A Stardew Valley player’s misfortune proves that some of us just have the worst luck. Although it fits the bill of a cozy game, players will face more than a little danger as they expand outward in Stardew Valley. And nowhere will they face more danger than in the mines. Hidden away in a secluded mountain cave in a far corner of the map, the mines are, for the first year or so of a Stardew playthrough, the only place a player can fight, get hurt, or even “die” – even though they’ll just wake up mostly unscathed.

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But there is a penalty for fainting in the mines, and Reddit user Affectionate_Way_572 recently learned just how harsh that penalty can be when they lost almost the maximum amount of money possible twice in a row after two ill-fated trips to the mine. The first time this happened, they came close to the cap, losing 14,100 g; the second time, just two in-game days later, they lost a full 15,000 for a whopping total of 29,100 g in less than half a week.

What’s The Most Money You Can Lose In The Mines?

Just How Bad Can Your Stardew Luck Get

Typically, when you drop to 0 HP in the mines, you lose 10% of your total gold, along with a few randomly selected items. However, that amount caps at 15,000 g; in other words, once you hit 150,000 g in your account, you’ll always lose the maximum of 15,000, and never a cent more. In other words, the original poster had about 141,000 g the first time they were defeated in the mines, then hit or surpassed the 150,000 maximum sometime between then and their next defeat.

It’s likely that the farmer didn’t know such high amounts were possible because they confused the toll for defeat in the mines with the toll for passing out because of exhaustion. This is a common mistake, especially since the two processes and resulting scenes are very similar, even though the amounts removed are very different. The passing-out penalty caps at 1,000 g, but will go up to 2,500 if the player collapses in the Volcano Dungeon instead.

So, while you can likely afford the occasional collapse from exhaustion once you get your farm operation up to speed, you should always try to avoid defeat in the mines – at least until you have more money than you know what to do with. Thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to ensure you don’t lose too much.

Make Sure To Only Pack Essentials To Prevent Big Losses

How To Avoid Losing Big In The Mines

While you can’t store your gold anywhere before going into the mines, you can pack away unneeded items to avoid losing them. I keep a chest right next to the exit from my farm, which I call my “go bag.” I keep extra tools, food, stairs, and bombs in it, and whenever I set out for the mines, I grab whatever I think I’ll need and drop the rest in the chest. As an alternative, you can put a chest at the entrance to the mines, but it’ll be harder to retrieve your stuff from it if you happen to forget something.

All items, even weapons and tools, are subject to loss in the mines. Most tools will simply be mailed back to you the following day, but most weapons will stay lost permanently.

Besides that, make sure you always pack enough healing items when you’re headed to the mines. Life Elixirs are all well and good, but honestly, I’m a big advocate of just bringing a huge stack of Maki Rolls and using them as needed. They’re one of the easiest and cheapest Stardew Valley recipes – you get a ton of fish and seaweed with just a little fishing, and you can buy rice from Pierre for 200 g a pop. And the game pauses when you start eating a food item, so you won’t be vulnerable while you spam the sushi.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to avoid losing too much in the mines. They’re not guaranteed to prevent you from losing almost 30,000 g within a week, or truthfully, to prevent you from losing anything, but they can decrease the odds. If nothing else, it’s always better to come prepared in Stardew Valley.