The dungeons of Stardew Valley are rife with dangerous enemies and cute creatures. Whether you explore the Mines, Desert, or Volcano, you will encounter some danger that you must be prepared for. A danger you will encounter almost immediately are Dust Sprites, which are dangerous small black balls that can be found quite early in the game.
If you’re interested in hunting these fellas down, you’re going to want to know all about them. Fortunately, it’s as simple as knowing how to remove bushes or even rotate furniture. Here’s a quick guide that’ll go over everything that you could want to know about Dust Sprites!
What Are Dust Sprites?
Dust Sprites are a specific enemy in Stardew Valley that can be found in the Mines. They are typically in groups that patrol around and simply try to run into you. They do manageable damage but can be dangerous if too many spawn at the same time. Killing 500 of them is asked by the Adventurer’s Guild in order to unlock the Burglar’s Ring.
Dust Sprites are small, black spheres as shown in the above image. They bounce around whether you are nearby or not, but will target players with reckless abandon. They’re even willing to destroy rocks that are in their way!
Their very simple AI can be overwhelming in specific situations, but easily handled by simply bouncing them against a wall. The Sprites are relatively low-health, even for the mid-levels of the Mines where they are found. Swing a bit early to prevent collision damage and you’ll do great.
Dust Sprites have a gigantic chance to drop Coal, a fairly common but useful resource in Stardew Valley. They can also drop Coffee Beans, Crystal Fruit, Dwarf Scrolls, Frozen Tears, and Gold bars, albeit at much lower rates. You’re going to want to take out 500 of these buggers for the Beggar’s Ring, a great farming item.
If you unlock the Dangerous Mine, then you can fight the Dangerous Dust Sprite. These, unlike the Dangerous variations of Void Spirits, count for the 500 necessary to clear the Monster Eradication Goal. Their high health and higher damage can be frustrating, but they are still easily killed by well-timed sword swings.
Expert Tip
Dangerous Dust Sprites provide no additional drops or experience compared to their normal versions. They just have more durability and deal more damage. If you want to farm Coal, the Burglar’s Ring, or anything else, you might want to swap the Mine back to its normal mode and just crash through the standard-difficulty Sprite.
Where to Find Dust Sprites
Dust Sprites are located on floors 41-79 of the standard Mines. Dangerous Dust Sprites are located on floors 41-69, since the 70s are reserved for various Skeleton enemies. Sprites do not spawn in the Skull Cavern, Quarry Mine, Mutant Bug Lair, or Volcano Dungeon — though you can find Lava Eels in the latter.
In your standard farming patterns, Dust Sprites share spawns with Frost Bats, Blue Slimes, Ghosts, and Skeletons. This isn’t necessarily a big problem, since the little guys spawn in huge numbers. They relentlessly track a player that they’ve made line-of-sight with, so they will often be the first enemies you clear out on a floor.
How to Kill Dust Sprites
Dust Sprites might be the easiest enemies to fight in the game, as their AI has them barreling right towards you. Focus on knocking them back with melee weapons, or bouncing them between yourself and a wall. They have no knockback resistance and a low health pool, making them quick and efficient kills with even middling weapons.
Because these sprites often come in packs, having a weapon with a swing arc is recommended. Ranged weapons aren’t ineffective on the blobs, but you will have to deal with more than one at a time. It is simply easier to swing in an arc to deal with them effectively. Weapons with improved Weight can make this task slightly less dangerous.
Clubs and Swords have exactly what you need to consistently deal with swarms of enemies. Clubs are a bit slow, but their wider arc and aggressive Secondary action will let you clear them out quickly. You will simply have to get used to the slower swing speed!
