Stardew Valley: Best Boots

Summary

• Boots in Stardew Valley provide Defense & Immunity boosts. Choose wisely based on preferences and play style before adventuring.
• Higher Defense protects from damage, while higher Immunity reduces debuff chances. Different boots offer various stat combinations.
• Acquiring boots may require treasure hunting, slaying monsters, or buying from Guild. Consider stat balance for optimal protection.

Out of all the boots available in Stardew Valley, which ones are the best to take along on an adventure? Stardew Valley is as peaceful as a game can get, however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any hazardous locations that players should prepare themselves for beforehand.

Boots will change the player’s cosmetic look, but can also provide a Defense and Immunity boost. In total, there are eighteen different boots in Stardew Valley, but of course, some of them are stronger than others and give better protection. Depending on which stat a player values most – Defense or Immunity – it’s important to consider which boots to take when going down to the Mines, Skull Cavern, or the Volcano Dungeon.

Updated December 24, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: If players want to go down to the mines in Stardew Valley, they should be making sure they’re well-equipped for the job. Otherwise, they might find themselves in a tricky situation, which will lead to their eventual demise, and they’ll wake up in the hospital with missing items in their inventory. Boots are one of the protective clothing items players can wear in Stardew Valley, and they have two stats: Defense and Immunity. This list has been updated to include all boots available in Stardew Valley.

15

Rubber Boots

An Unfortunate Drop

• Defense: +0
• Immunity: +1
• How to get: Explore floors 1-39 of the mines (crates, barrels, special monster loot), treasure chests while fishing

The Rubber Boots are a very rare find, as they can only be obtained as special monster loot but also have a low chance of appearing in create or treasure chests.

Nevertheless, when gamers are “lucky” enough to come across the Rubber Boots, they will most likely feel disappointed with their find, as it only provides +1 Immunity. So, they are extremely easy to upgrade, as most other shoe options are better.

14

Work Boots

Decent Protection for the Early Game

• Defense: +2
• Immunity: +0
• How to get: Treasure chests while fishing

Even though the Work Boots don’t provide Immunity, they grant two additional Defense, which can be pretty valuable while exploring the mines early on.

Thankfully, gamers can acquire these boots simply by fishing and they don’t even have to put themselves at risk to obtain them. While some of the options ranked higher are better, players will have to go pretty deep into the mines to get them, making the most viable option for the first couple of dozen floors. Unfortunately, it’s an extremely rare drop with less than one percent chance to appear as loot.

13

Leather Boots

Easy to Get and a Balanced Option

• Defense: +1
• Immunity: +1
• How to get: Reach floor 10 of the mines

Unlike the Work Boots, the Leather Boots are guaranteed to appear as soon as gamers reach the tenth floor of the mines. Therefore, they can be certain that they will have protective footwear right after this.

The Work Boots provide a balanced protection with their +1 Defense and +1 Immunity. While it isn’t much, it’s much better than wearing nothing if gamers haven’t come across a better option.

12

Thermal Boots

The Perfect Pair of Boots for Beginners

• Defense: +1
• Immunity: +2
• How to get: Explore floors 40-79 of the mines (crates, barrels, special monster loot)

The Thermal Boots
can be obtained pretty early on in Stardew Valley, so they are a great pair of boots to use as protection when first starting to explore the mines. Unfortunately, they are quite difficult to find, so it’s all up to chance. Players can find the Thermal Boots by breaking special crates and barrels or by slaying special monsters between floors 40 and 79 of the mines. What makes it so hard to obtain is the fact that there is only a 14 percent chance that it’ll drop, and special crates only spawn 2.2 percent of the time, special monsters only spawn 0.2 percent of the time, and special slimes only spawn 1.2 percent of the time, and they are identical to their regular counterparts.

Despite being called Thermal Boots, they don’t provide any weather effects – this is purely due to their frigid color. Gamers can equip the Thermal Boots to receive a +1 Defense and +2 Immunity boost.

11

Tundra Boots

An Early-Game Must Have

• Defense: +2
• Immunity: +1
• How to get: Reach floor 50 of the mines

Just like the Thermal Boots, the Tundra Boots can be obtained early on in the game, so they can be quite useful when there aren’t many other options available. Thankfully, the Tundra Boots
aren’t as hard to find. Gamers can acquire the Tundra Boots by opening the treasure chest that appears upon reaching floor 50 of the mines. Later on, they can be repurchased at the Adventurer’s Guild for 750g.

Players that would rather have more defensive protection will prefer the Tundra Boots to the Thermal Boots; they provide +2 Defense and +1 Immunity.

10

Combat Boots

Defensive Advantage Early On

• Defense: +3
• Immunity: +0
• How to get: Purchase at the Adventurer’s Guild for 1,250g after reaching floor 40 of the mines

Players can get their hands on the Combat Boots
not too long after they start exploring the Mines. And, if they aren’t running into too many monsters that give negative status effects, they might come in handy more often than the Thermal Boots and the Tundra Boots, as they only provide a +3 Defense boost.

Gamers can get the Combat Boots at the Adventurer’s Guild once they’ve reached floor 40 of the mines; they cost 1,250g. There is also a 14 percent chance that a special monster, barrel, or crate will drop them between floors 60 and 79 of the mines.

9

Firewalker Boots

Powerful Mid-Game Protective Wear

• Defense: +3
• Immunity: +3
• How to get: Reach floor 80 of the mines

According to their in-game description text, these boots are quite powerful since they were made to resist even the hottest magma. The Firewalker Boots
will provide players that wear them a +3 Defense and +3 Immunity boost. It may not seem like much, but these boots aren’t as hard to find as some of the others listed in this list. Nevertheless, they’re still decent and provide balanced stats.

There are three ways to get one’s hands on these boosts. Players will receive them once they reach level 80 of the mines, they’ll be inside a treasure chest. After reaching level 80 of the mines, they can also be purchased at the Adventurer’s Guild for 2,000g. And, lastly, after reaching Fishing level two, they can be found in Fishing treasure chests, although, this is extremely rare as there’s only a 0.012 percent chance this will happen.

8

Dark Boots

Affordable Defense Item

• Defense: +4
• Immunity: +2
• How to get: Purchase at the Adventurer’s Guild for 2,500g after reaching floor 80 of the mines

Reaching level 80 of the mines doesn’t only allow players to unlock the Firewalker Boots, they’ll also be able to purchase the Dark Boots
from the Adventurer’s Guild for 2,500g. And, sometimes, if luck strikes the player, they might also get them to pop out of boxes and barrels when breaking them.

And, lastly, these boots can be dropped as loot from special monsters in the Skull Cavern’s level 40 or above. It’s easier to purchase them rather than find them since finding them will depend only on chance and luck. These boots will provide more of a Defense Boost rather than an Immunity Boost. When wearing them the player’s stats will increase by +4 Defense and +2 Immunity.

7

Dragonscale Boots

Defense-Inclined Boots

• Defense: +7
• Immunity: +0
• How to get: Loot chests in the Volcano Dungeon

The Dragonscale Boots
have the highest Defense in the game, providing a hefty +7 boost to the stat. However, on the downside, it doesn’t add any Immunity, which decreases the chance of the player suffering from any debuff that monsters may inflict.

Defense, meanwhile, affects how much damage one takes; each Defense boost reduces one hit point of damage to a minimum of one. The Dragonscale boots were first introduced with the 1.5 update. They can be found inside treasure chests in the Volcano Dungeon.

6

Genie Shoes

Protective Rarity

• Defense: +1
• Immunity: +6
• How to get: Treasure chest, special monster loot (Mines or Skull Cavern), special crate or barrel loot (Mines or Skull Cavern)

The Genie Shoes
are a great set that will provide a +6 Immunity boost and a +1 Defense boost. Getting these shoes can be a bit of a pain though, since it’s mostly up to chance.

There is a 0.014 percent chance that players can find the Genie Shoes inside a fishing treasure chest after the player has gotten to Fishing level two. Alternatively, they can be found as special items inside crates and barrels or when slaying special monsters in the Mines or the Skull Cavern. Again, though, the chances are still quite slim. This makes this item quite rare.

5

Crystal Shoes

Skull Cavern-Exclusive Monster Loot

• Defense: +3
• Immunity: +5
• How to get: Special monster loot (Skull Cavern)

The Crystal Shoes
provide +3 Defense and +5 Immunity, and they are even harder to obtain than the Genie Shoes. They can only be found in the Skull Cavern as special monster loot. Special Monsters look exactly like regular monsters, and they only amount to 0.2 percent of the total monster pool in the game.

If by chance a player happens to slay one of these monsters, there’s only an eight percent chance that the item drops will be the Crystal shoes. Alternatively, when playing the game with the advanced option “Remixed Mine Rewards” on, there’s a possibility that the Crystal Shoes will spawn in the treasure chest on level 110 of the Mines.

4

Space Boots

Adventurer’s Guild’s Finest

• Defense: +4
• Immunity: +4
• How to get: Reach floor 110 of the mines

The Space Boots
provide an equal amount of Defense and Immunity +4 each. Players will get this reward once they reach the 110th floor of the Mines. Then, if they wish, they can purchase an additional pair whenever they please from the Adventurer’s Guild for 5,000g. This latter option was an addition to the game with update 1.4.

Thankfully these boots aren’t as difficult to get as others, as acquiring them has nothing to do with the game’s randomness. This makes them a reliable option with some pretty high buffs.

3

Emily’s Magic Boots

14 Heart Event Surprise

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• Defense: +4
• Immunity: +4
• How to get: Marry Emily and reach 14 hearts

Emily’s Magic Boots
, visually, look nothing like the Space Boots; however, they provide exactly the same Defense and Immunity boosts at +4 to each stat. These boots are given to the player during Emily’s 14 heart event, “Errand For Your Wife,” which means the player has to be married to Emily for it to occur.

The player will also get Emily’s Magic Hat, Emily’s Magic Shirt, and blue Genie Pants. These items all match the boots and were all made with love by Emily herself. There are several villagers that are just handy to befriend (or romance).

2

Cinderclown Shoes

Dwarf-Exclusive Boots

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• Defense: +6
• Immunity: +5
• How to get: Learn to speak dwarvish and get it from the Dwarf’s shop

The Cinderclown Shoes
give the player a +6 Defense and +5 Immunity boost. They can only be obtained from the Dwarf’s Shop in the Volcano Dungeon, but, to be able to trade with the dwarf, it’s necessary to understand his language first.

To do this, the player must donate all four Dwarf Scrolls to the museum, and receive the Dwarven Translation Guide from Gunther. Then, the player can buy the shoes from the Dwarf’s Shop for 100 Cinder Shards. It’s not necessary to worry about which day to visit, because they are available every day of the week.

1

Mermaid Boots

Chest Oddities

• Defense: +5
• Immunity: +8
• How to get: Chests (Volcano Dungeon, Ginger Island)

According to their description, the Mermaid Boots
were built with Mermaid scales that give them a protective aura. Perhaps this is why they provide a +5 Defense boost and a +8 Immunity boost. They have a chance to appear in chests in the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island.

This Immunity stat boost is the highest an item will give in the entire game. Their Defense stat is also quite respectable, only falling behind the Cinderclown Shoes and the Dragonscale Boots. With such a powerful combination of both defensive stats, these are easily the best boots in the game.

Boot Stats

To make it easier for players to compare boots, here is a table displaying the stats of all the items mentioned above:

What’s More Important in Stardew Valley: Defense or Immunity?

Defense and Immunity are completely different stats, and their importance depends on the player’s situation at the time.

• Defense reduces how much damage the player will take whenever they’re hit. Each Defense point reduces the total damage by one.
• Immunity is responsible for reducing the player’s chance of being affected by a debuff. One additional Immunity point means that the player is 10 percent less likely to be affected by a status debuff.

Ultimately, Defense and Immunity are useful in different situations or depending on the gamer’s playstyle. If the player finds that they suffer more physical damage from enemies that don’t have any debuff abilities, then they should opt for a pair of boots that provides Defense. However, if being slowed down, burnt, or suffering any other status conditions from powerful enemies, then they should consider a pair of boots that grants more Immunity.

For example, if gamers have opted to wear the Dragonscale Boots, each time they’re hit, it’ll deal less 7 damage than usual, but if the enemy is able to grant a negative status condition, there’s no chance they won’t be affected by it.