Welcome to our series where I share some of my tips and tricks for the games that really, really don’t hold your hand to start off with. This time I’m sharing my knowledge of the amazing farming sim that isn’t just a farming sim, Stardew Valley– to help you get gud scrub! So, here are some tips and tricks for Stardew Valley. (Beware there may be some spoilers in this post too).
1. Finish the community center ASAP
The community center is one of the first major quests of the game and is worth getting done as fast as possible. Why? It basically unlocks a whole bunch of other things that will make earning money and expanding your farm a hecc of a lot easier. Best strategy I’ve found is plan ahead as best as you can. Plant one of each required crop on the first day of each month to ensure you get that ticked off quickly, and don’t neglect your fishing, mining and foraging while waiting for crops to grow. Another tip is try and get your animal sheds built and upgraded as fast as possible, as the animal crops bundle always seems to be the last one I finish every playthrough.
2. Don’t ignore the TV
Establishing a routine in Stardew Valley is a great idea, especially to optimise your morning. The first thing you should do after getting up is ALWAYS checking the TV. The weather and Fortune Teller can help a lot with what you should be doing and when, especially when trying to catch fish that only appear in the rain, or getting a good luck run in the mines. The other element to keep a look out for is the Queen of Sauce show. If you eventually plan on doing a 100% completion run, ensuring to get all the recipes in the Queen of Sauce is paramount, and while they do often repeat eventually if you miss them, it’s much better to make sure you just get them on the first go.
3. Invest in Preserve Jars and Kegs
It’s no secret that making lots of money in Stardew Valley is paramount to progression. And the best way to do it, is through Preserve Jars and Kegs. While they do take a decent number of resources to produce, it’s honestly worth doing. So, get some oak trees tapped nice and early, and stock up on wood, stone, coal and bars. Because once you get a full shed’s worth of these bad boys in action, you’ll be thanking me!
4. Keep one of EVERYTHING
Especially in your first year, keeping one of everything in a chest is a very good idea. You never know when some random villager will ask for an item that only grows in that month, and you’re on the very last day. So, avoid having the stupid quest sitting in your journal for a whole year by keeping a little bit of everything handy.
5. Know what crops make the most moolah!
Each season an array of crops can be grown on your farm. And once you’ve planted the crops you need for the community centre, I’d definitely recommend then planting mainly the crops that will give you the best return. In Spring, that’s potatoes and strawberries. Summer, you’re looking at blueberries and starfruit (or hops prior to unlocking the desert). And in fall/autumn, it’s cranberries and pumpkins.
Once you find an Ancient Seed though, all bets are off as Ancient Fruit is by FAR the best crop in the game. Which leads into my next tip…
6. When you find an Ancient Seed, DON’T plant it outside
As I mentioned Ancient Fruit is by far the best crop in the game. But it takes a hot minute to produce and cultivate. You start off with one seed. One single seed. It takes a whole month to grow, and after that produces one fruit a week. You can then get more seeds, by putting the fruit into a seed maker, which if you’re lucky, can churn out maybe 2 or 3 more seed packets. Because of this, it is a big investment to start planting these guys. So for that reason, despite the fact it can grow in all seasons but winter, I’d advise never to plant them outside on your farm. Instead, after unlocking the greenhouse, begin your Ancient Seed grind in there. That way you’ll never be interrupted by Winter.
*SPOILER*
This of course, does not apply though to the Ginger Island farm as you can plant crops there all year round. So, both the greenhouse AND the Ginger Island farm are your best bets for planting Ancient Seeds.
7. Keep your first Prismatic Shard
These little dudes are SUCH a pain to find. But, when you do eventually find one, it can be tempting to give it over to Gunther and complete the museum. OR if you’re post community centre, give it away in the next bundle you unlock. But I’m here to tell you, DON’T! Your first prismatic shard should always be used to create… *SPOILER* a Galaxy sword! This is one of the most powerful weapons in the game and will allow you tear up any enemies that might get in the way, including those in the Skull Cavern. Having a good weapon to protect yourself will make finding more shards a lot easier, so it’s well worth the investment.
So, that was just some of my tips and tricks for Stardew Valley.
I hope this can help your Stardew Valley farm flourish! If you’d like me to share even more tips and tricks for Stardew Valley, just let me know in the comments below. And hey, before you go, check out our other get gud posts right here, or even go sub to our company YouTube channel cos we’re awesome like that!
