version of the Glowstone Ring. It increases attack damage by 10%, glows, and attracts items. Because of its functionality and usefulness, its recipe is also a bit more demanding. You need 50 Solar Essence, 5 Iridium Bars, and 50 Void Essence to craft it. The recipe is available after reaching Combat level 9.
Barrel Brazier
You can purchase the Barrel Brazier recipe from Robin at the Carpenter’s Shop for 800g. It provides a moderate amount of light, making it more of a decoration. The recipe requires 1 Solar Essence, 50 Wood, and 1 Coal.
Quality Bobber
Fishing enthusiasts can get this recipe by completing Willy’s Special Order. It boosts the quality of the fish you can catch, making it a very useful tool for players who love to fish. The recipe requires 5 Solar Essence, 1 Copper Bar, and 20 Sap.
Mini Obelisk
The Mini Obelisk is one of the most useful items in the game, letting you warp to different points on your farm. However, you need two Mini Obelisks to be able to warp between them. You can get the recipe after completing the Wizard’s Special Order. To craft it, you need 20 Solar Essence, 30 Hardwood, and 3 Gold Bars.
Hyper Speed-Gro
Finally, the Hyper Speed-Gro is a great item for farmers. It increases the crops’ growth rate by at least 33%, letting them ripen faster. You can craft it with 1 Solar Essence, 1 Radioactive Ore, and 3 Bone Fragments. The recipe is available to buy from Mr. Qi for 30 Qi Gems.
