What is Solar Essence in Stardew Valley
When you get to know the basics of living and being one of the villagers of Stardew Valley, you will be familiar with the resources that you can find and collect by foraging, fishing, and farming. However, one important thing that you also have to keep in mind is that some important and rare drops are obtained by defeating monsters from different spawn locations. One helpful item that you can get by doing this is Solar Essence.
At first, you might find it difficult to collect enough Solar Essence in the game. However, you have to fully trust the process and work on having better weapons and armor while also learning the best spawn spots of the enemies that have a chance of dropping Solar Essence. In the long run, Solar Essence will be of great help to you in terms of improving your combat tactics.
How to Get Solar Essence
Solar essence are monster loot which means that the only way for you to obtain it is by going to different map areas where monsters spawn and killing them.
Various types of monsters have a chance of dropping Solar Essence, and they are also located in different areas. These monsters are Ghost, Iridium Bat, Metal Head, Metal Head (dangerous), Haunted Skull, Squid Kid, Squid Kid (dangerous), Mummy, Hot Head, and Blue Squid. Each monster also has different percentages of dropping Solar Essence upon defeat.
Where to Farm Solar Essence
As mentioned, each monster has a different spawn location from others. That being said, it is vital you get familiar with the various locations where you can find these monsters to efficiently farm Solar Essence.
The Mines
One of the first locations that you will be able to explore is The Mines which you can find directly on the right of the glittering boulder. Here, you will be able to spot some Ghost, Iridium Bat, Metal Head, and Squid Kid.
Dangerous Mines
The Dangerous Mines is where you can find most of the dangerous variants of the monsters dwelling inside The Mines. Some of the monsters you have to look for while exploring here are the Metal Head (dangerous), Squid Kid (dangerous), and Blue Squid.
Quarry Mine
Among all the monsters that can give you a Solar Essence, only the Haunted Skull can be found inside the Quarry Mine.
Skull Cavern
The Skull Cavern is one of the most dangerous caves that you can find inside the peaceful Stardew Valley as it shelters a wide variety of dangerous and deadly monsters.
In the context of farming Solar Essence, the monsters you have to look for when you are here are the Iridium Bats, Squid Kid (dangerous), and Mummy.
Others
Aside from these locations, you can also try checking in the Volcano Dungeon and slay some Hot Head. Plus, growing some Sunfish in your pond also grants you a chance to collect a Solar Essence as a product.
Use of Solar Essence
Solar Essence, just like other resources that you can find by gathering in Stardew Valley, is mainly used in crafting essential items and equipment that you can use to improve the quality of life and the overall experience of your new farming life.
Besides crafting, Solar Essence has a very special use in completing Mr. Qi’s Mystery Quest. One of the quests that you have to do in the series of quests is to feed the sand dragon its last meal. Spoiler: Solar Essence is the sand dragon’s last meal!
That being said, here are the items you can craft with Solar Essence including their recipe source.
Mega Bomb
A Mega Bomb is a great weapon you can use during combat. Compared to a regular Bomb, the Mega Bomb results in a stronger and wider range of explosions once used. However, you can only craft this item upon reaching Mining level 8.
You will need 1x Solar Essence, 4x Gold Ore, and 1x Void Essence.
Glowstone Ring
The Glowstone Ring is one of the rings that you can obtain. This grants you a constant light upon wearing which also increases your radius in picking up items. This ring needs you to reach Mining level 4 to be able to craft it.
Make this ring by simply collecting 5x Solar Essence and 5x Iron Bar.
Iridium Band
Another item that can light up your way to a more fruitful success is the Iridium Band. Aside from glowing, it also attracts items you can find, as well as increase your damage by 10%. You can get its crafting recipe by reaching Combat level 9.
You can craft this using 50x Solar Essence, 5x Iridium Bars, and 50x Void Essence.
Barrel Brazier
A lot of craftable items in Stardew Valley can provide light to your farm, and one of which is Barrel Brazier which can be purchased from Robin’s Carpenter’s Shop for 800 gold. Just make sure to complete the needed materials which are 1x Solar Essence, 50x Wood, and 1x Coal.
Quality Bobber
Increase the chances of catching high-quality fish using a Quality Bobber which you can get from Willy after completing a Special Order. Once done, you can craft it using 5x Solar Essence, 1x Copper Bar, and 20x Sap.
Mini-Obelisk
Who says a teleportation device does not exist? Mini-obelisk can be used to warp from one farm to another. Obtain this item by completing a Special Order from the Wizard. Craft this using 20x Solar Essence, 30x Hardwood, and 3x Gold Bar.
Hyper Speed-Gro
This item greatly shortens the growth time of your crops by at least 33%. You can buy this from Mr. Qi for 30 Qi Gems. Crafting this will require 1x Solar Essence, 1x Radioactive Ore, and 3x Bone Fragment.
