Yoba in Stardew Valley [Explained]: Items & References

If you’ve been playing Stardew Valley for a while now, you would’ve recognized that the game has a significant focus on story-building and interactions.

The experiences you have with Villagers and other characters in the game have a deep impact on your outlook of Pelican Town. There’s profound running lore behind the game’s origin story that’s actually relatively easy to miss if you’re not on the lookout!

One of the factors in this lore of Stardew Valley is Yoba. I’m sure you would’ve heard that name in your normal playthrough, there are tons of dialogues regarding it, and of course, there’s also that golden altar resting in Pierre’s General Store.

But what exactly is Yoba, and what does it refer to? That’s precisely what I’ll be covering today!

What is Yoba?

The short answer to this is that Yoba is God. Quite literally. You might be a bit confused, though, so let me elaborate.

Yoba is an ancient entity present in Stardew Valley. It is widely regarded in the Stardew Valley universe as an entity that created the world and everything within it. There are multiple references to Yoba throughout different parts of the game.

It seems that the developer, Eric Barone, didn’t want to include a religious sentiment in his game. As such, he made up a whole new almighty entity to give the residents of Stardew Valley something to believe in! There’s a missing book in the Library called the “Book of Yoba.”

This book explains how the character Yoba created the Earth by using an “endless golden light” and a “seed’.

Although, you should know that Yoba isn’t an actual character that you can interact with in the Stardew Valley world. Since it’s regarded as a divine entity, you can’t see or talk to it. It’s just a concept in the game rather than being an actual thing with game content related to it.

There are, however, tons of references to Yoba throughout the world. The “Sign of The Vessel,” is actually Yoba’s sign! You can also find this in multiple areas around the map.

References

The following are some references to Yoba present in the current version of the game.

The Shield in the Picture of the Adventurer’s Bundle has the sign of Yoba showcased on it.
A sign of Yoba is placed on top of Mayor Lewis’ bed and can also be seen in Grandpa’s room during the opening cutscene of the game.
The sign of Yoba is again seen on top of the Forge in Ginger Island as well as in the top right room in Harvey’s clinic.
The “Altar of Yoba” is placed in a room dedicated to the entity in Pierre’s General Store. Several characters can be seen going into the room to pray from time to time.
After completing Abigail’s 14-heart event, a Monster Grave appears in the Backwoods. This Grave is marked with the Sign of Yoba!
Both the “Grave Stone” and “Sign of the Vessel” decorations are references to Yoba, as both these items showcase his sign in great detail.
In the case of crafting, you can make a “Yoba Shirt” by using Cloth and Solar Essence.
Lastly, you can obtain a ring called the “Ring of Yoba.” This is a direct reference to the entity, and the ring gives you a slight chance of becoming invulnerable after getting hit.

There are also multiple references to Yoba that can be found within character dialogues. You can find these mentioned in detail on the Stardew Valley Wiki.

What is the Altar of Yoba?

The Altar of Yoba is a golden-colored altar with the sign of Yoba perched on its top. It has an entire room dedicated to it in Pierre’s General Store. The altar itself has a very flashy and unique appearance – you can’t miss it!

The Altar pays tribute to Yoba and acts as a sort of prayer room. Different characters can be seen coming into this room and praying to the altar, and indirectly, Yoba. Currently, the Altar of Yoba has no uses. It’s just there for aesthetic pleasure.

However, initially, this altar was supposed to be interactable and have a purpose. It was meant to help you re-charge a “Wand” item that enabled you to teleport back to your farm from any location!

This idea was later scrapped once the “Magic Scepter” item was introduced, which allowed you to teleport without having any charge requirements. As such, the Altar of Yoba lost its purpose, but Eric Barone, the developer of Stardew Valley, never removed the item from the game.

What is the Ring of Yoba?

The Ring of Yoba is a ring item in Stardew Valley that can be worn to provide you with a unique buff. Its name is a reference to the Yoba entity in Stardew Valley.

The ring itself can be crafted after unlocking its recipe. This can be done by reaching level 7 in the Combat stat. Ingredients required to make the ring include 5 Iron and Gold Bars, along with a single Diamond.

The Ring of Yoba has a chance of giving you the “Yoba’s Blessing” buff whenever you get hit by a monster. This buff makes you invulnerable to damage from monsters for a 5 second period. The probability of receiving this buff also scales with a more significant drop in health!