The Stardew Valley 1.6 update introduces Mastery of Skills, from fishing to mining! Here’s everything you need to know about it!
Stardew Valley‘s 1.6 update introduced the new Mastery system, which allows players to gain new perks and max out their skills for Combat, Farming, Fishing, Foraging, and Mining.
Read more on what Mastery is, how to access the cave, how to raise your Mastery level, and what the Masteries are!
What is Mastery in Stardew Valley?
Mastery becomes available once the player reaches the max level for all their skills. This includes Combat, Farming, Fishing, Foraging, and Mining. Mastery in the skills provides players with new recipes and perks that will further help them in their life in Stardew Valley.
How to access the Mastery Cave in Stardew Valley
You can only enter the Mastery Cave if you maxed out all your skills. So ensure you have all skills at level 10 before following this guide.
The Mastery Cave is located on the South-Eastern side of Cindersap Forest. The little land with two bridges will serve as the landmark. From here, you can go straight down, paying attention to the right.
After going straight down, you will see a door with a sign. This is the Mastery Cave entrance, where you can claim all the Mastery with your Mastery points.
How to raise Mastery Points in Stardew Valley
The Mastery Points are the excess experience points players acquire after maxing the skills to level 10. Note that any excess experience points before the Stardew Valley 1.6 update do not carry over.
There are no separate Mastery Points per skill; instead, they are collected and grouped as one. The player is free to choose the order in which to unlock masteries. Each subsequent mastery chosen requires increasing mastery points distributed across five cost tiers. The player can monitor their advancement towards the next tier within the Skills section.
You may check your Mastery Points progress in the Skills menu or by going to the Mastery Cave and clicking on the trophy in the middle of the cave.
Here’s the number of experience points needed to reach each Mastery Level:
Mastery Level | Mastery Points Required |
---|---|
1 | 10,000 |
2 | 15,000 |
3 | 20,000 |
4 | 25,000 |
5 | 30,000 |
To unlock all five Masteries, players need to acquire a total of 100,000 Mastery Points.
All Stardew Valley Masteries
Combat Mastery
Here are all the perks when claiming Combat Mastery:
Anvil Recipe | Allows you to re-forge trinkets, randomizing their stats. Costs 3 iridium bars per use. | |
Mini-Forge Recipe | Now, you can use a dwarvish forge from the convenience of your home. | |
Perk | Unlocks a new equipment slot for trinkets. Trinkets can be found while adventuring and grant special powers. |
Farming Mastery
Here are all the perks when claiming Farming Mastery:
Iridium Scythe | Can be used to harvest any crops. It’s also excellent at gathering hay. | |
Statue Of Blessings Recipe | Touching the statue gives a unique blessing every day. | |
Perk | You can now find Golden Animal Crackers, which permanently doubles a farm animal’s produce. Doesn’t work on pigs. |
Fishing Mastery
Here are all the perks when claiming Fishing Mastery:
Advanced Iridium Rod | Use in the water to catch fish. Up to two bobbers can be attached at once. | |
Challenge Bait Recipe | A “perfect” catch yields triple the fish. However, each tie a fish escapes the “fishing bar,” the catch is reduced. | |
Perk | You can now encounter Golden Fishing Chests. |
Foraging Mastery
Here are all the perks when claiming Foraging Mastery:
Mystic Tree Seed Recipe | This can be planted to grow a special tree. | |
Treasure Totem Recipe | Use on diggable terrain to summon a ring of treasure spots. | |
Perk | You now find Golden Mystery Boxes, which contain superior items. |
Mining Mastery
Here are all the perks when claiming Mining Mastery:
Statue of the Dwarf King Recipe | Choose from two mining-related powers each day. | |
Heavy Furnace Recipe | It’s more efficient than a regular furnace. Requires 25 pieces of ore and 3 coal per use. | |
Perk | Gem-bearing rocks now grant twice the gems. |
Which Mastery to Unlock First?
Choosing which Mastery to pursue first would heavily depend on the player. I’d suggest claiming the Mastery that aligns with the skill you use the most. For example, choose Fishing Mastery if you fish a lot and would benefit greatly from the Iridium Rod and the Challenge Bait.
Mastery in Stardew Valley mirrors the amount of effort and time you put into the game, which gives you amazing rewards that would further help you as you continue to live in the valley. Choose wisely on which Mastery to invest in first, as the road to achieving all the Masteries is long.