Ginger Island is part of the Fern Islands, just off-shore from Stardew Valley, and it's a whole other section of the game. But the question is, how do you get there? It's not as straightforward as you may think, but we've put together this handy guide so you're well-prepared for your next adventure.
How to get to Ginger Island
Repairing Willy's boat
To get to Ginger Island you'll first need to use Willy the fisherman's boat, though there is a catch. The boat isn't in the best condition and desperately needs repairs before you can set sail on the open seas. At some point, you should receive a note from Willy asking for his help to fix the boat. Bear in mind that you'll need to have finished the Community Center restoration or the Joja Market development quests before Willy requests your help.
Once he's implored you to help, you'll need to start by heading to his house and going through the door at the back. Inside, you'll see the beaten-up boat and Willy will now ask you to fix it, though he doesn't have the materials to do so. There are a few things that will need repairing, so here's what you need:
- 200 pieces of hardwood for the anchor
- 5 iridium bars to fix the anchor
- 5 battery packs to fix the ticket machine
He's not asking for much, but some of these materials can be quite hard to come by.
To get hardwood you can chop down mahogany trees, logs and tree stumps. These are best found in the secret woods, where the hardwood stumps regenerate every day.
You can get yourself battery packs by placing lighting rods on your farm, which will produce battery packs during thunderstorms. Alternatively, the Traveling Merchant sometimes has them for sale in her cart.
Iridium is the rarest ore to find, but it can be gathered in a multitude of ways. Check out our handy guide to mining iridium if you need some pointers. Once you have it, you'll need to smelt the ore in a furnace to create a bar.
Once you have all of these resources you'll want to return to Willy. Unfortunately, after all that hard work, you'll also have to pay 1,000g to the fisherman. After one day in the game, you will be able to use the boat to Ginger Island whenever you like at a fee of 1,000g per ticket.
What to do at Ginger Island
You can meet a new NPC on Ginger Island called Leo. He's a very shy individual so to gain a relationship with him, you'll have to interact with the birds around the island.
You can even start a new farm on the island, but you'll have to restore the island farmhouse. Farming on Ginger Island is great because all crops can be grown no matter what season you're in! Talk about a tropical paradise.
There is also a massive volcano on the northern part of Ginger Island, which is bursting with different enemies and treasures to discover, as well as a forge to imbue your weapons with special abilities.
But there you have it, that's how to get to Ginger Island! If you want to go exploring with friends, we've set up a handy guide to show you how to play Stardew Valley co-op multiplayer. Additionally, if you want to know how to befriend Willy the fisherman, as well as all the other NPCs in the village, we've set up an extensive character hub to help you.