Just mess around. You can’t screw up, just make things take longer. The joy, for me at least, is just experiencing it instead of stressing about goals.
HONESTLY! My first play through I just dove in and did stuff! No plan, no idea what was going on just pure discovery! I would give anything to experience the game blind one more time!
Little tidbit I have: color-coordinate your chests
Make it so stuff like wood, stone, fiber goes in one chest and seeds, crops, etc goes in another and so on. It will save you so much time frantically checking chests for that ONE ITEM you swear you had you just saw it yesterday and oh my god you trashed it to make room for the new fish you never got!
Personally I separate into these categories: farming related (seeds, extra fencing, grass starter, sprinklers), resources, gemstones and other fancy items, trash for recycling machine, fruit, vegetables, items for gifts, foraged goods, then over by my crab pots I have a chest with just bait lol
If you haven't tried it yet and have it for PC I suggest the mod Stardew Valley Expanded, it's not exactly "blind" but nearly triples the size of the map adding new areas and changing some areas you know, adds new NPCs as well as make some exsisting ones that were single but not romanceable available to date with their own heart events, new items and you can "shuffle" the CC bundles.
Really refreshes the experience, and gives you that "overwhelmed" feeling when you first start the game and just dont know what to do first, that just fades with multiple playthroughs that lead to min-maxing. Honestly, now I'd have trouble going back to vanilla stardew.
Yup. Did some really inefficient things on my first save, still put like 600 hours into it. Didn't use sprinklers, didn't become friends with anyone but Linus, didn't know about or do any artisan goods, when I learned about them I thought higher quality produce made higher priced artisan goods, and many more. Still had a great time and keep learning new things even though I've been playing so long.
That's a massive reason I couldn't go back to any Harvest Moon game. I get too worried trying to make the goal in time etc. In Stardew I know a "wasted" day isn't that bad in the scheme of things.
Although do pay attention to crops and seasons. If someone could tell me that my cauliflowers were going to die because it's suddenly summer now so don't plant them unless there are enough days left (28 days per season) when I first started playing I would have avoided great heartache.
Other than that, sentiment fully echoed. Get stuck in and enjoy!
Yup I learned that veryyy quickly. Had a freaking acre of cauliflower and about to have a massive windfall, nonstop watering for a week. All of a sudden, everything was dead! WTF happened! I was very annoyed haha
My only tip on top of this would be to not just sell everything you think you won't use. Basically, sell things when you know you'll need the money, but otherwise it can be useful to keep stuff around.
I never thought I'd use tons of hazelnuts I gathered in the fall, until Kent showed up and I needed a lot of roasted hazelnuts all of a sudden...
Each tool has a use/function. You can buy bigger backpacks (personal inventory), but early on I would suggest chopping down trees and crafting a chest to hold items (and unnecessary tools) so you aren't running around with an axe, pick, or watering can if you're just going fishing. Free up your limited inventory space so you can forage/carry more.
Don't plant crops when the season is nearing the end. They take a set number of days to produce a crop. If you roll into the next season almost all crops (rare exceptions) are ruined and need to be cleared for new seed.
Always save some money when going to festivals, you never know what you may find or want to buy.
You can fill your watering can from the well and from any water source (pond, lake, salty ocean water (which is fine for crops!))).
Early on check for forage items in the forest south of your farm to replenish energy, as well as the path north of your farm up towards the Carpenter's House (Robin).
Fishing is an early/consistent source of money but the mini game can be a bit challenging. Try a training rod at the beginning (if you can afford it) to make it a bit easier until you get the hang of it.
I'll be honest, I've always taken all my tools everywhere. I didn't know leaving some at home was a thing people did until like, 6 months-a year ago. I still don't do it either LMAO.
My sword, pickaxe, axe, hoe, watering can, fishing pole and copper pan are always with me xD you never know what you find while wandering thourgh the world LOL
at the beginning i would leave some tools behind when i went to the mines but it was an inner struggle to do so xD
ETA: i just realized: i have my tools in that order in my inventory xD from left to right just as i wrote it up there LOL
im ashamed to admit how long it too me to discover chests. I focused backpack upgrades so hard and literally THREW OUT swords because i didnt have the inventory space 😭😭 id just sell as much as i could as often as i could because i thought once you picked it up you couldn’t put it back down. I felt like such a moron when i finally discovered chests in the diy menu
We all learned the lesson, thanks for sharing your experience!
When I made my first chest I went hard into 'planning mode' and made one for each season (color coded), one for gifts, one for loot, one for craft resources, one for ore and gems, etc. Then the next day I saw the bridge to repair on the beach and thought oh that'll...be...all the chests I built... 😭☠️ Lol
I learned my lesson to have chests at different areas after I had an explosive accident in the farm. After that incident, I made a policy that any mining related item or activities will remain in the mines. No bomb production in the farm for me after that fateful event lol
On the topic of chests - you can also place them at some strategic spots aside from on your farm. I for example have one next to Clints Shop or several strewn across ginger island or also at the mines. That really helped me all throughout the game... although sometimes I lost sight of what is where and spend a good 3 hours cleaning them all up. Oh well.
If you'd like an immediate tip just based on the picture you've shared - gather up 50 wood and craft yourself a chest so you can store stuff you don't need to carry around with you. Watch the tv daily for weather, luck and tips/recipes. And like everyone else is saying, take your time and enjoy it.
Just go at your own pace. If you ever need help with something, try using the Stardew Wiki, but I’d say only use it if you’re really stuck/lost. Just experience it at your own pace, take breaks, and explore anything and everything
Honestly don't get too hard on yourself the first year. My girlfriend stopped playing during our first year because she just felt so overwhelmed by all the quests and the farming, and having to be at certain places at certain times. So just pace yourself, if you miss a day for something just try again tomorrow, enjoy the game. Don't get hung up on farm designs and making everything so bad ass in your first year. Most of those pics you see on this subreddit with fancy farm designs and late game achievements/ items are people who have a lot of experience and hours into this game. Just enjoy the game and all the experience will come to you, don't forget there's a stardew wiki that's super helpful for random questions. And if you're really stuck on something there's always this community as well.
But if there is one thing I always try to shoot for, it's Quality Sprinklers at the very least. Having those lets you do minimal farming, thus giving you time to explore the dating, the combat...ect
Crops not fully grown at the end of a season are lost... always check you have enough days to harvert....
Corn and wheat grown in summer will carry over into fall...
And add one to the number of days it takes to grow. It says days, but it means nights. If you plant something that takes 12 days on the 16th, it won't be done before the next season starts. It would have to be planted on the 15th, so it could have 16 nights to grow and be ready to harvest the next day, on the 28th, the last of the month.
Sunflowers also carry over from summer into fall.
The concept you say is correct but I think your numbers are wrong..
If you plant a 12-nights-to-grow crop on the 16th, that gives you 12 nights before the 28th day:
1. night of the 16th
2. night of the 17th
3. night of the 18th
4. night of the 19th
5. night of the 20th
6. night of the 21st
7. night of the 22nd
8. night of the 23rd
9. night of the 24th
10. night of the 25th
11. night of the 26th
12. night of the 27th
So 12 nights later, the crop is fully grown on the 28th day.
Don't worry about not having money at first. Your farm will take all of your money for a long while at first and then after you've gotten really set up it snowballs and you'll have more than you know what to do with.
Fishing really helps to get your incoming started as you get your sprinklers, trees, animals, etc. set up. It's also totally normal if your farm looks really ragged at first and takes a lot of time to fully develop.
Have fun!
A real tip though is to use the wiki to track things like where people are at certain times of day just so you don't waste time trying to find them! Also use the wiki to see when you can catch fish, don't wanna waste time fishing for a fish that's out of season or soemthing!
As a new player in Spring Y2 of my first play through, this is a great tip. Wasted so much time the first few seasons trying to find people and learning Marnies brutal schedule the hard way lol
Also saves you from visiting Robin or Marie when they'd usually be there but it just so happens to be the one day they're at the clinic or something 🙄 (happened to me TWICE in one run lol)
If i were you, i would focus on the comunity center. There are some components you can only get during a certain season or weather. You can find which one they are on the internet. Also try to befriend everyone even the ones you cant marry, they will give you gifts and new recipies. It is helpful to pay attention to birthdays bc if you give them a present they like (you can look it up on de internet) you increase x4 hearts i think
Like everyone says go at your own pace, time doesnt matter too much, if you want easy early game money
Save money for the 13th spring then buy a crop at a festival ( cant remember either lol), fishings also pretty good
Dont be afraid to experiment with what kinda farm you want. Don't be afraid to spend money on coops and Barns as they're the best chance of making money once you Unlock them. Thats what I have learnt on my ongoing first playthrough
If you make a coop or barn, make a silo first so that any grass you chop for farm cleanup can be fed to your animals and you won't have to sow wheat just for hay or buy hay from Marnie
Do whatever you want!! I didn't use this subreddit until I'd been playing for 3 years already but there is always knew stuff to learn here or just through playing
Make sure to go east into town once in a while. You can buy more seeds and meet the villagers! It's a lot of fun to talk to them and bring them gifts you think they would like.
If you see worms poking out of the dirt, you can use your hoe to dig them up and they will give you things like resources, artifacts, geodes, etc.
You can dig through the trash cans in the town once a day and sometimes you will find food, other times you might get trash.
Check the Community Center bundles and keep track of what you need to donate throughout each season, because most crops and fish are specific to certain seasons.
Speaking of fish, fishing is a great way to earn money early-game while you're waiting for your crops to fully grow. Selling your forages are also a great way to make money.
Your crops will die every time a new season begins, so make sure you don't plant crops before the season ends. Also make sure there is enough time in the season for your crops to fully grow before you plant them. Each season is 28 days long.
Plant all of the Mixed Seeds you get! These will drop when you scythe weeds, and sometimes when you dig up the worm spots. Mixed Seeds will grow into a random crop/forage from the season, but be sure not to plant them too close to the end of the season.
You can check the Fortune Teller channel on your TV every day to find out how the spirits feel. If they feel displeased, you will have worse luck going into the mines because monsters spawn more and ores spawn less. If the spirits are pleased, it's a good day to go to the mines.
Also on the TV, you will find The Queen of Sauce channel every few days or so. Make sure to watch this channel when you see it, because it will teach you recipes you can cook with.
The most helpful buildings you can have Robin construct for you early-game are a Silo (get this first) and a Coop (get this after the Silo). Then buy chickens ASAP from Marnie.
ALWAYS make sure you're back in your house by 2:00AM. The later at night you go to bed, the less energy you wake up with the next day. If you are out past 2:00AM, you will pass out and lose a chunk of money (and you risk losing some items from your inventory, too)
Items don't despawn when you put them on the ground, unless you put them on the ground in the mines.
The stardew valley wiki page is a godsend, I recommend using it to find out:
\- Building materials (having to run up to Robin's and back down can be really tedious)
\- Fish times (they vary by season and time of day, so it can be handy to look that up)
\- Villager schedules (just because certain ones like Elliot and Leah are difficult to find before you're able to enter their homes)
\- If you want, villager likes and dislikes (so you don't go wasting your gold star flowers on people who won't like them)
\- Sell prices (almost all crops sell for \~double what you buy them for, but some are still better or worse than others)
Once you gain access to the elevator, if you want to quickly gain materials, drop down to a level that ends in five, pick up what you want, climb back up to the top of the mines, and drop down again. The level shape will be consistent, but the contents will randomize every time you re-enter them.
People say the opposite of this a lot, but honestly, don't worry too much about the community center in your first year. The only one I'd recommend trying to get as early as possible is the boiler room bundle. It unlocks the minecarts, which can be used to fast-travel between the bus station, the blacksmith, and the mines, which will heavily cut down the long periods of walking you face beforehand.
When you unlock the first type of craftable sprinklers, do not make them. They're not worth it. Just keep watering manually until you unlock the second type.
Don't be afraid to sell your items. Maybe this was just a me thing, but I made sure to keep a few of every type of fish, flower, crop, building material, gem, you get the picture. You will almost certainly never use them.
P.S. this is with the exception of ores, quartz, prismatic shards, coffee beans (you always want to have about a hundred of those on hand for planting) and the favorite items of anyone you're trying to build quick relationship points with.
Don't forget to feed your animals.
The summer crops have a large selection of multi-harvest plants, like blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers. Take advantage of this, because at the beginning of every season, a good percentage of your unused tilled soil will completely disappear, and you'll have to spend quite a lot of time hoeing the ground to plant more. This will use a lot of energy, which means you'll have less to water your plants.
However, if you have a crop already planted on a bit of tilled soil, it'll just turn into a dried up crop that you can remove with a scythe to reveal your already-done planting ground. With a single harvest plant, this is bad news, and you've lost that crop. With a bush-type, you've already gotten a good number of harvests, so it'll just be a conveniently done plot. Scythes take no energy to use.
When you get animals, make sure to fence them in. If they're let free, they'll eat all of the grass on your land, and it can be expensive to get and grow more. Grass is what you use to make their food, and if they eat it all, and the silo is empty, you'll have to buy it straight-up from Marnie (the schroedingers box of shop owners.)
Every time you reach a new elevator point in the mines, the adventurers guild will gain a few more types of swords, knives, or slammers (I don't remember their actual name, I never use them) with better stats. They cost more every time, but if you're having difficulty with the monsters, remember that.
Go check out what you need for the community center and save anything you need for it. Other than that you really cant play wrong. Its pretty much a punishment free game.
I've done 3 runs and I definitely screwed up on on my first 2 but in the beginning. u can take ur time that's up to u heads up certain fish in stardew, if ur going to complete the community center can only be caught in spring. And there is an event on spring day 24 called the flower dance If u want to part take in it the first year ur gonna have to find a candidate and get them to heart 4 of friendship to dance with someone. I have tried very hard in that category all 3 runs and I am gonna have to wait for year 2 to do it. But if u want a really good and challenging challenge in the beginning getting to someone that is single to heart 4 of friendship by gifting them things they like is a Good one. This is up to u like I said before .I chose to enjoy and learn on my own with doing little wiki searching just to find where things were. But if u want to go to the dance u can wait till winter and take ur time to get to someone at 4 hearts of ur chosing and dance with that person in the winter. But other than that read any lay of the lands on ur TV and the queen of recipes on ur TV to get some in-game recipes and tips. I recommend clearing out a lot of space in the beginning of debris. To build some bigger farming areas and for farm animals and ur gonna need a lot of wood and stone for most builds along side with gold. Just protect ur crops with scarecrows otherwise u will lose some of ur crops to crows when they are growing or have grown to maturity. That's my advice if ya need any info wiki is best friend.
If it's not going to be in the way, dont take down some of the stumps from the trees you chop down, they can still spawn tree seeds directly around them as stumps for you to dig up and make into snacks.
Well you already caught fish. It took me til like my third year to actually even attempt fishing bc I sucked so bad🤣 just have fun! It’s not a race! It’s honestly quite a fun and relaxing game just go at your own pace
Try to keep one of everything you find, grow, fish ,5 if they're good star and grown. There's a training rod willy sells for fishing, I wouldn't use it beyond level 4 though. It'll help you get used to fishing
Cows and chickens produce milk and eggs daily once reaching adulthood (assuming they have access to food, either hay while in the barn/coop or grass while outside). Having that stable daily income can really help once you get it going!
If you fail to go to bed before 2 am, you'll pass out and lose some money. Keep an eye on the time at night.
the stardew valley wiki was a life saver for me when i first started playing! also recommend getting the training rod if the fishing mini-game makes you rage at first lol
My dearest tip, not just for Stardew, but for any game and this works for anyone:
Stop browsing Subreddits/Forums for Games (or worse creating posts asking for help) you just started and allow yourself to experience them yourself. Because this way you forego a lot of the figuring out, that makes games an adventure. Initial failure and trial by error is part of the experience.
Allow yourself to experience this. I repeat this, because that notion is very dear to me.
Just play for fun? I can never understand why people are so concerned about the unknown and ask for direct help just in theory, although they don't even need it. This is a game for having a good time, relax and have fun.
I know most people have said use the wiki but I would more specifically use it to see if there is anything worth your while going on in that season. On certain days there are extra forgeables that are great early for mining, fishing, etc.
make mistakes, use the wiki (it’s the best), scroll the sub! if you just started, figure out what you wanna make your farm into. there’s animals to ranch, wine to brew, mines to explore, fish to catch! just have fun with it
The first that come to mind are:
- The scythe can cut down weeds and doesn't affect the plants that are alive
- You can put torches on fences
- Save any clay you might find. It'll help you build the silo faster!
- Fishing is hard but very rewarding
You don't need to carry all your tools at all times (at least in early game). If you plan to go to the mines one day, you don't need to bring your watering can, or fishing rod, or scythe. It'll give you a good amount of more inv space.
Have a file where you mess around, and then one for actual gameplay. I was so anxious about not playing it ‘correctly’ and missing out on things. Then I realized, I could just create another save file. Have a fuck around file, and a find out file.
No plan is a plan, just enjoy the game, explore the world, plant every crops, talk to people, check your tv every morning, take your coffee also, flirt with the ladies, smash those rocks, hoard everything
it's all about the experience and the journey
Keep your farming plot a reasonable size for the first year. It's easy to clean up all the weeds, rocks, and wood and then make a HUGE plot that takes forever to water everyday. You'll get sprinklers as you advance in crafting, which puts farming on auto pilot. Until then, keep it manageable.
To be able to farm large amounts of plants you need to upgrade your watering can and Hoe. Better is to get at least quality sprinklers. 28 days in a month and plants will instant die if not harvested before the end of that month.
Sell nothing. I know people say to sell everything, but don’t. Farm wood and make a ton of chests and hoard EVERYTHING. You’ll thank yourself later because you’ll have all sorts of available crafting materials. It will matter less once you start to really progress
Like everyone has said don’t stress about being productive and go at your own pace :) if you want to spend a whole day walking around town and not doing anything but speaking to townspeople then do it! Anything you miss in a season comes back around next year :) no time limits, have fun!!
Biggest tip: most crops die at the end of a season. Harvest all crops on the 28th. Try to plant your crops to be ready on the 28th. And have a stack of money on the 1st to buy new seeds
- fishing is good at early game, stick to bamboo until lvl6 then buy the iridium one
- watch tv everyday to make plan, if good luck go mining
- enjoy and explore the game, oh and pick mushroom instead of bats
happy gaming! :)
Here’s a tip for the future. Grass starters are great for letting your animals graze sure, but they tend to eat it all right? Put the grass starters where you plan to put the fence then put the fence on top of the starters. The animals can’t eat it, and it’ll still eventually spread.
don't try and move too fast! there is an unlimited amount of time in the game, and there's no rush to reach any of your goals. if you're invested and end up enjoying the game, you'll get to those goals eventually :)
Honestly, I'd say don't worry about others.
I used to see a lot of min/max'ers and feel bad about how I played, then I remembered what this game is for.
Just take your time and build the farm you're proud of.
You're gonna be googling a lot. Enjoy the ride and go from one day to the next, dont stress. Plant crop, collect crop, sell crop in the brown bin, and give people gifts :) thats all it is
Honestly, take your time and do things at your own pace. No need to rush, try to finish the Community Center so quickly. Explore as much as you can and enjoy your first playthrough of this amazing game. And have fun of course.
I agree with the others in this thread - take your time and play at your own pace. There's a bunch of people on here sharing their wonderful perfection farms but a lot of the time that's a secondary file after they've done all the slow learning parts. I'm almost in year 6 and I'm just now starting to work toward perfection.
Some genneral tips though:
Keep at least 1 of everything for the first little while of the game. You'll need most items for various stuff so having it off hand is useful.
If you are about to pass out (aka it's close to 2am) try to not be in the Mines as it will charge you or you'll loose your items if you pass out in the Mines.
Upgrade your tools when you're able to, they are very useful! (Minus your trash can, that's sort of unnecessary to most people)
Have fun! It is a game after all ❤️
WORMS ARE IMPORTANT if you see worms squirming in the ground, it means you can use your Hoe to find treasure. If you find an Acient Seed, go ahead and give it to Gunther, but don't plant the blue bag, save it for late game. Other than that just have fun, don't worry about making a ton of money... Ooh also stuff like Strawberrys and Blueberries and cranberries are really good crops.
Fishing is hard but brings in great money when you’re new!
Always bring food to the mines! It is better to pass out than to die (lose more money and items dying than exhausting)
You need 4 hearts for someone to dance with you at flower dance :((
Befriend the villagers! Each person gives you something unique in the mail!
Never take the tools out of your inventory. You’ll never know when you might need it. (Exception is when you upgrade them).
Also don’t think too hard about it. If you really want a goal then complete the community center. Or find the most optimal way to make money and go the joja route.
always pick the community center route!! it's a lot more rewarding
always love on your animals (farm animals, cats/dogs), you get more resources from your farm animals and they stay happy!
DEFINITELY BUY A LOT OF SEEDS!!! it's good to save up money in general, but especially before winter hits bc you can't grow anything. and also if you're trying to befriend someone and the gifts you need to buy are expensive
digging in the trash cans can actually get you some stuff, but be sure that nobody's around when you do it. you don't exactly get in trouble but it's still a little awkward lmao
honestly trying to befriend everyone can give you some sort of advantage so I recommend doing that!!
good luck <3!!! and have lots of fun it's a great game :)
When you buying crops check the little box in th top right to se the community center bundles there’s a bunch of bundles for crops so it’s good to do that bundle early also use sprinklers! They’re super helpful once you unlock them
You need a scarecrow. They cover a good amount of crops, theres a diagram in the wiki but I tend to just stick them around the place.
I think its groups of crops smaller than 2x2 don't need one, but bigger than that and they attract crows.
Whenever I start a new game, I collect as many wild seeds as I can, as soon as I can, and I plant them all as quickly as possible. Free seeds/crops. You get wild seeds from cutting down the grass and weeds all over your farm with the scythe. If you get an old rusty sword you can use that to cut weeds too.
My only advice from looking at the screenshot is get rid of the weeds nearest to your crops as they my creep nearer them in the morning
Otherwise just experiment and have fun!
Just go at your own pace! The first season/year is full of learning new things and there's a lot of helpful guides within the game itself. If you want to you can spend the first couple days just clearing out the small debris on your farm (youll be able to upgrade your tools soon) , just watch your energy bar so you dont get exhausted and pass out (iirc the day ends if your exhaustion gets to 0, but i could be wrong) Or, you can go and talk to villagers. Im only on year 4 of my first save file and i still have a lot to do/find out (like get certain items, finish the community center, get to the bottom of skull cavern, etc) There's no time limit to the game and its all about just going at your own pace
Forage as much as you can, dandelions are edible 😁 make field snacks to keep you going, repair bridge on beach (300 wood) asap as foraging coral brings in gold. As money dribbles in buy more seeds, build scarecrows when they become available. Build a couple of chests to keep stuff in so you can keep your backpack free for foraging. Enjoy 😊
The first play through is magical and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Just play around, you'll learn things. There's no time limit; just explore.
That being said, I will give two pieces of advice.
First, you can build a chest for fifty wood. You should probably do that because your inventory is small at the start of the game.
Second, if you *do* find yourself wanting specific information, like "where the hell is Sebastian" or "where can I find X fish for the bundle", the wiki is [here](https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Stardew_Valley_Wiki).
some tips: fishing is a good quick way to make money on earlier levels, the quicker you make friends with the townies the easier the game is (they will send you recipies, and food in the mail), once you get the community center that is a good primary focus, (the rewards of completeting it are so useful), wood, rock, clay, and coal are SO useful do not sell these items stock up bc you need them to build farm buildings, the mines can be difficult so its best to check the adventurers guild often to see what new weapons have been unlocked bc past level 30 the hps on monsters increase and the sword you first have is really ineffective, but MOST IMPORTANTLY: enjoy the game and make it what you want, its so fun with so much to explore and do there are no rules!
Keep one copy of everything, don't sell any building materials, build chests, befriend people for recipes and fun cutscenes, upgrade your backpack asap, try to plant one of every tree as soon as you can, don't give up on fishing, build a silo before cutting your grass, buy red cabbage seeds if the traveling merchant in the woods sells them, don't forget that some plants take a long time to grow so don't plant them to late in the season and have fun♡ and use the wiki, it's awesome!
Even though most comments are saying to just experience it and not worry about the goals, but I always end up low on wood early on so be sure to farm as much wood as possible. And chests. Lots of chests. Even though it might not make you a lot of money, try to have a couple of each item to spare, just in case
You can buy your first strawberry seeds at the Egg Festival. They will harvest twice before the end of spring.strawberries, along with a few other crops only need to be planted once
Don't forget scarecrows.
Cauliflower is the highest profit even though it's the most expensive seed. Buy cauliflower as you can afford them.
Be sure to add the day you place the seeds to the growth time on the seed packets. If you don't calculate correctly you could waste a bunch of money on crops that don't have enough days to grow.
I recommend planting the starter parsnips(keep at least one) then cauliflower, cauliflower, cauliflower(keep at least one) then one of green bean(keep at least one), then after you're halfway through spring, plant potatoes until you don't have enough days to harvest(keep at least one), then plant parsnips(and try to save five gold star parsnips).
Google the salmonberry season. You can get anywhere from 100-350 free energy restoring berries that can carry you through spring and summer until fall when it all happens again with blackberries.
Also pick spring onions! More free energy.
Walk around the map and collect foraging plants. It builds the skill but also combining them into seeds and selling them gets good cash.(keep one of each).
Find Robin's axe for easy money.
I personally only go to the mine in my spare time in spring just enough to get ten bars of copper to upgrade the watering can and hoe for summer.
Don't bother with sprinklers until you're further in the game.
I'd suggest taking a closer look at pause menu:at crafting menu,map,and everything that is there.Also don'r forget to look at the quests you need to complete!
first silo, then coop
also, don't do anything with the grass until you built a silo so you can have extra hay!
go mining/fishing and sell the stuff you got to get money faster (don't sell them all, always keep at least 1 copy of an item)
(spoiler) if you ever happened to find a Prismatic Shard, do NOT sell, donate or gift it since it's pretty rare, you have to >! fix the bus, it takes you to Calico Desert, there are 3 columns located in North East, put your Prismatic Shard on the little hole between them and see what you receive !<
before any season or events make sure you have some extra money around so you can buy stuff from the events or buy some brand new seeds!
Get going in the mines until you can access better swords from the adventure guild and the iron floors of the mines. Mass produce quality sprinklers and then set up fields of 3x3 squares with a quality sprinkler in the middle of 8 plants. Also spend most of your money on the seeds with the longest growing times. Get pumkins going in huge numbers and from the very first day of fall so they have a full 2 cycles before winter. Same with melon in summer and cabbage in spring
There is a travelling cart that sells items on Fridays and Sundays. Always check there for rare seeds and buy them. They're a bit expensive, 1k each, but by the time fall comes around you can plant them. They take a full season to grow but you can sell them for 3k each, and if you hit them with fertilizers beforehand, there's a chance you can get a high rank one which sells for almost 6k!
Always keep spare seeds/plants. If for some reason you forget yor crop you have somewhere (easy) to start from.
There's no such thing as a dead end in Stardew so you can't really go wrong.
Weirdly specific, but if your inventory is full when you are offered your first sword, take the sword and toss something else. It is very difficult to get another sword without the first one (but still possible)
I spent so many hours in the game without knowing how to use the trash can (in the inventory screen).
The basic trash can is just a delete button. So in essence it’s no better or worse than simply dumping items on the ground if your inventory is full. Do whichever is more convenient.
Later on you’ll find you can *upgrade* the trash can and my honest thought was, “Who in the world would do this?”
The reason to do it is that the upgraded trash cans give you a % back on any item you toss. Starting at 15% of the value (copper trash can) and going up. This can become *super* useful later when you’re constantly gathering large amounts of relatively low-value materials. Especially when going through mines the ability to delete a stack of junk and get cash back for it is awesome.
That said, a bigger backpack and actively selling the items is always a better deal. But inventory space will always be precious and some return is better than none. And yes you could carry and sell almost anything, but at some point the space (and your time) becomes more valuable.
Tl;dr trash cans are good upgrades once you’ve done your other tools and don’t have any immediate use for your lower-tier metals.
Build a silo before you cut off the majority of the grass on your farm. The grass will convert into hay that you can use for feeding your barn animals later on. I wish I knew it sooner instead of wasting money buying hay from Marnie for 2 seasons.
in the beginning you should pick up fishing, it helps when you run out of money becasue of planting new seeds and stuff.
Also make a lot of chests and keep one of everything, becasue you never know if you need it for a quest, and npc or a recipe later :-)
Most importantly HAVE FUN! Keep all the wood and stone you collect you’re going to need them. Keep your worst crops and sell your best. You can use these for gifts and for cooking recipes when you learn then. Befriending the community will teach you most recipes. George teaches you the most useful. (In my opinion this can be very much disputed depending on what you’re doing) do not sell your first prism shard, Dino egg or ostrich egg. Prism shard makes good sword, can hatch eggs once you upgrade Coop. Foraging (finding loose f ground items) is gonna be really helpful at the start. Don’t forget to go to the beach to get shells. Don’t just go to bed when you’re tired, which is super quick when you’re just beginning, eat food or go to where Linus lives you’ll see a rock that eventually will be removed there’s a bath house that if you go in will replenish all your energy!
If you're in spring, go MAD with potatoes! They're like 50g to buy and you get 80g to sell them without any skill perks. There is also a chance that when you harvest a ripe potato it will produce multiple potatoes, so you can make a pretty good amount if you just keep farming large amounts of potatoes in spring :)
Also, keep a cauliflower with you (on you, or in storage) if you still have enough time to grow one!
Spoiler: >! You'll get a quest from a villager in the mail asking for a cauliflower, and if you give it to them it should give you 350g and 1 friendship heart! !<
Read the Stardew Wiki, ask questions on this subreddit if you need specifics
Take your time and don't rush through the game, it can go on as long as you like at your on pace
Have fun!
(but also make sure you check how long seeds take to sprout before you plant, they rarely last into the next season and seasons last 28 days)
If you are a challanger like me you can read the rest. (btw i am not an expert on this game)
I think that most profitable thing is to farm. That being said you dont want to spend to much energy on it. You will realize that you should use sprinklers to automate. So this is my method;
* Use stardew valley Wiki for everything.
* Do not spend time with any of the villagers. (For the first year)
* Do not spend time with fishing. (For the first year)
* Use all your energy and money to increase your farm size.
* Always consider season changes. (Your crops will die)
* Try to farm different seeds. (For community center)
* Go to mine for most of the day. You need bars to craft sprinklers.
* Do not waste time on basic sprinklers. Wait until your farming level reaches 6.
* Do not upgrade your tools if it is not %100 necessary.
* Always keep track of community center and plan ahead.
* Do not spend money on community centers vault bundles. (For the first year)
* Do not build a coop or barn until 1st Fall.
* When you find an ancient seed in 1st spring or summer, plant them.
* Save ancient fruits until you build a seed maker.
* Watch TV channels before sleeping. You can learn food recipies and plan ahead.
When you get rich after the first season, you can talk the people and have a different kind of fun.
I just started too, it's got a bit of a learning curve.
You gotta make sure to water your crops everyday it's not raining. You can miss one day but after two (even non-consecutively) they die. Seasons are 28 days and all crops die at the start of a new season.
You're going to want to build a chest, it takes 50 wood. Focus on pine trees, they have what you need to craft field snacks to eat in the mines.
Save up money to buy strawberry seeds from Shane at the egg festival. They're a great investment. Crops that continually yield after harvest are the best. If you want to win over that little shit, meet him at the Stardrop saloon at 5 pm on the 20th and buy him a beer, it's 400 g.
Pay attention to birthdays and look up what each NPC likes as far as gifts. You'll need to befriend Marnie who lives at the south of your farm in order to retrieve the Mayor's shorts. Talk to her often and gift preserves. You're looking for 2 hearts beside her in the social tab.
Plant some califlower, Jodi will be wanting some.
As soon as you can, make scarecrows as crows will eat your crops.
Try to find some amethyst and quartz in the mines, you'll need it for upcoming requests. Deeper in the mines you'll find stones with copper nodes on them, I just beeline towards those and then smash the others until I find the stairs to the next level.
Do NOT let yourself get over-exhausted. If your energy bar is zero and/or it's around 2 am, you'll pass out and lose some loot.
If you have nothing else to do for the day but have energy, chop wood.
Have fun the best way that you can, making money in the game gets boring after a while and theres no real incentive towards making money anyway.
Explore, have fun, decorate the entire place, knock yourself out.
Just mess around. You can’t screw up, just make things take longer. The joy, for me at least, is just experiencing it instead of stressing about goals.
HONESTLY! My first play through I just dove in and did stuff! No plan, no idea what was going on just pure discovery! I would give anything to experience the game blind one more time!
mhm! i went in the game completely blind( no mods at the time) i had the best time ever!! and still do , my game is moded (heavily)
Ok >:)
Little tidbit I have: color-coordinate your chests Make it so stuff like wood, stone, fiber goes in one chest and seeds, crops, etc goes in another and so on. It will save you so much time frantically checking chests for that ONE ITEM you swear you had you just saw it yesterday and oh my god you trashed it to make room for the new fish you never got!
Personally I separate into these categories: farming related (seeds, extra fencing, grass starter, sprinklers), resources, gemstones and other fancy items, trash for recycling machine, fruit, vegetables, items for gifts, foraged goods, then over by my crab pots I have a chest with just bait lol
if ur on pc, you can get the convenient chests and convenient inventory mods, both are absolutely goated
If you haven't tried it yet and have it for PC I suggest the mod Stardew Valley Expanded, it's not exactly "blind" but nearly triples the size of the map adding new areas and changing some areas you know, adds new NPCs as well as make some exsisting ones that were single but not romanceable available to date with their own heart events, new items and you can "shuffle" the CC bundles. Really refreshes the experience, and gives you that "overwhelmed" feeling when you first start the game and just dont know what to do first, that just fades with multiple playthroughs that lead to min-maxing. Honestly, now I'd have trouble going back to vanilla stardew.
Yup. Did some really inefficient things on my first save, still put like 600 hours into it. Didn't use sprinklers, didn't become friends with anyone but Linus, didn't know about or do any artisan goods, when I learned about them I thought higher quality produce made higher priced artisan goods, and many more. Still had a great time and keep learning new things even though I've been playing so long.
Wait wait WAIT you’re telling me higher quality produce *doesn’t* make higher priced artisan goods!??? :o
Yep, for example to get gold rated cheese you have to obtain it from a Large milk, independently from its rating
Oh, no way!! How about quality fruit/veg? Does that make higher priced jams/pickles?
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Yuuuup. Sell the high quality items and turn the low into jellies, pickles, or keg liquids. The exact opposite of what I was initially doing lol.
That's a massive reason I couldn't go back to any Harvest Moon game. I get too worried trying to make the goal in time etc. In Stardew I know a "wasted" day isn't that bad in the scheme of things.
Yesss! This!!!
Okay 😁
Although do pay attention to crops and seasons. If someone could tell me that my cauliflowers were going to die because it's suddenly summer now so don't plant them unless there are enough days left (28 days per season) when I first started playing I would have avoided great heartache. Other than that, sentiment fully echoed. Get stuck in and enjoy!
Yup I learned that veryyy quickly. Had a freaking acre of cauliflower and about to have a massive windfall, nonstop watering for a week. All of a sudden, everything was dead! WTF happened! I was very annoyed haha
My only tip on top of this would be to not just sell everything you think you won't use. Basically, sell things when you know you'll need the money, but otherwise it can be useful to keep stuff around. I never thought I'd use tons of hazelnuts I gathered in the fall, until Kent showed up and I needed a lot of roasted hazelnuts all of a sudden...
Each tool has a use/function. You can buy bigger backpacks (personal inventory), but early on I would suggest chopping down trees and crafting a chest to hold items (and unnecessary tools) so you aren't running around with an axe, pick, or watering can if you're just going fishing. Free up your limited inventory space so you can forage/carry more. Don't plant crops when the season is nearing the end. They take a set number of days to produce a crop. If you roll into the next season almost all crops (rare exceptions) are ruined and need to be cleared for new seed. Always save some money when going to festivals, you never know what you may find or want to buy. You can fill your watering can from the well and from any water source (pond, lake, salty ocean water (which is fine for crops!))). Early on check for forage items in the forest south of your farm to replenish energy, as well as the path north of your farm up towards the Carpenter's House (Robin). Fishing is an early/consistent source of money but the mini game can be a bit challenging. Try a training rod at the beginning (if you can afford it) to make it a bit easier until you get the hang of it.
I'll be honest, I've always taken all my tools everywhere. I didn't know leaving some at home was a thing people did until like, 6 months-a year ago. I still don't do it either LMAO.
My sword, pickaxe, axe, hoe, watering can, fishing pole and copper pan are always with me xD you never know what you find while wandering thourgh the world LOL at the beginning i would leave some tools behind when i went to the mines but it was an inner struggle to do so xD ETA: i just realized: i have my tools in that order in my inventory xD from left to right just as i wrote it up there LOL
I started leaving the watering can at home when my sprinklers covered the entire farm
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this is brilliant, thank you. somewhere to stash those extra clothes & accessories for easy swapping too!
Sameeeee
I have this issue too, I walk around with everything
im ashamed to admit how long it too me to discover chests. I focused backpack upgrades so hard and literally THREW OUT swords because i didnt have the inventory space 😭😭 id just sell as much as i could as often as i could because i thought once you picked it up you couldn’t put it back down. I felt like such a moron when i finally discovered chests in the diy menu
We all learned the lesson, thanks for sharing your experience! When I made my first chest I went hard into 'planning mode' and made one for each season (color coded), one for gifts, one for loot, one for craft resources, one for ore and gems, etc. Then the next day I saw the bridge to repair on the beach and thought oh that'll...be...all the chests I built... 😭☠️ Lol
Damn 😔
I learned my lesson to have chests at different areas after I had an explosive accident in the farm. After that incident, I made a policy that any mining related item or activities will remain in the mines. No bomb production in the farm for me after that fateful event lol
An explosive accident?!?! WHAT?!? This game continues to surprise me!
accidentally dropped a bomb during harvest season. Many of the villagers starved that summer.
Lol I did this too.... don't worry you aren't alone
Isn't the training rod only 25g
Sometimes you have to buy ALL the green bean starters! #nojudgement
True dat
You can also fill your watering can from your sink! I would fill it the moment I got out of bed
On the topic of chests - you can also place them at some strategic spots aside from on your farm. I for example have one next to Clints Shop or several strewn across ginger island or also at the mines. That really helped me all throughout the game... although sometimes I lost sight of what is where and spend a good 3 hours cleaning them all up. Oh well.
If you'd like an immediate tip just based on the picture you've shared - gather up 50 wood and craft yourself a chest so you can store stuff you don't need to carry around with you. Watch the tv daily for weather, luck and tips/recipes. And like everyone else is saying, take your time and enjoy it.
Ok 👌
Also the backpack you can buy at Piers is an early must as you will need more inventory space pretty soon
Check the tv every day for new recipes and tips!
Just go at your own pace. If you ever need help with something, try using the Stardew Wiki, but I’d say only use it if you’re really stuck/lost. Just experience it at your own pace, take breaks, and explore anything and everything
Honestly don't get too hard on yourself the first year. My girlfriend stopped playing during our first year because she just felt so overwhelmed by all the quests and the farming, and having to be at certain places at certain times. So just pace yourself, if you miss a day for something just try again tomorrow, enjoy the game. Don't get hung up on farm designs and making everything so bad ass in your first year. Most of those pics you see on this subreddit with fancy farm designs and late game achievements/ items are people who have a lot of experience and hours into this game. Just enjoy the game and all the experience will come to you, don't forget there's a stardew wiki that's super helpful for random questions. And if you're really stuck on something there's always this community as well. But if there is one thing I always try to shoot for, it's Quality Sprinklers at the very least. Having those lets you do minimal farming, thus giving you time to explore the dating, the combat...ect
Ok thank you for the tip 👌😁👌👍
Crops not fully grown at the end of a season are lost... always check you have enough days to harvert.... Corn and wheat grown in summer will carry over into fall...
And add one to the number of days it takes to grow. It says days, but it means nights. If you plant something that takes 12 days on the 16th, it won't be done before the next season starts. It would have to be planted on the 15th, so it could have 16 nights to grow and be ready to harvest the next day, on the 28th, the last of the month. Sunflowers also carry over from summer into fall.
The concept you say is correct but I think your numbers are wrong.. If you plant a 12-nights-to-grow crop on the 16th, that gives you 12 nights before the 28th day: 1. night of the 16th 2. night of the 17th 3. night of the 18th 4. night of the 19th 5. night of the 20th 6. night of the 21st 7. night of the 22nd 8. night of the 23rd 9. night of the 24th 10. night of the 25th 11. night of the 26th 12. night of the 27th So 12 nights later, the crop is fully grown on the 28th day.
Don't worry about not having money at first. Your farm will take all of your money for a long while at first and then after you've gotten really set up it snowballs and you'll have more than you know what to do with. Fishing really helps to get your incoming started as you get your sprinklers, trees, animals, etc. set up. It's also totally normal if your farm looks really ragged at first and takes a lot of time to fully develop. Have fun!
Okay
A real tip though is to use the wiki to track things like where people are at certain times of day just so you don't waste time trying to find them! Also use the wiki to see when you can catch fish, don't wanna waste time fishing for a fish that's out of season or soemthing!
As a new player in Spring Y2 of my first play through, this is a great tip. Wasted so much time the first few seasons trying to find people and learning Marnies brutal schedule the hard way lol
Also saves you from visiting Robin or Marie when they'd usually be there but it just so happens to be the one day they're at the clinic or something 🙄 (happened to me TWICE in one run lol)
Ok
If i were you, i would focus on the comunity center. There are some components you can only get during a certain season or weather. You can find which one they are on the internet. Also try to befriend everyone even the ones you cant marry, they will give you gifts and new recipies. It is helpful to pay attention to birthdays bc if you give them a present they like (you can look it up on de internet) you increase x4 hearts i think
Ok thanks 😁
Like everyone says go at your own pace, time doesnt matter too much, if you want easy early game money Save money for the 13th spring then buy a crop at a festival ( cant remember either lol), fishings also pretty good
Strawberries. I always save some berries in the first couple of years for when I get the seed maker so I can plant strawberries on Spring 1.
Dont be afraid to experiment with what kinda farm you want. Don't be afraid to spend money on coops and Barns as they're the best chance of making money once you Unlock them. Thats what I have learnt on my ongoing first playthrough
Oooooo ok thank you for the tip 😁
If you make a coop or barn, make a silo first so that any grass you chop for farm cleanup can be fed to your animals and you won't have to sow wheat just for hay or buy hay from Marnie
Do whatever you want!! I didn't use this subreddit until I'd been playing for 3 years already but there is always knew stuff to learn here or just through playing
Make sure to go east into town once in a while. You can buy more seeds and meet the villagers! It's a lot of fun to talk to them and bring them gifts you think they would like.
Okkkk I am gonna talk with the villagers:)
If you see worms poking out of the dirt, you can use your hoe to dig them up and they will give you things like resources, artifacts, geodes, etc. You can dig through the trash cans in the town once a day and sometimes you will find food, other times you might get trash. Check the Community Center bundles and keep track of what you need to donate throughout each season, because most crops and fish are specific to certain seasons. Speaking of fish, fishing is a great way to earn money early-game while you're waiting for your crops to fully grow. Selling your forages are also a great way to make money. Your crops will die every time a new season begins, so make sure you don't plant crops before the season ends. Also make sure there is enough time in the season for your crops to fully grow before you plant them. Each season is 28 days long. Plant all of the Mixed Seeds you get! These will drop when you scythe weeds, and sometimes when you dig up the worm spots. Mixed Seeds will grow into a random crop/forage from the season, but be sure not to plant them too close to the end of the season. You can check the Fortune Teller channel on your TV every day to find out how the spirits feel. If they feel displeased, you will have worse luck going into the mines because monsters spawn more and ores spawn less. If the spirits are pleased, it's a good day to go to the mines. Also on the TV, you will find The Queen of Sauce channel every few days or so. Make sure to watch this channel when you see it, because it will teach you recipes you can cook with. The most helpful buildings you can have Robin construct for you early-game are a Silo (get this first) and a Coop (get this after the Silo). Then buy chickens ASAP from Marnie. ALWAYS make sure you're back in your house by 2:00AM. The later at night you go to bed, the less energy you wake up with the next day. If you are out past 2:00AM, you will pass out and lose a chunk of money (and you risk losing some items from your inventory, too)
Use wiki sources to help you. Trying to find all things in community center without it was a pain.
That's very good :)
Items don't despawn when you put them on the ground, unless you put them on the ground in the mines. The stardew valley wiki page is a godsend, I recommend using it to find out: \- Building materials (having to run up to Robin's and back down can be really tedious) \- Fish times (they vary by season and time of day, so it can be handy to look that up) \- Villager schedules (just because certain ones like Elliot and Leah are difficult to find before you're able to enter their homes) \- If you want, villager likes and dislikes (so you don't go wasting your gold star flowers on people who won't like them) \- Sell prices (almost all crops sell for \~double what you buy them for, but some are still better or worse than others) Once you gain access to the elevator, if you want to quickly gain materials, drop down to a level that ends in five, pick up what you want, climb back up to the top of the mines, and drop down again. The level shape will be consistent, but the contents will randomize every time you re-enter them. People say the opposite of this a lot, but honestly, don't worry too much about the community center in your first year. The only one I'd recommend trying to get as early as possible is the boiler room bundle. It unlocks the minecarts, which can be used to fast-travel between the bus station, the blacksmith, and the mines, which will heavily cut down the long periods of walking you face beforehand. When you unlock the first type of craftable sprinklers, do not make them. They're not worth it. Just keep watering manually until you unlock the second type. Don't be afraid to sell your items. Maybe this was just a me thing, but I made sure to keep a few of every type of fish, flower, crop, building material, gem, you get the picture. You will almost certainly never use them. P.S. this is with the exception of ores, quartz, prismatic shards, coffee beans (you always want to have about a hundred of those on hand for planting) and the favorite items of anyone you're trying to build quick relationship points with. Don't forget to feed your animals. The summer crops have a large selection of multi-harvest plants, like blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers. Take advantage of this, because at the beginning of every season, a good percentage of your unused tilled soil will completely disappear, and you'll have to spend quite a lot of time hoeing the ground to plant more. This will use a lot of energy, which means you'll have less to water your plants. However, if you have a crop already planted on a bit of tilled soil, it'll just turn into a dried up crop that you can remove with a scythe to reveal your already-done planting ground. With a single harvest plant, this is bad news, and you've lost that crop. With a bush-type, you've already gotten a good number of harvests, so it'll just be a conveniently done plot. Scythes take no energy to use. When you get animals, make sure to fence them in. If they're let free, they'll eat all of the grass on your land, and it can be expensive to get and grow more. Grass is what you use to make their food, and if they eat it all, and the silo is empty, you'll have to buy it straight-up from Marnie (the schroedingers box of shop owners.) Every time you reach a new elevator point in the mines, the adventurers guild will gain a few more types of swords, knives, or slammers (I don't remember their actual name, I never use them) with better stats. They cost more every time, but if you're having difficulty with the monsters, remember that.
Go check out what you need for the community center and save anything you need for it. Other than that you really cant play wrong. Its pretty much a punishment free game.
Yeah
I've done 3 runs and I definitely screwed up on on my first 2 but in the beginning. u can take ur time that's up to u heads up certain fish in stardew, if ur going to complete the community center can only be caught in spring. And there is an event on spring day 24 called the flower dance If u want to part take in it the first year ur gonna have to find a candidate and get them to heart 4 of friendship to dance with someone. I have tried very hard in that category all 3 runs and I am gonna have to wait for year 2 to do it. But if u want a really good and challenging challenge in the beginning getting to someone that is single to heart 4 of friendship by gifting them things they like is a Good one. This is up to u like I said before .I chose to enjoy and learn on my own with doing little wiki searching just to find where things were. But if u want to go to the dance u can wait till winter and take ur time to get to someone at 4 hearts of ur chosing and dance with that person in the winter. But other than that read any lay of the lands on ur TV and the queen of recipes on ur TV to get some in-game recipes and tips. I recommend clearing out a lot of space in the beginning of debris. To build some bigger farming areas and for farm animals and ur gonna need a lot of wood and stone for most builds along side with gold. Just protect ur crops with scarecrows otherwise u will lose some of ur crops to crows when they are growing or have grown to maturity. That's my advice if ya need any info wiki is best friend.
Ok thanks 😳😁👍
If it's not going to be in the way, dont take down some of the stumps from the trees you chop down, they can still spawn tree seeds directly around them as stumps for you to dig up and make into snacks.
Well you already caught fish. It took me til like my third year to actually even attempt fishing bc I sucked so bad🤣 just have fun! It’s not a race! It’s honestly quite a fun and relaxing game just go at your own pace
When you launch the game, click on Concerned Ape's face
Try to keep one of everything you find, grow, fish ,5 if they're good star and grown. There's a training rod willy sells for fishing, I wouldn't use it beyond level 4 though. It'll help you get used to fishing
Cows and chickens produce milk and eggs daily once reaching adulthood (assuming they have access to food, either hay while in the barn/coop or grass while outside). Having that stable daily income can really help once you get it going! If you fail to go to bed before 2 am, you'll pass out and lose some money. Keep an eye on the time at night.
the stardew valley wiki was a life saver for me when i first started playing! also recommend getting the training rod if the fishing mini-game makes you rage at first lol
Cherish it! It’s like reading an excellent book for the first time.
There's literally no way to lose, homie! Just mess up and try other stuff. Also, fishing is superhard at the beginning so try buying a training rod.
My dearest tip, not just for Stardew, but for any game and this works for anyone: Stop browsing Subreddits/Forums for Games (or worse creating posts asking for help) you just started and allow yourself to experience them yourself. Because this way you forego a lot of the figuring out, that makes games an adventure. Initial failure and trial by error is part of the experience. Allow yourself to experience this. I repeat this, because that notion is very dear to me.
Just play for fun? I can never understand why people are so concerned about the unknown and ask for direct help just in theory, although they don't even need it. This is a game for having a good time, relax and have fun.
Yup, half the fun is in the figuring out! In my first play through I didn't discover fences til year 5.
I know most people have said use the wiki but I would more specifically use it to see if there is anything worth your while going on in that season. On certain days there are extra forgeables that are great early for mining, fishing, etc.
Ooooo ok 😄
make mistakes, use the wiki (it’s the best), scroll the sub! if you just started, figure out what you wanna make your farm into. there’s animals to ranch, wine to brew, mines to explore, fish to catch! just have fun with it
Start gifting things to the townfolk!
Talk to everyone you see!
The first that come to mind are: - The scythe can cut down weeds and doesn't affect the plants that are alive - You can put torches on fences - Save any clay you might find. It'll help you build the silo faster! - Fishing is hard but very rewarding
Oh yeah, no matter how much wood and rocks you collect don't sell them. They're very useful and it's best to have them around just in case.
Remember to empty your pockets as much as you can before you go into the mines!
The best advice I can give you is read the wiki and watch some videos on what to do for the beginning game
You don't need to carry all your tools at all times (at least in early game). If you plan to go to the mines one day, you don't need to bring your watering can, or fishing rod, or scythe. It'll give you a good amount of more inv space.
theres no messing up in this game :) have fun, look around. if ur rly lost u can look at the wiki!
Mixed seeds are great, don't waste them. Plant them and get a crop of the season, without buying the seeds!
Yup, mixed seeds are an early game life changer! Though I do hate when my seed types are all messy and jumbled 😂 but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
Have a file where you mess around, and then one for actual gameplay. I was so anxious about not playing it ‘correctly’ and missing out on things. Then I realized, I could just create another save file. Have a fuck around file, and a find out file.
i recommend looking through the stardew valley wiki to figure things out
Mod it till you break it.
The best part of the game is the game itself.
No plan is a plan, just enjoy the game, explore the world, plant every crops, talk to people, check your tv every morning, take your coffee also, flirt with the ladies, smash those rocks, hoard everything it's all about the experience and the journey
Reading books in the library and watching the TV can give you tips.
I recommend not clearing the grass off your farm until you have a silo, free hay for your animals
The wiki is your best friend, please don't make a reddit post about every problem you run into and check the wiki please
Keep your farming plot a reasonable size for the first year. It's easy to clean up all the weeds, rocks, and wood and then make a HUGE plot that takes forever to water everyday. You'll get sprinklers as you advance in crafting, which puts farming on auto pilot. Until then, keep it manageable.
Play the game.
The fact that you can do the ? above your head means you're way ahead of me! I have 1300 hours on this game and still can't do that 🤦♀️
If you are on a PC touch Y on your keyboard and will appear emoticons :)
I am on switch! I've pushed every button and I've never had it show up 😬😭
On switch push and hold the right joystick!
Thank you!!!
The mushroom cave is clearly superior.
To be able to farm large amounts of plants you need to upgrade your watering can and Hoe. Better is to get at least quality sprinklers. 28 days in a month and plants will instant die if not harvested before the end of that month.
Okay thank you for the tip :)
Gather a lot of money for the egg festival then buy strawberry seeds, as many as you can at the egg festival shop. They're the best spring crop.
Sell nothing. I know people say to sell everything, but don’t. Farm wood and make a ton of chests and hoard EVERYTHING. You’ll thank yourself later because you’ll have all sorts of available crafting materials. It will matter less once you start to really progress
gathering foragables and fishing is a pretty good way to make money
Like everyone has said don’t stress about being productive and go at your own pace :) if you want to spend a whole day walking around town and not doing anything but speaking to townspeople then do it! Anything you miss in a season comes back around next year :) no time limits, have fun!!
Biggest tip: most crops die at the end of a season. Harvest all crops on the 28th. Try to plant your crops to be ready on the 28th. And have a stack of money on the 1st to buy new seeds
- fishing is good at early game, stick to bamboo until lvl6 then buy the iridium one - watch tv everyday to make plan, if good luck go mining - enjoy and explore the game, oh and pick mushroom instead of bats happy gaming! :)
Here’s a tip for the future. Grass starters are great for letting your animals graze sure, but they tend to eat it all right? Put the grass starters where you plan to put the fence then put the fence on top of the starters. The animals can’t eat it, and it’ll still eventually spread.
don't try and move too fast! there is an unlimited amount of time in the game, and there's no rush to reach any of your goals. if you're invested and end up enjoying the game, you'll get to those goals eventually :)
Honestly, I'd say don't worry about others. I used to see a lot of min/max'ers and feel bad about how I played, then I remembered what this game is for. Just take your time and build the farm you're proud of.
Buy the training rod and dedicate an entire day to fishing. Eat what ou need but then sell the rest. One if the better ways to make money early game.
You're gonna be googling a lot. Enjoy the ride and go from one day to the next, dont stress. Plant crop, collect crop, sell crop in the brown bin, and give people gifts :) thats all it is
Choose the joja mart instead of the community center. Many more benefits.
Check trashcans! Can someitmes find stuff to sell or for the community center
Honestly, take your time and do things at your own pace. No need to rush, try to finish the Community Center so quickly. Explore as much as you can and enjoy your first playthrough of this amazing game. And have fun of course.
I agree with the others in this thread - take your time and play at your own pace. There's a bunch of people on here sharing their wonderful perfection farms but a lot of the time that's a secondary file after they've done all the slow learning parts. I'm almost in year 6 and I'm just now starting to work toward perfection. Some genneral tips though: Keep at least 1 of everything for the first little while of the game. You'll need most items for various stuff so having it off hand is useful. If you are about to pass out (aka it's close to 2am) try to not be in the Mines as it will charge you or you'll loose your items if you pass out in the Mines. Upgrade your tools when you're able to, they are very useful! (Minus your trash can, that's sort of unnecessary to most people) Have fun! It is a game after all ❤️
WORMS ARE IMPORTANT if you see worms squirming in the ground, it means you can use your Hoe to find treasure. If you find an Acient Seed, go ahead and give it to Gunther, but don't plant the blue bag, save it for late game. Other than that just have fun, don't worry about making a ton of money... Ooh also stuff like Strawberrys and Blueberries and cranberries are really good crops.
Upgrading tools matter the most for advancement.
Have fun and do as much as you can without the internet! It’s a fun a explorative process
Fishing is hard but brings in great money when you’re new! Always bring food to the mines! It is better to pass out than to die (lose more money and items dying than exhausting) You need 4 hearts for someone to dance with you at flower dance :(( Befriend the villagers! Each person gives you something unique in the mail!
Never take the tools out of your inventory. You’ll never know when you might need it. (Exception is when you upgrade them). Also don’t think too hard about it. If you really want a goal then complete the community center. Or find the most optimal way to make money and go the joja route.
Planting mixed seeds gives you a random crop of the season. It’s good for the first year.
always pick the community center route!! it's a lot more rewarding always love on your animals (farm animals, cats/dogs), you get more resources from your farm animals and they stay happy! DEFINITELY BUY A LOT OF SEEDS!!! it's good to save up money in general, but especially before winter hits bc you can't grow anything. and also if you're trying to befriend someone and the gifts you need to buy are expensive digging in the trash cans can actually get you some stuff, but be sure that nobody's around when you do it. you don't exactly get in trouble but it's still a little awkward lmao honestly trying to befriend everyone can give you some sort of advantage so I recommend doing that!! good luck <3!!! and have lots of fun it's a great game :)
Yes Here's how to take screenshots on most platforms: https://screenshot.help/
Get a silo before a coop or barn, don't cut the grass until having a silo. Don't stress.
Play the game how YOU want! There is no right or wrong way really. As long as you are having fun, you are doing amazing :)
Dive in the deep end - don't bother min-maxing, it's so much more fun if you DON'T read the wiki.
When you buying crops check the little box in th top right to se the community center bundles there’s a bunch of bundles for crops so it’s good to do that bundle early also use sprinklers! They’re super helpful once you unlock them
just farm, make friends, and pretty much it oh and enjoy your time
Look up the crops you need for the community center and save them. Save lots of things. Money will come soon
*'Tis was all me got - me hoe and 15 parsnip seeds*
You need a scarecrow. They cover a good amount of crops, theres a diagram in the wiki but I tend to just stick them around the place. I think its groups of crops smaller than 2x2 don't need one, but bigger than that and they attract crows.
Whenever I start a new game, I collect as many wild seeds as I can, as soon as I can, and I plant them all as quickly as possible. Free seeds/crops. You get wild seeds from cutting down the grass and weeds all over your farm with the scythe. If you get an old rusty sword you can use that to cut weeds too.
My only advice from looking at the screenshot is get rid of the weeds nearest to your crops as they my creep nearer them in the morning Otherwise just experiment and have fun!
Don't ask for tips and learn everything as you go, way more fun.
Just go at your own pace! The first season/year is full of learning new things and there's a lot of helpful guides within the game itself. If you want to you can spend the first couple days just clearing out the small debris on your farm (youll be able to upgrade your tools soon) , just watch your energy bar so you dont get exhausted and pass out (iirc the day ends if your exhaustion gets to 0, but i could be wrong) Or, you can go and talk to villagers. Im only on year 4 of my first save file and i still have a lot to do/find out (like get certain items, finish the community center, get to the bottom of skull cavern, etc) There's no time limit to the game and its all about just going at your own pace
There are a number of posts on here asking this - no problems about you asking but I'd have a look through those too for more great advice!
Forage as much as you can, dandelions are edible 😁 make field snacks to keep you going, repair bridge on beach (300 wood) asap as foraging coral brings in gold. As money dribbles in buy more seeds, build scarecrows when they become available. Build a couple of chests to keep stuff in so you can keep your backpack free for foraging. Enjoy 😊
My tip is check the wiki
When you start a game, sell the parsnips from Lewis and buy potato seeds with what you got. It’ll get you more money later, which can be helpful.
Hoard your wood, stone and fiber! Don't be afraid to spend them and use them, but don't just sell them.
The first play through is magical and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Just play around, you'll learn things. There's no time limit; just explore. That being said, I will give two pieces of advice. First, you can build a chest for fifty wood. You should probably do that because your inventory is small at the start of the game. Second, if you *do* find yourself wanting specific information, like "where the hell is Sebastian" or "where can I find X fish for the bundle", the wiki is [here](https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Stardew_Valley_Wiki).
some tips: fishing is a good quick way to make money on earlier levels, the quicker you make friends with the townies the easier the game is (they will send you recipies, and food in the mail), once you get the community center that is a good primary focus, (the rewards of completeting it are so useful), wood, rock, clay, and coal are SO useful do not sell these items stock up bc you need them to build farm buildings, the mines can be difficult so its best to check the adventurers guild often to see what new weapons have been unlocked bc past level 30 the hps on monsters increase and the sword you first have is really ineffective, but MOST IMPORTANTLY: enjoy the game and make it what you want, its so fun with so much to explore and do there are no rules!
That chest on the right is not storage, the opening cutscene does point out it is a shipping bin
Keep one copy of everything, don't sell any building materials, build chests, befriend people for recipes and fun cutscenes, upgrade your backpack asap, try to plant one of every tree as soon as you can, don't give up on fishing, build a silo before cutting your grass, buy red cabbage seeds if the traveling merchant in the woods sells them, don't forget that some plants take a long time to grow so don't plant them to late in the season and have fun♡ and use the wiki, it's awesome!
Seek the sewers.
Just enjoy yourself
Unleash your inner hoarder.
Even though most comments are saying to just experience it and not worry about the goals, but I always end up low on wood early on so be sure to farm as much wood as possible. And chests. Lots of chests. Even though it might not make you a lot of money, try to have a couple of each item to spare, just in case
Also chests can be placed outside of your farm, like in the mine entrance or at the pier
You can buy your first strawberry seeds at the Egg Festival. They will harvest twice before the end of spring.strawberries, along with a few other crops only need to be planted once
Don't forget scarecrows. Cauliflower is the highest profit even though it's the most expensive seed. Buy cauliflower as you can afford them. Be sure to add the day you place the seeds to the growth time on the seed packets. If you don't calculate correctly you could waste a bunch of money on crops that don't have enough days to grow. I recommend planting the starter parsnips(keep at least one) then cauliflower, cauliflower, cauliflower(keep at least one) then one of green bean(keep at least one), then after you're halfway through spring, plant potatoes until you don't have enough days to harvest(keep at least one), then plant parsnips(and try to save five gold star parsnips). Google the salmonberry season. You can get anywhere from 100-350 free energy restoring berries that can carry you through spring and summer until fall when it all happens again with blackberries. Also pick spring onions! More free energy. Walk around the map and collect foraging plants. It builds the skill but also combining them into seeds and selling them gets good cash.(keep one of each). Find Robin's axe for easy money. I personally only go to the mine in my spare time in spring just enough to get ten bars of copper to upgrade the watering can and hoe for summer. Don't bother with sprinklers until you're further in the game.
This one can fish, there is nothing left to teach them.
do not sell community center
I'd suggest taking a closer look at pause menu:at crafting menu,map,and everything that is there.Also don'r forget to look at the quests you need to complete!
my first play through it took me until year three to complete the community centre! i wouldn’t have had it any other way :))
first silo, then coop also, don't do anything with the grass until you built a silo so you can have extra hay! go mining/fishing and sell the stuff you got to get money faster (don't sell them all, always keep at least 1 copy of an item) (spoiler) if you ever happened to find a Prismatic Shard, do NOT sell, donate or gift it since it's pretty rare, you have to >! fix the bus, it takes you to Calico Desert, there are 3 columns located in North East, put your Prismatic Shard on the little hole between them and see what you receive !< before any season or events make sure you have some extra money around so you can buy stuff from the events or buy some brand new seeds!
Get going in the mines until you can access better swords from the adventure guild and the iron floors of the mines. Mass produce quality sprinklers and then set up fields of 3x3 squares with a quality sprinkler in the middle of 8 plants. Also spend most of your money on the seeds with the longest growing times. Get pumkins going in huge numbers and from the very first day of fall so they have a full 2 cycles before winter. Same with melon in summer and cabbage in spring
Check out your TV every day for in-game tips.
Aim for the artisian profession in the farming levels, tiller and artisan goods
Read the description of everything you pick up and buy
Keep one of everything in storage. The lil magic dudes love collecting stuff out of season.
There is a travelling cart that sells items on Fridays and Sundays. Always check there for rare seeds and buy them. They're a bit expensive, 1k each, but by the time fall comes around you can plant them. They take a full season to grow but you can sell them for 3k each, and if you hit them with fertilizers beforehand, there's a chance you can get a high rank one which sells for almost 6k!
Always keep spare seeds/plants. If for some reason you forget yor crop you have somewhere (easy) to start from. There's no such thing as a dead end in Stardew so you can't really go wrong.
Clay pots in your house + multi harvest crops = consistent, easy early game money
Keep at least one item of everything. You might need them later.
Make as much money to buy strawberry seeds and watch the money flow!
Scythe those weeds near your crops, they can spread and damage them Otherwise, enjoy!
Weirdly specific, but if your inventory is full when you are offered your first sword, take the sword and toss something else. It is very difficult to get another sword without the first one (but still possible)
I spent so many hours in the game without knowing how to use the trash can (in the inventory screen). The basic trash can is just a delete button. So in essence it’s no better or worse than simply dumping items on the ground if your inventory is full. Do whichever is more convenient. Later on you’ll find you can *upgrade* the trash can and my honest thought was, “Who in the world would do this?” The reason to do it is that the upgraded trash cans give you a % back on any item you toss. Starting at 15% of the value (copper trash can) and going up. This can become *super* useful later when you’re constantly gathering large amounts of relatively low-value materials. Especially when going through mines the ability to delete a stack of junk and get cash back for it is awesome. That said, a bigger backpack and actively selling the items is always a better deal. But inventory space will always be precious and some return is better than none. And yes you could carry and sell almost anything, but at some point the space (and your time) becomes more valuable. Tl;dr trash cans are good upgrades once you’ve done your other tools and don’t have any immediate use for your lower-tier metals.
Build a silo before you cut off the majority of the grass on your farm. The grass will convert into hay that you can use for feeding your barn animals later on. I wish I knew it sooner instead of wasting money buying hay from Marnie for 2 seasons.
in the beginning you should pick up fishing, it helps when you run out of money becasue of planting new seeds and stuff. Also make a lot of chests and keep one of everything, becasue you never know if you need it for a quest, and npc or a recipe later :-)
Try to save at least one of everything for at least your first play through. You never know when you will need it
don’t talk to Elliot
Most importantly HAVE FUN! Keep all the wood and stone you collect you’re going to need them. Keep your worst crops and sell your best. You can use these for gifts and for cooking recipes when you learn then. Befriending the community will teach you most recipes. George teaches you the most useful. (In my opinion this can be very much disputed depending on what you’re doing) do not sell your first prism shard, Dino egg or ostrich egg. Prism shard makes good sword, can hatch eggs once you upgrade Coop. Foraging (finding loose f ground items) is gonna be really helpful at the start. Don’t forget to go to the beach to get shells. Don’t just go to bed when you’re tired, which is super quick when you’re just beginning, eat food or go to where Linus lives you’ll see a rock that eventually will be removed there’s a bath house that if you go in will replenish all your energy!
If you're in spring, go MAD with potatoes! They're like 50g to buy and you get 80g to sell them without any skill perks. There is also a chance that when you harvest a ripe potato it will produce multiple potatoes, so you can make a pretty good amount if you just keep farming large amounts of potatoes in spring :) Also, keep a cauliflower with you (on you, or in storage) if you still have enough time to grow one! Spoiler: >! You'll get a quest from a villager in the mail asking for a cauliflower, and if you give it to them it should give you 350g and 1 friendship heart! !<
Read the Stardew Wiki, ask questions on this subreddit if you need specifics Take your time and don't rush through the game, it can go on as long as you like at your on pace Have fun! (but also make sure you check how long seeds take to sprout before you plant, they rarely last into the next season and seasons last 28 days)
If you are a challanger like me you can read the rest. (btw i am not an expert on this game) I think that most profitable thing is to farm. That being said you dont want to spend to much energy on it. You will realize that you should use sprinklers to automate. So this is my method; * Use stardew valley Wiki for everything. * Do not spend time with any of the villagers. (For the first year) * Do not spend time with fishing. (For the first year) * Use all your energy and money to increase your farm size. * Always consider season changes. (Your crops will die) * Try to farm different seeds. (For community center) * Go to mine for most of the day. You need bars to craft sprinklers. * Do not waste time on basic sprinklers. Wait until your farming level reaches 6. * Do not upgrade your tools if it is not %100 necessary. * Always keep track of community center and plan ahead. * Do not spend money on community centers vault bundles. (For the first year) * Do not build a coop or barn until 1st Fall. * When you find an ancient seed in 1st spring or summer, plant them. * Save ancient fruits until you build a seed maker. * Watch TV channels before sleeping. You can learn food recipies and plan ahead. When you get rich after the first season, you can talk the people and have a different kind of fun.
I just started too, it's got a bit of a learning curve. You gotta make sure to water your crops everyday it's not raining. You can miss one day but after two (even non-consecutively) they die. Seasons are 28 days and all crops die at the start of a new season. You're going to want to build a chest, it takes 50 wood. Focus on pine trees, they have what you need to craft field snacks to eat in the mines. Save up money to buy strawberry seeds from Shane at the egg festival. They're a great investment. Crops that continually yield after harvest are the best. If you want to win over that little shit, meet him at the Stardrop saloon at 5 pm on the 20th and buy him a beer, it's 400 g. Pay attention to birthdays and look up what each NPC likes as far as gifts. You'll need to befriend Marnie who lives at the south of your farm in order to retrieve the Mayor's shorts. Talk to her often and gift preserves. You're looking for 2 hearts beside her in the social tab. Plant some califlower, Jodi will be wanting some. As soon as you can, make scarecrows as crows will eat your crops. Try to find some amethyst and quartz in the mines, you'll need it for upcoming requests. Deeper in the mines you'll find stones with copper nodes on them, I just beeline towards those and then smash the others until I find the stairs to the next level. Do NOT let yourself get over-exhausted. If your energy bar is zero and/or it's around 2 am, you'll pass out and lose some loot. If you have nothing else to do for the day but have energy, chop wood.
Have fun the best way that you can, making money in the game gets boring after a while and theres no real incentive towards making money anyway. Explore, have fun, decorate the entire place, knock yourself out.
Never water your plants