During a Stardew Valley quest called "A Curious Substance," players need to deliver a rare Ghost drop known as Ectoplasm to the Wizard.

Ectoplasm is an exceedingly rare item drop in Stardew Valley produced from the ghastly remains of Ghosts and their more deadly variants. The only time a Stardew Valley farmer can obtain Ectoplasm is during "A Curious Substance," an infrequent quest in which the Wizard charges the farmer with bringing him Ectoplasm ×1. The task is undoubtedly a challenging feat, as the Stardew Valley Ghost enemy mobs drop Ectoplasm at a mere 9.5% rate. Furthermore, players are given seven days to complete the quest, after which the Ectoplasm will not spawn from drops and will disappear from the player's inventory.

Fulfilling "A Curious Substance" is the sole way to unlock the Mini-Obelisk Recipe in Stardew Valley. The Mini-Obelisk is a crafted item that will teleport the farmer to the location of another identical obelisk. Although their utility is bound to the zone of the player's farm, it can be an immense time-saver when completing daily chores across expansive ranches.

As mentioned above, Ghosts are the only means of obtaining Ectoplasm, one of the rarest materials in Stardew Valley. These mobs include the typical Ghosts found within The Mines, Carbon Ghosts located in the Skull Cavern and Dangerous Mines, and Putrid Ghosts, which exclusively spawn in the Dangerous Mines. While there are plenty of Carbon Ghosts to encounter in the Mummy levels of Skull Cavern, farming them would surely be a difficult endeavor on its own. Carbon Ghosts have over twice the base HP as ordinary Ghosts and also deal 250% of their damage. As a result, it is recommended that players farm for Ectoplasm within the mines unless they are fully prepared for the costly trips back and forth to the Skull Cavern.

Where to Find Ectoplasm in Stardew Valley

While it is not as simple as locating where the most Ectoplasm can be found, there are few strategies players can adopt to increase their chances of finishing "A Curious Substance." One such approach requires players to carefully manage their farming time and slay the most Ghosts possible. First, they must to the elevator in The Mines and descend to Floor 55. Once inside the area, they should wait a few seconds for a Ghost to spawn. If it does, players will need to kill it, but if one doesn't spawn, they should return to the elevator and repeat this procedure on Floor 65. Players can continue this process for however many days they need to until they finally get Ectoplasm.

Players should keep in mind that the Luck attribute in Stardew Valley does not affect the loot from monster drops. Therefore, Ghosts will not have a greater chance of dropping Ectoplasm on a Lucky Day or with a Luck buff. While this knowledge isn't a secret in Stardew Valley, it could be a common misconception that players shouldn't factor in Luck for this particular scenario.

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Stardew Valley is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.