Lighting the Path to Perfection: How to Get All 4 Candles in Stardew Valley

The coveted four candles at Grandpa’s Shrine in Stardew Valley symbolize your success in revitalizing your farm and community. But how exactly do you achieve this glowing testament to your hard work? The answer lies in accumulating enough points through various in-game actions and milestones. Lighting all four candles requires a total of 12 points or more out of a possible 21, triggering Grandpa’s evaluation and awarding you with the Statue of Perfection. This statue is a crucial component for advanced gameplay, providing 2-8 Iridium Ore daily. In essence, it is the ultimate goal for many farmers aiming to achieve a perfect game.

Understanding Grandpa’s Evaluation

Grandpa’s evaluation isn’t just a simple checklist. It’s a culmination of your achievements over the first two years of the game. You don’t need to achieve everything, but rather a balanced approach across different aspects of the game. The game judges you based on:

• Total Earnings: This includes the money you have made by selling goods, crops, and other items.
• Skill Level: Reaching high skill levels in farming, fishing, foraging, mining, and combat contributes to your score.
• Friendship Level: Cultivating strong relationships with villagers is essential.
• Community Center Completion: The Community Center bundles are key to revitalizing the town.
• Pet Friendship: Maintaining a positive relationship with your pet is also considered.
• Farmhouse Upgrades: Investing in your farmhouse contributes to your score.

It’s important to note that even if you don’t get all 4 candles on the first evaluation, you are not locked out forever. You can re-evaluate at any time by placing a Diamond in Grandpa’s shrine. This will trigger the evaluation on the following day, or the first day of the next season in some cases.

Strategies for Achieving 12 Points

Here’s a breakdown of how you can accumulate points towards the 12 needed for all four candles:

• Maximize Earnings: Focus on planting high-value crops and processing them into artisan goods like wine and jelly. Explore efficient farming strategies and aim to consistently increase your income.
• Skill Development: Dedicate time to improving all five of your skills. Mining and fishing in particular, can be very valuable for obtaining valuable resources that can be sold.
• Befriend the Villagers: Talk to villagers every day, offer them gifts they love and complete quests for them to improve your friendships. You only need to get a few people to maximum heart level to get some good points.
• Restore the Community Center: Prioritize gathering the items needed for the community center bundles. Completing all of them will grant a huge boost in points.
• Love Your Pet: Regularly pet your pet and fill their water bowl. A happy pet means more points towards the end goal.
• Upgrade Your Farmhouse: Invest in upgrading your farmhouse as this also contributes to your score.

Remember, it’s not about being perfect in every category, but rather reaching a cumulative total of 12 points or more. If you’re struggling to get 4 candles lit on the first evaluation, don’t get discouraged. You can always work towards it with time and effort.

Reaching Perfection Beyond the Candles

Once all four candles are lit, interacting with Grandpa’s Shrine will give you the Statue of Perfection, which is the starting point for endgame content. This will also allow you to strive towards that 100% perfection score. Getting 100% perfection unlocks more exciting content and allows players to play the game with unlimited freedom.

Statue of Perfection Benefits

The Statue of Perfection provides 2-8 Iridium Ore daily, a vital resource for crafting end-game tools and structures. Getting a consistent source of iridium is invaluable for reaching the end game content and making the best gear.

The Re-evaluation Option

If you miss the mark during your initial evaluation, or want to revisit it at a later date, simply place a diamond in the shrine. This will reset the evaluation and give you a second chance to get all the candles lit! This allows you to try and get the statue as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How many points do I need to light all 4 candles?

You need a minimum of 12 points out of a possible 21 to light all four candles at Grandpa’s Shrine.

2. What happens if I don’t get all 4 candles lit on the first evaluation?

Don’t worry! You can re-evaluate at any time by placing a diamond in Grandpa’s Shrine.

3. What is the Statue of Perfection?

The Statue of Perfection is a piece of furniture obtained by interacting with Grandpa’s Shrine after all four candles are lit. It produces 2-8 Iridium Ore each day.

4. How do I re-evaluate Grandpa’s Shrine?

You re-evaluate the shrine by placing a single diamond into the shrine. This will trigger the evaluation on the next in-game day.

5. How often can I re-evaluate Grandpa’s Shrine?

You can re-evaluate as often as you want, as long as you have a diamond to place in the shrine each time.

6. How does friendship with villagers affect my score?

Higher friendship levels with villagers contribute points towards your overall score for the evaluation.

7. What does completing the Community Center do?

Completing the Community Center is crucial and provides a significant boost to your evaluation score.

8. Does my pet’s happiness affect my score?

Yes, a happy pet contributes to your overall score during Grandpa’s evaluation.

9. What are the best ways to earn money in Stardew Valley?

Focus on high-value crops and artisan goods like wine and jelly for the best income. Consider getting the greenhouse as soon as possible, and filling it with ancient fruit or starfruit.

10. How do I get Iridium Ore?

Iridium Ore is primarily found in the Skull Cavern and the Volcano Dungeon. The chance to find them increases the further you go down.

11. What is the best level for finding diamonds in the mine?

Diamonds start appearing at level 50 in the mines with a very low spawn rate. The frequency increases slightly for every level beyond this.

12. What is the perfection score?

The perfection score measures how much of the game’s content you have completed and reaching 100% unlocks extra endgame content.

13. Can you reach an end in Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley doesn’t have a traditional “ending.” You can continue playing indefinitely, even after achieving all goals.

14. What is the Altar of Yoba?

The Altar of Yoba is just an altar to a god, which was intended to be part of a side quest. It has no actual game play value.

15. What are the Dark Shrines in the Witch’s Hut?

There are three Dark Shrines in the Witch’s Hut: the Dark Shrine of Memory, the Dark Shrine of Selfishness, and the Dark Shrine of Night Terrors. These have a variety of effects to make the game more challenging.