In Stardew Valley, getting a prismatic shard can feel daunting, especially for new players coming to the game after its recent 1.6 update. Used to get the coveted Galaxy Sword, among other things, obtaining a prismatic shard as soon as possible is a game changer. Without further adieu, let's look at the 10 top ways to nab that precious gem.
10. Mystic Stone
Its back breaking work, but someone's gotta do it.
Your best bet to find a prismatic shard is to find a mystic stone and break it open. Mystic stones are dark gray with light green swirls and are pretty rare. But if you get lucky, you have a 25% chance of finding a prismatic shard and getting some iridium and gold ore.
The Skull Cavern is a great place to start when searching for Mystic Stones. Getting past floor 100 is challenging, especially for new players, but once you do, each floor could generate the very node you need. Unfortunately, these mysterious rocks are hard to come by, only appearing after you hit floor 100+ in the Skull Cavern, the Quarry, and the Volcano Dungeon with a meager spawn chance.
Make sure to bring a lot of food (Experts say Eggplant Parmesan is an excellent meal as it is easy to make and can be unlocked quickly) and turn all the stones you get from mining into staircases. On Sundays, you can also buy staircases from the Desert Trader for one jade. It also helps to bring bombs or explosive ammo for your slingshot; this will make clearing the floors faster and will kill off any pesky mummies you may run into.
To recap:
- Cook up some delicious meals and make bombs and staircases (you can buy bombs from the Dwarf after you have unlocked his shop)
- Go to the Desert as early as you can; if you have a Desert Totem, use it
- Hit up the Desert Trader for more staircases
- Use bombs and/or explosive ammo to quickly clear floors and find ladders, using the staircases you built when necessary to reach floor 100
- Keep going deeper into the mine until a Mystic Stone spawns
- You have a 25% chance of a Prismatic Shard
9. Iridium Nodes
Nodes, nodes, nodes!
If the elusiveness of the mystic stone has you down, you can look for the more common iridium nodes. These mute purple rocks with light blue shards sticking out of them spawn in the Quarry, the Skull Cavern, the Volcano Dungeon, and even the Hill-top and Four Corners farm with the mining skill maxed out.
There is a slight chance, only about 3.5%, of finding a prismatic shard. However, with the added bonus of the nodes dropping iridium ore and the fact they are much more common, you could net a few prismatic shards without the frustration of going floors without a stone to crack. When you hit floor 70, a maximum of three Iridium Nodes can spawn. After floor 100, five iridium nodes will spawn.
Don't worry about searching the entire floor in the mines for Iridium Ore nodes. Focus instead on getting as far down as you can. The number of nodes that spawn increases the farther down you go. As there is such a low drop rate for Prismatic Shards from Iridium Nodes, and time is not on your side in the mines, the more nodes that spawn, the better.
To recap:
- Make sure to stock up on food, bombs, and staircases
- Choose your mining location and get there early
- Get down deep, at least floor 75
- Crack every Iridium Node you can until a Prismatic Shard drops
8. Omni Geode
Get crackin'!
If you've been spending a lot of time in the mines, you will undoubtedly have amassed quite a collection of Omni Geodes. These geodes are light grey and quite lumpy, with multi-colored specks covering their surface. Take those bad boys over to Clint and have him crack them open for 25 gold. You have a 0.4% chance of a prismatic shard hiding within.
As these geodes are pretty standard, especially in the Skull Caverns, there is a good chance that, with enough patience, you will come across a prized prismatic shard. Cracking the Omni Geodes can work in a pinch, but don't expect to get them often.
Farming omni geodes is fast and easy. Go to the Skull Cavern and use bombs to blow up all the rocks. Omni geodes have a chance to spawn every time you break a rock on any floor, so it is easy to come away with a huge stack of these treasures.
To recap:
- Once again, grab all the bombs and explosive ammo you can get
- Enter the Skull Cavern and use bombs to blow up big clusters of rocks
- Rinse and repeat for each floor until you have your desired amount of omni geodes
- Bring them to Clint, and hope luck is on your side
7. Fishing Up Treasure
You're fishing for rocks?
Are you tired of the mines and want a break but still want a chance to get a Prismatic Shard? Fishing is the way for you. As long as you are level 6 in fishing or above, you have a 0.012% chance of netting a Prismatic Shard from a treasure chest.
It is a tiny chance, but you can increase your chances by using a Treasure Hunter, a tackle you can make with two gold bars, or buying one from Willy's Fishing Shop for 750 gold after you reach level 7 in fishing.
As a reminder, only the Iridium Rod and above can use a tackle, so you must shell out the 7,500 gold for the Iridium Rod, which unlocks in Willy's Fish Shop after level 7 fishing.
To recap:
- Get fishing to level 7 or above
- Buy the Iridium Rod from Willy's Fish Shop for 7,500 gold
- Buy or craft a handful of Treasure Hunter tackles (750 gold to buy, two gold bars to craft)
- Fish until you find a Prismatic Shard from a treasure chest!
- Rinse and repeat
6. Farm Those Fish
What's that smell?
A great way to get a prismatic shard without doing too much work is farming Rainbow Trout in a fish pond. It is a hands-off way to get that precious jewel without ever stepping foot in a dungeon. As with all other methods, this could take time, as there is only a 0.09% daily chance that a prismatic shard will appear.
You will need to complete three quests to get enough space in your pond. To have a chance at spawning a prismatic shard, there must be at least nine rainbow trout in the pond. I recommend having multiple rainbow trout ponds to increase the likelihood of a prismatic shard appearing.
The three quests you will need will pop up randomly at your fishing pond when the pond is at full capacity. You will need to bring the fish-specific items to satisfy these quests. After the third quest, you can have up to 10 fish in one pond, meeting the requirement for prismatic shards to appear.
To recap:
- Build a few fish ponds on your farm and fill them with rainbow trout
- Finish the three quests for each fish pond
- After completing the quests, fill each fish pond with at least nine rainbow trout
- Every day, there will be a 0.09% chance from each pond for a prismatic shard to spawn
5. Slay Monsters
Thou shalt kill.
If you're feeling violent, then I have the method for you! To satiate your bloodlust, head down to the Desert and make your way to Skull Cavern. The enemies inside, particularly Serpents and Mummies, have a 0.1% chance of dropping a Prismatic Shard. It is possible to go to the mines and focus on slaying Shadow Brutes and Shadow Shamans, but the opportunity for a prismatic shard is cut in half at 0.05%.
Like most methods that require you to dive deep into the mines of Stardew Valley, you will need to bring bombs, staircases, and food. Unlike the previous techniques, you will want to kill as many Serpents and Mummies as possible. Finding floors that spawn swarms of Serpents is your best bet, but it can be pretty dangerous, as you will have to deal with many Serpents simultaneously.
To make the best out of this method, you will want to have as many bombs as you can get, as mummies will only collapse into a bundle of cloth, regenerating after a few seconds. To kill them outright, set a bomb down right next to a defeated mummy (if they are standing, this won't work) and blow that monster to smithereens.
To recap:
- Stock up on food, staircases, and, most importantly, bombs
- Head to either the Skull Cavern or the Mines as early as possible
- Kill Serpents and Mummies if you are in the Skull Cavern or Shadow Brutes and Shadow Shamans if you are in the Mines
- Keep killing until you get that sweet, sweet shard
4. Lucky Duck
Lucky, lucky, you're so lucky!
Luck is a mechanic in Stardew Valley that affects many different mechanics in the game, including the spawn rate of Prismatic Shards. Paired with any of the other methods, maxing out your luck for a day can increase the chance of finding a prismatic shard, making it more likely.
To find out your base luck for the day, go to the TV and watch the Fortune Teller channel. Welwick will tell you one of six messages, the best being, "The spirits are very happy today! They will do their best to shower everyone with good fortune." When this message appears, you have a 0.07 or higher luck modifier.
Eat food, particularly the Lucky Lunch, to increase your luck modifier. Then, head to the mines or go fishing. With your luck modifier as high as possible, you are likelier to get that coveted jewel, the prismatic shard.
To recap:
- Check the Fortune Teller channel in the morning, right after you wake up
- If you are having a good luck day, eat a meal that raises your luck modifier, like the Lucky Lunch
- Pick your favorite hunting method and enjoy increased odds for a prismatic shard to drop
3. Achieve Perfection
Whats the price of perfection? Prismatic shards!
This is more of a late-game method, requiring you to ship everything possible, befriend every villager, catch every fish, and more. Once you have completed this herculean task, you will get a furniture item called the Statue of True Perfection.
It can be a daunting task, but 100% completion is possible. It does take time, however, and you need to ship a prismatic shard to achieve 100% completion, so this will not be a method to get your first shard.
Once you have achieved 100% completion, you can grab a prismatic shard daily without spending hours of your game time in the deep, dark dungeons. This is a great way to have a steady stream of prismatic shards at the cost of your time.
To racap:
- Obtain 100% completion on your save file
- Go to Qi's Walnut Room to receive the Statue of True Perfection
- Collect a prismatic shard every day
2. Buy Perfection
Whats wrong? All you have to do is sell your soul!
Don't have time to track down every fish and ship every crop? The recent 1.6 update has a way to buy your way to perfection. It only takes gold, which you will have plenty of by the endgame.
Wait for Fizz from the Joja Special Services Division to send the player a letter asking to meet. This letter will come at some point if the player has gone down the Joja route instead of completing the Community Center. It will cost you, as everything with Joja tends to do, but it can help speed your progress toward perfection.
When you finally get the letter from Fizz, go to the "watery cave" on Ginger Island. The cave Fizz is talking about is the mushroom cave, where you find Professor Snail for the first time. There, you can buy 1% of perfection for 500,000 gold. This does mean that getting 100% will cost a pretty penny. (No, not that Penny.) You will get a discount of 500,000 gold with each percentage point of perfection you already have, making it less expensive the more you have completed.
To recap:
- Buy the Joja Membership to start the Joja route
- Buy each of the bundles from Morris, including the Movie Theatre
- Wait for Fizz to contact you; while you are waiting, amass as much gold as possible
- Meet him in the Mushroom Caves on Giner Island
- Buy your way to perfection
- Receive the Statue of True Perfection
- Collect your free prismatic shard each day
1. When In Doubt, Cheat
The last method for getting a prismatic shard is for PC players. If you still need to find a prismatic shard after doing all these methods, there is still one way: cheat.
If you are playing on PC, you can get a prismatic shard as easily as you would buy a chicken. All it takes is 800 gold and a free spot in a coop. Head over to Marnie's and purchase a chicken. When it comes time to name the chicken, that's when you strike.
Instead of naming your cute little buddy something sweet, name the chicken [74]. This tricks the game into spawning a prismatic shard into your inventory when Marnie says the chicken's name, netting you a prismatic pretty for only 800 gold. You can also do this exploit to get other items, but only on the PC. Sorry, console and mobile players, you're out of luck.
To recap:
- Have a free spot in your coop and a free spot in your inventory
- Go to Marnie's Shop and buy a chicken for 800 gold
- Name it [74]
- There should be a now be a prismatic shard in your inventory
