How To Get The Magnifying Glass in Stardew Valley

Still trying to track down Stardew Valley ‘s plentiful secrets? Once you get the Magnifying Glass this task becomes much simpler.

To get the Magnifying Glass, you’ll need to complete the quest A Winter Mystery. Don’t worry—it’s pretty quick.

Why Find The Magnifying Glass?

The Magnifying Glass allows you to find Secret Notes during the following activities:

• Digging up an Artifact Spot
• Clearing weeds on the farm
• Killing monsters in the Mines
• Chopping down trees
• Mining stones in the Mines or Quarry
• Fishing, instead of catching Trash
• Breaking up giant crops

Secret Notes reveal clues about how to solve puzzles or finish quests. Sometimes, they provide hints about Stardew Valley‘s secrets!

Other Secret Notes reveal the Loved gifts for one of the villagers—so if you’re having trouble romancing someone finding their note is a real boon. This information is added to your Social Tab for ease of access.

A Winter Mystery

You can begin this quest any time during Winter. Just travel east from the Farm to the Bus Stop to trigger a cutscene.

The quest’s cutscene will only trigger between 6 AM and 4 PM. Arrive late—or visit the Bus Stop from Pelican Town—and it won’t trigger.

During this cutscene a shadowy figure flees once it notices you, leaving behind footprints on the ground. When it ends, A Winter Mystery will be added to your journal.

Finding the Stranger

Solving this quest is pretty easy. All you have to do is follow the shadowy figure’s footprints through Pelican Town.

The footprints lead you to a bush near the playground. This is just west of the Community Center. If you’ve got any bundles to complete, now is a convenient time.

Click on the bush, and the shadowy figure pops out and another short cutscene begins. When the cutscene is over, you’ll have the Magnifying Glass in your inventory!