Everything You Need To Know About Treasure Chests In Stardew Valley

While exploring the world of Stardew Valley, players will come across many different secrets and fun surprises that they may not expect. Among the more valuable things a player can collect is a treasure chest, a package of useful items that is worth 5,000 gold if one chooses to sell it.

These treasure chests can be found in a few different places, but their primary location is in the water. Those who are fishing have a 15 percent chance of catching a treasure chest when casting a line out. Because catching this is unique compared to catching other fish, it’s important to get an understanding of them.

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Stardew Valley players looking to learn how and where to upgrade their tools in the game can look to this guide for help.

Updated on March 28, 2024 by Christina Roffe: With the new Version 1.6 update in Stardew Valley, players now have the chance to increase their Mastery stats and unlock new rewards. This includes Golden Treasure Chests, an upgraded version of the regular Treasure Chests you can find in the water. We have updated this article to include information on Golden Treasure Chests, including how you can unlock them, where you can get them, and some of the possible items you can find inside. We have also updated the possible rewards from regular Treasure Chests to include new items introduced in the recent update.

How To Catch a Treasure Chest

Image of a character fishing for a treasure chest in Stardew Valley

Players can catch a treasure chest in any body of water that is possible to fish in. There is a 15 percent chance, with certain fishing rod attachments available, to increase the potential of getting a treasure chest. When catching a fish, players will notice a treasure chest icon pop up during the fishing mini-game. If players hover the green bar over the icon, they can catch the treasure. However, they must also catch the fish that is trying to be caught at the same time. Otherwise, the treasure will not be obtained.

What Is in a Treasure Chest

Image of a fishing treasure chest while fishing in Stardew Valley

When successfully fishing out a treasure chest, players will not know for sure what will be in it. The chance of finding only one item is 60 percent, but chests do have chances of having multiple items: 24 percent for two items, 10 percent for three items, and six percent for four or more items.

What items spawn in the chest depends on a few factors, including what fishing level the player is at, how far they cast their line out, and their progress in finding artifacts. The list of items includes:

Amethyst (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Amethyst Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Amphibian Fossil (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Anchor (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Ancient Doll (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Ancient Seed (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Ancient Sword (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Aquamarine (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Aquamarine Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Bait
Bait and Bobber Book
Bone Flute (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Broccoli Seeds (Only available in Summer and Fall)
Broken Trident (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Carrot Seeds (Only available in Winter and Spring)
Chewing Stick (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Chicken Statue (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Coal
Combat Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Combat Quarterly Book
Copper Ore
Dark Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Deluxe Bait
Diamond (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Dinosaur Egg (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Dressed Spinner (Requires Fishing Level 6+ and must cast max distance)
Dried Starfish (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Earth Crystal (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Elvish Jewelry (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Emerald (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and must cast max distance)
Emerald Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Fire Quartz (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and must cast max distance)
Firewalker Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Frozen Geode
Frozen Tear (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Genie Shoes (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Geode
Glass Shards (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Glow Ring (Requires luck buff)
Gold Ore (Must cast max distance)
Golden Egg (Only possible after reaching 100 percent Perfection)
Golden Animal Cracker (After activating Farming Mastery pillar)
Golden Bobber (Only available when Golden Bobber quest is available during the Desert Festival)
Golden Mystery Box (After activating Farming Mastery pillar)
Iridium Band (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Iridium Ore (Must cast max distance)
Iron Ore
Jade (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Jade Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Jewels of the Sea Book
Leather Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Lost Book (Museum Library must still be incomplete and the player must have already found a Lost Book)
Magma Geode (Must cast max distance)
Magnet Ring (Requires luck buff)
Mining Monthly Book
Mixed Seeds
Mystery Box
Nautilus Fossil (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Neptune’s Glaive (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Ornamental Fan (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Powdermelon Seeds (Only available in Fall and Winter)
Prehistoric Tool (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Prismatic Shard (Requires Fishing Level 6+)
Qi Bean (Only when Qi’s Crop quest is available)
Rare Disc (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Rice Shoot (Available in Spring only and won’t be at The Beach)
Roe (Requires having read the Jewels of the Sea book)
Rubber Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Ruby (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and must cast max distance)
Ruby Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Rusty Cog (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Rusty Spoon (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Rusty Spur (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Skeletal Tail (Requires Fishing Level 2+ and having already found one artifact)
Small Glow Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Small Magnet Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Sneakers (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Sonar Bobber
Stardew Valley Almanac Book
Stone
Strange Doll (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Strange Doll (Green) (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Summer Squash Seeds (Only available in Spring and Summer)
Thermal Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Topaz (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Topaz Ring (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Treasure Chest (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Tundra Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)
Wild Bait (Must know Wild Bait recipe)
Wood
Woodcutter’s Weekly Book
Work Boots (Requires Fishing Level 2+)

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How to Get a Golden Treasure Chest

Image of the rewards received from completing the Fishing Mastery pillar in Stardew Valley

After the Version 1.6 update was introduced to Stardew Valley, players now have the chance to reel in Golden Treasure Chests as well. If you want to get these, you’ll first need to improve your Mastery stats. You can find your current Mastery level in the Skills section of the main menu.

To increase your Mastery points, you can either go about your daily tasks such as farming, fishing, mining, and more, or you can pick up some Skill Books from the Bookseller. After you’ve reached the required number for the next level, you’ll want to make a visit to the Mastery Cave, found in the eastern section of Cindersap Forest.

Inside here, you’ll want to approach the Fishing Mastery pillar with the fishing rod depicted on the front. Along with Golden Fishing Chests, you’ll also now have an Advanced Iridium Rod and the recipe for Challenge Bait.

Within Golden Treasure Chests, you have the chance to get some of the following items:

Bait and Bobber (Book)
Broccoli Seeds x2-8
Carrot Seeds x2-8
Challenge Bait x3-5
Combat Quarterly (Book)
Dressed Spinner
Fairy Dust x3-5
Fish Stew
Fish Taco
Iridium Bar x1-5
Magnet x3-5
Mining Monthly (Book)
Pearl
Powdermelon Seeds x2-8
Shrimp Cocktail
Sonar Bobber
Stardew Valley Almanac (Book)
Stardrop Tea
Summer Squash Seeds x2-8
Woodcutter’s Weekly (Book)

Stardew Valley: How to Get Mastery Points (& How to Use Them)

Discover how to convert experience points into Mastery points for rewards in Stardew Valley with the help of this guide.

Other Places to Find Treasure

Image of Secret Note #16, which shows a hidden spot with treasure in Stardew Valley

While fishing is the primary way to find treasure, there are two other methods of obtaining a chest. The first is through finding Artifact Troves. There are many ways to obtain these, including digging them up in Artifact Spots on Ginger Island, purchasing them from the Desert Trader for 5 Omni Geodes, found in tier 3 supply crates on the Beach Farm, and dropped by Haunted Skulls after the Vault Bundle is finished. These troves have a chance to contain a chest. Another way is through using Secret Note #16 to find a chest that is buried where the X is marked on the note.