After reading the changelog for Stardew Valley 1.6 you may be wondering what this new Mastery system is and how it works. Or have you found that strange door in Cindersnap Forest that allows only a “master of five ways” to enter? Here’s what this all means.
What is the Mastery system in Stardew Valley?
As noted in the changelog, this new Mastery system is accessible through a new area that can grant you powerful perks and items. But how can you access this area, and what is this new system? The Mastery system in Stardew Valley gives unique perks to players who reach the maximum level in all five skills, which are Farming, Foraging, Fishing, Mining, and Combat.
Upon reaching rank 10 of one skill, you’ll master that skill. But you’ll need to first max out every single skill of yours to even access the Mastery system. So where is this new area?
Well, if you follow the map above, you can find a door in the Cindersnap Forest behind a tree with a note on it. It’ll tell you that only a master of the five ways can enter, which means you have to master all five skills to enter.
Otherwise, once you reach max rank on all skills, enter the Mastery Cave, and you’ll be able to unlock incredible perks to add to your already maxed-out skill levels. You’ll only likely reach this level during your second or third year in Stardew Valley since it can take quite some time to reach the max rank of all skills.
Inside this cave, you’ll find five Mastery Totems against the wall related to each skill. To earn rewards from these Mastery Totems, you first need to gather 10,000 Mastery Points. You can unlock Mastery Points after maxing out your skills by gaining more EXP in those skills.
It doesn’t matter which skill it is, they all convert into the same Mastery Points. You can also read skill books purchased from the Bookseller to gain more EXP.
All Mastery Totem rewards
After achieving 10,000 Mastery Points, you can choose one of the five Masteries below. After you choose one Mastery, you’ll gain the rewards, and you can then gain more Mastery Points to unlock the rest of the Masteries.
| Mastery | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Combat Mastery | – Anvil recipe: Can re-rollTrinkets. – Mini-Forge recipe: Acts as a Dwarvish Forge. – The player unlocks a notch for Charms. |
| Foraging Mastery | – Mystic Tree Seed recipe: Grows a unique tree which can produce Mystic Syrup. – Treasure Totem recipe: Spawns a ring of diggable spots. – The player can now find Golden Mystery Boxes which contain superior items |
| Farming Mastery | – Iridium Scythe: The highest-level Scythe to harvest crops and clear grass. – Statue of Blessings recipe: Grants a random blessing every day. – The player can now find Golden Animal Crackers, which can increase farm animal produce. |
| Fishing Mastery | – Advanced Iridium Rod recipe: Can attach bait and has two tackles. – Challenge Bait recipe: Can catch multiple fish at once. – The player can now find Golden Fishing Treasure Chests. |
| Mining Mastery | – Statue of the Dwarf King recipe: Grants one of two mining buffs for the day. – Heavy Furnace recipe: Can process more bars at a time and produces bonus bars. – Gem Nodes now give twice as many gems as before. |
You’ll want to choose your first Mastery based on the skills that you use the most. Otherwise, you may be wondering about the new festivals from the 1.6 update as well.
