There are a lot of things to find in Stardew Valley. Unfortunately, many of these things are time-restricted, and if you don’t get them in the right season, you need to wait an entire year for the chance to get them again.
Rainbow Shells are one such forageable item in Stardew Valley. While these pretty little shells aren’t used for many quests or crafting, they’re a solid bet to be given as a gift to most villagers as a gift and can be used inside Fish Tanks as a decoration.
How to get Rainbow Shells in Stardew Valley
The foremost place to get Rainbow Shells is through foraging on the beach in the Summer. If you’re playing on a Beach Farm, you may find them on the ground at any time of the year.
Thankfully, there are a few other ways to find them outside of Summer:
- In the mines, after activating the Shrine of Challenge
- In the mines during the ‘Danger in the Deep’ quest
- As a gift from Jas, Vincent, or Leo during the Feast of the Winter Star
- As a gift from Demetrius, received via mail
- 2% chance of a Rainbow Trout Fish Pond producing 1 Rainbow Shell daily if the population reaches 9
- As a gift from a pet Turtle with maximum friendship
- May appear in the Traveling Cart for between 900 and 1,500 Gold
How to use a Rainbow Shell in Stardew Valley
Most villagers will like getting a Rainbow Shell as a gift. The only exceptions to this are Elliot, who feels neutral about it, or Harvey, who hates them.
Quests
The Mysterious QI quest, which will eventually open up the back door inside the Oasis and allow you access to the Casino, requires one Rainbow Shell to be placed inside the box at the train station.
If you have a Blobfish Pond, they may request a Rainbow Shell in order to increase the capacity of the pond from 7 to 10.
Tailoring
In order to create a dyeable Bikini Top, you can place a Rainbow Shell in the spool of a Sewing Machine. Otherwise, you can use a Rainbow Shell with the Sewing Machine to open up the dye menu, allowing you to dye an item any color using sliders.
