Ginger Island - Stardew Valley Guide - IGN (2024)

Ginger Island is an island in the Fern Island archipelago, accessible via the boat behind the Fish Shop. Keep in mind that you'll need to repair the Community Center for the boat to be available.

While the traveling cutscene reveals that there are many different islands nearby, Ginger Island is the only one you can visit. It is best thought of as both an extension to Stardew Valley, with stores to buy and sell things, fishing, foraging, villagers to talk to, etc, but also as a separate entity from the rest of the game. That's because it brings a new economy (Golden Walnuts), and has a few other unique features.

The island is divided into four regions (North, East, South, and West), some of which contain separate locations with their own page.

South

You land at the south side of the island whenever you arrive at Ginger Island, and has room for you to place either Warp Totem: Island or the Island Obelisk.

It contains a Beach Resort; a mini store which sells alcohol and a Tropical Pumpkin recipe. This can be opened for 20 Golden Walnuts, and once it has been built, you gain access to the Pirate Cove.

In the Pirate Cove, you will receive a free Mead each day if you arrive in the Pirate Hat or the Eye Patch. You can also win Golden Walnuts for playing darts here, though only for the first three game.

You can also fish in the south region of Ginger Island. Below are all the fish you can catch.

On rainy days, the Mermaid will appear on the south coast. She will give you 5 Golden Walnuts if you tune the rocks to her song. To do this, you need to crack the code: a large stone means five clicks, and a small stone means one click.

This means you need to click the first cluster two times, the second cluster eleven times, the third cluster nine times, the fourth cluster five times, and the fifth cluster seven times.

East

The east of the island is where you'll find Leo. He is a villager who lives on Ginger Island, but moves to Stardew Valley once your raise his heart level to six.

There is a talking parrot who lives with Leo, and he will give you hints on how many Golden Walnuts are left to find in each area.

The east region is the only spot in Ginger Island where you can forage, although Fiddlehead Ferns are the only thing you can find.

The jungle of the east is also where the Gem Birds shrine is. This consists of four platforms, which each need a gem placed on them to earn five Golden Walnuts. The gems are randomized for each game, but will be dropped by birds on the island. These birds appear in one region whenever it is raining, and will fly away whenever you approach, dropping the gem. Rain Totems can be used to force these birds to appear.

• South: Just above and to the left of the docks
• East: Middle of area, near the path
• North: Right and up from Island Trader
• West: Just right of the pond

North

The north end of the island is where the majority of Ginger Island's buildings are.

It houses the Island Trader, who sells a variety of goods in exchange for foraged items, as well as the Island Field Office, where Professor Snail will take your fossils.

However, to free Professor Snail, you need to fix the broken bridge for 10 Golden Walnuts. This will open up the Dig Site, which is similar to the Quarry on the Mountains. Rocks, Bone Nodes, Mahogany Seed Trees, and Clay Nodes can spawn here. There's also a large boulder, which can be broken using a bomb. This is what frees Professor Snail.

The Volcano Dungeon can also be found on the north end of the island.

West

The west side of the island has the most variety, with a lot of little areas or buildings to explore. Most important of these is the farm, which just like your main farm in Stardew Valley, can be used to grow crops. It needs to be cleared of logs, weeds, and other debris when you first arrive, and can have sprinklers placed on it. Crows will not spawn on Ginger Island, so Scarecrows are not necessary. Unlike the Stardew Valley farm, you do not get to choose the type of farm on the island.

As part of the farm, you can build a mailbox for 5 Golden Walnuts, a Sleeping Hut for 20 Golden Walnuts, and a Farm Obelisk for another 20 Golden Walnuts.

If you build the Sleeping Hut, the Gourmand Frog will arrive. He will talk to you about different crops, and if you bring them to him, he will reward you will Golden Walnuts.

Birdie is another villager who lives on the island. She gives you The Pirate's Wife quest, but will continue to talk to you after it is completed. However, she's not a full villager and so will not accept gifts and does not have a relationship level.

Nearby, there's a shipwreck, which has a Golden Walnut inside. This ship may be related to Leo, Birdie, or something else. There's also a green whack-a-mole game, which will give you a Golden Walnut the first time you hit it with a watering can. You can cover the different holes to help hound the green mole where you want it to go.

There's also the Tiger Slime Grove, which has Mahogany Trees and Tiger Slimes, and a Colored Crystal Puzzle, which rewards three Golden Walnuts if you win five consecutive rounds of the puzzle; which is basically Simon Says.

Once you reach 100 Golden Walnuts, you can access Qi's Walnut Room, which has the perfection tracker and a new set of challenges.

Finally, the west side has a beach, which sees Sea Urchins and Coral spawn, as well as mussel rocks which can be mined for mussels, or occasionally, five Golden Walnuts.