How to Get the Magnifying Glass and Secret Notes – Stardew Valley
With Stardew Valley 1.3 upon us (on PC), it is time once again to pour over new secrets which have been added to the game. One secret which is new is the addition of the Magnifying Glass and Secret Notes. Below I will show you how to get the Magnifying Glass and Secret Notes in Stardew Valley.
What is the Magnifying Glass?
The Magnifying Glass is a new item in Stardew Valley which is given to you that allows you to collect and read Secret Notes. The item’s description is as follows:
You received the Magnifying Glass! You now have the ability to find ‘Secret Notes’. These notes reveal rare and useful information, and can be reviewed in your collections tab.”
Now that we know what the Magnifying Glass is, we need to know how to get it.
How to Get the Magnifying Glass?
The Magnifying Glass is given to you by “Shadow Guy” during the Winter season. The first time you leave your farm heading east into town, you will see Shadow Guy run away. Follow Shadow Guy’s footprints (they lead to the bush beside the playground) and interact with the bush they lead to. This will trigger a short cutscene with Shadow Man where he will give you the Magnifying Glass, stating, “Eeeeep! You caught me! I’m sorry! Take it! Take it! It looked so valuable, I couldn’t help myself…” With the Magnifying Glass in your Wallet, you can begin to collect Secret Notes.
Where to Get Secret Notes?
As the game mentions, Secret Notes reveal rare and useful information when read. These notes can be gathered in a plethora of ways including:
- Killing monsters.
- Digging up worms.
- Mining rocks.
- Cutting down weeds.
In total there are 23 Secret Notes to collect. Not all notes lead to anything. Some notes are simply stating what items to give characters, while other notes set you on scavenger hunts of sorts. I’ve thrown together a listing of all Secret Notes here.
FOR ANYONE WHO HASN’T SEEN THIS IN THEIR GAME : If you are not playing on a computer you can not see this. This is computer only. (PC) If you are playing on PS4,Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch. You WILL NOT get this cutscene. Your welcome!
I play on a Switch and I got this cutscene, I don’t know what you are talking about
I’m on my 5 year and I walk out onto the bus entrance but no Krobis… And I don’t know how to update on Xbox One. Help me.
I dont find the Shadow Guy???
I think you have to donate 60 items to the museum also so that you get the key from Gunther to go into the sewers where the black ghost (Krobus) lives, that’s when it popped out to me anyway
can you receive the magnifying glass in a existing savegame, where you’re already in year 5 and higher? any experiences?
In the video you have on this page you do not see the shadow guy run away at all, I just watched it several times from the beginning. He never showed up for me all through the winter, each morning I took the same route towards village expecting him and nothing. Not sure how to fix this without cheating. And I never got notes from trees, someone here mentions getting them from trees. Maybe he doesnt show on your first winter??
Make sure your game is up to date! Updating worked for me.
How do you updated on the PS4
Ya on my first to forth year it has not showed up for some reason
You can get the notes from chopping down trees too, I got a couple while trying to get wood for an upgrade.
You can also get the secret notes while fishing, although I lost the secret note I got while participating in the fishing contest during the Winter Ice Festival.
I will add this. Thanks!