What Makes the Dinosaur Egg So Rare in Stardew Valley?
The Dinosaur Egg is a rare item in Stardew Valley, with various sources of acquisition that contribute to its rarity:
- A mere 0.6% chance from digging up an Artifact Spot in The Mountains or Quarry.
- A 0.7-0.8% chance from Fishing Treasure Chests after reaching Fishing level 2 and having previously found at least one artifact.
- A 10% drop rate from defeating Pepper Rex, which can commonly be found on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern.
- Additionally, players can forage for it on Prehistoric Floors or win it in the Crane Game at the Movie Theater.
The most reliable way to find a Dinosaur Egg is on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern, which have about a 2.2% chance of appearing. Notably, only around 2.2% of floors in the Skull Cavern are considered prehistoric.
However, if you’re not confident in your mining or combat skills, consider practicing. There’s a ton of good Skull Caverns advice available on forums—search threads with ‘Skull Cavern’ in the title for insights.
Moreover, Dinosaur Eggs can also appear in treasure chests while fishing, though the chance remains small at approximately 0.8 to 0.9 percent.
Ultimately, while the most common method of obtaining them is by defeating dinosaurs in Skull Caverns, with a significant 10% drop chance, other methods also contribute to the rarity of this intriguing item.
Best Strategies to Locate a Dinosaur Egg
Fortunately, you have multiple ways to obtain the Dinosaur Egg in Stardew Valley. However, most, if not all, of these methods have the presence of RNG. The means to get a Dinosaur Egg are as follows:
- Digging an Artifact Spot in The Mountains or Quarry.
- Achieving at least Fishing Level 2 and opening a caught chest.
- Defeating a Pepper Rex in the Skull Cavern at the Desert.
- Foraging on Skull Cavern’s Prehistoric Floors.
- Finding a hidden prize while playing the Crane Game in the Movie Theater.
For beginners, it’s ideal to wait until you upgrade and/or enchant your weapons before trying to beat a Pepper Rex so it doesn’t knock you out. Initially, a Dinosaur Egg can be found by digging up an Artifact Spot in The Mountains (including the Quarry), in Fishing Treasure Chests after reaching Fishing Level 2 and having previously found at least one artifact, or dropped from a Pepper Rex, foraged on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern, or won in the Crane.
The most common way to get them is by killing dinosaurs in Skull Caverns. If you’re confident in your mining and combat skills, that’s all you need to know. Additionally, the highest chance to obtain a Dinosaur Egg out of the methods mentioned above is by killing a Pepper Rex. However, this creature might be challenging to defeat.
How Does the Incubation Process Work for Dinosaur Eggs?
The incubation process for dinosaur eggs is intriguing and complex. Studies indicate that:
- Dinosaur eggs took between 3 and 6 months to hatch. This duration is nearly twice as long as predicted from bird eggs of similar size.
- The long incubation times likely posed challenges for dinosaurs, making it difficult for them to compete with faster-generating animals, such as modern birds and mammals, especially after a mass extinction event.
Moreover, the incubation durations varied among different dinosaur species:
- Protoceratops eggs took about 2.8 months to hatch.
- In contrast, Hypacrosaurus eggs incubated for approximately 5.8 months.
Interestingly, paleontologists speculate that dinosaurs remained in their eggs for similar long periods.
Furthermore, researchers, including Erickson, are examining embryonic teeth for daily growth lines. This analysis may reveal how long dinosaurs stayed in their eggs before hatching. They confirmed the presence of numerous tiny growth lines by slicing a Protoceratops andrewsi tooth and examining it under polarized light.
Ultimately, these long incubation times raise important considerations regarding nesting, as prolonged periods can be a disadvantage, particularly in the aftermath of catastrophic events, such as the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period.
Dinosaur Egg Hunting: What Do Gamers Say?
Dinosaur eggs are a type of rare item that can be obtained through various means in Stardew Valley. These eggs can be hatched into dinosaurs, which can be raised and cared for on your farm. Generally, dinosaur eggs are considered rare items, but some types are rarer than others.
The drop rates for dinosaur eggs vary depending on the method of obtaining them:
- Mining: 0.5% – 1.5%
- Fishing: 0.1% – 0.5%
- Exploring: 0.5% – 1.5%
Additionally, the purchase method guarantees a 100% chance of obtaining an egg from the Oasis store in Calico Desert.
The chances of finding dinosaur eggs in Stardew Valley are relatively low. They can be obtained from the Prehistoric Egg item, which has a 0.8% chance of dropping from a Dino Egg artifact. This artifact can be found by digging up artifacts on the farm or in the Skull Cavern. Players can increase their chances of finding dinosaur eggs by:
- Digging up as many artifacts as possible,
- Clearing the farm of debris, and
- Exploring the Skull Cavern, which has a higher chance of dropping artifacts.
To hatch dinosaur eggs, players need to place the egg in an incubator. The incubator can be crafted using 10,000 gold and 10 hardwood. Once the egg is placed in the incubator, it will take 6,400 minutes (or 106.67 hours) to hatch. It’s worth noting that the incubator can only hold one egg at a time, so players will need to wait for the egg to hatch before they can place another one in the incubator.
Whether or not dinosaur eggs are worth the effort depends on the player’s goals and preferences. For players who enjoy collecting rare items and unique pets, dinosaur eggs may be worth the effort. However, for players who are focused on building a successful farm, dinosaur eggs may not be worth the time and resources required to obtain them.
The most common way to get them is by killing dinosaurs in Skull Caverns. If you’re confident in your mining/combat skills, that’s all you need to know. If you’re not, one option is to practice and get better at it – there’s a ton of good Skull Cavern advice available if you search for threads with ‘Skull Cavern’ in the title.
Another option is to gather jades, trade them for ladders at the desert trader, and then ladder down in Skull Caverns until you find a dino floor. If you don’t find one, you can always reset the day, sleep until the next day, and try again.
Interestingly, many players have expressed differing opinions on the rarity of dinosaur eggs. For instance, one player noted, “I’ve found 3 dinosaur eggs just by fishing.” Furthermore, some believe that dinosaur eggs aren’t that rare anymore, citing updates that have made them easier to obtain. Discussions continue on forums about the changes in availability, suggesting that some players might still think they’re hard to find.
Exploring Other Sources for Dinosaur Eggs in Stardew Valley
To get your very first Dinosaur Egg In Stardew Valley, you can follow any of these ways:
- Dig up artifact spots in the Mountain.
- Do some fishing and get treasure chests.
- Get Dinosaur Eggs from Pepper Rex enemies that drop them with a 10% chance.
- Forage them from the Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern.
- Win it as a prize from the Crane Game in the Movie Theater.
Additionally, Dinosaur Eggs can be found in the following locations:
- Artifact Spots at the Mountains.
- Foraging on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern.
- Defeating Pepper Rex dinosaurs.
- Winning it in the Crane Game located in the Stardew Valley movie theater.
However, while foraging on the Prehistoric Floors in Skull Cavern, you will need to deal with several enemies such as Pepper Rex, Mutant Flies, and Iridium Bats. In case you decide to go the Skull Cavern route, you will have to face these multiple enemies. Also, regarding the Crane Game, it has a luck factor because the egg is a rare prize from the machine.
The dinosaur egg incubation time is approximately 12.5 days. Furthermore, a Dinosaur can lay a dino egg every 7 days if fed and matured. They take 11 days to hatch in either a Big Coop or Deluxe Coop, or 6 days to hatch if the player has chosen the Coopmaster farming skill.
You can also put an egg in a Mayonnaise Machine to create Dinosaur Mayonnaise, which will fetch you 800g if sold.
Dinosaur eggs can be obtained in various ways, including:
- Mining: Found by digging up artifact spots.
- Looting from slain dinosaurs in Skull Cavern.
