10 Best Power Books & What They Do

Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update, released on March 19, 2024, introduced Power Books, a new feature that gives players helpful advantages. There are 19 different books, each improving a different part of the game. These books make things easier by boosting loot drops, helping players find rare items, or making certain tasks more efficient. Some are great for gathering resources, while others help in the mines or with combat. A few even make it faster to build relationships with NPCs.
Power Books have become one of the most useful new features in Stardew Valley, giving players more ways to improve their experience and make progress faster. However, choosing the right ones will depend on an individual’s play style. Since each one offers a different perk, they add a new layer of strategy to the game.
10
The Way Of The Wind
Increase Your Speed Up To +0.5
The Way of the Wind Power Book comes in two parts, and players must read Part 1 before unlocking Part 2. Each book increases movement speed, making it easier to get around the farm, mines, and town. I often rush to complete tasks before the day ends in Stardew Valley, so this book has been useful for me.

Related
Gigantic Stardew Valley Mod Is Like A Full Expansion, Adds 17 New NPCs
Stardew Valley players looking to broaden their horizons should check out this enormous mod that’s so big it could be considered an expansion.
Part 1 of The Way of the Wind boosts speed by +0.25 permanently and costs 15,000 gold at the Bookseller. Once it’s read, Part 2 becomes available for 35,000 gold, providing another +0.25 speed increase. You get a total speed boost of +0.5 if both are used, making movement much faster.
Want to move even faster? There’s also a power book upgrade that increases the speed of your horse!
This bonus might not seem huge at first, but it adds up over time. Faster movement helps collect resources, tend to animals, and reach different areas more quickly. It’s especially useful in mines and Skull Cavern, where speed can make a difference in avoiding enemy attacks and getting deeper before passing out.
9
Price Catalog
Find Out How Much Your Items Sell For In Game
The Price Catalog is a useful power book that can be bought from the Bookseller for 3,000 gold. After reading it, you gain a special ability that allows them to view the sell price of any item they want to sell in the game. This makes it easier to decide what to sell and for how much.
Whenever you hover over any sellable item in your inventory, you’ll now be able to see its exact selling price. If the item is stacked, the price will show based on the total amount. For items where the price is affected by professions, like the Artisan profession boosting the value of goods, the adjusted price will be shown as well. This helps you make more informed choices about what to sell and when.
8
Monster Compendium
Double Your Loot Chance From Slain Monsters
The Monster Compendium is a great power book for those who spend time in the mines or Skull Cavern. It increases the chance of monsters dropping double loot, making collecting valuable items like diamonds, prismatic shards, and monster drops easier. If you enjoy combat, this book can help you gather resources faster.
If you’re venturing into the mines or caves to look for this book, make sure to bring plenty of health and stamina-restoring items.
If you’re like me and like to avoid combat, it’s not the best book out there. Still, it comes in handy when I have to venture into the mines or caverns to get those rare resources. Extra drops can be sold for gold, used for crafting, or saved for quests.
There are two ways to get the Monster Compendium. The first is by defeating monsters, since some have a chance to drop it. The second is buying it from the Bookseller in year three for 20,000 gold. It’s expensive, but the extra loot can help you earn back the cost over time.
7
Friendship 101
Increase Your Friendship Points To Fill Your Heart Meters
Building relationships with the people of Stardew Valley takes time, but the Friendship 101 power book makes the process easier. This book boosts friendship points, helping players fill heart meters faster.

Related
10 Biggest Unsolved Stardew Valley Mysteries
From aliens to magic, the world of Stardew Valley has a lot of mysteries that give you hints regarding their nature, but no clear answers.
There are two ways to get Friendship 101. The first is inside Mayor Lewis’ home, where it can be won from the prize machine using prize tickets. This method requires some luck, as you will need enough tickets and the right timing to claim the book. The second option is purchasing it from the Bookseller in year three for 20,000 gold. For those who don’t want to rely on the prize machine, buying it later in the game is a guaranteed way to add it to your collection.
This book is especially helpful for those who struggle to keep up with daily conversations and gift-giving. It makes every interaction count a little more, making unlocking recipes, gifts, and events tied to strong friendships easier.
6
Treasure Appraisal Guide
Sell Artifacts For Triple Their Original Price
As you crack open geodes in Stardew Valley, they often collect duplicate artifacts that no longer serve a purpose after being donated to the museum or library. Instead of letting these extra finds pile up or selling them for minimal profit, the Treasure Appraisal Guide makes them far more valuable. Once read, this book triples the selling price of artifacts from geodes.
This book becomes especially useful later in the game. By then, many players have completed the museum collection and continue to gather artifacts from the mines, Skull Cavern, and the volcano dungeon. Without this book, selling extras doesn’t bring in much gold. However, with the Treasure Appraisal Guide, those repeat finds suddenly become significantly more profitable.
There are a couple of ways to get this book. It can be found inside mystery boxes and artifact troves, making it a potential surprise reward for those who enjoy treasure hunting. Those who prefer a guaranteed method can purchase it from the Bookseller for 20,000 gold. While the price is steep, the increased artifact value can help you earn back the cost over time.
5
Book of Mysteries
Increase The Chance Of Finding Mystery Boxes
Mystery Boxes are a new feature introduced in the 1.6 update. They are special loot crates that contain valuable items. These boxes are unlocked by Mr. Qi after you have spent 50 days in the valley or have collected the second Prize Ticket from the billboard. Once these conditions are met, you will see a cutscene with Mr. Qi, who will explain that Mystery Boxes are now available in the game.
Mystery Boxes can be obtained in a variety of ways, and after opening more than 10 boxes, you will have a chance to find items from the Golden Mystery Boxes, excluding Golden Animal Crackers and Auto-Petters. To open these boxes, you must take them to Clint at the Blacksmith shop, where he will crack them open for a fee of 25 gold each. Unlike Geodes, Mystery Boxes cannot be opened using a Geode Crusher.
The Book of Mysteries helps by increasing the chance of finding these special Mystery Boxes. However, it can only be obtained by opening regular Mystery Boxes or Golden Mystery Boxes.
4
Animal Catalog
Buy Animals Even When Marnie Is AFK
In Stardew Valley, Marnie’s ranch is the only place to buy livestock, but her unpredictable schedule can make it frustrating when you arrive only to find the shop closed. The Animal Catalogue eliminates this problem by allowing you to purchase animals anytime, even when Marnie isn’t available.

Related
After Playing Stardew Valley For 9 Years, I Just Learned That ConcernedApe Made Another Game First
I’ve been playing Stardew Valley since it was first released in 2016, but I only just learned that it wasn’t the first game ConcernedApe made.
Normally, Marnie’s shop hours are limited, and she frequently leaves the counter for other activities, making it difficult to buy new animals when needed. This book removes that restriction, letting you expand your farm on your own schedule rather than waiting for the right day.
The Animal Catalogue is one of the more affordable books, costing only 5,000 gold. It becomes available for purchase from Marnie starting in year two, making it an easy investment for those looking to grow their farm quickly.
3
Queen Of Sauce Cookbook
Learn All The Queen Of Sauce Recipes
The Queen of Sauce Cookbook is the perfect book for players who love cooking in Stardew Valley. Normally, the Queen of Sauce TV show airs on Sundays, teaching new recipes. If a player misses an episode, they’ll sometimes have to wait a long time for it to rerun. This can be frustrating, especially for those who want to unlock all recipes quickly in Stardew Valley.
Cooking is useful for restoring energy, gifting villagers, and completing quests. Some dishes even give helpful buffs that improve farming, mining, fishing, or combat. Having access to all recipes right away means you can cook whatever they need, without waiting for the Queen of Sauce to teach them.
With the Queen of Sauce Cookbook, you instantly learn all the recipes from the show. There’s no need to check the TV every Sunday or worry about missing an episode. This is especially helpful for those who start cooking later in the game and don’t want to wait months to learn every recipe.
Cooking is useful for restoring energy, gifting villagers, and completing quests. Some dishes even give helpful buffs that improve farming, mining, fishing, or combat. Having access to all recipes right away means you can cook whatever they need, without waiting for the Queen of Sauce to teach them. The Queen of Sauce Cookbook can be bought from the Bookseller for 50,000 gold. While this is expensive, it saves you a lot of time.
2
The Diamond Hunter
Increase Your Chances Of Mining Diamonds From Rocks
Diamonds are one of the rarest and most valuable gems in Stardew Valley, second only to Prismatic Shards. Since almost all villagers love receiving them as gifts, they’re great for building friendships. Diamonds also sell for a high price, making them a solid way to earn extra gold. However, they’re hard to find, so getting more can be tricky.
Diamonds are more commonly found at level 50 and above in the mines.
The Diamond Hunter Power Book gives you a 0.66% chance to mine a diamond from any rock using a pickaxe. This means even regular rocks can sometimes drop a diamond. If the player has the Geologist profession, there’s also a 50% chance that mined diamonds will come in pairs, making this book even more useful.
Instead of costing gold, The Diamond Hunter must be bought with 10 diamonds from the Dwarf in the Volcano Dungeon. While this is a steep price, the book pays for itself over time by helping you find more diamonds. Since diamonds already sell for a lot, the extra drops can lead to bigger profits.
1
Book Of Stars
Level Up Your Skills Quickly And Easily
When you read the Book of Stars, you’ll receive 250 XP in all skills. This is a great boost for those who want to level up quickly in skills like farming, mining, combat, and more. However, if your skills are already at Level 10 in all categories, you won’t get regular XP. Instead, you’ll earn 1,125 Mastery points, useful for enhancing your overall progression and unlocking additional bonuses.

Related
10 Mods For Stardew Valley That Should’ve Been In The Game At Launch
Stardew Valley is one of the most popular farming sims out there, but there are still certain features missing from the base game that mods can fix.
If you’re looking to level up faster or want a boost to your mastery, the Book of Stars is a valuable item to add to your collection. You can buy the Book of Stars from the Bookseller for 15,000 gold or earn it through quests from the Raccoons.
Power Books in Stardew Valley are a great resource for both newer and older players. They make the game easier and more fun by giving you useful boosts. With these books, players can level up faster, earn more money, and unlock helpful abilities, making their time in Stardew Valley that much more enjoyable and relaxing.

- Released
-
February 26, 2016
- ESRB
-
E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
Source link