What is Ginger Island
For people who love going out of their homes and traveling from one place to another but have no capabilities to do so, playing a relaxing game like Stardew Valley will do. Here, you can enjoy the scenery while getting along with the nicest neighbors that you could ever have. But that’s not the only thing you can do here. If you would like, you can do island trips to Ginger Island.
Ginger Island is one of the places you can explore other than the Pelican Town. See, the Pelican Town is already a big land for you to wander around but the game is too generous to give players more area to check out later on. Just like in Pelican Town, you can meet people here and trigger new questlines. Other than that, resources that are exclusive only on this island will expand your sources of items.
However, the island will not be open and accessible for you at the start of the day. You will have to wait first and do some prerequisite quests that will allow you to unlock the chance of traveling to Ginger Island. Hence, we made this guide to show you how to visit Ginger Island and everything that you need to know about the island.
How to Visit Ginger Island in Stardew Valley
As mentioned, Ginger Island will not be instantly available and ready for visitations. The players will have to unlock it by repairing the Community Center as well as Willy’s boat behind his fish shop.
To repair the Community Center, you will have to complete six sets of bundles that you can find in each room of the Community Center. These bundles will ask you to find or produce certain items and will require you to donate for the bundle.
Upon completing the Community Center bundles, you will notice a letter in your mailbox sent by Willy. Stated in the letter that he wanted to show you something from the backroom of his fish shop. You can go to his shop from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
When you arrive at his fish shop, he will take you to the backroom and will show you his old friend. Willy will then ask you for help in repairing it as he has been busy with business.
To repair the boat, you will need 200x Hardwood for the hull, 5 Iridium Bar for the anchor, and 5x Battery Packs for the ticket stand. Submitting all these materials will trigger a cutscene that will show both Willy and Robin fixing it overnight.
Now, you might think that fixing it will only unlock Ginger Island. But in fact, you will be using this boat to travel to Ginger Island. That’s how important to repair Willy’s boat!
To visit Ginger Island using the boat, simply buy a ticket for 1000 gold. It’s already a good price to accommodate both trips going to Ginger Island and going back home. That being said, you can freely explore Ginger Island to your heart’s extent with just a thousand gold. Get ready for a whole new experience on a new island. Bon voyage!
What to See on Ginger Island
As a new land available to explore and gather resources from, you might be wondering about the things that you can see on this island. Not only that, but you might be curious about what this island has to offer that the Pelican Town cannot have.
In fact, you can meet new people here on Ginger Island and make friends with them. Aside from that, different regions of the island also have landmarks and infrastructures that can come in handy later on.
Leo
Leo is a kid with a very sad family background. When you meet him, you might notice that he does not like talking to people that much. He is aloof because of his past which greatly affected the way he is now.
You can find him living in a Hut at first. But later on, he will transfer to a Treehouse in the Mountain. If you think Leo is a pretty interesting kid for you, you can check out this guide to learn more about him and watch him slowly adjust to new people and meet new friends of the same age.
Birdie
Just like George, we also have another elderly living on Ginger Island. At first, you can see her sitting by the shore and looking from afar. Similar to Leo, birdie also has a bitter life experience as he lost his husband in a shipwreck. To make it more interesting, his husband is the captain of the ship in question. In fact, you can see and visit the shipwreck as you explore the whole island.
As her way of coping with her grief, she wants to find the Pirate’s Locket that used to belong to his husband. To find this, you have to complete the Pirate’s Wife Quest.
Professor Snail
Professor Snail is another native of Ginger Island. Unlike the other residents that you can straight-up visit to their place, things are a little different with Professor Snail.
It’s hilarious but Professor Snail is trapped in a cave located northeast of the Dig Site which is blocked by a big chunk of rock. You have to free him first before anything else. To give you a hint, you can free Professor Snail by using a Bomb or an Explosive Ammo. Once he has been freed, he will ask you for fossil donations to the Island Field Office.
Island Trader
The Island Trader is one of the characters in Stardew Valley that you cannot befriend and establish any type of relationship. This bluebird is just here as a merchant who accepts Golden Walnuts in exchange for random items.
The items sold by the Island Trader are categorized into two: fixed stocks and rotating stocks. This means that some items are not always available here so you better check them always.
Mr. Qi
Mr. Qi is a resident of Ginger Island. But you might have already encountered him during the earlier days of the game. Once you meet Mr. Qi, he might become one of the most unforgettable NPCs because of the series of quests that he will give you to gain access to the Casino he owns. Not only that, but Mr. Qi is a pretty mysterious character that will have a lot of exposure in your journey.
Other than the Casino, he also owns the Walnut Room which will allow you to track your progress to Perfection. Plus, he also has a Vending Machine that will sell you items for Qi Gems.
Island North
One of the first things that you can encounter in the northern part of the island is the Island Field Office. This is where you will meet Professor Snail after you get him out of the cave. You can donate fossils here once found in exchange for great rewards.
This bluebird merchant can also be found in the island’s north. Before the Island Trader becomes available, you have to build Island Farmhouse first and give the parrot 10 Golden Walnuts. By then, you can obtain the items from it by exchanging some Golden Walnuts.
Other than that, you can also find a Dig Site just on the west side of the Island Field Office. However, you can only go there by repairing the bridge. Once you reach the Dig Site, you will be able to grind Rocks, Bone Nodes, Clay Nodes, and Mahogany Trees as they respawn each day.
The last place you can visit in the Island North is the Volcano Dungeon. It is a very dangerous dungeon inhabited by deadly monsters. Although it is risky to enter here, you can surely get some high-quality loot by defeating these monsters.
Island East
The Island East is known for the Gem Birds. Walking to the east of the island, you will see a shrine and four pedestals. What you have to do here is find the four birds and bring them back here. However, these will only appear every rainy day. You can find clues about their whereabouts by interacting with the pedestals.
Island West
Here on the west side of the island, you can find the Farm where you can plant some crops. Initially, this area is covered in logs, stones, and weeds so you have to clear it first before proceeding in planting the crops. What’s the good thing about growing crops here is that they will grow regardless of the season, and the fact that crows do not spawn here.
Another mysterious cave will appear upon repairing the Island Farmhouse. This cave contains the Gourmand Frog which will ask you to grow specific crops and will reward you with Golden Walnuts.
Birdie, the Pirate’s Wife, can also be found here in the Island West. You can spot her shack near the shore. Besides that, you can also find the Green Whack-a-Mole which you can hit using an axe or a pickaxe.
The Beach is located here as well. The tide pools that you can see here are the perfect spots to search for Sea Urchin and Coral. Moving to the southwest of the beach, you will also notice the Shipwreck. You can check it inside to collect a Golden Walnut.
Once you see a pond, walk north and you will reach the Tiger Slime Grove. Found in its northeast is another cave where you can play the Colored Crystals Puzzle. Finishing this will grant you Golden Walnuts.
Last but not the least is Qi’s Walnut Room which you can only enter by reaching a total of 100 Golden Walnuts. Inside, you can see the Perfection Tracker and the Vending Machine that sells items using Qi gems.
Island South
Your Ginger Island visit will not be complete if you have not yet visited the Beach Resort. This used to be the ruins that should be reconstructed into a resort for 20 Golden Walnuts. You can also run into Gus during his schedule here.
Stardew Valley has a lot of hidden passages that will bring you to a new undiscovered place, just like Pirate Cove. The hidden passage going here can be found on the east of the star-shaped pool. Upon going here, you can fish from the small pools that you can see. In fact, these small pools are the only locations where you can catch Stingray. Aside from Stingray, you can also catch a gift that contains the Gourmand Statue.
The only thing you have to remember in entering the Pirate’s Cove is that real pirates also come visit here every 8:00 PM when it is not raining. When the pirates catch you inside, you will automatically be kicked out of the cove and whatever activity you are having will be canceled.
Another surprising thing that you can do on Ginger Island is to see the Mermaid. During rainy days, go to the shore and you will see a big rock. You will see a Mermaid sitting on it and singing.
Not only that but the Mermaid can also give you Golden Walnuts by placing Flute Blocks. The Flute Blocks should be tuned into playing the Mermaid’s Song.
