Mystery Boxes are a new type of treasure item found in Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update. These boxes can be opened to get rewards, but you won’t actually see any Mystery Boxes around the valley until you meet certain unlock criteria.
Below, we describe where to find Mystery Boxes and how to open them in Stardew Valley.
Where to find Mystery Boxes in Stardew Valley
There’s a bit of mixed information about how to unlock Mystery Boxes going around. The Stardew Valley Wiki notes that once you get the “Millionaire” achievement (for making one million gold on your farm total), you’ll unlock Mystery Boxes. However, we fully unlocked Mystery Boxes after earning one as a reward from the Trout Derby in the summer — notably, we had not made one million gold yet. It’s likely an “either/or” situation, so you should aim for whichever criteria is easier for you.
After you meet one of these requirements, a short cutscene will play while you sleep, showing Mr. Qi airdropping these boxes all over the valley.
Once this happens, you’ll start digging these bad boys up from doing pretty normal Stardew Valley tasks, such as:
- Hoeing dig spots (the little wiggling worms in the ground)
- Fishing up treasure chests
- Defeating enemies
- Mining rocks and ore
You can also get them as rewards from the Trout Derby and SquidFest events, as mentioned above.
How to open Mystery Boxes in Stardew Valley
You can open Mystery Boxes at the blacksmith’s, just like geodes. Clint will crack them open for you for 25 gold each and they can have a plethora of items inside.
We’ve found seasonal crop seeds, warp totems, coffee, and even more Mystery Boxes inside, making them a nice reward for just doing your regular farming tasks.
