The Pirate’s Wife – How to Solve it in 7 Easy Steps

Ginger Island in Version 1.5 of Stardew Valley offers a ton of new content and puzzles, some of which can be a bit tricky to figure out. In preparation for the release of 1.5 for mobile, said to come out by the end of the year, here is a breakdown of one of the Ginger Island Quests.

Who is the Pirate’s Wife?

The player talking to the Pirate's Wife, named Birdie. She says, "I walk the beach every day to see if anything new has washed ashore. There's a lot floating around out there!"

The Pirate’s Wife, otherwise known as Birdie, is an old woman who is a resident of Ginger Island. She came there many years ago with her husband, who was a pirate captain. Unfortunately, he set out for a voyage one day and never returned. His ship is wrecked on the southwest shore of Ginger Island.

Where is Birdie?

You can find Birdie after you unlock the west side of the island. Once you’ve gotten ten golden walnuts, give them to the bird at the west entrance to wake up the turtle blocking the path. Birdie lives in a small hut at the far west shore of the island.

Unlocking the Pirate’s Wife Quest

You can find Birdie sitting outside of her hut fishing on sunny days. When you talk to her, she’ll tell you how she came to the island and lost her husband. She then asks you to find a keepsake of his to help bring her peace. She gives you an old photograph that washed up on shore.

Birdie gives the player character the War Memento. She says, "Here, take this. It's an old photograph that washed up on shore."

This item shows up in your inventory as the “War Memento.” Its description reads, “It’s a faded photograph of a soldier…” The quest is to find someone to give this item to in hopes of finding a keepsake that belonged to Birdie’s husband.

War Memento

Kent says, "he never lost his courage, though. Even in the face of death. A true hero... I'll never forget him."

Learn more about Kent by clicking here.

If it’s later than Spring 1 Year 2, then you’ll have met Kent, Jodi’s husband. He’s a veteran who has just returned from the war. Take the War Memento back to Pelican Town and give it to Kent. After staring at it in silence for a few moments, he tells you that the picture is of an old friend from the war. He thanks you for the photograph and gives you Gourmet Tomato Salt.

Gourmet Tomato Salt

Gus says, "It can only be gourmet tomato salt! I'll trade you for it."

Learn more about Gus by clicking here.

Once you’ve received the Gourmet Tomato Salt, bring it to Gus. If it’s after 12 PM, he’ll be standing behind the bar at the Stardrop Saloon. If you have already unlocked the resort on Ginger Island, there is a chance that he’s working at the bar in the resort. When you give Gus the Gourmet Tomato Salt, he’ll compliment its sharp smell and zesty taste. In exchange for the salt, he gives you the Stardew Valley Rose.

Stardew Valley Rose

Sandy says, "A Stardew Valley rose? That's so lovely! Thank you!"

Learn more about Sandy by clicking here.

Who loves getting flowers from Stardew Valley? Why Sandy of course! Head over to Calico Desert and into the Oasis where she works. When you give her the rose, she giggles and says that she’ll smell it every time she misses the Valley. In return, she gives you something that has been on her shelf for ten years and has never sold. This item is the Advanced TV Remote.

Advanced TV Remote

George says, "Hehe! Well, how about that! It's a new channel!" He's smiling.

Learn more about George by clicking here.

Bring the Advanced TV Remote to the one person who sits in front of a TV the most: George. After grumpily examining it for a moment, he discovers that he can use it to change the channel. This gets you an ever-so-rare smile from George. He then gives you a strange glowing stone that he found when he was still working as a coal miner. He mentions that it has stayed cold for over forty years – like magic! You now have the Arctic Shard in your inventory.

Arctic Shard

The Wizard says, "A most powerful substance, indeed, and potently infused with the element of ice."

Learn more about the Wizard by clicking here.

The most magical person in all of the Valley is, of course, the Wizard. Luckily, the Wizard’s tower doesn’t close until 11 PM. If you’ve been doing this quest in one day, it might be pretty late at this point. Head over to Cindersnap Forest and bring the Wizard the Arctic Shard. He notes that it is a powerful substance, infused with the element of ice. After staring at you for a moment, he realizes that you’re waiting for something in return. He then gives you the Wriggling Worm.

Wriggling Worm

Willy says, "Ah... That's the perfect bait for a catfish I've been tryin' to catch!"

Learn more about Willy by clicking here.

Who could possibly have any use of a Wriggling Worm? That would be Willy, the fisherman. Once again, if it’s late in the day, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to find Willy at the Stardrop Saloon. When you hand it to him, he excitedly tells you that it’s the perfect bait for a catfish he’s been trying to catch. He then trades you something he found washed up on shore a while back: the Pirate’s Locket. Huzzah! You’ve found Birdie’s keepsake. Now you can bring it back to her!

The Pirate’s Locket

Birdie and the Player Character standing outside of her hut. She says, "And you've brought me great peace... this locket will comfort me for the rest of my days."

Head back to Ginger Island on a day when it isn’t raining. (You can double-check the forecast on the TV if you’re worried.) Head over to Birdie’s hut and give her the locket. This action unlocks another cutscene. She wistfully tells you that it did in fact belong to her husband. She thanks you for finding the necklace and gives you a recipe and five golden walnuts for your trouble. 

Fairy Dust

Birdie and the Player Character standing outside of her hut. The banner at the bottom says "Learned to craft 'Fairy Dust.'"
One of the best uses of Fairy Dust is to turn wine into iridium quality. It is important to note that the Fairy Dust does not instantly turn the wine from normal to iridium quality. Instead, it will bring it to silver, then gold, and then iridium quality.

Rather than wasting three Fairy Dusts on one bottle of wine, the best way to use it is to wait until your wine has turned gold. This happens one month after you initially put wine in the cask. For example, if you put the wine in on Spring 1, it will turn gold on Summer 1. Normally, it takes another full month to go from gold to iridium. However, by using Fairy Dust, you can get iridium quality wine in one month rather than two.

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Meet the author

I started playing Stardew Valley on a 17-hour drive to my new home in Missouri, and I haven't stopped playing since! It's a great game to play while watching YouTube, listening to a podcast, or even just hanging out with friends.

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