Stardew Valley is an incredible game and is without a doubt the current king of the hill when it comes to farm-sim games, and that’s due in no small part to the wide world and interesting mysteries that Concerned Ape put into this world. The Stardew Valley Earthquake is an event that happens in early summer and is one of the early scripted mysteries open to the player.
The Stardew Valley Earthquake is an event that happens right before you wake up on the 3rd day of Summer. The pre-day announcement states there was an earthquake during the night which indicates the way to the spa & train tracks (north of Robin’s house) is now open to the player!
The actual earthquake takes place only once per game file and is the same for every single game.
The exact message shows up in a pop-up box before you wake up on day three, and says:
“There was an Earthquake during the night.”
Nighttime announcement from Summer 2 to Summer 3 in Stardew Valley
After that, you wake up and life goes on like normal in your game…or does it?
So What Changes After the Stardew Valley Earthquake?
Stardew players would be right to believe something was up with the earthquake. The last time there was an overnight message about a “Rumble During the Night” you received a note the next morning from JoJa Mart telling you the landslide was removed. This opened up an entirely new section of the map to the player north of the Mountain Lake including The Mine, The Adventurer’s Guild, and the broken bridge to the quarry, which you can repair later in the game.
So what does the Stardew Valley Earthquake open up?
- The Bath House (Spa)
- The Railroad
- The Cave to the Swap (opened later with the Witch plot lines)
- The “Perfection Slope”
That’s a lot of new area and future plot points to explore, not to mention the area is a great source of fiber, mixed seeds, and wood when it first opens up!
Where Does the Stardew Valley Earthquake Take Place?
This takes place in the mountains, north of Robin’s house & carpentry shop and to the west of Linus’s tent. If you take the northern path off your farm towards the Mountain Lake the change will become very apparent as soon as you get to the mountains.
The above picture shows what the area in the mountains looks like in Spring of Year One and the first couple days of Summer prior to the earthquake unlocking that upper section. Astute observers will note there’s a directional sign there, giving foreshadowing to the fact that something was going to happen to eventually.
And the picture above here shows what it looks like post-earthquake. At that point an entirely new section of the map is opened up to you.
The Bath House (Spa) in Stardew Valley
This is a huge bonus for players. It’s a free way to recover energy, which is useful when getting over ambitious with those gigantic crop fields that are going to be hard to handle before you get a lot of sprinklers.
While time does pass, you can recover a lot of energy very quickly, not to mention the fact you find fiber/weeds, forgeable items, trees, and more up here for when you need more raw materials.
What Does the Railroad in Stardew Valley Do?
Every so often a train comes by and resources can fall off the train. Those resources can be collected by the player. If you have a slingshot you can shoot some trains to cause more resources to fall off. Make sure to show up on Winter 25 to catch a very special train that only shows up once a year.
Also don’t stand on the tracks in front of a train. It hurts…a lot.
What’s With the Bird Block Thing in Stardew Valley?
In the upper right corner it’s hard to not notice a strange carved stone with bird legs underneath seeming to block a cave. In the beginning there’s not much you’re going to be able to do here, but later in the game after you’ve progressed far enough with the Wizard you may cause a cut scene when visiting the Bath House, at which point the Wizard explains what this is, why it’s there, and asks you to take on a quest on his behalf.
This will open up a small but new section of the map for you, which includes the only spot in the game where you can catch a void salmon.
Is the Stardew Valley Earthquake the Same as the Explosion?
While these two events sound similar, especially since both of them happen at night, they are not the same event. The explosion can happen multiple times in a play field and indicates an iridium-filled meteorite that struck your property. You will need a minimum of a gold pick axe to be able to break it open for those precious geodes and iridium ore.
The Earthquake is a one-time event in early Summer 1 and doesn’t need to be repeated because once that area is opened up, it remains open through the rest of the game for the player.
Common Stardew Valley Earthquake Questions
I know the term “earthquake” is scary, especially for those of us who are among the rare individuals who have actually been hit by lightning in Stardew Valley while running around during a storm on the farm. But the good news is that the earthquake event in Stardew Valley doesn’t have negative repercussions.
All that said, here are the most common Stardew Valley earthquake questions with answers for those of you who are still concerned.
Does the earthquake affect my crops in Stardew Valley?
No. The earthquake that occurs in Stardew Valley does not affect any of your crops for better or for worse. This event happens off of your farm so it has no affect on crops, trees, or anything else on your actual farm.
Does the earthquake affect my buildings in Stardew Valley?
No. Again the earthquake is more like a rumbling you feel. All the action happens north of your farm where the landslide is cleared from steps moving higher up on the mountain and opening access to the Bath House and railroad, among other locations.
What does the Stardew Valley earthquake do?
The Stardew Valley earthquake opens up the northern part of the mountain. This opens up the Bath House where you can recover energy, the train tracks (trains can drop loot while going through the valley), and this also opens up future plot quests with the Wizard (and the Swamp by extension) and the special peak of the mountain from the very original game – which is behind the boulder at the top of the screen and is only removed when you hit perfection.
What’s the point of the railroad unlocked by the earthquake?
Sometimes trains pass through. These trains tend to drop certain items and will remain on the ground for 24 hours before disappearing. Different trains drop different items but if you’re in the area it’s worth checking out. Also, go see the train in person on Winter 25. Nice Easter Egg that is completely worth it.
What’s the second Stardew Valley earthquake do?
There is no second earthquake in the base game of Stardew Valley. The closest thing would be an explosion in the night, in which case somewhere on your farm you should be able to find a meteorite.
The Stardew Valley Earthquake Mystery Solved!
So there you have it, the earthquake mystery of Stardew Valley solved! Whether it’s an explosion or an earthquake, you know there’s no need to worry. These don’t destroy anything on your farm but provide new opportunities to get rare minerals and open up the game.
The Spa is an incredibly useful building, and this opens up even more areas later in the game. So explore, check out the new area, and know that the Stardew Valley Earthquake is just the beginning of adding even more to the game.
Other Stardew Valley Articles of Interest
- Can You Lose Hearts in Stardew Valley?
- Can My Pets Die in Stardew Valley?
- Can My Animals Die in Stardew Valley?
- Stardew Valley Beach Guide
- Why Are My Crops Dying Stardew Valley?
- Rare Seeds Stardew Valley
Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.