Stardew Valley Walkthrough: Year 2 and Endgame, Ginger Island, Mr. Qi and Perfection

Part 5, the last part of our Stardew Valley walkthrough, covers Year 2 and the endgame in version 1.6. It starts with finishing the Community Center and scaling up your farm, then moves on to the Skull Cavern, Mr. Qi, Ginger Island, the 1.6 Mastery Cave and finally Perfection.

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The whole walkthrough

Year 2 goals in order

1. Finish the Community Center (or the Joja projects).
2. Fill your farm with sprinklers and turn crops into artisan goods.
3. Reach deep floors of the Skull Cavern for iridium.
4. Repair Willy's boat and explore Ginger Island.
5. Collect Golden Walnuts, open Qi's Walnut Room and track your progress toward Perfection.

Year 2 farming: what's new

• Red cabbage seeds arrive at Pierre's in Summer of Year 2. Grab one for the Dye Bundle, which is often the last bundle left.
• Artichoke seeds are sold in Fall from Year 2.
• Starfruit from the Oasis (after the bus is fixed) is one of the best Summer crops, especially in Kegs.
• Ancient Fruit grows Spring to Fall. It takes 28 days, then regrows every 7 days. Put it in the Greenhouse, where it keeps producing all year.
• Kegs and Preserves Jars multiply your income. Fruit makes Wine; vegetables make Juice or Pickles.
• A second house upgrade adds a cellar, where Casks age wine and cheese to higher quality.
• Spring 15 to 17: Desert Festival (new in 1.6). It needs the bus repaired. Take the bus to the Calico Desert.

Skull Cavern and Mr. Qi

• The Skull Cavern is in the northwest of the desert. Use the Skull Key from floor 120 of the mines. It has no bottom and no elevator, so every trip starts at floor 1.
• Bring bombs, staircases (crafted from stone) and lots of food. Go early in the day, and on a lucky day if you can.
• Iridium ore here is what you need for iridium tools, iridium sprinklers and the Ginger Island boat.
• After your first trip into the cavern, Mr. Qi mails you Qi's Challenge, which asks you to go deep into the cavern.
• The Mysterious Qi: put a Battery Pack in the lock box in the bus tunnel to start a short quest chain. At the end you find the Club Card, which lets you into the casino behind the Oasis.

Ginger Island: getting there

1. Finish the Community Center (or the Joja route). Willy then asks you to help fix his boat in the back room of his shop.
2. Bring 200 hardwood (hull), 5 iridium bars (anchor) and 5 battery packs (ticket machine).
3. A trip costs 1,000g, and the ride back is included.

Ginger Island: what to do

• Golden Walnuts are the island's currency. There are 130 in total. You find them by digging, fishing, solving puzzles, breaking golden coconuts and exploring.
• Leo lives on the island. Talk to him and bring him gifts; he becomes a friend you can build hearts with.
• Parrots ask for walnuts to unlock things like the Island Farm and farmhouse, a resort, bridges and shortcuts. Spend walnuts on the farm first: crops there grow in every season.
• The Volcano Dungeon has random floors, cinder shards and walnuts. The Forge at the top lets you enchant weapons and tools and combine rings.
• The Island Field Office opens after you free Professor Snail by bombing the boulder in the dig site cave. Donate fossils and answer his survey questions for walnuts.
• The parrot in Leo's hut gives hints for walnuts you're missing.

Qi's Walnut Room

A purple door on the west side of Ginger Island opens once you have collected 100 Golden Walnuts. Inside are:

• Mr. Qi's special order board, with two new, hard orders every Monday.
• A shop that sells items for Qi Gems. You earn gems from his special orders.
• The Perfection Tracker, which shows your total score.

Mastery Cave (new in 1.6)

Reach level 10 in all five skills (Farming, Mining, Foraging, Fishing, Combat) and a new area opens at the bottom of Cindersap Forest, just below Leah's cottage. Experience you earn after level 10 now fills Mastery points, which unlock powerful bonus rewards for each skill.

Grandpa's evaluation

On the morning of Year 3, Spring 1, Grandpa's ghost visits his shrine on your farm and scores your progress with candles. If you didn't get all four candles, you can ask for a new evaluation later by putting a Diamond on the shrine.

Perfection: the full checklist

Perfection is the true 100% goal. The tracker in Qi's Walnut Room adds up these categories:

The tracker rounds down, so 99.9% still shows as 99%. Reaching 100% opens the Summit and gives you rewards like the Statue of True Perfection and golden eggs. In multiplayer, Perfection is shared across the farm.

Tips for this part

• Fill your Greenhouse with Ancient Fruit or Starfruit and keep Kegs running. That pays for the Gold Clock and obelisks.
• Set up an Island Farm early. Crops there grow all year, like a second Greenhouse.
• Track fish, recipes and shipped items in your Collections tab. Pick off a few missing ones each week.
• Buy the Stardrops you can (the Fair, Krobus) as soon as you can afford them.
• Don't rush. Perfection usually takes several in-game years, and that's fine.

My take

Ginger Island is my favourite part of Stardew. It turns the late game into a treasure hunt, and the walnut puzzles are a nice break from farming. I've only reached Perfection once, and the Gold Clock was the last thing I bought. Are you going for Perfection, or happy just running your farm?

FAQ

How do you unlock Ginger Island?

Finish the Community Center or the Joja route, then help Willy repair his boat with 200 hardwood, 5 iridium bars and 5 battery packs. Each trip costs 1,000g.

How many Golden Walnuts are there?

130 in total. You need 100 to open Qi's Walnut Room.

Where is the Perfection Tracker?

In Qi's Walnut Room on the west side of Ginger Island.

How do I unlock the Mastery Cave?

Reach level 10 in all five skills. The entrance is at the bottom of Cindersap Forest, below Leah's cottage.

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