Dwarf Dagger

Dwarf Dagger

Type	Weapon
Type	Dagger
Level	11
Damage	32-38
Crit Chance	3%
Stats	Speed (+1); Defense (+6); Crit. Chance (+2); Weight (+5)
Location	Ginger Island (Volcano Dungeon Chest)

No weapon in Stardew Valley gives back more defence than the Dwarf Dagger. Six points of it come attached to a blade that still hits for 32 to 38 and stabs slightly faster than normal, which is a strange combination for a dagger: these are usually the weapons that get the farmer killed. It is found in the chests of the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island, so it arrives late and by luck rather than by plan. For anyone who likes close fighting but keeps running out of health in the Skull Cavern, this is the blade that solves the problem. The ancient dwarven make is written into its description, and the same forge that produced it sits at the top of the dungeon it is found in.

Location

The dagger only comes out of chests in the Volcano Dungeon, the ten-floor cave system inside the volcano on the north side of Ginger Island. Chests there split into common and rare, and the rare kind holds the dwarven and dragontooth weapons.

Reaching the chests takes a watering can rather than a sword. Lava blocks most routes, and pouring water over it cools a walkable path that lasts until nightfall, so a gold or iridium can with a bigger tank saves repeated trips to the water's edge. Gates between sections stay shut until all the pressure pads on the floor have been found.

The dungeon rebuilds itself once every day, which is both the problem and the plan. One run gives one roll of the chests, so the dagger usually turns up during a long campaign of walnut hunting rather than on a dedicated trip.

Stats

Defence is the headline, and it works quietly: every hit the farmer takes is reduced before it reaches the health bar. Six points is enough to turn a Serpent's bite from a serious wound into an annoyance, and it is more than the Lava Katana, the Dwarf Sword or any boots in the game provide on their own. Worn alongside Space Boots and a Crabshell Ring, it builds the sturdiest setup available.

Damage of 32 to 38 is modest next to the Dragontooth Shiv, but the band is tight, so the dagger does not produce the feeble stabs that plague cheaper blades. A point of speed makes the stabs come slightly faster, and five points of weight push monsters back as they are hit, which keeps the farmer from being pinned.

Critical hits are a mild bonus here rather than the point. The chance is nudged up by a +2 bonus and the multiplier stays at the ordinary three, so crits are pleasant surprises rather than the reason to carry the thing.

Notes

Topaz is the natural gem for it at the Forge, since each level adds another point of defence to the weapon already leading the game in that stat. Ruby is the opposite choice and the more common one: ten percent more damage a level pulls the dagger's output up towards the Dragontooth Shiv while keeping its armour.

The dagger's four-stab special move is worth more on this blade than on most. Because the stabs land while the farmer is taking reduced damage, trading hits with a Shadow Brute becomes a reasonable tactic instead of a mistake.

It sells for 550g. Since the Adventurer's Guild never stocks it and no monster drops it, selling one means waiting for another rare chest to produce a replacement.

A Vampiric enchantment suits it especially well. Health returned on kills, stacked on top of six points of defence, turns a long Skull Cavern descent into something closer to a grind than a gamble.

All Daggers

Every entry in this group, with its key details.

Name	Type	Level	Damage
Abby's Planchette	Dagger	8	24-30
Broken Trident	Dagger	5	15-26
Burglar's Shank	Dagger	4	7-12
Carving Knife	Dagger	1	1-3
Crystal Dagger	Dagger	4	4-10
Dragontooth Shiv	Dagger	12	40-50
Dwarf Dagger	Dagger	11	32-38
Elf Blade	Dagger	2	3-5
Elliott's Pencil	Dagger	8	24-30
Galaxy Dagger	Dagger	8	30-40
Infinity Dagger	Dagger	16	50-70
Iridium Needle	Dagger	12	20-35
Iron Dirk	Dagger	1	2-4
Shadow Dagger	Dagger	4	10-20
Wicked Kris	Dagger	8	24-30
Wind Spire	Dagger	1	1-5