Yearning to take a more proactive approach to monster disposal?
With the 1.6 update of Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe added interesting combat trinkets that can be utilized to turn the tides of combat in your favor. One of these many combat trinkets is the Ice Rod, which shoots out a magical projectile of ice that freezes enemies in their tracks.
The Ice Rod is perfect for players who are overwhelmed by combat, but unlocking the trinket can be rather confusing. If you want to turn your enemies into frozen statues and avoid incoming damage, then check out our guide below.
How To Unlock Combat Mastery
Before you can collect any trinkets in Stardew Valley, you will need to fully master all five skills in the game and unlock Combat Mastery. Once your farmer has reached level ten with every skill, you can travel to the southeastern portion of Cindersap Forest and enter a small Mastery Cave that Grandpa made.
The five skills in Stardew Valley are Farming, Fishing, Foraging, Combat, and Mining. You will passively gain XP in any of these skills whenever you complete specific actions. For example, catching fish will increase your Fishing skill, while mining for ore will increase your Mining skill.
In the Mastery Cave, you will find five different plaques dedicated to one of the five skills you have already mastered. By earning even more XP, you can start to unlock each of these plaques, and unlocking the Combat Mastery Plaque allows you to find and equip Combat Trinkets, such as the Ice Rod.
How To Find And Use The Ice Rod
Once you have unlocked Combat Trinkets, they will now have a chance to spawn from various sources. Here are all the places where you can get a Combat Trinket:
- Defeating Any Monster
- Destroying Crates and Barrels
- Skull Cavern Treasure Rooms
If any of these enemies happen to drop an Ice Rod, you can equip the Combat Trinket in a specific slot in your inventory, located next to your hat. Using the Ice Rod is incredibly easy, since it will automatically send out a magical blast of ice every three to five seconds, depending on the level of your trinket.
How To Upgrade An Ice Rod
By hovering over an Ice Rod in your inventory, you will be able to see how long it takes for your trinket to shoot out a blast of ice, and how long enemies will remain frozen. By placing your Ice Rod on an Anvil, you can randomize these two stats to make the trinket better or worse, with a five percent chance of turning your trinket into a Perfect Ice Rod.
The Anvil recipe is given to you when you complete Combat Mastery and requires 50 Iron Bars to craft. Every time you reforge any Combat Trinket on the anvil, you will need three Iridium Bars.
A Perfect Ice Rod will shoot out a blast of ice every three seconds, which freezes enemies for four seconds. This means that the Perfect Ice Rod can keep any enemy in the game indefinitely frozen, completely protecting you from hostile attacks and damage.
When Should You Use The Ice Rod?
The Ice Rod is best utilized by players who do not enjoy the combat in Stardew Valley, since it can render even the most difficult enemies completely useless. Alternatively, the Ice Rod is also great for hardcore combat veterans who are taking on Qi's Skull Cavern challenges.
If you already have an Ice Rod and happen to stumble upon another, it can always be gifted to the Wizard as a liked gift. Keep in mind that every other character in the game dislikes receiving the Ice Rod as a gift.
Overall, while this trinket will not restore your health or increase the amount of gold you earn, it is perfect for players who need extra protection while facing enemies. The Ice Rod can also be equipped to make it significantly easier to farm mob drops.
