In the Stardew Valley mines, reaching the next elevator stop should come before serious resource gathering. Every unlocked stop removes the need to repeat the lower floors. The mine opens on Spring 5 of Year 1, contains 120 floors, and its elevator saves every multiple of five.
Pack the essentials before entering the mines
Bring your pickaxe, your most recent weapon, 10 to 20 food items, and several empty inventory slots. Bombs become useful after you unlock their recipe at Mining level 6. They clear rock-heavy areas quickly, but they should not replace healing supplies.
| Item | Priority | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pickaxe | Essential | Breaks rocks, ore nodes, and geodes. |
| Most recent weapon | Essential | Reduces damage taken and clears paths faster. |
| Food | Very high | Restores health and energy before defeat. |
| Bombs | Situational | Quickly clear groups of rocks. |
| Free space | Very high | Keeps you from discarding ore or returning home too early. |
Chests on floors 10, 20, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, and 120 support progression. They can contain Leather Boots, the Steel Smallsword, Tundra Boots, the Obsidian Edge, and Space Boots, among other items. Before buying an expensive weapon from the Adventurer's Guild, check whether a chest is nearby.
Unlock the next elevator stop first
From floor 35, reaching floor 40 is worth more than mining several copper veins because that stop becomes permanent access. Floors that are multiples of ten are reward rooms without monsters.
- Check the time, energy, and healing supplies before descending.
- Break nearby rocks to look for the ladder.
- On an infested floor, defeat every monster to make the ladder appear.
- Reach the next multiple of five before starting lengthy gathering.
- Once the stop is unlocked, use the elevator to return to the ore area you want.
Floors 19, 59, and 99 use a spiral layout, so cross them without lingering. A staircase, crafted at Mining level 2 with 99 stone, can save the end of a day or bypass a difficult floor. Using staircases too often too early, however, slows experience gains and gathering.
Target the floors for copper, iron, and gold
Copper appears from floor 2, but floors 21 to 39 are recommended for building a supply. Look for iron between floors 41 and 79, then gold from floor 81 onward. Progress toward the elevator before devoting a full session to these sections.
| Resource | Floors to target | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Copper and regular geodes | 21-39 | Keep copper for bars and upgrades. |
| Iron and frozen geodes | 41-79 | Bring a reliable weapon against icy enemies. |
| Gold, fire quartz, and magma geodes | 81-119 | Bring more healing supplies before farming for a long time. |
Do not sell raw ore while your tools or buildings still require bars. Keep coal too: every bar uses it, and a shortage can quickly block upgrades. Have geodes opened by Clint if you are looking for museum minerals or components.
Cave Carrots found in dirt areas are sufficient at first. From floor 80 onward, favor dishes that restore plenty of health and energy. A new food item with a buff replaces the active food buff, while healing without a buff does not replace it.
Keep combat efficient and leave on time
Change weapons if combat consumes too many healing supplies or prevents you from reaching the elevator. A chest upgrade may be more valuable than an immediate purchase. Upgrade your pickaxe as well, while keeping enough copper and iron for your current needs.
- Move on from unproductive floors. Look for the ladder as time passes.
- Reach an elevator stop before leaving. You would otherwise lose a valuable restart point.
- Keep some ore. Bars are used for tools and construction.
- Bring healing supplies. Defeat can cost gold and an inventory item.
- Check every chest. Its contents may replace a weapon or boots you would otherwise buy.
Return before 2 AM: passing out removes 10% of your gold, capped at 1,000g.
The official Steam page confirms cave exploration, monsters, weapons, and Mining. The page dedicated to The Mines details the floors, rewards, and resources. You can also find progression advice in our articles, news, and latest posts.
To keep following the topic, also see our article on [Guide] Outbound: 16 tips to prepare your and our article on Satisfactory for beginners: organize your factory to avoid.
Frequently asked questions
How do you unlock elevator floors?
Reach a floor that is a multiple of five. The elevator then saves that stop for future visits.
Where should you farm copper, iron, and gold?
Copper is mainly gathered between floors 21 and 39, iron between floors 41 and 79, and gold from floor 81 onward.
What food should you bring into the mines?
Cave Carrots work for your first descents. On deeper floors, choose dishes that restore plenty of health and energy.
What happens if you stay out until 2 AM?
Passing out removes 10% of your gold, capped at 1,000g. It is better to return home with some time to spare.
Verified sources
These links make it possible to verify the key information used in this article.
- store.steampowered.com: Steam, official page: confirms that Stardew Valley offers cave exploration, monsters, weapons, raw materials, and the Mining skill. Displayed release date: 2016-02-26.
- store.steampowered.com: Steam API, official page data: provides the official screenshots used and confirms the progression, cooking, and crafting features of the version distributed on Steam.
- wiki.stardewvalley.net: Stardew Valley Wiki, The Mines page: lists the 120 floors, elevator stops every five floors, floor rewards, and resource distribution. Accessed 2026-07-29.
- wiki.stardewvalley.net: Stardew Valley Wiki, Mining page: confirms the floors where copper, iron, and gold appear, Mining-related recipes, and the effects of mining food. Accessed 2026-07-29.
