Stardew Valley: What Are The Wiggling Sticks?

gamerant.com:

Six years on since its original release, farming RPG Stardew Valley remains one of the most popular indie titles of all time. The gentle journey from cubicle-dwelling office drone to thriving farmer has been praised for its tone, mechanics, and visuals. There are many secrets to be unearthed in Stardew Valley, ranging from social scandals to archeological discoveries.

One unusual feature that players may notice on their journeys across Stardew Valley are little patches of wiggling brown sticks or worms. These are Artifact Spots, marking locations where players can dig up a random item using their Hoe. Which item players will get depends not only on the Artifact Spot's location on the Stardew Valley map but also on the Season.

Stardew Valley: How To Get Refined Quartz

Artifact Spots can spawn all across Stardew Valley, as well as in the Desert and on Ginger Island. Each night, there is a chance that new Spots will spawn on tillable tiles across the map. These Spots have only a 15% chance to disappear with each subsequent night, so players can often run into several of them in the same area. Artifact Spots are also much more common in the winter but are also less likely to contain valuable and unique Artifacts. The Tracker profession makes it much easier to find these Spots, adding an arrow that will point to any nearby Spot that is currently off-screen.

Because Artifact Spots can be found anywhere from Pelican Town to the mysterious Ginger Island, it's a good idea for players to always carry a Hoe with them as they travel. A Hoe with the Archeologist enchantment will double the odds of finding an Artifact, while the Generous enchantment gives a 50% chance that whatever the player finds will be doubled.

An Artifact Spot can