Introduced in Stardew Valley‘s 1.5 update, 
Bone Fragments
may confuse some players the first time they pick them up. They drop from monsters and from breaking certain rocks, but why are they there, and what are they for?
As usual with items in this game, there’s more to these shards of bone than meets the eye. They’re not just simple trash to be thrown away; instead, they’re actually a crafting material. To unlock the most useful function for bone fragments in Stardew Valley, players must complete a Special Order quest for Gunther, “Fragments of the Past.” Players may be surprised to learn exactly how useful bone fragments can be in Stardew Valley. Here’s where to collect them, and how to use them on the farm.
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Updated March 21, 2024, by Demaris Oxman: The arrival of the 1.6 update for Stardew Valley brought plenty of new content, ranging from new recipes to new quests to new festivals. Some changes, though, are more subtle, and even long-time players may not notice them right away. For example, there have been some minor tweaks to crafting recipes that have been in the game for many years. One example is Deluxe Speed-Gro, which now uses Bone Fragments instead of Coral. These items are also used in another new recipe, and there’s one new way players can obtain them. Considering the changes in 1.6, players may want to brush up on where to find Bone Fragments and their role as a crafting ingredient.
Where To Find Bone Fragments in Stardew Valley
There are a few different ways players can hunt for bone fragments in Stardew Valley. Most methods involve either mining, digging, or combat.
- 1-3 will drop from killed Skeletons, which can be found between levels 70-79 in the Mines.
- Lava Lurks in the Volcano Dungeon have a 20-50% chance to drop them. These are the serpent-like monsters that swim under pools of lava and breathe fire at players.
- Bone Nodes, found at the Ginger Island Dig Site, will drop bone fragments (and sometimes fossils) when broken with the Pickaxe. Players can identify these as rocks with fossilized bones sticking out.
- After completing Gunther’s special order “Fragments Of The Past,” artifact spots have a 20% chance to drop 2-5 bone fragments.
- A pet dog with maximum friendship may gift the player 3-4 Bone Fragments when pet. Befriended pets have a 20% chance each day to drop a gift, and for a dog, there is a roughly 30% chance that the gift will be Bone Fragments.
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What Are Bone Fragments Used For?
As mentioned above, bone fragments are a crafting material in Stardew Valley. They’re quite versatile, and can come in handy in a number of ways.
Quest: Fragments Of The Past
Gunther’s special order mentioned above, “Fragments Of The Past,” requires the player to collect 100 bone fragments and deliver them to the collection box at the Museum. Players must collect the bone fragments while the quest is active; they cannot stockpile them before accepting the objective. Once completed, Gunther will reward the player with 3,500g and the Bone Mill crafting recipe.
As it is a Special Order, “Fragments of the Past” is only available after the cutscene in which the Special Orders board is installed, which takes place on Fall 2 in Year 1. New special orders are posted on Mondays in-game; check the board each week to see if “Fragments of the Past” is available. If players accept this special order on the Monday that it is posted, they will have seven days to complete it. If the deadline passes and the mission is failed, the quest has a chance to show up again whenever new special orders are posted. However, it is not repeatable; once the player has finished “Fragments of the Past,” the quest will not show up again.
Crafting
The following items all contain bone fragments as part of their crafting recipes:
-
Deluxe Speed-Gro
: Although this item has been present in Stardew Valley since 2019, its recipe was changed in 2024’s 1.6 update. Just as before, this item can be placed on tilled soil to increase crop growth speed by 25%. Players will receive this recipe at Farming Level 8. The new recipe requires:
-
Bone Mill
: As mentioned above, this recipe is received from Gunther after completing “Fragments of the Past.” It is used to turn bone fragments into fertilizers. To craft it, players will need:
-
Skull Brazier
: This decorative recipe can be purchased from Robin’s shop for 3,000g. Like other braziers, players can place this item around their farm to provide light during nighttime. To craft it, players will need 10
Bone Fragment.
-
Dark Sign
: Krobus sends the player this crafting recipe at three hearts. It functions similarly to the Wood Sign and the Stone Sign; players can right-click on it while holding an item to place that item’s image on the sign. To craft it, the player will need:
-
Thorns Ring
: This ring damages enemies when they damage the player. The recipe is available at Combat Level 7, and requires the following ingredients:
-
Ostrich Incubator
: Professor Snail will reward the player with this recipe upon completing his survey. Once crafted, the farmer can place their Ostrich Incubator in the Barn, and use it to hatch ostrich eggs and raise the massive, long-legged birds. To craft it, players will need:
-
Hyper Speed-Gro
: This recipe can be bought from Mr. Qi for 30 Qi Gems in his Walnut Room on Ginger Island. When placed on soil, it speeds up the growth of crops planted there by 33%. Crafting this item requires:
-
Challenge Bait
: This recipe becomes available after the player achieves Fishing Mastery. When using this bait, a “perfect” catch (i.e., one where the fish never exits the fishing bar) will yield three fish instead of one. However, each time the fish escapes the fishing bar, the player loses one fish — three escapes means forfeiting their catch entirely. If players are up to the challenge, they can use the following recipe to craft 5 Challenge Bait:
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Using The Bone Mill
Once players have obtained the recipe and crafted their Bone Mill, they can use it to transform their bone fragments into various types of fertilizer. The mill requires 5 bone fragments to create fertilizer, although players can also use any fossil or fossilized artifact that they find. Regardless of input, the mill has an equal chance of producing any one of the following:
As a source of potentially endless fertilizer supplies, digging up bone fragments can be well worth the player’s time. Spend a few minutes at Ginger Island’s dig site or in the mines slaying skeletons, and produce crops like never before.
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