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You do not place candles on Grandpa’s Shrine. The candles show the result of Grandpa’s farm evaluation, which first happens at the beginning of Year 3. If fewer than four candles are lit, keep improving your farm and put a Diamond in the shrine to request another evaluation. Once all four candles are lit, interact with the shrine to claim the Statue of Perfection.
Why Grandpa’s Shrine has no candles
Grandpa’s Shrine is in the northwest corner of the farm. Its note says, “Wait for my return at the dawn of the 3rd year.” When the evaluation takes place, Grandpa assesses your farm using a point system. The candles are the result of that evaluation—not items you craft or place. The Stardew Valley Wiki lists the candle thresholds as follows:
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Stardew Valley (Nintendo Switch) | $33.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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|
Evaluation points |
Candles lit |
|---|---|
|
0–3 |
1 |
|
4–7 |
2 |
|
8–11 |
3 |
|
12 or more |
4 |
These thresholds are reported by the Stardew Valley Wiki’s Grandpa guide, accessed in 2026.
What to do if the evaluation has not happened yet
If you have not reached the start of Year 3, keep playing until the scheduled evaluation. You do not need to put anything in the shrine while you wait.
#1 Best Overall
- Create the farm of your dreams: build your farm from the ground up on 1 of 5 map layouts suited to your play style!
- mmaster your branching skills: raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard and build useful machines!
- become a part of the local community: get to know all 30+ residents of Pelican town!
- customize your farmer: there are hundreds of character customization options to choose from!
- settle down and start a family: share life on the farm with 1 of 12 characters you can date and marry, and even have children with!.explore vast, mysterious caves! Encounter dangerous monsters and valuable treasures!.spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots: the waters are teeming with seasonal varieties of delicious fish. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local Legend!.
How to get more candles after the first evaluation
Build evaluation points
If the shrine shows fewer than four candles after the evaluation, continue making progress in the categories that suit your save. The evaluation considers factors including lifetime earnings, skills and milestones, keys, Community Center progress, achievements, and relationships. You do not need to complete every possible milestone to reach four candles.
Request a reevaluation with a Diamond
Place a Diamond in Grandpa’s Shrine to request another evaluation. According to the wiki, Grandpa generally reappears the next day after a game load; in some cases, the reevaluation is deferred until the first day of the next season. A low first result does not mean you must restart your save.
How to claim the Statue of Perfection
When all four candles are lit, interact with Grandpa’s Shrine to receive the Statue of Perfection. The statue produces 2–8 Iridium Ore per day, according to the Stardew Valley Wiki’s Statue of Perfection page, accessed in 2026.
Quick troubleshooting
- No candles before Year 3: Keep playing until the beginning of Year 3, when the first evaluation is scheduled.
- Fewer than four candles after evaluation: Improve progress across relevant evaluation categories, then place a Diamond in the shrine to request reevaluation.
- Four candles are lit: Interact with the shrine to claim the Statue of Perfection.
The shrine mechanics and timing described here are documented by the community-maintained Stardew Valley Wiki entry for Grandpa’s Shrine; platform-specific differences are not established by the cited reference.
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Rank #3
- You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life.
- Now with Multiplayer! Invite 1-3 players to join you in the valley! Players can work together to build a thriving farm, share resources, and build relationships with townspeople or each other.
- New Single Player Content! Including the new Winter Market Festival, more collectibles, added character cut-scenes and even hats for your horse!
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