How to Get Clay in Stardew Valley

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Ella is SdewHQ's resident virtual farming expert, and whether she is farming, fishing, mining, or decorating her farmhouse, you can rest assured that she is loving every second. Outside of the Stardew universe Ella is a keen gamer and particularly loves titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, The Outer Worlds, and her childhood favorite, Monster's Inc Scare Island. Ella is also a gaming UX researcher, has a keen interest in acccessibity within games and strives to fill up her PS trophy cabinet upon every gaming session.

What Are the Uses of Clay?

Clay can be used to create a variety of items and buildings. The most common reason you will want to locate clay is in order to build a Silo on your farm. To build the Silo, you will need clay and stone, and a copper bar. You will definitely want a Silo if you build a Co-op on your farm as the Silo can be used to store hay, which can be created by collecting grass on your farm.

If you do this (which I advise you do as it will save you money as you won’t need to purchase Hay individually from Marnie’s Ranch), You should always leave a spot of grass on the farm as if you collect it all. It will stop growing! To collect this, you simply use your Scythe on the grass, and the Hay will automatically store itself in your Silo.

Clay can also be used in several recipes which may pique your interest! If you want to focus on quality crops on your farm you may be interested in creating Quality Retaining Soil, which, when used will increase the likelihood that your soil will retain water overnight and reduce the frequency at which you must water your crops. (To create quality retaining soil you will also need stone.)

Suppose you really want to guarantee that your crops stay watered overnight. In that case, you could instead create Deluxe Retaining Soil, which has the same purpose as Quality Retaining Soil, except it guarantees that the soil will retain water overnight rather than increase the likelihood of this. (To create deluxe retaining soil, you will also need Stone and Fibre).

If you are interested in Fertilizers in general, you can use clay to create a Bone Mill. The Bone Mill is an appliance that can be used to create a variety of Fertilizers at random.

To use the bone mill, you can place fossils, bone fragments, or artifacts inside this. Once you have done so, you can receive either Deluxe Speed Gro, Quality Fertilizer, Speed Gro, or Tree Fertilizer. (To create the Bone Mill you will also need 10x Bone Fragments and 20x Stones).

If you want to grow more Fibre you can create Fibre Seeds, which can be planted in any season in order to grow fiber. If you want to use these, you simply plant them as normal. However, there is no need to water these and then harvest when they are ready. (To create Fibre Seeds you will also need Mixed Seeds and Sap).

Clay can be used to create a Garden Pot, which is a valuable item as when used, it allows you to grow crops during any season but only when used indoors, so don’t forget this! You can also use this outdoors, but when you use it outdoors, it is only capable of growing seasonal crops so that it may be more valuable to you inside. (To create the garden pot you will also need Stone and Refined Quartz.)

If you want to decorate your farm, you can use clay to create Brick Floors which can be placed decoratively around your farm or in order to create paths. Once this is crafted you simply place this around your farm if you misplace an item do not worry as you can hit the same area with an axe to collect it again and replace it. (To create the Brick Floors you will also need Stone)

How Do I Gather Clay?

Within Stardew Valley there are five key ways to gather Clay, these include digging up dirt, digging up sand, digging up artifact spots, opening Geodes, in a gift.

Digging Up Dirt

In order to dig up dirt within Stardew Valley, you must use your Hoe on the area. If you are keen to find clay you can easily walk around the land on your farm and hit random areas with the Hoe, doing so can randomly produce items that may give you Clay. This also works in the Pelican town mine, the Skull Cavern and the Volcano Dungeon out on Ginger Island.

This is completely at random however and so you are not guaranteed to find Clay quickly, so if you are doing this persevere and you will find some eventually!

Digging Up Sand

Similar to digging up dirt, in order to dig up sand, you must use your Hoe on the area. If you want to locate clay on the sand you can walk around the Beach and hit random patches of sand with the Hoe, similar to digging up dirt this can randomly produce Clay. This too is completely at random however and so patience is key.

Digging Up Artifact Spots

Artifact spots are marked by a small (and often easily missed) area of ground where you can see some worms. These can appear at random anywhere in the town, on your farm, or even on the beach. As these are easily missed you should keep a very close eye on the ground when you navigate around the game, you should also ensure you always carry your hoe with you!

When you find a piece of land where you do see a worm, you simply hit this area with your hoe and a random item will be produced which can sometimes provide clay, or as the name would give away, can also produce artifacts.

Opening Geodes

Geodes can be found by the player when exploring the mines and collecting items, when you do find a Geode you should take this to the Blacksmith who can open geodes for you for a small fee of 25 coins. When you open geodes, you can obtain minerals, gems, and of course, clay. When the Blacksmith finishes processing Geodes, you will receive the items inside your inventory.

Geodes are arguably the most reliable way to find clay within the game. Although there are also Omni geode, Frozen, or Magma Geodes. The player has higher chances of getting Clay in the standard Geodes found in levels 1-39 of the Mines.

Gift Giving

The most infrequent way of receiving clay is by receiving them as a gift, this can be done during the Feast Of The Winter Star, as a gift from either Jas or Vincent. However, this is a once-a-year event and so is not a reliable or easy method to collect clay.

Tools Needed

Luckily, the only tools you really need to gather clay are your Hoe and technically your Pickaxe. If you are going for the standard and seemingly random method of looking for clay in the dirt, artifact spots, or in the sand you only need to use your Hoe on the areas of land.

However, if you want to find clay in the mines (which arguably is the best and most fruitful method) you will need your Pickaxe to break gems, rocks, and stones in the hope of finding a Geode which then can be processed by Clint.

FAQs

Question: Can I give Clay as a gift?

Answer: Technically, yes you can give Clay as a gift however you should not. There are universal likes and dislikes within the characters of Stardew Valley and Clay is particularly not liked. It is however hated by some residents, such as Abigail, Jas, Evelyn, Hailey, Marnie, Vincent, Sebastian, and George.

Question: How Do I Identify Artefact Spots?

Answer: Artifact Spots appear at random and can appear on any area of land within the game, such as the Beach, and the Soil/Dirt/Ground. Strike an artifact spot with your hoe to reveal hidden items. Never miss an artifact spot if you want to complete your museum collection fast and complete your lost book collection in the library.

Question: Why is Clay Important?

Answer: Clay can be used to create a variety of recipes for Fertiliser to improve your crops or a variety of structures within your farm.
The key use of Clay is that it is needed to create a Silo in order to store Hay to provide for your animals, as this is costly when purchased individually it is wise to create a Silo as soon as you have a Coop on your farm as then you can create Hay simply by collecting the grass from your farm.

What Platforms is Stardew Valley Available on?

Answer: Stardew Valley is a title that is available on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, IOS and Android.