Stardew Valley is a relaxing and free-form farming game, but the open-ended nature can sometimes leave new players feeling overwhelmed. This guide will help you get started and understand the essentials, covering farm selection, controls, energy management, and important early-game activities.
Choosing Your Farm
When creating a new farm, the most crucial decision is selecting the type of farm. For beginners, the Standard Farm is a great choice, offering ample space for farming with fewer obstacles. Alternatively, the Forest Farm is slightly more challenging but provides unique benefits such as the regular spawn of hard-to-find items and a renewable hardwood source, which will prove valuable later in the game.
On the other hand, avoid selecting the Wilderness Farm or Beach Farm if it’s your first playthrough. The Wilderness Farm spawns enemies at night, which can be an unnecessary challenge, and the Beach Farm, while featuring ocean fishing, prohibits the use of sprinklers, making farming more labor-intensive.
Understanding Basic Controls
Stardew Valley is available on various platforms, and controls can differ between systems. Your two most important buttons are the use tool button (left click or the corresponding controller button) and the check button (right click). These buttons will allow you to interact with objects, plant crops, and use your tools effectively.
If something doesn’t work as expected, try both buttons. Sometimes picking up furniture or interacting with certain objects requires the use tool button rather than the check button. You can also check all of your controls in the menu at any time.
Energy Management and Time
Energy is a crucial resource in Stardew Valley, and almost every action (except for swinging a scythe) consumes it. Keep an eye on your energy bar—once it depletes, your character will become exhausted, limiting your actions for the rest of the day. Eating food can restore energy, or you can go to bed early to recharge for the next day.
A day in Stardew Valley lasts about 13 real-time minutes. Your character wakes up at 6 AM, and you must return to bed before 2 AM, or you’ll pass out, incurring penalties. After midnight, your energy penalty for the next day increases, so plan accordingly.
Managing Your First Days
Your initial goal is to familiarize yourself with farming mechanics. Use your tools to clear space, plant the seeds you start with, and water them daily. As your crops grow, take the opportunity to explore, meet the villagers, and gather forageable items like wild plants and wood, which don’t require energy to collect.
The first few days should be spent learning the game’s systems, interacting with villagers, and preparing for future activities. Fishing, for example, becomes available on Day 2 after receiving a letter from Willy, the local fisherman, inviting you to the beach. Fishing is a great way to gather resources, and you can consume your catches to restore energy.
Exploring the World
Stardew Valley features a vibrant world with several areas to explore, including your farm, Pelican Town, and surrounding areas like the Cindersap Forest and Mountains. As you explore, you’ll meet characters with unique schedules and personalities, each offering friendship benefits and event cutscenes as your relationships grow.
In the beginning, don’t worry about maximizing every minute. Focus on small daily goals, such as clearing part of your farm, meeting new people, or gathering resources. The game’s laid-back pace encourages players to take their time and enjoy the process.
The Mines and Combat
Around Day 5, you’ll unlock access to the Mines, where you can gather valuable ores and fight monsters. These ores, like copper, are essential for upgrading tools. Each mine level is randomly generated, and every five levels act as checkpoints, so if you run out of energy or health, you can resume from your last checkpoint.
Be mindful of your HP bar in combat; if it depletes, you’ll end up at the doctor’s office with a fee for treatment.
The Community Center
Also around Day 5, you’ll unlock the Community Center quest, one of the central activities in Stardew Valley. Here, you’ll work to restore the center by completing bundles of items you gather or produce. Completing bundles rewards you with useful upgrades and unlocks new areas in the game.
Alternatively, you can support JojaMart by purchasing a Joja membership, which allows you to pay for these upgrades instead of gathering items. However, many players find the Community Center route more rewarding and fulfilling.
Crafting and Inventory Management
Crafting is an essential part of Stardew Valley, allowing you to create tools, buildings, and other resources. As you progress and level up, you’ll unlock new recipes, so keep an eye on the crafting menu and experiment with different items.
Additionally, inventory management becomes important as you gather more items. Use chests to store resources and stay organized, especially when you begin gathering a wide variety of crops, tools, and items. You’ll also see a larger bag available for purchase in town to increase storage space.
Seasonal Changes and Farming
Stardew Valley has four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, each lasting 28 days. Crops are season-specific, meaning you must plant and harvest them within the appropriate season. If a crop is still growing when the season changes, it will die, so plan accordingly and check its growth time before planting.
In Winter, farming slows down, but it’s a great time to focus on other activities like mining, fishing, and building relationships with the townspeople.
Tips for Success
- Plan your tasks: Focus on one or two goals each day. For example, one day may be dedicated to farming, another to mining, and another to fishing or foraging.
- Stockpile resources: Keep at least one of everything. Many items are used in crafting recipes or community bundles, so it’s helpful to have a stockpile.
- Upgrade tools: As soon as you can, gather resources like copper to upgrade your tools. This will make farming, mining, and fishing more efficient.
- Talk to villagers: Building relationships with the townspeople can unlock rewards, recipes, and special cutscenes.
- Don’t stress: Stardew Valley is meant to be relaxing. There’s no penalty for taking your time, and you’ll always have another chance to complete tasks in future seasons.
Enjoy the Stardew Valley Experience
Stardew Valley is a rich, open-ended game that rewards exploration, creativity, and patience. By starting with the basics, managing your energy wisely, and setting small goals, you’ll find yourself enjoying the relaxing and rewarding life of a Stardew Valley farmer in no time.
Embrace the game’s slow pace, experiment with different activities, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes—after all, there’s always another day in Pelican Town!
