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Stardew Valley gives players a chance to live their farming dreams. Players can go fishing, take care of their farm, and take part in festivals. Additionally, exploring mines will provide unique items such as tools and gems. One tool players can find is the Golden Scythe, which is a useful tool for ranchers, fighters, and farmers alike.

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While no NPC hints at its location, not even the romanceable partner candidates, players are able to discover it after doing some work in the community center. Getting to the Golden Scythe takes some preparation and requires players to complete certain tasks, but the payoff is worth it for what it can do.

Updated April 25, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: The scythe given to players from the very beginning can only do so much, and eventually many farmers find it isn't fast enough or useful enough to keep a ranch of animals fed. The Stardew Golden Scythe can do a lot to make this job easier, but it's not upgraded with ingots like other tools in Stardew Valley. Instead, players must go to the secret Stardew quarry mine, which isn't available from the beginning. To get there, and to get into the secret area, players must do a few tasks for the community center – or just buy the bridge repair from Jojamart. Either way, it's well worth tracking down for its multiple benefits: just don't expect it to be easy.

3 First, Unlock the Stardew Quarry Mine

stardew valley broken bridge to the quarry

The Golden Scythe is a unique upgrade that can only be found in one place: the mine just next to the quarry Stardew Valley players can't normally get into. To unlock the quarry, players need to complete the Crafts Room in the community center, which will fix the bridge in the upper right area of the map. To access the quarry, the farmer either needs to go all the way to the right of the Mountain area, past the lake, or take a minecart to the north entrance. Players can visit this area to collect unique gems and material each day, but that's not why we're here.

Hidden in the top left area of the quarry is a cave that houses the Golden Scythe Stardew players seek. Go into the cave and traverse its obstacles and enemies to find a skeleton statue holding the Golden Scythe at the very end. It's no small feat to make it through the Stardew quarry mine, though, as the enemies found there are a tad stronger than the average foe.

2 How to Get the Golden Scythe in the Quarry

stardew quarry mine entrance

Before going into the quarry mine Stardew players will want to make sure they are prepared. Cooking certain foods in Stardew Valley will give combat boosts like speed, attack, and luck alongside a good amount of healing. In co-op, one player can help cook food for the expedition while the other tends to the farm in the morning.

The enemies in the quarry mine are more powerful than normal, meaning players will need to have one of the best Stardew Valley weapons. Players can expect to fight special slimes and flying skulls while in the mine. Some Stardew recipes will make weapons hit harder, and there are also rings that can be bought at the Adventurer's Guild for more permanent combat buffs.

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Once ready, head to the northwest area of the quarry and enter the mine, then go down the ladder within. Unique slimes will be found throughout the mines, as well as deadly haunted skulls, which fly around unpredictably. At the end of the mine, players will find a statue of the Grim Reaper holding the Golden Scythe. Pick this up, then interact with the statue again to teleport back to the start of the cave. The Golden Scythe Stardew players find is unique, so if the player loses it, they cannot obtain it again.

1 What Does the Golden Scythe Do?

A player surrounded by flying skulls in the mine

The Golden Scythe is not only a farming tool, but a combat tool as well. It inflicts more damage to the monsters the player runs across. This can help while going through the mine or Skull Cavern in the desert. It deals 13 damage to enemies, more damage than a normal scythe. The Golden Scythe has a bigger radius when the player swings it, too. This lets players collect more items per swing, requiring less energy to be used. This has benefits in both harvesting and combat, as each swing can hit more enemies -- especially useful when backed into a corner.

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If players are trying to increase their farming skills, Stardew's Golden Scythe can come in handy. It can be used to harvest hay from grass which can then be used to feed animals on the farm. Unlike a normal scythe, the golden one gives a 75% higher chance to produce hay. Normally hay can be bought for 50 gold, but the Golden Scythe lets players get it for free.

Harvesting hay from grass also automatically puts it in the silo, meaning players do not need to worry about doing so. But this all comes with one important downside – in Stardew Valley farm animals like to eat grass, but the Golden Scythe leaves virtually nothing in its wake. Farmers who prefer to prune their grass than completely obliterate it may want to avoid using it on grass intended for animals.

Stardew Valley is available for Android, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S.

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