Stardew Valley has an interesting relationship with the various minerals across the game. Most of the time, collecting minerals and gemstones from the mines is probably the best thing you can do for your tools. And, once you reach the endgame, you are definitely going to want to hunt down gems, including the Ruby.
The Ruby is an excellent example of a gem that you’re going to need in Stardew Valley. If you want to survive the oft-dangerous Mines, knowing what this is and how to best use it is critical. This guide will explain everything you need to know about this gemstone!
Ruby Locations in Stardew Valley
If you want to find Rubies in Stardew Valley, you should go into the deepest levels of the Mines. Floor 80 and beyond will give you high chances of finding these red-encrusted rocks, which will provide a single Ruby when mined. Ruby Nodes can also be found in the Skull Cavern, Quarry, and Volcano Dungeon.
Your first rubies will be found in the Mines, and this tends to be a fine place to farm them consistently. Since you can always just teleport to these floors of the mines, you will just be contending with the standard suite of gemstones.
The Skull Cavern, Quarry, and Volcano Dungeon all have the chance to spawn Ruby Nodes and Gem Nodes containing Rubies. Since these dungeons are slightly more difficult than the Mines, you will be able to start seeing these nodes immediately.
As a quick note, if you do find yourself exploring the Quarry, you’re going to want to grab the Golden Scythe while you’re there.
Rubies can also be panned, found in random Gem Nodes, fished up from treasure chest and boxes, or received as a gift during specific holidays. Like most gems, once you’ve reached the bottom of the Mines, garbage cans will spawn a Ruby at times. Finally, you can get a consistent trade for the item if you go to the Desert Trader in the Calico Desert. You’ll be trading a Spicy Eel for it — which can be rarely produced from Lava Eels.
What Is Ruby Used For?
The most critical use for Rubies is in the Weapon Crafting system of the Forge. The red jewel improves the weapon of any weapon infused with it by 10%. They are also a universal “Like” for villagers, with Leah, Linus, and Pierre disliking the red jewels, and Clint, Dwarf, and Emily loving them. They can be placed into the Remixed Treasure Hunter’s Bundle as an option.
The Forge is a weapon crafting system with a lot of moving parts. However, by placing 10-20 Cinder Shards and a Gem of any type, you can improve your weapon quite significantly. Rubies are quite popular with this system, since each Ruby improves your weapon’s base damage by 10%. Melee weapons can only be forged three times in this way, but three Rubies means your weapon deals 30% bonus damage. That’s pretty incredible! Sadly, tools — such as the Golden Scythe — cannot benefit from Forging.
You can mix Rubies with the other Gem options to improve the weapon in other ways. For instance, adding knockback requires an Amethyst, critical hit chance Aquamarine, etc. You do not have to all-in with a single gem.
Otherwise, rubies don’t really serve any particular purpose. They’re part of a Remixed bundle like all other gems, and are liked by all villagers… Just like every other gem. You can spool the red gem into a Shirt or you can make it into Red Dye. However, there tend to be less expensive ways to do the same thing.
You may also run into rubies as part of quests! “Help Wanted” rubies can be delivered immediately for 3 times the price and Emily will ask for one during her Special Orders quest “Rock Rejuvenation.” The Gem Bird’s quest will drop a Ruby for the player to use with the puzzle.
Expert Tip
When forging, your weapon’s damage is very important, but so is it’s ability to keep you safe! Balance out Ruby forges with Aquamarine and Amethyst forges. The Aquamarine’s critical hit rate improvement works wonders with crit-focused builds while Amethyst can keep enemies that rush-down — like dangerous Dust Sprites — from overwhelming you.
Quickest Way To Farm Rubies
The best way to reliably farm Rubies is in the Mine. Simply check on floors 80 and beyond with the Elevator and check for Ruby Nodes. If you see one, go and grab it. Otherwise, exit from the bottom of the Mines. This method will allow you to quickly check your floors without wasting time farming through the mine itself.
Sadly, the other locations for rubies are just less consistent. The Mines allow for quick spawning and exiting thanks to the elevator. The other dungeons are less consistent or require a lot more luck to farm the red gem. If you want to pump the damage of your weapons, the Mines are just the best way to do it.
