Key Takeaway
There are three types of Ghosts in Stardew Valley:
- The normal variant, found on floors 51 – 79 of the Mines
- Carbon Ghosts, found on the Mummy levels of the Skull Cavern
- Putrid Ghosts, only found on floors 51 – 69 of the Mines either during the Danger in the Deep quest or when the Shrine of Challenge is activated.
Ghosts slowly float toward the player’s current location. They are knocked back whenever they are hit, so high-damage slow weapons like Clubs are ideal choices to beat them.
Ghosts have a 95% chance of dropping Solar Essence amongst other loot. If “A Curious Substance” special order is active, they can also drop Ectoplasm with a 9.5% drop rate.
Pelican Town and its surroundings are no strangers to the supernatural. On your mining excursions, you may encounter floating apparitions in the dark. Fear not! With strong enough weapons and patience, you can banish each type of Stardew Valley Ghost from the world of the living and collect their loot!
Table Of Contents
What Are Ghosts?
Stardew Valley features three main types of Ghost, each deadly in their own right. The most common type is the regular Ghost, found in the regular Mines near the Quarry and Linus’ Tent. These Ghosts are a dull green color and will slowly float towards the player. They only deal 10 damage but are a nuisance to keep batting away.
Carbon Ghosts are the next step up, found on the Egyptian levels of the Skull Cavern in the Calico Desert. They more accurately resemble the caricature of a “sheet ghost” and emit a supernatural green glowing light.
Finally, Putrid Ghosts only appear in the Mines once the Shrine of Challenge has been activated or during the Danger in the Deep quest. They are a radioactive slime-green color, giving the impression they are melting. Putrid Ghosts can cast a spell to inflict the Nauseated debuff, preventing the player from healing with food or drink for two minutes.
TipWhere to Find Ghosts in Stardew Valley
Here’s where you can encounter each of the three different types of Ghost in Stardew Valley.
| Ghost Type | Where To Find | Extra Information |
|---|---|---|
| "Normal" Ghost | Floors 51 - 79 of the Mines | N/A |
| Carbon Ghost | Skull Cavern | Only spawn on "Mummy" levels, which look like an Egyptian Tomb with golden brick walls |
| Putrid Ghost | Floors 51 - 69 of the Mines once the Shrine of Challenge has been activated | Can also be found during the Danger in the Deep quest |
How to Kill Ghosts in Stardew Valley
Upon immediately entering a floor with Ghosts in Stardew Valley, they’ll slowly start hovering towards your location. As you’d expect, these Ghosts can pass through all terrain and obstacles in their path and fly over the mysterious black space in the Mines. After coming into contact with you, Ghosts teleport to a random location and begin their spectral haunt towards you once again.
Unfortunately, calling the Ghostbusters will do nothing to eliminate spooky spirits! Luckily, though, Ghosts are nothing a club or sword can’t handle. However, you may need a degree of patience as Ghosts will be knocked back several tiles after being hit. Walking towards their new location and continuing your onslaught of attacks will speed up the process.
TipIf you’ve ventured over to the Ginger Island Forge, the Crusader Sword Enhancement deals 50% more damage to undead beings, including Ghosts! Just note that Enhancements are always randomized and cost one Prismatic Shard and 20 Cinder Shards each.
Ghost Loot Drops
While Ghosts have “meh” loot, they provide a good source of Solar Essence and other staple drops. If the “A Curious Substance” special order is active from the Wizard, all three types of Ghosts have a 9.5% chance of dropping Ectoplasm. Gross!
All three types of Ghosts have a similar loot drop table, as seen below. The main difference is that Carbon and Putrid Ghosts both have a 99% chance of dropping Omni Geodes upon death. If you want to farm Ghosts for loot, make sure you increase your number of Inventory Spaces!
| Item Name | Drop Chance | Item Description |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Essence | 95% | The glowing face is warm to the touch. |
| Gold Ore (1-3) | 20% | A precious ore that can be smelted into Gold bars. |
| Refined Quartz | 8% | A more pure form of quartz. |
| Ghostfish | 8% | A pale, blind fish found in underground lakes. |
| Dwarf Scroll II | 0.5% | A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script. This one's tied with a green ribbon. |
| Dwarf Scroll IV | 0.1% | A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script. This one's tied with a golden chain. |
| Ectoplasm | 9.5% (Only while "A Curious Substance" is active) | A thick, slimy goop that the Wizard wants for some reason. |
| Diamond | 0.05% (If reached the bottom of the Mines) | A rare and valuable gem. |
| Prismatic Shard | 0.05% (If reached the bottom of the Mines) | A very rare and powerful substance with unknown origins. |
Unlike when killing Mummies in Stardew Valley, exorcising Ghosts is not a requirement for any of the Adventurer’s Guild “Monster Eradication Goals.”
Eradicating Ghosts in Stardew Valley is an easy and quick way to increase your Combat Skill. If you want to befriend the Wizard, ghostbusting is a necessary task, as these undead mobs drop one of the Wizard’s Loved Gifts (Solar Essence) in abundance. Be sure to check our guide on the Loved Gifts of everyone else in Stardew Valley if you need more help!
