Beginner players can struggle in Stardew Valley; one short intro, an inherited farm and a messy front garden can combine to leave the new gamer a little disorientated. It’s a title that focuses on farming of course, but with so many options available to the player, where should they start? Well, there are no time limits in the game, therefore there is no one correct way to play, however the following are some tips to help the new player find their feet.
Clean Up
Stardew Valley is a game that is primarily based on farming. Your little piece of inherited land is your lifeline, and right now it exists as a messy plot filled with well… Mess. The space acts as a big patch of untapped potential, yet it’s currently filled with shrubs, sticks and general mess, none of which is becoming of an efficient and profitable farm. Your first task then, is to clean it up – grab those tools and get to work!
We’re not advising that you clear up the whole plot, after all your energy reserves are limited at this early stage, but you should certainly clear yourself a nice space ready for crops and such.
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Make a Chest
So you’ve cleared up a portion of your land, and now your inventory is almost full. You’re likely to have picked up plenty of stone, weeds and possibly some geodes, and they’re all sitting there taking up your slots. Happily, you’re going to have picked up plenty of wood at the same time, and this can be used to solve your inventory problem: Head into your crafting menu and use this wood to make a chest, which you can place anywhere you’d like! We recommend placing it just outside the door to your farm, that way you can withdraw or deposit whenever you drop by!
Save Everything
Coming from other games, you may be used to what’s known as ‘vendor trash’ – loot that serves no purpose and is designed to be sold or simply discarded, seemingly existing for flavour rather than substance. In Stardew Valley the opposite is true: Almost everything has a use, and as such you really shouldn’t be getting rid of anything at all. Besides which you just made a chest to hold everything, so there’s no reason not to keep everything ready for later!
Stardew Valley also has your tools take up valuable inventory slots, so it’s not a bad idea to leave tools at home in your chest. More available slots equals more useful loot after all!
Spring Onions
A lot of Stardew Valley, certainly in the beginning portions of the game, will be about exploring your surroundings. You’ll find beaches, rivers, caves and all sorts out there, and whilst doing so you’ll almost certainly happen upon new and unusual items. One such item is the Spring Onion, and it’s one that you’ll want to make sure you don’t ignore.
We noted earlier that your Energy will be a limiting factor early on – doing various tasks will drain this and your supplies aren’t exactly plentiful when you’re just starting out. Happily, the humble Spring Onion restores a small amount of this Energy, enabling you to do that little bit extra each day!
Start Fishing
If you’ve been following our tips you’ll now have a good clean portion of land, a chest for keeping supplies and a way to extend your Energy levels a little. You’ll also be aware that you need a good supply of cash to start working your way up in the world. Fishing then, provides you with an opportunity to make a good portion of cash early on – Fish in general sell well, so why not start that bankroll ASAP?
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Repair a Bridge
By now, Stardew Valley has probably turned you into a bit of a hoarder, stowing away every little bit and bob you find, waiting for the rainy day of requirement to come along. Well, one of the first things you’ll want to invest in is the Bridge located on the beach south of the main town, which requires 300 Wood to repair.
Repairing this bridge unlocks a new area in which you can forage, and is home to coral, seaweed, clams and oysters among others. All of these hold quite a good value early in the game, so heading over there with a clear inventory can bring home quite the haul. Not only this, but you’ll be levelling your foraging skill whilst you’re at it – what’s not to like?
Backpack Upgrade
One thing Stardew Valley is good at, is giving you reasons to spend your hard earned cash. The Backpack upgrade is one of the best early investments you can make, and if you’ve been following our tips thus far you’ll be finding more and more bits of loot to keep about your person. It might take you a little time at first, but saving up the required 2,000g isn’t too bad, and you’ll be thankful for those extra inventory slots!
Head to the Mines
So you have a big backpack, plenty of loot stuffed into your various inventory and a burgeoning farm. What better way to expand your repertoire than delving down into the monster infested mines? There’s a whole lot more loot available down there, and it’s always fun to get your sword arm working once in a while.
The mines will become available very early into year 1, and you’ll need to head directly north out of your farm and into the mountains to find them. Should you head there early, you’ll find that some rubble blocks your path, so don’t bother until you receive the above letter.
Don’t forget to bring your Pickaxe and any energy restoring options you might have, it can get tough in there!
Gather 20 Copper Ore
Now that you have the Mines available it’s well worth a visit or two. You’ll find all manner of things down there, from enemies to fish and, importantly, ores. Copper Ore is the earliest that you can access, and we would advise you get at least 20 of these.
Why 20 Copper Ore specifically? You’ll need that many to make a Furnace, which is used to smelt bars, which in turn can be used to craft new tools, weapons and machinery for the farm. Slay plenty of monsters whilst you’re down there, just be sure to pick up the 20 Ore before you leave! Be careful in there though, passing out in the mines has a chance to lose you some valuable loot!
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Gypsy Cart Visit
Our Stardew Valley tips, at least to this point, have all been about accruing wealth, either in monetary or item form. Yet whilst it’s true that the early game should be about obtaining and hoarding items, it’s also true that you shouldn’t just ignore opportunities to spend. Thus, we recommend you visit the Gypsy Cart.
The Gypsy Cart comes to the woods south of your farm on Fridays and Sundays, where she’ll hang around until 8pm. Make sure you take some time to visit her, because she’ll often stock items that you’ll otherwise be unable to get until much later in the year. As shown above, you can get your hands on things like Red Cabbage Seeds, which would otherwise not be available until summer in Year 2!
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