Every town has its secrets, and Stardew Valley’s Pelican Town is no exception. In the hit farming game, players will be able to find 25 secret notes hidden that will reveal hidden treasures and information about townspeople. However, these notes won’t just start appearing, you’ll have to do a little bit of work to get started. In this guide, we are going to tell you how to find Stardew Valley secret notes, as well as what each message says.
How to Unlock Secret Notes in Stardew Valley
Before players can begin finding Stardew Valley secret notes, they’ll need to unlock the Magnifying Glass item, which will allow them to read the messages. To get the Magnifying Glass in Stardew Valley, players will need to trigger the “A Winter Mystery” quest by walking to the Bus Stop during Winter sometime between 6 AM – 4 PM. Doing so will trigger a cutscene and will add the “A Winter Mystery” quest to your journal.
With the quest triggered, players will need to follow the Shadow Guy’s footsteps from the Bus Stop, which will lead them to the playground left of the Community Center. Specifically, the footsteps will lead to a bush near the playground that players can interact with. Doing so will force the Shadow Guy to come out and give players the Magnifying Glass. With this item in hand, players will now be able to read secret notes in Stardew Valley and can begin unlocking them.
Where to Find Secret Notes in Stardew Valley
Now that players have the Magnifying Glass, they’ll be able to find secret notes by completing everyday tasks. For example, messages can be dropped by defeating enemies, picking weeds, fishing, and more. Further, different tasks have higher and lower chances of dropping a secret note. The only assured way to find a secret note in Stardew Valley is to harvest a giant crop. In the list below, you’ll find every opportunity players have to get a secret note and their chance percentage.
- Giant Crop: 100%
- Artifact Spots: 11%
- Fishing: 8%
- Resource Clumps: 5%
- Monsters: 3.3%
- Pulling Weeds: 0.9%
- Stone: 0.75%
- Chopping Trees: 0.5%
As you can see, aside from harvesting giant crops, digging up artifact spots and fishing are the best ways to acquire secret notes. Further, destroying resource clumps like stumps, logs, and boulders are also a good way to get a note, along with killing monsters. However, as we mentioned above, notes won’t spawn at all until players have the Magnifying Glass.
What Does Every Stardew Valley Secret Note Message Say
There are a total of 25 secret notes in Stardew Valley and each one will reveal something about a character or the location of a hidden item that players can find. Specifically, notes 1-9 will reveal something about the citizens of Pelican Town (interests, favorite foods, etc.), while notes 10-25 will reveal the location of some type of item that players can hunt down. The first batch of notes can be used to help increase your influence with other characters since you now know what kind of items they like to be given, while the second batch can be used for treasure hunting. However, you won’t be able to find the items mentioned in the notes until you’ve found the note, so keep that in mind.
Below you’ll find all of the Stardew Valley secret note messages:
- Note 1: Abigail’s Diary
- “Things I Love: The smell of carved pumpkin, keeping an amethyst under my pillow, chocolate ake, the thrill of spicy eel, and the comfort of Mom’s blackberry cobbler (I like to eat!)”
- Note 2: Sam’s Shopping List
- “It’s Sam’s holiday shopping list. Everyone favorites: Sebastian: Frozen Tear, Sashimi; Penny: Emerald, Poppy; Vincent: Grape, Cranberry, Candy; Mom: Crispy Bass, Pancakes; Dad: Risotto, Roasted Hazelnuts; Me: Cactus, Maple Bar, Pizza”
- Note 3: Leah’s Dinner
- “My idea of a perfect dinner would be salad, goat cheese, truffle, and wine. For dessert I’d need a poppyseed muffin. Yum! If someone gave me one of these things, I’d melt.”
- Note 4: Maru’s Invention
- “Parts still needed for my greatest invention yet: Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Battery Pack, Diamond, Strawberries”
- Note 5: Penny’s Gift Ideas
- “I want to get everyone something they love: Mom: Parsnip, Glazed Yams, No Beer; Jas: Fairy Rose, Plum Pudding; Vincent: Pink Cake; Mr. Mullner: Leek, Fried Mushroom; Granny Mullner: Beet, Tulip
- Note 6: Stardrop Saloon Special Orders
- Mayor Lewis: Autumn’s Bounty (Double order of high-fiber bread on the side); Marnie: Pumpkin Pie (extra whipped cream!); Demetrius: Bean Hotpot (Make it spicy); Caroline: Fish Taco (She wants triple the sauce! Better throw in a few extra napkins…)
- Note 7: Random Diary Page
- “…There are only a few ‘older’ bachelors in town, and none of them are perfect! Harvey is really anxious and weak, but I know he would make a loyal and devoted husband. He likes coffee and pickles. Elliott is a bit foppish and melodramatic, but he does have a nice chin. He likes crab cakes and pomegranates. Shane is messy and anti-social. But I think his gruff exterior is a defense mechanism, insulating his softness from the world. He likes beer, pizza, and pepper poppers.”
- Note 8: Note to Haley and Emily
- “Hope you two are doing well! We’ve sent you your favorite gifts: Pink Cake and Sunflowers for Haley, Gemstones and Wool for Emily! Love Mom and Dad!”
- Note 9: Alex’s Strength Training Diet
- “Complete Breakfast and Salmon Dinner. I’ve learned to love this food…I can feel the protein!!”
- Note 10: Skull Cavern Mystery
- “Someone is waiting for you on Level 100 in the Skull Cavern” Must have completed the “Qi’s Challenge” quest to find.
- Note 11: Old Photograph
- Photo of Marnie and Jass. Doesn’t mean anything, just a collectible
- Note 12: Linus’ Garbage Tips
- “I’ve found some good things by looking in the garbage cans on lucky days. Sometimes you’ll find the ‘dish of the day’ behind the saloon…usually fresh! For dessert, I’ll check the Mullners’ can for cookies. For treasures, check the cans by the blacksmith and museum.”
- Note 13: Junimo Plus Toy Location
- “12 o’clock noon SHARP. Last day of the season. Check the bush above the playground.”
- You’ll find the plush toy during the last day of your current season, at noon, at the bush above the playground.
- Note 14: Stone Junimo Art
- “I hid something behind the community center.”
- After finding this note, check behind the community center at any time to get the garden art.
- Note 15: Mermaid Puzzle
- “Mermaid Show: 1-5-4-2-3
- Head over tot he Mermaid Show at the Night Market. Once it is over, select the shells that correspond with the combination above to get a pearl.
- Note 16: Treasure Map 1
- The map will lead players to a spot in the hot springs area past the train track. The treasure can be found next to the wall in the top left of the map. The treasure dug up is worth 5,000g.
- Note 17: Treasure Map 2
- The map will lead players to the river that runs along the community center. Head north up the right side of the bank until a big boulder appears. Dig next to it to find a Strange Doll artifact. Players can donate this to the museum.
- Note 18: Treasure Map 3
- The map will lead players to Calico Desert. Once there, head to the southeast corner and look for a bench. Dig in the spot to the left of the bench to find Strange Doll artifacts, which can be donated to the museum.
- Note 19: Mystery Directions 1
- Start at Sam’s house and follow the directions in the list below. It’ll lead you behind Mayor Lewis’ house to the Solid Gold Lewis Statue.
- Directions: Left, Up, Right, Up, Right, Down, Left, Down, Left, Down
- Note 20: Mystery Directions 2
- Start from the middle of the brick circle in the Town Square and follow the directions in the list below. It’ll lead you to Joja Mart by a truck. Interact with the driver’s door and give him a Lucky Rabbit’s Foot to receive a Social Charm (will increase your base luck).
- Directions: Right, Down, Right, Up, Right, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Left, Up, Right, Up, Left, Up, Left
- Note 21: Crack the Code
- To crack the code, players will need to correctly interpret the picture. If you don’t feel like doing that, here’s what to do.
- At 12:40 AM players need to head to the bridge that leads to the beach and shake the bush that is next to the bridge. You’ll find Marnie and the Mayor.
- Note 22:
- “Greetings…Have you found my ‘secret’ in the dark tunnel? I look forward to meeting you! – Qi”
- Players should head to tunnel entrance west of the bus stop. Once inside, look for a box on the wall. When it’s been found, place a battery pack inside to begin the Mister Qi quest.
- Note 23: Meeting with a Bear
- “If yoo can reed dis…come to seecrit wuds. Pleez bring may-pal serrup.”
- Bring maple syrup to the Secret Woods between 6 AM – 7 PM and give them to the bear in exchange for ‘Bear’s Knowledge’ which will increase the value of Blackberries and Salmon berries.
- Note 24: M. Jasper’s Book
- “It’s a page from M. Jasper’s book: …the creatures, known by some as ‘Forest Spirits’ or ‘Junimos,’ are said to appear in abandoned buildings after they’ve ‘gone to seed.’ As a general rule… when humans leave, and nature begins to reclaim her territory, the Junimos will undoubtedly appear. Folk wisdom holds that the Junimos display some kind of resonant affinity with gemstones that are placed inside their little huts… Of course, all these claims come from dubious, unverified sources… As far as I know, even the mere existence of these creatures has never been proven!”
- Tl;dr: Players can change the color of the Junimos that harvest crops by placing a gem in the Junimo Hut.
- Note 25: A Note from Abigal
- “I ‘borrowed; a necklace from Mom, but lost it somewhere near the bath house… She’s going to freak out if she notices it’s missing.”
- Players can find the necklace by fishing outside of the Spa in every season except Winter. Give the Ornate Necklace to Abigal to receive 100 friendship points.
As you can see, there are a lot of Stardew Valley secret notes that players can uncover. Completing the tasks is completely optional, but if you need something to do to kill the time, or are looking to increase your relationships with certain townsfolk, then this is a good option! For more on Stardew Valley, be sure to check out some of our other guides.
Good luck and happy treasure hunting!
Andrew Smith is the founder of Guide Fall and From Gamers Magazine. He is a lover of all things gaming and physical media. You can find him playing anything from random indies to AAA releases!
