The curse of the artifacts

[Quirinea]

Has anybody else noted that there is in most saves one artifact that you don't get and don't get... usually one that should be fairly common. On my current run it is the trilobite. I have had all the other minerals and artifacts for a long time but a trilobite just won't appear.
I have had this with earlier runs -- every time a different one, and always something that should be fairly common from early on. I remember hunting for amphora (at that point I considered installing SVE for a moment as it has an area that spawns ridiculous amounts of them), the arrow point or hannd axe...

 

[SurprisedPikachuBob3]

Yep for m it was the evlish jewlery

 

[Hill Myna]

Yep for m it was the evlish jewlery

The Evil Elvish Jewellery... :D

TBH the Artifact/Mineral part of Stardew always felt a bit grindy to me. You can do all the right things and still not get the Artifact that you need, which frustrates me.

I have a special hate for Prehistoric Scapulas, Trilobites, and Palm Fossils, though, because they're not particularly common and you can't get them from Artifact Troves. So it just comes down to luck, which I despise.

And then the Ginger Island fossils were added. Now, personally, I didn't have any issues with them at all. But I've read people saying that they've waited years just for the Snake Vertebrates to show up.

So yeah, I definitely think that some artifacts are cursed...

 

[Lew Zealand]

And then the Ginger Island fossils were added. Now, personally, I didn't have any issues with them at all. But I've read people saying that they've waited years just for the Snake Vertebrates to show up.

Yes.

Years later. No Snake Vertebra.

No Snake Tail, either. There is humor in karma as ##%^@^#% Snakes are ALL tail! You chop the tail offa Snake and there's still more tail left over! Darn things are everywhere, I use one to clean my ears out.

 

[Elenna101]

I have a special hate for Prehistoric Scapulas, Trilobites, and Palm Fossils, though, because they're not particularly common and you can't get them from Artifact Troves. So it just comes down to luck, which I despise.

As of 1.5, the prehistoric scapulas have a 0.5% chance of dropping from skeletons and a 0.8% chance of dropping from bone nodes in the dig site, so you can probably get them within a few days of grinding, especially if you use monster musk for more skeletons. They definitely were a pain in 1.4, though.

Trilobites and Palm Fossils also have a 0.8% chance from bone nodes, now, which while certainly not high is at least probably more likely than artifact spots. (Well, at least for the trilobite. Personally I've never had too much trouble with the 7% palm fossil chance in the desert, but it definitely depends on how often you go out there.)

Yes.

Years later. No Snake Vertebra.

No Snake Tail, either. There is humor in karma as ##%^@^#% Snakes are ALL tail! You chop the tail offa Snake and there's still more tail left over! Darn things are everywhere, I use one to clean my ears out.

Ugh, snake vertebraes. The one thing I will consistently use RNG manipulation for even in a completely casual file, because screw leaving the farming area open for artifact spots to spawn. If you didn't know, artifact spots on Ginger Island West, unlike the rest of Stardew*, are based on how many times you've tilled the ground. This means that if you get an artifact spot but it doesn't give a vertebra, what you can do is reset the day and till a bunch of spots before checking the artifact spot. If it still doesn't give the vertebra, reset again, till more spots, check again, and so on.

*Other areas of Ginger Island might also work this way, I'm not sure.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Ugh, snake vertebraes. The one thing I will consistently use RNG manipulation for even in a completely casual file, because screw leaving the farming area open for artifact spots to spawn. If you didn't know, artifact spots on Ginger Island West, unlike the rest of Stardew*, are based on how many times you've tilled the ground. This means that if you get an artifact spot but it doesn't give a vertebra, what you can do is reset the day and till a bunch of spots before checking the artifact spot. If it still doesn't give the vertebra, reset again, till more spots, check again, and so on.

*Other areas of Ginger Island might also work this way, I'm not sure.

Thank you! I will try this and a-tillin' I will go!

 

[Confused]

Mine was a palm fossil... I never did get that palm fossil...


;-;

 

[Lenora Rose]

Mine was a palm fossil... I never did get that palm fossil...


;-;

So far I tend to have so many palm fossils one is just a decoration on one of my tables. I think they're easier in Calico Desert.

 

[Lenora Rose]

So far I tend to have so many palm fossils one is just a decoration on one of my tables. I think they're easier in Calico Desert.

My longtime missing artifact in both long term farms was the ancient sword.

 

[Hill Myna]

As of 1.5, the prehistoric scapulas have a 0.5% chance of dropping from skeletons and a 0.8% chance of dropping from bone nodes in the dig site, so you can probably get them within a few days of grinding, especially if you use monster musk for more skeletons. They definitely were a pain in 1.4, though.

Trilobites and Palm Fossils also have a 0.8% chance from bone nodes, now, which while certainly not high is at least probably more likely than artifact spots. (Well, at least for the trilobite. Personally I've never had too much trouble with the 7% palm fossil chance in the desert, but it definitely depends on how often you go out there.)

I didn't know that, this is great! Thank you! :D

For whatever reason, I have tonnes of Golden Masks & Relics, but the Palm Fossils illude me.

Ugh, snake vertebraes. The one thing I will consistently use RNG manipulation for even in a completely casual file, because screw leaving the farming area open for artifact spots to spawn. If you didn't know, artifact spots on Ginger Island West, unlike the rest of Stardew*, are based on how many times you've tilled the ground. This means that if you get an artifact spot but it doesn't give a vertebra, what you can do is reset the day and till a bunch of spots before checking the artifact spot. If it still doesn't give the vertebra, reset again, till more spots, check again, and so on.

*Other areas of Ginger Island might also work this way, I'm not sure.

Also great! I'll have to remember to use this technic if I'm having troubles.

Now, if only the Switch load times weren't so bad...

 

[PoppyForPenny]

Ornamental fan!

 

[MissDandy]

I was having the same problems with the ginger island stuff with the mummified bat and all that, but that was because of the glitch on the switch which did get solved.

Otherwise, I could never ever find the Rare Disc. When I finally found it, I felt more blessed than dreadful...

 

[kayden]

i screamed when i got that stupid palm fossil,,god i hate it

Years later. No Snake Vertebra.

thank whatever deity is out there that i've been lucky on ginger island, i think i would've lost my mind if i had to search for the snake vertebrae for years. good luck on that vertebrae mate

*oops wrong there, my bad

 

[nicodeux]

On my first save file, I waited for years to get a skeletal hand (it was year 4 or 5 when my farmer got one to finally complete the museum collection). I spent days farming the various places it could be found. Without success. To add to the frustration, I got several skeletal hands on other farm saves that I was playing at the same time, though I had created them after the first one.

Now, I always have a relief feeling when I find a skeletal hand on any save, even though this artifact is now easier to find since update 1.5.

 

[450735]

I had some pretty rotten luck with the mummified bat, and that was on PC, so without the glitch tnat prevented it from appearing. Luckily, it didn't take me in-game years to find, but I did quite a lot of dungeon hunting long after I had everything else done on the island.