Summary

  • Boots in Stardew Valley provide Defense & Immunity boosts. Choose wisely based on preferences and play style before adventuring.
  • Higher Defense protects from damage, while higher Immunity reduces debuff chances. Different boots offer various stat combinations.
  • Acquiring boots may require treasure hunting, slaying monsters, or buying from Guild. Consider stat balance for optimal protection.

Out of all the boots available in Stardew Valley, which ones are the best to take along on an adventure? Stardew Valley is as peaceful as a game can get, however, that doesn't mean that there aren't any hazardous locations that players should prepare themselves for beforehand.

frog hat and chicken hat stardew valley
Stardew Valley: 7 Best Hats & How To Get Them

Hats may be a purely aesthetic feature of Stardew Valley, but they're still tons of fun. Here's how to get the best ones in the game.

Boots will change the player's cosmetic look, but can also provide a Defense and Immunity boost. In total, there are eighteen different boots in Stardew Valley, but of course, some of them are stronger than others and give better protection. Depending on which stat a player values most - Defense or Immunity - it's important to consider which boots to take when going down to the Mines, Skull Cavern, or the Volcano Dungeon.

Updated December 24, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: If players want to go down to the mines in Stardew Valley, they should be making sure they're well-equipped for the job. Otherwise, they might find themselves in a tricky situation, which will lead to their eventual demise, and they'll wake up in the hospital with missing items in their inventory. Boots are one of the protective clothing items players can wear in Stardew Valley, and they have two stats: Defense and Immunity. This list has been updated to include all boots available in Stardew Valley.

15 Rubber Boots

An Unfortunate Drop

rubber boots stardew vallety
  • Defense: +0
  • Immunity: +1
  • How to get: Explore floors 1-39 of the mines (crates, barrels, special monster loot), treasure chests while fishing

The Rubber Boots are a very rare find, as they can only be obtained as special monster loot but also have a low chance of appearing in create or treasure chests.

Nevertheless, when gamers are "lucky" enough to come across the Rubber Boots, they will most likely feel disappointed with their find, as it only provides +1 Immunity. So, they are extremely easy to upgrade, as most other shoe options are better.

14 Work Boots

Decent Protection for the Early Game

work boots stardew valley
  • Defense: +2
  • Immunity: +0
  • How to get: Treasure chests while fishing

Even though the Work Boots don't provide Immunity, they grant two additional Defense, which can be pretty valuable while exploring the mines early on.

Thankfully, gamers can acquire these boots simply by fishing and they don't even have to put themselves at risk to obtain them. While some of the options ranked higher are better, players will have to go pretty deep into the mines to get them, making the most viable option for the first couple of dozen floors. Unfortunately, it's an extremely rare drop with less than one percent chance to appear as loot.

13 Leather Boots

Easy to Get and a Balanced Option

leather boots stardew valley
  • Defense: +1
  • Immunity: +1
  • How to get: Reach floor 10 of the mines

Unlike the Work Boots, the Leather Boots are guaranteed to appear as soon as gamers reach the tenth floor of the mines. Therefore, they can be certain that they will have protective footwear right after this.

The Work Boots provide a balanced protection with their +1 Defense and +1 Immunity. While it isn't much, it's much better than wearing nothing if gamers haven't come across a better option.

12 Thermal Boots

The Perfect Pair of Boots for Beginners

image for the thermal boots in sdv
  • Defense: +1
  • Immunity: +2
  • How to get: Explore floors 40-79 of the mines (crates, barrels, special monster loot)

The Thermal Boots can be obtained pretty early on in Stardew Valley, so they are a great pair of boots to use as protection when first starting to explore the mines. Unfortunately, they are quite difficult to find, so it's all up to chance. Players can find the Thermal Boots by breaking special crates and barrels or by slaying special monsters between floors 40 and 79 of the mines. What makes it so hard to obtain is the fact that there is only a 14 percent chance that it'll drop, and special crates only spawn 2.2 percent of the time, special monsters only spawn 0.2 percent of the time, and special slimes only spawn 1.2 percent of the time, and they are identical to their regular counterparts.

Despite being called Thermal Boots, they don't provide any weather effects - this is purely due to their frigid color. Gamers can equip the Thermal Boots to receive a +1 Defense and +2 Immunity boost.

11 Tundra Boots

An Early-Game Must Have

image of sdv's tundra boots
  • Defense: +2
  • Immunity: +1
  • How to get: Reach floor 50 of the mines

Just like the Thermal Boots, the Tundra Boots can be obtained early on in the game, so they can be quite useful when there aren't many other options available. Thankfully, the Tundra Boots aren't as hard to find. Gamers can acquire the Tundra Boots by opening the treasure chest that appears upon reaching floor 50 of the mines. Later on, they can be repurchased at the Adventurer's Guild for 750g.

Players that would rather have more defensive protection will prefer the Tundra Boots to the Thermal Boots; they provide +2 Defense and +1 Immunity.

10 Combat Boots

Defensive Advantage Early On

stardew valley's combat boots image
  • Defense: +3
  • Immunity: +0
  • How to get: Purchase at the Adventurer's Guild for 1,250g after reaching floor 40 of the mines

Players can get their hands on the Combat Boots not too long after they start exploring the Mines. And, if they aren't running into too many monsters that give negative status effects, they might come in handy more often than the Thermal Boots and the Tundra Boots, as they only provide a +3 Defense boost.

Gamers can get the Combat Boots at the Adventurer's Guild once they've reached floor 40 of the mines; they cost 1,250g. There is also a 14 percent chance that a special monster, barrel, or crate will drop them between floors 60 and 79 of the mines.

9 Firewalker Boots

Powerful Mid-Game Protective Wear

in game fire boots stardew valley
  • Defense: +3
  • Immunity: +3
  • How to get: Reach floor 80 of the mines

According to their in-game description text, these boots are quite powerful since they were made to resist even the hottest magma. The Firewalker Boots will provide players that wear them a +3 Defense and +3 Immunity boost. It may not seem like much, but these boots aren't as hard to find as some of the others listed in this list. Nevertheless, they're still decent and provide balanced stats.

There are three ways to get one's hands on these boosts. Players will receive them once they reach level 80 of the mines, they'll be inside a treasure chest. After reaching level 80 of the mines, they can also be purchased at the Adventurer's Guild for 2,000g. And, lastly, after reaching Fishing level two, they can be found in Fishing treasure chests, although, this is extremely rare as there's only a 0.012 percent chance this will happen.

8 Dark Boots

Affordable Defense Item

in-game icon dark boots stardew valley
  • Defense: +4
  • Immunity: +2
  • How to get: Purchase at the Adventurer's Guild for 2,500g after reaching floor 80 of the mines

Reaching level 80 of the mines doesn't only allow players to unlock the Firewalker Boots, they'll also be able to purchase the Dark Boots from the Adventurer's Guild for 2,500g. And, sometimes, if luck strikes the player, they might also get them to pop out of boxes and barrels when breaking them.

penny's edited portrait in stardew valley.
Stardew Valley: Most Difficult Bachelorettes to Date, Ranked

Some bachelorettes in Stardew Valley are challenging to date, not only due to their rare favorite gifts but also because of their personalities.

1

And, lastly, these boots can be dropped as loot from special monsters in the Skull Cavern's level 40 or above. It's easier to purchase them rather than find them since finding them will depend only on chance and luck. These boots will provide more of a Defense Boost rather than an Immunity Boost. When wearing them the player's stats will increase by +4 Defense and +2 Immunity.

7 Dragonscale Boots

Defense-Inclined Boots

Dragonscale Boots
  • Defense: +7
  • Immunity: +0
  • How to get: Loot chests in the Volcano Dungeon

The Dragonscale Boots have the highest Defense in the game, providing a hefty +7 boost to the stat. However, on the downside, it doesn't add any Immunity, which decreases the chance of the player suffering from any debuff that monsters may inflict.

Defense, meanwhile, affects how much damage one takes; each Defense boost reduces one hit point of damage to a minimum of one. The Dragonscale boots were first introduced with the 1.5 update. They can be found inside treasure chests in the Volcano Dungeon.

6 Genie Shoes

Protective Rarity

genie shoes
  • Defense: +1
  • Immunity: +6
  • How to get: Treasure chest, special monster loot (Mines or Skull Cavern), special crate or barrel loot (Mines or Skull Cavern)

The Genie Shoes are a great set that will provide a +6 Immunity boost and a +1 Defense boost. Getting these shoes can be a bit of a pain though, since it's mostly up to chance.

A player fishing in the Calico Desert and a player after getting off the bus
Stardew Valley: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Calico Desert

The Calico Desert is an impressive place in Stardew Valley. Here are some things you may not know about it.

There is a 0.014 percent chance that players can find the Genie Shoes inside a fishing treasure chest after the player has gotten to Fishing level two. Alternatively, they can be found as special items inside crates and barrels or when slaying special monsters in the Mines or the Skull Cavern. Again, though, the chances are still quite slim. This makes this item quite rare.