Stardew Valley’s immersive experience isn’t just limited to farming and relationships. The mines are another key aspect, teeming with valuable resources and formidable monsters. The better your weapon, the deeper you can go, and two commonly discussed weapons among players are the Bone Sword and Obsidian Edge. This article dives deep into the attributes of both, aiming to solve the never-ending debate: Which is better?
What Are The Bone Sword and Obsidian Edge?
Bone Sword:
- Type: Level 5 Sword
- Damage: 20–30
- Critical Rate: 2%
- Speed: +4
- Weight: +2
- Availability: Dropped by skeletons between floors 70–80 in the mines or can be purchased from Marlon at the Adventurer’s Guild after reaching floor 75.
Obsidian Edge:
- Type: Level 6 Sword
- Damage: 30–45
- Critical Rate: 2%
- Speed: -1
- Critical Power: +10
- Availability: Found in a chest on floor 90 of the mines.
Both weapons are highly practical and easily obtainable before reaching floor 120 of the mines.
The Key Difference: Attack Speed
- Bone Sword: Faster attack speed but lower damage.
- Obsidian Edge: Slower attack speed but higher damage.
So, can we combine weapon speed and damage to determine which has higher damage output?
The Complications of Attack Speed
Attack speed in Stardew Valley isn’t straightforward to quantify. By default, sword-class weapons attack every 400 milliseconds, theoretically allowing 2.5 attacks per second. Each point of weapon speed (or speed buff from consumables like Coffee or Spicy Eel) reduces the attack interval by 40 milliseconds.
Real-World Testing
Despite theoretical calculations, real-world results differ:
- Galaxy Sword with double speed buff (+6 Speed): Approximately 4 attacks per second.
- Galaxy Sword with no speed buff: Approximately 3.75 attacks per second.
- Dagger with +2 Speed: Approximately 3.29 attacks per second.
- Yeti Tooth with no Speed: Approximately 2.86 attacks per second.
| Weapon | Time Taken (ms) | Attacks per Second |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Sword | 8000 | 3.75 |
| Dagger | 9117 | 3.29 |
| Yeti’s Tooth | 10483 | 2.86 |
| Bone Sword | 12000 | 2.5 |
Findings and Anomalies
Interestingly, the Bone Sword, which has a -2 speed modifier, had an attack frequency similar to weapons with no speed modifiers. This was contrary to expectations and opens up a host of questions regarding how speed truly affects gameplay.
Attack Frequency
In our tests, we found that the attack frequency doesn’t directly correlate with the weapon’s speed. For instance, the Galaxy Sword, with no speed modifier, should theoretically have a lower attack frequency. However, it managed to achieve 3.75 attacks per second, surprisingly higher than the Dagger with a +2 speed, which had 3.29 attacks per second.
Interrupting Animations
Another interesting observation was that you don’t necessarily have to wait for an attack animation to complete to initiate another attack. It’s possible to interrupt the “after-swing” of an attack by clicking at a specific frame in the animation. This adds another layer of skill and timing for players who want to maximize their damage output.
Time and Speed Correlation
Our data indicated that the relationship between attack speed and time isn’t linear. As we incremented speed by two points, the change in time taken for 30 attacks varied:
- 667 ms
- 1117 ms
- 1366 ms
- 1517 ms
This suggests that as your weapon’s speed increases, the amount of time saved becomes less significant. Conversely, slower weapons gain a more significant time advantage with each incremental speed point.
Damage Per Second (DPS)
Based on tests, Obsidian Edge has a DPS of 101.79 (factoring in critical power), and Bone Sword has a DPS of 97.50. The difference is less than 5%, so from a pure damage standpoint, both weapons are comparable.
Practical Applications
Bone Sword
- Better against smaller numbers of enemies.
- Easier to “stun-lock” monsters against walls.
- Less chance of getting hit due to rapid strikes.
Obsidian Edge
- Higher individual damage can be more effective against tougher monsters.
- More care and skill are needed due to slower attack speed.
Conclusion
While high-speed weapons like the Bone Sword are more user-friendly, slower, high-damage weapons like the Obsidian Edge offer substantial kill efficiency and potential for improvement. Your preference may hinge on your combat style and the challenges you face in Stardew Valley’s mines. Discuss your thoughts in the comments below!
Author’s Note: Our research focused on a select few weapons for analysis. We recommend conducting your own tests to see how your favorite weapon fares in these aspects.