Upon fixing the bus in Stardew Valley, you’re now onto another adventure in Calico Desert. With this new map on sight, what could be its relevance to your gameplay? Read further to learn more about interesting things you could do in this place!
Getting the bus to work can be troublesome, but upon fixing it, you’ll get to access a new part of Stardew Valley– the Calico Desert. New adventures and quests await once you unlock this terrain.
Moreover, you’ll also get to discover the uses of certain items that you find in Pelican Town. But if you haven’t accessed this part of the game, then you’ve been warned. This guide contains every spoiler you need to know about this area in-game!
How to Access the Calico Desert?
The easiest way to enter the desert is by using mods, but if you’re not a fan of using game cheats, you still have two options. These methods may be finishing the Vault Bundles at the town’s Community Center or purchasing Joja Community Development Form‘s Bus Repair for 40,000g.
Nonetheless, both ways conclude the need to use a Bus to visit the area. You must pay for a ticket worth 500g to reach Calico Desert. Also ensure that Pam, the vehicle’s driver, is present to have a smooth ride.
Moreover, you can also use a Warp Totem: Desert and a Desert Obelisk if you’re in a hurry. But this trick only works on veteran players who’ve obtained either of the teleportation gadgets. Using these things also brings you to the Warp Statue on the map.
What are the Features of Calico Desert?
Unlike Pelican Town, this spot doesn’t experience rain or thunderstorms. Its season is always Summer and nothing else. Regarding some go-to areas, you’ll see five places that may pique your interest. These buildings and sites may cause you to make frequent visits to the Calico Desert.
1. Desert Trader
The first person you’ll find here is the Desert Trader. You can’t have conversations with this character since it’s purely for business purposes. You may visit this tent that’s guarded by a camel anytime except for Winter 15 to 17.
Moreover, your trades with its owner usually include minerals or random items you’ll find by foraging or mining. Some barters may seem unfair, so you better know your item’s worth before exchanging it with this merchant in Stardew Valley.
2. Oasis
In the dry and plain-looking terrain, you’ll find a pink building known as the Oasis. It may look like a simple store, but inside it lies a Casino that can only be accessed with a Club Card. It’s guarded by a strict bouncer who only lets you in once you’ve obtained the reward in the Mysterious Qi’s Quest.
Anyhow, Oasis alone is a store that sells various seeds such as Beet Seeds, Rhubarb Seeds, Starfruit Seeds, and many more. Its prices are pretty affordable, and you’ll also get to befriend the person behind the counter named Sandy. She’s a giftable yet non-marriageable NPC that you may get close to.
3. Sand Dragon
Here’s a spoiler, you’ll need this dragon’s aid in completing the quest above. Aside from being a lifeless fossil, there’s not much you can do with it. But as we mentioned, it’s a part of the steps to help you enter the Casino.
To trigger the quest, you must go to the tunnel located to the left of the bus stop and get a Battery Pack (either from a lightning rod or stores) to make the secret box work in Stardew Valley.
5. Three Pillars
If you head to the northeast part of the desert, you’ll find three columns there. You may think that they’re purely for aesthetic purposes. But interestingly, that’s not the case for these oddly positioned poles. They’re there to obtain the Galaxy Sword; how do you get it? Well, that’s for you to find out. But here’s a spoiler: you’ll need the prismatic shard to get it.
6. Skull Cavern
If you’ve reached the end of the Mines, then you’re probably looking for another challenging site. Unlike the local mining area in Pelican Town, this site is bottomless. You’ll encounter more dangerous mobs that might be your cup of tea.
However, you’ll need a Skull Key to access it. And this key’s only obtained once you reach the bottom of the Mines.
Things To Do in Calico Desert
Despite being a small map, you can do plenty of things in the Calico Desert. Below are the fun activities that benefit your gameplay in Stardew Valley:
1. Foraging Goods and Planting Trees
Every map has its own special forageable items. You have a 50% chance of finding items such as Cactus Fruits and Coconuts here, and you can also shake Palm Trees and obtain the coconut. However, you can’t attach a tapper to these trees or grow them on your farm.
Meanwhile, adding regular trees such as Oak, Maple, Pine, and Mahogany is possible. This eventually gives you extra supplies of lumber.
2. Hunting for Artifact Spots
If you’ve seen a twig-like worm in the sand, you shouldn’t ignore it since it may hold different treasures. They may spawn at an average rate of 1.0 per night to 1.4 in Winter. Here are the items you may obtain alongside the chances of getting them:
- Palm Fossil (7%).
- Golden Relic (6%).
- Golden Mask (3%).
- 1 to 3 Clay (48%).
- Lost Book (20%). It gets replaced with a Mixed Seed once you find all of them.
- 1 to 3 Stones (16%).
- Secret Note (4%). You’ll only get them upon finding the Magnifying Glass.
3. Catch Fish
You can get a few fish in the small pond in this area of the Desert. You may use them in completing bundles such as the Specialty Fish Bundles in the Fish Tank. If you have enough fishing skills, you may also try catching sea creatures in the southern pond.
Additionally, hauling fish from Fishing Zone 0 may give you low-quality goods. But you have a 10% chance of obtaining a Pyramid Decal you can add to your furniture collection. Below is the best time to obtain a Sandfish, Scorpion Carp, and Green Algae in this area:
Time | |
Sandfish | 6 AM to 7 PM |
Scorpion Carp | 6 AM to 7 PM |
Green Algae | 6 AM to 1 AM |