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Introduced inStardew Valley’s 1.5 update,Bone Fragmentsmay confuse some players the first time they pick them up. They drop from monsters and from breaking certain rocks, but why are they there, and what are they for?
As usual with items in this game, there’s more to these shards of bone than meets the eye. They’re not just simple trash to be thrown away; instead, they’re actually a crafting material. To unlock the most useful function for bone fragments inStardew Valley, players must complete a Special Order quest for Gunther, “Fragments of the Past.” Players may be surprised to learn exactly how useful bone fragments can be inStardew Valley.Here’s where to collect them, and how to use them on the farm.
Updated May 27, 2025, by Demaris Oxman:The arrival of the 1.6 update forStardew Valleybrought plenty of new content, ranging from new recipes to new quests to new festivals. Some changes, though, are more subtle, and even long-time players may not notice them right away. For example, there have been some minor tweaks to crafting recipes that have been in the game for many years. One example is Deluxe Speed-Gro, which now uses Bone Fragments instead of Coral. These items are also used in another new recipe, and there’s one new way players can obtain them. Considering the changes in 1.6, players may want to brush up on where to find Bone Fragments and their role as a crafting ingredient.
Where To Find Bone Fragments inStardew Valley
There are a few different ways players can hunt for bone fragments inStardew Valley. Most methods involve either mining, digging, or combat.
What Are Bone Fragments Used For?
As mentioned above, bone fragments are a crafting material inStardew Valley. They’re quite versatile, and can come in handy in a number of ways.
Quest: Fragments Of The Past
Gunther’s special ordermentioned above, “Fragments Of The Past,” requires the player to collect100 bone fragmentsand deliver them to the collection box at the Museum. Players must collect the bone fragments while the quest is active; they cannot stockpile them before accepting the objective. Once completed, Gunther will reward the player with3,500g and the Bone Mill crafting recipe.
As it is a Special Order, “Fragments of the Past” is only available after the cutscenein which the Special Orders board is installed, which takes place on Fall 2 in Year 1. New special orders are posted on Mondays in-game; check the board each week to see if “Fragments of the Past” is available. If players accept this special order on the Monday that it is posted, they will have seven days to complete it. If the deadline passes and the mission is failed, the quest has a chance to show up again whenever new special orders are posted. However, it is not repeatable; once the player has finished “Fragments of the Past,” the quest will not show up again.
Crafting
The following items all contain bone fragments as part of their crafting recipes:
Using The Bone Mill
Once players have obtained the recipe and crafted their Bone Mill, they can use it totransform their bone fragments intovarious types of fertilizer.The mill requires 5 bone fragments to create fertilizer, although players can also use any fossil or fossilized artifact that they find. Regardless of input, the mill has an equal chance of producing any one of the following:
As a source of potentially endless fertilizer supplies, digging up bone fragments can be well worth the player’s time. Spend a few minutes atGinger Island’s dig siteor in the mines slaying skeletons, and produce crops like never before.
