Stardew Valley Tips?

[Mairmalade]

Stardew Valley never gets old! Adding a few tips/reminders to the pot:

- Save trash you find for use in the recycling machine (you will obtain the recipe at fishing level 4). I got half of my refined quartz this way. Not sure if this is static, but I find a lot of trash in the pond on the farm.

- Bring cherry bombs (or bombs) with you into the mines. They help with clearing floors and enemies. You unlock cherry bombs extremely early and they only take one copper and coal to make.

- Make use of paths on your farm, especially to surround crops to protect them from damage caused by natural growth

- Use scarecrows! It’s all fun and games until a crow plucks at your precious harvest

- If you build a barn/coop before winter, remember to invest in heaters which can be bought from Marnie to keep your animals warm and happy throughout winter

- Invest in an upgraded fishing rod which you can buy from Willy. I never realized how profitable fishing was when I first played, and having a decent fishing rod & bait makes a huge difference

 

[Bk1234]

dont rush yourself through the game, take your time to enjoy it. Also if you are into the romancing system, definitely give it a go cos there are heaps of great people to choose from. i am about to start a new play through myself, as i haven't experienced any of the new update stuff and i want to romance someone new. My main tip is a simple one - have fun! if you don't put pressure on yourself to complete the community centre and just take your time with things, its honestly a wonderful game that you can put hours and hours into.

Oh wow, that’s so good to hear! I always feel pressured to get through things as if there’s a time limit.

Post automatically merged: Jan 17, 2021

Stardew Valley never gets old! Adding a few tips/reminders to the pot:

- Save trash you find for use in the recycling machine (you will obtain the recipe at fishing level 4). I got half of my refined quartz this way. Not sure if this is static, but I find a lot of trash in the pond on the farm.

- Bring cherry bombs (or bombs) with you into the mines. They help with clearing floors and enemies. You unlock cherry bombs extremely early and they only take one copper and coal to make.

- Make use of paths on your farm, especially to surround crops to protect them from damage caused by natural growth

- Use scarecrows! It’s all fun and games until a crow plucks at your precious harvest

- If you build a barn/coop before winter, remember to invest in heaters which can be bought from Marnie to keep your animals warm and happy throughout winter

- Invest in an upgraded fishing rod which you can buy from Willy. I never realized how profitable fishing was when I first played, and having a decent fishing rod & bait makes a huge difference

I remember unlocking scarecrows and putting them up, so I’m good on that tip. I’ll definitely remember the tip about the heaters, as I wouldn’t want my animals to freeze.

 

[Bk1234]

Today was an ok day (technically days) in Stardew Valley.
-I went into the mines, with little success because I forgot I had a sword.
-I bought the backpack (I think it’s the first upgrade.)
-I got access to Haley and Penny’s rooms (this sounds so wrong.)
-Fishing is a nightmare, but I found some success (of course I couldn’t find the fish I needed...) Luckily my fishing spot is where Alex usually is, so I can stalk him.
-I forgot about Pam’s birthday.
-I didn’t get anything for Shane’s birthday because he’s picky and nasty.
-I bought more cauliflowers with not enough time left in the month.

 

[Sharksheep]

I do the one year community center challenge for most of my new farms. There's a randomize bundle one that's extra hard but I haven't gotten a farm with the right combination of bundles yet to do it.

You can get away with having the one backpack upgrade for a while to save money for more crops
Coffee is good if you can get it from the traveling merchant early enough in Spring
Until the egg festival you want to try to earn as much money as possible from forging and fishing to buy a ton of Strawberry seeds
Potatos are better than cauliflower or turnips
The best crop for summer is coffee if already have enough fully grown plants in spring. If not that blueberriees and corn
The best crop for fall is cranberries

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Stardew Valley is such an awesome game!

I've been playing Stardew on and off since 2016. After the 1.5 content patch dropped, I started a brand new playthrough. I've managed to do stuff that I've not been able to accomplish before. For instance, I completed the community center in the first year.

Spoiler: TIPS

At the end of the first year, I finished the community center, maxed out all my skills, and travelled to Ginger Island.

The most significant thing that I did differently was prioritizing fishing and mining.

Fishing gives you good money in early game so that you can afford to buy the first upgraded backpack in 2-5 days. In the first few days, fish in front of Willy's shop. This lets you sell your fish quickly to clear out more inventory slots for more fish! Once you've upgraded your first backpack, you can fish anywhere without running out of space constantly. Money from fish helps you buy lots of seeds for farming, build the coop and barn and buy the animals.

Mining means you get resources that help you upgrade your tools quickly, as well as make tappers, quality sprinklers, kegs and preserve jars. Making it to level 100 in the mines as soon as possible will also give you more energy because you get a stardrop.

The first prismatic shard you get, do not donate to the museum. Use it to get the Galaxy Sword. You need it for the Skull Cavern in the desert. If you can't get a Galaxy Sword, save up to buy a Lava Katana from the Guild before attempting the Skull Cavern.

I don't use the spa to recharge. I rely on foraged food for energy gains. Trotting to the spa and sitting in the pool takes too much time.

Community center bundles all need to be finished but I prioritized two: the minecarts and the greenhouse. The minecarts save you time getting you to town/the mines/etc and the greenhouse allows you to farm throughout winter. I filled my greenhouse with ancient fruit plants and strawberries.

You can max out friendship points with the villagers with a steady gifting practice of universally liked items such as jelly and mayonnaise. The exceptions are few. For instance, Sebastian hates jelly and mayonnaise. I save my frozen tears and flounders for him. Everyone likes mayo except Caroline, Sam, and the kids, who all like jelly. Everyone likes jelly except Sebastian.

Don't be afraid of the Skull Cavern. I used to avoid it because the levels are randomized, the monsters are hard and the iridium is scarce. But all you need is a good weapon and a lot of bombs.

Bombing will get you staircases down or, even better, holes to jump into. So save up your iron and coal for bombs. Mine them in the local mine. Every time you get a lucky day (spirits are in good humor or are very happy), go the Skull Cavern with your bombs and food and you'll be rewarded!

If you are attempting the challenge of reaching level 100 in the Skull Cavern, prepare a desert totem, a farm totem, bombs, coffee, food, 20 staircases. When the spirits are very happy, go. First thing in the morning, drink coffee, use your desert totem to get there. Start bombing. Jump down every hole there is. Do not stop to mine. If you use 3 bombs and find no staircase or hole, or if you end up on a floor with a swarm of monsters attacking you, use a staircase. Although you can also craft 100 staircases and get to level 100 that way, it's not as satisfying to do. Additionally, you get different dialogue with Mr Qi depending on your method. He has... opinions.

The Guild rewards you when you kill a number of certain monsters in the mines. I feel the best rewards are the burglar's ring for killing dust sprites in the local mine and the napalm ring for killing serpents in the skull cavern.

I managed to access the 1.5 late game content in Year 1. I was able to sail to Ginger Island in winter after completing the community center. Save your hardwood, batteries and iridium bars for that to happen.

Hit the mines on Ginger Island until you get to the Forge. Always bring bombs, food and your watering can into the volcano mines! At the Forge, you can forge your weapons to boost stats and combine your rings for combined stats. There are many choices. I combined my iridium band with the burglar's ring, and the slime charmer ring with the napalm ring. This means when I kill monsters, I get more loot and resources at the same time.

I hope some of the tips help. I'm enjoying the heck out of this game! The late game content, with many puzzles and quests, is particularly addictive. Sometimes I pause my game and think about Eric Barone. His labor of love is apparent, as is his great talent for crafting a game that makes the player feel good about any effort expended to discover and overcome new challenges. He is one in a million and deserves the success he has. Games like Stardew Valley make me so happy that I play videogames even though I'm already an elderly middle-aged woman with slowing reflexes!

 

[Bk1234]

Stardew Valley is such an awesome game!

I've been playing Stardew on and off since 2016. After the 1.5 content patch dropped, I started a brand new playthrough. I've managed to do stuff that I've not been able to accomplish before. For instance, I completed the community center in the first year.

Spoiler: TIPS

At the end of the first year, I finished the community center, maxed out all my skills, and travelled to Ginger Island.

The most significant thing that I did differently was prioritizing fishing and mining.

Fishing gives you good money in early game so that you can afford to buy the first upgraded backpack in 2-5 days. In the first few days, fish in front of Willy's shop. This lets you sell your fish quickly to clear out more inventory slots for more fish! Once you've upgraded your first backpack, you can fish anywhere without running out of space constantly. Money from fish helps you buy lots of seeds for farming, build the coop and barn and buy the animals.

Mining means you get resources that help you upgrade your tools quickly, as well as make tappers, quality sprinklers, kegs and preserve jars. Making it to level 100 in the mines as soon as possible will also give you more energy because you get a stardrop.

The first prismatic shard you get, do not donate to the museum. Use it to get the Galaxy Sword. You need it for the Skull Cavern in the desert. If you can't get a Galaxy Sword, save up to buy a Lava Katana from the Guild before attempting the Skull Cavern.

I don't use the spa to recharge. I rely on foraged food for energy gains. Trotting to the spa and sitting in the pool takes too much time.

Community center bundles all need to be finished but I prioritized two: the minecarts and the greenhouse. The minecarts save you time getting you to town/the mines/etc and the greenhouse allows you to farm throughout winter. I filled my greenhouse with ancient fruit plants and strawberries.

You can max out friendship points with the villagers with a steady gifting practice of universally liked items such as jelly and mayonnaise. The exceptions are few. For instance, Sebastian hates jelly and mayonnaise. I save my frozen tears and flounders for him. Everyone likes mayo except Caroline, Sam, and the kids, who all like jelly. Everyone likes jelly except Sebastian.

Don't be afraid of the Skull Cavern. I used to avoid it because the levels are randomized, the monsters are hard and the iridium is scarce. But all you need is a good weapon and a lot of bombs.

Bombing will get you staircases down or, even better, holes to jump into. So save up your iron and coal for bombs. Mine them in the local mine. Every time you get a lucky day (spirits are in good humor or are very happy), go the Skull Cavern with your bombs and food and you'll be rewarded!

If you are attempting the challenge of reaching level 100 in the Skull Cavern, prepare a desert totem, a farm totem, bombs, coffee, food, 20 staircases. When the spirits are very happy, go. First thing in the morning, drink coffee, use your desert totem to get there. Start bombing. Jump down every hole there is. Do not stop to mine. If you use 3 bombs and find no staircase or hole, or if you end up on a floor with a swarm of monsters attacking you, use a staircase. Although you can also craft 100 staircases and get to level 100 that way, it's not as satisfying to do. Additionally, you get different dialogue with Mr Qi depending on your method. He has... opinions.

The Guild rewards you when you kill a number of certain monsters in the mines. I feel the best rewards are the burglar's ring for killing dust sprites in the local mine and the napalm ring for killing serpents in the skull cavern.

I managed to access the 1.5 late game content in Year 1. I was able to sail to Ginger Island in winter after completing the community center. Save your hardwood, batteries and iridium bars for that to happen.

Hit the mines on Ginger Island until you get to the Forge. Always bring bombs, food and your watering can into the volcano mines! At the Forge, you can forge your weapons to boost stats and combine your rings for combined stats. There are many choices. I combined my iridium band with the burglar's ring, and the slime charmer ring with the napalm ring. This means when I kill monsters, I get more loot and resources at the same time.

I hope some of the tips help. I'm enjoying the heck out of this game! The late game content, with many puzzles and quests, is particularly addictive. Sometimes I pause my game and think about Eric Barone. His labor of love is apparent, as is his great talent for crafting a game that makes the player feel good about any effort expended to discover and overcome new challenges. He is one in a million and deserves the success he has. Games like Stardew Valley make me so happy that I play videogames even though I'm already an elderly middle-aged woman with slowing reflexes!

Thank you so much for all the detailed tips!

 

[psiJordan]

I think the biggest thing to know is that there are absolutely no deadlines and no consequences for missing anything in this game

If you miss anything from a season, you could always just do it next year or even just sleep ahead 3 seasons if you want. You won’t lose any friendship with characters, animals don’t die, and your farm might be a little overgrown but that’s just more resources lol

The game is entirely at your own pace, so don’t get too caught up in getting milestones early on/making millions immediately

 

[EmeraldJourney]

I feel like there’s a fairly large Stardew Valley community on here. I don’t know if this thread has been made or not, but what are your tips for the game? What’s information you wish you knew before you started? I started a little bit of the game and then stopped for some reason, but I’m trying to get back into it. I think I’m almost done with my first year of Spring, if that’s any help.

Add mods, seriously. You can get a bunch from nexus and it adds new towns, crops, livestock, npcs, quests, map locations, caves, forests etc.

 

[ChocoPie22]

The secret to cracking him is by giving him hot peppers Has Anyone ever given someone they like hot peppers in real life?

To be honest most of the guys seem about 12 I guess that’s the biggest clue Now I am wondering who everyone else picked if they are romancing someone

I'm going for Sebastian, I feel like he is a very popular choice.

 

[Roxxy]

I'm going for Sebastian, I feel like he is a very popular choice.

I would love to know the Sebastian story. I found it hard to get a friendship level with him. I am high level with most, now very sad and married to Doc Harvey who is very cute and kind.

 

[ChocoPie22]

I would love to know the Sebastian story. I found it hard to get a friendship level with him. I am high level with most, now very sad and married to Doc Harvey who is very cute and kind.

I started playing again yesterday and decided to restart since I'd forgotten everything I'd done, I'm currently friendship level 2 with him, I always end up at his house earlier than when he leaves his room so I'm just standing outside his door with a vegetable lol.

 

[Roxxy]

I started playing again yesterday and decided to restart since I'd forgotten everything I'd done, I'm currently friendship level 2 with him, I always end up at his house earlier than when he leaves his room so I'm just standing outside his door with a vegetable lol.

Oh no, can you imagine in real life standing outside a guys house with a vegetable

 

[5pmtheme]

i second downloading mods for any PC players! they're really good for both aesthetic changes and QoL changes like fishing and mining (which i am absolutely terrible at). start off with just tiny ones to see if mods are for you ofc!

 

[Kumori]

My go-to basic tips are:

If you're only concerned with making money as fast as possible, don't start with parsnips. Start with potatoes. Then buy strawberries with potato crop money, as many as you can. With strawberry money, you buy blueberries in summer. And then in fall, buy cranberries. That usually sets you up pretty well monetary-wise.

ALWAYS check the calendar! ALWAYS give people presents on their birthdays! Try to give them something they love, but if you can't, definitely give them something they like. Loved gifts give them a TON of hearts though, especially if they're iridium quality!

You can upgrade tools throughout the year, but save your watering can and hoe upgrades for winter, when you won't need them.

Don't worry about a chicken coop on your first year. Try to build up a good source of money first, then second year you can start getting animals, or at the end of the first year if you really can't wait. (Just be sure to buy silos first!)

I also always like to have the Stardew wiki up to check on what villagers like/dislike, how much farm buildings are, where to get certain items, etc. etc.

 

[KittenNoir]

I’m new to this game as well can someone please tell me how to fish cause I am finding it difficult to do so hahaha

 

[ChocoPie22]

I’m new to this game as well can someone please tell me how to fish cause I am finding it difficult to do so hahaha

Link to a Fishing Guide <-- I inserted a link to a guide which shows good spots, tips on fishing, what each level gives you, and things you can craft!

 

[Sharksheep]

I’m new to this game as well can someone please tell me how to fish cause I am finding it difficult to do so hahaha

If you are playing on PC it's easier with a mouse than a track pad and it just takes a bit of practice. You also can slowly increase your fishing level with crab pots so the bar is larger. There are also auto fish mods you can install if you don't enjoy it.

I don't have any advice for you on any other platforms.

 

[FantasticHaxorus]

oh man I love Stardew!! i have a handful of tips, skimmed the thread so it’s possible some of these were mentioned already, but..
-With goats and ducks, you’re always making less money than with cows or chickens, but you only have to milk them/gather eggs every other day. Sheep don’t make much money at all and neither do rabbits, and while dinosaurs are better since they added dinosaur mayo they’re still a fun novelty more than anything else. Haven’t kept the new ostriches yet. Of course if you really like the idea of farming sheep or rabbits they’re still a viable option, just not as good as the other animals.
-If you make beehives and farm honey, always use flowers-but if you’re making flower honey, don’t turn it into mead as it will almost always lose money. Wild/flower-less honey is OK to turn to mead though.
-On your first year, try a bunch of different things until you find what you like best. I don’t like farming crops much, but I love keeping animals and fishing, so I focus on those.
-Amethyst is a great gift for everybody (I think?). Don’t sell it unless you really need the cash.
-Crab-pots are useless except for bait (and if you mine regularly that won’t be an issue unless you fish a ton). Skip the fishing perks that boost them.
-willy is the best character and emily is the best romanceable character any other opinion is wrong. Jokes aside, fishing bobs can be really useful if you’re into fishing; the treasure one in particular I use a lot.

 

[EmeraldJourney]

I feel like there’s a fairly large Stardew Valley community on here. I don’t know if this thread has been made or not, but what are your tips for the game? What’s information you wish you knew before you started? I started a little bit of the game and then stopped for some reason, but I’m trying to get back into it. I think I’m almost done with my first year of Spring, if that’s any help.

A few things, as soon as you can, buy potatoes. Those are the most profitable in-game crop, save all of that and fish everyday until the event where you can buy strawberries. Buy as many as you can and sell them for profit. Remember to plant 2 cauliflower and 2 beans because you need those for the community centre/quest AND a crow might eat one.

You can turn on a box that shows you where you are hitting by going to the settings and check marking the box for it. This makes tilling and planting so much easier.

As soon as you have eggs, make mayonnaise machines. Eggs are pretty profitable and it all adds up in the month, I usually save all of mine until the end of the month where I make around 30k from all my normal chickens.

Fish. Fishing is stupidly profitable, especially early game. It can make you thousands a day, even though its tedious, if you can spare time then do it. There's a fishing haul and make fishing easier mod for the game that restructures the mechanic, the first one is a fun way to collect iridium fish and the second one, well, makes it easier.

Mods are particularly awesome for stardew, there are hundreds and they introduce new maps, characters, locations, mechanics, food, animals, crops, pets.. theres a pet mod where you can go to a shipping bin and adopt as many as you like, all different colours and breeds. So you have multiple cats and dogs on the farm.

Unlocking animals comes through buying the barn or coop at Robins house. Once you have that, go to Marnies farm store and you can buy them from there.

Happy stardewing!

 

[TemalRustic]

I feel like there’s a fairly large Stardew Valley community on here. I don’t know if this thread has been made or not, but what are your tips for the game? What’s information you wish you knew before you started? I started a little bit of the game and then stopped for some reason, but I’m trying to get back into it. I think I’m almost done with my first year of Spring, if that’s any help.

Complete the community centre early, this is just a given, but it's fun and progresses your game with the little guys. Expand your farm and make as much space as possible early, plan where your coops and barns and and make it strategic, so no buildings to far away and fences. Make a shed for mayonnaise or brewing, they make really good money and it's a good idea to have multiple machines. You can get machines early by completing community centre bundles.

The first day, talk to everyone, and on evenings when you are past the summer festival and have money to collect, go to the saloon and buy everyone a beer. This will help get a lot of your villager hearts up quickly.

Lastly, befriend the homeless man and give him gifts every day for the 2 days a week they allow you to. Eventually he will give you a wilder form of bait which makes fishing twice as fast.